THE SWALLOW. 325 



December 3. Swallows still seen about Wind- 

 sor Castle. I heard, this day, of a very Iat6 brood 

 of swallows at Her Majesty's cottage, at the bot- 

 tom of the slopes. Therm. 47|. 



December 7 The last swallows were seen 

 this day. It was followed by a dense fog. Therm. 

 42. 



December 12. Thermometer ranged, between 

 eight and two o'clock, from 52 \ to 55f ; but I 

 could neither see nor hear of a swallow. 



December 13. Thermometer, at half-past 

 eight, 50|. 



December 14. Butterflies seen. 



December 23. Thermometer ranged between 

 this day and the 14th, at from 50 to 60. 



December 26. Therm., at nine o'clock, 50. 



December 30. Thermometer 55 ; wind N.W. 

 Butterflies. Heard of a Robin's nest with one 

 egg in it. Spring flowers sent me. 



December 31. Thermometer, at half-past 

 nine, 53. 



It will appear from the above extracts that the 

 swallows were not driven away by the cold wea- 

 ther, but probably by the fog, which lasted for at 

 least twenty-four hours. It is to be wished that 

 accounts of the arrival and disappearance of these 

 birds were kept in different parts of Great Britain, 

 and occasionally published in some of our natural 



