TEEE SWALLOW 331 



plenty of myrtle-birds and yellow redpolls 1 where the 

 gnats were. The swallows were confined to this space 

 when I passed up, and were still there when I returned, 

 an hour and a half later. I saw them nowhere else. 

 They uttered only a slight twitter from time to time and 

 when they turned out for each other on meeting. Get- 

 ting their meal seemed to be made a social affair. Pray, 

 how long will they continue to circle thus without rest- 

 ing? 



TREE SWALLOW; WHITE-BELLIED SWALLOW 



June 12, 1852. Small white-bellied (?) swallows in a 

 row (a dozen) on the telegraph-wire over the water by 

 the bridge. This perch is little enough departure from 

 unobstructed air to suit them. Pluming themselves. If 

 you could furnish a perch aerial enough, even birds of 

 paradise would alight. Swallows have forked tails, and 

 wings and tails are about the same length. They do 

 not alight on trees, methinhs, unless on dead and bare 

 boughs, but stretch a wire over water and they perch 

 on it. This is among the phenomena that cluster about 

 the telegraph. 



June 14, 1855. I told C. 2 to look into an old mortise- 

 hole in Wood's Bridge for a white-bellied swallow's 

 nest, as we were paddling under ; but he laughed, in- 

 credulous. I insisted, and when he climbed up he scared 

 out the bird. Five eggs. "You see the feathers about, 

 do you not? " "Yes," said he. 



1 [Myrtle warblers and yellow palm warblers.] 



2 [W. E. Channing.] 



