The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-05-16
Our 0liu.
MIGRATION OF BIRDS,

How do these robins, and the swallows,
and the other migrating birds, contrive to
make, unobseryed, their long journey
north and south? Who sees them arrived
Who has ever seen them depart2 They
have time to come and time to de-
part and they move altogether. We
find them with us, some bright and CHEEKY
morning in the latter half of March, or
early in April. We may feel sure they
were not here the preceding morning.
When did they come? Who saw them
arrive?
A friend, who has carefully studied this
problem, gives us his slow but very decid-
ed conclusion. Il is this: Our migrating
birds chiefly 60 and come IN he might
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 a sort of tradition actually
impaired to the hosts Of young birds by
the older ones. He has reached the con-
clusion that the young ones, born and
brought up here in the north, would not
know by instinct, that long aud dreadful
season of deadly cold, with drifting SHOWS,
and fearful storms, was coming from
which all sensible birds must flee, and seek
in more genial attitudes 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 rob
ins, Matched the preceding June-never
old ones who had been here before the
previous winter. This can be ascertained
chiefly by their size, but partly by other
indications and appearances, such as every
vagrant country school.boy is familiar with.
To confirm his view our friend points to
the large gatherings of young birds in lat
ter September, or early October, evidently
brought together by the old ones, who Ay
along the whole line, eagerly chattering
something to which the youngsters owl
IDENTIFY listen, and which this observer be-
lieves 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
a southern cline, Some young birds, our
philosopher says, either do not heed this
wise warning, or miss the great company
when they start--which is always, he says,
in the night. One finds these nnlucky
stragglers, hiding as best they may, among
the sheltering thickets in January and
February-maintaiuing precarious and
doubtless suffering existence by eating
the cedar-berries. These unhappy strag-
glers, left behind to endure the rigors Of
northern winter, did not heed the tradi-
tionary warning which is preserved by the
older birds and handed down from gener-
alton to generation.
Such is our Observers theory; aud we
find something that docs look like sup
port of it, in the conduct of the swallows.
We have often watched, in the country,
these familiar and most graceful birds,
when, about the first week in September,
they arc gathered in crowds Of hundreds
on hundreds, completely covering the
fence-tops for long distances. Huddled
closely together, they present curious
sight and the entire crowd of sitting and
stationary birds are plainly enough the
young swallows. Along the entire line
the older birds are flying eagerly, closely
approaching the younger crowd and twit-
tering yociforously This spectacle is best
exhibited at the seashorc. Along the out
ermost fences Of the farms bordering
Long Island Sound these closely packed
congregations Of young swallows are often
astonishing in their numbers. The time
is commonly abou. tho first Of September.
The lesson-if it is a lesson--is repeated
day after day, the old birds seeming to be
very earnest and anxious about It.
Howeyerthis part Of our friends theory
may be regarded, proofs Of the fact that
migration Of birds is chiefly performed in
the night il sufficiently abundant va