u
s um m e r ; a n d w h e n a f te r a lo n g , fro s t-b o u n d , a n d b o is te ro u s w in te r we h e a r i t
a n n o u n c e d t h a t “ th e Sw a llow s a ro com e ,” w h a t a t r a in o f c h a rm in g id e a s a r c a s so c ia te d
Avith th e s im p le tid in g s .’ B u t a lm o s t a l l th e w r itte n h is to r y o f th e b ird h a s th e saA’o u r
o f l io m e : we th in k o f SwalloAA-s a n d th e c ity s tr e e t, th e f a rm y a rd , th e b u r s t in g h am ,
th e neAv-moAA'n h a y , th e flocks a n d h e rd s , a n d a ll th e c h a n g e s o f th e sea so n s t h a t come
to u s Avhen c om fo r ta b ly lio u sc d— fo rg e ttin g , p e rh a p s , th e t ra c k le s s Avaste o f th e W e s t,
Avhere SwalloAvs a r e s till a s AA’ild a n d p rim itiv e a s a n y h ird s , h o n n d e n b y n o h um a n tic s
a n d n o a s so c ia te s o f c iv iliz a tio n . L e t u s see th e Sn alloAv a s h e w a s b e fo re th e r e we re
lio u sc s in th i s c o u n try— a s h e s till rem a in s in som e p a r ts o f t h e AV’o r l d ; we sh a ll fin d
h im liv in g in c a v e rn s , lik e th e p r im itiv e cave-dAvellers o f o u r r a c e ; in ho les in th e
g ro u n d , lik e th e fo x e s o f S c r ip tu r e ; in h o llow tre e s , l ik e th e h am a d ry a d s o f m y th o lo g y
— so lowly is th e h a b ita tio n o f tb is Avinged m e s s e n g e r o f th e c h a n g e fu l seasons. A n d
y e t, n o so o n e r does th e s o u n d o f th e Avoodman’s a x e in th e c le a rin g fo r e te ll th e n ew d ay,
th a n th e tAvittcr o f tb e SAvallow re sp o n d s lik e th e ec h o , a n d th e g la d b ird h a s te n s to fold
h is w in g s b e n e a th a s h e l t e r in g roof.
“ A lo n g th e p a r a lle l o f 49° I o c c a s io n a lly o b se rv ed Bam-S\A'alloAA'S a t v a rio u s p la c e s
from tb e B e d llÍA-er o f th e N o r th to th e R o c k y M o u n ta in s , d u r in g J u ly a u d A u g u s t
o f 1 8 7 3 -7 4 . E x c e p tin g a t B em h in a , D a k o ta , w h e re , hoAvever, I do n o t th in k t h a t a n y
o f th e s e SAvalloAvs Avere b r e e d in g am o n g t h e n um b e r s o f E a v e a n d W h ite -b e llie d Swallows
t h a t I saAv d u r in g m y v is it, th e r e w e re n o h um a n h a b ita tio n s fo r tb e b ird s to o c c u p y ; a n d
a s e lig ib le b re e d in g -p la c c s AA-ere feAv a n d f a r b e tw e e n , Barn-SAvallows w e re c om p a ra tiv e ly
ra re . A sm a ll co lo n y Avbich h a d s e ttle d a lo n g th e s tre am n e a r SAA’c e tg ra s s H i l l s g av e
th e o p p o r tu n i ty o f o b s e rv in g o n e o f t h e m a n y m o d ific a tio n s o f th e i r b re e d in g -h a b its .
H e ro th e n e s ts w e re b u i l t o u t h e g ro u n d , in littlo h o le s a n d crev asse s in th e p e r p e n d
i c u la r fa c e o f a c u t-h a n k . I c o u ld n o t s a tis fy m y s e lf t h a t th e boles AA-ere d u g b y th e
b ird s , th o u g h m y a s s is ta n t th o u g h t so ; b u t th e y w e re p ro b a b ly re fitte d fo r tb e re c e p tio n
o f th e n e s ts .
“ R id gw a y fo u n d i t m o s t a b u n d a n t a b o u t P y r am id L a k e , Ne \-ada, w h e re i t n e s te d
am o n g th e tu fa -d om e s , e a c h n e s t b e in g a tta c h e d to th o c e ilin g o f a ca v e am o n g th e
ro c k s , a u d e a c h caA’c h a v in g g e n e ra lly b u t a s in g le p a ir. H e also fo u n d n e s ts in c a v e rn s
o f t h e lim e s to n c -c liffs on th e e a s te rn side o f th e R u b y M o u n ta in s ; a n d o th e r s clseAvhere,
a tta c h e d , a s u s u a l, in th e E a s t, to r a f t e r s o f b u ild in g s . T h e se ‘ tu fa -d om e s ,’ a s d e sc rib ed
b y th e sam e w r ite r , a r e ro c k s o f rem a i’k a b le fo rm a n d s tru c tu r e , u s u a lly l ia v in g i*ounded
o r d om ed to p s , b e in g th i c k ly in c ru s te d Avith c a lc a re o u s tu f a , a u d h o n ey -com b cd b e n e a th
Avith w in d in g p a s sa g e s a n d d e e p g ro tto e s , in AA-liich v a r io u s bii*ds n e s te d , su c h a s th e B u rio n ,
S ay ’s P ew e e , a n d t h e B a rn -Sw a llow . V a rio u s o th e r adA-iccs w h ich Ave h a v e from th e
W e s t, p a r ti c u la r ly from th e P a c ific c o a s t, a t t e s t t h a t th is SavqUow is primitÍA-cly a
tro g lo d y te , o r cavc-dAvcllor; a n d e v e n in th e E a s t Ave h a v e s im ila r ev id e n c e in th e
‘ SwalloAV C a v e ’ a t U s h a n t, w h ic h D r . BrcA\-cr m e n tio n s a s o u c e a f a v o u rite I'c sort. I n
th u s re h e a r s in g th e n e s tin g s o f th e Baru-SwalloAv, a sid e from i t s noAv lia b itu a l choic e of
ra fte rs , I m a y fin a lly n o te t h a t i t som e tim e s ta k e s fo rc ib le p o s se ssio n o f th e u e s ts o f
o th e r sp ec ie s, fo r M r. A lle n h a s k n ow n a p a i r to t u r n Cliff-Swallows o u t o f d o o rs , a n d
o c c u p y t h e p rem is e s.
“ I su p p o s e I lia rd ly n e e d d e s c rib e th e n e s t i ts e lf— a n o b je c t a s fam ilia r to m o s t
p e r so n s a s a cobAveb o r a p i t c h f o r k— a n u n t id y m a s s o f raAV m a te r ia l, f r e s h fr om th e
b o som o f m o th e r e a rth , w i th ‘ h a y -se e d in th e h a i r ,’ a n d a sm e ll o f th e s ta b le , lik e
th e ty p ic a l G r a n g e r h im se lf. T h e s e n e s ts a r e com p o s ed o rd in a r ily o f l i t t l e p e lle ts o f
m u d s tu c k to g e th e r in la y e rs , w ith h a y in t e r v e n in g ; fo r th e s e b ird s h a v e n e v e r le a rn e d
i t seems ‘ to m a k e b ric k s Avithout s tr aw ,’ lik e t h e i r m o re in g e n io u s co u s in s o f th e eaves.
O u ts id e , th e h a y h a n g s u n k e m p t ; in s id e th e s e s to u t a d o b e Avails th e r e is a good so ft
stu ffin g o f fin e g ra s se s , a n d a th ic k Avarm. b ed o f f e a th e r s . T h e n e s ts v a r y en d le s s ly
in size, sh a p e , a n d d e g re e o f fin ish , a c c o rd in g to t h e c h a r a c t e r o f t h e s ite s e le c te d ,
tb e k in d o f m a te r ia ls m o s t a v a ila b le , th e fa c ility o f g a th e r in g th em , a n d d o u b tle s s also
th e s tre s s o f im p r e g n a tio n u n d e r Avhich th e fem a le m a y b e la b o u r in g .
“ O n e p o in t a b o u t th i s SAvallow’s n e s t-b u ild in g , lioA\-ever, m a y n o t b e g e n e ra lly
knoAA-n. I gi\-e i t in tb e Avords o f o u r re s p e c te d f r ie n d D r . B rew e r, Avith w h o se life -lo n g
o b s e rv a tio n o f o u r b ird s I h a v e to o f r e q u e n t o c c a s io n to d iffe r.-— ‘ A s t r ik in g p e c u lia rity
o f th e s e n e s ts is f r e q u e n tly a n e x t r a p l a t f o rm b u i l t a g a in s t, b u t d i s tin c t from , th e n e s t
itse lf, d e s ig n e d a s a ro o s tin g -p la c e fo r th e p a r e n t s , u s e d b y o u e d ui-ing in c u b a tio n a t
n ig h ts o r Avhen n o t e n g a g e d in p r o c u r in g fo o d , a n d b y b o th Avhen th e y o u n g a r e la rg e
e n o u g h to o c c u p y th e w h o le n e s t. O n e o f th e s e I fo u n d to b e a s e p a r a te s t r u c tu r e from
tlie n e s t, b u t o f s im ila r m a te r ia ls , th r e e in c h e s in l e n g th a n d o n e a n d a h a l f iu b r e a d th .
T h e n e s t h a d b e e n fo r se\’e r a l y e a rs o c c u p ie d b y th e s am e p a ir, th o u g h n o n e o f th e i r
o ffsp rin g e v e r r e tu r n e d to t h e s am e ro o f to b re e d in th e i r t u r n . Y e t iu som e in s ta n c e s
a s m a n y a s fifty p a i r h a v e b e e n k n ow n to o c c u p y th e ra f te r s o f tb e sam e b a r n .’
“ U n d e r o rd in a ry c irc um s ta n c e s th e s e SAvallovvs ra is e m o re th a n o n e b ro o d e a c h y e a r,
a n d u s u a lly fo u r, five, o r s ix a r e a n e s tfu l. N o tA v ith s ta n d in g th e n o to rio u s r e g u la r i ty o f
th e i r m ig i-atio n , th o i r b re e d in g is r a th e r a n a r b it r a r y m a t t e r , a u d i t is n o t u n c om m o n to
fin d a t th e sam e tim e n e s ts c o n ta in in g f r e s h e g g s a n d o th e r s Avith fle d g lin g s . A t th is
se a so n , th e a c tiv ity o f th e p a r e n t s is a t i t s m a x im um , a n d t h e i r e n e rg y is ta x e d to su p p ly
v o ra c io u s th ro a t s Avith in s e c ts c a p tu re d o n tire le s s w in g s . T lie r a t e o f sp e e d in fly in g ,
th e d is ta n c e s tra v e rs e d in a g iv e n p e r io d , a u d th e n um b e r s o f in s e c ts d e s tro y e d , h a v e a ll
b e e n th e s u b je c ts o f som e c u r io u s c a lc u la tio n s ,— o r r a th e r s p e c u la tio n s , fo r th e s e m a tte r s
s c a rc e ly a dm it o f m a th em a tic s . W ils o n s u p p o s e d a SAvalloAv to fly a b o u t a m ile a
m in u te , fo r t e n h o u rs a d ay , fo r t e n y e a rs ,— e q u iv a le n t to m o re th a n e ig h ty -s e v e n tim e s
a r o u n d th e w o r ld ! How-ever th i s m a y b e, l e t us t r u s t t h a t th e s e m a tc h le s s Avings m a y
b r in g th e Sw a llow s a g a in n e x t y e a r, a s th e y h a v e t h i s ; a n d l e t u s lo o k le n ie n tly , e v e n
e n c o n ra g iu g ly , u p o n th e v a r io u s s u p e r s titio n s o f fo lk -lo re , Avhich te n d to p r o t e c t a n d
fo s te r th e s e am ia b le , th e s e c h a rm in g a n d u s e f u l c r e a tu r e s— e\-en th o u g h w e m a y n o t fe a r
th a t to k ill th em is to m a k e th e cows g iv e b lo o d y m ilk ! ”
M r. L . M . T u r a e r g iv e s th e fo llow in g in t e r e s tin g n o te o n th e sp e c ie s in A la s k a :—
“ T lic Bani-SwalloAV a r riv e s a t S a in t M ic h a e l’s a b o u t th e 7 th o f J u n e . A feAv o f th e
4 d