3*2 
THE SAVAGE WORED. 
Several species of swallows, while possessing little brilliancy of plumage, 
.are rendered very attractive by an ostentatious display of feathers, such as the 
wire-tail (liirundo fi lif era ), which trails behind it' 
.•' . • two very long hair-like feathers, and the crested- 
' ■ swallow (dendrochelidon longipennis ), that is re- 
‘ markable for the large helmet-like crest with 
. rr. .,„r w laicli its head is adorned. Some species ,of 
■ goat-suckers are similarly arrayed, such as the 
leona (macrodiptex longipennis ), and long-winged 
ful appearance to. these swift-moving creatures. 
two feathers of. its tail which curve inward to 
important from a commercial point of view, is 
the Esculent Swallow, of which there are four 
natives of the Malay Peninsula,' Corea and some 
of the neighboring islands. The nests which 
these birds construct are most singular, in that 
great enough to retain the eggs. They are in¬ 
variably built on the face of precipitous rocks, 
in places least accessible to man, as if the birds were conscious of the esti¬ 
mation in which their nests are held. 
The only means of reaching them, is by 
.attaching a strong rope to some support 
above the rocks, and by this the nest- 
gatherer must be lowered over the preci¬ 
pice, which is always a most laborious 
and dangerous undertaking. 
The nests when first gathered are 
most uninviting in appearance, but when 
washed thoroughly exhibit the shin¬ 
ing, glutinous substance of which they 
are composed. Nests which have served 
a brood are of little value, but those 
gathered before the eggs are hatched, 
are so highly regarded that they 
bring a price equal to their weight in silver; or, to be more exact, this . is 
the price which wealthy Chinese are prompt to pay, but other nationalities 
barn swallow (.Hirundo rustica). 
