2 2 Summer Studies of Birds and Books CHAP. 



look up, you will see, generally higher in the air 

 than the others, numbers of the splendid Alpine 

 Swift, circling round with marvellous speed. You 

 can tell this bird at once by his white belly, which 

 almost glitters in the sunshine, and by the ease 

 and dignity of his flight ; he does not use his wings 

 so rapidly as the other, but sweeps along almost 

 without an effort; and he does not scream so 

 wildly, but whistles to his sitting mate as he 

 sails around the tower, or utters a crescendo chatter, 

 which seems to end fortissimo as he comes near to 

 you. 



This first bird we meet with is such a noble one 

 that I must dwell on it a little longer. It counts 

 as a British bird, but has been rarely indeed found 

 in our island. It should never be mistaken for 

 the common species ; the white belly, and a brown 

 band across the breast, mark it at once. The back, 

 too, is much browner, as we noticed when they 

 descended below the level of the famous cathedral 

 terrace, and allowed us to watch them from above. 

 These are surer tokens than the mere difference of 

 size, for there is nothing more deceptive, sometimes 

 even to an experienced eye, than the relative size 

 of birds. 



The true homes of this Swift are among the 

 mountains both of Europe and Asia, where it builds 

 in caves and deep crevices of rocks. But, like some 



