. The swallow book; the story of the swallow told in legends, fables, folk songs, proverbs, omens and riddles of many lands . Legend of Brittany A mother swallow who was recoveringfrom a long illness, and who had been aban-doned by her husband, went for three dayswithout food, so as not to cool the eggsupon which she was sitting. Along came alittle mouse and asked if he might stay allnight. The swallow told him that he mightstay in the nest if he would promise to keepthe eggs warm. The little mouse then saton the eggs, but behold, when they werehatched, out came some little bats! Whenthe poor
. The swallow book; the story of the swallow told in legends, fables, folk songs, proverbs, omens and riddles of many lands . Legend of Brittany A mother swallow who was recoveringfrom a long illness, and who had been aban-doned by her husband, went for three dayswithout food, so as not to cool the eggsupon which she was sitting. Along came alittle mouse and asked if he might stay allnight. The swallow told him that he mightstay in the nest if he would promise to keepthe eggs warm. The little mouse then saton the eggs, but behold, when they werehatched, out came some little bats! Whenthe poor mother bird saw the ugly littlecreatures she felt so badly that she died ofgrief. Then all the swallows in the neigh-borhood gathered around the little dead body.*They greatly mourned the loss of their com-panion, and after they had buried her theytook charge of the little orphans. Then theQueen of the swallows decreed that because IN LEGEND AND FABLE S3 the poor dead mother had built her unfortu-nate nest in a chimney, from that time onswallows should be allowed to put their nestsin she alsodecreed that ^^^. ^>r>. bats, the little monstrositieswhich hatched out in the nest,should never again be able to see by daylight. This explains why bats are blind by day, and why swallows build their nests in windows. Our next legend gives another reason for the daytime blindness of bats. I will tell 54 THE SWALLOW you this legend in the words of the little oldwoman who told it to me, in her home onthe slopes of Mount Amiata in Tuscany;You will learn from this why the swallowhas the right, according to the good peoplein that part of Italy, not to be molested, andwhy she must not, like other birds, be cagedor killed. And you will also learn why sheis called blessed, and why the people love tohave her in the eaves of their houses — amorning awakener and a true prophet of thespringtime. This is what she said. Why the Swallows are not Molested A Legend of Tuscany The good J
Size: 1802px × 1386px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1912
