Valley of Engelberg. 91 



bolder. Their place is taken in regions Nos. 2 

 and 3 by two other species, by no means common, 

 and of great interest the Alpine Swift and the 

 Crag-martin. I have not found the latter in the 

 district of which we are speaking, but he is always 

 to be seen in a place well-known to most travellers 

 in Switzerland the steep descent of the Gemmi, 

 to Leukerbad. As you wind down those tre- 

 mendous precipices, you will see a little ghostly 

 bird flitting up and down them, something after 

 the manner of a bat, and reminding you of our 

 Sand-martin this is the Crag-martin, which spends 

 the summer here, and builds in the crevices of the 

 rocks. In the same place and others of the kind, 

 you may see the Alpine Swift, whose flight is 

 probably faster than that of any European bird ; 

 a splendid sight it is to watch him wheeling in the 

 sunshine, borne along on wings that expand to a 

 width of nearly two feet. 



I have already strayed away from the valley 

 to speak of these birds, and it is time that we 

 should ascend to region No. 2, by the well-known 

 path to the south of Engelberg. Just at the foot 

 of the hill, where the path begins to mount, you 



