ITS NEST. 321 



its great familiarity with man, and the trustfulness with which it fixes 

 its domicile under the shelter of human habitations, is generally held 

 as an almost sacred bird, in common with the robin and the wren. 



The Swallow wages a never-ceasing war against many species of in-. 

 sects, and seems to be as capricious in its feeding as are the roach and 

 other river fish. 



The nest of the Swallow is always placed in some locality where it is 

 effectually sheltered from wind and rain. Generally it is constructed 

 under the eaves of houses, but, as it is frequently 

 built within disuTsed chimneys, it has given to the 

 species the popular title of Chimney Swallow. The 

 bird is probably attracted to the chimney by the 

 warmth of some neighbor fire. 



The nest is composed externally of mud or clay, 

 which is brought by the bird in small lumps and 

 stuck in irregular rows so as to build up the sides 

 of its little edifice. There is an attempt at smooth- 

 ing the surface of the nest, but each lump of clay 

 is easily distinguishable upon the spot where it has The Chimney 

 been stuck. While engaged at the commencement Swallow. 



of its labors, the Swallow clings perpendicularly to the wall of the 

 house or chimney, clinging with its sharp little claws to any small pro- 

 jection, and sticking itself by the pressure of its tail against the wall. 

 The interior of the nest is lined with grass and other soft substances. 



There are sometimes "two broods in the year, and when the second 

 brood has been hatched at a very late period of the year, the young 

 are frequently deserted and left to starve by their parents, who are un- 

 able to resist the innate impulse that urges them to seek a warmer cli- 

 mate. When fully fledged, and before they are foiiced to migrate, the 

 young birds generally roost for the night in osiers and other water-lov- 

 ing trees. 



Except in confinement, the Swallow knows not the existence of frost 

 or the extreme of heat, passing from Europe to Africa as soon as the 

 cold weather begins to draw in, and migrating again to the cooler climes 

 as soon as the temperature of its second home becomes inconvenient to 

 its sensitive existence. The time of its arrival in England is various, 

 and depends almost entirely on the state of the weather. Solitary in- 

 dividuals are now and then seen in very early months, but, as a general 

 fact, the Swallow does not arrive until the second week in April; the 

 time of its departure is generally about the middle of September, al- 

 though some few lingerers remain in the country for more than a month 

 after the departure of their fellows. 



Guided by some wondrous instinct, the Swallow always finds its way 

 back to the nest which it had made, or in which it had been reared, as 



V 



