SWIFTS. 



Micropodidse. 



VIEW of their external appearance the Swifts have been called 

 Swallows from times immemorial, and even to-day they are 

 regarded as such by the people. There is, however, a great differ- 

 between the Swallows and the Swifts. In their internal 



ence 



structure and in their habits they are so dissimilar that they 

 must at once be recognized by close observers, as quite different birds. The 

 Swifts show ;nothing of the happy congenial nature of the Swallows. 

 They are entirely songless, and in their ways they appear rather mysterious. 

 The family is found all over the globe, except in the extreme cold regions 

 and in New Zealand, being most abundant in the tropics. The Swifts are 

 represented in this country by the following genera : 



1, Cypseloides Streubel. Black Swifts. One species. 



2, Cbeetura Stephens. Chimney Swifts. Two species. 



3, Aeronautes Hartert. Typical Swifts. One species. 



Black Swift, Cypseloides niger Sclat. This graceful Swift is an inhabitant of 

 the Rocky Mountain Region, north to British Columbia and west to the Pacific coast. 

 It is found south to Lower California, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the West Indies. 



Though the Black Swift seems to be a rather scarce bird in the various regions, 



above mentioned, Mr. M. H. Gonnley reports in "The Auk," that it is somewhat abundant 



at Seattle, Wash., where he found it nesting in the cornices of buildings near the water 



front, in the business part of the city. The nests are usually placed in galvanized iron 



cornices, where they are safe from all kinds of depredations. A nest found June 6, 



1888, Mr. Gormley describes more in detail. It was built in the interior of a cornice of 



a small frame building. The entrance to the nest was at one end of the cornice. The 



deck or top was sprung up so as to leave an opening. The compartment was about 



twenty inches square. The structure was composed of leaves, which were j'ct green, bits 



of paper, chips from a planing mill near by, a few horse hairs, and straw, and was 



surrounded by a large quantity of loose straw. The leaves and paper formed the lining 



of the nest. The eggs were pure white. Another set of four eggs was found on June 28. 



DESCRIPTION: "Uniform dusUy or blackish, becoming itiore sooty-grayish on head and neck, the forehead 

 more hoary.'' (Ridgway.) — Length about 7.25 inches; wing, 7.00; tail, 2.65 inches. 



