THE BIRD SUPPLY 



year because they have been commercialized. There 

 is a demand in the feather trade which can be met 

 only by the use of their plumage, and as no profitable 

 means has been devised for raising these birds in cap- 

 tivity the few remaining wild ones must be sacri- 

 ficed, for from the standpoint of the killers it is better 

 that a few men should become enriched by bird 

 slaughter than that many people should derive 

 pleasure from the birds which add so much beauty 

 and interest to the landscape. 



Change of Nesting Habits. — The nesting habits of 

 some birds have been revolutionized by the coming 

 of civilization to the American wilderness. The 

 Swallow family provides three notable examples of 

 this. The Cliff Swallow and Barn Swallow that for- 

 merly built their nests on exposed cliffs now seek the 

 shelter of barns and other outbuildings for this pur- 

 pose. The open nest of the Barn Swallow is usually 

 found on the joists of hay barns and large stables and 

 not infrequently on similar supports of wide ve- 

 randas. The Cliff Swallow builds its gourd-shaped 

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