18 [Senate 



Some Observations on the Cliff Swallow (Hirundo fulva), its habits and 

 first appearance at Nichols, Tioga county, N.Y. By Robert Howell. 



The Clijff Swallow made its first appearance in this vicinity about 

 the year 1838 or 9, in small numbers, and has since that time in- 

 creased yearly. For the first few years they made their appearance 

 annually about the first of June, and generally left the first of 

 September. I have known them some years to disappear by the 

 twentieth of August, while in other years they continued until the 

 middle of September. In the year 1852, a few made their appearance 

 the last day of April, and their numbers constantly increased till 

 the middle of May ; and they all left the last day of August, 



The first I noticed these swallows was their building their nests 

 under the eaves of one of my barns, which stands within a few 

 yards of the highway, and within four rods of a mill-pond, on a 

 very low flat. The chance for building their nests at this barn is 

 good ; the road furnishing, after rain, a large amount of mud. 

 When the mud in the road is dried up, I have noticed them collect 

 it and wet it in the pond, and I have also seen them collect it from 

 the edge of the pond. 



For the first few years their nests amounted to not more than 

 fifteen or twenty on the above named barn ; but for the last three 

 or. four years, there have been from one hundred and twenty to 

 one hundred and sixty. Last year there were sixty -four nests on 

 the south side of the barn, and seventy-six on the north side. For 

 a number of years, three-fourths of their nests were built on the 

 .south side, and a number were built on an adjoining shed. I have 

 two other barns with sheds, that stand upon a diluvial formation 

 which is stony and the soil very dry. I have known the swallows 

 to come in large flocks after a heavy rain, and attempt to build 

 their nests under the eaves of these barns ; but the dryness of the 

 earth always prevented their finishing them, so that they had to 

 abandon them, and I have never known more than two or three 

 that were fully completed. Some seasons, their nests, or a majority 

 of them, after being abandoned by the birds, fall to the ground : 

 when this happens, the birds have a great amount of work to do 

 on their return in the spring. It is singular to notice how regular 

 each paflr of birds go to their own nest. I have hardly ever seen 

 any fighting among them ; and when that was the case, the intru- 

 ders had built their nests upon the top, or partly so, of other nests. 



A building has a singular appearance with a row of nests so 

 close that they touch, nearly from one end of the building to the 

 other ; made wholly of mud, and of the size af a large quart bowl, 

 with the passage to the inside of the nest near the upper side and 

 of an inch or more in diameter. Often when the weather is very 

 warm, a large portion of the outside of the roof will be covered 

 with them, undoubtedly for the purpose of sunning. Their long 

 continuance in this region enables them to hatch and rear two 

 broods in a season. One will readily perceive what a large number 

 of these birds is annually produced. 



