56 THE BIRDS OF DEVOX. 



In departing from us they reverse their order in arriving, 

 the Swift, usually the last to come, being always the first to 

 go. The 10th of August is an average date for its migra- 

 tion south, a few stragglers are sometimes seen in the early 

 days of September, and there are instances of the Swift 

 having been seen in South Devon as late as November 27th. 

 AVe next lose our delightful little friends the Swallows. 

 About the middle of August the early broods begin to 

 congregate on our house-tops, church-towers, telegraph- 

 wires, or favourite trees, and with much twittering lay 

 down their plans for their approaching exodus. As they 

 arrive by successive flights so they take their departure. 

 A second mustering takes place in the middle of September, 

 when the great body leaves us. In North Devon only a 

 small detachment remains behind to be brought together 

 in October, and any Swallows seen later are due to very 

 late broods not yet strong enough for the long journey to 

 the sunny south. But these soon become exercised in wing 

 and are able to follow their companions. In South Devon 

 numbers of both old and young remain on the coast up to 

 the end of October. The chance Swallows sometimes seen 

 in the winter months are unfortunate weakly laggards 

 compelled by accident or stress of weather to linger in our 

 ungenial climate. The Sand-Martins are seldom seen after 

 September ; but latest of all to leave are usually the House- 

 Martins, which have often eggs in their nest or young 

 nestlings to feed at that date. This pretty little bird will 

 linger on, seeming loath to go, until the chill autumnal 

 winds checking the supply of insect food, and the irresis- 

 tible instinct driving it south, compel it, too, to depart, 

 often at the last moment in a great hurry, and leaving 

 callow young ones to die of starvation in the nests. We 

 have seen numerous House-Martins on the North Devon 

 coast as late as 20th November, a stiff and freezing 



