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THE NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE. ~° 87 
The house-swallow washes by dropping into the water as it 
flies: this species appears commonly about a week before the 
house-martin, and about ten or twelve days before the swift. 
In 1772 there were young house-martins in their nest till 
October 23d. 
The swift appears about ten or twelve days later than the 
house-swallow: viz., about the 24th or 26th of April. 
Whinchats and stone-chatters stay with us the whole year. 
Some wheatears continue with us the winter through. 
Wagtails, all sorts, remain with us all the winter. 
Bullfinches, when fed on hempseed, often become wholly black. 
We have vast flocks of female chaffinches all the winter, 
with hardly any males among them. 
When you say that in breeding-time the male snipes make a 
bleating noise, and I a drumming (perhaps I should rather 
have said a humming), I suspect we mean the same thing. 
However, while they are playing about on the wing they 
certainly make a loud piping with their mouths: but whether 
that bleating or humming is ventriloquous, or proceeds from 
the motion of their wings, I cannot say; but this I know, that 
when this noise happens the bird is always descending, and 
his wings are violently agitated. 
Soon after the lapwings have done breeding they congregate, 
and, leaving the moors and marshes, betake themselves to 
downs and sheepwalks. 
L Two years ago last spring the little auk was found alive and 
unhurt, but fluttering and unable to rise, in a lane a few miles 
__ from Alresford, where there is a great lake : it was kept awhile, 
but died. 
I saw young teals taken alive in the ponds of Wolmer Forest 
in the beginning of July last, along with flappers, or young 
_ wild-ducks. 
; _ Speaking of the swift (vol. IV, p. 15, Brit. Zod/ogy), that page 
says “its drink the dew”; whereas it should be “it drinks on 
