BRITISH BIRDS. 
261 
is not great, it is difficult of accefs ; the neft is 
compofed of a variety of materials, fuch as dry 
grafs, mofs, hemp, bits of cord, threads of filk and 
linen, fmall flireds of gauze, of mullin, feathers, 
and other light fubftances which they chance to 
find in the fweepings of towns.^ It is difficult to 
conceive how thefe birds, which are never feen to 
alight on the ground, gather thefe materials ; fome 
have fuppofed that they catch them in the air as 
they are carried up by the wind ; others, that they 
raife them by glancing along the furface of the 
ground ; whilft others affert, with more probabili- 
ty, that they often rob the Sparrow of its little 
hoard, and frequently occupy the fame hole after 
driving out the former poffelfor : The female lays 
five white eggs, rather pointed and fpindle-lhaped ; 
the young ones are hatched about the latter end of 
May ; they begin to fly about the middle of June, 
and Ihortly after abandon their nefts — after which 
the parents feem no more to regard them.™ 
Swifts begin to alfemble, previous to their depar- 
ture, early in July ; their numbers daily increafe, 
and large bodies of them appear together; they 
foar higher in the air, with fhriller cries, and fly 
differently from their ufual mode ; — thefe meetings 
continue till towards the middle of Auguft, after 
which they are no more feen. 
* BufFon, 
