The Audubon Societies 447 



birds vary so much in what we may call their intelligence, that their actions are not 

 always to be explained in the same way. Robins vary greatly in their nest-building 

 instinct. For example, one finds their nests at almost any distance from the ground up 

 to 50 feet or more in height, and the nests themselves in all degrees of completeness and 

 perfection of construction, from a shallow, hastily fashioned structure, with so little 

 mud as to puzzle the observer, to a high, shapely nest, made solid with a plaster-like 

 foundation. Our readers send us many contributions on the Robin. Next spring let us 

 try to follow with sharp eyes the movements of the parents and young as the latter 

 leave their nest. — A. H. W.] 



ACTIONS OF A CHIMNEY SWIFT 



I have seen lots of Chimney Swifts and know where there are lots of nests 

 but never had a Swift in my hands until the other day. There is a pair that 

 have built in our chimney. One of them got down the stove-pipe and flew about 

 in the pipe for a whole day. Then I became curious, so I rapped on the pipe 

 and it began to flutter. I turned the damper off. The little fellow was frightened 

 and flew around inside the stove. I caught him and got a good look at him and 

 let him go. He was not hurt and flew away. — Roger D. Finkhak, Lancaster, 

 N.H. 



[Young Chimney Swifts are far from beautiful objects, and they are extremely diffi- 

 cult to feed, but their actions are of much interest. — A. H. W.] 



NOTES ON THE FLOCKING OF SWIFTS IN FALL 



We are all watching for the return of the Chimney Swift, which has been 

 noted as early as April 10. He is an April comer that never fails us. October 12 

 was the last night he spent here. Before that there had been a remarkable sight 

 every night at dusk. Scores of Swifts circled around one of the tall chimneys 

 of Giles Hall (a brick school building four stories high), at first in wide sweeps — 

 they had been gathering in the neighborhood since five o'clock. They came closer 

 and closer to the chimney, imtil there was an unbroken, moving, twittering 

 ring. At every round a dozen or more would sink into the open mouth of the 

 chimney, until all had vanished and stillness reigned. — Miss Lucy Upton, 

 Providence, R. I. 



[Miss Upton's reminiscences, besides giving us pleasure, always add to our knowl- 

 edge.— A. H. W. 



PREFERENCES OF CLIFF SWALLOWS IN NESTING 



I read in Bird-Lore last fall that a man who was lecturing said Cliff Swal- 

 lows never built their nests on painted buildings, so I have watched to see, and 

 this spring I happened to notice where they had built on six or seven different 

 buildings. 



There is a barn here near our schooUiouse where there are seventeen nests 

 under both eaves, and the barn is painted red, and I know five other buildings 



