SWALLOW, IIirundo, a Linntean genus of birds of the order insessores, and tribe fissirostres, now divided into a number of genera, which form the family hirundinides. This family consists of birds which prey on insects, catching them in the air, and have great powers of flight, now soaring to a great height, now skimming near the surface of the ground or of the water, and wheeling with great rapidity. The bill is short and weak, very broad at the base, so that the gape is wide ; the wings are very long, pointed, and more less sickle-shaped when expanded; the legs are short and weak, and in some—the swifts (q.v.)—more so than those of any other birds. The tail is gen erally forked. The plumage is close and glossy. The species are very numerous, and widely diffused, being found in almost all countries. Such of them as occur in the colder parts of the world are summer birds of passage, migrating to warmer regions when winter approaches and insects disappear. The family is divided into two groups, swifts, which have remarkably long and curved wings,very small weak legs, and short toes, the hinder toe generally directed forward, and of which are also called wings not quite so long nor so much curved, rather stronger legs, and longer toes, three before and one behind. The COMMON SWALLOW, or CHIMNEY SWALLOW (hirundo rus tica), exhibits a character common to many other species, in the very long and deeply forked tail, the two lateral feathers of which far exceed the others in length. The plumage is very beautiful, the upper parts and a band across the breast glossy bluish black, the fore head and throat chestnut, the lower parts white. and a patch of white on the inner web of each of the tail-feathers except the two middle ones. The whole length of the bird is about in., of which the outer tail-feathers make 5 inches. The nest is made of mud or clay, formed into little pellets and stuck together, along with straw and bents, and lined with feathers. It is open and cup-shaped, and is generally placed in a situation where it is sheltered from wind and rain, as a few feet down an unused chimney, under the roof of an open shed, or in any unoccupied building to which access can be obtained. Two broods are produced in a year. The migration of this and other British species of swal low, now recognized by all naturalists as an unquestionable fact, was formerly the sub ject of much dispute, and swallows were supposed by many to become torpid in winter, although it was difficult to imagine that if so they should not frequently be found in that state. The geographical range of these species extends over great part of Europe, Asia, and Africa.—The Wixnow SWALLOW, or HOUSE-MARTIN (H. urbica, of ehelidon urbica), is another very common British species, glossy black above, white below, and on the rump; the feet covered with short downy white feathers, which is not the case in the chimney swallow ; the tail long, but its outer feathers not remarkably so. The nest is built of mud or clay, like that of the chimney swallow, but is hemispherical, with the entrance on the side, and is attached to a rock, or, very frequently, to the wall of a house, under the eaves or in the upper angle of a window, to the annoyance of housekeepers who prefer the cleanness of their windows to the lively twitter of the birds, and the opportunity of watching their process of nest-building and their care of their young.
House-martins congregate in great numbers, as chimney swallows also do before their autumnal migration, and disappear all at once. The house-martin is among the birds of Lapland and Iceland. The only other common British species of swallow is the SAND MARTIN (H. riparia), smaller than either of the preceding, the toes naked, the tail moder ately forked, the plumage brown on the upper parts and across the breast, the under parts white. It makes its nest on sandy river-banks, the sides of sand-pits, and other such situations, excavating a gallery of 18 in. or 2 ft., sometimes 3 or even 5 ft. in length. and more or less tortuous, in the extremity of which some soft material is placed for the recep tion of the eggs. This wonderful excavation is accomplished entirely by the bill of the bird. The floor slopes a little upward from the entrance, so that the lodgment of rain is prevented. The sand-martin is more local than the other British swallows; but it is dis tributed over most parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.—The PURPLE SWALLOW, or PURPLE MARTIN (H. purpurea), is a. North American species, which has in a few instances been known to visit the British islands. The general color, both of the upper and underparts, is shining purplish blue; the wings and tail black. It abounds in North America, and is a universal favorite in the northern parts, being hailed as the harbinger of spring, and frequenting even the streets of towns. It is a very gen eral practice to place boxes near houses for the martins to make their nests in, which are very inartificial, consisting merely of dried grass, leaves, moss, feathers, and the like. Boxes nailed to trees are also readily occupied by the RUFOUS-BELLIED SWALLOW (H. erythrogaster), another North American species. But this species which very nearly resembles the chimney swallow of Britain, makes a nest of mud and fine hay, in the form of the half of an inverted cone, with an extension at the top for one of the parent birds to sit in occasionally. The REPUBLICAN SWALLOW, or CLIFF SWALLOW (H. fulva), of North America, makes a nest of mud, in form somewhat like a Florence flask, which it attaches to a rock or to the wall of a house. Hundreds sometimes build their nests in close proximity. The FAIRY MARTIN H. ariel), a small Australian species, also builds a flask-shaped nest, with the mouth below, attaching it to a rock, or to the wall of a house, and numerous nests are often built close together.—Some of the swallows of tropi cal countries are much smaller than any of the European species.—The East Indian swallows which make the edible nests (q.v.), belong to the section of the family to which the name swift is given.