Chaetura uela^ica . 
Concord, 
18S3. 
Aug. 14 „ 
Aug . 21 . 
Mass. 
Two great flocks of Swifts, one containing about twenty, 
the other thirty birds, were f lying about over the river a 
little before sunset this evening; one flook was near Hol- 
den's Hill, the other over the Rice Island, neither flock 
changed its position or showed any tendency to drift, the 
i 
birds being engaged in feeding, darting to and fro within 
narrow limits at an average height of forty or fifty teet. 
They were very silent. I think the young have all left the 
chimneys now as I have seen no old birds flying about the 
houses for two nights past. On the night of the 12th I heard 
one rumbling in our chimney, however. 
Wind north, gusty and dangerous as we started from the 
cabin for the Buttricks', but we sailed part of the way. 
About 15 Swifts accompanied by as many Swallows representing 
all five of our Hew England Hirun dinidae (there was but one 
Martin and one Eave Swallow) were flying over the Beaver Dam 
Rapid. At Rice Island there were fully 150 Swifts dashing 
about close over the water and sedge. I have never seen so 
many together before. It would have been easy to kill one or 
more at each shot by firing at random through the swarm. 
They reminded me of gnats despite the difference in their flig7->t. 
