DOMED OR ROOFED NESTS 241 



for lighting, so that the chains could travel over the 

 enclosed wheels without damaging the nest. Although 

 this lamp was in use each night the birds successfully 

 reared their brood, after which the nest was removed 

 owing to the inconvenience caused by the feathered 

 usurpers. Some of the typical Swallows (Hirundo) 

 differ very remarkably in their nest-model from the 

 swallow of the British Islands. One of these, the 

 Striped Swallow {H. striolata), a resident in Formosa, 

 makes a retort-shaped nest of mud, attaching it to 

 walls. The Chinese show this little bird every con- 

 sideration and encouragement, and never allow the 

 nests that it makes in their houses to be disturbed or 

 robbed. In India this species, according to the obser- 

 vations of Mr Stuart Baker, does not make a retort- 

 shaped nest, but one more after the model of the 

 English Swallow, attaching it to cliffs under a little 

 projection. The retort-shaped type is by no means 

 an uncommon one in the present family, in widely 

 separated parts of the world. Thus in Australia we 

 have the Fairy Martin (H. artel) attaching its flask- 

 shaped nests to cliffs. These are made of mud or 

 clay externally, and lined with soft materials. The 

 length of the entrance spout appears to be subject to 

 considerable variation in length, ranging from six to 

 ten inches. Then in America we have the Rufous- 

 necked Swallow (H. fulva), building a similar flask- 

 shaped structure, but the spout is shorter and more 

 open. Numbers of these nests are often placed as 

 Q 



