A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
645 
Family Micropodidae: Swifts 
Chimney Swift: Choetura pelagica. S. R. 
Chimney Swallow 
Length: 5.25 inches. 
Male and Female: A deep, sooty brown. Wings longer than the tail, 
which is nearly even, the shafts of the quills ending in sharp 
spines. 
Note: A loud, Swallow-like twitter. 
Season: Late April to September and October; a common summer 
resident. 
Nest: A loose, twig lattice glued by the bird’s saliva, or sometimes 
tree-gum, to the inside of chimneys ; or in wild regions to the 
inner walls of hollow trees. 
Eggs: 4-5, pure white, and long for their width. 
This bird, popularly known as the Chimney Swallow, but 
which is more closely related to the Nighthawk, may be easily 
distinguished from the Swallows when flying, by its short, 
blunt tail. You will never see it perching as Swallows do; 
for, except when it is at rest in its chimney home, it is con- 
stantly on the wing, either darting through the air, dropping 
surely to its nest, or speeding from it like a rocket. The Chim- 
ney Swift secures its food wholly when flying, and is more 
active at night than in the day. In the breeding season its 
busiest time is that preceding c|awn, and it then works with- 
out cessation for many hours. The whirling of the wings as 
the bird leaves the chimney makes a noise like distant thunder, 
and if there is quite a colony the inhabitants of the house may 
be seriously disturbed, and the presence of the nests often in- 
troduces bedbugs, as they are to a certain extent parasites of 
these birds. This makes him an undesirable tenant, and in 
modern houses, where the flues are narrow and easily clogged, 
wire is stretched over the chimney mouth to keep him out. 
Family Trochilidae: Humming-birds 
Ruby-throated Humming-bird: Trochilus colubris. S. R. 
Length: 3.75 inches. 
Male: Above metallic green; belly white. Wings and tail ruddy 
black, the latter deeply forked. Glistening ruby-red gorget. 
Female: Colors less iridescent; gorget lacking, tail with rounded 
points. 
Note: A shrill, mouse-like squeak. 
Season: Common summer resident; May to October. 
