M 1 G R 
ter; ergo, fwallows live not, and cannot live, under wa¬ 
ter. This way of arguing, I believe, would carry us, in 
a great many cal'es, too far: for, though it is not clear to 
every one, it may however be true; and lizards and frogs 
are animals of a clafs widely different from that of birds, 
and muft therefore of courfe have a different ftrucSture; 
hence it is they are clafl'ed feparately. The bear and mar¬ 
mot are in winter in a torpid ftate, and have, however, 
not fuch organs as lizards and frogs ; and nobody doubts 
of their being, during fome time, in the mod rigid cli¬ 
mates in a torpid ffate; for the alpine nations hunt the 
marmots frequently by digging their holes up; and find 
them fo torpid, that tiiey cut their throats, without their 
reviving or giving the leaft fign of life during the opera¬ 
tion; but, when the torpid marmot is brought into a 
warm room, and placed before the fire, it revives from its 
lethargy. The queftion mud: therefore be decided by 
fads; nor are thefe wanting here. Dr. Wallerius, the 
celebrated Swedifh chemift, informs us, that he has feen, 
more than once, fwallows affembiing on a reed, til! they 
were all immerlbd and went to the bottom; this being 
preceded by a dirge of a quarter of an hour’s length. 
He atteffs likewife, that he had feen a fwallow caught 
during winter out of a lake with a net, drawn, as is com¬ 
mon in northern countries, under the ice; this bird was 
brought into a warm room, revived, fluttered about, but 
foon after died. 
“ Mr. Klein applied to many farmers-general of the 
king of Pruflia’s domains, who had great lakes in their 
diftriCts, the fifhery in them being a part of the revenue. 
In winter the fifhery thereon is the molt confiderable un¬ 
der the ice, with nets fpreading more than two hundred fa¬ 
thoms ; and they are often wound by ferews and engines, 
on account of their weight. All the people that were 
queftioned made affidavits upon oath before the rnagif- 
trates. Firit, The mother of the countefs Lelindorf faid, 
that flie had feen a bundle of fwallows brought front the 
Frifche-Haff (a lake communicating with the Baltic at 
Pillau), which, when brought into a moderately-warm 
room, revived and fluttered about. Secondly, Count 
Schileben gave an inftrument on ftamped paper, import¬ 
ing that, by fifhing on the lake belonging to his eftate of 
Gerdauen in winter, he law feveral Iwallows caught in 
the net, one of which he took up in his hand, brought it 
into a warm room, where it lay about au hour, when it 
began to ftir, and, half an hour after, it flew about in the 
room. Thirdly, Farmer-general (Amtman) Witkoulki 
made affidavit, that, in the year 1740, three 1'wailows 
were brought up with the net in the great pond-at Did- 
lacken; in the year 1741 he got two fwallows from mo¬ 
ther part of the pond, and took them home (they being 
all caught in his prefence) ; after an hour’s fpace they 
revived all in a warm room, fluttered about, but died in 
three hours after. Fourthly, Amtman Bonke fays, that, 
having had the eftate of Klefkow in farm, he had feen 
nine fwallows brought up in the net from under the ice, 
all which he took into a warm room, where he diftin&ly 
obferved how they gradually revived; but a few hours 
after they all died. Another time his people got likewife 
fome fwallows in a net, but lie ordered them to be again 
thrown into the water. Fifthly, Andrew Rutta, a maf- 
ter fifherman at Oletfko, made affidavit, in 1747, that, 
twenty-two years ago, two fwallows were taken up by 
him in a net, under the ice, and, being brought into a 
warm room, they flew about. Sixthly, Jacob Kofiulo, a 
mafter-fifherman at Stradauen, made affidavit, that, in 
1736, he brought up in winter, in a net, from under the 
ice of the lake at Rafki, a feemingly-dead fwallow, which 
revived in half an hour’s time in a warm room ; and he 
faw, in a quarter of an hour after, the bird grow weaker, 
and foon after dying. Seventhly, I can reckon myfelf 
(fays our author) among the eye-witneifes of this para¬ 
dox of natural hiftory. In the year 1735, being a little 
boy, I faw feveral fwallows brought in winter by the 
fifhermen from the river Viftula to nw father's houfe; 
Vol. XV. No. 1048. 
ATIO N. 357 
where two of them were brought into a warm room, re¬ 
vived, and. flew about. I faw them feveral times fettling 
on the warm ftove (which the northern nations have in 
their rooms) ; and I recoiled! well, that the lame fore¬ 
noon they died, and I had them, when dead, in my hand. 
In the year 1754, after the death of my uncle Godefroy 
Wolf, captain in the Poliffi regiment of foot-guards, 
being myfelf one of his heirs, I adminiltered for my co¬ 
heirs feveral eftates called the Starofty of Difchau, in 
Polifh Pruffia, which my late uncle farmed under the 
king. I11 January, the lake of Lybfhaw, belonging to 
thele eftates, being covered with ice, I ordered the fifher¬ 
men to fifh therein ; and in my prefence feveral fwallows 
were taken, which the fifhermen threw in again; but 
one I took up myfelf, brought it home, which was -five 
miles from thence, and it revived, but died about an hour 
after its reviving. 
“ Thefe are faftsattefted by people of the higheft quality, 
by fome in public offices, and by others who, though of a 
low rank, however, made thefe affidavits upon oath. It 
is impoflible to fuppole indiferiminately that they were 
prompted, by views of intereft, to affert as a faff a thing 
which had no truth in it. It is therefore highly probable, 
or rather inconteftably true, that fwallows retire in the 
northern countries, during winter, into the water, and 
ftay there in a torpid ftate till the return of warmth re¬ 
vives them again in lpring. The queftion therefore, I 
believe, ought for the future to be thus ftated : The 
fwallows in Spain, Italy, France, and perhaps fome from 
England, remove to warmer climates ; fome Englifh ones, 
and fome in Germany and other mild countries, retire 
into clefts and holes in rocks, and remain there in a tor¬ 
pid ftate. In the colder northern countries the fwallows 
immerfe in the fea, in lakes, and rivers ; and remain in a 
torpid ftate, under ice, during winter. There are ftill 
fome objeftions to this latter alfertion, which we muft re¬ 
move. It is laid, Why do not rapacious fifh, and aquatic 
quadrupeds and birds, devour thefe fwallows ? The an- 
Iwer is obvious j fwallows choofe only fuch places in the 
water for their winter-retreat as are near reeds apd rufhes ; 
fo that, finking down there between them and their roots, 
they are by them fecured again!! the rapacioufnefs of their 
enemies. But others objefit, Why are not thefe birds 
caught in fuch frefh waters as are continually haraffed by 
nets ? I believe the fame anfwer which has been made ter 
the firft objection will ferve for this likewife : fifhermen 
take care to keep off with their nets from places filled 
with reeds and rufties, for fear of entangling and tearing 
their nets; and thus the situation of fwallows under 
water, is the reaibn that they are leldom diliurbed in their 
filent winter-retreats. What confirms this opinion ftill 
more is, that fwallows were never caught in Pruffia, ac¬ 
cording to the above-mentioned affidavits, but with thole 
parts of the net which palled near to the reeds and rufhes * 
and fometimes the fwallows were yet faftened with their 
feet to a reed, when they were drawn up by the net. As 
to the argument taken from their being fo long under 
water without corruption, I believe there is a real differ¬ 
ence between animals fuffocated in water and animals 
being torpid therein. We have examples of tilings being 
a long time under water ; to which we may add the in- 
tenfe cold of thele northern regions, which preferves them. 
Who would have thought that l'nails and polypes might 
be differed, and could reproduce the parts fevered from 
their bodies, if it were not a fa£! ? Natural hiftory ought 
to be ftudiedas a collection of fafils, not as the hiftory of 
our guefles or opinions. Nature varies in an infinite 
manner; and Providence has diverfified the inftinC! of 
animals and their economy, and adapted it- to the various 
feafons and climates.” 
With Mr. Kalm’s concluding obfervations we heartily 
concur. Natural hiftory ought to be ftudied as a collec¬ 
tion of fads; and it was from this very notion that we 
have ftated the above-mentioned opinions lo fully, and 
brought together (he facts which the belt advocates for 
4 Y each 
