74 MY NATURE NOTEBOOK. 



almost our full number before the beginning of May. 

 They managed to slip through with favouring winds 

 in the middle of April ; but the house-martins, always 

 later, were caught by the north-east wind somewhere 

 on their road. Thus they were delayed until they 

 were passed on the road even by some of the swifts, 

 which, though larger and more powerful in flight 

 than any of our " swallows," are also more delicate, 

 and postpone their arrival until the spring sun has 

 warmth to draw insects into the upper air, where the 

 swifts range all the summer on a higher plane than 

 the rest of British birds. 



THE THRUSHES' CARES. 



The cold winds which delayed our summer visitors 

 seemed, however, to have had no depressing effect 

 upon our resident birds ; and, although the swallows 

 and sand-martins looked miserable enough hawking 

 all day for flies over the surface of grey wind-swept 

 water, even the little summer warblers in the shrub- 

 beries and hedgerows found abundance of insects 

 taking shelter there ; while thrushes, blackbirds, and 

 starlings fare sumptuously in showery weather, when 

 the ground is soft and worms are many, in spite of 

 the driving wind. Besides, they have had other things 

 than east winds to think of. A nest full of nearly 

 fledged young thrushes leave their parents little 

 leisure for considering the state of the weather ; and 

 when the brood has left the nest it is even worse. 

 What with the labour of still finding worms for them, 

 the perpetual worry of keeping them, if possible, out 



