114 



Wild Birds. 



Fig. no. Ready to inspect. Notice that he invariably comes to 

 the right side by force of habit. 





Fig. III. Inspecting the household. Ihe female approaches on 

 the left. 



adapting its needs to conditions far 

 more unlike those of the ancestral 

 tree, and has been known to enter 

 a barn and nest with the Barn 

 Swallows. This happened in Dorset, 

 Ohio,' where some Swifts fastened 

 their nest to the vertical boards 

 near a hole made for the conven- 

 ience of the Swallows, and just below 

 the peak of the roof. Five young 

 were hatched and were seen clinging 

 to the boards just beneath the nest. 

 The old birds would sometimes enter 

 by the open door, fly straight to the 

 nest and cling to the wall beside it. 

 The quavering voices of the little 

 Swifts would then drown every other 

 sound about the place. 



In still another case,' a pair of 

 Swifts nested in the dim interior of a 

 shed beside an old saw-mill at Dor- 

 chester, New Hampshire, in June, 

 1899. This nest was fastened to the 

 boards, well up towards the roof, and 

 an open door formed easy entrance 

 and egress. 



In at least one respect birds 

 resemble men in their ordinary build- 

 ing operations. They make use of 

 the materials at hand, but in the se- 

 lection of the site for the nest many 

 seem to obey no rule, being ever on 

 the alert to adapt themselves to their 

 lot, and a habit once formed often 

 leads to a steady line of conduct. 



The English Sparrow has even 

 found a convenient shelf in the 

 hood of the electric arc lamps, and 

 although these are lowered daily to 

 the street, it sticks to its nest over 

 the light. I have seen this impudent 

 little wretch dispossess the Eaves 



' This account was given to me by Mr. 

 Robert [. Sim. 



■^ Oi)servc(l liiy Professor William Patten. 



