The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-04-25

says:
How do these robins, and the swallows,
and the other migrating birds, contrive to
make, unobserved, their long journey north
and south2 Who sees them arriveP Who
has ever seen them depart
They have time to go and a time to
DEPART aud they move all together. We
find them with us, some bright and CHEEKY
morning in the latter half of March, OF
early in April. We may feel sure they
we're not here the preceding morning.
When did they come ? Who saw them
arrive T?
A friend, who has carefully studied this
problem, gives us his slow but very decid-
ed conclusion. 1t 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 tradition, ac-
tually 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 sensible birds must fee, 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 win
ter 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 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 latter September or early October,
evidently brought together by the old
ones, who fly along the whole line, eagerly
chattering something to which the young
sters evidently listen, and which this OBJ
server believes to be warning not to widely
part company with the older ones, but to
be on hand and keep them company, when,
at time near at hand, they must all leave
for southern cline. Some young birds,
our philosopher says, either do not heed
this wise warning, or miss the great COM
pany when they start--which is always, he
says, in the night Ono finds these un-
lucky stragglcrs, hiding as best they may,
among the sheltering thickets in January
and February-maintaining a precarious
and doubtless a suffering existence by
eating the cedar berries. These unhappy
stragglers, left behind to endure the rigors
Of a northern winter, did not heed the
traditionary warning which is preserved by
the older birds and handed down from
generation to generation.
A seeming confirmation of this theory
is found in Mrs. Phaxter's book, "Life on
the Isle of Shoals" She says;
Sometimes in autumn, always in spring,
when birds are migrating, they are de-
stroyed in such quantities by this means
that it is painful to reflect upon. The
keeper at the island, three years ago, told
me that he picked up three hundred and
seventy-fve in one morning at the foot Of
the lighthouse, all dead. They fly with
such force against the glass that their
beaks are often splintered. The keeper
said he found the destruction greatest in
hazy weather, and he thought they struck
a ray at great distance and followed 1t
up. Many May morning have ! wan
dered about the rock at the foot of the
tower, mourning over little apron brim-
full of sparrows, swallows, thrushes, robins,
fire-winged blackbirds, many-colored warb-
lers and hy-catchers, beautifully clothed
yellow-birds, nuthatchers, catbirds, even
the purple finch and scarlet tanager and
golden Oriole, and many more beside
enough to break the heart Of child to
think of Once great eagle few against
the glass. That was before / lived there;
but after We came two gulls cracked one
of the large clear panes one stormy night"