216 LECTURE XYII. 



in a large hop-yard in Herefordshire, some 

 young farmers and their friends amused them- 

 selves by practising to shoot flying, by firing 

 their guns at the swallows which flew between 

 the rows of hops, and thus killed or drove them 

 away. The consequence was, that the whole of 

 these hops were nearly destroyed by insects, 

 while all the neighbouring hop-grounds had 

 large crops the same year. The inhabitants of 

 houses against which swallows build their nests 

 are seldom troubled much with gnats and flies, 

 besides which they have the pleasure of hearing 

 the sweet twittering of those birds on their 

 roofs. So perfectly aware are the inhabitants 

 of North America of the utility of swallows, 

 that they scoop out gourds, fix them on poles 

 near their residences, and in these swallows 

 build their nests, and form large colonies. Should 

 any marauding hawk attack the poultry in the 

 farm-yard, the swallows congregate and fly at 

 the head of the enemy with so much courage 

 and perseverance, uttering their wild screams at 

 the same time, that the culprit is glad to make a 

 hasty retreat. Besides this, they destroy num- 

 bers of noxious insects. In America, therefore, 

 swallows are protected, instead of being molested 



