48 NEBRASKA ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION 



in Brown County, Nebraska, where choke-cherry patches in the canyons 

 are favored nesting" sites. 



Taken altogether the habits of this shy bird are extremely interest- 

 ing-. Doubtless many other facts concerning- its life history can be 

 broug'lit to light upon more thorough investigation. 



NOTES I^EGARDING A CHIMNEY SWIFT TREE 



I. S. TROSTLER, OMAHA 



The subject of the accompanying- photograph (Frontispiece) is a hol- 

 low bass-wood stvib which stood for many years one and one-half miles 

 north of Bellevue, Nebraska, and about sixty yards from the Burlington 

 and Missouri River Railway track near the Missouri River. 



This tree was occupied for two successive years by a pair of Chimney 

 Swifts {Chwtura pelagica). June 8, 1897, a set of six eg-gs, one of which 

 lay at the bottom of the cavity in the tree, was found, and June 2», 

 1898, a set of five eggs was found by Roy Mullen and J. E. Wallace. 



The swifts that occupied this tree were probably from a colony that 

 had formerly occupied a large chimney some two and one-half miles 

 northward, which was taken down in 1896. In 1899 this tree was cut 

 down. 



BIRDS THAT NEST IN NEBRASKA 



LAWRENCE BRUNER, LINCOLN 



The place where a bird builds its nest and rears its young is just as 

 surely home to it as is the place of our childhood to us. This being true 

 Nebraska is the home of a relatively large number of distinct species 

 of varied habits. Up to the present time we have definite records of the 

 nesting of 20."] species and sub-species, and a list of 40 others that are 

 very probable nesters, while there are 60 others which jjossibly occa- 

 sionally breed within the state. 



A discussion of the reasons for so large a list of birds nesting within 

 the sta,te would be interesting- here, bvit would require a little more 

 space and time than can be given for such an elucidation. The high 

 altitude of western and northwestern Nebraska will partially explain 

 the subject. It will be seen that, on account of its central location, the 

 elevated nature of the western portion, and the varied surface con- 

 fig-uration of the state as a whole that what is affii-med above must be 

 true. 



From the standpoint of a bii-d. then, Nebraska is not. so bad a state 

 in which to live, although from the following accounts it will be seen 

 that many species of these creatures can not be overly particular as to 



