Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-04-22
Migration OF Birds.

| 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 arrive? ?
Who has ever seen Them depart?
They have time to come 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 early in April. We may feel
sure they were not here the preceding
morning When did they Gomez Who
saw them arrive?
A friend who has carefully studied
this problem, gives us his slow but very
decided conclusion. 1t is this Our
migrating birds chiefly 60 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 a
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 lati-
tudes their winter home. In proof of
this he cites the case of these robins who
remain with us over winter. These, he
says, areinvariably young robins Matched
the preceding June-never old ones, who
had been here before the previous win
ter. This can be ascertained chiefly by
their size, but partly by other indica-
tions and appearances, such as every
vagrant country school boy is famil-
lar with. To confirm his view our
friend points to the large gatherings
Of young birds in latter part of Septem-
Der or early in October, evidently
brought together by the old ones, who
fly along the whole line, eagerly chatter
ing something to which the youngsters
evidently listen, and which their obser-
walton 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 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 there unlucky strag-
glers, 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. The unhappy
stragglers, left behind to endure the
rigors of q northern winter, did not heed
the traditionary warning which is pre-
served 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 destroyed 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 FIVE in one morn
ing at the foot of the lighthouse, all
dead. They fly with such force against
the glass that their beaks are often splin-
tered. The keeper said he found the
destruction greatest in hazy weather,
and he thought they struck ray at
great distance and followed it.up. Many
May morning have l wandered about
the rock at the foot of the tower, mourn
ing over a little apron brimfull Of spar
rows, swallows, thrushes, robins, fire.
winged blackbirds, msny.colored warb-
lers and Ay-catchers, cat-birds, even the
purple finch and scarlet tanager aud
golden oriole, and many more besides
enough to break the heart of a child to
think of Once a great eagle few against
the glass. That was before lived there;
but after we came two gulls cracked one
of the large, clear paRes one stormy
nioht ~