XIV 
THE SWALLOW FAMILY 
(Hirundinide) * 
Ir is very easy to know this family. They are 
small birds with long pointed wings, always sail- 
ing around in the air as if they could never tire. 
Their beaks are short, but very wide at the head, 
and the mouth opens as far back as the eyes. 
They have small and weak feet, so when they 
alight, it is usually on a small twig or telegraph 
wire, or on the flat top of a fence or roof. 
Swallows wear no gay colors. Nearly all of 
them look black and white as they sail about in 
the air. But when you see them closely, you see 
they are glossy dark blue or green, sometimes 
with changeable colors, but all dark, on the 
back. 
The Barn Swattow has a dull reddish breast, 
and his back is rich blue, almost black. He has 
a deeply forked tail, and a row of white spots on 
1 See Appendix, 12. 
