Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-10-17
Sora Hunting.

One or two more frosts aud the will take unto
themselves wings and "aosquntula'e" Till next sea-
son. Already they have begun to migrate, though
they have IA yet undergone no pcreepibe dminut'on
ia numbers.
We take the above from the Petcrsburg Pass of
las, Thursday. For several years we have been en-
deayoring 10 prove that ii was altogether mistaken
idea TINT that mysterious bird--the Sora clngrn-
cd, OF, ns the Prss has 1t, 'ahsqunuhled" On the
appearance Of cold weather, onr arguments, we he
leve have convinced several who had not previously
examined the subject ~, for instance, the Richmond
Wing, the Petersburg Iniellieeucer, and the Raleigh
Register, But, we are to sorry sec the Press stil
rnss to the old theory abou, sora and. therefore,
for the ediirnton Of our Petersburg contemporary,
and Of other skcrtics and unbclcvers, we under
the necessity OF recapituhling the Argument
In thc first place, then, nobody ever scr, ''on
the wing BY The expression con the wing" we
mean the act 81 flying oil to n distant region, All
birds that emigrate, as ar inst,n,e, swallows, Wild
geese wild ducks, &c. may be seen in 0otks long
distance above the carh, making Their way ~ some
distant cline, But did an, body ever see a flock Of
sora? No. Did an, body ever see anywhere but
in a marsh or swamp? No. Did anybody ever see
that could fly nose than fifty yards At time
40. Did anybody ever see either single sora, or Il
hock 81 thcm, coming or g9iug' Nobody.
Why, then, should friend OF the Press alk about
their "absquatuhting They dont ".,bsqua,uhlvn
II they so TO warmer cline IN the winter SEASON. as
the Press n,malcs how is that they never gel back
until late in August, or early in September? Swat
lows come back in tho Spring martins, the same !;
NIL. cngratng ".birds, the same. Way shond the
"A. -.
nates' as they dot Why should he wait Until tie
warm weather is over before he makes his reAppear-
ance7
With all Difference to the Press we submit that the
argument in fnvor Of the "emgraticn OF the sorA can
not be maintained. Whatever nny become of aen
and that is sseat mystery-ouc thing is very GER
tain they do not cmigrate.
What, then. does become of them? There is O aly
other opipion about their fate; and in default of
others, are bound to accept that asFthe true on
In Lower Virginia, where the sors most abound tho
negroes have belief that they turn to frog. This
may be regarded, the Grs, bssh rs AN ahsnrd sup
position; bat is il any more wonderful lhaa thou
sauds OF other iucomprehensible na ura phenomena
You may 60 into marsh to-day, and Gni it vocal
with tens Of thousands Of sora. let back FROST
come to-nigh', and you may 50 III r. to- aud
not find sign Of single bird. Everything ia as ST.
lent and quiet as possible. Where have the sora
gone! We lave shown that they do not "misrs,e."
What. thea, has become Of them II they do not
turn 10 frogs would like for the Press inform us
what they do turn 10. What more natural than that
.oesrape the chilling blasts and irosts OF winter they
sho.ii quietly be metamorphosed into frogs, and
plunge down into the soft black mud Of the marshes,
70 remain until in due course of time they rsappear
before eyes.
Inc caterpiilar-a repusive insect-changes into
beaat'fii butterfly. 10 any more wonderful that
sora should change to a ftog2 Or that the frog
shpuid change back to the sora1 A, all events. II
the Prtss. and other unbelevers do not accept our
theory abcat it, we shall insist that they PROFOUND
one more reasonable than that about migration"
And here, for the present, we rest the discussion.