The Zoologist— April, 1868. 1169 



he succeeded in contracting his wings and pointing them downward, 

 like a hay-fork ; he then rose higher, spread them out, and sailed right 

 into the wind's eye, as powerful as an old gray gull. The gale was 

 too strong for the swallow and martins. 



July 23 and 24. Young swifts out hawking with the old, about 

 Yanbro' fields. I saw no more of them ; food was too scarce, so they 

 left directly for a more hospitable clime. 



July 25. Seven swifts, some of them young, about Eltham church- 

 yard. The swifts at the east of Eltham had all left. Young swifts 

 coidd still be heard chirping in the roof of the house in the church- 

 yard. 



July 28. Young swallows and martins out in force. 



July 31. Six swifts at Eltham. 



August 5. Three swifts at Eltham ; did not expect to see any. 



August 10. Sat in Eltham church-yard and counted nine swifts, old 

 and young. I watched them a long time, thinking as I had seen the 

 first of them I might now see the last. I thought once they had all 

 started on their return, but they came back ; it was too misty on the 

 river to see their way. 



August 12. But one swift left at Eltham, and it was hawking with 

 the house martins round the church. The other swifts must have left 

 on the previous day. The swifts have generally left by the last day 

 of July, when I have for years seen them congregating on the Sussex 

 coast preparatory to crossing the channel. 



August 13. Saw a* whole family of whinchats near the top of the 

 hill, each perched on a tall twig. It was an excellent opportunity of 

 noticing the variation in the plumage of old and young, male and 

 female. In passing- through the dark shady castle wood a nightjar 

 flew across the path. 1 saw no other bird of any kind. The single 

 swift was hawking with two house martins about Eltham church. One 

 house martin never left the swift; wherever the swift went there went 

 the house martin : a friendly couple. 



August 17. Not a swift to be seen. The Eltham swallows and 

 martins in reduced numbers. I bid farewell to the swifts, the fastest 

 friends I have; and with watching their rapid, graceful, joyous flight, 

 I am so delighted I never tire. Much of the excellent wheat was 

 left standing so long after it was dead ripe that the sparrows attacked 

 it in great numbers. All the sparrows from Deptford, Greenwich and 

 Woolwich appeared to have migrated to the corn-fields : they gave a 

 decided preference to the white wheat: for some yards next the 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. III. U 



