252 The Natural History of Selborne 



not without reason, since they seldom squeak till they come 

 close to the walls or eaves, and since those within utter at the 

 same time a little inward note of complacency. 



When the hen has sat hard all day, she rushes forth just as 

 it is almost dark, and stretches and relieves her weary limbs, 

 and snatches a scanty meal for a few minutes, and then re- 

 turns to her duty of incubation. Swifts, when wantonly and 

 cruelly shot while they have young, discover a little lump of 

 insects in their mouths, which they pouch and hold under 

 their tongue. In general they feed in a much higher district 

 than the other species ; a proof that gnats and other insects 

 do also abound to a considerable height in the air ; they also 

 range to vast distances, since locomotion is no labour to them 

 who are endowed with such wonderful powers of wing. Their 

 powers seem to be in proportion to their levers ; and their 

 wings are longer in proportion than those of almost any other 

 bird. When they mute, or ease themselves in flight, they 

 raise their wings, and make them meet over their backs. 



At certain times in the summer I had remarked that swifts 

 were hawking very low for hours together over pools and 

 streams ; and could not help inquiring into the object of their 

 pursuit that induced them to descend so much below their 

 usual range. After some trouble I found that they were 

 taking phryganece, ephemerae, and libellulce (cadew-flies [caddis- 

 flies], may-flies, and dragon-flies), that were just emerged out 

 of their aurelia state. I then no longer wondered that they 

 should be so willing to stoop for a prey that afforded them 

 such plentiful and succulent nourishment. 



They bring out their young about the middle or latter end 

 of July; but as these never become perchers, nor, that ever I 

 could discern, are fed on the wing by their dams, the coming 

 forth of the young is not so notorious as in the other species. 



On the 3oth of last June I untiled the eaves of a house 

 where many pairs build, and found in each nest only two squab, 

 naked pulli; on the 8th of July I repeated the same inquiry, 

 and found that they had made very little progress towards 

 a fledged state, but were still naked and helpless. From 



