334 THE SWALLOW. 



take my oath of both the above facts. As witness 

 my hand, this 14th day of October, 1837. 



THOMAS WILSON." 



I may mention, that the agent informed me, 

 that he went with the man to see the spot. He 

 pointed out the place where he said the birds rose, 

 which was about five feet from the island where 

 the water was deeper than between the island and 

 the shore. The island was merely a boggy piece 

 of ground, and is barely above the surface of the 

 water. 



I have given this account as I received it, and 

 must leave it to others to form their own opinions 

 respecting it. On thing is certain, that the notion 

 of the emersion of swallows is still very prevalent. 



In the Harleian Miscellany, a curious supposi- 

 tion is brought forward, of swallows taking a flight 

 to the moon, or some invisible aerial island, fixed 

 above our atmosphere; shewing how speculative 

 the opinions were respecting their annual desti- 

 nation. 



April 2nd, 1843. The first swallows were seen 

 flying over the river Thames, and about the mea- 

 dow, called the Brocas, near Eton Bridge. On 

 the 9th, 10th, and llth of that month, there was 

 snow and frost, with very cold nights. On the 

 13th it was still colder, the thermometer being at 

 eight o'clock in the morning only 33|. Not a swal- 



