OF VICTORIA. 17 



Nesting Habits. — The species starts to nest in July if the 

 weather be favourable, though the month will vary with 

 the season and latitude. It is an early and late breeder. 

 The chosen position of the nest is a very varied one, such 

 as in caves, spouts of trees over water, barns, under veran- 

 dahs, and even in a dog-kennel, if the dog has been absent 

 some time. In this latter position the bird has been 

 known to breed for five years (per Mr. C. Gabriel). Even 

 the floating gate of the Williamstown Graving Dock has its 

 nest, under one of the iron ledges. Whether or not the 

 birds resort to the same nest annually I cannot say, but 

 since 1881 two nests in the same hollow of a tree have 

 been occupied each year during the whole 16 to 17 years 

 up to 1898. One of these nests was pulled down on the 

 16th year prior to spring, and was not rebuilt. I take it 

 the birds were turned aside from the usual custom and 

 went elsewhere. In the building of a nest the birds occa- 

 sionally make a mistake and persist in doing so. If the 

 nest falls they start again, and a second time it falls. On 

 other occasions nests are partially built and abandoned. A 

 pair will start a nest, and by the time it is half done a 

 number of swallows assemble, fly to and from the nest, 

 twitter considerably, and work is suspended apparently as 

 a consequence. Such nests are not again touched. 



It is interesting to know that a House-Swallow in 

 England hatches its eggs in exactly the same time as one 

 in Victoria. The following four observations show — («) an 

 egg is laid on each consecutive day ; (b) the clutch takes 

 15 days to incubate ; (c) the young open their eyes on the 

 ninth day; (d) the young left the nest in Observation I. in 

 24 days, in Observation IV. in one calendar month (30 days). 



Observation I. — August-September, 1899, Heytesbury, 

 Victoria. — To last year's nest, in a much-weathered hollow 



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