Intelligence Of Swallows

Grant Allen tells some curious and wonderful things about swallows. In making the mud walls of their nests, they allow each layer to dry thoroughly before proceèding to top it with another. In building their nests in chimneys they place them flve or six feet below the top to keep out of the way of owls, and not directly over the flre, but over an adjoining flue. The emergenee of the young birds from this place is a remarkable instance of instinct which seems to almost reach intelligence. As soon as they are strong enough to move, the little thiags ciamber up the shaft by beating tlieir wings "in some ual comprcmise between a nop ana a flutter. Having succeeded In reaching the top, it is sorae time before they venture to fly; they acquire the art by degrees." Many instances have been given of their remarkable intelligence. In one case a bell-wire on which a swallow's nest partly rested twice demoliahed it. Convinced that it waa a dangerous object, they constructed a tunnel for the wire to pass through, and were troubled no more. ín another, a pair of swallows were molested by sparrows trying to forcé them from their nest. They immediately went to work and changed the entrance of thelr little home so that, instead of opening by a simple hole, it had to be entered by passing through a tunnel of straws and halrs.