82 



SWALLOW, 



only recovered, and were as healthy as before — ^ 

 the rest died ; the two remaining ones were al- 

 lowed to wash themselves occasionally for a short 

 time only, but their feet soon after became swelled 

 and inflamed, which was attributed to their perch- 

 ing, and they died about Christmas. Thus the 

 first year's experiments were in some measure lost. 

 Not discouraged by the failure of this, Mr. Pear- 

 son determined to make a second trial the suc- 

 ceeding year, from a strong desire of being con- 

 vinced of the truth respecting their going into a 

 state of torpidity. Accordingly the next season 

 having taken some more birds, he put them into 

 the cage, and in every respect pursued the same 

 methods as with the last ; but to guard their feet 

 from the bad effects of the damp and cold, he 

 covered the perches with flannel, and had the 

 pleasure to observe that the birds throve extremely 

 well. They sang their song through the winter, 

 and soon after Christmas began to moult, which 

 they got through without any difliculty, and lived 

 three or four years, regularly moulting every year 

 at the usual time. On the renewal of their fea- 

 thers, it appeared that their tails were forked ex- 

 actly the same as in those birds which return 

 hither in the spring, and in every respect their ap- 

 pearance was the same. These birds were exhibited 

 to the Society for promoting Natural History, ou 

 the I4th Feb. 1786, at the time when they were 

 in a deep moult, during a severe frost, when the 

 snow was on the ground. They died at last in the 

 summer, from neglect during a long illness which 



