THE CLIFF SWALLOW. 



333 



wigwam. Then they are dislndged trinn llie cHll Hke an a\alanclie of missiles, 

 a silent, down-sweeping cloud : l)ut immediately they gain assurance in the 

 open and bedlam begins all over again. 



The Cliff .'^wallows are. of course, beyond the reach of all four-footed 

 enemies, but now and again a June rain-storm conies at the cliff from an 

 unexpected (|uarter and pla\s sad liavoc with their frail tenements. Besides 



Taken in Douglas County. 



Photo by the Author. 



.\ .N'ESTI.NC, CI. IFF, FKOM liF.I.OW. 



this (in strictest confidence: one dislikes to pass an ill word of a suffering 

 brotiier) tiie nests are likely to be infested with bed-bugs. Not all, of course, 

 are so afflicted, but in some cases the scourge becfimes so severe that the nest 

 is abandoned outright, and eggs or young are left to thefV fate. In spite of 

 this compromising weakness, the presence of these Swallows confers an 

 incalculable benefit upon the farmer oi eastern Washington, in that they alone 

 are able to co])e with a host of winged insect pests. They race tirelessly 

 to and fro across the landscajjc, weaving a magic tapestry of search, until 

 it would seem that not a cubic inch of atmosphere remains without its invisible 

 thread of flight. 



