Note.—A continuous and not unmusical twittering uttered while on the wing and also within the depths of the chimney.
Nest.—Made of small twigs or sticks glued to the sides of a chimney and each other by the bird’s saliva. The three to five white eggs are long and narrow (.75 × .50).
Range.—N. A. east to the Plains, breeding from Florida to Labrador; winters south of U. S.
WHITE-THROATED SWIFT 425. Aeronautes melanoleucus. 6½ inches
This beautiful swift is one of the most graceful of winged creatures. Its flight is extremely rapid and its evolutions remarkable. They nest in communities, thousands of them often congregating about the tops of inaccessible cliffs, in the crevices of which they make their homes. No bird has a more appropriate generic name than this species—“aeronautes,” meaning sailor of the air; he is a sailor of the air and a complete master of the art.
Note.—Loud, shrill twittering, uttered chiefly while on the wing.
Nest.—Placed at the end of burrows in earthy cliffs or as far back as possible between crevices in rocks; usually in inaccessible places and as high as possible from the ground. It is a saucer-shaped structure made of vegetable materials cemented together with saliva, and lined with feathers. The four white eggs measure .87 × .52.
Range.—From the eastern foothills of the Rockies to the Pacific; north to Montana and northern California.
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD 428. Archilochus colubris. 3½ inches
This little gem is the only one of the family found within the territory included in this book. Owners of flower gardens have the best opportunities to study these winged jewels, on their many trips to and fro for honey, or the insects that are also attracted thereby. With whirring wings, they remain suspended before a blossom, then—buzz—and they are examining the next, with bill lost within the sweet depths. Their temper is all out of proportion to their size, for they will dash at an intruder about their moss-covered home as though they would pierce him like a bullet. Their angry twitters and squeaks are amusing and surprising, as are their excitable actions.
Nest.—A most beautiful creation of plant fibres and cobwebs adorned with lichens and resembling a little tuft of moss upon the bough on which it is placed. In June two tiny white eggs are laid (.50 × .35).