564 The Roller-like Birds 



distances, often hundreds of miles, each day hawking for insects. The nests, 

 which have walls nearly an inch thick, are constructed of straws, grass stems, 

 feathers, etc., firmly cemented together with saliva; the eggs number three or four. 



White-throated Swift. Closely resembling the last genus, but differing in 

 having feathered instead of unfeathered toes, is the monotypic Aeronautes, 

 which includes only the White-throated Swift (A. melanoleucus) of the western 

 United States. It is a handsome species six and a half inches long, dull blackish 

 above and on the sides, and white on the lower parts as well as the tips of the 

 secondaries and the sides of the rump. The tail is slightly forked, but the feathers 

 are not sharp-pointed, which serves to distinguish them from those next to be 

 considered. The White-throated Swift breeds throughout the Rocky Mountain 

 region as far north as Montana, frequenting the higher ranges or their immediate 

 vicinity, where alone it finds suitable nesting sites, and as it has the habit of 

 flying very high and with extreme velocity and rarely descending into the valleys 

 and canyons, it is not often observed. It nests in caves and crevices in the face 

 of precipitous cliffs, constructing a nest similar to that of a Chimney Swift, though 

 made of weed stalks instead of twigs and lined with feathers; the eggs are four 

 or five in number and dull white. 



Feather-toed Swifts. Distinguished by a more deeply forked tail, the outer 

 feathers of which are very sharply pointed, and by the loose, soft, and silky plumage 

 are the Feather-toed Swifts (Panyptila) of Central and South America, chiefly 

 remarkable for the marvelous construction of their nests. The smaller of 'the 

 two species (P. cayanensis) is a little less than five inches in length, in colora- 

 tion being deep blue-black, with chin, throat, neck collar, and rump patches of 

 white; it ranges from Nicaragua to Guiana and Brazil. Its nest, which is 

 attached to the under side of a projecting limb of a large tree, is said to be similar 

 in construction to that of the other species (P. sancti-heironymi] which being 

 better known will only be described. The latter species, whjch appears to 

 be confined to Guatemala, is colored exactly like its relative, from which it 

 differs in being nearly twice its size. It constructs a curious tubular nest 

 often more than two feet in length and six inches in diameter, made entirely 

 of the seeds of plants fastened together by the birds' saliva and attached to the 

 under surface of an overhanging cliff. The entrance is from the lower end and 

 the- "eggs are placed on a kind of shelf at the top." This form of nest has prob- 

 ably resulted as a means of protection against enemies. 



Palm Swifts. With the toes disposed in pairs, the outer and middle ones 

 being directed to the right and the inner and hind ones to the left, are two genera 

 of Palm Swifts, so called from their frequenting palm trees, where they attach 

 their nests to the under surfaces of the drooping leaves. The genus (Tachornis) 

 embraces five species, all small birds, mostly with deeply forked tails and brownish 

 or blackish plumage, which spread from the Greater Antilles over most of Africa, 

 the Indian peninsula, and the Indo-Chinese countries to Borneo and Java. 

 They construct tiny nests of cottony down and feathers agglutinated to the 

 leaves of palms or the grass-thatched roofs of native huts, and lay two or some- 

 times three small white eggs. 



