THE SWALLOW TRIBE. 335 



song. Of the common Swallow,* White, of Sel- 

 borne, remarks : " He is a delicate songster, and 

 in soft sunny weather sings both perching and 

 flying; on trees, in a kind of concert, or on 

 chimney-tops;" and though he who would make 

 sure of hearing the swallow had need be an early 

 riser, yet the low soft warble may be heard too of 

 an evening, as E/ichard Howitt says : 



" We heard amid the day -break 



Thy twitter blithe and sweet; 

 In life's auspicious morning, 



The precious and the fleet : 

 We saw thee lightly skimming 



O'er fields of summer flowers, 

 And heard thy song of inward bliss 



Through evening's golden hours," 



Nor is it uninteresting to mark the busy swallows 

 in October, when they are preparing to migrate. 

 For many days they may be seen, gradually 

 gathering in greater numbers, sometimes in some 

 tall trees, at others thickening over the walls, or 



* The Swallow is eight inches in length, of which the outer 

 tail-feathers measure five. Whole upper parts steel-blue; wings 

 and tail black ; all the tail-feathers, except the middle pair, 

 marked with white on their inner webs; forehead, chin, and 

 throat chestnut, bounded below by a band of blue; under parts 

 buff- white ; beak and feet black. 



