AUGUST 6: The Bank Swallow
“Won’t you tell me what your name means?” asked Effie Elf of Mr. Bank Swallow. “Really, you have such a curious name and I’ve always been anxious to find out what it means.”
“My name is Bank Swallow because I and my family build our nests in holes in banks. By banks I mean the banks out of doors and not the banks where one saves one’s money.
“We are very friendly with one another, and we have big towns and villages and cities of nests of Bank Swallows.
“We’re the very smallest of the Swallow family, I believe. And we can always be known by our neck bands which we wear on our gray throats. Our neck bands are much darker and show very clearly.
“We dress in simple brown and gray, though our throats are white.
“We have tunnels and long entrances to our homes, and at the end of our tunnels we build the nest. Yes, we’re rather unusual, I believe.”
“Very unusual,” said Effie Elf. “Fancy nesting in a hole in a bank rather than in a tree. That is quite odd, quite different from most of the birds.
“So your name has nothing to do with banks where they have money?” she asked.
“Nothing at all,” said the Bank Swallow. “We haven’t any need of money. Of course if we needed it we’d probably save some for the bad days and spend the rest on good insects to eat and other delicacies. But we don’t have to pay for what we eat, so we don’t need any money.
“Besides, we’d be ashamed to open bank accounts for the banks are used to so much money that they’d laugh at us.”
“Oh, nonsense!” said Effie Elf, “the good ones wouldn’t do that, for no one who amounts to anything makes fun of any one else not having so much.
“People who don’t amount to much put on airs.”
“Then I’ll always be able to tell,” said the Bank Swallow.