DO SWALLOWS HIBERNATE? 181 



rail-birds, but, being seen on their migratorial journeys, of 

 course are not invested with any peculiar habits. 



It seems never to have occurred to those who insist 

 upon the hibernation of the rail-bird in the mud, that a 

 still greater mystery is the impulse that should affect all 

 these birds at the one moment ; for their sudden and 

 simultaneous disappearance is always insisted upon. The 

 truth is, however, that they do not disappear all together. 

 After the first hard frost, be it early or late, the great 

 majority of them promptly disappear ; but a fraction of 

 their former numbers remain. Now, what I believe to 

 be a rational explanation of the apparent hibernation is 

 this : The number of rail-birds in a given tract of marsh 

 is suddenly greatly diminished (this occurs on the day fol- 

 lowing the first hard frost) ; those that remain are often 

 weak of wing ; and many are found dead, probably hav- 

 ing been wounded by the gunners. One and all are 

 found only in the marshes, and coupled with these facts 

 is the one more important than all, that the rails are not 

 seen migrating. They invariably depart at night. Herein 

 lies the solution of the common impression one far more 

 prevalent than that concerning our swallows, whose move- 

 ments we can watch. While we are familiar with the 

 rail-birds, they are associated with frogs and the aquatic 

 life of our marshes. Frost comes and they are gone. 

 We do not see either frogs or rail-birds disappear ; but 

 we know where the frogs are, and, remembering the am- 

 phibian habits of these birds, we continue to associate 

 them with the croaking frogs, and relegate to the mud 

 these timid, weak-winged birds. But, in truth, they have 

 gathered their long-husbanded strength, and, in the still- 

 ness of the frosty night, have winged their way south- 

 ward without a sign. 



As I pointed out in the case of the swallows, many 



