340 USEFUL BIRDS. 



twilight Bats come out ; that Nighthawks " sweep the sky " 

 through the later hours of daylight ; and that Whip-poor- 

 wills and Swifts are sometimes a-wing throughout the night. 

 So that whenever insects are flying there are birds to pursue 

 them. These birds of tireless pinion cover a wide territory, 

 and form a most potent check on insect life. 



SWIFTS. 



The spine-tail Swifts are Swallow-like birds that rarely if 

 ever alight, except upon their nests or on the perpendicular 

 sides of chimneys, rocks, hollow trees, or buildings. 



Chimney Swift. 

 Chcetura pelagica. 



Length. About five and one-fourth inches. 



Adult. Sooty-brown, paling to gray on throat and breast; tail rather short, 

 spiny, and somewhat cigar-shaped, fan-shaped when spread ; wings black- 

 ish, long, narrow, and slightly curved. 



Nest. Of sticks, glued to the wall of a chimney, hollow tree, or barn. 



Eggs. White. 



Season. April to September. 



The Chimney Swallow, as it is commonly called in the 

 country, is one of the common sights of the summer twilight 

 as it flies twittering above trees and house tops. When 

 building its nest it breaks off twigs from the trees as it flies, 

 and glues them to the chimney with its own saliva. It is a 

 most expert insect catcher, and while hawking about for food 

 for its young fills up its mouth and cheeks with insects, 

 carrying them much as a chipmunk carries corn. It appears 

 to be of a playful disposition. I saw a Swift one day in 

 Concord apparently amusing itself by chasing Cedar Birds, 

 that were fly-catching, over the river. When a Cedar Bird 

 flew out over the water the Swift turned and chased it back 

 into the trees again, often following so closely as to seem 

 about to attempt to swallow the frightened and fleeing bird. 



Swifts catch flies, small beetles of various kinds, flying 

 ants, bugs, grasshoppers, and other insects, and spiders. 

 A notion exists that these birds introduce bedbugs into 

 houses ; but so far as I know it has never been proven that 

 there is any parasite common to both human beings and 

 birds, with perhaps a single exception, the woodticks. 



