Sky Sweepers 



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with gray back, black top of head and back of neck, and 

 white underparts. In some places their graceful necks, much 

 slimmer than those of the loon, have given them the name of 

 swan grebe. One of them paddled along with what I thought 

 was a broken and projecting wing feather, but it proved to 

 be a leg held over the side of the body in a strange and 

 puzzling manner. I thought its position was probably due to 

 injury, an idea which was soon dispelled when I saw others 

 of the five birds in the group, floating along with leg held in 

 the same grotesque fashion. 



Something seemed to be lacking in the marsh that day. I 

 did not know at first just what. Then I realized that the swal- 

 lows had left. Thousands had congregated in late August. 

 Most of them disappeared a week or so later but small flocks 

 had still flown about. On my previous visit three of them had 



