SWALLOWS AND CHURCHES 201 



arrival in May, find themselves dispossessed of their 

 holes, and fight to recover them. Then in the early 

 mornings you may see swifts and starlings falling 

 from the eaves clenched together, and, when on the 

 ground, separating and rising up to renew the combat 

 at the entrance to the hole. 



The swift question, which interests naturalists at the 

 present time, is the habit of the bird, or of the males 

 when breeding is in progress, of rising up higher and 

 higher in the air at a late hour in the evening until 

 they disappear from sight, and finally cease to be 

 heard. It is supposed that these mounting birds, who 

 are not seen to return, although it is possible that 

 they do return after dark, spend the night at a vast 

 height rushing or sailing about in the air, and that 

 with morning they return. 



In the evening, when there are eggs or young in 

 the nest, it may be observed that the females are out 

 feeding and rushing about with their mates, and that 

 the males drive them back to the nests before going 

 off themselves for their supposed night out. For some 

 evenings in June, at Seaford, where the swifts were 

 very numerous, I watched this interesting performance, 

 and it was curious and amusing to see a pair in some 

 cases, the hen-bird wildly rushing away, the mate in 

 mad pursuit, and then when with infinite pains she 

 had been driven home suddenly dashing off again, and 

 the wild chase about the sky beginning afresh. Once 

 I saw the hen-bird break away four times after being 



