BRITISH BIRDS. 
* 49 
country, will foon be convinced to what a degree 
our atmofphere would be choked with them, were 
it not for the friendly interpofition of the Swallow 
tribe.”* Not many attempts have been made to 
preferve Swallows alive during the winter, and of 
thefe, few have fucceeded. The following experi- 
ments, by Mr James Pearfon of London, commu- 
nicated to us by Sir John Trevelyan, Bart, are 
highly intereliing, and throw great light upon the 
natural hiftory of the Swallow ; we fhall give them 
nearly in. Mr Pearfon’s own words. 
u Five or fix of thefe birds were taken about 
the latter end of Auguft, 1784, in a bat fowling 
net at night ; they were put feparately into fmall 
cages, and fed with Nightingale’s food : In about a 
week or ten days they took the food of themfelves ; 
they were then put all together into a deep cage, 
four feet long, with gravel at the bottom ; a broad 
{hallow pan with water was placed in it, in which 
they fometimes walked themfelves, and feerned 
much {Lengthened by it. One day Mr Pearfon 
obferved that they went into the water with un- 
ufual eagernefs, hurrying in and out again repeat- 
edly, with fuch fwiftnefs as if they had been fudden- 
ly feized with a frenzy. Being anxious to fee the 
refult, he left them to themfelves about half an 
hour, and on going to the cage again, found them 
all huddled together in a corner of the cage, appa- 
* White’s Selborne. 
