THE MONKEY FAMILY. 



71 



The air is the only region of exercise for this 

 singular family ; — and when it is at rest, it is found 

 in the hollow of a tree, or in the hole of a wall, or 

 in the thatch of a hut, or cottage. 



It must, by no means, come in contact with the 

 ground. It would perish there. A bat on the 

 ground would be quite as badly off, as a fish out of 

 the water, or as some unfortunate man in chancery. 



The swift too, amongst the birds, has nothing 

 whatever to do with the ground, on account of the 

 formation of its feet and legs. As all its four toes 

 point forwards, it would be very difficult, nay, 

 almost impossible for this bird to maintain a firm 

 hold on the branch of a tree. Pray, who has ever 

 seen a swift sitting or standing upon a tree ? 

 Such a sight, indeed, would be a phenomenon of 

 no ordinary kind, even in this our own age of 

 stupendous marvels. 



On wing, it spends the live-long day ; — on wing, 

 it captures food ; — and on wing it seizes feathers 

 floating in the air, and takes them to its nest, 

 for the purpose of incubation ; and when night 

 sets in, it retires to rest in the holes of towers, 

 and under the eaves of houses, but never on the 

 branches of the trees. 



In addition to the remarks which I formerly 

 made in the " Wanderings " on the habits of the 



