134 SWALLOW. 



they may be seen collected together in great numbers 

 on the housetops and copings making preparations for 

 their flight. I was much interested this last autumn 

 when driving from Eastbourne to Polegate in watch- 

 ing these birds, mingled with the House Martins, 

 packed along the telegraph wares literally in tens of 

 thousands. The lines of birds must have extended for 

 quite two miles ; and such a chattering and clamour- 

 ing for places, no doubt all feeling very cheery and 



SWALLOW, 



elated at the thoughts of distant Africa ! It w^as 

 formerly imagined — how curious the idea sounds to 

 us now ! — that Swallows passed the winter in a torpid 

 state, submerging themselves in lakes for this purpose 

 and burying themselves in the mud at the bottom. 

 Of this Dr. Johnson says : " Swallows certainly do 

 sleep all the winter. A number of them conglobulate 

 together by flying round and round, and then all in a 

 heap throw themselves under water and lie in the bed 



