THE FAERY YEAR 



Spright of the Swallows 



Swifts and swallows, though they belong to dif- 

 ferent families, we can scarcely help linking together. 

 Somehow, the watcher of the four birds swallow, 

 house martin, sand martin, swift is always com- 

 paring them as though they were of the same family. 

 In some places, say by a river flowing through old 

 thatched villages, with sandbanks or pits in the 

 neighbourhood, we see all four birds hawking or 

 sporting at the same time in each other's company. 

 Then it is interesting to contrast their styles and 

 powers of flight. Probably all have the racing and 

 chasing habit throughout the summer, though it is 

 more noticeable in sand martin and swift than in 

 house martin and swallow. With the sand martin, 

 that butterfly of the group, sprightliest of little flyers, 

 the racing and chasing habit goes on hour after hour, 

 day after day. In one spot by a river, where I often 

 watch the birds, hardly a minute passes in the longest 

 summer day without one of these short, spirited 

 contests between two or three sand martins. The 

 sand martin touch is faery light, the twist and turn 

 of flight are consummate in grace and swiftness ; so 

 one never tires of watching these exercises over the 

 shining river. 



The house martin has another claim on our 

 regard. It is the skill in architecture and the 

 trustful attitude towards human beings that com- 

 mend the house martin to us so much. The swallow 

 has a greater number of charming attributes than 

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