AFRICAN SWIFTS
Another query—about the migration of the swallow and the swift—has evoked from Johannesburg a letter which increases the mystery. "The swifts," says my correspondent, "arrived here on September 13th. We noticed four flying over the house on September 13th and they made straight for their old nesting place. Today there are over a dozen birds nesting all round the house. The heat must be terrific at times and it is a wonder they can stand it. The rate they fly into their nests is wonderful, as there is only an inch or so of space between the roof and the wall of this house." Both swallows and swifts fly between England and South Africa ; but where these particular birds come from or go to is a mystery. My correspondent is opposed to the attempt to " ring " birds so slim and short in the leg ; and this objection applies yet more strongly to our tiny warblers.
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