THE SWALLOW. 333 



ing to learn the particulars as a matter of curiosity, 

 I requested the land agent of the gentleman, at 

 whose house I was staying, to procure me all the 

 particulars in his power. He informed me, that 

 he knew the man who was stated to have seen the 

 swallows that he bore a good character for 

 honesty and credibility and that he was as in- 

 telligent as most persons in his sphere of life, being 

 a working carpenter. I could not stay long enough 

 to see the man myself, but the following state- 

 ment, which I have exactly copied, was sent to 

 me afterwards. 



" I, the undersigned Thomas Wilson, house car- 

 penter of Butter Lip Howe Cottage, in the parish 

 of Grassmere, in the county of Westmoreland, do 

 hereby certify, that on the 2nd of May, 1837, I 

 saw issue from Grassmere Lake three swallows, 

 in the following manner, I was watching the 

 motions of a water-hen, on a small island, on 

 Grassmere Lake, myself being on the main land ; 

 and at the distance of from thirty to forty yards 

 from where I was standing, I saw rise from out of 

 the water, first one swallow, and then two others, 

 at the same time. The two about two minutes 

 after the first, all of which flew away, apparently 

 in a weakly manner, and low. The lake was per- 

 fectly calm , and I am so sure that they were 

 swallows (although I cannot say the species) and 

 that they rose out of the water, that I could freely 



