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Notes on the Habits of the Cliff Swallow ( Petrochelidon luni- 
frons). — Within my collecting grounds is a locality where numbers of 
these birds have nested for many years. This is a shed, open only on one 
side, where the birds have attached their nests to the sleepers of the loft. 
In the spring of 1878 they returned about the usual time and soon began i 
repairing old nests or constructing new ones. One day, while watching 
the.m, I noticed one bird remained in her half-finished nest, and did not 
appear to be much engaged. Soon a neighbor, owning a nest a few 
feet away, arrived with a fresh pellet of clay and, adjusting it in a satis- 
factory manner, flew away for more. No sooner was she out of sight than 
the quiet bird repaired to the neighbor’s nest, appropriated the fresh clay 
and moulded it to her own nest! When the plundered bird returned, no 
notice was taken of the theft, which was repeated as soon as she was again 
out of sight. I saw these movements repeated numerous times, but was 
called away, and when I again returned both nests were completed. 
In the same place a nest remained undisturbed, and was occupied bv 
probably the same pair of birds for several seasons. This spring they 
returned to the old nest, and all appeared prosperous, until one day I 
noticed a number of Swallows engaged in walling up the entrance of this 
old nest. This, and the outline of a new nest over the old, was soon com- 
pleted. I then broke open the closed nest and found within the dead body 
of a Swallow. This bird had probably died a natural death, and the friends 
being unable to remove the body, and knowing it would soon become 
offensive, adopted this method of sealing it up. — F. H. Knowlton, 
Brandon , Vt. BuaN.O.O. 0 , Jan,, 1881, p, 
& 
Cliff Swallow, ( Petrochelidon luni- 
frons.) May 26th I visited a “colony” of 
Cliff Swallows, accompanied by my friend 
George H. Jennings, M. D., who is an en- 
thusiastic ornithological student. 
About one mile from Griswold P. O., 
there is a barn that has for several years 
A attracted large numbers of these swallows. 
'V' Their nests are placed under the barn, up- 
on the sides of the chestnut timbers that 
support the floor, and are composed of 
mud which the birds bring from a swamp 
near by. 
r As the Doctor and I stejiped under the 
barn the occupants of the forty-seven 
§> O nests eyed us curiously for a few seconds, 
cv i-< v» and then with a musical “ tweet” flew out. 
A ¥ ipp e c p es (; nn ^ patch on the forehead of the 
£ g Cliff Swallow is very noticeable as their 
? kS heads protrude from the “ nose” of their 
g bottle-shaped mud nests. 
£ N The swallows find a protector in the 
V S person of Mr. Ezri Reynolds, who warmly 
^ appreciates the honor which they confer 
1 upon him by returning every spring to his 
^ barn, and to his alone. As they rear two 
^ broods a season and feed their young upon 
insects, the number destroyed by them 
must be incalculable. Any person mo- 
lesting the swallows in any way would be 
apt to arouse the ire of the kind hearted 
farmer, who rightly considers them his 
friends. 
IZZ 
