218 The Scottish Naturalist. 



On looking over my mass of Notes of Incidents illustrating 

 Animal Reason, in order to determine their source, I find a 

 large proportion taken, in the first instance, from Newspapers 

 — and not only from the leading ones of the English and 

 Scottish Metropolises— the "Daily Telegraph" or the "Scots- 

 man" — but also from a number of smaller, even obscure, Pro- 

 vincial ones, which use as " padding," in the paucity of local 

 matter of sufficient interest, citations from recently issued works 

 on Natural History, or from serials containing popular Zoological 

 articles. Thus excerpts have been taken, amongst other news- 

 papers, and in addition to those already mentioned in the text, 

 from the "Daily Review" and " Courant," Edinburgh; "North 

 British Daily Mail," "Weekly Herald," and " Evening Citizen," 

 Glasgow; "Andover Chronicle," Hants; and "Pall Mall Gazette," 

 London. These Newspaper criticisms and quotations have 

 frequently introduced me to important sources of information. 

 At the same time, it must be borne in mind that Newspapers 

 abound in % sensational" Anecdotes of dogs, horses, and other 

 sagacious animals. There is too frequent a mixing up of 

 Fiction with Fact, and it is not an easy matter in such cases to 

 distinguish the grain from the chaff. Fortunately, it is only 

 now and then worth while to essay their separation ; for the 

 "stock" — the general run — of newspaper "stories" of animal 

 intelligence illustrate mental attributes that are already suffi- 

 ciently well known. 



Common Swallow (Hirtmdo rustica).— For a period of six years, a 

 pair of these birds, or their descendants, have regularly every season repaired 

 to a weaver's house near me, built their nest, and reared their young 

 on the rafters, amongst old heddles and sticks, in an attic room not much 

 used, the skylight window of which was left open all season for their con- 

 venience. There is perhaps not much novelty in this, but the fact that the 

 same pair of birds have reared and departed with two nests of young, is 

 perhaps one not generally known. The first nest of young were reared and 

 able to fly early in July, and the second about the sixth instant ; and a 

 week ago the whole took their departure for more congenial climes. I 

 may add, the same birds, last year, reared one nest of young ones, and laid 

 three eggs at the beginning of September, for the second lot, but finding 

 the season too far advanced and cold to incubate, deserted them and left. I 

 am not aware that I have seen this fact recorded of swallows breeding twice 

 in one season ; but for migratory birds like these it is indeed a nice calcula- 

 tion to do so and yet be in good time for departing ; a decided improvement 

 on their efforts of 1874. It is indeed a wonderful instinct, that year after 

 year the same birds should traverse thousands of miles to visit their humble 

 birth place, the "poor weaver's" garret room. — Alexander Murdoch, 

 Allan s Hill, Maybole, September 25, 1875. 



[The Swallow generally breeds twice during the season. — Editor Scottish 

 Naturalist. ] 



