18 On the Arrival and Retreat of British Viir{indines. 



pose of passing into a dormant state ; especially as we know 

 that it can, and occasionally does, subsist with us for a con- 

 siderable time after the usual period of its disappearance. The 

 following Table shows that the swift is sometimes seen in Sep- 

 tember, once so late as the 15th of that month; and the same 

 friend who related to me the circumstance of the house swal- 

 low taking up its abode in St. Mary's Church, informed me, 

 likewise, that he once recollected an instance of a swift, at 

 Warwick, remaining till about the time the swallows in general 

 took their departure. The bird was observed by many per- 

 sons, and attracted attention the more, from the circumstance 

 of its flying about along with the swallows, with a piece of 

 string or rag, or something of the sort, adhering to it. Most 

 probably it had been caught by some unlucky boy, who turned 

 it off again in sport, after having affixed to it this cumbrous 

 appendage, which, no doubt, proved the cause of deterring the 

 bird from migrating along with its associates at the usual season. 

 The calendar from which the following Table has been con- 

 structed, was kept for the most part in the midland counties, 

 and chiefly in Warwickshire. In some few instances, how- 

 ever, the observations were made in distant counties ; and such 

 are, accordingly, distinguished by a note at the bottom of the 

 Table. I have to regret that the notices relating to the house 

 marten and sand marten are so scanty. The fact is, though 

 the sand marten is less than the house marten, and of a dif- 

 ferent colour, the two species are not always readily to be dis- 

 tinguished from each other, unless a tolerably near view of 

 them can be obtained ; when at a distance, or high in the air, 

 the one may be easily mistaken for the other. And I have 

 made it an invariable rule never to enter in the calendar any 

 occurrence of which I was not perfectly certain; accuracy of 

 observation being the chief, if not the only, merit such a jour- 

 nal can well possess. The sand marten, too, is but partially 

 distributed through the country, and is the least domestic of 

 the genus, mostly frequenting wild commons, cliifs, sand-pits, 

 &c., and but seldom approaching the haunts of men. Some- 

 times it happens that the summer may have far advanced 

 before one of this species has presented itself to my view. And 

 to record its appearance at such a season as its Jirst arrival 

 would tend rather to mislead than inform the naturalist. The 

 frequent omission in the Table of these two species is, however, 

 the less to be regretted, as their periods both of arrival and 

 departure for the most part coincide pretty nearly with those 

 of the house swallows. If the exact order in which our British 

 species arrive be required to be stated, I should arrange it thusy 

 sand marten, house swallow, house marten, swift. 



