HIRUNDINIDA. 279 
one must have noticed, is not always for the purpose 
of drinking, but for the purpose of catching those 
funny little coleopterous insects which abound in 
every pool, and which he calls “ whirlygigs”—I sup- 
pose from their curious mode of progression. The 
May-fly is a favourite dainty for the Swallow and for 
all its congeners, as it is for all other fly-eaters. 
The nest of the Swallow is usually placed against 
the sides of an unused chimney, or amongst the 
rafters of a linhay or out-house. Yarrell mentions 
that a pair of Swallows made their nest in an open 
drawer in an unused garret, to which they obtained 
access through a broken pane of glass: he also says 
that another pair attached their nest to the body and 
wing of an Owl that had been nailed against a barn- 
door. The nest of the Swallow is made of clay or 
mud, much in the same way as that of the Martin, 
the chief difference being in the situation, the Swal- 
low generally choosing some place where its nest is 
quite under the protection of a roof; the Martin, on 
the other hand, being contented with the slight pro- 
tection afforded by the overhanging eaves or thatch 
of a building. Both Swallows and Martins may be 
constantly seen collecting materials for their nests 
at the edge of some muddy puddle or pond, and in 
wet weather on the roads, which (except the occa- 
sional instances above mentioned) is the only time 
they are ever seen on the ground. 
The beak of the Swallow is black, and small for 
2B2 
