Lake Umbagog.
Lakeside.
1896
Aug. 17-23
(No 6)
in its bill for a few moments finally dropped
it and at once returned to the road for a fresh
supply. From 50 to 100 Swallows were then constantly
engaged for half-an-hour or more. Not one of them
took its burden elsewhere than to the wire fence
or retained it for more than two or three minutes 
after reaching this perch. What did it all mean?
Two [delete]other[/delete] facts which remain to be recorded will,
I think, explain.
[margin]Remarkable
behavior of
Swallows[/margin]
  The first is that while the birds were clustered
about the mud puddle scarce a minute passed
when one or more pairs were not engaged in
copulation. Perhaps I should say in attempted, rather
than actual, copulation for as nearly as I could see
the sexual contact was in no instance fully and
successfully carried out. [delete]a conclusion[/delete] The females (or at
least the birds that acted that part) submitted willingly
enough to, and in some instances, as I thought, actually
solicited, the attentions of the males, but the latter displayed but mild
sexual ardor and were very clumsy in their attempts to indulge it.
[delete]at perfecting the union[/delete] Once I saw an Eave Swallow mount a White belly!
The second fact apparently supplies the key to the whole
mystery. It is simply that every one of the Swallows
which visited the mud puddle and engaged in collecting
mud or straw or in attempted copulation, was a young
bird! Of this I made sure by the most careful
scrutiny with a glass at a distance of only 15 to 20 feet.
There were a few old birds in the flock but they
remained constantly on the fence[.]
[margin]Remarkable
behavior of
Swallows[/margin]
  It is evident therefore that the remarkable behavior
of the birds which alighted in the road was simply