MIGRATION AND FLIGHT. 93 



loose, fringy feathers, which render it difficult for them 

 to fly, excepting against the wind, which smooths them 

 down,) are chiefly natives of a few islands in the Indian 

 Ocean, and when sailing between these islands, flocks of 

 them are often seen crossing, and always flying against 

 the wind: but as in that climate sudden squalls often 

 occur from an opposite quarter, the birds, when caught 

 by them, are observed immediately to dart upwards till 

 they ascend beyond the reach of the gale, and are then 

 seen to pursue their course as before. 



One other very remarkable fact connected with these 

 long journeys, undertaken by birds over seas and lands, 

 is that they are gifted with some secret power, enabling 

 them not only to find their way to and from the distant 

 countries they visit, but actually guiding them to the 

 very same places from whence they came, and the very 

 same spots for building their nests. This has been 

 proved by marking the claws of Swallows, which were in 

 the habit of building in sheds or outhouses, where they 

 could easily be retaken on their return in the spring, 

 and examined. An instance came under our own obser- 

 vation, of a pair of Swallows returning to build for three 

 years in a small closet in a school-house, entering by a 

 broken pane in the casement, and forming their nest in 

 a corner above the window; and as they were never 

 disturbed, the female would remaiu sitting, and the male 

 fly in and out in our presence. But though several 

 broods were hatched, the old birds allowed no intruders, 

 and not a single young bird was ever seen to return to 

 the place of its birth after it had once quitted the nest. 



Another instance of confidence placed in man by these 

 little birds, when unmolested, occurred at a nobleman's 

 house in Scotland. A pair of Swallows, a few years ago, 

 built their nest upon the top bar of a clothes-screen in 

 the porter's lodge, which was hung up against the wall; 

 the young ones were hatched and flew away; the nest 

 was suffered to remain; and upon the first appearance of 

 Swallows, the year after, a male bird again entered the 



