ZOOLOGY. 



ON MIGEATION. 



By Colonel DRUMMOND HAY, C.M.Z.S. 



( Continued from page gg. ) 



IN this country October would be considered by no means 

 early for the departure of the swallow, whatever it may be 

 in France. Mr. Gray says the Hirundines generally are obliged 

 to leave our inhospitable climate as early as the beginning of 

 September, and further states, that on the last day of August 

 he was witness of a great assemblage of Swallows near Kelvin 

 Bridge on the Partick Road, Glasgow, where their numbers were 

 augmented from the whole surrounding country ; at last, one 

 morning they congregated on the house tops of the village of 

 Partick, and after holding a council which lasted but an hour or 

 two rose before mid-day in a body, and after a few anxious 

 twitterings ascended cloudwards and left our country. This, 

 he adds, is, as is well known, the manner of Swallows when 

 leaving us for warmer climes ; but this case, being so early in 

 the season, leaves room to speculate on the reason so to speak 

 for depriving us of their company. Mr. Gray mentions that the 

 weather had been stormy. These birds probably prognosticating 

 a further inclemency, this hastened their departure. It would 

 seem to indicate that in both these instances the young and 

 old took their departure at the same time ; it is, however, the 

 belief that they do not always do so, but are probably guided by 

 circumstances. 



An instance at one time occurred to myself when I had 

 the advantage of witnessing one of these wonderful migra- 

 tions actually on their passage. When coming home some 

 years ago from the Mediterranean in a man-of-war, one of the 

 fine old 90 gun-ships, and when in the vicinity of the Straits of 

 Gibraltar, about twenty-five miles or so from land, on the 

 evening of the 2nd of September, the weather being fine at the 

 time with a light breeze, we were about sunset visited by a 

 flight of many hundreds of Swallows, which after flying round 



