Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/544

520 SWIFT strong and curved; ten feathers in the tail. They are very swift and graceful fliers, feeding exclusively on insects, which they capture on the wing; they are migratory like the swal- lows, but do not mingle with them and are less hardy; most of them nestle in hollow trees, holes in buildings, or crevices in rocks ; some species rear two or three broods in a season. In the genus cypselus (Illig.) the second quill is the longest, and the tarsi are feathered to the base of the toes ; it is peculiar to the old world. The common European swift or black martin (C. apus, Illig.) is 7i in. long, with a forked tail ; it is blackish brown above with a green gloss, and the throat grayish white. It appears in Great Britain in May, departing in August. The extreme shortness of the legs renders walking and rising from a flat sur- face almost impossible, but the stout toes and sharp claws form admirable clinging organs for climbing in and out the holes where the nests are placed. The white-bellied swift (0. melba, Illig.) is 8 in. long, grayish brown above and white below, the legs covered with brown feathers ; it is common in southern Europe, especially in mountainous regions. In the genus chcetura (Steph.) or acanthylis (Boie) the tail is very short, about two fifths of the wings, slightly rounded, the shafts stiffened and extending beyond the feathers as rigid spines ; first quill the longest ; legs covered with a naked skin. The species are found in North and South America, Australia, and the East Indies ; they live in flocks, and breed usu- ally in holes of trees, but sometimes in crevices White-bellied Swift (Cypselus melba). in rocks, and the eggs are usually four. The American swift or chimney swallow (C. pela- gica, Baird) is 5 in. long and 12i in. in alar extent ; it is sooty brown above w'ith a green- ish tinge, a little paler on the rump, and con- siderably lighter from the bill to the breast ; it is found from the eastern states to the slopes of the Rocky mountains, arriving from the south by the end of April or beginning of May, and departing during the first half of Septem- ber. This species naturally makes its nest in hollow trees, but in the neighborhood of man builds in such chimneys as are not used in summer for fires ; the nest is made of twigs snapped off from a dead tree during flight, fastened together by viscid saliva, without soft Esculent Swift (Collocalia esculenta). lining, and is generally placed from 5 to 8 ft. from the entrance ; the eggs are pure white. They pass in and out the chimney with great rapidity, making a whirring sound like distant thunder ; there are sometimes 200 in a single chimney. In the genus collocalia (Gray) the bill is very small, wings very long, tail moder- ate and nearly even, and tarsi naked. The esculent swift or swallow (C. [hirundo] escu- lenta, Gray) is the principal maker of the cele- brated nests so highly esteemed by the Chi- nese as articles of food. (See BIBDS' NEST, EDIBLE.) The eggs are two in this genus. There are many other species of swifts, both in the old world and the new. SWIFT, a W. county of Minnesota, bordering S. W. on the Minnesota river, and intersected by the Chippewa and Pomme de Terre rivers ; area, about 750 sq. m. It has been formed since the census of 1870. The surface is roll- ing, with numerous small lakes ; the soil is good. The St. Paul and Pacific railroad tra- verses the county. Capital, Benson. SWIFT, Jonathan, a British author, born in Dublin, Nov. 30, 1667, died there, Oct. 19, 1745. He was of purely English descent; his father, dying before the birth of his son, left his family in dependent circumstances. In his 15th year he entered Trinity college, Dublin, where from his insufficiency in some respects he received his bachelor's degree only speciali gratia, in February, 1685: but he remained in college studying for a master's degree till the revolution of 1689 drove him to England, where he became private secretary to Sir "Wil-