THE OO .OGIST 



111 



FINDING NESTS OF 



WHITE THROATED SWIFTS. 



Part II. 



In THK OOLOGIST, No. 273, page 

 49, I quoted a few remarks about find- 

 ing nests of this Swift. So little has 

 been recorded concerning these rare 

 birds, that I really believe they need 

 another write-up. 



When they began nesting first this 

 year, I was unable to study their 

 habits further. But on dates of June 

 14, 1.5, 16, I found time to go out, and 

 found five nests, which I will describe 

 later. 



On My arrival, at the top of Cliff 

 No. 1 , on the fourteenth, I located three 

 nests, or saw Swifts go into three dif- 

 ferent places in the cliff. 



The cliff was very large, being about 

 150 feet of a slope and below this a 

 pitch of about seventy feet. There 

 was a sort of large crack at top that 

 extended down no less than fifteen 

 feet and overhanging at top three feet. 



To commence with I had to get one 

 hundred and fifty feet of rope and my 

 thirty foot ladder and some iron pegs 

 for safety, i^fter having set my line 

 with ladder, I found it was necessary 

 to use another rope to keep my lad- 

 der in place. I then went down to the 

 first crack, I had seen them fly into. 

 I couldn't see anything, but could hear 

 ycung birds. There was a small hole 

 about one foot above the crack. I 

 leached in about two feet and pulled 

 out a nest containing four half-grown 

 birds and one dried up egg. 



The nest was made of a few straws 

 and grass, lined with feathers, cement- 

 ed together with bird saliva. It meas- 

 ured four inches across the top, and 

 two inches deep. 



It was then so late, I had to leave. 

 That evening I hunted all I could find 

 about this bird and read them with 

 much interest. 



The next morning my friend, Mr. 

 Bi-own, and I went out to see about 

 the other nests. Mr. Brown went 

 down to the second nest, which was at 

 least four feet back in the crack. 

 There was no chance to find out any- 

 thing here. We could heai- the owner 

 in the nest. He then went to the third 

 nest. He found this one to be in about 

 two feet and contained four young 

 ones. The nest was similar to number 

 one. 



I wanted a nest to study so fixed up 

 a nest and took one of these. I also 

 secured two birds which 1 intend to 

 have mounted. 



The female bird has a large head 

 and white throat. There is a strip of 

 white running full length. The wings 

 are very long and very narrow, with 

 a very little white. The tail is about 

 half as long as wings, and is white on 

 both sides of the root. The back is 

 a sort of bluish or slate color. The 

 male is similar, but is more blackish 

 on the back. 



Being unable to do any more with 

 this cliff, I left for another one the 

 next morning. I went down about one 

 hundred and ten feet to the first nest. 

 It was about two feet back in small 

 crack. The nest was similar to others 

 and contained four birds nearly ready 

 to fly. 



I went to the fifth and last nest, but 

 could do nothing. It was in a hole 

 and I could see no end of it. 



In my three days' study, I find they 

 fly around most in the mornings and 

 evenings. They feed the young about 

 every half hour, and both birds go in- 

 to the nest. 



I also found four young birds dead. 

 Evidently they were caught in a nar- 

 row place, as they tried to come out. 



Where do the various books get data 

 on their laying in June and July? I 

 can't see for my part, as these must 

 have been laid early in May. I intend 



