170 NATURAL HISTORY 



Speaking of the swift * that page says 

 " lis drink the dew ," whereas it should be 

 *' it drinks on the wing;" for all the swal- 

 low kind sip their water as they sweep over 

 the face of pools or rivers : like VirgiTs 

 bees, they drink flying; '' Jlumina suwma 

 lihant.'' In this method of drinking per- 

 haps this genus may be peculiar. 



Of the sedge-birdt be pleased to say it 

 sings most part of the night ; its notes are 

 hurrying, but not unpleasing, and imitative 

 of several birds ; as the sparrow, swallow, 

 sky-lark. When it happens to be silent in 

 the night, by throwing a stone or clod into 

 the bushes where it sits, you immediately 

 set it a singing ; or, in other words, though 

 it slumbers sometimes, yet as soon as it is 

 awakened it reassumes its song. 



* Britisli Zoology, vol. ii. p. 15. + P. 1(), 



