It’s winter now. In many parts of Europe snow is
falling, covering towns and mountains with its white mantle. And in Switzerland
the national institute for the scientific study of birds is asking for help.
You see, thousands of swallows cannot cross the Alps
because of bad weather – cold an wind. They need to go South where it is warm
in winter and they can find the insects that they eat. "Operation
Swallows" is asking people to find the poor birds that are dying of cold
and hunger and save them. The people are feeding the birds, putting them into
boxes and taking them to a train station. The Swiss railways and the national
airline are helping the birds, too. They are taking them to the other side of
the Alps or to the Mediterranean for the winter. Naturally, nobody is asking
the birds to show their tickets!
(Adapted from an article by Diana Hendricks in BBC
Modern English)