31 
A noticeable characteristic of several of the species is thr attachment 
to man. In the eastern part of the country the barn swallow (Chelidon 
erythrogastra) (fig. 16) now builds exclusively under roofs, having 
entirely abandoned the rock caves and cliffs in which it formerly nested. 
More recently the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon lunifrons) has found a 
‘better nesting site under the eaves of buildings than was afforded by 
the overhanging cliffs of earth or stone which it once used, and to which 
it still resorts occasionally in the East, and habitually in the unsettled 
West. The martin (Progne subis) and white-bellied swallow (Tachy- 
cineta bicolor) nest either in houses supplied for the purpose, in aban. 
doned nests of woodpeckers, or in natural crannies in rocks. The other 
species have not yet abandoned their primitive habitats, but possibly 
may do so as the country becomes more thickly settled. 
Field observation will convince any ordinarily attentive person that 
the food of swallows must consist of the smaller insects captured in 
mid-air, or perhaps in some cases picked from the tops of tall grass or 
weeds. This observation is borne out by an examination of stomachs, 
which shows that the food consists of many small species of beetles 
which are much on the wing; many species of Diptera (mosquitoes and 
their allies), with large quantities of flying ants and a few insects of 
similar kinds. Most of them are either injurious or annoying, and the 
numbers destroyed by swallows are not only beyond calculation, but 
almost beyond imagination. 
The white-bellied swallow eats a considerable number of berries of 
the bayberry, or wax myrtle. During migrations and in winter it has a 
habit of roosting in these shrubs, and it probably obtains the fruit at 
that time. 
It is a mistake to tear down the nests of a colony of cliff swallows 
from the eaves of a barn, for so far from disfiguring a building the 
nests make a picturesque addition, and their presence should be 
encouraged by every device. It is said that cliff and barn swallows 
can be induced to build their nests in a particular locality, otherwise 
suitable, by providing a quantity of mud to be used as mortar. Barn 
swallows may also be encouraged by cutting a small hole in the gable 
of the barn, while martins and white-bellied swallows will be grateful 
for boxes like those for the bluebird, but placed in some higher situation. 
THE CEDAR BIRD. 
(Ampelis cedrorum.) 
The cedar waxwing, or cherry bird (fig. 17), inhabits the whole of the 
United States, but is much less common in the West. Although the 
great bulk of the species retires southward in winter, the bird is occa- 
sionally found in every State during the colder months, especially if 
wild berries are abundant. Its proverbial fondness for cherries has 
given rise to its popular name, and much complaint has been made on 
account of the fruit eaten. Observation has shown, however, that its 
