92 BIRDS AND POETS 



they have paired, I think these swallows sometimes 

 pass the night in the woods, but not if an old, dis- 

 used chimney is handy. 



One evening in early May, my attention was 

 arrested by a band of them containing several hun- 

 dreds, perhaps a thousand, circling about near a 

 large, tall, disused chimney in a secluded place in 

 the country. They were very lively, and chipper- 

 ing, and diving in a most extraordinary manner. 

 They formed a broad continuous circle many rods in 

 diameter. Gradually the circle contracted and neared 

 the chimney. Presently some of the birds as they 

 came round began to dive toward it, and the chip- 

 pering was more animated than ever. Then a few 

 ventured in; in a moment more, the air at the 

 mouth of the chimney was black with the stream of 

 descending swallows. When the passage began to 

 get crowded, the circle lifted and the rest of the 

 birds continued their flight, giving those inside time 

 to dispose of themselves. Then the influx began 

 again, and was kept up till the crowd became too 

 great, when it cleared as before. Thus by install- 

 ments, or in layers, the swallows were packed into 

 the chimney until the last one was stowed away. 

 Passing by the place a few days afterward, I saw a 

 board reaching from the roof of the building to the 

 top of the chimney, and imagined some curious per- 

 son or some predaceous boy had been up to take a 

 peep inside, and see how so many swallows could 

 dispose of themselves in such a space. It would 

 have been an interesting spectacle to see them 

 emerge from the chimney in the morning. 



