196 THE RED-FRONTED (OR CHIMNEY) SWALLOW. 



the sea without a compass or a chart to their new and unknown 

 home as readily as their parents, and, like the needle to the 

 pole, or the votaries of every creed, instinctively seek and find 

 their future home more truly than the souls of zealous but un- 

 charitable and differing churchmen as instinctively seek theirs, 

 for when I watched them — 



The young anes seemed to ken as weel 

 That they frae winter dour maun steal, 

 And Nature's law instinctive feel 



The reason why, _ 

 And owre the lift unerring spiel, 



And cleave the sky. 



They lichted on a kirk close by, 



As if, like man, they, too, would try 



To reach their heaven through the sky — 



But no' wi' prayer ; 

 And frae its high, steep roof to fly 



And cleave the air. 



Without a compass, ship, or guide. 

 They steer through ether, far and wide, 

 Nor learn frae books, nor time, nor tide — 



Mair true than man — 

 An erring fool ! for a' his pride 



And churches' ban ! 



There is an old Scandinavian tradition that the swallow 

 hovered over the Cross of Christ twittering " Svala, svala" — 

 meaning " console, console" — hence it is called " the bird of 

 consolation." A Roman superstition makes it a sign of luck 

 for the swallow to build about one's house, and that it was 

 sacred to the household gods. To injure it was to bring down 

 wrath upon your house, which lovable legends are, however, 

 disregarded along the French coast, and by all ladies who 

 encourage such a cruel destruction of our most useful swallows. 

 Surely they cannot be blamed for living on game ; and such whole- 

 sale death by electricity is both an unchristian and a barbarous 

 trade (taking advantage of tired creatures' habits of resting on 

 telegraphic wires) to please a callous whim of fashion — no great 

 passport for woman's influence and power in Parliament ! 



This species is the first to give the alarm when a hawk is seen 

 — its rapid flight and quick evolutions making it callous to fear. 

 It is also the only songster amongst our swallows, the others 

 being almost mute. Virgil says — 



" As the black swallow near the palace plies 

 O'er empty courts, and under arches flies ; 

 Now hawks aloft, now skims along the flood, 

 To furnish her loqtiacious nests with food." 



— Drydcn's Virgil. 



