THE COMMON SWIFT. 1 93 



differs very considerably. In corroboration of 

 this it has been shown that anglers have re- 

 peatedly captured these birds with artificial 

 trout-flies of very different appearance.' Isaak 

 Walton informs us that Swifts were in his time 

 taken in Italy with rod and line ; and, according 

 to Washington Irving, one of the sports of the 

 Alhambra was angling for swallows from its 

 lofty towers.'' There are several species of 

 Swifts distributed throughout the world, but 

 only two visit the British Islands, and of these 

 one is but a rare and accidental visitant. 



The Common Swift is the last of the Hiru7t- 

 dims to arrive in this country, and the first to 

 leave it. Its habits are very different from 

 those of the Swallows. As a rule it makes no 

 nest, but only lines a hole, into which it creeps ; 

 it lays but two eggs (rarely three), instead of 

 five or six like the Swallows ; it rears but one 

 brood in the summer, instead of two, or even 

 three, as Swallows often do. The late Mr. J. 



1 Thompson, " Nat. Hist. Ireland" (Birds), i. p. 377. 

 ' Irving, "Tales of the Alhambra.'' 



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