50 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan. 



Fw^ the New England Farmer. 



HISTOEY OF THE SWALLOW FAMILY 



No. IV. 



BY LEANDER WETHERELL. 



The Chimney Swallow, or American Swift, Hi- 

 ■rundo pelasgia, of Wilson, and Cypselus pelas- 

 gius) of Audubon and Peabody, well known to far- 

 mers, from the circumstance connected with the 

 history of these birds, to wit, that of selecting the 

 chimney as the place of nesting. Before this coun- 

 try was settled by Europeans, they selected hollow 

 trees as the place for building their nests. There 

 are many interesting facts concerning the resort of 

 these birds to hollow trees. It is maintained by 

 some, that they remain in hollow trees in a torpid 

 state through the cold season. These were called 

 swallow trees. 



Dr. Williams, in his History of Vermont, men- 

 tions several of these trees ; one in Middlebury, one 

 in Bridgeport, and one in Hubbardston ; all elms. 

 About the middle of May, these birds, says the 

 doctor, were seen to issue from these -trees early in 

 the morning in immense numbers, and return into 

 them again in the evening, just before dark. The 

 same phenomena were observed again, during the 

 latter part of summer, just before their disappear- 

 ance ; and, as the departure of these birds to the 

 South was not observed, it was generally believed 

 that they spent the winter in these trees, in a tor- 

 pid state, remaining thus, until they were observed 

 issuing from them in May, the time of their return 

 from the South, when they revisited the "Swallow 

 trees." 



Audubon, that acute observer of the habits of 

 birds, who made these the study of a life-time, re- 

 marked that he well remembered the time when 

 these birds resorted to trees for breeding, in lower 

 Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois, adding that in the 

 wild portions of our country, they still frequent 

 hollow trees, both for breeding and roosting. _ The 

 hollow sycamores of the largest size were their fa- 

 vorite resorts. He speaks of a tree that he had 

 cut, that contained about thirty nests in its trunk, 

 and one in each of its hollow branches. 



While in Louisville, Ky., he became acquainted 



me at the place of observation before light. Plac- 

 ing my ear near the tree, all was quiet within. Re- 

 maining in this position a few minutes, and sud- 

 denly it seemed as if the tree was coming down, 

 which caused me instantly to leave my place of ob- 

 servation. Looking up, I beheld one continued 

 stream of swallows issuing from the phce of en- 

 trance. It required about half an hour for them 

 to leave the tree. 



The next day, I procured a man to cut a hole 

 through the shell of the tree, which was about 

 eight inches in thickness. There was revealed a mat- 

 ted mass of exuvicT, feathers, quills, &c., nearly six 

 feet in thickness. As night approached, this hole 

 was closed, lest the light should alarm the birds on 

 their entrance, and cause them to abandon the tree. 

 The swallows returned, as usual, at eve. After 

 several days, I went about nine o'clock in the eve- 

 ning, to examine the interior of the tree. Opening 

 the hole, I, with my companion, entered the tree, 

 and, after scrambling over the guano, I brought the 

 Ught to bear on the inner--,sides of the tree, when 

 the swallows were observed, clinging side by side, 

 covering nearly the whole inner surface. They re- 

 mained quiet. Satisfied with what we had seen, I 

 closed the lantern. We then caught and killed 

 about a hundred, and left the tree, after closing the 

 hole. Of the one hundred and fifteen birds taken, 

 only six were females, eighty-seven adult males, 

 the remainder having the appearance of being 

 young birds, probably, of the first brood. Audu- 

 bon made a calculation of the number that probab- 

 ly resorted to this tree, and concluded that not less 

 than nine thousand came to this single tree to 

 roost. 



I visited the tree again on the 2d of August,_the 

 number still remaining about the same. Continu- 

 ing to watch the tree, on the 13th, not more than 

 two or three hundred came hither to spend the 

 night. On the 18th, not one was seen near it, 

 though a few stragglers were seen, flying toward 

 the south. In September, I entered and examined 

 the tree at night, but not a bird was to be seen, I 

 visited it again in February, and satisfied myself 

 that the swallows had all left the country.^ I closed 

 the entrance at the base and waited until spring. 

 May came, and so did the swallows, the wanderers 

 of a warmer region, and resorted at evening to the 



