85 REMARKS ON THE 
effect, several nests of both kinds were found to con- 
tain dead young ones. Satisfied that a fact of such 
frequent occurrence could not, with any degree of 
probability, be ascribed to accident, and convinced 
that the intentional desertion of their progeny by the 
parent birds afforded the only adequate explanation 
of it which was admissible, no further inquiry into 
the matter took place till November 1825. On the 
19th of that month, an fntelligent person, to whom I 
am indebted for numerous interesting communica- 
tions relative to the natural productions of the neigh- 
bourhood in which he resides, assured me the sus- 
picion I had formerly intimated to him, that House- 
Martins frequently leave their last-hatched broods to 
die of hunger in the nest, was perfectly well founded. 
Having narrowly watched the proceedings of those 
birds, many of which breed annually under the eaves 
of a large barn situated near his house in the chapelry 
of Blakeley, the result of his investigation, he informed 
me, was the complete confirmation of my supposition 
by the most unequivocal proof, namely that obtained 
directly from personal observation of the fact ; and 
he did not doubt, he remarked, that dead nestlings 
might then be procured in abundance, if I would 
take the trouble to have the nests at the barn exa- 
mined. This suggestion was acted upon without 
delay : repairing directly to the place, a ladder was 
quickly provided, and fourteen nests underwent a 
careful inspection ; of these, five were found to con- 
