1913 ' Wki'.ht, Morning Awakening and Even- 52U 



twelve minutes. Twenty records would then give the average 

 time of the 'row's first call as 26 minute and 3.42 o'clock and 

 Mould place the species <• en lower in the list. We, however, 

 have given it the benefit of the three exceptionally early records of 

 1912, which advance the time -<■■ en minutes. Tin- records of 101 3, 

 nine in number, average 32 minutes and 3.31, there being again in 

 this season three records very much earlier than the other six, 

 namely, al 52, 15, and 39 minutes. These nine record- combined 

 with the ten of 1912 give an average time of 34 minutes and 3.33 

 o'clock. Mr. Allen's average of thirteen records is 3.33 o'clock. 

 There is entire agreement, therefore, in the time of the Crow's 

 first calls, barring the difference in time between Boston and Jeffer- 

 son, but as twenty-nine species in this mountain hamlet precede 

 it in awakening song, ranging from 48 to 3 minutes earlier, I venture 

 still to call the Crow "a comparatively late riser." 



The House Sparrow's record was obtained on the four occasions 

 in the season of 1913 on which I procured the record- of the Cliff 

 Swallow, a half mile distant. Happily the species is no nearer 

 our home than tin-! Four records of awakening with first calls 

 were 3.38, 3.40, 3.43, and 3.45, differing but three minutes in re- 

 spect to sunrise. 



( 'liff Swallows in a large colony of seventy-five to a hundred pairs 

 occupy the eaves of a large farm barn half a mile away. On four 

 mornings of 1913, June 19, 23, 30, and July 7, position was taken in 

 front of this barn at 2.33, 2.24, 2.23, and 2.42 respectively. The 

 first three mornings the sky was clear. The fourth morning was 

 cloudy, and a change to low temperature had occurred during the 

 night. The eaves were carefully watched on these occasions and 

 no swallow came from them or voice of swallow was heard until 

 !. 1 1 , 3. 17, 3. 15, and 3.57 respectively, the delay upon the clouded 

 morning being seven minutes later than the average time of the 

 other three iu respect to sunrise. The Cliff Swallow, therefore, 

 differs widely from the Tree Swallow and the Barn Swallow in its 

 time of awakening, being forty-four minutes later than they, and 

 waiting until it is fully light or within seventeen minutes of sunrise. 

 May this trait not be a relic of its earlier habit of nesting in holes 

 in cliffs? Even now the retort-like entrances to their nests seclude 

 the birds as it were within a hole. And all the hole-nesting birds, 



