^AMEN/THE SWALLOWS- 



It is to be regretted that so much 

 of the migration that courses over 

 the continent is carried on at night. The sky 

 seldom reveals the strange wanderings from zone 

 to zone. The welcome arrival, the indifferent 

 passing to and from remote homes and haunts, as 

 well as the affecting departure, are all shrouded in 

 darkness. Sometimes a flock of Wild Geese may pass 

 high and distinct against the clear day. Ducks in 

 angled lines, more hurried and more near, may court 

 the daylight. Even in the night a familiar note may 

 come from the upper darkness announcing the route 

 of some passing traveller. But the swarms that move 

 between tropical retreats and northern breeding 

 grounds prefer the secrecy of night and lose the wider 

 sympathy that would come from a free disclosure of 

 their routes and journeyings. Swallows are now 

 gathering in large flocks and making ready for 

 the great journey. The marshes are favourite 

 places of assembly, and when they crowd the 

 wires in thousands one is apt to wonder how they 

 managed to organise preparatory meetings before 

 electrical inventions furnished resting-places. Some- 



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