SWALLOW. 175 



Swallow in a state of nature. When Mr. Young and I were in the 

 Dobrudscha we twice had the good fortune to find small colonies of these 

 birds, so to speak, wild. In one case the nests were built against the 

 perpendicular cliffs under an overhanging ledge of rock, leaving perhaps 

 an inch of space all round for the ingress and egress of the bird. In the 

 other case the nests were built in exactly similar situations on the roofs of 

 caves. In one nest the eggs were nearly hatched, and we watched the 

 birds flying in and out, so that no possible doubt as to the species could 

 arise. One of the nests was in the occupation of a Sparrow. Several 

 other instances of the breeding of the Swallow in cliffs and caves have been 

 recorded. Edward made similar observations on the coast of Banffshire; 

 and Ridgvvay found the American form of the Swallow breeding in 

 caves in Nevada, one of the Pacific States, and also mentions that in 

 America it often builds against a perpendicular wall if it cannot find a 

 suitable horizontal rafter. Other localities are also chosen in England. 

 It often breeds in a chimney, and occasionally down a well or an old mine, 

 or under a bridge or a doorway, in all of which situations the nest is 

 generally built on the continental model. Dixon has seen its nest in 

 buildings on stones projecting from the wall several feet from the roof or 

 any other shelter. Blyth records one instance of the Swallow building in 

 the hole of a tree about thirty feet from the ground ; and Yarrell figures a 

 nest built in the fork of the branch of a sycamore tree. To make the nest 

 strong, the Swallow mixes with the mud of which the walls are composed dry 

 grass, straw, or hair. The mud-made shell or cup is neatly lined with dry 

 grass and a few feathers, generally obtained as the bird flies through the air. 

 In shape the nest is very shallow, and, unlike the House- Martin's, is always 

 open, leaving the sitting bird exposed to view. Some nests are much more 

 carefully made than others, depending to a great extent on the peculiarities 

 of the chosen site. In some cases little more than a rim of mud is 

 formed, in which the softer materials are placed, whilst in others a perfect 

 saucer is formed of mud, straws, and little sticks before the lining is 

 put in. 



The Swallow builds a fresh nest every year, generally close to the one of 

 the previous year, consequently many old nests may be seen close together. 

 The eggs of the Swallow are from four to six in number, and vary con- 

 siderably in shape and markings. The ground-colour is always pure 

 white, and the markings are rich coffee-brown, violet-grey, and light 

 reddish brown ; these are usually distributed over the entire surface 

 of the egg, but most thickly at the large end. The grey underlying 

 markings are far more numerous and larger on some eggs than on 

 others. The spots vary considerably in size : on some eggs they are 

 small specks, 011 others large spots and blotches, sometimes confluent on 

 the larger end, forming a broad irregular zone. The eggs vary in length 



