Tree Swallow. 203 



ditions to her downy bed. The female herself will oc- 

 casionally pick up a feather in her restful outings after a 

 period of confinement in her nest, and bear it proudly on 

 her return to her home. The nests are in cavities at 

 varying heights from seven to thirty feet from the ground 

 or the water. 



On one of our excursions to the summer quarters of 

 these swallows we shall be afforded the opportunity to ex- 

 amine a nest. In the entrance of a cavity about fifteen 

 feet above the water in which a stub is standing, we see a 

 head protruded with an air of wonder as we splash 

 through the muddy w^ater. When we rap gently on the 

 base of the stub, the female flits forth and flies to and fro 

 about her home, while we climb the stub to make an ex- 

 amination. At times she flutters almost into our face, and 

 angrily condemns our intrusion with her squeaking notes. 

 Her excited actions bring to her aid other swallows nest- 

 ing near her home, all of whom pass and re-pass, with 

 angry chattering, as wo continue our disturbance of their 

 peace. The entrance is rather small, the cavity being 

 probably the work of a hairy or red-headed woodpecker. 

 It is too deep for us to distinguish the contents without 

 enlarging the doorway, but the wood is so softened by decay 

 that we can easily break it away sufficiently to disclose the 

 nest. Some of the feathers become detached with the 

 wood, and fall floating through the air. The observant 

 swallows, now perched on convenient branches awaiting 

 the results of our movements, quickly launch forth, and, 

 skimming over the water, dexterously catch the feathers 

 sometimes before they reach the water, and then fly 

 toward the nest, as though immediately to replace the 

 scattering material— a fine exhibition of skillful flight and 

 of maternal instinct. In the center of the downy bed, 

 which extends up the sides of the cavity, so that the eggs 

 are almost hidden by the curling tips of the feathers, are 

 the crystal white eggs, their freshness giving them a 

 rosy tint. Kepairing the entrance of the cavity, so that 

 the anxious birds may continue the care of their un- 

 hatched treasures, we leave them in peaceful possession of 

 their homes. 



I have found complements of four, five, six, and seven 



