HIRUNDO URBICA. 205 



burn. It flew up and down the burn, dipping its breast into 

 the water, immersing itself as if enjoying the bath, like a glee- 

 ful young maiden. Swallows also drink on the wing. At noon 

 on the 2 1st of June 1892 — a clear, sunny day — I saw the 

 midges dancing and darting about in thousands above the water 

 in this burn at high water. They seemed as quick on the wing 

 as the swallows themselves. I observed their range of flight 

 was from the surface to about five feet up, and about six or 

 eight yards up and down the stream. The chief aim of their 

 short life seemed to be courting and dancing on wing, two 

 always striving to be together, and even when joined in 

 wedlock they seemed little impeded, for all danced up and 

 down, interlacing each other like a flying foursome reel. But 

 on the 28th I saw thousands of them floating dead, like scum 

 on the surface — their brief mission of life and love being done 

 — while those still flying above the water were more listless 

 than on the 21st. It was the scum-like look of the water 

 which first drew my attention, and I had to watch awhile 

 before I saw it was scum of dead midges. The only places 

 where the living still danced was under the shore bridge and 

 close above it. I followed the burn down to there. It was a 

 bonnie sunny day at noon — I saw several swifts flying amongst 

 a lot of red-fronts, white-rumps, and sand-martins skimming- 

 together, low, over the burn, their different modes of flight 

 being discernible, for, while the swifts dashed round in circles, 

 the swallows swept over the surface with rapid turns and quick 

 evolutions, and the martins with fluctuating movements like 

 the butterfly. 



Longfellow has a pretty poem on a swallow that built its 

 nest on the tent of the Emperor Charles of Spain when 

 besieging a town in Flanders, which he would not allow any 

 one to touch ; and when the siege was ended he left his tent 

 standing rather than molest the bird and her brood. 



Yes, it was a swallow's nest, 

 Built of clay and hair of horses, 



Found on hedge-rows east and west, 

 After skirmish of the forces. 



Let no hand the bird molest/ 

 Said he solemnly, ' nor hurt her !' 



Adding then, by way of jest, 

 ' Golondrina is my guest, 

 "lis the wife of some deserter !' 



