NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. 177 



steeples and churches, squeaking as they go in a very clamorous 

 manner ; these, by nice observers, are supposed to be males serenad- 

 ing their sitting hens ; and not without reason, since they seldom 

 squeak till they come close to the walls or eaves, and since 

 those within utter at the same time a little inward note of com- 

 placency. 



When the hen has sat hard all day, she rushes forth just as it 

 is almost dark, and stretches and relieves her weary limbs, and 

 snatches a scanty meal for a few minutes, and then returns to her 

 duty of incubation. Swifts, when wantonly and cruelly shot while 

 they have young, discover a little lump of insects in their mouths, 

 which they pouch and hold under their tongue. In general they 

 feed in a much higher district than the other species ; a proof that 

 gnats and other insects do also abound to a considerable height in 

 the air ; they also range to vast distances, since locomotion is no 

 labour to them who are endowed with such wonderful powers of 

 wing. Their powers seem to be in proportion to their levers ; 

 and their wings are longer in proportion than those of almost 

 any other bird. When they mute, or case themselves in flight, 

 they raise their wings, and make them meet over their backs. 



At some certain times in the summer I had remarked that swifts 

 were hawking very low for hours together over pools and streams ; 

 and could not help inquiring into the object of their pursuit that 

 induced them to descend so much below their usual range. After 

 some trouble I found that they were taking phryganece, ephemera, 

 and libellulce (cadew-flies, may-flies, and dragon-flies), that were 

 just emerged out of their aurelia state. I then no longer wondered 

 that they should be so willing to stoop for a prey that afforded them 

 such plentiful and succulent nourishment. 



They bring out their young about the middle or latter end of July ; 

 but as these never become perchers, nor, that ever I could discern, 

 are fed on the wing by their dams, the coming forth of the young is 

 not so notorious as in the other species. 



On the 3oth of last June I untiled the eaves of a house where 

 many pairs build, and found in each nest only two squab, naked 

 pulli; on the 8th of July I repeated the same inquiry, and found that 

 they had made very little progress towards a fledged state, but were 

 still naked and helpless. From whence we may conclude that 

 birds whose way of life keeps them perpetually on the wing would 

 not be able to quit their nest till the end of the month. Swallows 

 and martins, that have numerous families, are continually 'feeding 



