IIIliJ'M)lxil)j.:„ THE SWALLOWS. •f'- 



roast, where tliev l»reeil on tlie cliiVs, ami have all the a})jH'aiaii('e nl' Ikmii^ 

 iiidiineuous. They a])|>eai at San J)ie.u<» as early as M trch l."», a week lit't'orc 

 the JJarn Swallow, and do not k-ave nnlil October. They luiild even in the 

 noisy streets ol" San Franeise*). 1 )r. ('<)oi)er observed them eatchini/ vouni;- 

 grasshojtpers, which is certai ily nnusual food tor Swallows, and oncj that lias 

 proved i'atal to yonn^ liarn Swallows when led to the latter in eontinenient. 

 At Santa Cruz they bred as early as April 1'2, and ha'i second broo<ls July .">. 



The nests of this S\vall(»w, when built on the side of a clitl' or in any ex- 

 posed position, are constructed in the shai)e of a retort, the larger [xution 

 adherin«^ to the wall, arched over at the top and i»rojcctinu" in front, witii a 

 covered passage-way openint,' at the bottom. The nornml (»riuinal nest, in a 

 state of nature, is an elaborate and remarkably iniivnious structure, shelter- 

 uvj, its inmates from the weather and from theii manv enemies. Since tli«*v 

 Jiave sou'dit the shelter of man and built inider the eaves of b;»rns and houses, 

 the old style of their nests has been greatly changed, and the retort -like shape 

 has nearly disai>})eared. 



In building and in re])airing their nests tliey work with great industry, and 

 often c(mi})lete their task with witnderful celerity. Where they exist in a 

 large colony, it is not an unc(>nnnon thing to see several birds at work ujnni 

 the same nest, — one l)ird, apparently the female owner, alway.s assisting and 

 directing the whole. After the? work of coristruction has g(»ne so far as to 

 permit the oceu[>ation of the nest, it is often ti» be' observed that the task <»f 

 completing and improving the structure is kept up by the male. In a large 

 coLuiy of these Swallows, whose nests were built \nuler the projecting roof 

 of a barn in a small island in the IJay of Fundy, every nest was as open as are 

 tlu>se of the Harn Swallow. Tiiesc bills had been encoura<jed to build Itv 

 the owner, and boards had bei'u placed above and below their nests, of which 

 thev at «)nce tot)k advantage to Ituild an unusual nest. These nests aic 

 made of various kinds of adhesive earth and mud. They are neatly and 

 wannly lined with fine dry grasses and leaves, intermingled with feathers, 

 wool, and other soft, warm substances. It has been thoughr that the mud 

 of which these nests are com})osed is agglutinated In' the saliva of the 

 birds; but of this I have never been able to detect any evidence in the nests 

 themselves, the crumbling nature of which wlien dry is against this supposi- 

 tion ; and the birds themselv(\s are often to be seen about iuuldles of water, 

 apparently gathering materials. 



When the nests of a large colony are invaded, the birds manifest great un- 

 easiness, collecting in a swarm over the head of tiie intruder, wheeling arou?id 

 in circles, uttering loud outcries, an«l even Hying clo.se to his head, as if to 

 attack him, with loud snapjting of the bills. 



The song of this Swalhtw is an uinnusical creak, rather than a twitter, 

 frequent rather than lr)ud, and «»ccasionally harsh, yet so earnest and geni;d 

 in its expression that its elfect is far from Iwing unpleasant. 



The ground-color of their eggs is white, and they are marked with dots, 



43 



