56 
RURAL HOURS. 
edge of a bare wood above, but we could not see the little 
singer. 
The beech-bushes have a comical look at this season, growing 
many together, and huddling their dead leaves so tenaciously about 
their lower branches, they put one in mind of a flock of bantam 
chickens, with well feathered legs ; one would think these warm 
May-days, they would be glad to throw oft' their vrinter furbelows. 
Thursday, 4th. — Potatoes planted in the garden to-day. First 
mess of asparagus. Also, ice at table. 
The chimney-swallows have come in their usual large num- 
bers, and our summer flock of swallows is now complete. Of 
the six more common varieties of this bird found in North Amer- 
ica,* we have four in our neighborhood, and the others are also 
found within a short distance of us. 
The white-bellied swallows came first to the village this year ; 
they are generally supposed to be rather later than the barn-swal- 
lows. This pretty bird has been confounded with the European 
martin ; but it is pecuhar to America, and confined, it would seem, 
to our part of the continent, for their summer flight reaches to the 
fur countries, and they winter in Louisiana. It is said to resem- 
ble the water-martin of Europe in many of its habits, being par- 
tial to the water, often perching and roost-ing on the sedges ; 
they are very numerous on the coast of Long Island, but they 
are also very common in this inland county. Occasionally, you 
see them on the branches of trees, which is not usual with others 
of their tribe. 
* Three other varieties have been observed in North America, but they are all 
rare. The beautiful violet-green swallow of the Kocky Mountains, Vaux Chim- 
ney Swift, on the Columbia, and the rough-winged swallow of Louisiana. 
