^HDyiHE SWALLOWS- 
It is to be regretted that so much 
of the migration that courses over 
the continent is carried on at night* The sky 
seldom reveals the strange wanderings from zone 
to zone. The welcome arrival, the indifferent 
passing to and from remote homes and haunts, as 
well as the affecting departure, are all shrouded in 
darkness. Sometimes a flock of Wild Geese may pass 
high and distinct against the clear day. Ducks in 
angled lines, more hurried and more near, may court 
the daylight. Even in the night a familiar note may 
come from the upper darkness announcing the route 
of some passing traveller. But the swarms that move 
between tropical retreats and northern breeding 
grounds prefer the secrecy of night and lose the wider 
sympathy that would come from a free disclosure of 
their routes and journeyings. Swallows are now 
gathering in large flocks and making ready for 
the great journey. The marshes are favourite 
places of assembly, and when they crowd the 
wires in thousands one is apt to wonder how they 
managed to organise preparatory meetings before 
electrical inventions furnished resting-places. Some- 
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