1883-84.] Edinbiu'gh Naturalists Field Club. 127 



evidently is considered by the Italian sporting world as a hero of great skill 

 and eiului^ance. We give the facts as recorded by an eyewitness : ' I send 

 you intelligence of a most important Swallow-shooting accomplished by Signor 

 Paglia, and which, as a feat of endurance and skill, will make the round of 

 the sporting papers. On Sept. 2, Signor Paglia, with a retinue of seventeen 

 persons, men and boys, went to a place called Eattiferro, some two kilometres 

 distant fx'om Bologna, about 6.30 a.m., with six central-fire breech-loaders. 

 The day was very favourable for the match, being rainy. The Swallows 

 passed in large numbers during the whole day, and the shooting lasted till 

 6.15 P.M., with the interval of an hour for refreshment. The insuperable (!) 

 Paglia closed this splendid day, killing 2186 Swallows (I repeat, two thousand 

 one hundred and eighty-six), bringing them down one by one on the wing. 

 They were picked up before a jury composed of Signoi'i Cavaliere, Neri 

 Baraldi (president of the Bologna Shooting-Club), Count Massai, Grazioli, 

 Caprini, Giorgi, Bragaglia, and Giudicini.' The shooting, no doubt, is mar- 

 vellous, but when we consider the untold good these little insect-feeders do, 

 how they seek for the companionship of man, and, as it were, for his protec- 

 tion during nesting-time, and fearlessly pursue their daily work almost within 

 his reach, it seems the more cruel that this little hai-mless innocent should 

 have been selected for this disgraceful exhibition. . . . To find such a deed 

 as this actually attested by respectable burghers of the country, shows the 

 degraded state of humanity amonst the Italians." 



It is an amusing sight to watch Swallows feeding their young on the 

 wing. If you notice them carefully, soon after the young have flown — 

 and you can easily distinguish the old birds hy their fully developed 

 long forked tails — you will hear a gentle twittering call, and then see 

 the parent and young rise up with their breasts together in their 

 flight, and the food transferred from one l^eak to the other. I will 

 conclude these remarks with a short extract from White's ' Selborne,' 

 The author says : — 



" The Swallow tribe is of all others the most inoffensive, harmless, enter- 

 taining, and social. All, except one species, attach themselves to our houses, 

 amuse us with their migrations, songs, and marvellous agility, and clear the 

 air of gnats and other troublesome insects, which would otherwise much 

 annoy and incommode us. Whoever contemplates the myriads of insects 

 that sport in the sunbeams of a summer evening in this country, will soon be 

 convinced to what degree our atmosphere would be choked with them were 

 it not for the friendly interference of the Swallow tribe." 



II.—NOTE ON A BABBIT KILLED BY A WEASEL. 



By Mr ROBERT STEWART, S.S.C. 



{Read Oct. 26, 1883.) 



We have on several occasions come across a Eabbit Avhile in the 

 clutch of the Weasel, and were curious to know how it had been 

 caught ; but it was only this summer that we were fortunate enough 



