评论
打印
The house martin makes his nest against the sides of houses, as you must often have seen.
你肯定经常会留意到家燕会在房子的墙壁上筑巢。
It is formed of mud taken from the ruts in the lanes and the edges of ponds.
它们的巢是用池塘边和道路上的泥土筑成的。
The eggs are of a beautiful clear white. He is a cunning as well as a clever little workman;
燕子蛋是透明的，很漂亮。燕子是个聪明灵巧的小工人；
so he only builds a small bit of his house-wall every day, and that early in the morning,
所以，它们筑巢时每天只在大清早时做一小部分，
that the heat of the sun may dry it well before he goes on.
这样它们出去后，白天阳光的温度就能将泥土晒干。
Last summer, I watched a pair of martins at their work,
去年夏天，我观察了一对家燕的筑巢工作，
and it took them five days, from the time that they stuck the first dab of mud against the house, till the outside was finished.
从它们把叼来第一口泥土粘到屋子上，到筑好鸟巢的外形，花了五天时间。
After that, they had to put the inside to rights, and make it snug and comfortable, which took several days more.
接下来，它们要把里面弄好，让窝温暖舒适，这一项工作要多花几天时间。
They almost always avoid a south aspect,
它们通常避免在南面筑巢，
as they know that the heat of the mid-day sun would crack their mud-built house.
因为它们知道正午的太阳会将泥土做成的巢晒裂。
Next year, the same pair will come back again; and, if possible, they will put the old nest in repair, instead of making a new one.
第二年，同一对燕子还会回来；如果可能的话，它们会翻修旧巢，而不会重新筑巢。
The swallows are the first to return to us; the martins follow: and they always keep the same order.
雨燕最先飞回来；随后是家燕：它们总是以这样的顺序回来。
They all go away together; but when they come back we only see them as stragglers—first one, then another, and at last numbers.
它们一起飞走；但是回来时却像是散兵游勇——第一只，随后又来一只，最后飞来了一群。
