176 The Swallow. 

In years gone by the Swallow, like the cuckoo, was 
supposed to inherit superior powers, and its migration 
was equally unknown. Many ornithologists believed 
it to remain torpid in banks of ponds, and in the hol- 
lows of trees and rocks, during the winter months. 
Many arguments might be mentioned of former writers 
on the subject to prove that Swallows do not migrate ; 
but they would be useless now, as it is a settled ques- 
tion that these birds do migrate, and if one is seen later 
in the year than another, it is an exception to the rule. 

