THE SWALLOW. 57 



THE BARN SWALLOW. 



The colour of this well known little bird along the 

 back, is steel blue ; the wings and tail are black, and 

 the under parts brownish red. Its length is seven 

 inches, and with its wings spread, it is thirteen inches 

 in extent. 



The Swallow inhabits almost every part of the 

 world. In this country it migrates as the seasons 

 change, leaving us in the fall, and returning again in 

 the spring. 



Just before these birds disappear, they assemble in 

 vast flocks, and settle on the tops of houses and trees, 

 and particularly on the steeples of churches. From 

 these places they take their flight, and in the course of 

 a day or two after they begin to assemble, not a single 

 one is to be seen. 



The sudden manner in which they disappear, to- 

 gether with the fact that flocks of them are seen about 

 mill ponds, before they set out on their journey, has made 

 some people believe, that Swallows go into the mud, 

 and there lie in a torpid state during the winter. In 

 proof of this it is said that these birds have been found 

 under the water at the bottoms of ponds in the winter, 

 and that on warming them, they have revived from 

 their torpid state, and flown away. 



It is believed, however, that these birds are incapa- 

 ble of living under the water, and therefore that such 

 stories must be without foundation. The extreme ra- 

 pidity with which they fly, would enable them to pass 

 from one country to another, in a very short time 



while the manner in which they live, that of catching 

 6* 



