238 HIRUNDINID.E. 



afternoon and towards evening many more arrived, and 

 continued flying about the ship in considerable numbers. 

 A few Martins appeared this morning, and remained 

 through the early part of the day, confining their flight to 

 the lee-side of the ship ; in the afternoon still more were 

 seen hawking about in company with Swallows : as flies 

 were numerous, they probably obtained plenty of food ; at 

 four in the afternoon all this species were gone." 



Other British birds seen were the Bee-eater, Black- 

 headed Bunting, Chiff Chaff, Glossy Ibis, Golden Oriole, 

 Hoopoe, Nightjar, Quail, Eedstart, Turtle Dove, Wagtail, 

 Wheatear, Whitethroat, both species, Willow Wren, 

 Woodchat, and Wryneck. " All the birds seen on migra- 

 tion bore right on in the course they had come, whether 

 they rested temporarily on the vessel or otherwise. They 

 all came from a southerly direction, either due south, 

 south-west, or south-east. The wind was moderate, the 

 weather fine and dry during the whole passage, so that all 

 the species we saw were in the ordinary course of migration, 

 and none driven to the ship by any stress of weather." 



Arrived in this country, Swallows seem to prefer those 

 habitations of man which are in the vicinity of water, 

 whether of river or lake, probably as affording a greater 

 abundance, as well as variety, of the winged insect food 

 upon which they entirely subsist. These are sought for in 

 the air during the greater part of the day, the power of 

 flight enjoyed by these birds, and indeed by all the species 

 of this interesting family, enabling them to remain on the 

 wing for hours in succession in pursuit of their prey, with- 

 out any apparent lassitude. In May the situation for the 

 nest is chosen, and this, as one of the names of the bird 

 will imply, is most frequently a few feet down an unused 

 chimney, the bird taking advantage of any angle or de- 



