Dec. 29. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



513 



theory advanced by your querist, I find the fol- 

 lowing remarkable instance of the ^wto-subaqueous 

 residence (or what appeared to have been such) 

 of two swallows ; under circumstances which in- 

 dicated a trance, or torpor of some duration : 



" On the 2nd of November, 1829, at Loch Eansa, in the 

 island of Arran, a man, Avhile digging in a place where a 

 pond had been lately drained off, discovered two swallows 

 in a state of torpor ; on placing them near the fire, they 

 recovered." — Stanley's Histonj of Birds, 



Similar instances of the dormant habitation of 

 birds in mud deposits and manure heaps, during 

 the winter season, and of their re-animation on 

 being brought into a higher temperature, are also 

 on record. A very curious instance may be met 

 with in the work referred to, of a corncrake dis- 

 covered in the heart of a mud wall, in a perfectly 

 dormant state, in mid- winter ; which revived 

 quickly under the genial influences of kitchen 

 climate, but subsequently died. The corncrake 

 is also a migrating bird; and, like the swallow, 

 visits us early in the spring, taking its departure 

 about the latter end of October. To the "lady" 

 naturalist, mentioned by your correspondent, the 

 following fact, connected with the theory of 

 hirundlnean hybernation, may prove interesting, 

 if she has not already met with it. A North 

 American gentleman, attracted one day, late in 

 the autumn season, hy the gathering of a large 

 body of swallows over a particular spot, and 

 having been told that swallows had been seen to 

 dive into a mill-pond and disappear, watched their 

 operations ; which, after a few significant circum- 

 volutions, were closed by a simultaneous rapid 

 descent into a hollow sycamore-tree. The said 

 tree was felled the following year, and revealed 

 the debris of bones, feathers, and other remains of 

 such birds as had not survived, through age or 

 weakness, to renew their spring migrations. The 

 hollow of the tree measuring six feet in diameter, 

 could afford a sufficiently commodious asylum for 

 the feathered exiles. 



On turning to Montague, for information on 

 this interesting point, I find the idea of the im- 

 mersion of the swallow considered too extravagant 

 to need refutation. F. Phillott. 



In a part of the country a few miles from 

 Glasgow, I have had occasion to notice the un- 

 common scarcity of the feathered tribes generally 

 during last summer ; swallows, larks, mavis, 

 lintres, blackbirds, even the sparrow, and "poor 

 cock robin," were all rare visitants where in 

 former years they were to be seen in the greatest 

 plenty. The fruit of the rowan-tree, of which 

 they all appeared to be very fond, and sometimes 

 gathered about in flocks, has this season been 

 allowed to drop from its branches. 



Such an occurrence must be traceable to some 

 cause, and I have hitherto attributed it to the 



No. 322.] 



intense long-continued severity of the black frost 

 in the early part of this year, \hQ cold of which 

 had not only destroyed much of the vermin in the 

 earth (their food), but had produced a most unpre- 

 cedented mortality among themselves, in their 

 usual places of refuge ; and yet, according to the 

 trite saying, " we never find a dead bird." 



G.N. 



Swallows (Vol. xii., p. 413.). — For a satisfactory 

 answer to his Query, I beg to refer W. to p. 37. of 

 Instinct and Reason definitively separated, by Gor- 

 donius, where he will find an account of the sub- 

 aqueous hybernation of swallows by the celebrated 

 Huet. It is too long for me to transcribe, but as 

 it is a small book, the price cannot much exceed a 

 shilling, and may be had of the publisher, Eff". 

 Wilson, 11. Koyal Exchange. C. B. A. 



OLD NICK. 



(Vol. xii., pp. 10. 228. 275. 369.) 



Hermes must permit me to observe that he is 

 altogether in error when he attributes to me the 

 expression of a single opinion as to the original 

 meaning of any of the Norse terms, from which I 

 would derive the several appellations of the evil 

 one, in popular use amongst us. All I have 

 essayed to accomplish is simply to demonstrate 

 that, however far-fetched F. may deem such a 

 derivation, the epithets in question, together with 

 the vast majority of our household words, assuredly 

 reached our shores from the Scandinavian North. 

 This position, I imagine, none of the philologists, 

 to whom Hekmes alludes, would be inclined to dis- 

 pute with me ; and beyond it I have not advanced 

 a step. His very interesting and suggestive Note, 

 however, induces me to carry the Investigation 

 somewhat farther, for the purpose of tracing, to 

 its primitive source and sense, the word, to whose 

 introduction into the present discussion, your cor- 

 respondent is disposed to object. 



The word Dol several times occurs in the an- 

 cient lays of the Edda Scemundar, as in the Solar 

 Liod (xxxiv. 1.), and Qoida Gudrimar (G. en 

 Onnor, xl. 3.). Icelandic scholars have assigned 

 to it various modifications of meaning, as occul- 

 tatio, dissimulatio, falsa persuaslo vel presumptio, 

 stulta confidentia, vanltas, superbia, fastus. It is 

 derived from ek Dyl (compared with Heb. Thillel)y 

 tego, occulto, dissimulo, abscondo ; and, amongst 

 other cognate expressions In the same venerable 

 remains, are Dcelskr, Impudens, stultus, morosus ; 

 Dvlithr, occultus, celatus, illusus ; Dvla (Lapp. 

 Diello), velamen ; also Dcell, generally used in a 

 good, as the former words are in a bad sense, and 

 rendered facilis, jucundus, liber, though it like- 

 wise signifies urgens, immoriger. Dcell may be 



