178 SWALLOWS. 



exposed sea-port towns, and making little excursions over 

 the salt water. Horsemen on wide downs are often closely 

 attended by a little party of swallows for miles together, 

 which play before and behind them, sweeping around, and 

 collecting all the skulking insects that are roused by the 

 trampling of the horses' feet. When the wind blows hard, 

 without this expedient, they are often forced to settle to pick 

 up their lurking prey. 



This species feeds much on little coleoptera, as well as on 

 gnats and flies, and often settles on dug ground, or paths, 

 for gravels to grind and digest its food. Before they depart, 

 for some weeks, to a bird they forsake houses and chimneys, 

 and roost in trees, and usually withdraw about the beginning 

 of October, though some few stragglers may appear on at 

 times till the first week in November. 



Some few pairs haunt the new and open streets of London 

 next the fields, but do not enter, like the house-martin, the 

 close and crowded parts of the city. 



Both male and female are distinguished from their conge- 

 ners by the length and forkedness of their tails. They are 

 undoubtedly the most nimble of all the species ; and when 

 the male pursues the female in amorous chase, they then go 

 beyond their usual speed, and exert a rapidity almost too 

 quick for the eye to follow. 



After this circumstantial detail of the life and discern- 

 ing vTopyri of the swallow, I shall add, for your further 

 amusement, an anecdote or two, not much in favour of her 

 sagacity.* 



* The accompanying very interesting communication made to me will afford 

 some contradiction to this remark : 



" June, 1848. As I know you are interested in the fate of all living beings, 

 I hesitate not to relate the following circumstances. A pair of swallows many 

 years ago built their nest in our carriage-house, and brought up two broods of 

 young ones; for their accommodation our man John, who is a most kind- 

 hearted fellow, put up a perch, for which they seemed grateful. Since that 

 time they have come with unerring instinct year after year to the same spot ; 

 John always announcing their arrival with great glee, and I believe considers 

 them as a sort of guardian spirits of the building. This year another pair built 

 their house in the hay-loft, some distance from, and not in sight of the original 

 settlers ; howevej they spied out the perch, and with true democratic insolence 

 took possession of it. The old family disdained to mix with the parvenues, 

 aud the result was frequent battles and noisy erneutes. Whether these affairs 



