364 CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 
three minutes ; that, at my request, the chimney had been exan.ned 
from above; but that, as far down, at least, as nine feet, it contained 
no nests; though, at a former period, it is certain that their nests 
were very numerous there, so that the chimney was almost choked, 
and a sweep could with difficulty get up it. But then it was observed 
that their place of nocturnal retirement was in another quarter of the 
town. “On the whole,” continues Mr. Churchman, “I am of opinion 
that those who continue to roost at the court-house are male birds, or 
such as are not engaged in the business of incubation, as that opera- 
tion is going on in almost every unoccupied chimney in town. It is 
reasonable to suppose, if they made use of that at the court-house for 
this purpose, at least some of their nests would appear towards the 
top, as we find such is the case where but few nests are in a place.” 
In a subsequent letter Mr. Churchman writes as follows: —“ After 
the young brood produced in the different chimneys in Easton had 
taken wing, and a week or ten days previous to their total disappear- 
ance, they entirely forsook the court-house chimney, and rendezvoused, 
in accumulated numbers, in the southernmost chimney of John Ross’s 
mansion, situated perhaps one hundred feet north-eastward of the 
court-house. In this last retreat I several times counted more than 
two hundred go in of an evening, when I could not perceive a single 
bird énter the court-house chimney. I was much diverted one eve- 
ning on seeing a cat, which came upon the roof of the house, and 
placed herself near the chimney, where she strove to arrest the birds 
as they entered, without success: she at length ascended to the chim- 
ney top and took her station, and the birds descended in gyrations 
without. seeming to regard grimalkin, who made frequent attempts to 
grab them. 1 was pleased to see that they all escaped her fangs. 
About the first week in the ninth month, [September,] the birds quite 
disappeared ; since which I have not observed a single individual. 
Though I was not so fortunate as to be present at their general assem- 
bly and council, when they concluded to take their departure, nor did 
I see them commence their flight, yet I am fully persuaded that none 
of them remain in any of our chimneys here. I have had access to 
Ross’s chimney, where they last resorted, and could see the lights out 
from bottom to top, without the least vestige or appearance of any 
birds. Mary Ross also informed me, that they have had their chim- 
neys swept previous to their making fires, and, though late in autumn, 
no birds have been found there. Chimneys, also, which have not been 
used, have been ascended by sweeps in the winter without discovering 
any. Indeed, all of them are swept every fall and winter, and I have 
never heard of the Swallows being found, in either a dead, living, or 
torpid state. As to the court-house, it has been occupied as a place 
of worship two or three times a-week for several] weeks past, and at 
those times there has been fire in the stoves, the pipes of them going 
into the chimney, which is shut up at bottom by brick work; and, as 
the birds had forsaken that place, it remains pretty certain that they 
did not return there; and, if they did, the smoke, I think, would be 
deleterious to their existence, especially as I never knew them to 
resort to kitchen chimneys where fire was kept in the summer. 1| 
think I have noticed them enter such chimneys for the purpose of 
exploring; but I have also noticed that they immediately ascended, 
and went off, on finding fire and smoke.” 
