SWALLOWS. 179 



A certain swallow built, for two years together, on the 

 handles of a pair of garden-shears, that were stuck up against 

 the boards in an out-house, and therefore must have her nest 



brought on the following catastrophe, I krfow not. John going as usual to 

 lock the carriage-house door a few evenings since for, strange to say, the 

 birds are locked in every night found, to his great horror, the nest on the 

 floor broken to atoms, and, scattered about, five young birds partially fledged. 

 The parent birds were fixed on the perch and, seemed incapable of motion 

 through grief. John immediately got a small round basket, placed in it a 

 nest that had been recently deserted by a family of starlings, then put in the 

 young birds, and next proceeded to fix the basket on the perch near the place 

 occupied by the destroyed nest. The old birds watched the proceedings with 

 great gravity, and as soon as John had removed his ladder, they went on the 

 edge of the basket, looked in and appeared to be well satisfied with the 

 arrangement, and have continued since to the delight of us all to tend and 

 feed their young, as if they were still dwelling in their mud-built cottage. 

 The present family will soon take flight, and I am anxious to know what the 

 proceedings will be in regard to the second brood. 



"September, 1848. The swallows have not produced a second family, 

 although after the flight of the first they made the nest in the basket complete, 

 and which they still continue to occupy. I intend to let the basket remain, 

 and I will, if permitted, report proceedings to you next year. 



"July, 1849. I must give you the sequel of the history of my mysterious 

 friends the swallows, whose adventures last year I related to you. The pair 

 arrived on the 28th of April, which my kind man John announced to me, and 

 further that they had examined the basket-nest, the asylum of their young ones 

 of last season. We now watched their proceedings with much interest, but 

 for some time could not arrive at their intended plans; one point, however, was 

 certain, there was no attempt made to erect the usual mud tenement. The ques- 

 tion was at length set at rest, the basket-nest was adopted, some slight repairs 

 made, and the lady took possession of it, her lord gravely perching by the side 

 of the basket. After a certain time we could not resist taking a peep into the 

 basket during the absence of the matron, and were gratified at seeing four eggs 

 in the nest ; since, all has gone on well, the young family have arrived at 

 days of discretion (I hope), at least they have all been introduced into the 

 grand air by their parents, and taught the rudiments of their future pursuits. 

 But their final departure from their basket-home has not yet taken place, 

 for this morning I saw the four perched on its edge attended by their 

 mamma. 



" November, 1849. I think I told you that the swallows took possession 

 of the basket-house : the result was two full families of young ones, both 

 arrived, I presume, at days of discretion, at least they all emulated and I 

 think equalled the parent birds in the pursuit of their varied prey at an early 

 period of the season. Indeed they all took their departure about the middle 

 of September. The following is most interesting and I am not aware that it 

 has been before noticed. The basket-nest was fixed on the end of a piece of 

 wood j the other portion of which, about two feet and a half in length^ 



