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



In the ■ Natural History of Selborne' (Letter 21), White remarks 

 of the swift, that " in the longest days it does not withdraw to rest 

 till a quarter before nine in the evening, being the latest of all day 

 birds." In Belfast it may be seen about midsummer at nine, and 

 not rarely for some time after that hour, before which the three 

 species of Hirundo have generally retired. 



The swift generally leaves Belfast about the 1 2th of August, but in 

 1840 I saw a number of them here on the 19th of that month, and in 

 1832 on the 20th; in 1833 I remarked about twenty in company, 

 in its vicinity, so late as the 30th. These were pursuing their prey 

 most leisurely, at about thirty yards from the ground, many swallows 

 and martins occupying the space immediately beneath them ; and 

 each, the Cypselus and Hirundo, occasionally breaking through the 

 others' ranks. The month of August was much colder than usual 

 this year, but that circumstance could hardly have influenced the 

 swift in remaining beyond its ordinary time of departure, as the first 

 assemblage of swallows and martins, constituting a vast multitude, 

 was congregated for migration at the same time and place, and on 

 the same day they all departed. On the 4th of September 1835, 

 swifts were observed by a scientific friend about Dunluce Castle, near 

 the Giants' Causeway ; and on the 11th of that month in the follow- 

 ing year, three of these birds were seen by myself at Hillsborough 

 (county Down), and many more of the Hirundinidce, which appeared 

 at some distance, were believed to be of this species. About the 

 same place, many of the Hir. rustica were congregated preparatory 

 to their departure. I have never witnessed any assembling together 

 of swifts, towards the time of their migration, like that of the swal- 

 low and martin. During the period of their stay, they are, in favourite 

 localities, generally to be seen in some quantity. 



In the course of a tour made to the south and south-east of Eu- 

 rope, &c, in 1841, the swift was first met with at Malta on the 17th 

 of April, when many appeared in company with the three common 

 species of Hirundo — H. rustica, H. urbica, and H. riparia. None 

 were seen during the passage of H.M.S. Beacon from Malta to the 

 Morea, when numbers of H. rustica and H. urbica alighted on the 

 vessel. On the 6th and 7th of May swifts were next met with, 

 about the mountain tops in the island of Syra, when the weather was 

 very fine and warm. Towards the end of the month they were seen 

 at Smyrna, and were abundant at Constantinople. Early in June 

 they were numerous about a rocky islet north-east of Port Nousa, in 

 the island of Paros, and were breeding in the fissures of low marine 

 cliffs. At the end of this month they were plentiful in Trieste ; and 

 in July at Venice (remarkably so here), Verona, Milan, &c. At 



he manually examined in the summer of 1839 were placed on the wall-top 

 of a two-story thatched house, and were like a sparrow's nest in a similar 

 situation, but contained fewer feathers — in the one nest were two eggs 

 which had been long incubated, and were therefore the complement, or full 

 number, and in the other were three young birds. Swifts have for some 

 years built at this house, inside of which the common swallow as regularly 

 nestles. 



