SWALLOWS. 
345 
is of consequence towards bringing about a final 
settlement, distant as that may be. 
Our Swalloivs usually arrive from April 12th, to 
17th or 19th, and in some years are not general till 
May, I mean as regards the bulk of their kind, for they 
have been sparingly noticed even on the 1st of April. 
They seem to arrive by successive flocks, and to dis¬ 
perse gradually, for they are found to appear later by 
a day or two in situations towards the interior of the 
county, than in the maritime localities. Yet this 
remark applies only to such flocks as choose to 
settle here , being in short in all likelihood the same 
individuals which had previously resided with us, 
or their progeny. I am not aware that Swallows 
arrive later in proportion as the situation is removed 
further to the north in regard of England generally. 
Late springs appear to retard their arrival, as Mr. 
White remarks with respect to the Swift, and I 
believe also generally of the hirundines. In the 
spring of 1837 which was unusually backward, I 
saw none till April 23rd, and the bulk did not 
discover themselves till many days after, and this 
delay would appear to have influenced the species 
generally in their visit to the Island, for they arrived 
on the 22nd in the vicinity of Falmouth, which also 
it must be observed is a little to our south. Although 
it may be a general rule for Swallows to arrive 
sooner than Martins, yet in 1835 they came just a 
week after, at least in the immediate vicinity of 
this village. 
Swallows depart as they arrive, by successive 
companies, though now they apparently congregate 
in greater numbers to each body,because in addition 
to their increase by the young broods, successive 
flights from more northward positions would natu¬ 
rally enough connect themselves to flocks just ready 
to depart in the southern counties and districts. This 
rule however of the departure of the species earlier 
