30 
HIRUNDO PELASGIA. 
he particularly observed their reascension, which took 
place at a quarter past four, or twenty minutes before 
sunrise, and that they passed out in less than three 
minutes ; that at my request the chimney had been 
examined from above ; but that, as far down at least as 
nine feet, it contained no nests; though at a former 
period it is certain that their nests were very numerous 
there, so that the chimney was almost choked, and a 
sweep could with difficulty get up it. But then it was 
observed that their place of nocturnal retirement was 
in another quarter of the town. “ On the whole,” con- 
tinues Mr Churchman, “ I am of opinion, that those 
who continue to roost at the court-house are male 
birds, or such as are not engaged in the business of 
incubation, as that operation is going on in almost 
every unoccupied chimney in town. It is reasonable 
to suppose, if they made use of that at the court-house 
for this purpose, at least some of their nests would 
appear towards the top, as we find such is the case 
where but few nests are in a place.” 
In a subsequent letter Mr Churchman writes as 
follows: — “ After the young brood produced in the 
different chimneys in Easton had taken wing’, and a 
week or ten days previous to their total disappearance, 
they entirely forsook the court-house chimney, and 
rendezvoused in accumulated numbers in the southern- 
most chimney of John Ross’s mansion, situated perhaps 
one hundred feet northeastward of the court-house. In 
this last retreat I several times counted more than two 
hundred go in of an evening, when I could not per- 
ceive a single bird enter the court-house chimney. I 
was much diverted one evening on seeing a cat, which 
came upon the roof of the house, and placed herself 
near the chimney, where she strove to arrest the 
birds as they entered, without success ; she at length 
ascended to the chimney top and took her station, and 
the birds descended in gyrations without seeming to 
regard grimalkin, who made frequent attempts to grab 
them. I was pleased to see that they all escaped her 
fangs. About the first week in the ninth month 
