A SWALLOW HOTEL

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 33, 2 November 1929, Page 28

A SWALLOW HOTEL

Who can see rows and rows of birds perched along the telegraph wires and not be sorry? And who can help wondering where they will spend the winter? The swallows who fly to Brazil, are certain of a splendid lodging. Some years ago the townsfolk of Campinas found that their market building was too small. | “We must pull it down,” they said, “and build a much larger place for Y'e are twice as busy and prosperous as our ancestors.” “But if we do that,” objected someone,” “we shall destroy hundreds of swallows’, nests.” The Brazilians are great lovers of birds, and they are especially fond of the swallows, because they-make war on the flies and midgets which make war on the Brazilians. So at last the Town Councillors de-., cided to build a new market building on a different, site, and to turn the old one into a Municipal Bird House. As long as. the birds are in residence they have the house to themselves. Where men shouted prices, nothing but the twittering of birds is heard. But when they have migrated an army of volunteers marches in to clean and repair the swallow hotel. There are a hundred thousand nests there, even the biggest skyscraper has not so many bedrooms. Campinas can boast of having the biggest hotel and the happiest guests in the world. It is one of the sights of the city, and strangers who come to see it often give the townsfolk cause to rejoice that they did not destroy the picturesque building.