Mr. W. Thompson on the Birds of Ireland. 175 



piece, the circumstance was considered as " passing strange." During 

 three months, the usual period of the swift's presence in this country, 

 the three mature individuals only appeared. The following year also 

 an odd number of these birds was observed at Wolf hill, there being 

 either five or seven. It may be stated, that during these two sum- 

 mers the houses there had, in regard to fallen plaster and the growth 

 of lichens, mosses, &c, rather more of a picturesque appearance than 

 is consistent with the most perfect order, and that in the autumn of 

 1830 they were all repaired and roughcast, the swifts' eyrie being 

 most carefully protected from the hands of the renovator ; but, not- 

 withstanding this, the species has never since tenanted the place. 



Swifts generally keep at such an altitude, that the vicinity of water 

 is not enlivened by their presence as it is by that of some of the 

 Hirundines, yet they may occasionally be seen flying over Belfast Bay 

 (particularly about the time of high- water), as well as skimming the 

 surface of ponds and rivers. Once only have I witnessed these birds 

 keeping regularly at a lower elevation than swallows. This was on 

 the 3rd of July 1838, a beautiful sun-bright day, when numbers of 

 them appeared flying over Strangford Lough, near Portaferry, at from 

 twenty to forty yards above the surface of the sea, while, in the stra- 

 tum of air immediately above, swallows were abundant. 



Bewick remarks that swifts (vol. i. p. 267, ed. of 1821) "are said 

 to avoid heat, and for this reason pass the middle of the day in their 

 holes, [and that] in the morning and the evening they go out in quest 

 of provision." Mr. Macgillivray too observes, that " in dry and 

 sunny weather [the swift] generally rests in the middle of the day." 

 This has, I conceive, been assumed from the circumstance that swifts 

 are not seen about their breeding haunts throughout the day, like the 

 swallow and martin. Instead, however, of lying concealed at such 

 times, they are ranging far abroad. During our very warmest and 

 brightest days I have commonly seen them sweeping in great num- 

 bers over the mountain heaths and around the summit of Divis*, the 

 highest mountain in our neighbourhood f, and near to which they 

 have not any nestling-places. Towards evening they return from 

 these comparatively distant flights, and are then seen about their ac- 

 customed haunts for some time previous to retiring for the night, 

 having thus led persons to believe that the evening is one of their 

 favourite times for stirring out. Swifts may likewise be occasionally 

 seen on wing about their nests throughout the very warmest days J. 



* 1575 feet above the sea. 



t When here on the 15th of May 1 836 (a remarkably fine day), to wit- 

 ness the eclipse of the sun, I saw fully as many swifts as had ever appeared 

 when the season was farther advanced. 



In like manner I remarked them on the 6th and 7th of May 1841, about 

 the lofty mountain tops, and there only, in the island of Syra, one of the 

 group of the Cyclades. Captain Cook, in his ' Sketches in Spain,' mentions 

 a similar propensity of the alpine swift, in the following words : " I have 

 heard they were not uncommon in Catalonia, but I never met with them, 

 probably from their habit of going to feed at vast heights and distances in the 

 daytime, which prevents their being seen." (Vol. ii. p. 276.) 



% An intelligent shooter and taxidermist states that two swifts' nests which 



