THE CRESCENT SWALLOW AT WORK 433 



repeatedly demolished, on account of the racket and clutter 

 they made, till the irate lord of the manor found it cheaper in 

 the end to let the birds alone, and take his chances of the morn- 

 ing nap. I think such obstinacy is due to the bird's reluctance 

 to give up the much-needed shelter which the eaves provide 

 against the weather — indeed, this may have had something to 

 do with the change of habit in the beginning. The Cliff Swal- 

 low's nest is built entirely of mud, which, when sun baked into 

 'adobe', is secure enough in dry weather, but liable to be loos- 

 ened or washed away during a storm. In fact, this accident 

 is of continual occurrence, just as it is in the cases of the Chim- 

 ney Swifts. The birds' instinct — whatever that may mean ; I 

 despise the word as a label of our ignorance and conceit — 

 say rather, their reason, teaches them to come in out of the 

 rain. This may also have something to do with the clustering 

 of nests, commonly observed when the birds build on the 

 faces of cliffs, for obviously such a mass would withstand 

 the weather better than a single edifice. 



It is pleasant to watch the establishment and progress of a 

 colony of these birds. Suddenly they appear — quite animated 

 and enthusiastic, but undecided as yet; an impromptu debat- 

 ing society on the fly, with a good deal of sawing the air to 

 accomplish, before final resolutions are passed. The plot thick- 

 ens ; some Swallows are seen clinging to the slightest inequal- 

 ities beneath the eaves, others are couriers to and from the 

 nearest mud-puddle ; others again alight like feathers by the 

 water's side, and all are in a twitter of excitement. Watching 

 closely these curious sons and daughters of Israel at their inge- 

 nious trade of making bricks, we may chance to see a circle of 

 them gathered around the margin of the pool, insecurely bal- 

 anced on their tiny feet, tilting their tails and ducking their 

 heads to pick up little " gobs" of mud. These are rolled round 

 in their mouths till tempered, and made like a quid into glob- 

 ular form, with a curious working of their jaws; then off go 

 the birds, and stick the pellet against the wall, as carefully as 

 ever a sailor, about to spin a yarn, deposited his chew on the 

 mantel-piece. The birds work indefatigably ; they are busy as 

 bees, and a steady stream flows back and forth for several hours 

 a day, with intervals for rest and refreshment, when the Swal- 

 lows swarm about promiscuously a-flycatching. In an incredi- 

 bly short time, the basement of the nest is laid, and the whole 

 form becomes clearly outlined; the mud dries quickly, and 

 28 B 



