THE SWALLOW. 



Hirundo rustica. 

 (lowest ica. 



WING undoubtedly to the par- 

 tially domesticated habits of the 

 Swallow, and the confidence it 

 reposes in man, this pretty and 

 graceful bird enjoys a greater 

 immunity from ill-treatment or 

 interference than is accorded to 

 the majority of the feathered 

 tribes. So thoroughly is the 

 Swallow identified with our 

 ideas of summer, that a picture 

 of English summer life without 

 a Swallow would be almost as 

 incomplete as a winter scene 

 without the traditional Robin 

 Redbreast. 



The flight of the Swallow 

 has always been the subject of 

 admiration, every movement 

 seeming to be the embodiment 

 of vigour and grace ; and it is 

 impossible for any one to watch 

 the evolutions of the bird, as 

 it skims along the surface of 



