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A NOTE ON THE NESTING OF THE SWALLOW. 
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J. H. OWEN. 
SwaLLows (Hirundo r. rustica) begin to repair old nests or 
build new ones very soon after their arrival. Eggs are 
found in some years at the end of April, but the second 
week in May is the usual time to expect them. It is hard 
to say exactly how many broods are reared in the summer, 
but probably three is quite a normal number. The birds 
frequently use the same nest for more than one brood, but 
often build new nests for the later broods if available sites 
are situated quite near the first nest. The nest is usually 
in a more or less dark place inside a building, but sometimes 
it is placed on the outside of a house or building, as a House 
Martin’s nest is, but of course consisting only of a mere 
ledge and not built up to the eaves like the Martin’s nest. 
The eggs number four to six, and are laid daily, and usually 
very early in the morning. The number decreases in the 
later sets to three or four eggs. Judging by the nests I 
have observed, incubation proper does not begin until the 
bird is laying the last egg, and lasts a few hours over fifteen 
days. One whole set, however, hatched in fourteen days and 
three Fours only. When the eggs hatch, the shells are 
usually carried away and dropped, but it is very common for 
the shell of one egg to be scratched over the rim of the nest: 
Incubation is probably shared by both birds, and both birds 
are on the nest_at night to within two days of the young 
flying: one in the nest, and the other usually perched on 
the edge. Brooding over the young is shared by both birds. 
When the young are hatched, the eyes are not open: 
they have rather thick tufts of long light grey silky down, 
with whitish tips, on spine, wings, back of head, above and 
between the eyes. The mouth and tongue are yellow, with 
the flanges much lighter, almost white. Roof of mouth 
and base of tongue spurred. Feather quills are visible 
under the skin along the side bones on the third day. By 
the ninth day the quills are through all over the body, and ~ 
the flight feather-quills are 2 inch long. 
For some days the old birds swallow the feces: then 
they are sometimes swallowed and sometimes carried away 
and dropped. On the 8th day (often later) the young 
begin to eject them over the edge of the nest, and afterwards 
this method is adopted to the end of the nestling period. 
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