2 JO 
the natural history 
It mufl: be fuppofed that there is a good deal of 
imagination in this detail of Mr. Bomare’s ; in¬ 
deed, Mr. Buffon doubts if Martins ever have 
recourle to fuch a revenge, having feen Sparrows 
ufurp their nefts, and obftinately retain pofieflion, 
though perfecuted for fome days by the Martins, 
who, however, made no attempt to clofe the en¬ 
trance of the neft. 
It would be difficult to bring up Martins or 
Swallows in confinement, becaufe infedts feem 
their proper food. There is an account of fome 
children keeping a neft of Chimney Swallows 
alive ten days, by feeding them with that which 
had paffed through other Swallows before; they 
lived very well upon this food, until the proccfs 
was interrupted by the mother of the children, 
who feemed to be more attached to neatnefs than 
to philofophical experiments. Leguat, a traveller, 
fpeaks of a Swallow that he tamed, and brought 
from the Canary iflands ; he buffered it to fly out 
in the morning, and it conftantly returned in the 
evening. 
1 he Count BufFon mentions a tame Sw ; allow, 
or Martin, which had conceived fuch an attach¬ 
ment to its miflrefs, as to remain whole days upon 
her knees, and (hew many expreffions of joy o.n 
her return, after a ftiort abfence, It began to 
feed 
