424 Mr. E. Adams on the Birds of Michalaski. 



relining the old ones. The nest is built entirely of mud, and 

 lined with a thick bed of feathers. One pair that had been 

 frequently disturbed whilst building in an exposed situation^ 

 left their unfinished nest and built another in the root of a 

 tuft of long grass which hung down from the inside of the 

 Foof of an outhouse. This one they concealed so artfully, by 

 suspending long straws from its outer surface, that it was 

 only by watching the birds that I discovered it. At the time 

 of the arrival of these birds the weather was fine and warm, 

 and their numbers were soon greatly increased ; but in a few 

 days the weather became cold and wet, and all the Swallows 

 left off building. One pair left their half-finished nest in an 

 outhouse, and built upon a rafter close by it a large loose nest 

 of straw and feathers, well lined with the latter (there was no 

 mud), and partly arched over with straw. In this nest the 

 two birds used to sit, side by side, the whole day long. As 

 soon as the warm weather returned they left their warm 

 retreat, and I never saw them use it afterwards. It was evi- 

 dently built merely as a temporary resort during the cold 

 weather ; and it was the only one I saw ; the other birds sat 

 huddled together upon tlie rafters. 



The eggs vary very much in size and shape, as well as in 

 the colour and disposition of the spots. The measurements 

 vary from 8^ to 10 lines in length ; but the breadth is gene- 

 rally about 6^ lines. The spots are sometimes small and 

 partly blotched, sometimes distinct, and sometimes much 

 larger at the large end, around which they occasionally form 

 a ring. Some eggs are spotted with dark brown, some with 

 reddish brown, and others with yellowish brown j and these 

 varieties often occur in the same nest. 



The favourite place for building was under the eaves of two 

 outhouses which were only a few feet apart, and the most 

 noisy place in the redoubt — the constant resort of women, 

 children, and dogs. They often build in old deserted native 

 huts ; and at Port Clarence, in lat. 65° 20' N., the furthest 

 north that they appear to go, they were breeding in a clifi" at 

 some little distance from the sea. 



Most of the nests had eggs in on the 19tli of June, when 



