The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-27
ALLOWED IRIS NATE TO srARvE.



From the San Francisco Chronicle
If rarity is an index to interest. the
swifts are entitled to the highest regard
among the rare and Interesting birds of
California, for, in addition to their
rarity, they are among the most difficult
OF the feathered tribes to capture. This
Is due to two causes. First, they are
inhabit only the most inaccessible places
IN the rocks, where It is almost impossi-
Bile for man to get at them. and conse-
quently there is only little known of their
hePlts or or their nests and eggs. Sec
ono, as their name indicates, they are
PROBABLY the most rapid Of all birds in
their movements, having exceedingly long
wi1Es' with sharp edges, enabling them
the same time offering the least resist
ance to the air. Taken all in All thew
are birds which seem primarily adapted
70 powerful hight, and long endurance
This, in one way, is attested by their
legs and feet, which are exceedingly small
ana undeveloped for birds of their size.
me probabIe explanation being that
through disuse these members have he
come one Of the chief characteristics Of
the plru' Ine wings are SO long that
Wnen az rest they almost cross at the
tips, while the mouth, like most of the
other mem bers of the tribe including the
hlght haWk and goat suckers is very
large in proportion to the size Of fhe
bird, enabling it to catch insects on The
wing with almost unerring accuracy. The
Dill ike the legs, is very small. as the
mem Of procuring food. does not re-
qulre nuch use of ii, and II, too, has
probably grown smaller through disuse
me StrangeSt experience l ever had with
the switts was last year, while fishing
where l came on a flock Of about twenty
clrcing nigh overhead. They came near
er ana nearer the ground, until sudden
~ dartng up the canyon one by one, they
disappeared behind a waterfall which
tumbled fifty feet from an overhang-
ing rock. On closer examination [ found
some of them clinging to the spray-spat I
tered rocks behind the falls, while others
had disappeared entirely behind the over
hanging powders. Probably this rock
mad earlier in the season sheltered their
nests. After watching them for half an
hour and making them fly in and out bv
falls, / returned to camp and the next
day came back, this time with my gun
l waited half an hour without a sign OF
me BIRDS being seen, when suddenly two
SKINNED out from under the rock, and.
going by me Ike a flash of lightning.
disappeared down the canyon | sat
down and waited for fully an hour, when
one returned as fast as It had left, and
flying behind the falls, 1t chung to the
face of the wet rock. 1t was the work of
a moment TO bring up my gun, and Ar
ing, / saw 1t drop into the pool below
where. fished it out with a stick. And
now the strangest thing of all happened
AS my specimen was lying<on top of an
immense granite bowlder. where l had
placed II to dry, the mate returned, but
no sooner had It flown over where / was
sitting than 1t fluttered to the ground
and fell over backward into the Stream
When | picked ii up l was perfectly as
was very thin, its stomach being entirely
empty, while its mate, the male, had
been well supplied, having in its stomach
hfty-eight black ants and three winged
beetles. Probably the mother bird, weak
from hunger, had succumbed to her ex-
ertions and fell fainting in the stream.