THE SWALLOW. 59 



Professor Kalm relates the following anecdote of a 

 Swallow, which he had from good authority. 



A couple of Swallows built their nest in a stable, 

 and the female, having laid her eggs, was about to sit 

 on them. At this time, the male was seen flying 

 about the nest in great agitation, and was heard to 

 utter cries of distress. On going to the nest, the fe- 

 male was found dead, but still sitting on her eggs, and 

 was taken out and thrown away. The male then went 

 himself, and sat on the eggs ; but after remaining 

 there two or three hours, and perhaps finding the 

 confinement disagreeable to him, he went away, and 

 was sometime absent. When he returned, he brought 

 with him another female, who took the place of the 

 dead bird, sat upon the eggs, hatched them, and after- 

 wards fed the young birds until they could provide 

 for themselves. 



The Swallow is mentioned several times in the Ho- 

 ly Scriptures, and in each passage there is a reference 

 to some part of its natural history. 



In the 84th Psalm, the sacred writer has a beautiful 

 allusion to the habit this bird has of building her nest 

 about the dwellings of mankind. " Yea the sparrow 

 hath found an house, and the Swallow a nest for her- 

 self, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, 

 O Lord of hosts, my king and my God." 



This Psalm is thought to have been written at the 

 time when David was obliged to flee before his unnat- 

 ural son Absalom. In this state of exile from his home, 

 and from the house of God, he remembered that the 

 sparrows and swallows were permitted to build their 

 nests about the tabernacle ; and he seems to have en- 



