io2 Gbe Marbler 



Chimney Swift 

 (Chcetura pelagicd) 



THE common Chimney Swift is an abundant bird in the suburbs of 

 New York City and is a familiar object to everyone and its notes are 

 familar sounds. They breed in deserted or unused chimneys, the nest being 

 constructed of small sticks glued together by an excretion from the mouth 

 of the bird. The sticks are collected by seizing a twig on a dead limb and 

 breaking it off while the bird is on the wing. They never descend to the 

 earth to pick one up. The eggs are four or five in number and pure white. 

 The Chimney Swift is an abundant bird over all of eastern North 

 America, being particularly common about the villages of New England, 

 and hardly a home, be it either a farmhouse or village cottage, but has one 

 or more nests of this bird in each unused chimney. 



Yellow-Billed Cuckoo 



( Coccyx us america n its) 



THE Yellow-billed Cuckoo, or Rain Crow, as he is locally known about 

 New York, is frequently seen and heard; more often during July and 

 August than during any other time, yet the bird rarely nests within the 

 City limits. A nest found in the woods back of Creedmoor in 1904 

 is the only instance of this species nesting within the City limits 

 that has come to my attention. This Cuckoo makes but little effort 

 in nest building, usually choosing some old nest of the Jay or Cat- 

 bird, often one that has but little left except the foundation sticks. It is 

 possible that a little fresh lining is added, but the whole affair is very 

 meager. Often there is little to prevent the eggs from rolling out of the 

 nest. These are three or four in number, considerably larger than a 

 Robin's egg, and a lighter shade of blue which color easily fades. The 

 eggs appear to be laid three or four days apart, yet the bird begins to 

 incubate as soon as the first one is deposited in the nest. 



The Cuckoo is supposed to eat the eggs of smaller birds, but there seems 

 to be but little really satisfactory evidence to support this charge. It is well 

 known, however, that the bird destroys an immense number of caterpillars 

 and grubs. It is one of the very few birds that will eat the tent 

 caterpillar, and I am inclined to believe that the Yellow-billed Cuckoo does 

 much more good than harm. 



Purple Qrackle 



( Quiscalus qui sen hi) 



THE purple Crackle may be found nesting in almost any suburb of the 

 City of New York where large spruce or pine trees are found. A 

 good many old mansions are surrounded by tall spruces, planted years ago 



