HARD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



possibly have given rise to the world-wide impression 

 on the part of many people, that swallows not only 

 hibernate, but even deliberately bury themselves in 

 mud at the bottoms of lakes and rivers. 



The species of swallow that I have had opportunity 

 of carefully studying for the past three years, are the 

 bank swallow {Cotylc ripariq), the cliff swallow 

 [Petrochelidon lunifrons), the barn swallow {HiritnJo 

 horrcoritm), and lastly the swallow-like swift {Chczhtra 

 felagica), universally known as the chimney swallow. 

 I do not propose to give you an extended account 

 of the habits of these four species of well-known 

 birds ; but relate such occurrences as I have witnessed, 

 as seemed to bear upon the question. These birds I 

 will treat of in the order named. 



Probably the most abundant of all our swallows is 

 that known "as the, bank swallow, a name derived 

 from the habit of building nests in the steep faces of 

 earth banks, when of such composition or structure 

 that these birds can burrow into them with safety to 

 a depth of several feet. I say "with safety," for if 

 the earth be [too yielding, and the sides liable to 

 crumble, then the bank will be abandoned. In 

 every instance that has come under my notice the 

 chosen banks or escarpments occupied by a colony of 

 bank swallows had a southern exposure, and directly 

 fronting it, and never so far distant as to be out of 

 sight, there was either a pond, a creek with some 

 current, or the river itself. Now this association of 

 water and the colonies of bank swallows is important. 

 Least susceptible to changes of weather, and 

 dependent upon food more than temperature, the 

 bank swallow is the earliest of the family to appear 

 in spring, and the latest to disappear late in 

 autumn. The alleged hibernation is a habit that 

 concerns us only at such times of year — in early 

 spring— when they leave their muddy couches after 

 prolonged slumber ; — in autumn when they seek 

 these submarine retreats. 



Like all, or nearly all, migratory birds, the bank 

 swallows return in early spring to their haunts of 

 the preceding summer. When I have first noted 

 their return, often as early as the loth of March, 

 they were either flying to and fro over the water in 

 front of the site of their nests of last year, or flying 

 in and out of the old burrows of the preceding 

 summer ; inspecting their condition, but not prepar- 

 ing for the coming duties of incubation. Thus eaily 

 in the spring, their flight is not as continued as it is a 

 month later, as though they had not recovered from 

 the fatigue of their migratorial journey, which I 

 believe to be the case ; and they rest in small com- 

 panies, not upon trees, but, I may say, exclusively 

 either at the openings of the subterranean nests, or 

 upon sticks, dead trees, and vegetation projecting 

 from the water. Now let me add another very im- 

 portant fact ; that the amount of food to be found by 

 these swallows, thus early in the season, is limited ; 

 and largely confined to a few hardy species of insects 



that are then astir, if the sun is shining, therefore 

 their vigorous flight power of midsummer is visibly 

 affected. Add to this, the depressing influences of 

 cold rain-storms, which they do not endeavour to 

 avoid, and we have causes sufficient to explain the 

 well-attested fact, that these swallows are at this 

 time of year often to be seen, as Kalm described 

 those he saw in 1750, "as wet as if they had been 

 just come out of the sea." 



Let me now give you the details of an incident of 

 this kind. On the 17th of March, 1878, the weather 

 for a week previously having been fairly pleasant for the 

 time of year, and a few swallows seen ; it rained very 

 hard until about noon, when it cleared suddenly, the 

 wind shifting to the north-west. I started out for a 

 short ramble in search of Indian relics, and passing 

 by the bluff that for years has been frequented by 

 bank swallows, I was attracted by the incessant 

 but feeble twitterings of numbers of these birds, but 

 none were to be seen. I looked for them for some 

 time, and finally found a hundred or more sitting 

 upon the top rail of a section of half submerged 

 fence in the marshy meadow facing the cliff. 

 Approaching as near as I could, I found them unable, 

 or, at least, indisposed to fly ; and finally, getting to 

 them, found them thoroughly soaked, and readily 

 taken by the hand. Those that endeavoured to escape, 

 fell into the water, and were lost in the dead bulrushes 

 that projected above its surface. I presume that 

 many were drowned. My explanation of the 

 occurrence is this, they were insect hunting when 

 the storm commenced, and taking refuge by perch- 

 ing upon the fence, were awaiting the slow process 

 of the drying of their feathers, by exposure to the 

 wind and then fitful sunshine. This accomplished, 

 they would have been themselves again. On the 

 other hand, had I not seen these swallows previously, 

 there was every reason to lead one to suppose that 

 they had suddenly appeared from some near-at-hand 

 hiding-place, where they had been quietly at rest, 

 during the winter just closed ; and had any one 

 following in my footsteps found the poor struggling 

 birds that I had caused to fall into the water, then 

 natural, indeed, to suppose that from the water itself 

 had emerged these chilled and helpless birds at the 

 first breath of spring ! 



Now, on the 19th of March, 1SS0, there was a 

 cold storm, with both snow and rain. Two days 

 previously I had seen two bank swallows. Think- 

 ing that others might be about, and desirous of see- 

 ing them during a rain, I went to the cliff, near my 

 house, and saw nothing of these birds. Lingering 

 about the place for some time, I finally saw three 

 emerge from holes in the cliff, and after fluttering 

 about a short time (the rain had then stopped) they 

 alighted on a stake projecting from the water, and 

 remained fully ten minutes. The rain commencing 

 again to fall, one flew away, and I think to the cliff, 

 the others flew to the same fence, where I had seen 



