41 6 Dlfappearancc tf Swallows in Aututnrt. 



He replied, that they were feen three or four days ago. His 

 word may be relied on as a man of ftri6l honour and in- 

 tegrity. 



Thus, Sir, I have given you a fliort (ketch of what has 

 come within my own knowledge, and what I earneftly 

 wiflied to difcover. I hope I fliall not intrude upon your 

 patience if I fubjoin an extract from the Chriftian's, Scho- 

 lar's, and Farmer's Magazine *. It runs thus : 



" February 23, 1790. In Ulfler county, in the ftate of 

 New- York, on an ifland in the Never-Sink-Creek, nearly 

 in the latitude of 41° 30' north, a Mr. Baker, in the begin- 

 ning of the month of March laft, having cut down a large 

 hollow beech-tree, to his furprife found the cavity in the 

 tree nearly filled with the common barn-fwallows [hirundo 

 rujlica) of this country, in quantity (by his eftimation) nearly 

 two barrels : they were in a torpid ftate ; but carrying fome 

 of thofe which were not injured by the fall of the tree near 

 a fire, they were prefentlv re-animated by the warmth, and 

 took the wing with their ufual agility." — ^This may be de- 

 pended on as a faft. 



I take the liberty alfo to mention another relation from 

 the American Mufeum f. It is tai;en from Mr. Jofiah 

 Blakeley's letter to Mr. Carey, dated Baltimore, January 7, 

 1788. As the piece is of confidcrable length, I Ihall only 

 quote a few paflages from it. He begins thus r 



" The hiftor}' of our common fwallows has long been a 

 problem in ornithology'. Whilft people in general fuppofed 

 them birck of paflage, a fiw, who appear to be better in- 

 formed, fupported the contrary. The opinion of the many 

 was founded on what they thought probable; that of the 

 few on fadts. In the year 1780 I was converfing with a 

 perfon, who lived about twenty miles from Bofton, on the 

 phenomenon of the fudden exit but gradual and irregular 

 return of fwallows. The gentleman to whom I made thefe 



• Volume the Second, page 7J5. 

 f Volume the Third, page 451-4. 



renparks. 



