i6 THE SWALLOW 



and so great confidence in him that she 

 dwells not only in the eaves and porticoes of 

 his palaces and in the porches of his houses, 

 but she penetrates even to his bedchambel 

 and establishes herself upon his bed. This 

 I saw, myself, many times, in the city and in 

 the country, but more often in the country. 

 I saw those good people, visited by this 

 chosen creature of the good God, surround- 

 ing the bird families with every care, opening 

 the windows in the morning to let the parent 

 birds go out and gather food, tolerating the 

 filth they made .iu the room, upon the furni- 

 ture and the bedclothing, and spending hours 

 together in observing and showing to others 

 the doings of the old birds, the number of 

 the young and the progress of their educa- 

 tion. And what I saw took place every- 

 where here." ^ 

 Let us now look at the baby swallows. 

 Four or five little heads are peeping over the 

 edge of the nest, while a lively chirping from 

 all the little throats in concert announces the 



