Notes on the Swallow. 
Ill 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
Notes on the Swallow. 
{Rirundo rustica, Lin.) 
By p. F. M. Galloway. 
This species is one of the most interesting of insect - 
ivorou.s birds to study. 
It is about five years ago that my Swallow died, the 
cause of death was neither disease, nor accident, but sheer 
old age. He was hand reared by me and died at the age of 
seven years and seven months. He was kept in a large 
properly constructed cage, and was allowed out for a couple of 
hours or more wing exercise every day, and I never knew 
him to be out of health at any time, not even during the 
moult. He was always tight in feather, continually in song, 
even in the winter, and in the same perfect cond/tion as he 
would have been in the wild state; his plumage shone like 
satin. 
I certainly think that the age he attained, was probably 
considerably greater than he would have stood a chance of 
reaching in the wild state, for, whilst under my care he 
had no enemies to contend with — birds run far greater risks 
of being killed, in the wild state, than most people are aware 
of. 
There is the chance of being shot by the pot hunter, 
who will shoot at anything he sees; there are also Hawks of 
various species, which I have seen chase small birds and 
catch them in their talons on the wing; there are Owls, 
especially the Brown and the Horned species, which in the 
summer evenings will capture old birds even as large as a 
Thrush, as well as young, as soon as the latter are out of the 
nest and able to perch. 
Then there are the weasels, stoats, rats, cats, hedge- 
hogs and even wood-mice, which will kill off wholesale young 
birds in the nest, especially those situated near or not far 
from the ground. Jays and Magpies will also take them, and 
even attack Tree-creepers' nests, situated behind a piece of 
loose bark of a tree, by splitting open the bark with their 
beaks, and then pulling out the young and devouring them. 
