246 
SWALLOWS. 
towards the close of the season, and better prepared for a 
Winter’s sleep : and that this, to a certain degree, is the 
case, may he collected from the following statement : — “ On 
the 22nd of September, at about seven o’clock in the morning, 
with a drizzling cold rain, and wind easterly, a vast number 
of Chimney- Swallows were observed hovering over or resting 
on a house, in the south of England ; in the course of the 
morning, large flocks continued to join this main body. The 
appearance of the whole was, however, very lethargic and 
moping ; and so tame were many, that they were taken by 
hand from the window-sills on which they had perched. For 
experiment’s sake, our informant put his arm out of an 
attic-story window, and in a short time one of them settled 
on his hand ; he withdrew it, expecting the bird would fly 
off, but there it remained, giving him ample time to examine 
it more narrowly. Its eyes appeared nearly shut, its wings 
and tail drooping, and its whole frame in a torpid state. 
Finding some force necessary to take it from his hand, he 
had the curiosity to whirl it round several times, hut to no 
purpose, the only exertion of the bird used being a languid 
expansion of the wings for preserving its seat, which it did 
by grasping its claws so firmly as to draw blood from the 
hand. In the course of the day he collected twenty, con- 
fining them at large in a room. 
“ On their first introduction they perched themselves on 
various parts, and appeared as languid as their neighbours 
out of doors. In a short time, one, which had placed itself 
on the mantel-piece, near a small fire, was observed to become 
more lively, moving its head with a good deal of animation, 
and seeming to enjoy the warmth. On this the fire was in- 
creased, and the air in the room considerably warmed; on 
which the little prisoners soon became more sprightly, and 
flew about the room as rapidly as on a Summer’s day in the 
open air. Between eight and nine o’clock the main body 
went off, with the exception of five or six, and were absent 
for about two hours, when they returned in seemingly greater 
numbers than before, and remained till the following morning, 
when, between nine and ten o’clock, there appeared a great 
