Swallow 
Shortly after sunset I saw a large flock of Swallows 
roost 
R obin roost 
going to roost in an extensive thicket of button bushes 
just below Heath’s Bridge. There were fully fifty birds, 
the majority Barn Swallows with perhaps a dozen White-bellies 
and four of five Bank Swallows. They alighted first on the 
tops of the bushes and gradually worked their way downward 
and under the foliage by fluttering from twig to twig a 
few inches at a time. Sometimes a dozen were beating their 
wings noisily among the leaves at once and there was much 
twittering and chattering and petty little bickerings for 
the best places. All the while a goodly number of birds 
were flying about over the river feeding, but one by one 
they joined the throng among the bushes and,when I left, 
all had alighted while all but two or three had worked 
down out of sight. At first dozens of brick red and snowy 
white breasts gleamed in the strong light from the west 
but now there was nothing to be seen but the masses of 
dark foliage beneath which the host were safely sheltered. 
During the whole time there were no feints, no sudden 
inrush, and no panicy departures, such as I have noted on 
former occasions. 
As I passed the meadow above the French farm I saw 
a few Robins coming from the westward and pitching down 
into the maple woods. There was a roost in these woods last 
year and I do not doubt that these birds were assembling 
at the same place to spend the night, but I did not see 
above a dozen in all. 
