CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 427 



which by the fall of the tree, or by the weather, were lying at 

 the bottom of the hollow, but sufficient fragments remained ad- 

 hering to the sides of the tree to enable him to number them. 

 They appeared, he said, to be of many years standing. The 

 present site which they have chosen must however hold out 

 many more advantages than the former, since we see that in 

 the whole thickly settled parts of the United States these birds 

 have uniformly adopted this new convenience; not a single pair 

 being observed to prefer the woods. Security from birds of 

 prey and other animals from storms that frequently overthrow 

 the timber, and the numerous ready conveniences which these 

 new situations afford are doubtless some of the advantages. The 

 choice they have made certainly bespeaks something more than 

 mere unreasoning instinct, and does honour to their discern- 

 ment. 



The nest of this bird is of singular construction, being form- 

 ed of very small twigs, fastened together with a strong adhesive 

 glue or gum, which is secreted by two glands, one on each side 

 of the hind head, and mixes with the saliva. With this glue, 

 which becomes hard as the twigs themselves, the whole nest is 

 thickly besmeared. The nest itself is small and shallow, and 

 attached by one side or edge to the wall, and is totally destitute 

 of the soft lining with which the others are so plentifully sup- 

 plied. The eggs are generally four, and white. They gene- 

 rally have two broods in the season. The young are fed at inter- 

 vals during the greater part of the night, a fact which I have 

 had frequent opportunities of remarking both here and in the 

 Mississippi territory. The noise which the old ones make in 

 passing up and down the funnel has some resemblance to dis- 

 tant thunder. When heavy and long continued rains occur, 

 the nest, losing its hold, is precipitated to the bottom. This dis- 

 aster frequently happens. The eggs are destroyed; but the 

 young, though blind, (which they are for a considerable time) 

 sometimes scramble up along the vent, to which they cling like 

 squirrels, the muscularity of their feet and the sharpness of 

 their claws at this tender age being remarkable. In this situa- 



