BIRDS IN THE CALENDAR 



from which they had come a few moments 

 earlier. 



Swifts fly to an immense height these July 

 evenings, mounting to such an altitude as 

 eventually to disappear out of sight alto- 

 gether. This curious habit, which is but im- 

 perfectly understood, has led to the belief that, 

 instead of roosting in the nest or among the 

 reeds like the swallows, the males, at any rate, 

 spend the night flying about under the stars. 

 This fantastic notion is not, however, likely 

 to commend itself to those who pause to 

 reflect on the incessant activity displayed by 

 these birds the livelong day. So rarely indeed 

 do they alight that country folk gravely deny 

 them the possession of feet, and it is in the 

 last degree improbable that a bird of such 

 feverish alertness could dispense with its 

 night's rest. No one who has watched swifts, 

 swallows and martins on the wing can fail to 

 be struck by the extraordinary judgment 

 with which these untiring birds seem to shave 

 the arches of bridges, gateposts, and other 

 obstacles in the way of their flight by so 

 narrow a margin as continually to give the 

 impression of catastrophe imminent and 

 84 



