CHAPTER XXXVII. 



September 4 September 10. 



THE CHIMNEY SWIFT. 



Order Macrochires Suborder Cypseli 



Family Micropodidas Subfamily Chaeturinae 



Genus Chsetura Species Chsetura pelagica. 



Length 5.25 to 5.40; wing, 5.00 to 5.25 ; tail, 1.90 to 2.15. 

 Migration North, April ; south, September. 



"The swift is wheeling and gleaming, 



The brook is brown in its bed, 

 Rain from the cloud is streaming, 



And the bow bends overhead. 

 The charm of the winter is broken! 



The last of the spell is said." 



The family Micropodidse is composed of the swifts. Of 

 these there are about seventy-five species distributed through- 

 out the world. About one-half of them are American birds, 

 but only four of them are found in North America. They 

 have great powers of flight, are insectivorous birds and take 

 their food while in flight. 



"How seldom on earth do we see her alight! 

 She dwells in the skies, she is ever above. 

 It is on the wing that she takes her repose, 

 Suspended and poised in the regions of air; 

 'Tis not in our fields that her sustenance grows; 

 It is winged like herself, 'tis ethereal fare!" 



The chimney swift, frequently called the chimney swal- 

 low, was formerly placed as a member of the swallow family. 



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