28 LECTUEE III. 



a large flock of swallows dropped on the ground 

 near me, and so much exhausted that they ap- 

 peared incapable of moving, although I rode my 

 horse amongst them. After resting some time 

 they took flight, and dispersed in various direc- 

 tions. Swallows are supposed to migrate to this 

 country from Africa, Italy, Spain, Greece, and 

 other places. A captain of a ship assured me, 

 that when he was at a long distance from land, 

 numerous swallows settled on his rigging, as a 

 resting-place. They are a useful bird, destroying 

 myriads of flies; for they are on the wing, 

 catching them, from the first light of day till 

 late in the evening, It is a pretty sight to see 

 them thus employed. They are sensible, clever 

 birds, and I will give you one or two instances 

 of this. You know that swallows make their 

 nests of mud or clay. Now sparrows are apt to 

 take possession of these riests and lay their eggs 

 in them. When the hen-sparrow is sitting on 

 them, a number of swallows will collect together, 

 each with some clay in its mouth, and, in an in- 

 stant, stop up the hole of entrance, thus leaving 

 the sparrow to starve to death in the nest she 

 had stolen. This fact I observed myself, and 

 also the following: A pair of sparrows had 



