166 THE CHIMNEY SWALLOW, OR AMERICAN SWIFT. 



in Louisiana, I took the trouble of counting how many entered one chimney- 

 before dark. I sat at a window not far from the spot, and reckoned upwards 

 of a thousand, having missed a considerable number. The place at that time 

 contained about a hundred houses, and no doubt existed in my mind that the 

 greater number of these birds were on their way southward, and had merely 

 stopped there for the night. 



Immediately after my arrival at Louisville, in the State of Kentucky, I 

 became acquainted with the late hospitable and amiable Major William 

 Croghan and his family. While talking one day about birds, he asked me 

 if I had seen the trees in which the Swallows were supposed to spend the 

 winter, but which they only entered, he said, for the purpose of roosting. 

 Answering in the affirmative, I was informed that on my way back to town, 

 there was a tree remarkable on account of the immense numbers that resorted 

 to it, and the place in which it stood was described to me. I found it to be 

 a sycamore, nearly destitute of branches, sixty or seventy feet high, between 

 seven and eight feet in diameter at the base, and about five for the distance 

 of forty feet up, where the stump of a broken hollowed branch, about two 

 feet in diameter, made out from the main stem. This was the place at which 

 the Swallows entered. On closely examining the tree, I found it hard, but 

 hollow to near the roots. It was now about four o'clock after noon, in the 

 month of July. Swallows were flying over Jeffersonville, Louisville, and 

 the woods around, but there were none near the tree. I proceeded home, 

 and shortly after returned on foot. The sun was going down behind the 

 Silver Hills; the evening was beautiful; thousands of Swallows were flying 

 closely above me, and three or four at a time were pitching into the hole, 

 like bees hurrying into their hive. I remained, my head leaning on the 

 tree, listening to the roaring noise made within by the birds as they settled 

 and arranged themselves, until it was quite dark, when I left the place, 

 although I was convinced that many more had to enter. I did not pretend 

 to count them, for the number was too great, and the birds rushed to the 

 entrance so thick as to baffle the attempt. I had scarcely returned to Louis- 

 ville, when a violent thunder-storm passed suddenly over the town, and its 

 appearance made me think that the hurry of the Swallows to enter the tree 

 was caused by their anxiety to avoid it. I thought of the Swallows almost 

 the whole night, so anxious had I become to ascertain their number, before 

 the time of their departure should arrive. 



Next morning I rose early enough to reach the place long before the least 

 appearance of daylight, and placed my head against the tree. All was silent 

 within. I remained in that posture probably twenty minutes, when sudden- 

 ly I thought the great tree was giving way, and coming down upon me. 

 Instinctively I sprung from it, but when I looked up to it again, what was 



