1792 MARTINS AT GIBRALTAR 247 



variably made their first appearance about the 18th and 

 20th, and once as early as the 12th of October and remained 

 in great abundance until the beginning of March. 



"These phaenomena awakened and alarmed my curiosity 

 as events entirely new and unheard of among the body of 

 Ornithologists, and induced me to be particularly exact and 

 attentive in my observations on every part of their conduct. 

 Early in the autumn vast multitudes of these martins con- 

 gregate in all parts of the town of Castillar, which is situate 

 on the summit of a precipice most singularly lofty and 

 romantic, about 20 miles north of Gibraltar. Hence it may 

 be inferred that they build and breed on the inland moun- 

 tains of Andalusia and Grenada. But on the approach of 

 winter, when their summer habitations become bleak and 

 inhospitable, (for all those mountains are then usually 

 covered with snow) they retreat to these warm shores, and 

 remain there till the snow is gone next spring. A few are 

 always to be seen about our hill by the middle of October 

 shifting round to all sides of the rock at times to avoid the 

 wind. November 2nd, 1771, 1 saw several, with some young 

 ones among them sitting in groupes, on the cliffs, where the 

 old ones came and fed them." 



Thus have I, for your amusement, according to promise, 

 sent you an extract concerning this new, and unnoticed 

 swallow, which my Brother, with great propriety, in his 

 work has called Hirundo hyen^alis\ and has given several 

 particulars concerning it, and a description of it, too long 

 for the compass of a letter. 



Permit me just to hint to you, that I wrote to you some 

 time ago in answer to your last letter, which gave me much 

 satisfaction. 



I forgot to mention in the extract, that these winter 

 Swallows usually leave Gibraltar about the beginning of 

 March, unless deep snows (as is sometimes the case, and 

 was particularly so in 1770 and 1772) fall in Spain about 



