CHIMNEY SWALLOW. 
29 
a short time after sunset, the chimney swallows, 
which were generally dispersed about town, began to 
collect around the court-house, their numbers every 
moment increasing, till, like motes in the sunbeams, the 
air seemed full of them. These, while they mingled 
amongst each other seemingly in every direction, utter- 
ing their peculiar note with great sprightliness, kept a 
regular circuitous sweep around the top of the court- 
house, and about fourteen or fifteen feet above it, 
revolving with great rapidity for the space of at least 
ten minutes. There could not be less than four or five 
hundred of them. They now gradually varied their 
line of motion, until one part of its circumference passed 
immediately over the chimney, and about five or six 
feet above it. Some as they passed made a slight feint 
of entering, which was repeated by those immediately 
after, and by the whole circling multitude in succes- 
sion; in this feint they approached nearer and nearer 
at every revolution, dropping perpendicularly, but still 
passing over ; the circle meantime becoming more and 
more contracted, and the rapidity of its revolution 
greater, as the dusk of evening increased, until, at 
length, one, and then another, dropped in, another and 
another followed, the circle still revolving until the 
whole multitude had descended except one or two. 
These flew off, as if to collect the stragglers, and, in a 
few seconds, returned, with six or eight more, which, 
after one or two rounds, dropped in one by one, and 
all was silence for the night. It seemed to me hardly 
possible that the internal surface of the vent could 
accommodate them all, without clustering on one ano- 
ther, which I am informed they never do ; and I was 
very desirous of observing their ascension in the morn- 
ing, but having to set off before day, I had not that 
gratification. Mr Churchman, however, to whom I 
have since transmitted a few queries, has been so 
obliging as to inform me, that towards the beginning 
of June the number of those that regularly retired to 
the court-house to roost, was not more than one-fourth 
of the former ; that on the morning of the 2Sd of June, 
