THE SPARROW KIND. 



547 



Early, therefore, in the spring, when the re- 

 ;urning sun begins to rouse the insect tribe 

 from their annual state of torpidity ; when the 

 gnat and the beetle put off their earthly robes, 

 and venture into air ; the swallow then is seen 

 returning from its long migration beyond the 

 ocean, and making its way feebly to the shore. 

 At first, with the timidity of a stranger, it ap- 

 pears but seldom, and flies but slowly and 

 heavily along. As the weather grows warmer, 

 and its insect supply increases, it then gathers 

 greater strength and activity. But it some- 

 times happens that a rainy season, by repelling 

 the insects, stints the swallow in its food ; the 

 poor bird is then seen slowly skimming along 

 the surface of the ground, and ofh n resting 

 after a flight of a few minutes. In general, 

 however, it keeps on the wing, and moving 

 with a rapidity that nothing can escape. 

 When the weather promises to be fair, the in- 

 sect tribe feel the geni il influence, and make 

 bolder flights ; at which time the swallow 

 follows them in their aerial journeys, and often 

 rises to imperceptible heights in the pursuit. 

 When the weather is likely to be foul, the in- 

 sects feel thn first notices of it ; and from the 

 swallow's following low we are often apprized 

 of the approaching change. 



When summer is fairly begun, and more 

 than a sufficient supply for sustaining the wants 

 of nature every where offers, the swallow then 

 begins to think of forming a progeny. The 

 nest is built with great industry and art, par- 

 ticularly by the common swallow, which 

 builds it on the tops of chimneys. The mar- 

 tin sticks it to the eaves of houses. The goat- 

 sucker, as we are" told, builds it on the bare 

 ground. This nest is built with mud from 

 some neighbouring brook, well tempered with 

 the bill, moistened with water, for the better 

 adhesion ; and still farther kept firm, by long 

 grass and fibres : within it is lined with goose 

 feathers, which are ever the wannest and the 

 neatest. The martin covers its nest at top, 



a Sir George Staunton,in his account of the embassy to 

 China, says, that in the Cass, a small island near Sumatra, 

 were foi^itl two caverns, running horizontally into the side 

 of the ruck ; in which were a number of these nests so 

 much prized by the Chinese epicures. " They seemed 

 to be composed of fine filaments cemented together by a 

 transparent viscous matter, not unlike what is left by the 

 foam of the sea, or those gelatinous animal substances 

 found floating on every coast. The nests adhere together f 



NO. 47 & 48. 



and has a door to enter at ; the swallow leaves 

 her's quite open. But our European nests are 

 nothing to be compared with those the swal- 

 low builds on the coasts of China and Coro- 

 mandel ; the description of which I will give 

 in the plain honest phrase of Willoughby. 

 " On the sea-coast of the kingdom of China," 

 says he, "a sort of party-coloured birds, of the 

 shape of swallows, at a certain season of the 

 year, which is their breeding time, come out 

 of the midland country to the rocks, and from 

 the foam or froth of the sea-water, dashing 

 against the bottom of the rocks, gather a cer- 

 tain clammy glutinous matter, perchance the 

 spawn of whales and other young fishes, of 

 which they build their nests, wherein they lay 

 their eggs and hatch their young. These nests 

 the Chinese pluck from the rocks, and bring 

 them in great numbers into the East Indies to 

 sell. They are esteemed, by gluttons, as great 

 delicacies ; who, dissolving them in chicken 

 or mutton broth, are very fond of them ; far 

 before oysters, mushrooms, or other dainty 

 and liquorish morsels." a What a pity this 

 luxury hath not been introduced among us, 

 and then our great feasters might be enabled 

 to eat a little more ! 



The swallow usually lays from five to six 

 eggs, of a white colour, speckled with red ; 

 and sometimes breeds twice a year. When 

 the young brood are excluded, the swallow 

 supplies them very plentifully, the first brood 

 particularly, when she finds herself capable of 

 producing two broods in a year. This hap- 

 pens when the parents come early, when the 

 season is peculiarly mild, and when they be- 



fin to pair soon. Sometimes they find n dif- 

 culty in rearing even a single nest, particularly 

 when the weather has been severe, or their 

 nests have been robbed in the beginning of the 

 season. By these accidents, this important 

 task is sometimes deferred to the middle of 

 September. 



At the latter end of September, they leave 



and to the sides of the cavern, mostly in rows without any 

 break or interruption. The birds that build these nests 

 are small gray swallows, with bellies of a dirty white. 

 These nests are a considerable object of traffic among 

 the Javanese, many of whom are employed in it from 

 their infancy ; and as the operation of taking them is at- 

 tended with much danger, many lives are lost in that 

 employment. 



4K 



