394 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [16:9— Dec, 1920 



In 1777 he comes to a similar conclusion after observing that 

 after the majority of house-martins had retired in October, he still 

 saw a few stragglers in November. ' ' From all these circumstances 

 laid together, it is obvious that torpid insects, reptiles, and quadru- 

 peds, are awakened from their profoundest slimibers by a little 

 untimely warmth; and therefore that nothing so much promotes 

 this death-like stupor as a defect of heat. And further, it is 

 reasonable to suppose that two whole species, or at least many 

 individuals of those two species of British hirundines, do never 

 leave this island at all, but partake of the same benumbed state 

 for we cannot suppose that, after a month's absence, house martins 

 can return from southern regions to appear for one morning in 

 November, or that house-swallows should leave the districts of 

 Africa to enjoy, in March, the transient summer of a couple of 

 days." 



In 1 78 1 he wrote again to Barrington telling how he had watched 

 a belated flock of some 150 house-martins in October to discover 

 the precise time of their retreat. He tells how they roosted for 

 several evenings in a spot well-calculated for their winter residence ; 

 a spot clothed with beechen shrubs, stunted and bitten by sheep; 

 besides it is the nature of underwood beech never to cast its leaf 

 all winter; so that, with the leaves on the ground and those on the 

 twigs, no shelter can be more complete. He concludes by saying, 

 "I have only to add that were the bushes, which cover some acres, 

 and are not my own property, to be grubbed and carefully ex- 

 amined, probably those late broods and perhaps the whole aggre- 

 gate body of the house-martins of this district, might be found 

 there, in different secret dormitories; and that, so far from with- 

 drawing into warmer climes, it would appear that they never 

 depart 300 yards from the village." 



On one occasion White attempted to ferret out the hidden house- 

 martins and he writes, "Supposing that the examination would be 

 made to the best advantage in the spring, and observing that no 

 martins had appeared by the nth of April last; on that day I 

 employed some men to explore the shrubs and cavities of the 

 suspected spot. The persons took pains but without any success; 

 however, a remarkable incident occurred in the midst of our 

 pursuit — while the labourers were at work a house martin, the 

 first that had been seen this year, came down the village in the 

 sight of several people and went at once into a nest, where it stayed 



