Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/860

* SWELL SHARK. 752 SWIFT. until its tliiekness is equal to a third of its lengtii, and will float belly upward until it sup- poses the danger past; hence its vernacular name. See Plate of Lampkeys and Dogfish. SWETCHINE, svech-en', Anne Sophie Soy- MANOFF (1782-1857). A Russian-French author, born in Moscow. Her father was Soynianoff, the founder of the Moscow Academy. She married in 1799 General Swetchine and established at Saint Petersburg a salon of much distinction, fre- quented by emigres. Thus she came into touch with Joseph de Maistre in 1815, and was by him converted to Roman Catholicism. In the next year she moved to Paris, where her equally famous salon took on a distinctly religious tone. Her writings, all of a religious or contemplative character, are edited with a Life by Falloux (Paris, 1860); her Lettres by the same editor (ib., 18G2; 5th ed. 1881), who added a journal of her Conversation (ib., 1863), and Lettres inMites (ib., 1866). Her letters have been translated by H. W. Preston (Boston, 1867). Consult: Sainte-Beuve, Nouveajix liin- dis (vol. i., Paris, 1863-72), and Scherer, Etudes critiqnes sur la litterature contemporaine, vol. i. (ib.. 1863). SWETE, swet, Henry Barclay (1835—). An Anglican clergyman, especially distinguished for his work in textual criticism. He was born at Redlands, Bristol, and was educated at King's College, London, and at Caius College, Cam- bridge. In 1877-90 he was rector of Ashdon, Essex; in 1882-00 professor of pastoral theology at King's College, London, and in 1890 was made regius professor of divinity in Cambridge. Among his published works are two essays on the Eis- tori/ of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit ( 1873, 1876), an edition of Theodore of Mopsuestia's Commentary on the Epistles of Saint Paul (1880-82), The Old Testament in Greek (1SS7-94; 2d ed. 1895-99), The Al-hmin Frag- ment of the Gospel of Saint Peter (1893), TJie Psalms in Greek According to the Septnagint, with the Canticles (1889; 2d ed. 1896), The Apostles' Creed in Relation to Primitive Christi- anity (1894; 3d ed. 1899), Church Services and Service Hooks Before the Reformation (1896), and .An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek (1900). SWEYN, swan, SWEGBN, sva'gen, or SWEND, svend. A King of Denmark, father of Canute (q.v.). See Denmark. SWIETEN, sve'ten, Gebakd van (1700-72). A celebrated Dutch physician and scholar, born at Leyden, where, after studying philosophy at Louvain, he pursued medicine under Boerhaave, whose most distinguished pupil he became. Called to Vienna in 1745 as physician in ordinary to jNIaria Theresa, he instilled new life into every branch of science, but especially promoted re- forms in the study of medicine, which, as di- rector of the faculty, he raised to a high stand- ard through his own teachings as well as by the appointment of famous specialists to chairs at the university. Reforms in the other faculties presently followed, and although greatly hampered by the intrigues of the Jesuits, Van Swieten held his own against them here as well as in the su- pervision of censorship, in which considerable authority was accorded him as custodian of the Imperial library, and of which he was finally ap- pointed chairman in 1759. In science he sought his fame as an expositor of his teacher Boerhaave. His Ctinnnentaria in Hcrmanni llocrhaave Apho- risinon dc Cognoscendis ct Curandis Murbis (new ed. 1787-92) hold a permanent place in medical literature. In 1758 Van Swieten, having saved the life of the Empress, was created a baron. His son Gottfried (1733-1803) succeeded him as custodian of the Imperial library and was an intimate friend of Haydn and Mozart. For the former he adapted the text of the Creation from the English and wrote the text of The Scasoas. SWIFT (AS. swift, fleet, rapid; connected with saijpan, Eng. swoop, sweep, OHG. sweifan, Ger. schweifen, to rove). A bird of the family Cypselidae, nearly related to the humming-l)irds. The swifts are widely distributed, and some are only found in tropical countries; others are birds of passage, and spend the summer in colder parts of the world. Many are popularly called swallows, as, for example, the chimney-swift of the United States, almost always called 'chimney- swallow.' This confusion is due to a resemblance in the long, pointed wings, the small, widely gaping bill, the weak feet, and to the habit of capturing their insect prey by untiring hunting in the air. About seventy-five species of swift are known, half of which are American, al- though only four occur in the United States. Swifts are mostly dull-colored birds, black, brown, gray, and white, and are seldom over seven inches in length or more than twice that across the wings. They are remarkable for the development of the salivary glands, the secretion of which is used in building the nest. The latter may be nearly pure saliva, as in the edible nests of the salangane (q.v.), or, as is more commonly the case, may be composed of grass, twigs, or other vegetable matter, glued together and to the support by saliva. The nests are attached to clitTs, the interior of chimneys, or hollow trees, the spathes of palm blossoms, or the leaves of palms, etc. The eggs are pure white, unspotted. The only swift common in the United States is the well-known chimney-swift (q.v.). Along the Pacific Coast occurs also the great black swift {Cypseloides niger), whose range includes the West Indies and Mexico and extends north to British Columbia. It breeds on inaccessible cliffs, and is still little known. Another large swift (Cypsclus melanoleuciis), which has the chin, throat, and breast white, occurs in the Southwestern United States, north to Wyoming and Utah, and it also breeds on practically inac- cessible cliffs. To the same genus as the last- named species belong the best-known European forms. In this genus, which contains about twenty-five species, three-fourths belonging to the Old World, the tail is usually forked, the legs and toes are feathered, and all the toes are directed forward. The common and widespread European swift is Cypselus apus. Another nota- ble species is the alpine swift of the mountainous parts of South Europe. To this same genus be- long the palm swifts of the West Indies, of which a .Jamaican species (Micropus phocnicohia) is noteworthy on account of its nest, which when placed in a palmetto is glued to the surface of one of the great fronds and formed of silk-cotton in the shape of a bag or watch-pocket open at the side. Some of the most curious and inter- esting swifts dwell in the Orient. One genus