BARN SWALLOW 



The upper parts are steel blue; the forehead, throat and 

 breast chestnut ; under parts paler ; tail much forked and a row 

 of white spots on end of inner tail feathers. Length, seven 

 inches. 



Nest, made of mud and grass and lined with grass or 

 feathers. Eggs, three to six, white, sornetimes having brown 

 or lilac markings, .75 x .50 inches. 



Barn Swallows come out of the tropical countries in early 

 spring and reach the North in April. They are found every- 

 where throughout the United States and Canada. They 

 remain until September when they return south in great flocks. 



Like the Robins, they are masons. Their nests, made of 

 little mud-balls held together with hay or straw, are placed on 

 the rafters of barns and other buildings. Often the nests of 

 twenty or thirty pairs may be counted in one building, and so 

 gentle are these birds that peace always reigns in such a colony. 

 It sometimes happens that the same birds raise two broods in a 

 summer. 



Many farmers make little diamond-shaped holes near the 

 peaks of their barns that the Swallows may go in and out 

 freely. While these birds can sing no song to repay the favor, 

 the happy twittering of old and young from the rafters may be 

 a hearty vote of thanks to the thoughtful owner. 



The food of the Barn Swallows consists mainly of flying 

 insects which they capture on the wing. Their flight is won- 

 derfully swift and graceful as they shoot through the air, 

 tipping and turning with perfect ease. It is interesting to 

 watch a flock of them as they issue in a stream from a building 



