The Chimney Swift 85 



tion in the quantity; three crops are taken during the 

 year." 



Our chimney swift is a migratory bird, arriving 

 from Central America, or still farther south, about the 

 middle of April, and remaining until late in September. 

 This bird is usually called a "swallow," or perhaps 

 more frequently a "chinmey swallow," but the likeness 

 exists only in its habits and mode of dress, and not in 

 its structure. Even in dress they, may be easily dis- 

 tinguished, for the swifts have ten primaries, or long 

 wing-feathers, and an equal number of tail feathers, the 

 shafts of which are exposed at the end, thus aiding the 

 bird in cHnging to an upright support; while the 

 swallows have nine primaries and twelve tail feathers. 

 As a matter of fact the swifts are more nearly related 

 structurally to the goatsuckers and humming birds 

 than they are to the swallows. 



Not only is the chimney swift confused with the 

 swallow, but it shares some of the uncanniness ascribed 

 to our bats, snakes, and toads. This is probably due 

 to the nocturnal habits of the swifts and also to popular 

 fables, written fifty years ago, concerning certain birds 

 whose habits were at that time little known. It was, 

 for a long time, believed that in the autumn swifts col- 

 lected by hundreds in hollow trees, together with bats, 

 snakes, and toads, and that at the appointed time all 



