A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
609 
pools, and here was a great oval whirl of birds, all going in the 
same direction, each in passing dipping for a drink, then rising 
to re-take its place in the line. Now and then some returned 
to the wires or others joined the drinkers, but the numbers were 
so great that a collision seemed unavoidable. 
A large part of the flock had settled in a pasture some dis- 
tance away, in so close a group that they made a spot of blue 
on the short grass. Crossing over to these I found them 
quietly enjoying the sunlight, and, as I approached from the 
southwest, all had their backs toward me, showing to per- 
fection the beautiful steel-blue of the feathers. Most of the 
time they were still, though now and then one undertook to 
walk a few inches, if, indeed, such a ridiculous hobble could be 
called a walk. But forty feet was near enough for a person — 
then those nearest me rose, and, passing over the others, alighted 
in front of them, and so they moved regularly on before me. 
Some of this portion of the flock were on a wire fence near 
at hand; a very small proportion, though over one hundred, 
were on a single wire between five posts, and these were so 
fearless than when the last one flew I was but two steps away. 
Four or five times during an hour and a half the birds on 
the telegraph wires rose in a body, with those drinking at the 
brook, while the flock from the pasture hurriedly crossed the 
intervening fields to join them. For a moment the very air 
seemed full of Swallows; then, rising higher, they separated 
into smaller flocks, turning back and forth, meeting again, 
describing curious figures as smoothly and easily as if going 
through a long-practiced drill. After a few minutes, they 
either returned, a few at a time, to their former perches or 
gradually scattered over the fields and woods, and in a little 
while came streaming back, a long river of Swallows, to 
alight once more. 
As the morning advanced their numbers gradually dimin- 
ished, and at 3 p. m. about thirty remained. For three or four 
days after that these Swallows were present in great numbers, 
continuing their drill, after which I noticed no more than 
usual. — Isabella McC. Lemmon, Englewood, N. J., in Bird- 
Lore. 
Bank Swallow: Clivicola riparia. S. R. 
Sand Martin 
Length: 5 inches. The smallest of our Swallows. 
