572 AVES—S WALLOW... GOATSUCKER. 



THE CHIMNEY SWALLOWi 



Is strongly distinguished from the other American swallows, by its figure, 

 flight and manners. It is dispersed all over the country wherever there are 

 vacant chimneys, that are convenient for their accommodation. In the 

 western forests they build in the hollows of large trees. The nest is of sin- 

 gular construction, being formed of small twigs, fastened together by a sort 

 of glue from two glands in the head. With this glue, which becomes hard, 

 thejiest is thickly besmeared. It is attached to the side of the wall, and is 

 destitute of any soft lining. The young are fed at intervals during the 

 night. The noise which the old ones make in passing up and down the 

 funnel, has some resemblance to distant thunder. When there are long and 

 heavy rains, the nest is sometimes precipitated to the bottom ; but the young 

 sometimes scramble up the chimneys, clinging like squirrels to the side. In 

 this situation they are fed for a week or more. 



This bird is four inches and a half in length, of a sooty brown color. Y/hen 

 it flies, it utters the sounds trip, trip, trip, tree, tree, in a hurried manner. 

 When roosting, the thorny extremities with which its tail is furnished are 

 thrown in for its support. It is never seen to alight but in hollow trees or 

 chimneys ; and is always most gay and active in wet and gloomy weather. 



THE G0ATSUCKER2 



Is nearly allied to the swallow, both in form and manners. Like the 

 swallow, it is remarkable for the wideness of its gape; like it, it feeds upon 

 insects; like it, collects its food upon the wing; indeed, by some authors, it 

 has been termed the nocturnal swallow, for it preys entirely in the night, or 

 rather in the dusk of the evening, when the other swallows are retired to 

 rest. 



There is only one species known in Europe,^ and this is considerably 

 larger than the swallow, being ten inches and a half in length, and in weight 

 two ounces and a half. The ground of the plumage is almost black, but it 

 is beautifully diversified with ash color and white in diflTerent parts ; and it 



1 Cypsehis pdasgicus, Tejim. 



5 The genus Capriritulgits, or goatsuckers, so named, from the erroneous notion that 

 they sucked the teats of goats, has the bill slightly curved, very small, and depressed at 

 the "base ; mouth extremely wide, nostrils basal, wide, closed by a membrane surmounted 

 by feathers; tail round, or forked, often feathers; legs short, the anterior toes united to 

 the first joint ; middle claw long, and serrated on the edge, but smooth in some of the 

 species ; hind toe reversible. 



^ Capriinvlg-us Europceus, Lin. 



