THE SWIFT. 65 



Manner of feeding Peculiar voice. 



These birds, when shot while they have young, 

 are found to have a little cluster of insects in 

 their mouths, which they pouch and hold under 

 their tongue. In general, they fly and feed higher 

 in the air than the other species. They also range 

 < to vast distances; for motion is but a slight la- 

 bour to them, endowed as they are with such 

 wonderful powers of wing. Sometimes in the 

 summer, they may, however, be observed hawk- 

 ing very low, for hours together, over pools and 

 streams, in search of the cadew-flies, may-flies, 

 and dragon-flies, that frequent the banks and 

 surface of waters, and which afford them a plen- 

 tiful and succulent nourishment. Sometimes 

 they pursue and strike at birds of prey when 

 they are sailing about in the air; but they do 

 not express so much vehemence and fury on 

 these occasions as the swallows. 



The voice of the swift is a harsh scream ; yet 

 there are few ears to which it is not pleasing, 

 from an agreeable association of ideas, since it is 

 never heard but in the most lovely summer wea- 

 ther. These birds never settle on the ground 

 unless by accident, from the difficulty they have 

 in walking, or rather (as it may be called) in 

 crawling ; but they have a strong grasp with their 

 feet, by which they readily cling to walls and 

 other places they frequent. Their bodies being 

 flat, they can enter a very narrow crevice ; and 

 where they cannot pass on their bellies, they will 

 turn up edgewise to push themselves through. 



TOL. iv. NO. 25. i 





