108 
MIGRATION AND FLIGHT. 
noblemans bouse in Scotland. A pair of Swallows, 
a few years ago, built their nest upon the top bar of 
a clothes-screen in the porters lodge, which was 
hung up against the wall ; the young ones were 
hatched, and flew away; the nest was suffered to 
remain, and upon the first appearance of Swallows 
the year after, a male bird again entered the apart- 
ment, and took a survey of the premises. Having 
satisfied himself, he went off, but soon returned with 
a companion, which at first appeared very shy and 
timid, but in a short time acquired as much assu- 
rance as its mate. They both forthwith set about 
building a new nest on a small ledge, which had 
been prepared for them, as near as possible to the 
place where that on the clothes screen had been 
built, and which had been destroyed, as while it re- 
mained, the screen was of course useless to the 
family. 
In this nest three broods were reared as before, 
notwithstanding the almost constant presence of the 
porter and his wife, who lived and slept in the 
room. In the spring of the third year, the male 
again made his appearance with another mate, evi- 
dently much younger than its predecessor. The old 
nest on the ledge was examined, but for some 
reason the birds were not satisfied with its situation, 
and as the clothes screen was hanging in the same 
situation it had occupied the first year, after a couple 
of days’ hesitation, they constructed a new nest on 
the favourite screen, and the business of hatching 
and rearing the young ones went regularly on. The 
male bird, indeed, seemed to have acquired increased 
confidence, never manifesting alarm at the number 
