978 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
throughout the county: it is moderately early in its 
arrival, being always here by the middle of April, 
and sometimes considerably earlier, for I have a note 
of having seen one at Wells, in the year 1866, as 
early as the 8rd of April, and here on the 5th; in 
1867 I noted the appearance of a Swallow here on 
the 4th: all my previous notes are a week later at 
least. In the year 1867 they made a peculiarly long 
stay, from the 5th of April to the 28th of November, 
on which day I saw two hawking for flies over one 
of my fields. 
The food of the Swallow consists entirely of insects 
of various sorts, which it for the most part takes 
on the wing, and in the untiring pursuit of which it 
passes the whole of the day, from the earliest dawn 
to quite late in the evening. Though almost in- 
variably taking its food on the wing it may some- 
times, in very wet weather, be seen searching for 
prey on foot: at such times I have seen these birds 
waddling about the muddy gravel-walks in a most 
awkward manner, looking for flies which had been 
beaten down to the ground or only just able to rise 
above it: on such occasions they present a great con- 
trast to the active sprightly Water Wagtail. This 
mode of feeding in wet weather, as well as the clum- 
siness of the Swallow when on the ground, has been 
noticed, in the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1866, by Mr. Blake- 
Knox, in which note this gentleman also observes 
that the occasional dipping of Swallows, which every 
