SWAI^OW 289 



THE SWALLOW (HIRUNDO RUSTICA). 



THERE is no doubt but that this bird creates as 

 much, or more, interest as any of the spring 

 migrants, for from the oldest naturalist to the 

 child his visit is eagerly anticipated year by year, and so 

 he may justly be regarded as a favourite among birds. 



" The swallow knoweth the time of her coming " has 

 grown to be a homely expression, and it is very remark- 

 able in this connection to notice the punctuality of the 

 yearly visit, whilst the date of departure, it has been ob- 

 served, varies considerably with the weather and meteoro- 

 logical conditions. Its arrival in April is watched and 

 hailed as the forerunner or precursor of summer, though 

 one often hears the phrase ' ' one swallow does not make 

 a summer." 



It is true that in this country, and throughout Europe 

 more or less, it is the constant attendant on cultivation, 

 and makes use of the artificial structures of man as retreats 

 for both shelter and breeding. Ornithologists, do not, in 

 any age, particularly specify any definite breeding station 

 for this bird. Farm out-houses and sheds, inside and out, 

 are the usual places for the disposition of the nest, which 

 is usually composed of clay and strengthened with straws 

 or small roots, lined with feathers and open at the top. 

 Ruined coal-pits and disused barns are also resorts during 

 the season of incubation. In open country, fissures of 

 rocks or caves. So regular are they in their habits that it 

 is noticed that the same pair will continue year by year to 

 occupy the same site for its architectural nest construction. 



I have seen in early October, on the south coast of 

 England, hundreds of these interesting creatures posted 

 on the roof of a certain hotel awaiting their mates to 

 perform the return journey. In a space of two or three 

 hours the roof has been suddenly deserted, and the 

 swallows have winged their flight seawards. Observa- 

 tions of this kind rather confirm the theory that swallows 

 in a body migrate southward to a warmer clime, and 

 u 



