142 SWALLOW. 
The food of the Swallow consists entirely of insects, and it 
is in, pursuit of these that it is seen soaring far above in 
the settled days of summer, and, again, suiting itself to the 
changes in the weather, skimming close above the surface of 
the lake, or river, or meadow, alor ng the side of a cliff, a 
hedge, a paling, or a sheltered avenue of trees. When feeding, 
it flies with the mouth more or less open, and the capture 
of an insect is indicated by an audible snap of the bill. It 
drinks and frequently laves itself while on the wing. The 
indigestible part of the food is cast up in pellets. 
The utterance of the Swallow in the way of song, though 
neither powerful or varied, is cheerful and pleasant—a pretty 
warbling, which you lke to stop in your walk and listen to. 
It may be heard very early in the morning, even so soon as 
from a quarter-past to half-past two, and also very late in 
the season. Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, has recorded separate 
instances of his having heard its song, on the 2nd. of Sep- 
tember, the 10th. of September, and the 18th. of September, 
in different years. 
In the month of May, about a month after the arrival of 
the bird, the nest is commenced, and, as imported by one of 
its trivial names, the inside of a chimney is a common 
selection, and some angle or corner a few feet down is taken 
advantage of for the support that it affords. The precise 
situation is frequently resorted to that had been made use 
of in previous seasons. ‘The nest, which 1s open at the top, 
is formed of moist earth, which the bird collects bit by bit 
in its bill, from the side ‘of a pond or stream, or the middle 
of a road, as may often be seen: it is moulded into shape, 
intermix a with straw and grass; and is finally lined with 
feathers, or such like soft materials. 
Bell turrets are often built in, as also the ledge under the 
roof of a barn, the inside of the arch of a bridge, the shaft 
of an oid mine or well, unused rooms or passages to which 
access can be gained, even such as a small orifice in a door 
affords; any projection of a spout, lintel, beam, or rafter that 
will serve as a buttress being built upon,—a ‘coign of vantage:’ 
gateways, and outhouses of every kind are chosen; and I have 
known a pair to build under the wooden shed of the station 
at Hutton-upon-Derwent, near Malton, almost within reach 
of the hand. 
It is curious that in Ireland Mr. Thompson observes that 
he has never known the Swallow to build in chimneys, which, 
