246 SWALLOWS. 



towards the close of the season, and better prepared for a 

 Winter's sleep : and that this, to a certain degree, is the 

 case, may be collected from the following statement : " On 

 the 22nd of September, at about seven o'clock in the morning, 

 with a drizzling cold rain, and wind easterly, a vast number 

 of Chimney- Swallows were observed hovering over or resting 

 on a house, in the south of England ; in the course of the 

 morning, large flocks continued to join this main body. The 

 appearance of the whole was, however, very lethargic and 

 moping ; and so tame were many, that they were taken by 

 hand from the window-sills on which they had perched. For 

 experiment's sake, our informant put his arm out of an 

 attic-story window, and in a short time one of them settled 

 on his hand ; he withdrew it, expecting the bird would fly 

 off, but there it remained, giving him ample time to examine 

 it more narrowly. Its eyes appeared nearly shut, its wings 

 and tail drooping, and its whole frame in a torpid state. 

 Finding some force necessary to take it from his hand, he 

 had the curiosity to whirl it round several times, but to no 

 purpose, the only exertion of the bird used being a languid 

 expansion of the wings for preserving its seat, which it did 

 by grasping its claws so firmly as to draw blood from the 

 hand. In the course of the day he collected twenty, con- 

 fining them at large in a room. 



" On their first introduction they perched themselves on 

 various parts, and appeared as languid as their neighbours 

 out of doors. In a short time, one, which had placed itself 

 on the mantel-piece, near a small fire, was observed to become 

 more lively, moving its head with a good deal of animation, 

 and seeming to enjoy the warmth. On this the fire was in- 

 creased, and the air in the room considerably warmed; on 

 which the little prisoners soon became more sprightly, and 

 flew about the room as rapidly as on a Summer's day in the 

 open air. Between eight and nine o'clock the main body 

 went off, with the exception of five or six, and were absent 

 for about two hours, when they returned in seemingly greater 

 numbers than before, and remained till the following morning, 

 when, between nine and ten o'clock, there appeared a great 



