THE BIRDS OF RAINHAM. 49 



mangold wurtzel, when, to their surprise, a Roller 

 came and settled upon the end of the range where they 

 were at work, appearing unusually tame ; they gave 

 chase over the hedge, finally catching the bird, which 

 had taken shelter on the leeward side of a lump of 

 rushes ; the day was uncommonly cold ; the bird was 

 in very thin condition, and died soon after it was 

 caught ; it had received a slight wound, and one 

 primary was shot asunder. 



SWALLOW. 

 Hirundo rustica. Linn. 



The Swallow comes with the Cuckoo and Nightin- 

 gale in the spring of the year, the one sometimes 

 appearing before the other. We do not seem to 

 have so many Swallows now as we used to have, the 

 successive cold springs and wet summers have told 

 very much against them ; according to my observation 

 their numbers have been reduced by more than half. 

 There was only one pair on my chimney-top last year 

 instead of three, this may not be the case every- 

 where ; no doubt with finer summers our insect 

 loving birds will increase. The spring of the year 

 1869 was a very severe one for the swallows ; on May 

 28th, I observed one lying dead beside my farm 

 buildings and another flying more like a bat than a 

 bird over my garden hedge ; others were seen by my 

 brother, Mr. Edward Prentis, at his farm in the parish 

 of Chalk near Gravesend with their heads under 

 their wings for warmth, upon his horses' backs in the 

 stable. 



E 



