iK2 NATURAL HISTORY 
forth all it's powers. In hot mornuigs feveral, gettin g together in 
little parties, dalli round the (Iceples and churches, fqueaking as 
ihe}^ go in a very clamorous manner : thefe, by nice obfervers, are 
fuppofed to be males ferenading their fitting hens ; and not with- 
out reafon, fince they feldom fqueak till they come clofe to the 
walls or eaves, and fince thofe within utter at the fame time a little 
inward note of complacency. 
When the hen has fat hard all day, (he rullies forth juft as it is 
almofh dark, and ftretches and relieves her weary limbs, and fnatches 
a fcanty meal for a few minutes, and then returns to her duty of 
incubation. Swifts, when wantonly and cruelly fhot while they 
have young, difcovcr a little lump of infeds in their mouths, 
which they pouch and hold under their tongue. In general they 
feed in a much higher diftrift than the other fpecies ; a proof that 
gnats and other infefts do alfo abound to a confiderable height in 
the air : they alfo range to vaft diftances ; fince loco-motion is no 
labour to them, who are endowed with fuch wonderful powers of 
wing. Their powers feem to be in proportion to their leavers ; 
and their wings are longer in proportion than thofe of almoft any 
other bird. When they mute, or cafe themfelves in flight, they 
raife their wings, and make them m.ect over their backs. 
At fome certain times in the fummer I had remaiked that fwifts 
were hawking very low for hours together over pools and ftreams; 
and could not help inquiring into the objecl of their purfuit that 
induced them to defcend fo much below their ufual range. After 
fome trouble, I found that they were taking pbrygdnco', ephemerae, 
and libelluU (cadcw-flies, may-flies, and dragon-flies) that were jufl: 
emerged out of their aurelia ftate. I then no longer wondered that 
the)' fliould be fo willing to fl:oop for a prey that afforded them fuch 
plentiful and fucculent nourilhment. 
They 
