WHITE-RUMPED SWALLOW. 593 



the 23d of April 1837, he asked his gardener if they had made 

 their appearance 1 " Not yet," he replied. About four o'clock 

 however, in the afternoon, he entered the house, in a great 

 hurry, and with ecstatic delight announced to his master that 

 they had just now alighted upon the top of the stable. They 

 were not seen in 1 838 until the 27th of April. 



" In one of the bedrooms of my house, on Friday the 28th of 

 July 1837, I made the following observations. At 25 minutes 

 after 4 o'clock in the morning, the old martins began to feed 

 their young ones which ^vere four in number. From that time 

 until 5 o'clock, they fed them four times ; from 5 to 6 o'clock 

 eleven times ; from 6 to 7 o'clock twenty-four times ; from 7 

 to 8 o'clock fifteen times ; from 8 to 9 o'clock twenty-three 

 times ; from 9 to 10 o'clock twenty-five times ; from 10 to 11 

 o'clock twenty times ; from 11 to 12 o'clock twenty-six times ; 

 from 12 to 1 o'clock twenty-six times; from 1 to 2 o'clock 

 twenty-seven times ; from 2 to 3 o'clock twenty-eight times ; 

 from 3 to 4 o'clock twenty times ; from 4 to 5 o'clock twenty 

 times ; from 5 to 6 o'clock twenty-seven times ; from 6 to 7 

 o'clock ten times ; and from 7 to 8 o'clock only once, making 

 in all 307 times. At 10 minutes after 8 o'clock, having ceased 

 from their labours, they went into their dormitory. They 

 brought to their nestlings at each time, sometimes two, at other 

 times three, four, five, and even more flies of different sizes. 



" It was a most beautiful and bright sunny day, and I ob- 

 served that the female went into her nest five times, and re- 

 mained about four minutes each time. In a dull and rainy day, 

 the same birds fed their brood only 212 times. The young 

 ones at the time I made those observations were ripe, and the 

 attempts to which the old birds had recourse to induce them 

 to leave the nest were indeed very ingenious. At the distance 

 of about four inches from its orifice, the male held out to them 

 a fly in his bill. In endeavouring to take hold of it, they again 

 and again nearly lost their balance. The female made use of 

 the same stratagem, but it did not succeed, as they Avere exceed- 

 ingly cautious. Being therefore unable to prevail upon them to 

 come out by artifice, she was determined to try it by force. She 

 several times got into a passion, and with the claws of her right 



VOL. III. Q Q 



