SWALLOW. I/I 



open, and hence the sitting Swallow, unlike the House 

 Martin, is always exposed to view. The eggs, four to 

 six in number, are pure white, with brown or grey 

 markings. The sitting bird is fed by its mate. 



The Irish Swallow builds differently from the English 

 bird, for, as Mr. Ussher remarks, it is never known to 

 build within a chimney, though the nest is often found 

 in limestone and marine caves. 



There are many questions about the Swallow tribe 

 which still await a satisfactory answer ; one is, Why is 

 the Swift the most powerful of the five birds of this 

 species the last to arrive, and the first to depart? 

 Another, Why does the Sand Martin usually outstrip 

 its more powerful congener the Swallow ? A third, 

 Whither do the early arrivals we sometimes note retire 

 when winter, or something very like it, returns for a few 

 days, and the birds are at once missed from their accus- 

 tomed place ? For other interesting topics in connection 

 with this most interesting bird, its arrival, and its depar- 

 ture in great multitudes from our shores, I would refer 

 my readers to Mr. Harting's suggestive work on Our 

 Summer Migrants, to which I have often turned for 

 information within the past few years. 



