222 THE RECTORY AND ITS BIRDS 



than the fall of that immemorial " raven- tree," to 

 which the mother bird clung faithfully, till she was 

 "whipped down by the twigs and brought dead to 

 the ground." 



The swift arrives so late, about the roth of 

 May, and departs so early, about the loth of 

 August, that, once landed here, he has no time to 

 waste, like the swallow or the martin, in looking 

 about him. But how does he get the materials for 

 his nest ? He is under strange disabilities in this 

 respect ; he can neither perch upon a tree, nor 

 stand upon the ground, nor walk a yard. He can 

 hardly even crawl, and if he once touches the 

 ground by accident, it is a question whether he 

 ever will be able to rise again. The Alpine swift, 

 which builds, it is said, to the number of two 

 hundred in Berne Cathedral, has the difficulty 

 solved for him by the kindly keeper of the tower, 

 who makes it his business to scatter broadcast 

 into the air, during the building season, feathers, 

 and horsehair, and bits of paper, which are caught 

 up in mid-air, in eager rivalry, by the swifts 

 careering round, and are promptly carried to their 

 holes. I have watched our native swifts for hours, 

 and have never seen them catch a feather in the 

 air, or carry it or any other building material into 



