212 BRITISH LAND BIRDS. 



tons of three half-fledged young, and over them 

 those of the two old birds. Thus, faithful to the 

 last, they had perished, a sacrifice to parental 

 love. 



The SWIFT is the largest of our swallow tribe, 

 arid perhaps the most powerfully winged, for its 

 size of all our birds. Its whole structure is more 

 adapted to an aerial existence than that of any 

 other bird. Placed on level ground, it is utterly 

 helpless ; but, in the air it is all life. This bird 

 frequents the highest places, and at a considerable 

 elevation haunts the air for food. Its stay with 

 us is short ; it seldom appears before the middle of 

 May, and disappears about the middle of August. 

 It is said that spiders form a very considerable 

 part of the food of the swift. This may seem 

 almost incredible, considering the height at which 

 they seek their prey. The fact is, the air is often 

 filled with small spiders, at a very surprising 

 altitude. Of their quantity some idea may be 

 formed, by the perfect carpeting of webs, occa- 

 sionally seen on an autumnal morning, glistening 

 with moisture. These are the webs of the gossa- 

 mer spiders, which, weighed by the dew, fall to 

 the ground, and cover whole acres. As the time 

 approaches for the swifts to depart, they congre- 

 gate in large bodies, and appear all day on the 

 wing, in multitudes ; gliding, dashing, wheeling, 



