1896
Aug.11
(no6)
Lake Umbagog
but my pains went unrewarded for they certainly did not
migrate nor could I trace them to their roost. It was, however,
interesting if provoking to see the greatt host gradually dwindle
and finally disappear without giving the least clue as
to the general direction which they took. They simply scattered
in every direction and flying about aimlessly some high over
the woods others skimming low over the fields were lost
to sight. No doubt they reassembled somewhere but if so
the rendivous[sic] was beyond reach of my vision. A few
of the Barn Swallows- scarce a dozen in all- entered
our barn and passed the night in their nests or on 
the rafters near the nests.
[margin]Concourse of
Swallows.[/margin]
  This morning at 6.30 the whole swarm were back
again sunning themselves on the fence. At one time
they completely filled twenty spaces between the posts
crowding the wires so thickly that they almost or quite
touched one another. I counted the birds in three of the
spaces carefully and found that there were about twenty
birds on each wire (in between two posts) and sixty to 
each space. This gave twelve hundred as the total number
on the fence and there were certainly one or two hundred
more skimming over the fields.
  (It is a pity that I could not have watched them 
this evening for there can be little doubt that while 
I was eating my supper at Peaslee's Spring in Upton
the Lakeside host took their departure. At least on
the morning of the 12th less than fifty Swallows
reappeared about the hotel and the number did not
increase during the day. Of these fifty the greater part
were Barn Swallows with a few (less than a dozen of each) Eave
Bank & Tree Swallows. Did the great swarm start at evening
or may they not have gone in mid-afternoon? I saw them last when
[margin]I left the barn at 2pm.[/margin]