THE CHIMNEY SWIFT. 



BY WILLARD N. OL.UTE. 



This bird is a well-known resi- 

 dent, of Eastern North America. 

 From its winter home somewhere in 

 Central or South America it enters 

 the United States early in March, 

 and by the middle of May has reach- 

 ed the northern limits of its breeding 

 range in British America. 



In habits and build the Chimney 

 Swift much resembles the Swallow; 

 so much so, in fact, that it was 

 formerly placed in that group of 

 birds, but later Ornithologists have 

 decided that it belongs to the family 

 of Swifts, which forms a sort of con- 

 necting link between the Humming- 

 birds and Woodpeckers. 



The Swift may be distinguished, 

 in flight, from the Swallow, by the 

 quick, nervous beating of its wings; 

 it is seemingly tireless on the wing 

 and spends most of the day in the 

 air. Swifts are said to be able to fly 

 a thousand miles in twenty-four 

 hours. 



Although a hollow tree was the 

 original nesting-place of this spe- 

 cies, the}' have betaken themselves 

 so generally to nesting in chimneys 

 that they are scarcely known by an 3' 

 other name than "Chimney Swift" 

 or "Swallow." Occasionally, too, 

 they nest in barns or sheds, stick- 

 ing their nests to the rafters, for all 

 the world like their congeners, the 

 Barn Swallows. 



The Swift is said never to alight 



on trees or on the ground, and con- 

 sequently the materials for its nest 

 are all collected by the bird in its 

 flight; these consist entirely of 

 small, dead twigs which it breaks 

 from the trees as it skims by. In 

 this locality the Swift seems to pre- 

 fer twigs from the pine and locust. 



(to be CONTINUED.) 



The Oologist, published by F. H. 

 Lattin, Albion, N. Y., is a very in- 

 teresting magazine. It is now in its 

 seventh volume, and has a good 

 prospect of becoming one of the 

 standard periodicals of its kind pub- 

 lished in America. 



EMBALMING. 



We have been charging one dollar for 

 the instructions of "Gibbs's Embalming 

 Process" for mounting birds, etc. We 

 have made arrangements with the pub- 

 lishers of the Wolverine Naturalist so 

 that we can furnish that interesting 

 natural history monthly magazine at 

 fifty cents a year; and also furnish the 

 instructions in embalming free. Address 

 ('. IT. & E. A. ftiBBS <v. Co., Kalamazoo, 

 Michigan. 



EXCHANGE COLUMN. 



Notices insevU d wider this heading at the rule of 

 five, cents per line, or six lines/or tweatu-fi.oe cents. 



TO EXCHANGE—I have desirable eggs 



insets and singles, also eggs of Central 

 American Birds to exchange for eggs in 

 sets. Neil F. Posson, Medina, N. Y. 



To EXCHANGE— I will exchange a 

 rubber printing outfit, cost $1.50, for best 

 offer of eggs in sets. J. W. P. Smithwick, 

 .Sans Souci, N. C. 



WANTED— To correspond with a col- 

 lector in Arizona and Florida, with a 

 view to exchanging birds' eggs this sea- 

 son. John V. Crone, Marathone, Iowa. 



/ 



