Of the House-Swallow, Swift, and Sand-Martin. By the Rev. Gilbert White, in Three Letters to the...

Of the House-Swallow, Swift, and Sand-Martin. By the Rev. Gilbert White, in Three Lettersto the Hon. Daines Barrington, F. R. S.Author(s): Gilbert WhiteSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 65 (1775), pp. 258-276Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/106194 .

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t 5:5 8; ]

XXItI-. Of the Ho.uSe-Swallow,Swlft, andS..and-Martin¢.

By tbe Res. Gilbert White, in three Letters to the Hor.

DaiIles Barxington, F-. R. 5.

L E T T 1£ R I.

0F THi: HOUSE_SWALLOWe

}LAR. SRe SeZborrsey Jan. 2 9: I 7 7 5*

REedde? Mar I6XrpHE hoZe-fwallow, or chimney?{walt

I775@ 1 1QWX is undoubtedly the firi comer of

a11 the Britilh- hir>dites y and appears in gelleral on or

about the I 3th of Aprily as I have remarked from marly

years obServation. Not but now and then a fcraggler is

feen mwh earlsery and in particularX when I xvas a boy,

I obSernred a fxvallowX for a whole-daystogether, on a

funny warm Shrove-tuefdayy which elay could not fall

out later than the mlddle of March^- and often happerlKsl

early in Febmary. It is worth-remarking, that thefe

birds are feen firflc a:botBt lakes and ll-ponds: and it is

alfo vev partioularJ that if thefe early vifitors happen to

find frofc and fnow7 as was the cafe in the two dreadful

fprings of T 7 7 o and I 7 7 I X they immediately *vxthdraw

for a txmew A circumRance this nzuch more in favour

* See an account of the HouSe-Masin by the falll¢ gentleman, in Phil

Tranf. sol. LXIV p, 196. af



c *S9 3 hiding than rnigration; fince it is mvJch toFe probables that a bird Illould retire t-o its hybernacglsm juR at haildX than return for a week or two only to warrler latitudes. This fwallow, though called the chimney-fwail(3-Xv, by no means builds altogether in chimneys; but oftell with- in barns and out-houSes, agaiMc the rafters: and fo nle did m Virgil's time:

c; Sxte " Garrula quSm tigxis nidos J¢uMpendat hirsndo."

Irl Sweden Ihe builds ia barus, and is called ladu zraAa, the barn-fwallow. Befldes, in the ̂ rarmer parts of Exl- rope, there are no chneys to houfes except they are Engliil-built. II1 thefe countries nle collfiruEts her neR in porches and gateways, golleries, and open halls. Here and there abird may affeEt fome odd, peculiar place; as we have known a fwaZaw build down the hafi: of an old welIt through which chalk was formerly drawn up, for the pvlrpefesof manure; but m general with us, this birsid breeds in chimrjeysfi and loves to haunt thofe fiacks xvhffle there ss a xnflcant fire, rlo doubt for the fake of warmth. Not that it can febfiflc in the immedi- ate {haft where there is a fire; but prefess one adjoining to that of the kitches}, and difregards the perpetllaL fmoke ofthat funnel, as I have often obServedwith fome degree o£ wcxnder. Five or fix or more feet doa?vn the chmney does this little bi.rd begun to torm her nek about the middle of Mayswhith conffls, like that of the houSe- mwan, of a crufc or nielI, compofed of dire and mudy mixed with {hon pieces of IEraw, to render it tough arld

permancllt y



E z6o -J permanent; with thi$ (lifference, .that arhereas the Xlell of the marti.xl is nearly hemifpheric, that of. the fwallow is open at-the top, and like half a deep dinl. This neIt is lined with fine graXes and feathers} which are often col, leEted as they float in- the air Wonderful is the ad- .drefs-whichothis adrait bird Ihew.s al1 day long in aScend- ing and defcending, with fecurity, th.rough- fo narrow a paEs. When hovering over the mc3uth of the funllel, the vibrations of her wings, aEting on the confined air, scarion; a rumbling like thunder.- It-is not improbables that the dam- fabmits to this inconvenient fltuation fo :low in the faft, in order to fecure her broods from ra- paclous birds, and pazticularly from owls, which fre- quently fall down chimnies, perhaps in attempting to get at the-fe neftlings. The fwallow lays from four to fIX white eggs, dotted xvith red fpecks; and brings out her firk brood abollt the laflc week in June, or the firMc nveek in July. I*he progreffilve method by which the younggeintroduced into life is veryamufing. Firflc they emerge from the fllaft with difficulty enough, and often fall dorn lnto the rooms belonv. For a day or fo they are fed on the chimne3r-top; and then are condtldred to

the dead leaflefs bough of fome ttee, where, fitting in a

rostr, they are attended with great aIlwlduity, and may ther be called perchers. In a day or two more they become yers, but are llill unable to take their orn food; there

fore they play about near the place where the dams are h-arking fol flies; and svhen a mouthful is colleded, at .a certasa filgnal giverl, the dam and the nelilirlg advance

rifing



t :;6I ]

niing towards tach other, and meering at an angle; arld e young one all the while uttenng Iech a litl:le quick note of gratitude aald complawncy, that a perfon mult have paid try little regard to the wonders of nature that has not often marked tEs £bat. The dam betakes herXlf imxnediatbly to the bufin of a fecond brood, as bon as {he is difengaged Som her firk; -which at once a{Idciates with the firk broods of fFmartllls, and with them- grtatess cluiring an funny roof§, ton- ers, and treeso This bim do brings out her fecond brfi* towards the msiddle ar}d end of AugL:ic. All the Ium- mer long is the fwallow a msz0.mdive pattern of un- wearie(l indllilry and affreEtion 1 For, fFom mornil}g to nightX whUe there ts a family to be fupported, {he Ibends. de whole day iD Rimmlng clofe to the ground, and exening the .. fudden twns and qiick evolutions*. &venues and long wal.ks under hedgesy paiture fields and mowa ms where cattle grazes are her deli«t, eEpecially if there are treesinterfperSed; becauSe in fuch fwts infedrs moR abound. When a fly is tak-a Emart fnap from hffl bill is heard, reSembling the noiSe at the Ihutting of a wat^cafe ;. bllt the motion o£ the mandi- bles is too qllick for the eyes The fwallo.w, probably the male bird, is the exCzfbitor tothe hollfe-martins, aild other litde birdsy annocing the approach of birds of prey: br as foon asan hawlt aars,with a nlr.ill alarwrs- ingnotehecallsil the fwallows and maYns aint him} who pllrfue in a body, whilR they buffet and Izcrike tlleir y till they have dri him from the village, dars

ang



t a6M 3

-ong dXrn from above on hls back, and rifillg in a per- pendscular line in pededt feGi1rity T}sis bird alfo wilI -IQUI\4 the aiar-ms andERrike at cats, when they climb on ti roofs of }woufies, or otherwife approach their neRs. Each fpecies of brgndo drsnks as it Ses along, Slpping {the Iurfice af the water; but the fwallow alone tqJhes ol} the sving, by dropping- into a paol fbr mwny times together. The Xtallow is a delicate fongflcet; aind in fioft weather fixlgs-bOth perching on trees and on chimw iley tops antl flying is alfie a; bold ranger to dikant dowrns and colamons even in windy Mreather, which the other fpecies feem rnuch to diflike; nay,*even frequentO

ing expefed- fea-porr towxtss and malring littIe excurSions over the falt-wat-er; Horfewmens on wlde dowas are 6ftell cloSely attended- by e little party of fwallows for miles together which plays before and behind- themg fweeping around and colledring all the Rulkmg inSeEts that are rouSed-bythetramplingofthe horles feet: when tfhe windblows hard, without this expedients they are often fbrced- to fettle t pick up their lurking l?rey tRhis fpecie$ feeds much on little co-leoptera as weli as on grafs arld flies; and often fettleswon dug grounds for gra- tel, to grindv and digeR its foodX Before they departs for fome teeks, to a bird they forEake houSes arld chim nies, and boF in tree6, ansl ufually withdraw alout the beginlning of Odrober though fome feww Itragglers may al?pear at times to the firflc week in November. Some {els pairs haunt the net and cepen Itreets of London next the fields; but do not enter, Ii;ke the bcyuSe-martinst

- the I



[ 263 ]

tlle clofe and crowded parts of the c}ty. Both n}ale an(l female are difcingtlifhed from their congeners by the length and forltednefs of their tails. They are undoubtedly the mofc nimble of all the fpecies; and when the male purfues the female in amorous chace} they then go beyond their utual fpee(I, and exert a rapidity almoR too quick for the eye to follow.

After this circumflcantial detail of the life and difcern ing foeyn °f the fwallo^r, I lhaIl add for your farther amuiSement, an anegdpte or two not much in favotlr of her fagacity. A certain fwallow built for tsvo zJears together orl the handle$ of a pair of garden{heers, that were fEuck up againflc the boards in an outuhouSe; and, mrhat is firanger ItilI, another blrd of tIle fame fpecies built its neIt on the wings -d- lvody of an owl that halvo pened by a;ccident to hang dead and dry from -the rafter of a barn This owl, with the neic cyn its wings, and with eggs in the xseIt, was brght as a curioElty vyorthy the moR elegan;t pr-i-vie mufieum in Great Britain. The owner, kruck with the:oddsty ofthe i;ght, furnifhed the l)ringer with a large fhell or conch, derlring him to fix it juk where the owl heng. The perfon did as he was ordered; and the following year a paw, probably the Itame patr, built their neI} in the conch alld laid their eggs. The ovl and the conch malze a firange grotefue appeararlce, and are not the leak curious fpecimens in tllat wonderfl colleSon of art and nature.

Thus is snftind;t in animals, taken the leaR out of its svay, an undiRing-ulihing, limited ficulty} and blind to

YQL. LXV. O O eYX14T



[ 64 3

every ciroum0ance that does not inlmediately refpecA felf-prefenation, or lead at once to the propagatlon or fupport of their fzcies. I am, with all refped, &c.

L E tr tr E R II.

Ofthe SWIFTX or BLACK MARTIN

:I)EAR SIRy Selborne, Sept. z8, I774*

^ S the SWt or Blavk Martn is the largefc of the- > X Brki*s -hirundines, fo it is undoubtedly the lateR wmer: forI rememberbut one inicance of its appearing before the lak week in April; and in fome of our late froflcy,, harffi fprings it has not been feen till the begin- ning of May. This fpecies ufually azarives in pairs. The fwift, like the fand-martin, ls very defedc}ve iIL arc.hitedture, making no cmfc Qr Ihell for its neR; but forming it of dry graffes and feathers, very rudely and xnartificially pllt together. With all my attention to thefe bird$ I have never been able to difcover one in *e it of colledting or carryillg in materials: fo that I have fx}fpedced (fince t.heir neks axe exadtly the fame) that they fometimes ufurp upon the h.ouSe-fparrows asld ex- pel themX as fparrows do the houSe and fand-martin; well-rembering that I have Seen them fquabbling to

gether



r 62; 3

gether at tlie entrance of their holes,^md the fparrows vlp in arms and much diSconcerted a;t theI*e intruders. And yet I am aXured) by a nice obServer in filch matters, that they do colledc feathers for their neflcs in Andalufla; and that he has Rlot them with fuch materials in their mouths. Swifts, like fand-martins carry on the biz- finefs of nidiiRcation qvlite in the dark, in crannies of towers arld Reeples, and upon the top of the walls of thurches u;nder the roof; and thereise cannot be fo n arrowly ratched as thofe fpecies that build more opealy ; but from what I couId ever obServe, they begin nefcing about the middle of May, and I have-remarked, frorrt eggs taken, that they have iit hard by the- Ilinth of June. In general theyhaunthighbuilditlgs, churches} and Ree- ples, and build ouly u fuch;-yet in this village fome pairs frequent the loweR and meanefc cottages, and edu- cate their young under thofe thatc.hed roofs. We ree member but one inffiance where they bred out of bllild- ings; and that is in-the fides of a deep chalk-pit near the town of Sdihatn in this county4.t, where we have feen many pairs entering the crences and Ikimming and fqueaking round the precipices. As I have regarded thefe amurlve birds with great attentioxl, if I Ihould advance fomething new arld peculiar with refpeEt to them, an(l differerlt from all other b¢ds, I might perhaps be credited; efpecially as my afferfoll is the refult of many years exadc obServation. The faA that I would advance xsw that fwifts treador coplalate on the wing: and I could

* Giz. Hamp&.irew 0 0 2 Wih



E 66 ] w-ini any nice obServer, that is fiartled at this fupporltwng to uSe hi-s own eyes? and I think he will fooll be con^ vinced. In another cl-afis of antmals,-sideEcet, the ynJB>.

f . P . .

tothing is Wo commen as to fee-the: diffierent 'fpecies oft many genera in conjunEtion as they fly. The fwift is almofc continually s3rn the wlng; and-as it never fettles on the ground, on treesX or roofs would feldom find op portunity for amorous rites, was dit tiot -en-abled to indulge them in the ar. If any perfon would watch thefe birds oll a fine nlorning in May, as they are fai}irlg round at a great height from the g;round, he woulci fee every now and then orle drop on the back of another, Sand both of them fink down together for many fathoms, mrith a loud piercing Ihliek. This I take to Xbe the jvmEture when the bufinefs of generation is :carryirlg an. As the fwift eats, drinks, colleEtsmaterials for i-ts n-eflc) -and, as it feemss

propagatefs on the wing; it appears to -live MOre in theh

avir than arsy other bird,-and to Zrform all-funEtions there, fasre thofe of lleeping and incubation This hi- txndo differs widely from its congexiers, in laying in+7a- tiably but tWo eggs at a-time, which are niilk-white,-long,, and peaked at the fmall- end; wher-eas the -otller :fpecie& lay at each brood fromfogr toJX. It is a moR alert bird, rifing very earlyS and retiriilg to refc sery late,; anxl is on

. . . .

the wing, in the height of fimmerX at l-eaft fitteen hollrs+ In the longek days it doesA not artthdraw to rek tlll-vv quarter before Iline in the eveniw, being the lateft of all day-birdso Juflc before they iretxre,. wSile groups vi: them aXenl)le its the a1rX d Squeak and Ihoot about

* BriLll



[ :67 } with wonderful rapidsty. But ehis bird is never fo--much alive as in fvlltry7 thundry veather, when it expreffies great alacrity and calls forth all its- posvers. Irs hot morvIingsX feveral gettisllg- together in littIt pa£ties, daffi round the ItEeples and churches, fqueaking as tEhey gn in a very clamorous manner: thefe, by niceV obServers, are fuppofed to be males fereding their litting hens; and not without reafon fince they never fquealE tilL they £ome clofe to the walls or caves; and fmce thofe withxn

tter at the- fame time-a little irkward note of compla- cency. When the hen has fat hard a11 days ffie rufhes forth juf: as it is almoic darkS when Ille flcretches and ret lieves her weary limbs, and fnatches a fcanty tneal for a fe-w mLnutes, arud then returns to :her duty of incubation. Swifts when wantonly and creelly nlot whilee they have yotlaga dlfcover a little lump of infed;ts in their monisf which they poh and hold ander thetr to:llgue. In ge- n-eral they feed in a much higher (1iScridc tlxarl the- other fpecies; a proof that gnats arsd other infeEts do a1b abound t;o a- corlfiderable height in the atr. They a;lio range to great diRance, fince loco-motion is I1o labour te3 em,- who are endowed with ftlch sd powers of ng Their powers feem to be sn proportioz tto theit levers; and their WiRgS- are Ionger in pro?orti than thOii i alsoit any other birdJ NVhen t-hey mars or eaX therF fel+res, in flight tht raife theit-wings, and make tin meet- over their heads. At ldme certain times irl the fu;mmer I had remarkiS tht fwvift& were hamrkIng low X hours toggther, over -pools d Ares; aS cou1d

rtor



t 268 ]

not help enquiring into the objed?c of their prfuit, that induced them to defcend fe much belo sr tlleir ufual range. After fome trouble, I found that they were taktng phrygane eplpemers, and fibelZvl (cadew-Ses, may- flies, and dragon-flies3- that +vere juR emerged out of their aurelia-Rate. I then no lorlger wondered that they {hould be fowillmg to Xop for a prey that yielded them fuch plentiful and fucculent notlriihment. They bring s3ut their young about the middle or latter end of July; but as thefe never becomeperchers,nor,that everI could diScern, are fed on the wing by their dams, the wrtaixlg iorth of the young is not io- notorious as in the other fpeciest ta the 30th o£- June lafc, i I urtiled- the eaves of a honfe where many pairs build, and found xn eac.h neR only-wo n-akedS SquabXsulli On the eighth of July I repeated the fame enqutry, and found they had maie very little progrefs towards a fl-edgeditate; but were flcill naked and helplefs From whence vte may nnclude,, that birds, whofe way of life lQeeps them pexpetually on the wing, would not be able to quit their neR till the «d of -the-month. Swallows and maffins? that have ntlme- rous families are contir ally feeding-themevery two or

three min;utes while fwiftss that- have but two young to

maintain, are much at their leifure, and do rsot attend on their neflcs -for- hours together. - Sometimes they

urfue and; fii:ke at haw3rs that c-ome in their way; but £set with that vehemence and fury that f:rallows ex-prefS on the fame occafion. They are out all day long in wet days3 feeding about, and diIkegarding itill rainw fi*om

- whence



9

whence two things may be gathered; firflcythat many m- fe£ts abide high in the airX even in rairs ̂ and next, that. the feathers of theSe birds mufc be well preerted to reflk fo much wet. Windy, and paxticularly vFindy weather with hea^?yIhowers2theydinike and on fuch dayswith- drawX and fearce ever are feen There is a circum Rance re.fding the colQxr of fwiftsa which.f.eems. not. t. be unworthy our attendon.. When they appear in tht fpring they are all over of a gloSyy darkX footwolourX ex cept their chinsX whic.h are white; but by being all day long in the fun an(l air they become quite weather- beaten arld bleached before they depart; and yet they return gloffy again in the fpring. Now if they purf lt the fun illtO. lawer latitudesa as fome fuppofieX m of der tv enjoy av perpetual fummer why da they not return bleached J Do they not rather perhaps2 retire to reR fbr:; a feafon, and at that jund;ture moult and change their feathers fixlce all other bwds are known to moult fooni after the feafon of breeding ? Ssifts are very ax>Ma- lous in tnany particulars, di:Sentin$ from all their con- gezers not only in thew number of their youngX but inW breeding but o^ce in a fummer; whereas all the other Poritffi bir?wndines bxeed invariably twie. It is pafc all (loubt, th$ fwifts can breed but once27 fince they withdraw m a very Il:wort time after thc flight of tlzeir -youngS wad fom.e tme hefome their congeners bringXout their fe-^ sond broRodsv We rnay here rernark that as- fnrifts brqed. 34t one ir4 a fammerX and ouly twQ at a timeX and the; otber tirunda t.wiceX thx l.at.ter,, *ho lay from fogr tQ

A



r 270 3 Fx eggs, illcreafe at an averagefive dmes.as fa as the tor mer. Butinnothingare fsvifts more fingiztht intheir early retreat They rettre, as to the main body of them, liy the I oth of Augufi, and fometimes a fewdays fooner; and every Eraggler invariably wsthdraws by the 20th, while their congeners, a11 of them, flcay till the begm- ning of OEtober, many of them Itay -all through the month, and fome occafionally to the begiImsE of No- vember. This early retreat is myIterious and xronderful, I}nce that time is often the fmreeteIzc feafon in the year. But what is more wonderful, they retire Itill earller ill the moPc foutherly parts of Andalufia, vhere they call l)e no ways influenwd by arly defeEt of heat; or, as one might fuppoSe, by any defeA of food. Are they regll- lated in their motions with us by a failure of food ? or by a lrropenfity to rnoulting? or by a difpofition to-reR after 1o lapid a life? or by what? This is one of thofe irlci- dents in natural hiItory that not onlybaffles our fearche.sb but almoit eludes our gueIIest Thefe hirvndines never perch on trees or roofs, and fo never congregate with their congeners. They are fearlefs while haunting their neItitlg places; are not to be fcared *vith a gun; and are often beaten down with poles as they flcoop to go under the eaves. They are alfo much infeflced with thofe peRs to the thole genus, called hippoboJc hirundinis; and often wriggle and fcratch themfelves in their flight to get rid of thefe clinging annoyances. Swifts are no fongPcers, and have only one harIh fcreaming rlote; yet there are ears to which that note is not difpleafing from

4 an



t 27I ]

an agretable aSociation of ideas, fince that note never occllrs but in the moR lovely fummer weatherw They never fettle on the grotlnd but through accident, and wherl dosvn can hardly rife, on account of the ihortnefs of their legs and the lengthof theirwings: neithercanthey wallz, but only crawl; but they have a firong grafp with their fEet,by which they cling to 5valls . Their bodies belng flat, they can enter into avery narrow crevice; and where they -cannot pafs on their bellies, they will turn up edge- ways. The particular formation of the fwift's foot dif- criminates that bird from all the Britinl hirgndines, and indeed from all other knosvrl birds, the hirundo meMbA, or great white-bellied fwift of Ebraltar, excepted:; fbr it is fo difpofed as to carry ownes qvatuor digiS anh-cow Be- fides, the leafi toe, which Ihould be the back toe, con- fiflcs only of one bone alone; and the other three only of two aplece. A confireEtion mo* rare and peculiar; but nicely adapted to the purpofes in which -their feet are employed. Thiss and fome peculiarities attenxling the noRrils and under mandible, have induced a diScerning

aturaliIzc(< to fuppofe, that this fpecies might confiituto a genus per Se. In London, a party of ftrifts frequent the To^ver, playing and feeding over the rivex JUlt be- low the bridge: others haunt fome of the churches o£ the Borough next the fields; but do not Yenturefl like the hou-fe-martin, into the clofe, crowded parts of the townX The Swedes have befcowed a very pertlxwexlt

(a) JoHN ANTONY SCOPOLI of Carniola, M. D.

YOL. LXV P P name



[ 272; 3

Aame oxs this-fwalltt, caIIng it ringAala from the perV petiXal rrg! or clreles that it takes rourtd the fterze of its nidiEcttlon. I amX kc.

_ . w

IJ -ES T T E R III.

Of the SAND-MARTIN, or BANK-MARTIN

DEAR SIRs Selborne, Feb. 26, I774

EtE Sa;nd-mfin, or Bank-martinX is by much the 1 leaflc of antt Of the Britifll birXFte and as i ts

erw we have feert, the fmalleIt known hirgndo; though BRISSON aiert-s that there is one much fMaller, and that is the; hiren&8 efic>gent. But it ts much to be regretteds that it s fcarce poiElble for any obServer to be fo filll and exad;t as he could wiIhv in tecitin$ the circumRances stiending the llfe and converfation of this little bird; Elnce it is fiera natrd, at leaCt in this part of the kingw dorn, difclaiming all domefriic attachme-ntsy and hant- lug wiid heaths and bmmsorls where there are large lakes, white tdhe other ff-eciesX e@ecially the fwallow and hotlfe-mriy are renitrkably gentle and domefiicatefl and nesrer Seem to think them-fel-ves fafse buit under the prote&Ion of man. Etere are in this parifE; -in the pHs and baxllts of the l-akes of Waolmer Fore> feveral colcvnies of thefe birds; ansl yet they are never Seen in the rillage nOr ^D iey at all frequent the cOt-

tages



[ 573 )

-tages that are fattered abo.tlt in tha svild diAriXt. The olllyinstance,-1ever remember, whers this fpecieshaunts any building, is at the tows? of BiXp's WaItham ln this cowlary, where-many- fandma}: tins neftle and brwdXin the fca..ffoldholes-o.f the back-57vall of WILLIANI QF WICK-

eHAM'S Ilahles; .but then this ..5vall^flands in a aTery fe- queItered.-and retired enclofurR,.and faces U?on a large ansl beautiful lale. And.illdeed this {pecies feems fo to delight-in large waters,.that no inltance occurs of their abou-llding-but near vafi pools or rivex.s > and irl particu- }ar, st has been remar.ked, that they fwarms on the banks of the Thames, in forne places belQw bridge. It is curious to ob;sste s7vith what different degrees of archi- teftorflc-ikill Providence has endowed birds of.the fame ffe<us anrd Wo llearly correfpondent in their general mode of lsfe! For while the fj^vallfzw and the houfe-martin difcc>^Ser the greateR addrefs m raifiTlg and fecurely fix- sngeriver nells of loam as cvnabala for their youw, the bankartirl terebrates .a round and le.gtllar hole in t-l}e fand :or ewS,. which is Serpentine, horizontal, .snd abollt twe feet deep. At the inner. end. of this hurrosr ies thls blrd de porlt in.a ,ood degree of fafety,.her rude neR, onfing of fine graffies and feathersS ufilully goofe feathersy sery inartifi.cially laid to.gether. Perfeverance will acwm:pli.ih arly thing; though .orle. 5vo:uld at firR be diflacllned- to lvelieve, that this weak bird, witll her foft and tender bill alld clavs, Should..evele be ahle.to bore the {tubborn fand-bank +vithout erltirely difabJing herfelf.

Yet w7ith the.fi.e fieeble arAruments have I feen a pair of

Pp 2, theln



E 274 ] iean make good-difpatch, and corlld remark how much they had fcooped that day, by the freSh fand xarhich ran down the bank, and was of a elifferent colour from that rhich lay loofe and bleached in- the Sun. In what fpace of time thefe little artiRs are able to mine and fin}IXX thefe cavitles I have never been able to diScourer, for rea- fons given above; but -it vvould be a matter worthy of obServation, where it falls in the way of any naturaliflc to make his remarks This I have often taken notice of, that feseral holesX of different depths, are left unfiniilled at the end of :fgummerO To omagine that thefe begizi- nings were intentionally made in order to be in greater forwardnefs fbr net fpring, is allowin$ perhaps, too much fbrefight and-rerurn prudentia to a fimple birdF May not the cauSe of thefe latebr being left unfiniChed atife from their meeting in thofe places with Fatv too -har,dX harIh, and folid for their purpoSeX which they re- EnquiCh) and go to a freXh Epot that works more freely ? Or may they not in other places fall in with a foil as much too IooSe and mouldering, liable to flounderX a}d threatening to overwhelm them and their labot1rs ?

One thing is remarkable, that after feme years the old holes are foriaken,-and newones bored; perhaps becauSe the old habitatlons grow foul and fetid from long usre, or becauSe they may fQ abound rith fltas as to becolne. untenantableX This fpecies of fwallow moreover, is :ftrangely annoyed with fleas; and we have Seen fleas bed-iteas (pgleJ¢ irritans) fwarrrung at the motlths of hefe holes like bees on the iok o£ theix hivess VYben

they



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they Thappen to breed near hedges and enclofures, t1Xq are d}fpoXeXed of their breeding hbles by the houSe- iparrowX which is on the fame account a fell adverldry to hoUfe-martins. The following cxrcumfcance ihould by no means be omitted, that theSe birds do not make uSe of thefe caverns by way of byternacgl4 as might be exEted; rlnGe banks fo perforated have been dug c;ut with care itl the wintery when nothirlg- was found but empty neIRs. The farsd-martiru aui57es lnuch. about the fame time with the fnvallow, and lays, as Ihe does, from fbur to iis white eggs. But as this fpecIes is eryp- ogame, carrying on the buflnefs of nidiStation, incubation, md the fupport of its youllg, irl the darkX it would not be ro eafy to aScertain the time of breedillg, were it not fox:the coming forth of the broods, which appear much abut the timey or raier fomewhat earlier than thoSe of the fwallow. The- TleIllings are fuppcxrted jn common like thofe of the congenerse with gnats md other fmaXl infedrs; and fcsmetes they are fed with E- bellulve (dragon-flies) almoSt as long as themfelvesv The laR week in JuneX we have feen a row of theSe fltting on a rail near a great pod, a$ perchersy and fo young- and helplef-s, as eafily to be t-aken by hand; but lvhether the dims ever feed them orxthe wing, as fsrallo;ws and houf:e- martin:s do, we have never yet been able to determine; s}or dcx we krsow whether they purfue: and atrack birds <3f prey. Thefe hirandines are rlo fongfcers, but ratLher muteymaki:ng onl8- a little harnl noiferhen a perfon ap- proaches their neItsF They feem 1lot to be of a fociable

. .

turn



[ 374 3 turn7 ll-enrer vith us -corigregating wii their cote7Xz;-5Jw in the aaltumn. Ulldoubtedley they breed a fecond time, Irke the houSe-martin andNfmrallo5v anelz5rithdraw albout VMichatimas. Thollgh to fome particular idriRriEts they may halen to abaurlGIX yet m the Xhole tt1 the Sotlth of E-ngland at leaIt ls thls muGh the rareil fpecies. For thew*are fexv-tonvas or large villages lJut-K;what abourud viith houfe-martins, Sw churches towers, or ReepIt 6,

but what are. htaiartti byrfeme-fwifts; fcarce -a ha3niet or flu-gle totta-^cllimlwy-^thathas;-notits tirallOw: svhile the bank-martxnsfcatteredhere arld there>-live;a:Sequef- tewd life amarg fome-abrupt fand-hills,ard 4.iX1 the

banks of bmenfew.triwrs. Thtft birdslkave zau- 1iar -mi a-nIi;er .-of ting; :flitftng .-about sviteh vOdd j¢rks and vacillatolls jtne nulike ie motlollsof.a b.utterfly. DoubtleS the flightFof all-ffixr.nayimes ls in.flweneed :by, ongdaptil toth:epeculiarfort QS whiNft Ninl

-their£eod. lIelxce lt-amul-d be worthXenquiry to-exa- mine svhatpartlcxllar gen?XS of infeEts affbrdsd thet Drin

cipal fed of eachn relpe2lve rpeci-es of fwallaw. Sand- m;artms {lia fran their conenen n the dtmirlutive- ne-fs of tlrur fxze andiin their colo-ur, which is wllat is efually cal3ed a moufe-colour. Ntar Valerltia in +Spaln- t:hey tare:taken and iLold in the marlzers for the table;--aM ure called by^-the country people probably frn thar d¢iltory, jerkIng.manner of fliffitj.-papi.l.ion

de MXM<<.

I+am, Uwit}t theLgreateizL refpeEt &c.

XXINt. Hacognt



Of the House-Swallow, Swift, and Sand-Martin. By the Rev. Gilbert White, in Three Letters to the...

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Transcript of Of the House-Swallow, Swift, and Sand-Martin. By the Rev. Gilbert White, in Three Letters to the...