THE CLIFF SWALLOW. 333 
wigwam. Then they are dislodged from the cliff like an avalanche of missiles, 
a silent, down-sweeping cloud; but immediately they gain assurance in the 
open and bedlam begins all over again. 
The Cliff Swallows are, of course, beyond the reach of all four-footed 
enemies, but now and again a June rain-storm comes at the cliff from an 
unexpected quarter and plays sad havoc with their frail tenements. Besides 
Taken in Douglas County. Photo by the Author. 
A NESTING CLIFF, FROM BELOW. 
this (in strictest confidence; one dislikes to pass an ill word of a suffering 
brother) the nests are likely to be infested with bed-bugs. Not all, of course, 
are so afflicted, but in some cases the scourge becomes so severe that the nest 
is abandoned outright, and eggs or young are left to their fate. In spite of 
this compromising weakness, the presence of these Swallows confers an 
incalculable benefit upon the farmer of eastern Washington, in that they alone 
are able to cope with a host of winged insect pests. They race tirelessly 
to and fro across the landscape, weaving a magic tapestry of search, until 
it would seem that not a cubic inch of atmosphere remains without its invisible 
thread of flight. 
