144 
recovered rapidly and were in a vigorous 
condition twenty-four hours later. Obser- 
vations, made a few days later, showed 
that they were in no further danger from 
falling, as they had left the nest and were 
clinging onto the sides of the chimney. 
Tt seems that Chimney Swift’s nests 
have the unfortunate habit of falling 
down into fireplaces when they contain 
Bird - 
Lore 
ming over the meadows. Presently one of 
them flew to the side of a school-house (a 
small frame building), and there, a short 
distance beneath the eaves, plastered 
against the outside wall, was a nest, which 
turned out to be a real Barn Swallow’s 
nest. The birds went to the nest again 
and again, showing that it was their own. 
I could scarcely believe my eyes. Hereto- 
half-grown young birds. I have also 
noticed that people on such occasions 
are inclined to waste a lot of time grieving 
over the fact that nothing can be done to 
save the poor, dirty, helpless young ones. 
People generally seem anxious to do what 
they can to save the birds, but in most 
cases they think that nothing can be 
done. The method described here, is 
simple and easy when the top of the 
chimney is accessible, and could probably 
be used in the majority of cases.—L. P. 
Emerson, Cambridge, Mass. 
Curios in Nests 
While driving along a country road last 
spring, I noticed some Barn Swallows skim- 
A REPLACED CHIMNEY SWIFT NEST 
=x. 
fore all the Barn Swallows’ nests I have 
found were inside of a barn, plastered 
against a rafter or beam. It was not a 
Cliff Swallow’s nest, for it was not bottle- 
shaped, but was open at the top, and had 
a good deal of down and grass mixed with 
the clay. Besides, a bird student could 
not mistake one species for the other. 
The other day I was called to see a 
curiosity in English Sparrow’s nests. 
Right beneath the eaves of a friend’s 
veranda roof were two curved ornamental 
brackets between four and five inches 
apart. Without a support between them, 
no nest could have been built there. Now, 
here is the odd thing: In some way the 
birds had managed to lay a corn-cob on 
the brackets, thus connecting them and 
