From an edition of The Zoologist journal published in 1849
A labourer named William Joyce who is now employed in excavating part of the East Hill for the foundation of a house, told me yesterday of an interesting incident in the month of December about 15 years ago.
While he was working for Mr. William Ranger, who had the contract for cutting away the White Rock which used to stand between this place and St. Leonard's, the men found an immense quantity of swallows in a cleft in the rock.
The birds were clinging together in large "clots," and appeared to be dead, but were not frozen together, nor were they at all putrid or decayed.
The men carried out at least three railway-barrows full of the birds which were buried with the mould and rubbish from the cliff as it was wheeled away.
Some people from the town carried away a few of the birds to "make experiments with" but Joyce never heard any more of them.
He mentioned the names of four persons now in Hastings, who were then his fellow labourers, and he says, that 40 or 50 of Mr. Ranger's workmen were on the spot when the birds were found, and can confirm what he says, both as to the finding and the very great quantity of the birds.
There are many crevices in the seaward surface of the cliffs about here.
These apparently penetrate the cliff for several yards.
The birds were found about ten feet from the surface of the rock facing the sea, and not very high up.
Edward Brown Fitton
Hastings
September 8th, 1849
Cin J