THE FEEDING-GROUND OF THE CHIMNEY SWIFT 
THE CHIMNEY SWIFT 
HIMNEY SWIFTS are found in all parts 
of the globe except the colder portions. 
There are about seventy-five known 
species, but of these only four live in North America. 
The swifts have slim bodies, rather short and com- 
pact feathers, while, for such small birds, their wings 
are unusually long and powerful, giving them unrivalled 
powers of flight. The natural homes and retreats of 
the swifts were formerly in hollow trees and caves, but 
these have been gradually abandoned for the chimneys 
used by civilized man. This adoption of a new home 
is a marked illustration of the readiness with which 
a bird may change its nesting place. Whether the 
home of the swifts is natural or artificial, when nesting 
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