58 EVERYDAY BIRDS 
same time the excitement of the flock increases. 
Again and again the birds approach the chim- 
ney, as if they meant to descend into it. Then 
away they shoot for another round. 
At length the goig to roost actually begins. 
Half a dozen or a dozen of the birds drop one 
by one into the chimney. The rest sweep away, 
and when they come back, a second detachment 
drops in. And so the lively performance goes 
on till the last straggler folds his wings above 
the big black cavity and tumbles headlong out 
of sight. | 
The swift makes his nest of twigs, and as he 
cannot alight on the ground in search of them, 
he is compelled to gather them from the dead 
limbs of trees. Over and over again you will 
see the bird dart against such a limb, catching 
at a twig as he pauses for the merest instant be- 
fore it. It is difficult to be sure whether he suc- 
ceeds or not, his movements are so rapid, but it 
is certain that he must often fail. However, he 
acts upon the old motto, “Try, try again,” and 
in course of time the nest is built. And an 
extremely pretty nest it is, with the white eggs 
in it, the black twigs glued firmly together with 
the bird’s own saliva. 
