The PURPLE SWALLOW (_Progne purpurea_) is seven inches and a half long
and fifteen and a half broad; the wing measures about five, and the tail
two and a half inches; the centre feather of the latter does not exceed
two inches. The female is a trifle smaller and more slender than her
mate. The plumage is of a deep blackish blue, shaded with purple; the
quills and tail-feathers are blackish brown; the eye dark brown, the beak
blackish brown, and the foot purplish black. The head of the female is
brownish grey, spotted with black; the upper part of the body is greyer
in tint than that of the male, and streaked with black.
This bird is a particular favourite with the Americans, and has been
described at great length by many writers. According to Audubon, the
Purple Swallows appear in New Orleans about February, and at once come
sweeping about the towns or over the streams and rivers. Near the Falls
of the Ohio, they are not seen till March, and in Missouri not before
the middle of April. In August they leave for more southern countries,
assembling like their European brethren upon steeples or high trees,
preparatory to starting upon their travels. The flight of this species
resembles that of the Roof Swallow, but upon the earth and among the
branches of trees its movements are far more easy, and it frequently
alights to seek for insects on the ground. Whilst upon the wing, it often
bathes and drinks in the same manner as our English Swallows, and like
them seizes its prey as it darts through the air. Its disposition is
bold and courageous, insomuch that it will frequently chase cats, dogs,
Falcons, Cranes, or even Vultures, with great intrepidity.
The nest of the Purple Swallow, which is long and flask-shaped, is formed
of dry twigs, grass, leaves, feathers, and other elastic materials, and
is either built against a tree or placed in similar situations to those
selected by its congeners. The female produces two and sometimes three
broods, and lays from four to six purely white eggs; the first family is
fully fledged by May, and the second about July. Both parents assist in
the work of incubation; the male proves himself a most tender and devoted
spouse, and often spends whole hours at the side of his mate, singing to
her with great vivacity. Should several pairs brood near the same spot,
the utmost harmony prevails among them.
* * * * *
Pursuant to our intention of laying a _natural_ classification of the
Animal Kingdom before our readers, we shall now proceed to describe the
SWIFTS, although we are well aware that many modern naturalists consider
that they should not be grouped with the Swallows.
The family of the SWIFTS (_Cypseli_) are small or moderate-sized birds,
with a long slender body, short neck, broad flat head, and small
delicate beak, which is broad at its base, slightly curved, and somewhat
compressed at its tip. The gape is uncommonly wide; the wings are narrow
and curved like a sabre; the tail is very variously formed, being
sometimes long, sometimes short, and more or less deeply incised at its
extremity; the feet and toes are stunted, the latter armed with short,
powerful, and much curved claws. The plumage is thick and composed of
small feathers, it is usually of a dusky hue, but occasionally exhibits
considerable metallic lustre. The various members of this family are
found throughout all the divisions of our earth, except its most northern
portions, and inhabit every situation from the sea-coast to the snow
boundary of lofty mountain ranges. From early morning till late in the
evening, they may be seen skimming through the air with astonishing
rapidity, or soaring to such an elevation as to be almost beyond the
reach of our vision. So powerful are their wings that no amount of
exertion appears to fatigue them; their pinions, which when extended form
a crescent, are wielded with a force and rapidity rivalling the activity
of the Humming Birds--they dart with the velocity of an arrow upon their
prey, or indulge in every conceivable variety of flight or motion, as
they skim through what may certainly be called their native element; even
when among the branches of trees, they display considerable agility,
but are perfectly helpless upon the ground. All the members of this
family are of a restless disposition; they spend but a few hours of the
night in repose, and require a very large amount of food to enable them
to support their prolonged exertions, so that they consume insects in
enormous quantities, seizing them whilst upon the wing.
[Illustration: THE KLECHO (_Dendrochelidon klecho_).]
All such species as inhabit the temperate zone migrate with the utmost
regularity as winter approaches, and return to their native haunts with
such unfailing precision that the day on which they will re-appear may
be accurately prognosticated. Those species inhabiting the interior of
Africa never actually migrate, but occupy themselves in flying over the
face of the country during the wet season. The work of constructing the
nest is commenced as soon as the winter journeyings are over, and is
always carried on amidst great excitement; the males chasing and fighting
each other most furiously during the whole time, and constantly engaging
in pitched battles with the birds whose nests they prefer taking rather
than undergo the labour of constructing a home for themselves. Unlike the
nests of the Swallows, those built by the Swifts seldom consist of more
than a few slight materials laid carelessly together, and cemented with
saliva from the builder's beak. The eggs are round and white; the female
alone broods, but both parents share in the toil of satisfying their
hungry progeny.
[Illustration: SALANGANES.]
* * * * *
The TREE SWIFTS (_Dendrochelidon_) constitute a group whose various
species form a link between the Swallows and the Swifts Proper. These
birds are recognisable by their elongate body, long wings, in which the
two first quills are of equal length, their long, deeply-forked tail, and
the crest with which their head is adorned: their feet resemble those of
the Swallow.