4624 THe ZooLoGIST—SEPTEMBER, 1875. 
Golden Oriole nesting in Kent——JIn the ‘Field’ of October 3, 1874, 
Mr. Harting gave a long account of the nesting of a pair of golden orioles in 
my park during the previous summer. You will be interested to hear that 
this year a pair (whether the same or not I cannot say) have again built a 
nest in my grounds and raised their young. The latter left the nest on the 
28th of June. The old male bird was very bright in colour, being of a 
rich yellow with black wings.—Bankes Tomlin ; Dumpton Park, Thanet.— 
* Field, August 14, 1875. 
Habits of the Chimney Swallow in the United States.—The following 
notes on the habits of the chimney swallow will, I think, be of interest to 
the readers of the ‘ Zoologist.’ The chimney swallows, when performing 
their migrations, often assemble to the number of several thousands, and 
take possession of the trunk of some venerable tree which has been hollowed 
out either by fire or by natural decay. Here they continue to roost for 
many nights in succession before dispersing to the various parts of the 
country where they are accustomed to breed. Audubon thus describes a 
rendezvous of this kind, which was tenanted by about eight thousand or 
nine thousand swallows at one time :—‘ Immediately after my arrival at 
Louisville, in the state of Kentucky, I became acquainted with the late hos- 
pitable and amiable Major William Croghan and his family. While talking 
one day about birds, he asked me if I had seen the trees in which the 
swallows were supposed to spend the winter, but which they only entered, 
he said, for the purpose of roosting. Answering in the affirmative, I was 
informed that on my way back to town there was a tree remarkable on 
account of the immense numbers that resorted to it, and the place in which 
it stood was described to me. I found it to be a sycamore, nearly destitute 
of branches, sixty or seventy feet high, between seven and eight feet in 
diameter at the base, and about five for the distance of forty feet up, where 
the stump of a broken hollowed branch, about two feet in diameter, made 
out from the main stem. This was the place at which the swallows entered. 
On closely examining the tree I found it hard, but hollow to near the roots. 
It was now about four o'clock in the afternoon in the month of July. 
Swallows were flying over Jeffersonville and Louisville and the woods 
around, but there were none near the tree. I proceeded home, and shortly 
after returned on foot. The sun was going down behind the Silver Hills; 
the evening was beautiful; thousands of swallows were flying closely above 
me; and three or four at a time were pitching into the hole, like bees 
hurrying into their hive. I remained, my head leaning on the tree, 
listening to the roaring noise made within by the birds as they settled and 
arranged themselves until it was quite dark, when I left the place, although 
I was conscious that many more had to enter. I did not pretend to count 
them, for their number was too great, and the birds rushed to the entrance 
so thick as to baffle the attempt, * % + Next morning I was early 
