Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-07-02
The Migration of Inland Birds.

DIR. CHARLES G.. ABBOT discusses in the
Popular Science Monthly the phenomena
of the migration of inland birds, as OBJ
served by him during the past sixteen years
at Trenton. N. J. He shows that the pc
riods of appearance and disappearance of
the different species are by no means so
regular as is popularity supposed He
notes many peculiarities in the habit
which have escaped careless observers,
and particularly such as do not watch by
night and at dawn. DIR. Abbott says;
/" The fact is, there is more to be learned
about birds in one hour of the early morn
ing than in six weeks of midday sun
shine" There is not one species of the
birds that annually visit New Jersey to
spend the summer, or to travel further
north, which does not vary in the time of
arrival by from twenty to thirty days.
Some of them are delayed by storms /;
others time their coming according TO
the advance OF the season and the
abundance of food. DR. Abbott suspects
that sometimes pioneer" birds arriv-
ing very early and forming unfavorable
| judgments of the coming season, par
| ticularly with reference to food, depart
and warn. their fellows, so that in GER
tain years a species will avoid locality
which it has previously frequented, and to
which it subsequently returns. He notes,
also, changes, apparently permanent, in
the habits of certain species, some of
which have failed of late years to come, as
u rule, as far north as New Jersey, while
others have now fully acquired the habit
of remaining throughout the year,
though but comparatively short time
ago they were truly migratory. Thus,
the summer red-bird came twenty years
| -, Tar
maining from the first of May until Oc-
tober. 1t can now scarcely ever be OBJ
served there The same is true of the
mocking- bird, which was common thirty
years ago, and is now exceedingly rare,
while the blue-bird, formerly migratory,
has become permanent resident, rs have
also species of warbler and u species OF
wren. A large proportion of the migrat
ing birds perform the northward journey
by night, the others wholly by day. Al
least this is the common impression, and
not improbable, though not demonstrated
The departure of the birds is still more ir
regular than their arrival. They move leis
urely, Just keeping ahead of the winter
which cuts off their supplies Of food, par
ticularly of insects Hence the exclusively
insecteating birds, such as warbler'
and swallows, leave more promptly anC
In larger NUMBERS AT one Ime Ililn INT
wholly or partly granivorous birds. The
exceedingly variable weather of Septem
Der and October causes the southwark
movements of the insect-eaters to vary
Up to about the first of October they
largely increase in numbers, by reason o
arrivals from the North This enhance
the scarcity of their appropriate food, ant
co-operates with the season in urging thei
flight But DR.. Abbott shows that by
, gradual adaptation to the surrounding con
ditions more and more of them are be
coming habituated to remain, and feel
confident that in exceptionally mild win
ters this number is large.
Summing up his observations, he con
cludes that migration is an inherited habi
not now in all cases wholly necessary ant
greatly influenced by changes in surround
ing conditions, the instinct having grownu NJ
from the struggle for life among tropica
! species, and the purpose of the migratio
being to obtain the opportunity Of rearin
/, the young in safety and of procuring fo
parents and offspring suitable and suff
cient food 1t is the northward tiigl
which may be called voluntary and in
stinctive or habitual; the sOuthward re
| turn is cOmDulsOrV