NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 189 



When the hen has sat hard all day, she rushes forth just as 

 it is almost dark, and stretches and relieves her weary limbs, and 

 snatches a scanty meal for a few minutes, and then returns to her 

 duty of incubation. Swifts, when wantonly and cruelly shot while 

 they have young, discover a little lump of insects in their mouths, 

 which they pouch and hold under their tongue. In general they 

 feed in a much higher district than the other species ; a proof 

 that gnats and other insects do also abound to a considerable 

 height in the air ; they also range to vast distances, since locomo- 

 tion is no labour to them who are endowed with such wonderful 

 powers of wing. Their powers seem to be in proportion to their 

 levers; and their wings are longer in proportion than those of 

 almost any other bird. When they mute, or case themselves in 

 flight, they raise their wings, and make them meet over their 

 backs. 



At some certain times in the summer I had remarked that swifts 

 were hawking very low for hours together over pools and streams ; 

 and could not help inquiring into the object of their pursuit that 

 induced them to descend so much below their usual range. 

 After some trouble, I found that they were taking phryganece, 

 ephemera, and libellulce (cadew-flies, may-flies, and dragon-flies), 

 that were just emerged out of their aurelia state. I then no longer 

 wondered that they should be so willing to stoop for a prey that 

 afforded them such plentiful and succulent nourishment. 



They bring out their young about the middle or latter end of 

 July ; but as these never become perchers, nor, that ever I could 

 discern, are fed on the wing by their dams, the coming forth of 

 the young is not so notorious as in the other species. 



On the 3oth of last June, I untiled the eaves of a house where 

 many pairs build, and found in each nest only two squab, naked 

 pulli; on the 8th July I repeated the same inquiry, and found 

 that they had made very little progress towards a fledged state, 

 but were still naked and helpless. From whence we may con- 

 clude that birds whose way of life keeps them perpetually on the 

 wing would not be able to quit their nest till the end of the 

 month. Swallows and martins, that have numerous families, are 

 continually feeding them every two or three minutes; while swifts, 



