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July 15, 1927. THE WEST VAN NEWS 3 Birds in Our Gardens B. R. Harrison No. 11 Some of you may think that it is hardly worth your while read­ing about such an ordinary bird as a swallow, as you no doubt imagine that you know these birds immediately you look up into the sky, and see them dart­ing here and there, after the winged insects, upon which they feed, but I wonder how many of you have mistaken the Martin for the Swallow, or how many of you know the different Swal­lows that fly round about our district.In West Vancouver we have four different swallows, the Barn Swallow, the Tree Swallow, the Cliff Swallow, and the Violet Green Swallow, and I have no doubt that to most of you all these are just SWALLOWS, but I must tell you that all are dif­ferent, not only in the color of the birds but more so when it comes to nesting habits, but I am rather afraid that it will be impossible for me to tell you about each of these swallows in the small space allotted to me, but as I was reminded of these birds when passing the Holly- burn Theatre the other day, I thought that I would talk to you for a little about the Hirundini- dae, for that is the scientific term for the Swallow family.The next time you pass the Hollyburn Theatre, just stop a momentto look up at thebuilding to see the wonderful collection of swallow nests, I do not for the moment remember the exact number, but have an idea that there were at least six nests completed, and several others in the course of construction.These nests are cemented to the stucco of the building just under the eaves, and they are so much like the stucco that one might have almost imagined that they were part of the architect's original plans.Some of them are more or less opened in the front something like a platform, but others are a peculiar bottle shape, the ent­rance being through a small neck. Why some of the birds select one style, and the others another, is a mystery, but I think that I would prefer one with a bottle neck, as being less draughty.All the nests are beautifully built by real bird masons, and now that they have been placed in such a conspicuous place in our municipality, it is up to every boy and girl to see that no harm comes to them, and know­ing such a large number of our boys and girls, I do not think that there is one, who would be so cruel as to destroy any of these nests.Well now these nests are not built by the same birds as come and build under our verandahs, or in the roof of our houses, for they are Cliff Swallows, but the birds that nest in sheds, and under verandahs, are Barn Swal­lows, and this is the bird with the long "swallow tail" and a sort of red breast and is the most familiar of all the family.A few years ago we had a pair of Barn Swallows build on our verandah, and they returned to the nest for several years, but for some reason or other, they have not occupied the nest for the last two summers, but strange as it may seem, last year they brought their young right back to the nest each evening, for several days, and they would remain on and round about the nest, all the night.They are quite fearless birds, and soon become attached to the owner of the house where they have built, but know immediate­ly a stranger comes near. Of course they sometimes make a litter about the place, and should they build up in the roof above your bedroom ceiling as I know they do in some of my West Vancouver friends' houses, they may be a little an­noying, chirping early in the morning, just when you want to get your last ten minutes sleep, but as it is a sign of good luck to have swallows place their con­fidence in you, you should think yourself highly honored should a swallow favor you by lodging in, or on your house. Now as I expected, my space has gone before I have been able to finish all that I wanted to tell you about this interesting Swal­low family, as I have only been able to talk about two of the members, but we will continue next week with the Tree and Vio­let Green Swallows. U sefu l Recipes Plain Cake Three eggs, half cup sugar, three quarters cup pastry flour, half teaspoon baking powder, one third cup melted butter, one quarter teaspoon vanilla. Break eggs into bowl, set it over hot water over a low heat and beat until light. Add sugar and con­tinue beating until very fluffy. Add butter, then flour sifted and baking powder. Add vanilla and bake in a sheet in a moderate oven. Silks will last much longer if soap is never applied directly to them when washed. Use soapy water and squeeze gently. Do not rub. Always rinse several times in lukewarm water. Salad Dressing Hard-boil two eggs. Put the yolks in a basin and beat them with a wooden spoon. Now add a pinch of sugar, and a pinch of cayenne, a sprinkle of white pep­per and salt, also half a teaspoon­ful of made mustard. Gradually add in drops three tablespoon­fuls of salad oil and two table­spoonfuls of vinegar. Instead of oil a small teaspoonful of cream may be substituted. Garnish the salad with whites of the eggs. Bran Doughnuts One tablespoon shortening, one quarter cup sugar, one egg, half cup all-bran, half cup milk, one and a half cups flour, two tea­spoons baking powder, one tea­spoon salt. Cream the shorten­ing and sugar. Fry in deep hot lard. Dandelion Greens Carefully wash freshly-cut dandelion greens, place in cheese cloth bag and blanch in boiling water five minutes. Plunge into cold water and drain. After chopping or cutting greens cover with boiling water, add a small ham bone and cook fifteen to twenty minutes. Save old stiff linen collars. Boil the starch out, then use them as rubbers for polishing metal taps. THE CAPILANO TIMBER C O . LTD. Main Office N O R T H 3 0 5 West Vancouver Office W E S T 1 0 2 Cor. 18th and Marine Residence W E S T 3 1 6 Builders and ContractorsATTENTION! We carry a large stock of Fir, Hemlock & Cedar Lumber of all dimensions. Rough and Finished Lumber, Sash & Doors, Lath & Shingles G r a d e , Q u a l i t y a n d S e r v ic e G u a r a n t e e d . O n l y W h i t e H e lp E m p lo y e d G E T O U R P R I C E S