BIRDS MENTIONED BY ARISTOTLE. 243 



" The thrushes, like the chelidones, make their nests of mud." 

 (Ibid. vi. 1, 3.) 



" The chelidon, to a greater extent than carnivorous birds, 

 nests twice a year." (Ibid. vi. 5.) 



" Many birds hybernate and do not all depart for warm 

 localities, as some say, but those which are near places such as 

 those in which they are resident migrate thither, as, for instance, 

 the kites and chelidones ; those which are farther away from such 

 places do not migrate, but hide themselves. For many cheli- 

 dones, entirely stripped of feathers, have been seen in the 



valleys Some of the wood-pigeons hybernate ; others do 



not, but migrate with the chelidones." (Ibid. viii. 18.) 



" On the whole, many other animals may be regarded as 

 imitating man in their modes of life, and a precision of purpose 

 may be seen more among the smaller than the larger animals, 

 as, first of all among birds, the building of its nest by the cheli- 

 don. For it combines mud with straws in the same way, since it 

 intimately mixes mud with straws, and, if mud is not available, 

 the chelidon, having wetted itself, rolls with its wings in the dust. 

 Besides, the chelidon uses straws just as men do, first placing the 

 rough ones below, and making [its nest] proportional in size to 

 its own bulk. Both [cock and hen] work hard to rear their 

 young." (Ibid. ix. 8, 1.) 



" We have before stated that the apodes, which some call 

 cypselloi, are like the chelidones ; for it is not easy to distinguish 

 [the apous] from chelidon, except that it has its metatarsus rough 

 [=hairy, or perhaps feathery]. These hatch out their young in 

 deep receptacles moulded from mud, having an entrance of suit- 

 able size. They build their nests in a narrow place under rocks 

 and caves, so that they avoid both wild animals and men." 

 (Ibid. ix. 21, 1.) 



" Both the wasps and the titmice, and also chelidon and 

 the bee-eater, injure them [the bees] very much." (Ibid. ix. 

 27, 16.) 



" Some birds hatch out imperfect and blind young ones, 

 these birds being such as are prolific and not large, such as the 

 crow, magpie, sparrow, and chelidon. ,, (' Generation of Animals,' 

 iv. 6.) 



(The extracts given from Aristotle's ' History of Animals ' 



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