Some further Remarks on Swallows, 323 



quainted with the individual^ showed no symptoms of uneasiness 

 at what passed, till he, to trj' if the young one could fly, threw 

 it a little up from his hand. The young bird spread its wings, 

 but, being insufficiently fledged to support itself, fell to the ground, 

 and was killed in sight of its afflicted dam, who immediately 

 shrieked the war alarm : the same call was instantly repeated, 

 echoed, and re-echoed from without, and crowds of swallows 

 came flocking from all directions into the hoiling-house. Upon 

 ascertaining the state of matters, this man was singled out, and 

 the marked displeasure of the whole group declared by their at 

 once commencing open hostilities against him by all their varied 

 modes of annoyance and attack, without deigning to take the least 

 notice of any other individual present. 



This continued day after day, at every time and in every place 

 they could meet him, attacking him whenever he appeared out 

 of doors, following him into the house, and darting at him in 

 the midst of his companions, without the dread of being repelled. 

 One instance of this particularly marked their thorough knowledge 

 of the individual, and determination to be revenged : He had gone 

 to a neighbouring farm in company with another man (also be- 

 longing to the bleach-held) to examine some flax, and on their way 

 had to pass a plantation at the distance of nearly half a mile from 

 the original scene of action, where a considerable number of 

 swallows were busily catching flies under cover of the trees. The 

 two men had no sooner turned a corner, and come in view of the 

 feathered tribe, than one of them singled out the object of their dire 

 resentment by darting full in his face, and at the same time shrieked 

 tiie battle call. The group left off fly-catching, and gathered in an 

 instant round the men, never all the while taking the least notice of 

 the guiltless individual, but directing all theirvengeance against the 

 transgressor. In the most determined and resolute manner they 

 kept up their annoyance the whole breadth of a large grass field, 

 vexing him to such a pitch that, to relieve himself of tbese trouble- 

 some attendants, on coming to some fallov*- land, he was obliged to 

 collect clods and gravel and throw amongst them with all his 

 force : — upon this they retreated, and betook themselves to the 

 wood. There they remained under close cover till his returH, 

 allowing liim to pass nearly half the breadth of the grass field, 

 where there were neither clods, stones, nor gravel to repel them, 

 and commenced their attacks anew, with increased vigour and 

 impetuosity, to the great amusement of his companion, till he 

 reached the bleach-field, where he was glad to take shelter in one 

 of the houses, declaring " Tlio' thae Swallas sid big aboot the 

 field tliacs ikousinul year, hae my ccrty I's nae mair fyle my fin- 

 gers wi them. — I lech ! ! ! sic a slcur as I hae hain wi the bratts ! 

 "wha wad u dree'd thaer keunin a. body sac far afield?" The 

 X 2 ' case 



