Identifier: cu31924000070809 (find matches)
Title: Bird studies for home and school; sixty common birds, their habits and haunts
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: De Groat, Herman C
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: Buffalo, N. Y., Herman C. De Groat
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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eptember when they return south in great flocks. Like the Robins, they are masons. Their nests, made oflittle mud-balls held together with hay or straw, are placed onthe rafters of barns and other buildings. Often the nests oftwenty or thirty pairs may be counted in one building, and sogentle are these birds that peace always reigns in such a colony.It sometimes happens that the same birds raise two broods in asummer. Many farmers make little diamond-shaped holes near thepeaks of their barns that the Swallows may go in and outfreely. While these birds can sing no song to repay the favor,the happy twittering of old and young from the rafters may bea hearty vote of thanks to the thoughtful owner. The food of the Barn Swallows consists mainly of flyinginsects which they capture on the wing. Their flight is won-derfully swift and graceful as they shoot through the air,tipping and turning with perfect ease. It is interesting towatch a flock of them as they issue in a stream from a building
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and go skimming above meadow and pasture at early dawn orin late afternoon, seeking food for their young. In August they leave the barns and begin to prepare fortheir departure. At this time they may be seen near thestreams in search of food, and at night they roost in the reedson the shore. Owing to their rapid flight, they have little fearof other birds and consequently they migrate only by daylight. BIRD NOTES 99 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK Bluish-gray above; under parts whitish closely barredwith white and reddish; wings barred with black; tail square,dark gray and tipped with white. Length, eleven inches.Female, two or three inches larger. Nest, in a tree, thirty feet up, made of twigs and linedwith grass and leaves. Eggs, three to four, white tinged withblue or green and spotted with brown, 1.40 x 1.15 inches. This is one of the smaller Hawks common in the Northduring the season from March to October. The most of thisspecies spend the winter months south of New York State.It arrives earl

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