ON THE NESTING, SONG AND PLAY OF THE TREE 
SWALLOW AND BARN SWALLOW 
Charles Wendell Townsend M. D. 
Both the Tree Swallow and Barn Swallow have modified 
their nesting habits since the arrival of the white man in 
America. The Tree Swallow formerly built its nest in trees 
hollowed by decay or in woodpeckers’ nesting holes. This 
habit is still continued wherever suitable holes are to be found, 
even in such a thickly populated region as Essex County, but 
the majority of the nests that come to our attention are built in 
boxes or houses of various designs that are erected for their 
especial convenience. 
On my twelve acre farm at Ipswich I have had fifteen pairs 
building in boxes in one season. One of these boxes which has 
been occupied each year for over twenty years violates most 
of the rules laid down in modern books for the building of bird 
houses. It is advised, and with good reason, that paint should 
not be used, that the opening should be no larger than the 
bird’s body, that it should be circular, several inches above the 
bottom of the box and that the nesting material be removed 
at the end of every season. Now this favored house of mine 
is painted red with black windows and green blinds, has a 
large rectangular opening on a level with the floor, and, being 
on the top of a pole, is never cleaned out. This only goes to 
show that the Tree Swallow is an adaptive bird. My experi¬ 
ence demonstrates that square wooden boxes are just as popular 
as the most carefully made and expensive von Berlepsch boxes, 
which may be heresy. 
The Barn Swallow formerly built its mud and straw nests 
in rocky caves. Swallow Cave at Nahant is an instance, but 
as far as I know no Barn Swallow has been found within fifty 
years building in a natural cave in Essex County. It nests in 
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