112 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



fly to a bank and fill their mouths with the stiff 

 clay, and then, flying to the eaves, spread on 

 their mortar layer upon layer, until they have 

 made a cozy aj^artment with a neck, sometimes 

 quite long and curved, for an entrance. The 

 inside is lined with straw, wool, and feathers. 

 It is said that when a place has been used for 

 three or four seasons the birds leave it for 

 another site, perhaps because the mud grad- 

 ually loses its clinging quality or becomes 

 brittle. 



Among the enemies of the eave swallows 

 are the bluebirds, which often appropriate 

 their adobe houses for their own use, and usu- 

 ally succeed in driving the rightful owners 

 away from the immediate premises. A friend 

 told me that a pair of bluebirds once decided 

 that a swallow lodge would make them a good 

 nesting place, and so they took possession of it 

 while the rightful owners were absent, and 

 held them at bay on their return until they 

 gave up the contest. Mr. Bluebird, for all his 

 dainty ways and soft voice, is quite a pugilist, 

 and dearly loves to have his own way. 



In the Western States, in places where 

 there are very few barns, the cliff swallows 

 still follow their savage customs, so to speak, 

 as does the Indian who is not yet civilized. 



