278 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



throughout the county : it is moderately early in its 

 arrival, being always here by the middle of April, 

 and sometimes considerably earlier, for I have a note 

 of having seen one at Wells, in the year 1866, as 

 early as the 3rd of April, and here on the 5th ; in 

 1867 I noted the appearance of a Swallow here on 

 the 4th : all my previous notes are a week later at 

 least. In the year 1867 they made a peculiarly long 

 stay, from the 5th of April to the 28th of November, 

 on which day I saw two hawking for flies over one 

 of my fields. 



The food of the Swallow consists entirely of insects 

 of various sorts, which it for the most part takes 

 on the wing, and in the untiring pursuit of which it 

 passes the whole of the day, from the earliest dawn 

 to quite late in the evening. Though almost in- 

 variably taking its food on the wing it may some- 

 times, in very wet weather, be seen searching for 

 prey on foot : at such times I have seen these birds 

 waddling about the muddy gravel-walks in a most 

 awkward manner, looking for flies which had been 

 beaten down to the ground or only just able to^rise 

 above it : on such occasions they present a great con- 

 trast to the active sprightly Water Wagtail. This 

 mode of feeding in wet weather, as well as the clum- 

 siness of the Swallow when on the ground, has been 

 noticed, in the c Zoologist' for 1866, by Mr. Blake- 

 Knox, in which note this gentleman also observes 

 that the occasional dipping of Swallows, which every 



