The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 2 | Page 3

us
with their migrations, songs, and marvellous agility; and clear our
outlets from the annoyances of gnats and other troublesome insects.
Some districts in the south seas, near Guiaquil, are desolated, it seems,
by the infinite swarms of venomous mosquitoes, which fill the air, and
render those coasts insupportable. It would be worth inquiring whether
any species of hirundines is found in those regions. Whoever
contemplates the myriads of insects that sport in the sunbeams of a
summer evening in this country, will soon be convinced to what a
degree our atmosphere would be choked with them was it not for the
friendly interposition of the swallow tribe.
"Many species of birds have their peculiar lice; but the hirundines alone
seem to be annoyed with dipterous insects, which infest every species,
and are so large, in proportion to themselves, that they must be
extremely irksome and injurious to them. These are the hippoboscoe
hirundinis, with narrow subulated wings, abounding in every nest; and
are hatched by the warmth of the bird's own body during incubation,
and crawl about under its feathers.
"A species of them is familiar to horsemen in the south of England
under the name of forest-fly; and to some of side-fly, from its running
sideways like a crab. It creeps under the tails, and about the groins, of
horses, which, at their first coming out of the north, are rendered half
frantic by the tickling sensation; while our own breed little regards
them.
"The curious Reaumur discovered the large eggs, or rather pupoe, of
these flies as big as the flies themselves, which he hatched in his own
bosom. Any person that will take the trouble to examine the old nests
of either species of swallows may find in them the black shining cases

or skins of the pupoe of these insects; but for other particulars, too long
for this place, we refer the reader to 'L'Histoire d'Insectes' of that
admirable entomologist. Tom. iv., pl. ii."

LETTER XVI.
SELBORNE, Nov. 20th, 1773.
Dear Sir,--In obedience to your injunctions I sit down to give you some
account of the house-martin, or martlet; and if my monography of this
little domestic and familiar bird should happen to meet with your
approbation, I may probably soon extend my inquiries to the rest of the
British hirundines--the swallow, the swift, and the bank-martin.
A few house-martins begin to appear about the 16th April; usually
some few days later than the swallow. For some time after they appear
the hirundines in general pay no attention to the business of nidification,
but play and sport about, either to recruit from the fatigue of their
journey, if they do migrate at all, or else that their blood may recover
its true tone and texture after it has been so long benumbed by the
severities of winter. About the middle of May, if the weather be fine,
the martin begins to think in earnest of providing a mansion for its
family. The crust or shell of this nest seems to be formed of such dirt or
loam as comes most readily to hand, and is tempered and wrought
together with little bits of broken straws to render it tough and
tenacious. As this bird often builds against a perpendicular wall without
any projecting ledge under, it requires its utmost efforts to get the first
foundation firmly fixed, so that it may safely carry the superstructure.
On this occasion the bird not only clings with its claws, but partly
supports itself by strongly inclining its tail against the wall, making that
a fulcrum; and thus steadied, it works and plasters the materials into the
face of the brick or stone. But then, that this work may not, while it is
soft and green, pull itself down by its own weight, the provident
architect has prudence and forbearance enough not to advance her work
too fast; but by building only in the morning, and by dedicating the rest
of the day to food and amusement, gives it sufficient time to dry and

harden. About half an inch seems to be a sufficient layer for a day.
Thus careful workmen, when they build mud-walls (informed at first,
perhaps, by this little bird), raise but a moderate layer at a time, and
then desist, lest the work should become top-heavy, and so be ruined by
its own weight. By this method in about ten or twelve days is formed a
hemispheric nest with a small aperture towards the top, strong, compact,
and warm; and perfectly fitted for all the purposes for which it was
intended. But then nothing is more common than for the house-sparrow,
as soon as the shell is finished, to seize on it as its own, to eject the
owner, and to line it after its own