The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-10-02
Migrating Birds.

Migrating Birds.
How do these robins, and the swal-
lows, and other migrating birds, con-
trlve to make, unobserved, their long
journey north and south =? Who sees
them arrive :? Who has ever seen them
depart
They have time to go, and time to
depart, and they move all together. We
find them with us, some bright and
CHEEKY morning in the latter half of
March, or in April. We may feel sure
they were not here the preceding morn
ing. When did they come ? Who saw
them arrive ?
A friend who has carefully studied
this problem, gives us his slow but very
decided conclusion. It is this Our
migrating birds chiefly go and come in
the night.
His observation has led him also to
the belief that this annual migration
north and south, is due less to instinct
than to instruction, and sort of tradi-
ton, actually impaired to the hosts of
young birds by the older ones. He has
reached the conclusion that the young
ones, born and brought up here in the
north, would not know by instinct, that
long and dreadful season of deadly
cold, with drifting SHOWS and fearful
storms, was coming, from which all SEN
slble birds must fee, and seek in more
genial 1atitudes their winter home. In
proof of this he cites the case of those
robins who remain with us over winter
These, he says, are invariably young
robins, Matched the preceding June
never old ones who had been here before
the previous winter. This can be ascer-
tanned chiefly by their size, but partially
by other indications and appearances,
such as every vagrant school boy is
lAfamiliar with. To confirm this view our
friend points to the large gatherings of
young birds in later September, or early
October, evidently brought together by
the old ones, who fly along the whole
line, eagerly chattering something to
which the younger evidently listen, and
which this observer believes to be a
warning not to widely part company
with the older ones, but to be on hand
and keep them company, when, at a
time near at hand, they must all leave
for the southern cline. Some young
birds, our philosopher says, either do not
heed this wise warning, or mics the
great company when they start-which
is always. he says, in the night. One
finds these unlucky stragglers, hiding
as best they may, among the shelteripg
thickets in January and February
maintaining a precarious and doubtless
a suffering existence by eating the ce-
dar berries. These unhappy strage1ers,
left behind to endure the rigors of a
northern winter, did not heed the ira
dictionary warning which is preserved
by the older birds and handed down
from generation to generation.
Such is our observers theory and
we find something that does look like
a support of it, in the conduct of the
swallows. We have often watched, il
the country, these most graceful birds,
when, about the first week in Septem
Der, they are gathered in crowds of hun
dreds on hundreds, completely covering
the fence-tops for long distances. Hud
died close together, they present Gu
rious sight and the entire crowd O
sitting and stationary birds are plainl,
enough the young swallows. Along thu
entire line, the older birds are flying
eagerly, closely approaching the young
er crowd, and twittering vociferously
This spectacle is best exhibited at tn
sea-shore. Along the outmost fence
of the farms bordering Long Islant
Sound, these closely packed congrega
t;ons of young swallows are often aston
ishing In their numbers. The time i
commonly about the first of September
The Iesson-if it is a lesson-is repeatet
day after day, the old birds seeming t
be very earnest and anxious about it.
However this part of our friend
theory may be regarded, proofs of th
fact that migration of birds is chief
performed by night are sufficient
abundant, We think, to settle tina
point.
Tha wild geese maintain their Ion
fight alike in the darkness and th
daylight. So, possibly, may the sma
birds, and these may escape obervatio
because of their smallness. That the
do, however, fly in the night, is abur
dantly proved by the revelations of th
astronomers telescopes, as well as th
slaughter occasioned by the birds dasl
ing hsedlessly against the lanterns {
the lighthouses on the coast.
The astronomer Mitchell (now d.
ceased) speaks of seeing birds cross Ii
field of his glass, when this was directe
to the moon in the dead hour of Il