SWIFT. 
CTPSELUS A PUS. 
% 
Tiie Swift may be observed in most parts of England and Scotland, being distributed more or less plentifully 
over the country from north to south. This species appears, according to my own experience, to fall off in 
numbers in the Northern Highlands ; there is, however, a large colony, which has been established for many 
years, in the Cromarty rocks, overlooking the Moray Eirtli. I also noticed a small party, early in May 18G9, 
near Durness, in Sutherland ; and a week or two later my attention was attracted by a couple of pairs which 
were screaming over the road between Castletown and Dunnct Head, on the north coast of Caithness. 
The time that the Swift passes in these islands does not extend over a longer period than between three 
and four months. Though its visit is so limited in duration, this species appears able to withstand sudden 
changes of temperature far more readily than either the Swallow or Martin, both of whom arrive in this 
country at a considerably earlier date. I am aware that some authors have recorded instances where this 
bird has been captured in a helpless condition during cold and stormy weather ; but not a single Swift has 
e\er come under my observation exhibiting the slightest signs of being incapacitated by wet or cold, though 
Swallows and Martins might be seen on all sides sheltering from the force of the storm. I particularly 
remarked this fact on June 8, 1871, at which date a gale of wind and rain (succeeding several days of cold 
and cutting breezes from the north and east) broke over the Norfolk coast. 
The food of this species is composed entirely of insects. As a rule, the Swift captures its prey at a greater 
elevation than Swallows or Martins. 
I have never observed a Swift settle on the ground ; and it is probable that its nesting-materials (straw 
or grass and a few small feathers) are collected while on wing. Incommoded by its long wings and the 
shortness of its legs, this species seems unable to rise from the ground. I never tried the experiment but once ; 
and then the bird was either incapable or unwilling to make its escape till lifted a short distance into the air. 
Eor breeding-purposes the Swift, for the most part, resorts to cavities under the eaves of houses, or any 
accessible niches and apertures they can discover in churches and other large buildings. In wild localities, 
where situations of this description are wanting, they do not hesitate to make use of fissures and cracks in 
the face of cliffs or precipices. In several localities round the northern coast, and in one instance in a 
remote and rugged Highland glen, I have watched these birds dying up and down the face of the rocks 
without being able to detect any of their nesting-quarters. So rapid are their movements, and so instantaneous 
the evolutions they go through while turning and twisting to and fro in front of the cliffs, that it is almost 
impossible to keep any single specimen in sight. As I previously stated, there is a large colony in the 
Cromarty rocks ; here they may be easily watched from the sands at the foot of the cliffs. 
