248 
SWALLOWS. 
the large masses of ice which hang upon the northern sides 
of the hay until the beginning of August, every breeze from 
which sweeps over the land, chilling the insects, and driving 
them to shelter ; and, when this happens, the Swallows suffer 
severely, and many of their yonug perish. Whereas, in the 
interior of the same country, beyond the reach of these ice- 
blasts, they run no risks, and rear their broods without 
difficulty. 
The quantity of insects devoured by Swallows is far greater 
than most people imagine. On picking up a Swift that had 
been shot, a number of minute flies or beetles, some mutilated, 
and others scarcely injured, were observed crawling out of 
the bird’s mouth : the throat and pouch seemed absolutely 
stuffed with them, and as many were collected as, when 
pressed close, could conveniently he contained in the howl of 
an ordinary tahle-spoon. If nearly examined, a great pro- 
portion of these minute insects will he found of one particular 
sort ; and it is a curious fact, that hy far the greater part, 
indeed we may say, from repeated examinations, all of those 
which suddenly fly into our eyes, when walking or riding, 
are of the same genus ( Staphylinus ), if not the same species 
(Staphylinus hrachypterus), devoured hy Swallows. Most 
persons may have noticed, in the Summer season, a dis- 
agreeable-looking insect, running rather briskly across a sand 
or gravel walk, which, if touched or disturbed, immediately 
throws up its tail, from whence project two formidable -look- 
ing spines ; it appears to have no wings, but it is provided, 
nevertheless, with a pair, most beautifully folded up beneath 
two little short wing-cases ; still, however, these wings are 
disproportioned to the size of the insect, and we may, there- 
fore, reasonably conclude, that it is by no means so active on 
the wing as others with a larger expansion, and consequently 
unable so adroitly to guide itself, and avoid danger ; which 
may account, at the same time, for its being more readily 
seized by the Swallows, and also for its being carried head- 
long into the eye, if the eye happens to be in the line of its 
accidental course. Those who have experienced the annoy- 
ance of these minute intruders, will well remember the 
