SWALLOWS. 145 



bits of straw, and is naturally brittle. It is placed under the 

 outside eaves of barns or outhouses, and never (?) in Massa- 

 chusetts on cliffs, as is usual in wilder parts of the country, in 

 accordance with the original habits of these Swallows. Several 

 of these nests, sometimes as many as a hundred, are generally 

 placed in a row. The eggs are essentially like those of the 

 Barn Swallow (11, I, .A), so much so as often to be indistin- 

 guishable, and are laid about the same time. 



c. The Cliff Swallows, who in many ways closely resem- 

 ble the Barn Swallows, are resident in eastern Massachusetts 

 from the first week of May until September. They are very 

 abundant in certain localities in New England ; but, as they 

 are eminently colonial, they are not to be found scattered 

 through every township. They have essentially the same 

 habits as the Barn Swallows, except that they alight much 

 more frequently, often upon the ground to pick up mud for 

 their nests. Their flight is not very noticeably different from 

 that of their relatives, and their notes also bear much the same 

 character, being, however, more like those of the White-bellied, 

 than those of the Barn, Swallow. It is difficult, as well as 

 almost unnecessary, for me to describe these minor distinctions, 

 and I shall therefore make no further mention of them. 



The most interesting remarks to be made upon the Eave 

 Swallows are those which relate to their immigration from the 

 western United States to New England and other parts of the 

 country. An accurate account of their movements within the 

 last century could hardly fail to be interesting ; but I doubt if 

 a sufficient number of notes and dates can now be obtained to 

 effect this purpose. Indeed, the history of the so-called " Re- 

 publicans " would probably be far more interesting than an 

 account of their habits could be (partly because the latter are 

 well known, and the former is not). " When or where " the 

 Cliff Swallows " first appeared in Massachusetts," says Dr. 

 Brewer, "is not known. I first observed a large colony of 

 them in Attleboro' in 1842. Its size indicated the existence 

 of these birds in that place for several years. The same year 

 they also appeared, apparently for the first time, in Boston, 

 Hingham, and in other places in the neighborhood." The 



