COMMON SWIFT. 235 



of seven years, a cat was seen to bring a bird into the far- 

 mer"'s kitchen, and this also proved to be one of those marked 

 for the experiment." 



The Swift chooses for its nesting-place cavities under the 

 eaves of houses, holes about steeples, or in the old walls 

 of lofty towers, and in high windy days will remain for hours 

 in its retreat, motionless, and in the dark. How great is 

 the contrast when on other occasions it is seen darting ra- 

 pidly, or wheeling in circles, and screaming aloud, while in 

 pursuit of its insect food ; at one time sailing with ease and 

 pleasure at an elevation where the bird is scarcely perceiv- 

 able, and at another passing the angle of a building, as has 

 been observed, with the almost inconceivable swiftness of a 

 meteor. Great power of vision seems indispensable both to 

 enable the bird to obtain its food, as well as to insure its 

 safety under such rapid movements ; nor is even this power 

 always sufficient to guard it against accident : a Swift on 

 eager wing was seen in its flight to be carried against a wall, 

 it Avas picked up stunned, and died almost immediately in 

 the hand of the observer. 



The nest is formed of bits of straw, dry blades of grass and 

 bents, bits of rag, and a few feathers, and being used for 

 years in succession, has the appearance of being much com- 

 pressed, and the various materials seem glued together by 

 saliva, or some mucous secretion, which is supposed to be 

 deposited by the birds themselves. Swifts are generally 

 considered to lay but two eggs ; but Mr. Salmon has found 

 that they produce three, and sometimes even four eggs. 

 These are white, and rather large, measuring one inch in 

 length, by eight lines in breadth. The young are not 

 hatched till towards the end of June, and there is reason to 

 suspect that they are slow of growth : they do not leave the 

 nest till the end of July, sometimes still later. The young, 

 though zealously fed by the parent birds while they remain 



