42 
HIRUNDO AMERICANA. 
blooded animals which are known to become torp' 
during winter, and of which hundreds and thousau*^ 
are found ev'ery season, are subject to the same nhf* 
kept in a suitable room for experiment. How is , . 
with the swallows in this respect? Much power!'’ 
testimony might be produced on this point ; the follovvi''- 
experiments reccmtly made by Mr James Pearson ' 
London, and <;ommunicated by Sir John Trevelyn, B.'*’! 
to Mr Bewick, the celebrated engraver in wood, w 
be sufficient for our present ))urpose, and throw gl** 
light on this part of the subject.* 
“ Five or six of these birds were taken about t'’ 
latter end of August, 1784, in a bat fowling-net at iiigj’ 
They were put separately into small cages, and fed 
nightingale’s food : in about a week or ten days tl'*' 
took food of themselves ; they were then |)ut all togctl? 
into a deep cage, four feet long, with gravel at B 
bottom; a broad shallow pan with water was placed’ 
it, in which they sometimes wa.shcd themselves, 
seemed much strengthened by it. One day Mr Pears'* 
observed, that they went into the n ater n ith unnsllj 
eagerness, hurrying in and out again n»ppatedly "p 
such swiftness as if they hiid been suddenly seized 
a frenzy. Being .anxious to see the i-esult, he left tb^ 
to themselves about half an hour, and, going to 
cage again, found them all hnd<lled together in a cof’’ 
apparently dead ; the cage was then ]»laced at a pror 
distance from the fire, when only two of them retiover? 
and were as healthy as before — the rest died, 
two remaining ones were allowed to H fish themscl’ 
occasionally for a short time only ; but their feet s'* 
after became swelled and inflamed, which Mr PeaP* 
attributed to their perching, and they died ab*. 
Christmas. Thus the first year’s experiment wa-' . 
some me.asure lost. Not discouraged by the failni’f ' 
this, Mr Pearson determined to make a second trial 
succeeding year, from a strong desire of being conviB''’ 
See Bewick’s British Birds, vol. i, p. 254. 
