THE CHIMNEY SWIFT. 179 



tion is not a cement, but a glue, wHcli hardens by drying, and our warm days 

 in early summer are generally accompanied by more or less rain. 



"It took my Swifts two days to lay the foundation; that is, to besmear the 

 wall and fasten thereto the first few sticks. On the tenth day, when the first 

 egg was laid, the nest was only half done, 2 inches wide, 2 J long, and only one- 

 half inch deep. This was May 24. In the evening the egg Avas lying under the 

 nest, on the bottom of the shaft. On the next day a second egg was lying on 

 the bottom. Then came a cold, rainy day and no egg was laid. After this they 

 went on building and laying until May 30, when four eggs were in the nest and 

 its dimensions were now 3 by 3 J inches and 1 inch deep. Incubation lasted 

 until June 18, when one egg was hatched in the forenoon and the other three in 

 the afternoon. 



"The young remained in the shaft until July 17, after which they were 

 brought back by the parents several nights, and then roosted elsewhere in the 

 neighborhood. During the first week the blind and almost naked young were 

 placed so that the four heads came together in the center of the nest and the 

 anal regions were near to its rim; this arrangement is important for the cleanli- 

 ness of the home, since the parents do not seem to trouble themselves with 

 removing the excrement. The second week, when the young were fast outgrow- 

 ing the little home, a different arrangement was necessary; all four heads were 

 now lying flat against the shaft, the anterior part of the body covering and pro- 

 tecting the base of the nest and the posterior part protruding over its rim. At 

 the beginning of the third week I was greatly astonished to find my young 

 Swifts gone; the nest was empty and no Swift to be seen in the shaft. I was 

 still wondering what had become of them when the parent came to feed. Young 

 Swifts are very noisy when fed, and I was glad to hear that they were still 

 inside; all four were huddling- side by side, hanging on the wall immediately 

 below the nest and entirely hidden from view above. At the beginning of the 

 fourth week I was still more surprised when, bending my head over the shaft, 

 the youngsters jumped right against my face with a strong, hissing noise, which 

 I believe must be a very effective means of frightening unsuspecting visitors. 

 The fourth week was spent entirely inside the shaft, hanging against its sides, 

 but not higher up than the nest, that is, 3^ feet from the mouth; so the clamber- 

 ing up to the top of the chimney does not seem to be the style any more. 



"Last year's experience was essentially the same, with the following varia- 

 tions: May being rainy throughout, they did not begin to build until the first 

 week of June. They attached the nest to the same spot where the nest of the 

 previous year had been washed ofi", and deposited five eggs, all of which were 

 hatched and all five young brought up. Thi'ee left the shaft for the first time on 

 August 1, and the others the next day. The whole process occupied eight weeks 

 and two days, which is six days less than in 1891, in consequence of the more 

 favorable weather while building. The family roosted in the shaft until October 

 14, when the last left. 



"Taking all together, my observations may, in brief, be set forth as follows: 

 In spite of preceding favorable weather, the Swift of St. Louis County, Missouri, 



