30 



mosquito-like flies and small beetles. Upon these insects the 

 Martins were feeding, going out from the trees in small 

 groups, gliding over the field just above the tassel tops, and 

 scooping in the prey with ease. Faint snapping of the beaks 

 as the birds came near me was audible and led to the obser- 

 vation noted here. There were dozens of birds — sometimes 

 scores of them — soaring and mixing about over this field, re- 

 turning anon to rest on the trees, or on a larger one directly 

 opposite on the north bank of the stream (see Plate IX, upper 

 view). As the evening shades grew darker, fewer birds re- 

 turned to the trees, more often going to the rendezvous on 

 wires crossing south West street, between High and Greene 

 streets (see Plate X, central view), or the cable wires along 

 north West street near West Park (see Plate X, upper view). 



On the 9th and 11th, I proceeded direct to the latter 

 mentioned places to make observations and take pictures. I 

 succeeded in getting the views shown in the two upper views 

 on Plate X, although it was becoming quite dusk when the 

 birds finally gathered in those places preparatory to making 

 their last flight of the evening to the maples at the Richhill 

 and Franklin street intersection. 



When the birds were apparently all settled on the wires 

 they became quiet for an instant, then with a great swish 

 they all left so suddenly and so swiftly that the wires tang- 

 ed as if struck by a ball. So uniform was this action, and 

 so accustomed had I become to it, that I had an instinctive 

 knowledge when they were going to take a flight of this na- 

 ture the instant before. This is a condition by which I un- 

 derstand what the birds are going to do, but who will ex- 

 plain by what signal the birds— hundreds of them —instant- 

 ly become hushed the moment before taking flight. 



Bearing on this subject of bird language or understand- 

 ing, my observations made on Aug. 9th, at the point where 

 the wires cross south West st. (see Plate X, central view) 

 are of interest. After one of these sudden departures of 

 600 birds, about seventy-five of them came back and in their 

 wake came about thirty Red-winged Blackbirds which lit on 

 the wires and mingled with the Martins. After about five 



