artificial caves made by the white man, in out-buildings and, 
above all, in barns. 
What is more charming than an ancient barn filled with the 
sweet scent of hay and the song of the Barn Swallows! The 
doors stand open, the windows have many gaps in their frames. 
Through these inviting openings the swallows are constantly 
gliding. I have known many such barns but of one that I 
know intimately at Ipswich I would speak here. Not only did 
Barn Swallows nest in large numbers in its cavernous interior 
but a large colony of Eave Swallows built their retort-shaped 
nests under its liberal eaves. I once counted on the beams 
and rafters of this barn fifty-five Barn Swallows’ nests. These 
are made of globules of grey mud brought by the birds in their 
bills, firmly plastered together and mixed with straw. They 
are lined with hay and feathers. In late June and in July one 
may lie in the fragrant hay and listen to a concert of great 
beauty and watch a scene constantly changing and full of 
interest. The old birds are ever flying in and out, skimming 
close to the floor or just missing the top of the door or window 
frame, skillfully dodging any human being that may be standing 
in the doorway and never pausing for an instant in the swift¬ 
ness of their flight. They cling to the old beams or to the 
edge of the nest where they are opposed by a row of four or five 
pinkish yellow mouths which form conspicuous targets for the 
discharge of mouthfuls of insects. All the young twitter excit¬ 
edly, but all those which are unfed as well as the lucky one or 
two that are fed, quickly subside as soon as the parent goes 
and the yellow commisures of their mouths alone are seen in 
the twilight of the rafters. Sometimes both parents arrive 
with food at the nest at the same time and the consequent excite¬ 
ment is doubled. 
The song of the Barn Swallow is rarely mentioned in the books. 
One reads of their twittering calls from the air or the barn roof. 
To my mind the Barn Swallow is one of our most delightful 
singers. His song is always full of charm, soft and lovely, 
devoid of all roughness. Besides delivering an individual 
song, he delights in singing in chorus. It is a sweet and cheer¬ 
ful song full of little trills and joyful bubbles of music, at times 
clear and sparkling, at times oozing and rubbery. Like the 
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