172 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



affected by the advance of civilization, and is even positively benefited 

 by it until people screen their chimneys to prevent the roaring caused by 

 the entrance and exit of birds early in the morning. In the depths of the 

 Adirondack wilderness this species is fairly common, breeding in the gable 

 ends of old deserted lumbermen's shacks or in the settlers' chimneys and 

 possibly, at times, in hollow trees. 



Habits. As already stated, the Chimney swift is never observed, 

 as many suppose, ranged along the telegraph wires with our various species 

 of swallows. Near the " Free Bridge," 4 miles below Cayuga, there is 

 a large hollow tree in which swifts still roost after the primeval fashion, 

 and another near Scottsville, within sight of the railroad station, about 

 which thousands of swifts may be seen circling in the evening air before 

 going to rest within the hollow trunk. Nearly every village or city can 

 boast at least one large chimney on church or schoolhouse that harbors 

 multitudes of swifts every night late in summer. It is an interesting sight 

 to watch these swifts as they wheel about such an old chimney in the August 

 and September evenings and, when the magic moment arrives, pour down 

 its capacious mouth in a living cascade. It seems impossible for this 

 species to perch, but it always alights on some perpendicular surface like 

 the inside of a large hollow tree or the inner surface of a chimney or the 

 perpendicular boards at the gable end of a bam or shed. In this position 

 it sleeps, clinging with its sharp claws to the irregular surface and using 

 its spiny tail as a support. The swift is seen abroad early in the morning 

 and late in the afternoon, but in cloudy weather comes out at any time of 

 day and evidently can see well in the bright sunlight, for it frequently hunts 

 or seeks materials for its nest during the brightest weather. They begin 

 to construct the nest in May or early June, the small twigs of which it 

 is formed being broken from the dead branches of some shade tree by the 

 bird flying directly against the tip of the twig and snapping it off. Mr 

 Fuertes asserts that they grasp the twig with their claws as they fly against 

 it and thus bear it away. I will confess that I have been unable to see 

 them execute this performance although I have tried on dozens of occasions. 



