THE SWIFT FAMILY 153 
showing the affection of a chimney swift for her 
ttle one. The writer had watched all summer 
a party of swifts who lived in one of his chimneys. 
A month or more after he supposed that all had 
flown away to the South beyond our southern 
boundary, where they spend the winter, he heard 
the twittering of one in the chimney. He took 
out the fireboard and found there a young bird. 
He was full grown and able to fly, but he was 
fastened by a horsehair to the nest. This had 
been pulled off by his weight, and lay on the 
hearth, holding him prisoner. 
The little fellow seemed to know he was to be 
helped, for he lay still while the man looked to 
see what was the matter. His mother soon came 
into the chimney with food. She took her place 
beside the man and waited, while he cut the 
strong hair and set the nestling free. 
Then the old bird went to work to teach him 
to fly. Itwas an hour or more before he learned 
to use his wings. As soon as he did, the two 
started off on their lonely journey to the far 
South, to join their friends who had been gone 
so long. How I wish we could know that they 
reached them. 
Insects were about gone when this happened, 
and this swift mother would have died if she had 
stayed, but she would not leave her little one 
to starve. 
