July 25.—A family of House Swallows have adopted the telephone wire in my garden as a feeding place for their young and have thus given me an excellent opportunity to revise and improve my knowledge of their methods. The five young which I label A, B.C, D & E sit in a row and seldom change places: the first four are within a few feet of each other while E sits somewhat apart. The parents disappear for one or two minutes, and I always know when one is returning because the babies begin to shiver their wings and squeak some seconds before I can see it; the parent does not land on the wire but hovers in front of A and pushes a bundle of insects into its throat while B. C & D scream their disappointment; E shivers its wings slightly but does not scream or show annoyance, The parent disappears quickly and on the next arrival feeds B or C so I naturally expect the next instalment to go to D but nothing of the sort happens, for A or B are fed again while C and D scream louder than ever: after two or three more turns C &/or D can stand it no longer, so either or both go flying out to meet parent and the transfer of food takes place on the wing....hovering in the air bill to bill; if both birds fly out together there is a short aerial dog-fight and the stronger flier gets the food, Suddenly the unfed E explains why the parents neglect him he flies strongly off the wire and disappears for five minutes foraging for himself, then returns to rest Soon C and D will be the equivalents of E, and only A and B (presumably the youngest and, unfortunately, much damage was and weakest) will be "spoon-fed" ün-done. The plotters were presumably ti] they too can catch their own food sympathizers with the doctrine that in the air, Finally Mother thinks "Ulster" should be forced to enter they have had enough.. fies scream-the Irish Free State's polity in ing along the line and chases her un-formation of a United Ireland. The willing brood into the air for a prac-Irish Free State Government is not} tice flight. And so the training goes likely to have committed the folly om until all are ready for the great of encouraging " this aggravation of adventure of migration........ South= its relations with the neighbouring ward Ho! administration. The elements of dis-Order are probably precisely those with whom Mr. Eamon de Valera
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