Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-03
PASSING OF SUMMER

Writer ,,s,. for The Evening Star by Olive Thorne
Though the grass is overripe and the aster
stl the silence echoes to the sparrow's quiet song.
stili. though late, in thorny theketg fingers the
Summer is passing and the gorgeous pa
geant of autumn is about to begin. We
get hints of 1t now and then In a stray
branch all glorified and a leaf here and
there which has donned it's autumn livery.
The dainty flowers of spring have long
ago vanished, and in their place we have
the snowy blooms Of August. and
Already the dandelions are
Changed into vanishing ghosts"
The birds are mostly silent. They have
wrapped themselves in a mantle of re-
serve. and are hiding in the woods. deeply
absorbed In the mysteries of the toilet.
the only time In the year, happily, when
they have to consider dress. Perhaps that
Is why it becomes such a serious matter.
II one looks sharp he shall now and then
on his walks find fragment Of discarded
bird finery, rag, so to speak, dropped
from the wing of a woodpecker, a latter
from the tail Of bluejay. These waits
and strays are often perfect. and are
pretty souvenirs of the season. Pinned
into the pages of the notebook, with date
and name Of former owner, they serve In
after days to recall very pleasantly ones
summer friends.
In these August days not only the birds
are busy putting off their old garments
and putting on the new. but they are also
giving the final touches to the education
of the young. and all the time preparing
for the great event of the season-migra-
ton.
Yes; the birds are moulting, and. though
there shall be many hot days in this
month, and even in September, in spite Of
the cool promises of it's name, that which
makes summer to the bird lover is passing
away. Strange, indeed, it seems now, to
find the woods are quiet, and stranger still
to see the garrulous warbler tribes stealing
about in silence: the gay little red-start
trying to hide his black and gold. and
his mate-ail summer on dress parade-now
meek and subdued: the ever merry yellow
warbler In canary suit, slipping behind a
leaf as If ashamed of himself, and the trig
parula looking like an animated bundle OF
rags, his emphatic zee Zees'' hushed for
the season. and one and all accompanied
ny nondescript youngsters, not yet robed
IN the family uniform, and puzzling to
classify.
mer friends. Having no further use for
our structures for their nurseries they
nave abandoned US, gone to the marshes
probably, to join thousands of their kind,
haps to introduce the seasons little folk to
the flock and form themselves into a COM
pact and united body, before their travels
begin. From the little we see of their life
during the weeks barn swallows are with
us. it is natural to think of them as little
more than mere flying machines. 1.-THE
thin winged swallows skating on the air."
as Lowell pictures them But they are
really birds of good deal of individuality
One now and then catches glimpses Of
character which surprise him. especially
when taken on their own ground, where
they are at home.
One year a party of barn swallows adopt
ed certain piazza roof as resting and
lounging place during the early part of the
day, those hours which birds have learned
by long experience to consider their own.
My window happened to open directly upon
this rendezvous, and their noise and chat
ter always aroused my curiosity to see
what could be going on. But by no precau-
ton could l ever steal up to get sight of
them, Tor sentinel was always posted
and at the first movement the meeting dis
solved in confusion.
In another place 1 noted the pretty fam
lily feeling between pair of swallows and
their young. The two young ones sat on a
fence close together as they could get and
the parents fed them there, lowering be-
fore them and administering the mouthfuf
In the daintiest way. Sometimes the elders
would sit down by the little ones, one each
side. making charming picture. But they
never forgot that baby swallows must take
then the parents would circle around, ut
tering peculiar cries, which seemed to in
splre or excite the youngsters, for they at
once took wing and tried to follow. They
flew well, but soon tired and dropped to
the fence again, but far apart from each
other Then 1t was pleasing to see both of
them begin drawing nearer one another
running or creeping along in their pretty
way, till they were nestled side by side
again.
This summer I had further insight into
barn swallow idiosyncrasies 1 saw a
swallow wooing, and a case of conjugal
discipline For some reason a pair of those
birds began to frequent the beam support
ing the roof of piazza where / spent
hours every day. The lawn in front Of
the house was common hunting ground for
large party of swallows, but they had
never been in the habit of coming under
the roof. The ends of the rafters divided
the beam into spaces of fifteen or eighteen
inches. These hooks seemed to strike the
two swallows very attractive and here
they came for their love-making The
courtship Of this bird is conducted in the
good old-fashioned" way. He goes down
on his knees-as it were-certainly near
ly that as is possible to his anatomy, and
there Is no doubt he is in that attitude
mentally
The barn swallow takes the most humble
position in the presence of the beloved
object. often with his head in the corner
like naughty boy" He holds head and
tail depressed, and altogether looks as Il
he were trying to sink through the floor.
In this attitude he utters a sort of DIR
loud and long continued. Sometimes he
moves about, turning round and round
like a top or running with mincing steps
across his narrow runway between the
rafters. Meanwhile the damsel. whom 1
watched closely, did not In the least ap-
prove of these gymnastics. After enduring
the performance in her honor for awhile.
she flew at him with a sharp "phit"
Usually he vanished before her, but if he
fingered she hurried him with a touch of