NATURE'S CALENDAR 203 



platoons, or settling as if by order on th"e September 12 



reeds. Quite as multitudinous, but not so 



picturesque, are the gatherino;s of white- 

 bellied swallows in the marshes. 



Again, as in spring, it is noticeable that 

 the old males lead the host of each spe- 

 cies. Restlessness to depart seems to in- 

 fluence them as soon as they have seen 

 that the family eggs are hatched and the 

 young likely to be reared. Then, free of 

 care, they begin to long for the South, 

 and being strong of wing they keep ahead 

 of the females and weak youngsters, which 

 latter start as soon as they are able to un- 

 dertake the journey. 



There is no mystery, then, about the 

 young finding their way— they follow their 

 elders, who have been taught the route 

 and remember it, aided, no doubt, by a 

 keener faculty for finding their way — a 

 more perfect "sense of direction" — than 

 civilized humanity possesses, but perhaps 

 not more perfect than belongs to certain 

 savages. They follow certain great routes 

 or highways, as has been described in 

 speaking of the northward flight in June; 

 and it is probable that their main object 

 in flying at so great a height as they often 

 do, is in order to get a wide survey of the 

 landscape, and so keep their landmarks in 

 view, making their way easily from point 

 to point invisible at a lower level. 



Persons looking at the face of the full 

 moon with a telescope on September 

 evenings, may see hundreds of birds pass- 



September 13 



