The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-09-25
Migrating Birds.

HiSrstinS Birus.
How 10 these robins, and the swal-
lows, and other migrating birds, con-
trive to make, unobserved, their long
Journey north and south? Who sees
them arrive? Who has ever seen them
depart?
They have a time to go, and a 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 stndied
this problem, gives us his slow but very
decided conclusion. Il 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 a sort of tradi-
ton, actually impaired to the hosts of
young birds by the older ones. He has
reached the conclusion that tine young
ones, born and brought up here in the
north, woUlG not know by instinct, that
a long and dreadful season Of deadly
cold, with drifting SHOWS and fearful
storms, was coming, from which all SEN
sible birds must fee, and seek in more
genial latitldes 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 cbiehy by their size, but partially
by other Indications and appearances,
such as every vagrant school-boy is
familiar with. To confirm this view our
friend points to the large gatherings of
young birds in later September, n 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 q
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, o. 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 sheltering
thickets in January and February
maintaining a precarious and doubtless
suffering existence by eating the &C.
dar berries. These unhappy stragglers,
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
IRON 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, in
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 a GU
rious 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 young
er crowd, and twittering vociferously.
Ibis spectacle is best exhibited at the
sea-shore. Along the outmost fences
OF the farms bordering Long Island
Sound, these closely packed congrega.
tons OF young swallows are often aston.