A DAINTY BATH 133 



They attacked him so energetically that two 

 or three times he lost his balance and would 

 have fallen but for wings. At last he de- 

 parted, when some young swallows came 

 to the fence and the parents went to feed- 

 ing. The kingfisher had been too near to 

 please them. 



It was charming to see the swallows bathe. 

 One would skim along just over the water, 

 as a flat stone thrown by a skillful hand will 

 " skip," now and then touching the water. 

 After two or three of these dainty dips, he 

 would describe a large circle in the air, then 

 return and dip two or three times more, re- 

 peating this two or three times before he 

 would alight and dress his plumage. 



The summer of this story I had still 

 further insight into swallow idiosyncrasies 

 I saw a swallow-wooing, and a case of 

 conjugal discipline edifying to behold. For 

 some reason which I could not discover a 

 pair of barn-swallows began to frequent the 

 beam supporting the roof of the piazza where 

 I sat. 



The lawn in front as I have said 

 was common hunting-ground for a large 



