CHAPTEE XIII 



Morning in the valley Abundance of swifts Unlikeness to other 

 birds Mayfly and swallows Mayfly and swift Bad weather 

 and hail Swallows in the rain Sand martins An orphaned 

 blackbird Tamed by feeding Survival of gregarious instinct 

 in young blackbirds Blackbird's good-night Girl buntings 

 Breeding habits and language Habits of the young Keed 

 bunting Beautiful weather The oak in August. 



DURING the month of July the swift was the most 

 abundant and most constantly before us of all our 

 Itchen valley birds. In the morning he was not there. 

 We had the pigeons then, all three species ring-dove, 

 stock-dove and turtle-dove being abundant in the 

 woods on the opposite side of the valley, and from four 

 o'clock to six was the tune of their morning concert, 

 when the still air was filled with the human-like musical 

 sound of their multitudinous voices mingled in one 

 voice. An hour or two later, as the air grew warmer, 

 the swifts would begin to arrive to fly up and down the 

 stream incessantly until dark, feasting on the gnats and 

 ephemerae that swarmed over the water during those 

 hot days of late summer. Doubtless these birds come 

 every day from all the towns, villages, and farm-houses 

 scattered over a very broad strip of country on either 

 side of the Itchen. Never had I seen swifts so numer- 

 ous; looking down on the valley from any point one 



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