[ i99 J 
For a time the young are fed, on the wing, by 
their parents j but the feat is done by fo quick, and 
almoft imperceptible, a flight, that a perfon mud 
have attended very exactly to their motions, before he 
would be able to perceive it. As foon as the young 
are able to fhift for themfelves, the dams imme- 
diately turn their thoughts to the buflnefs of a fecond 
brood ; while the firfl: flight, fhaken off and re- 
jected by their nurfes, congregate in great flocks, 
and are the birds that are feen cluttering and hover- 
ing, on funny mornings and evenings, round towers 
and fteeples, and on the roofs of churches and 
houfes. Thefe congregatings ufually take place 
firfl, about the firfl week in Auguft j and therefore 
we may conclude, that, by that time, the fiift flight 
is pretty well over. 
It has been obferved, that martins ufually build to 
a N. E. or N. W. afpeCt, that the heat of the Sun 
may not crack and deflroy their nefls ; but infiances 
are alfo remembered, where they bred for many 
years, in vaft abundance, in a hot ftifled inn-yard, 
againfl a wall facing to the S.W. and W. Birds in 
general are wife in their choice of fltuation ; but, in 
this neighbourhood, every fummer, is feen a ftrong 
proof to the contrary, at an houfe without caves, in 
an expofed fpot ; where fome martins build, year by 
year, in the corners of the windows; but, as the 
corners of thefe windows, winch face to the S.S.E. 
and S.W. are too fhallow, the nefls are wafhed 
down every hard rain ; and yet thefe birds drudge on 
to no purpofe, from fummer to fummer, without 
changing their aipeof or houfe. It is piteous to fee 
them labouring and bringing dirt, when half their 
neA 
