OP SELBORNE. 289 



all the swallows and martins about him ; 

 who pursue in a body, and buffet and strike 

 their enemy till they have driven him from 

 the village, darting down from above on his 

 back, and rising in a perpendicular line in 

 perfect security. This bird also will sound 

 the alarm, and strike at cats when they 

 climb on the roofs of houses, or otherwise 

 approach the nests. Each species of hi- 

 rundo drinks as it flies along, sipping the 

 surface of the water; but the swallow alone, 

 in general, washes on the wing, by dropping 

 into a pool for many times together : in 

 very hot weather house-martins and bank- 

 martins dip and wash a little. 



The swallow is a delicate songster, and 

 in soft sunny weather sings both perching 

 and flying ; on trees in a kind of concert, 

 and on chimney tops : is also a bold flyer, 

 ranging to distant downs and commons 

 even in windy weather, which the other 

 species seem much to dislike ; nay, even 

 frequenting exposed sea-port towns, and 

 makinglittle excursions over the salt-water. 

 Horsemen on wide downs are often closely 



VOL. I. u 



