88 ANIMALS OF NO IMPORTANCE. 



nest is a very unsafe nursery for young birds. Every year 

 countless numbers tumble out and fall victims to the ever- 

 vigilant crows ; yet the parent birds make no attempt to 

 render the nest more safe. In Kumaun the house-swift 

 (cypselus affinis) exists in greater numbers than even the 

 ubiquitous crow. The nests of these active little birds are 

 to be found under the eaves of almost every native tene- 

 ment ; while the verandahs of the majority Qidak bungalows 

 form veritable swifteries, if I may coin a word. It has been 

 my lot to spend many days in dak bungalows among the 

 Kumaun hills, where the " shivering scream" of the house- 

 swift is heard unceasingly throughout the day, and very 

 frequently during the night ; it is for this reason that I have 

 taken as a type the nest of the swift. During June and 

 July, nest-building was in active progress ; and now fami- 

 lies of young swifts are the order of the day. 



The nest of the common Indian house-swift is so familiar 

 that it seems superfluous to describe it. It is built of rubbish. 

 The bird collects straw, grass, feathers, etc., and by means 

 of its sticky saliva glues them to one another and to the roof 

 under which the nest is placed. The principle upon which 

 swifts and other members of the swallow tribe construct 

 their nests differs considerably from that adopted by the 

 great majority of birds. The usual method is to build the 

 nest on some foundation which forms a base, such as the 

 ground, a hole in a wall or a tree, or a forked branch. The 

 swift finds ready-made a roof and a couple of walls, and 

 then proceeds to construct the floor and the remaining 

 walls of his home. To the unsophisticated human being it 

 is a mystery how the swift ever manages to make a start on 

 its nest, there being nothing in the shape of a ledge upon 

 which the bird can rest while at work. This does not trou- 

 ble the swift. Its claws are simply hooks by means of 

 which it is able to hang on to any vertical surface. This is 

 done without the least effort. Indeed, a swift rests by 

 hanging on to a wall in this manner. It never sits upon 

 the ground as other birds do : those hook-like claws which 



