284 HISTORY OF 



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 deli- 

 cacies ; who, dissolving them in chicken or mut- 

 ton broth, are very fond of them ; far before oys- 

 ters, mushrooms, or other dainty and lickerish 

 morsels." 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 some- 

 times 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 happens when the parents come 

 early, when the season is peculiarly mild, and 

 when they begin to pair soon. Sometimes they 

 find a difficulty in rearing even a single nest, par- 

 ticularly 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 Sep- 

 tember. 



At the latter end of September they leave us ; 

 and for a few days previous to their departure, 

 assemble in vast flocks on house tops, as if deli- 

 berating on the fatiguing journey that lay before 

 them. This is no slight undertaking, as their 

 flight is directed to Congo, Senegal, and along 

 the whole Morocco shore. There are some, how- 

 ever, left behind in this general expedition, that 

 do not part till eight or ten days after the rest. 



