Coues on the Fare, Cliff, or Crescent Swallow. 109 



building energy, like that which induces a House "Wren, for example, 

 to accumulate a preposterous quantity of trash in its cubby-holes. 

 Such architecture reminds me of the Irishman's notion of how cannon 

 are made, — by taking a hole and pouring the melted metal around 

 it. It is the rule, when the nest is built in any exposed situation. 

 But since the Swallows have taken to building under eaves, or other 

 projections affording a degree of shelter, the bottle-necked, even the 

 simply globular nests seem to be going out of fashion ; and thou- 

 sands of nests are now built as open as those of the Barn Swallow, 

 being simply half-cups attached to the wall, and in fact chiefly dis- 

 tinguished from those of Barn Swallows by containing little or no 

 hay. I suppose this to be a piece of atavism, — a reversion to prim- 

 itive ways. The Barn and Eave Swallows are our only kinds that 

 do not go into a hole or its equivalent ; and the indication of shelter 

 or covering, in all cases indispensable, being secured by the roof 

 itself beneath which they nestle, the special roofing of each nest 

 becomes superfluous. Hence the open cups these Swallows now 

 construct. 



Considering how sedulously most birds strive to hide their nests, 

 and screen themselves during incubation, it becomes a matter of 

 curious speculation why these Swallows should ever build beneath 

 our eaves, in the most conspicuous manner, and literally fly in the 

 face of danger. Bichardson comments on this singular and exces- 

 sive confidence in man, too often betrayed, and which cannot, on 

 the whole, be conducive to the best interests of their tribe. He 

 speaks of a colonj^ that persisted in nesting just over a frequented 

 promenade, where they had actually to graze people's heads in pass- 

 ing to and from their nests, and were exposed to the curiosity and 

 depredations of the children ; yet they stuck to their first choice, 

 even though there were equally eligible and far safer locations just 

 at hand. Sir John wonders what cause could have thus suddenly 

 called into action such confidence in the human race, and queries 

 what peculiarity of economy leads some birds to put their offspring 

 in the most exposed situation they can find. We have all seen the 

 same thing, and noted the pertinacity with which these and other 

 Swallows will cling to their caprices, though subjected to every an- 

 no vnnce, and repeatedly ejected from the premises by destruction 

 of their nests. I have two notable cases in mind. At Fort Pem- 

 bina, Dakota, a colony insisted on building beneath the low portico 

 of the soldiers' barracks, almost within arm's reach. Being noisy 



