CHAPTER IX 



Swallows at Work and Play 



'Who but the swallow triumphs now alone? 

 The canopy of heav'n is all her own 

 Her youthful offspring to their haunts repair^ 

 And glide along in glades and skim the air^ 

 And dip for insects in the purling springs. 

 And stoop on rivers to refresh their wings'' 



— Dry den 



B 



OTH the tree swallow and barn swallow 

 have modified their nesting habits since 

 the arrival of the white man in America. 

 The tree swallow formerly built its nest in trees 

 hollowed by decay or in woodpeckers' nesting 

 holes. This habit is still continued wherever 

 suitable holes are to be found, even in such a 

 thickly populated region as Essex County, but 

 the majority of the nests that come to our at- 

 tention are built in boxes or houses of various 

 designs that are erected for their especial con- 

 venience. 



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