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NOTES ON THE COMMON SWIFT IN THE 
BRADFORD DISTRICT. 
HARRY B. BOOTH, M.B.0.U. 
I HAvE had many opportunities of watching the habits and 
peculiarities of this rushing, dashing bird, that makes light of 
distance and space, and disdains to set foot on earth. I have 
been rather well situated, having been able to easily watch one 
particular colony which annually visits Heaton Grove, at 
Frizinghall, a suburb of Bradford. During my residence of 
nearly thirteen years at Frizinghall, they were all the summer 
constantly before my eyes (even from my bedroom window), and 
oftimes when I could not see them they were heard, and I loved 
to hear their harsh screaming notes in concert. Since leaving 
Frizinghall six years ago, I have, on the top of the tramcar, 
usually passed the same colony several times each day. 
Up to last season (1906), the colony has generally consisted of 
thirty to forty pairs, but last summer there would not be more 
than twenty pairs present. This decrease is rather singular, 
because Swifts are steadily increasing in this district. Their 
arrival and departure at this breeding place during the last 
nineteen years has been extremely regular; with the single 
exception of the cold wet spring and summer of 1903, they have 
always arrived at the breeding quarters on the t1oth, 11th, or 
12th of May, and as a colony they have departed on the 18th, 
19th, or 20th of August. Taking the arrivals and departures of 
this colony which I have chronicled, I find that they have spent 
exactly an average of 101 days each year around this nesting 
site. In 1903 they did not put in an appearance until May 18th, 
and they stayed until September rst, thus not only coming 
a week later, but increasing their stay with us to 107 days. 
Possibly this extra week’s delay at their nesting quarters was 
occasioned by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient food in order 
to bring the nestlings forward. 
The above dates refer to the arrivals at and departures from 
this nesting place. A single bird, or a pair, will usually arrive 
in the surrounding district between the 1st and the 7th of May, 
and on two occasions they have been noted on the 3oth of April. 
After the arrival of the first harbingers they gradually increase 
almost daily. If the weather should be fine and clear then, 
many of the new arrivals spend a good deal of time over the 
surrounding hills and moorlands, but if very cold, wet, or 
1907 March ae 
