118 WESTERN SERIES OP READERS. 



flight, so high and so fast, it was told of them that 

 they spent the winter under the ice, at the bottom 

 of ponds and streams, with the snapping turtle 

 and the eels. Again, it was rumored that they 

 crept into rat-holes or away down to the bottom 

 of hollow trees, where they hibernated like the 

 bears, and slept the winter away. 



It is well known now that swallows migrate to 

 a warmer clime at the approach of winter. As 

 they travel they do not stop for meals. They 

 feast upon such delicacies as come in their airy 

 way. The beak of the swallow is a scoop made 

 on purpose to catch flies; and so these insects, 

 that are having a good time in the upper air, 

 never know what brings them so suddenly to the 

 end of their career. 



At nesting-time you may see the bank-swallows 

 soaring-above the steep banks, selecting a suitable 

 location for their summer work. Flying slowly 

 beneath the crest of the bank, they tap the earth 

 to ascertain the best spot to commence in. Down 

 tumble little stones and sand, splashing right 

 into the surf, or dropping on the heads of stroll- 

 ers along the beach. Supporting themselves by 

 their wings, they dig with their claws straight 

 into the bank, at a slightly upward slant, like the 

 kingfishers. When the tunnel is two or three 



