UNFAIR TREATMENT 259 



and, also, from the bird's habit of swallowing and 

 disgorging mud. That they, also, sometimes bring 

 in insects in the bill may very well be the case, 

 but I have not yet seen them do so, and, especially, 1 

 have missed that little collected bundle which, from 

 analogy, I should have expected to see. The most 

 interesting point, to me, however, about the domestic 

 life of these birds, is their social and sexual relations, 

 which I think are deserving of a more serious in- 

 vestigation than is contained in the scanty record 

 which I here offer." 



Another entry, which I cannot now find, referred 

 to the sudden late appearance of several sand- 

 martins, who ought — had they read their authorities 

 — to have known better. I cannot help thinking 

 that Gilbert White has been treated very unfairly 

 about that theory of his. If certain of the swallow 

 tribe are sometimes seen, on sunny days, in winter, 

 then that is an interesting circumstance, and one 

 which has to be accounted for. White, in drawing 

 attention to it, has done his duty as a field naturalist, 

 and the explanation which he has offered is one 

 which seems to meet the facts of the case. If a 

 swallow is here at Christmas, it cannot be in Africa, 

 and as it cannot feed here, and is not, as a rule, seen 

 about, it becomes highly probable that it is hiber- 

 nating. It is not the rule for swallows to do this — 

 nor do I understand White to say that it is — but 

 it is the exception, here, that should interest us, 

 especially at this time of day, when we know that 

 what is the exception, now, may become the rule 

 later on. The whole interest, therefore, lies in the 

 question whether swifts, swallows, martins, &c.. 



