23 



air. In sliajoe the nest is very shalloAV, and, unlike the House-Martin's, is always open, 

 leaving tlie sitting bird exposed to view. Some nests are much more carefully made 

 than others, depending to a great extent on the peculiarities of the chosen site. In some 

 cases little more than a rim of mud is formed, in which the softer materials are placed, 

 whilst in others a perfect saucer is formed of mud, straws, and little sticks before the 

 lining is put in. 



" The Swallow builds a fresh nest every year, generally close to the one of the 

 previous year, consequently many old nests may be seen close together. The eggs of 

 the Swallow are from four to six in numbei', and vary considerably in shape and 

 markings. The ground-colour is always pure white, and the markings are rich coffee- 

 brown, violet-grey, and light reddish brown ; these are usually distributed over the 

 entire surface of the egg, but most thickly at the large end. The grey underlying 

 markings are far more numerous and larger on some eggs than on otliers. The 

 spots vary considerably in size : on some eggs they are small specks, on others 

 large spots and blotches, sometimes confluent on the larger end, forming a broad 

 irregular zone. The eggs vary in length from 0"9 to 0"75 inch, and in breadth from 

 0'58 to 0"52 inch. The eggs of the Barn-Swallow very closely I'esemble those of the 

 Eock -Martin (C. riqoestris) ; indeed so much so that they cannot A\itli certainty be 

 distinguished. 



" The sitting bird is fed by its mate, who constantly visits her with joyous twittering 

 cries during the whole period of incubation. The Swallow usually rears two broods in 

 the season. The eggs of the first clutch are generally laid early in May, and the young 

 are able to fly by the end of June ; those of the second clutch are laid early in July, 

 and the young are, in most cases, fully fledged by September ; but exceptionally late 

 broods are frequently deserted by their parents. The young are tended some little time 

 after they quit the nest, and are often fed on the wing." 



Eor the followino; interesting note we are indebted to Mr. Edward Bartlett, the late 

 Curator of tlie ^Museum at Maidstone. AVritiug from that place on the 15th of 

 September, 1885, he observes : — " Lately our benefactors Messrs. T. and J. Ilollingworth, 

 ordered the huge Elizabethan chimneys over the Hall and Great Hall of this Institution 

 to be restored, and knowing that the Swallows had bred in them for years, I was anxious 

 to see the positions of the nests. In the first chimney I found a nest of four eggs on tlie 

 15th June, 1885, at the depth of seven feet from the top of the stack. In liic sccuutl 

 stack of chimneys, with several shafts, and some of them extremely narrow, 1 found a 

 nest of three eggs on the 20th August, 1885, six feet six inches from the top of the 

 stack ; they liad been sat on about Ave days, therefore the young \\\)uld be hatched 

 about the 28th of the same month, and if we allow six days fur llu- young to become 

 fully fledged and able to fly from the ncbt, it wouUl bring the date up to September 

 the 3rd. 



" In another shaft of the same stack was a nest wilh four unllcdgcd yuuiiL:, which 

 was eight feet six inches from the tup of the stack, and in an cxtrrnicly narrow shalt ; it 

 appeared almost impossible for a Swallow to descend to so great a tlrpth. 1 had oltcn 



