SWIFTS. 295 



upon two young, which were fledged, and now put 

 out their white chins from a crevice. These remained 

 till the 27th, looking more alert every day, and seem- 

 ing to long to be on the wing. After this day, they 

 were missing at once ; nor could I ever observe them 

 with their dam coursing round the church in the act 

 of learning to fly, as the first broods evidently do. 

 On the 31st, I caused the eaves to be searched; but 

 we found in the nest only two callow, dead, stinking 

 swifts, on which a second nest had been formed. 

 This double nest was full of the black shining cases 

 of the hippoboscfs hirundinis. 



The following remarks on this unusual incident 

 are obvious. The first is, that though it may be 

 disagreeable to swifts to remain beyond the begin- 

 ning of August, yet that they can subsist longer is 

 undeniable. The second is, that this uncommon 

 event, as it was owing to the loss of the first brood, 

 so it corroborates my former remark, that swifts 

 breed regularly but once ; since, was the contrary 

 the case, the occurrence above could neither be new 

 nor rare. 



P.S. One swift was seen at Lyndon, in the 

 county of Rutland, in 1782, so late as the 3d of 

 September. 



LETTER XCVII. 



TO THE SAME. 



As I have sometimes known you make inquiries 

 about several kinds of insects, I shall here send you 

 an account of one sort which I little expected to 

 have found in this kingdom. I had often observed 

 that one particular part of a vine, growing on the 

 walls of my house, was covered in the autumn with 



