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Barn Swallow

Just as the Phoebe is the "Bridge-bird," so this is a bird of the barn. Before the advent of civilized man, they dwelt in caves or in hollow trees. So wholly have they now adapted themselves to man's ways that I have never seen, nor have I heard of an instance for many years, of one of their nests except in a building constructed by human hands.

Taken by reflected sunlight, and a second mirror above the nest to show the eggs.

Note that these nests are placed on a mowing machine knife. It is well to provide projections in suitable places for these birds to build upon. is well to provide projections in suitable places for these birds to build upon.

Barn Swallows make their nests or pellets of mud held together with bits of straw; bit by bit, these are attached to with bits of straw; bit by bit, these are attached to the side of a beam until the half-bowl-shaped structure is complete; the inside is always very warmly lined with soft feathers from barnyard fowls. Sometimes these nests are plastered to beams that are fairly smooth, and in such cases are very apt to be loosened and fall. Usually a very rough where there is a splinter or a nail projecting, is chosen. One of our pictures shows a nest that is built on the cutter of a mowing machine, this having been laid across two nails. Many farmers, realizing the value of these birds about their places, nail small bits of board to the bottom of some of the beams, so as to give their little friends a firm foundation for their homes.

Time after time, I have hidden in a hay mow just to watch these exceedingly graceful creatures as they skimmed in through the barn door, swept upward and landed, light as feathers, on the edge of their nests. Always, as they glided through the door, I would hear their musical twitter; All from one nest but probably belonging to two pairs of swallows. the little birds, waiting in the nest were listening intently for that same twitter and were always all standing up with wings fluttering and mouths wide open ready to greet their parent when he she arrived.

Each parent usually brought enough every trip to go the rounds of the hungry mouths. The food was composed almost wholly of gnats and other tiny insects that can be caught in great quantities or as the swallows go swooping across the fields or over ponds. How I longed to be able to reproduce, with the camera, the beautiful scenes that I have witnessed many times at Barn Swallow nests, but, unfortunately, they have always been in locations where the light did not allow of instantaneous pictures and always where I have been unable to use a mirror to reflect light. Their movements, as they thrust food in turn down the waiting throats are so very rapid that no exposure longer than one one hundredth of a second would secure any result except a blur.