144 THE BIRDS OF KENT 



one building in a barn or outhouse, we certainly have 

 an average of four or five which build in chimneys. 

 One year five chimneys in a house were occupied by 

 Swallows, three of which ha,d been regularly tenanted 

 by them for many years. There is hardly a cottage 

 which has not its pair of Swallows, which annually 

 return to their favourite chimney. 



" The following curious instance of the perseverance of 

 these little birds was noticed. Three years since a pair 

 of Swallows, after reconnoitring the place for some days 

 previously, very assiduously commenced building their 

 nest against the interior wall of the porch of Kingston 

 church. AVhen the nest was about half finished it was 

 discovered by the person who swept the church, and 

 the consequences was it was cleared away. But tho 

 industrious little architects, undaunted by this calamity, 

 again set to work, and the following week the nest was 

 rebuilt. This also was destroyed, but no sooner was it 

 removed than a third was commenced ; but this, alas, 

 soon shared the fate of the others — being removed by the 

 churchwarden. After meeting with such continued and 

 decided opposition, the birds at length left their favourite 

 spot, and repaired, no doubt, to some less public haunt. 

 But the most remarkable thing is, that they have every 

 year since gone back to the porch and commenced their 

 nest ! And although they have not been permitted to 

 hatch their young, yet their love for the spot seems, 

 unshaken. The cause of the hostility to this luckless, 

 pair of Swallows, on the part of the sexton, was that 

 they kept the porch in a constant litter with the straws, 

 and mud which fell from the nest ; and on that of the 

 churchwarden, that their twittering and chattering dis- 

 turbed the congregation. Swallows generally arrive here. 



