STRAND—SWALLOW. 231 
SURF-SCOTER [No. 311]. The name occurs in Fleming (1828), 
who recorded it from the Orkneys and Shetlands. Surf- 
duck, a Scottish name for the COMMON SCOTER (from 
its habit of diving for food among the breakers) is perhaps 
the origin of this species’ name. 
SwaBieE: The GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. (Orkney 
and Shetland.) Swainson spells it “‘ Swarbie.” 
SWALLOW [No. 195]. From A.Sax. Swalewe. The name occurs 
in Turner (1544) as “Swallowe”’ and in Barlow’s plates 
(1655) as “Swallow.” Merrett and Willughby call it 
the “‘ House-Swallow.” This is one of the birds held in 
veneration in many parts of England, it being usually 
considered unlucky to kill one, this belief prevailing in 
Sussex, Hampshire, Yorkshire and other counties, as well as 
in parts of Scotland, but in some parts of England and 
more certainly in Ireland we do not find the belief prevailing, 
in fact the bird is locally called “* devil’s bird,” the belief 
being that ‘“‘ on everyone’s head there is a particular hair 
which if the Swallow can pluck off dooms the wretched 
individual to eternal perdition”’ (Dyer). In connexion 
with its veneration the Magyar belief may be mentioned 
that if one is killed the cows’ milk will turn to blood, a 
precisely similar belief prevailing in this country regarding 
the Robin (q.v.). A Cornish custom is to jump on seeing 
the first Swallow in spring. In some parts of England, 
April 15th is called “Swallow day,” because Swallows are 
thought to appear at that date. The old saying “ One 
Swallow does not make a Summer ”’ was originally a Greek 
proverb but is found in most European languages. The 
proverb appears to originate with Aristotle, who says, 
“One Swallow does not make a Summer, nor one fine day.” 
Willughby, however, uses the expression ‘“‘ One Swallow 
makes not a Spring,” and says the origin appears to lie in 
the bird being universally regarded as the herald of spring. 
Swallow-songs to welcome the coming of March and _ the 
Swallows still prevail among the children in Greece, where 
they are of great antiquity. To Aristotle may also be 
traced the belief, which was formerly very generally held, 
that Swallows hibernated in hollow places in winter. A 
Cornish belief of comparatively modern times was that they 
spent the winter in disused tin mines and holes in the cliffs, 
etc. Gilbert White of Selborne was a strong believer in the 
hibernation of the Swallow tribe, and Col. Montagu a partial 
believer. In the Introduction to his celebrated ‘‘ Ornith- 
ological Dictionary” (p. xxvii) he says that “ torpidity 
