242 BIRDS 



the brick or woodwork so firmly that to remove the semi- 

 circular basket of twigs from its original place will invari- 

 ably result in a portion of the brick chimney or woodwork 

 adhering to the nest proper. They are closely allied to the 

 Chinese swift that secretes the edible nest, regarded by the 

 Chinese as their greatest delicacy. This interesting little 

 bird may be studied best by placing a mirror at an angle in 

 the chimney where stovepipe enters. 



The chimney swift lays from two to five pure white, 

 long, fragile eggs. Swifts are decidedly insectivorous, feed- 

 ing only on the wing. Rarely do they alight to rest, and 

 then only in chimneys, so that it may be conservatively 

 stated 'that a swift spends the entire time after sunrise until 

 sunset on the wing, except when maternal duties demand the 

 attention. 



HUMMING-BIRDS* 



It has been said that what a beautiful sonnet is to the 

 mind, one of these fairy-like creations is to the eyes. This is 

 true even in the case of mounted specimens, which must 

 necessarily have lost some of their iridescence. Few can 

 hope to see many of them alive. The gorgeous little birds 

 are largely tropical, the northern limit of their abundance as 

 species being the Tropic of Cancer. They are partial to 

 mountainous regions where there is diversity of surface and 

 soil sufficient to meet their needs within a small area. The 

 highlands of the Andes in South America are the regions 

 most favored by a large number of species. 



The eastern part of the United States has but one repre- 

 sentative of the Humming-bird family, and only seventeen 



