The northern naturalifts will perhaps fay, that this affembly met for the purpofe of plunging into their fubaqueous winter quarters; but was that the cafe, they would never efcape difcovery in a river perpetually fifhed as the Thames, fome of them muft inevitably be brought up in the nets that harafs that water.

The fecond notion has great antiquity on its fide. Ariftotle and Pliny give, as their belief, that swallows do not remove very far from their fummer habitation, but winter in the hollows of rocks, and during that time lofe their feathers. The former part of their opinion has been adopted by feveral ingenious men; and, of late, feveral proofs have been brought of fome fpecies, at leaft, having been difcovered in a torpid ftate. Mr. Collinfon favoured us with the evidence of three gentlemen, eye-witnefies to numhers of fand martins being drawn out of a cliff on the Rhine, in the month of March 1762. And the honourable Daines Barrington communicated to us the following fact, on the authority of the late Lord Belhaven, that numbers of fwallows have been found in old dry walls, and in fandhills near his lordship's feat in East Lothian; not once only, but from year to year; and that when they were exposed to the warmth of a fire, they revived. We have alfo heard of the fame annual difcoveries near Morpeth in Northumberland, but cannot speak of them with the fame affurance as the two former: neither in the two laft inftances are we certain of the particular species.

Other witneffes crowd on us, to prove the refidence of those birds in a torpid ftate during the severe season.

First, In the chalky cliffs of Suffex; as was feen on the fall of a great fragment fome years ago.

Secondly, In a decayed hollow tree that was cut down near Dolgelli, in Merionethfhire.

Thirdly, In a cliff near Whitby, Yorkfhire; where, on digging out a fox, whole bushels of fwallows were found in a torpid condition. And,

Laftly, The Reverend Mr. Conway, of Sychton, Flintshire, was fo obliging as to communicate the following fact: A few years ago, on looking down an old leadmine in that county, he obferved numbers of fwallows clinging to the timbers of the fhaft, feemingly afleep; and on flinging fome gravel on them, they juft moved, but never attempted to fly or change their

place; this was between All Saints and Christmas.

Thefe are doubtlefs the lurking-places of the latter hatches, or of thofe young birds, who are incapable of diftant migrations. There they continue infenfible and rigid; but like flies, may fometimes be re-animated by an unfeasonable hot day in the midst of winter: for very near Chriftmas a few appeared on the moulding of a window of Merton College, Oxford, in a remarkably warm nook, which prematurely fet their blood in motion, having the fame effect as laying them before the fire at the fame time of year. Others have been known to make this premature appearance; but as foon as the cold natural to the feafon returns, they withdraw again to their former retreats.

I fhall conclude with one argument drawn from the very late hatches of two fpecies.

On the twenty-third of October 1767, a martin was feen in Southwark, flying in and out of its neft: and, on the twentyninth of the fame month, four or five swallows were observed hovering round and fettling on the county hofpital at Oxford. As thefe birds must have been of a late hatch, it is highly improbable that at folate a feafon of the year they would attempt, from one of our midland counties, a voyage almost as far as the equator to Senegal or Goree: we are therefore confirmed in our notion, that there is only a partial migra tion of thefe birds; and that the feeble late hatches conceal themselves in this country.

The above are circumftances we cannot but affent to, though feemingly contradictory to the common courfe of nature in regard to other birds. We muft, therefore, divide our belief relating to these two so different opinions, and conclude, that one part of the swallow tribe migrate, and that others have their winter quarters near home. If it should be demanded, why fwallows alone are found in a torpid ftate, and not the other many fpecies of foft billed birds, which likewife difappear about the fame time? The following reafon may be affigned:

No birds are fo much on the wing as fwallows, none fly with fuch swiftness and rapidity, none are obliged to fuch fudden and various evolutions in their flight, none are at fuch pains to take their prey, and we may add, none exert their voice more in

ceffantly;

ceffantly; all thefe occafion a vast expence of ftrength, and of fpirits, and may give fuch a texture to the blood, that other animals cannot experience; and fo difpofe, or we may fay, neceffitate, this tribe of birds, or part of them, at leaft, to a repofe more lafting than that of any others.

The third notion is, even at first fight, too amazing and unnatural to merit mention, if it was not that some of the learned have been credulous enough to deliver, for fact, what has the strongest appearance of impoflibility; we mean, the relation of fwallows paffing the winter immerfed under ice, at the bottom of lakes, or lodged beneath the water of the fea at the foot of rocks. The first who broached this opinion, was Olaus Magnus, Archbishop of Upfal, who very gravely informs us, that thefe birds are often found in clustered maffes, at the bottom of the northern lakes, mouth to mouth, wing to wing, foot to foot; and that they creep down the reeds in autumn to their fubaqueous retreats. That when old fishermen difcover fuch a mafs, they throw it into the water again; but when young inexperienced ones take it, they will, by thawing the birds at a fire, bring them indeed to the ufe of their wings, which will continue but a very fhort time, being owing to a premature and forced revival.

That the good Archbishop did not want credulity, in other inftances, appears from this, that after having flocked the bottoms of the lakes with birds, he ftores the clouds with mice, which fometimes fall in plentiful showers on Norway and the neighbouring countries.

Some of our own countrymen have given credit to the fubmerfion of fwallows; and Klein patronifes the doctrine ftrongly, giving the following hiftory of their manner of retiring, which he received from fome countrymen and others. They afferted, that fometimes the fwallows affembled in numbers on a reed, till it broke and funk with them to the bottom; and their immerfion was preluded by a dirge of a quarter of an hour's length. That others would unite in laying hold of a ftraw with their bills, and fo plunge down in fociety. Others again would form a large mafs, by clinging together with their feet, and fo commit themfelves to the deep.

Such are the relations given by thofe that are fond of this opinion, and though delivered without exaggeration, muft provoke fmile. They aflign not the fmallest rea

fon to account for thefe birds being able to endure fo long a fubmerfion without being fuffocated, or without decaying, in an element fo unnatural to fo delicate a bird; when we know that the otter, the corverant, and the grebes, foon perifh, if caught under ice, or entangled in nets: and it is well known, that thofe animals will continue much longer under water than any other, to whom nature hath denied that particular firucture of heart, neceffary for a long refidence beneath that element.

20. Of the SMALL BIRDS of FLIGHT. In the faburbs of London (and parti cularly about Shoreditch) are feveral wea vers and other tradefmen, who, during the months of October and March, get their livelihood by an ingenious, and we may fay, a fcientific method of bird-catching, which is totally unknown in other parts of Great Britain.

The reafon of this trade being confined to fo fmall a compafs, arifes from there being no confiderable fale for finging-birds except in the metropolis: as the apparatus for this purpose is also heavy, and at the fame time must be carried on a man's back, it prevents the bird-catchers going to above three or four miles distance.

This method of bird-catching muft have been long practifed, as it is brought to a moft fyftematical perfection, and is attended with a very confiderable expence.

The nets are a moft ingenious piece of mechanifm, are generally twelve yards and a half long, and two yards and a half wide; and no one on bare infpection would ima gine that a bird (who is fo very quick in all its motions) could be catched by the nets flapping over each other, till he be

Though entirely fatisfied in our own mind of the impoflibility of these relations; yet, defirous of ftrengthening our opinion with fome better authority, we applied to that able anatomiit, Mr. John Hunter; who was fo obliging to inform us, that he had diffected many iwallows, but found nothing in them different from other birds as to the organs of refpiration. That all thofe animals which he had diffected of the claís that fleep during winter, fuch as lizards, frogs, &c. had a very

different conformation as to thofe organs. That

all these animals, he believes, do breathe in their torpid ftate; and as far as his experience reaches, he knows they do; and that therefore he efteems it a very wild opinion, that terreftrial animals drowning can remain any long time under water without

comes

nets, he difpofes of his call-birds at proper intervals. It must be owned, that there is a moft malicious joy in thefe call-birds to bring the wild ones into the fame ftate of captivity; which may likewife be obferved with regard to the decoy ducks.

Their fight and hearing infinitely excels that of the bird-catcher. The inftant that the wild birds are perceived, notice is given by one to the rest of the call-birds (as it is by the first hound that hits on the fcent to the rest of the pack) after which follows the fame fort of tumultuous ecftacy and joy. The call-birds, while the bird is at a distance, do not fing as a bird does in a chamber; they invite the wild ones by what the bird-catchers call fhort jerks, which when the birds are good, may be heard at a great diftance. The afcendancy by this call or invitation is fo great, that the wild bird is flopped in its courfe of flight, and if not already acquainted with the netst, lights boldly within twenty yards of perhaps three or four bird-catchers, on a fpot which otherwife it would not have taken the leaft notice of. Nay, it frequently happens, that if half a flock only are caught, the remaining half will immediately after wards light in the nets, and share the fame fate; and fhould only one bird efcape, that bird will fuffer itself to be pulled at till it is caught; fuch a fafcinating power have the call-birds.

While we are on this fubject of the jerking of birds, we cannot omit mentioning, that the bird-catchers frequently lay confiderable wagers whofe call-bird can jerk the longeft, as that determines the fuperiority. They place them oppofite to each other, by an inch of candle, and the bird who jerks the ofteneft, before the candle is burnt out, wins the wager. We have been informed, that there have been inftances of a bird's giving a hundred and feventy jerks in a quarter of an hour; and we have known a linnet, in fuch a trial, perfevere in its emulation till it fwooned from the perch thus, as Pliny fays of the nightingale, victa morte finit fæpe vitam, fpiritu prius deficiente quàm cantu. Lib. x. c. 29.

It may be here obierved, that birds when

It may be also observed, that the moment they fee a hawk, they communicate the alarm to each other by a plaintive note; nor will they then jerk or call though the wild birds are near.

A bird, acquainted with the nets, is by the bird-ca chers termed a fharper, which they endeavour to drive away, as they can have no fport whilft it continues near them.

near each other, and in fight, feldom jerk or fing. They either fight, or use fort and wheedling calls; the jerking of these call-birds, therefore, face to face, is a moft extraordinary inftance of contention for faperiority in fong.

It may be alfo worthy of obfervation, that the female of no fpecies of birds ever fings: with birds, it is the reverfe of what occurs in human kind: among the feathered tribe, all the cares of life fall to the lot of the tender fex: theirs is the fatigue of incubation; and the principal fhare in nurfing the helplefs brood: to alleviate thefe fatigues, and to fupport her under them, nature hath given to the male the fong, with all the little blandithments and foothing arts; thefe he fondly exerts (even after courtship) on fome fpray contiguous to the neft, during the time his mate is performing her parental duties. But that the fhould be filent, is alfo another wife provifion of nature, for her fong would difcover her neft; as would a gaudinefs of plumage, which, for the fame reafon feems to have been denied her.

To these we may add a few particulars that fell within our notice during our enquiries among the bird-catchers, fuch as, that they immediately kill the hens of every fpecies of birds they take, being incapable of finging, as alfo being inferior in plumage; the pippets likewife are indifcriminately deftroyed, as the cock does not fing well they fell the dead birds for threepence or four-pence a dozen.

Thefe fmall birds are fo good, that we are furprised the luxury of the age neglects fo delicate an acquifition to the table. The modern Italians are fond of fmall birds, which they eat under the common name of Beccaficos: and the dear rate a Roman tragedian paid for one difh of finging birds. is well known.

Another particular we learned, in converfation with a London bird-catcher, was the vaft price that is fometimes given for a fingle fongbird, which had not learned to whiftle ta. The greateft fum we heard of, was five guineas for a chaffinch, that had a particular and uncommon note,