- 9-i • On the Retreat of SimUoivs in Winto 



Avrote me furtlicr — that Captain Polycariuis Eclson of' Bridge- 

 water, mercliant, gave him the following account, the truth 

 of which Mr. Orcutt does not >scri"iple, viz. That he, Captain 

 Edson, being at a place called Egg Harbour, in the month 

 of February, about seventeen years ago, observed a large ee- 

 dar blown down, near his work, which raised a root pro^^or- 

 tioned to its trunk. The next day, being the remarkably 

 cold^ Sabbath, which many among us have sufficient reason 

 to remember, in company with another man, now living in 

 a neighbouring state, he went to this tree, and found a 

 large number of house swallows sticking in the mud of the 

 root, and in that from which the root was torn. The weath- 

 er was so extremely severe, that such as were naked, wholly 

 uncovered, were not only torpid, but frozen. Prompted by 

 curiosity, they dug into the mud, which the root had left; 

 and found, as he expressed it, swallows as thick as one could 



lie by the side of another. Taking one that was not frozen, 

 they carried it to their temporary cottage, and laid it by a 

 fire. The little bird, as if February and May had exchang- 

 ed places, soon perceived the difference of air, began to move ; 

 balance her wings ; and to resume her natural activity : 

 but the experiment, being attended with som^ difficulty, 

 was given up with this observation, "with a little attention, 



she would undoubtedly fly in an hour or two." 



Since the receipt of Mr. Orcutt's letter, I have seen Cap- 

 tain Edson. He , related these flicts to me nearly in the 

 same manner; and, in some instances, used the same terms 

 and phrases contained in the letter. He added, that by 



whtit they saw, there must have been bushels of swallows 



wlilcli 



