Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-10-15
4 BIRD THAT PAINTED.
Experience Of . Naturalist WITH
Swtfts in California;.

Swifts in California.
II rarity Is an index to interest, the
swifts are entitled to the highest re-
gard among the rare and interesting
birds Of California; for, in addition to
their rarity, they are among the most
difficult of the feathered tribe to capt
ure. This is due to two causes. First,
they inbabit only the most inaccessible
places in the rocks, wehre 1t is almost
impossible for man to get ut them, and
consequently there is only little known
Of their habits or of their nests and
eggs. Second, as their name indicates,
they are probably the most rapid of
all birds in their movements, having
exceedingly long wings, with sharp
edges, enabling them to fly with the
greatest velocity, and at the same time
Offering the least resistance to the air.
Taken ell in all, they are birds which
seem primarily adapted to powerful
flights and long endurance. This. in
one way, is attested by their legs and
feet, which are exceedingly small and
undeveloped for birds OF their size, the
probable explanation being that, from
disuse, those members have become
smaller and weaker, until now the re-
duced size of the legs has become one
of the chief characteristics of the bird.
The wings are so long that when at
rest they almost cross at the tips, while
the mouth, like most of the other men,
bers Of the tribe, including the night
hawk and goatsucker, is very large in
proportion to the size of the bird, en-
abling it to catch insects on the wing
with almost unerring accuracy. The
bill, like the legs, is very small, as the
method Of securing food does not re-
quire much use of it, ard it, too, has
probably grown smaller through dis
use.
The strangest experience ever had
with swifts was last year, while fish
ing in the mountains of San Deigo
county, where had come on flock of
about twenty circling high overhead.
They came nearer and nearer the
ground, until suddenly, darting up the
canyon, one by one, they disappeared
behind waterfall, which tumbled fifty
feet from an overhanging rock. On
closer examination I found some of
them clinging 20 the spray-bespattered
rocks behind TIE falls. while others
had disappeared entirely behind the
overhanging bow!dec. Probably the
rock had, earlier in the season, shell
tered their nests. After watching
them for half an hour and making
them fly in and out by throwing rocks
at them through the falls, returned
to camp, and the next day came back,
this time with my gun. waited half
an hour without sign of the birds be-
Ing seen, when suddenly two skinned
out from under the rock, and, going by
me like a fash of lightning, disap-
pehred down the canyon. I sat down
and waited for fully an hour, when
one retained as fast as it had left.
Flying behind the falls, 1t chung to the
fade Of the Vet rock. It was the work
of moment to bring up my gun, and,
firing, I saw it drop into the pool be-
low, where I fshed it out with a stick.
Now the strangest thing happened. AS
my specimen was lying on the top of
an immense granite bowlder, where I
had placed it to dry, the mate returned,
but no sooner had it flown over
where I was sitting than it f1uttered to
the ground and fell over backward in
the stream. When I picked it up
was perfectly astonished, and, exan,in-
ing it, found that it was very thin, its
stomach being entirely empty, while
it's mate, the male, had been well sup
piled, having three winged beetles.
Probably the mother bird, weak from
hunger. had succumbed to her exer-
lions, and fell fainting in the stream
San Francisco Ch1cnicle.