STONECHAT AND SWALLOW 99 



Materials Used. — Moss and dry grass, lined with finer grass, hair, 

 and feathers. 



Eggs. — Four to Six. Bluish-green, with a faint red circlet of spots 

 at the larger end. 



Food. — Insects. 



Voice. — Call, " litic, utic," also "wee-chic-wee-chic, chic-chic-chic;" 

 also a sweet and pleasant little song. 



Chief Features. — The bird's habit of perching on the summit of a 

 bush. A most restless species, and very agitated when it has 

 young. Note the great difference between male and female. 



Plumage. — Black head, throat, beak, and feet; white neck sides, 

 tertial wing-coverts, and rump; bright chestnut-red breast, 

 inclining to whitish on belly; feathers of back, wings, and tail 

 black, with edges of reddish-brown. Female has the head and 

 upper parts dusky-brown, with yellowish-red edges to the 

 feathers; black throat, with small spots of white and reddish; 

 not so much white in wings and tail; breast dull red. Length. 

 — Five and a quarter inches. 



SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica) 



Local Names. — Barn Swallow, Chimney Swallow, House Swallow, 

 Red-Fronted Swallow, Window Swallow. 



Haunt. — The spacious air, buildings, surface of water, meadows, etc. 



Nesting Period. — April to Sep- 

 tember. 



Site of Nest. — Barns, quarries, 

 chimneys, under bridges, etc. 



Materials Used. — Mud, hay, and 

 straw, lined with feathers. 



Eggs. — Four to Six. White, 

 marked with light and dark 

 brown. 



Food. — Insects . 



Voice. — A shrill " pheet-a-pheet," 

 and in Autumn " tiz-zit ; " also 

 utters a pretty song, both 

 when perched and on the wing. 



Chief Features. — A Summer Migrant, arriving from Africa and 

 India about mid-April. A wonderful bird upon the wing, 

 swooping across meadows and rising and falling in a most 

 remarkable way. Has long tail-feathers and chestnut-brown 

 throat. Legs not feathered as in House Martin. 



Plumage. — Chestnut-brown forehead and throat; black on upper 

 parts and neck; sides with violet reflections; dull reddish- 



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