142 SWALLOW. 



The food of the Swallow consists entirely of insects, and it 

 is in pursuit of these that it is seen soaring far above in 

 the settled days of summer, and, again, suiting itself to the 

 changes in the- weather, skimming close above the surface of 

 the lake, or river, or meadow, along the side of a cliff, a 

 hedge, a paling, or a sheltered avenue of trees. When feeding, 

 it flies with the mouth more or less open, and the capture 

 of an insect is indicated by an audible snap of the bill. It 

 drinks and frequently laves itself while on the wing. The 

 indigestible part of the food is cast up in pellets. 



The utterance of the Swallow in the way of song, though 

 neither powerful or varied, is cheerful and pleasant a pretty 

 warbling, which you like to stop in your walk and listen to. 

 It may be heard very early in the morning, even so soon as 

 from a quarter-past to half-past two, and also very late in 

 the season. Mr. Thompson, of Belfast, has recorded separate 

 instances of his having heard its song, on the 2nd. of Sep- 

 tember, the 10th. of September, and the 13th. of September, 

 in different years. 



In the month of May, about a month after the arrival of 

 the bird, the nest is commenced, and, as imported by one of 

 its trivial names, the inside of a chimney is a common 

 selection, ajid some angle or corner a few feet down is taken 

 advantage of for the support that it affords. The precise 

 situation is frequently resorted to that had been made use 

 of in previous seasons. The nest, which is open at the top, 

 is formed of moist earth, which the bird collects bit by bit 

 in its bill, from the side of a pond or stream, or the middle 

 of a road, as may often be seen: it is moulded into shape, 

 intermixed with straw and grass; and is finally lined with 

 feathers, or such like soft materials. 



Bell turrets are often built in, as also the ledge under the 

 roof of a barn, the inside of the arch of a bridge, the shaft 

 of an old mine or well, unused rooms or passages to which 

 access can be gained, even such as a small orifice in a door 

 affords; any projection of a spout, lintel, beam, or rafter that 

 will serve as a buttress being built upon, a 'coign of vantage:' 

 gateways, and outhouses of every kind are chosen; and I Jbave 

 known a pair to build under the wooden shed of the station 

 at Hutton-upon-Derwent, near Malton, almost within reach 

 of the hand. 



It is curious that in Ireland Mr. Thompson observes that 

 he has never known the Swallow to build in chimneys, which, 



