FOOD HABITS OF THE SWALLOWS. 7 



access to it, as in an open shed; for the eaves swallow does not 

 like to go through a small hole to get to its nest as does the 

 barn swallow. In the far West it may still be found nesting in the 

 old-fashioned way, but where suitable buildings have been put up, 

 this species has not been slow to avail itself of the safer and more 

 sheltered site. Unfortunately, some people consider the nests of this 

 swallow a disfigurement to the building on which they are placed. 

 Were the nests attached to the front of a handsomely finished house, 

 some complaint might justly be made, but smoothly finished and 

 painted buildings are not what the bird requires. A roughly finished 

 barn or other outbuilding or a brick structure to which the mud used 

 in building will adhere, is more satisfactory and is usually chosen. 

 Nests on an outside location are usually bottle-shaped and made of 

 mud worked into pellets in the mouths of the builders. Probably 

 these birds, like the swifts, are able to add to this mud some adhesive 

 substance from their mouths which makes it adhere more firmly to 

 the wall on which it is placed. 



For the study of the food of the eaves swallow 375 stomachs were 

 available, taken in every month from March to September and giv- 

 ing a fair representation of the food in each of these months, except 

 March, in which only one stomach was taken. While the food con- 

 sisted almost entirely of animal matter, a small portion (0.66 per 

 cent) of vegetable matter was found in several stomachs, much of it 

 being mere rubbish, but some recognizable as food material. As it 

 has very little interest, either economic or academic, it may as well be 

 disposed of forthwith. None was found in March or September, 

 but scattering along through the other months were pieces of seeds 

 and rubbish mostly taken accidentally with other food. Two stom- 

 achs, taken in May in Texas, were entirely filled with fruit of 

 Jumperus monospermcc, which was undoubtedly taken intentionally 

 as food. This seems to show that the bird can at times subsist upon 

 vegetable matter. 



The animal food consists of insects, with a few spiders. Beetles 

 are the largest item but one, and amount to 26.88 per cent. Of these 

 2.67 per cent are useful species, mostly ladybirds (Coccinellidse), 

 which are good fliers and so fall in the swallow's way. The preda- 

 cious ground beetles, eaten by so many birds, do not form an im- 

 portant part of the swallow's food, as they are not generally much 

 on the wing. Members of the May -beetle family (Scarabseidse) 

 amount to 4.97 per cent. They consist mostly of the small dung 

 beetles (Apkodius and Atcenius) which are easily taken on the wing- 

 as they fly in swarms near the ground. A few of the larger species 

 also were eaten, but most of them are too large for the swallow to 

 manage. 



14684°— 18— Bull. 619 2 



