The Van Buren press., 1894-09-15
PlUCKY SWALLOWS.
How They Defend Themselves Agains
the SparrOwa


the SparrOws.
There was fourishing family OF
young barn-swallows just Matched out
in a stanch mud-hest that elings to the
inside ledge of jutting post on wide
balcony of a certain pretty Long Island
house-quite an ordinary little swal
lows nest and very commonplace hun
CRY birdlings in it, but the family that
lives in the Long Island house regard
the parent birds as the pluckiest pair
of housekeepcrs they ever knew. Fol
three seasons in succession the swal-
lows, n handsome, lively pair of birds,
have come back to bill and coo and
hatch their little brood in mud-nest
stuck to IL pillar at the west end of the
balcony.
Some warm spring day they come
back, apparently just from long trip
in the south, and, perching on the
nests edge, in loud, cheerful chirps
discuss the necessary renovations and
improvements. They then set prompt
ly to work, toss out all the old lining
of the year before, and down along the
ponds edge or in the public highway
are seen industriously getting mud for
needed repairs. The work goes on for
week usually before Mrs. Swallow
begins to lay her eggs, and this year
the swallow family came back to the
old nest in due season aud began to
work on it. From their own pretty
downy coats they pulled feathers for
lining, and one egg was laid, when
little gray chipping sparrow undertook
to turn these honest folk out of their
old home. She deliberately tossed the
new laid egg and down lining out and
began to lay in such twigs as she
thought best.
The swallows seemed indignant and
grief-stricken, but satisfied themselves
by giving the sparrow sound scold-
ing, turning out her twigs and begin.
ming to refine the nest, Another egg
was laid, and again in their absence
the sparrow repeated her cruel trick.
This time the swallows punished the
destroyer of their home severely. They
met her on the gravel path by the
balcony steps and Mr.. Swallow struck
her such blow with his stout, short
bill that she fluttered, reeled, and fell
over on the gravel as though dead.
Then the swallows disappeared for a
week. At the end of that time they
came back, selected ledge of a pillar
on the east end of the balcony
and began to build new home.
Knowing they were full two weeks be-
hind all the other birds, they worked
like beavers until in the space of four
days new nest, bigger and stronger
than the old one, was built and lined,
and Mrs. Swallow had begun to lay
again.
From that day until the brood was
Matched one of the swallows always sat
on or near the new nest watching the
sparrow, who did make one attempt to
destroy it, but was prevented by a
member of the family who owns the
Long Island house, and who determined
to protect the patient builders. AL
though Il few days late, Mrs. Swallow
Matched out as fine a family of young
ones as one would care to see and
was very little behind her neighbors in
| getting her babies on the wing Every
night her good husband spent perched
| on hook driven into one of the bal.
cony beams, from which canary's cage
hung, and in July the swallows disap
peared.
Not until the season arrives for mi
| grating to the south do the Long Is
land family see their bird-neighbors
again. Some day in the latter part OF
| September the swallows come back, sit
on the nests edge, apparently talk over
plans for the next spring, see to it that
the nest is in good order, and then, nc
doubt, begin their long fight and so
| iourn to warmer climes