356 "The Natural History of Selborne 



One of my neighbours, an intelligent and observing man, informs 

 me that, in the beginning of May, and about ten minutes before 

 eight o'clock in the evening, he discovered a great cluster of house- 

 swallows, thirty, at least, he supposes, perching on a willow that 

 hung over the verge of James Knight's upper pond. His attention 

 was first drawn by the twittering of these birds, which sat motion- 

 less in a row on the bough, with their heads all one way, and, by 

 their weight, pressing down the twig so that it nearly touched the 

 water. In this situation he watched them till he could see no 

 longer. Repeated accounts of this sort, spring and fall, induce us 

 greatly to suspect that house-swallows have some strong attachment 

 to water, independent of the matter of food ; and, though they 

 may not retire into that element, yet they may conceal themselves in 

 the banks of pools and rivers during the uncomfortable months of 

 winter. 



One of the keepers of Woolmer Forest sent me a peregrine- 

 falcon, which he shot on the verge of that district as it was devour- 

 ing a wood-pigeon. The falco peregrinus, or haggard-falcon, is a 

 noble species of hawk seldom seen in the southern counties. In 

 winter 1767, one was killed in the neighbouring parish of 

 Farringdon, and sent by me to Mr. Pennant into North Wales.* 

 Since that time I have met with none till now. The specimen 

 mentioned above was in fine preservation, and not injured by the 

 shot : it measured forty- two inches from wing to wing, and twenty- 

 one from beak to tail, and weighed two pounds and an half standing 

 weight. This species is very robust, and wonderfully formed for 

 rapine ; its breast was plump and muscular ; its thighs long, thick, 

 and brawny ; and its legs remarkably short and well set : the feet 

 were armed with most formidable, sharp, long talons : the eyelids 

 and cere of the bill were yellow : but the irides of the eyes dusky ; 

 the beak was thick and hooked, and of a dark colour, and had a 

 jagged process near the end of the upper mandible on each side : its 

 tail, or train, was short in proportion to the bulk of its body ; yet 

 the wings, when closed, did not extend to the end of the train. 

 From its large and fair proportions it might be supposed to have 



* See my tenth and eleventh letter to that gentleman. 



