The CniMNET Swallow. - 



-BIRDS.- 



-The Pasayan Swalloiv. 



287 



partiality exhibited for human habitations by this bird, 

 as well as by many other species of the family, is very 

 remarkable ; and it is no less striking, that of the two 

 familiar British species, one, the Swallow, frequents de- 

 tached country places, villages, and farm-houses; whilst 

 the otlier, the Martin, takes up its abode in towns. This 

 may perhaps be, to a certain extent, accounted for by 

 the fact, that the situation very commonly chosen by 

 tlie Swallow for building its nest is the interior of a 

 chinuiey, and the chimneys of old-fashioned houses in 

 the country may be better adapted for this purpose than 

 those to which we are accustomed in towiis ; but, what- 

 ever be the cause, the fact is quite certain, both as 

 regards this and other countries, so that LinuKUs deno- 

 minated the two species H. nistica and H. iirbica. 

 Altliough the Chimney Swallow has received its most 

 general name from the somewhat peculiar position in 

 which it builds its nest, it by uo means confines itself 

 to a habitation of this nature, but builds readily in 

 almost any suitable sheltered position. Thus the dis- 

 used shafts of mines, and the sides of old wells, are 

 sometimes resorted to by it ; occasionally it will build 

 in the roof of a barn or shed, attaching the nest to the 

 rafters, or in a garret or passage to which it may find 

 easy access. In almost all cases it selects a point 

 where some projection from the wall or other sheltering 

 body forms a buttress on which its nest may be sup- 

 ported. Some curious examples of the selection by 

 these birds of rather anomalous places for their nests, 

 are cited by Mr. Yarrell. He states that he had heard 

 of the nest being built " in the half-open drawer of a 

 small deal table in an unoccupied garret, to which 

 access was obtained by a broken pane of glass." He 

 mentions that he had in his collection a nest described 

 by Pennant, built by a pair of swallows upon the body 

 and wing of an owl which was nailed against a barn, 

 and quotes from a provincial paper the following most 

 singular instance of eccentricity on the part of a pair of 

 these birds : — " A small steamer, the Clarence, lies at 

 Annan Waterfoot, and plies between it and Port Car- 

 lisle, in the way of tugging vessels. A pair of swallows 

 built their nest last year under the sponsons of one of 

 the paddle-wheels, not more than three feet above the 

 water, and succeeded in bringing forth their young. 

 There they are this summer again (1845). During 

 neap tides the Clarence plies every other day, and often 

 every day. When she leaves the Waterfoot, the 

 birds leave her and keep on the Scotch side ; and when 

 she returns, and is nearing Annan, the swallows inva- 

 riably meet her, and accompany her to her berth." 



The nest of the Swallow is built principally of mud 

 or soft earth, collected in small pellets from the edges 

 of ponds and other wet places. These are carried 

 home in the bird's bill and plastered on to the spot 

 selected for the nest; fresh pellets are then brought 

 and adiled, together with numerous straws and leaves 

 of grasses, and the whole is gradually moulded into the 

 form of an open saucer, attached by one side to the 

 wall of the chinniey or other place of retreat. A lining 

 of feathers is then put into the nest, and upon these 

 the eggs are laid ; they vary from four to six in num- 

 ber, and are of a white colour, speckled with ash grey 

 and dark red. Two broods are reared in the course of 



the summer ; of these tlie first is usually ready to tly by 

 the end of June, and the second at the end of August. 

 During the infancy of their oflspring, the old birds are 

 most assiduous in attending upon them, and have been 

 observed to \'isit tlie nest about every three minutes 

 throughout the day. When the young birds are nearly 

 ready to fly, their parents still attend upon them, and 

 gradually instruct them in the art of flying. Gilbert 

 White says : — •' The progressive method by which the 

 young are introduced into life is very amusing. First, 

 they emerge from the shaft, with difficulty enough, and 

 often fall down into the rooms below ; for a day or so 

 they are fed on the chimney-top, and then are con- 

 ducted to the dead leafless bough of some tree, where, 

 sitting in a row, they are attended with gi-eat assiduity, 

 and may then be called perchers. In a day or two 

 more they become flyers, but are still imable to take 

 their own food; therefore they play about near the 

 place where the dams are hawking for flies ; and when 

 a mouthful is collected, at a certain signal given, the 

 dam and the nestling advance, rising towanls each other, 

 and meeting at an angle — the young all tlie while utter- 

 ing a little quick note of gratitude and complacenc}'." 

 This process of instruction may be constantly observed 

 both with the Swallow and the Martin, and the ctn-ious 

 way in which the young bird, when just ready to fly, 

 may be seen apparently to hesitate about throwing 

 itself olf from its elevated position on the house or 

 chimney top, and yet evidently most anxious to try the 

 strength of its pinions, is very amusing. Notwith- 

 standing their affection for their young, the Swallows, 

 as well as the Martins, have been known to desert their 

 second brood, when the young birds have been unable 

 to fly at the period of the southern migration. When 

 the young birds are able to fly, they roost in great 

 flocks amongst the osiers and reeds in marshy places, 

 and continue to do so imtil the time arrives for their 

 departure for the South, and as they are fat and of 

 good flavour at this time, they are captured in great 

 quantities in some parts of Europe, by means of nets 

 spread at night over their roosting-plaees. 



The note of the male swallow is very sweet, and he 

 sings both flying and perching. Both the swallow and 

 the martin are exceedingly bold and courageous birds, 

 and appear to be actuated by an intelligence which 

 enables them to co-operate in anything which may tend 

 to the common good. Thus, when a hawk makes its 

 appearance in their vicinity, the swallow which first 

 catches sight of this dangerous, or at all events sus- 

 picious intruder, immediately sounds a shrill alarm, 

 when aU the swallows and martins in the neighbour- 

 hood flock together to expel the common enemy, by 

 pecking at him and annoying him in every possible 

 way. 



THE PANAYAN SWALLOW {Ilivnndo panmjana). 

 which is the most abundant and generally distributed 

 of the Indian swaUows, is also found in the countries 

 bej'ond tlie Ganges as far east as China, and in the 

 islands of the eastern seas, including even the Philip- 

 pines. It is very closely allied to our Cln'mney Swallow, 

 both in its appearance and general habits. It is dining 

 the winter months that these birds are most abundant 

 in the peninsula of Hindostan, and probably in their other 



