270 Wild Birds and their Haunts 



water, for the departure of the great mass takes place 

 simultaneously ; and the retreat which was one night 

 enlivened by their evolutions and sprightly twitter, is 

 the next solitary, or rendered to appearance more de- 

 serted, by the appearance of the few who have been 

 unable to accompany the great body of the flight. 



In distribution this species decreases northward, but 

 is abundant in central and southern Europe. How far 

 it extends into Asia is a matter of speculation, or whether 

 it is partially migratory from any part of that division 

 of the world. The great mass of European birds seem 

 to pass from Northern Africa. One writer places it 

 among the birds of Japan. 



The adult male has the head and upper parts deep and 

 rich steel blue, running into a black pectoral band ; 

 the forehead and throat are deep reddish chestnut ; 

 the belly and feet reddish white, tinged on the flanks 

 with brown ; the tail deeply forked, the outer feathers 

 narrowing towards the ends, is black with blue re- 

 flections, and has a large white spot on the inner webs of 

 all the feathers, except the two in the centre. In the 

 female the colours are all less brilliant, and the chestnut 

 on the forehead and throat less in extent. The young 

 have the tail nearly square, and the colour of the throat 

 a pale reddish brown, shading into grey upon the breast. 

 Pure white varieties are occasionally met with. 



According to the theory that men acquired their first 

 notions of architecture from birds, we are told that 

 Doxius, the inventor of clay houses, took the hint from 

 swallows ; and Aristotle thinks there is more ingenuity 

 displayed in the construction of these nests than in some 

 of the greater efforts of human intelligence. We cannot 

 however give the swallows the credit of one feat of con- 

 trivance, which we find echoed from one writer to an- 

 other, from Pliny, Plutarch and St. Basil, down to more 

 modern authors. " It is curious," says one of the latter, 

 as if from personal remark, ' ' to observe them dipping 

 their breasts swiftly into pools, and then immediately 

 resorting to their nests to temper the mortar with the 

 moisture." " I have frequently seen from my window," 



