THE ENGLISH SPAEROW AND ITS ALLIES 303 



glands, whose secretions aid in cementing the nest. Our 

 common representative of this group is the chimney-swift, 

 or chimney-swallow. 1 Certain Chinese species make nests 

 entirely of the mucilaginous secretion of the salivary 

 glands ; these constitute 

 the edible birds'-nests 

 of the Chinese. The 

 goat - suckers include 

 night-flying birds, with 

 exceedingly broad gape 

 and insectivorous habits. 

 The night - ha\vk of 

 North America, and the 

 whippoorwill, noted for 

 its characteristic night 

 cry, are familiar ex- 

 amples. 



The order Columbinse 

 includes the pigeons and 

 allies, characteristic of 

 the Eastern Hemisphere. 

 The most interesting 

 species of the group 

 the dodo and the soli- 

 taire, formerly inhabit- 

 ants of the islands of 

 Mauritius and Rodri- 

 guez, respectively 

 have become extinct within historic times through the 

 settlement of these islands by white men. These birds 

 had rudimentary wings and tail. Their nearest living 



i Fig. 288. 



FIG. 289. Passenger pigeon (Ectoplstes 

 miyratorlus) . 



