142 NATURAL HISTORY 



eyes into the upper mandible, have a more delicate feeling in 

 their beaks than other round-billed birds, and can grope for 

 their meat when out of sight. Perhaps then their associates 

 attend them on the motive of interest, as greyhounds wait on 

 the motions of their finders ; and as lions are said to do on 

 the yelpings of jackals. Lapwings and starlings sometimes 

 associate. 



LETTER XII. 



TO THE SAME, 



Maxell 9, 1772. 

 DEAR SIR, 



As a gentleman and myself were walking on the fourth of 

 last November round the sea-banks at Newliaven, near the 

 mouth of the Lewes river, in pursuit of natural knowledge, 

 we were surprised to see three house-swallows gliding very 

 swiftly by us. That morning was rather chilly, with the 

 wind at north-west ; but the tenor of the weather for some 

 time before had been delicate, and the noons remarkably 

 warm. From this incident, and from repeated accounts 

 which I meet with, I am more and more induced to believe 

 that many of the swallow kind do not depart from this island ; 

 but lay themselves up in holes and caverns ; and do, insect- 

 like and bat-like, come forth at mild times, and then retire 

 again to their latebrce. Nor make I the least doubt but that, 

 if I lived at Newhaven, Seaford, Brighthelmstone, or any of 

 those towns near the chalk-cliffs of the Sussex coast, by 

 proper observations, I should see swallows stirring at periods 

 of the winter, when the noons were soft and inviting, and 

 the sun warm and invigorating. And I am the more of this 

 opinion from what I have remarked during some of our late 

 springs, that though some swallows did make their appear- 

 ance about the usual time, viz. the thirteenth or fourteenth of 

 April, yet meeting with an harsh reception, and blustering 



