— 495-^- 



traly, their flight is barometric for they soar in clear 

 warm days and skim the surface of the ground in 

 heavy, falling weather, perhaps neither always, nor 

 entirely, in the wake of winged insects on which they 

 prey. 



These mercurial birds are also thermometric ; they 

 are gauges of temperature, if less precise than the 

 column of the fluid metal itself. It takes but a few warm 

 days even in our mid- winters, to send Swallows troop- 

 ing Northward from the orange and the cypress of the 

 South ; and the uncertain days when capricious young 

 spring pours delicious balm on the wounds of winter, 

 are sure to lure some Swallows, on beyond their usual 

 bounds, like skirmishers thrown out before the oncome 

 of the host of occupation. There is concert, too, in the 

 campaigns of the Swallows ; they act as if by consulta- 

 tion, and carry out agreement under leadership. One 

 may witness in the autumn more particularly, before 

 the Swallows leave us, that they gather in noisy thou- 

 sands still uncertain of the future movements, eager for 

 the council to determine their line of march. Great 

 throngs fly aimlessly about with incessant twittering 

 or string along the lines of telegraph, the eaves of 

 houses, or the combs of cliffs. In all their talk and 

 argument their restlessness and great concern, we see 

 how weighty is the subject that occupies their minds ; 

 we may fancy all the levity and impulse of the younger 

 heads, their lack of sober judgment, the incessant flip- 

 pancy with which they urge their novel schemes, and, 

 we may well believe, their departure is delayed by the 

 wiser tongues of those taught by experience to make 

 haste slowly. Days pass, sometimes in animated debate, 

 till delay becomes dangerous. 



The gathering dissolves, the sinews are strung, no 

 breath is wasted now, the Swallows have escaped its 

 wrath and are gone to a winter's revelry in the land 

 where winter's hand is weakened till its touch is scar- 

 cely felt * * * * Swallows are prodigious, phe-* 



