CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 55 



of June he particularly observed their reascension, which took place 

 at a quarter past four, or twenty minutes before sun-rise, and that 

 they passed out in less than three minutes. That at my request the 

 chimney had been examined from above ; but that as far down at 

 least as nine feet, it contained no nests ; tho 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 retire- 

 ment was in another quarter of the town. " On the whole," con- 

 tinues Mr. Churchman, " I am of opinion, that those who continue 

 to roost at the court-house are male birds, or such as are not en- 

 gaged in the business of incubation, as that operation 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 pur- 

 pose, 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 Eas- 

 ton had taken wing, and a week or ten days previous to their total 

 disappearance, they entirely forsook the court house chimney, and 

 rendezvoused in accumulated numbers in the southernmost chim- 

 ney of John Rosses mansion, situated perhaps one hundred feet 

 northeastward 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 enter the court-house chimney. I 

 was much diverted one evening 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 chimney top and took her station, and 

 the birds descended in gyrations without seeming to regard grimal- 

 kin, who made frequent attempts to grab them. I 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 



