The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-07
Birds and Lighthouses.
Experience Mt she ape Elizabeth .shis-
What Kinds OF Birds are Lursd 90 Ne
sGruetion-CuriOus BncideRss. Ezx1
By NJ. A. HANNA.

By NJ. A. HANNA.
In recent number of the PRESS was brief
article copied from the Philadephis Record,
relating to birds being attracted by hgnt-
houses.
Editors OF sporting journals and others more
or lees interested in questions of natural histe-
ry, frequently write to light house keepers CO.
liciting information on this subject. Your cor-
respondent has been many times thus impor-
tuned
While MIGRATORY land birds-the smaller vs.
rietles-are allured in great numbers,and many
of them destroyed by contact with lighthouse
lanterns, the killing Of sea fowl by this means
is comparatively rare.
Nearly ell seabirds in passing to and from
their summer and winter resorts keep The coast
line in view all the way, passing near to aud
often crossing capes and headlands Hence all
lighthouses located on these land projections
stand more nearly in the limo of flight Of MI
gratory sea fowl than those having moEe in
land position.
So far as my observation goes, embracing an
experience Of many years, sea fowl are not in
the habit of making their flights by night.
lu6J ny bJ Od1 0uN hoNA ~ bAEheg "ho Ah thc~@
cases where this rule IS departed from 1t Ia gen.
eraly owing to the birds having been fright
ened from their place of reposs. There Is no
aquatic wild fowl so constantly on tho alert
for danger, and so quick to take alarm In fight
as the black duck; aud in nine cases out OF
ten, on the New England coast, whore water
fowl are killed by striking lighthouse lanterns.
these birds are the victims. The Cape Eliza
beth lights stand well ont in the line Of flight
of many species of marine birds Of passage, and
vet on Y twice in their history have they been
known to be struck by sea fowl, and in each
case it was by black duck. Aboat twenty years
ago several OF these birds struck the lantern Of
the fixed light, breaking two panes Of tho
heavy French plate glass, two birds falling
dead inside the lantern. On the morning Of
October 1st three years ago, crash as OF break
ing glass was heard at this light. Oa going
into the lantern the deck was found oestrsGn
with fragments of one of the great panes Of
plare glass, of an inch in thickness, with
which the nev lantern is glazed. Search be-
ing made, fine large black duck was found
dead at the foot of the tower.
Notwithstanding what have remarked
about sea fowl resting at night and flying BY
day. the reverse is undoubtedly true in respect
to the smaller land migrants, and in certain
conditions of the atmosphere they hover about
lighthouses in great numbers.
The only game bird, other than black duck
that have ever known killed by contact with
the lighthouse. is the woodcock. 1t has been
the writer's privilege, several occasions, to
thus provide his table with the hssh Of this
savory bird. PloVer are evidently much on
the wing after dark and their peculiar whistle
may he heard about the lights at all hours on
hszy rights, but alW ays, apparently, far above
the lantern tops. Wild geese, as is well
known, fly both by day and by night, and a.
far as my observation goes they are repelled
or frightened by lighthouses. rather than at
tracted by them. At least they appear TO
avoid them.
1 have somewhere read Of gulls swarming
about a lighthouse in such numbers as to OBJ
SC ure the light, and make it necessary for the
keeper to beat them off. The nearest Ap-
proach to any experience of this nature by the
writer was on calm and very foggy night,
large gray gull after many futile attempts to
force an entrance to the lantern, resignedly
perehed himself on the iron railing outside
the glass, and there sat gazing in seeming
wonderment at the light until it was put out
in the morning. Such nocturnal ramblers as
owls and bats, probably come in the vicinage
of lights in pursuing their prey when, ap-
preaching too near, they are as effectuslly
blinded as by the MONDAY sun.
So far as 1 can learn. the old-style light
house did not, to any great extent, prove e
oil ia
the Fresnel lens system with its concentrated
and iar-reaching luminous beams that bewil-
ders the little fellows and lures them on TO de-
straction. Take hszy or partially foggy
night in utumn, and the illuminated belt Of
atmosphere surrounding the light will literally
swarm with the various members of the spar.
row family English excepted), wrsns. orioles.
woodpeckers, small owls, bats, and sometimes
pigeon is seen. Once within the vortex OF
the light they appear to be irresistibly drawn
to the center, and dash at full speed toward
the lanterns. Many are killed outright, while
mabSg more futteT stunned or wine-broken to
the groIApd below, and at once fall prey to the
cats kept at the station. rhe->lsssssner's DWELL
ing at the eastern light stands about seven
feet from the lighthouse, and on dark nights,
when there is no moon or stars shining, the
side toward the lantern is brightly illumined by
reflection. Some four years ago in October,
the evening bsing as above described, and the
atmosphere being somew hat hazy or smoky, a
chamber window being left aisr that side
the house with lamp burning inside, in o
short time scores of small birds were fliuing
about the room. They soon became such n
that IL mos naraeaor ~ N rt1t han, ont
but it was found thai two parsons were unable
to catch the intruders as fast as they would en-
ter through the partly open window. Tho
window was then closed and the birds caught
q ID liberated on be other side of the house.
One of the Cape Elizabeth lights is "revol.
wing" and it is an interesting fact that this
light does not attract small birds to the same
extert as does the "fxed" light, Those not
familiar with this character of beacon must
know that it emits rays of different degrees Of
intensity kept in constant and regular rotation
around the horizon. For example; in six diff
erent directions, (sveull dividing ths horizou)
are as many concentrated beams of light Of
great intensity, called "hashes". Between
these are six other wider illumined spaces of
about one-fourth the brillisncy Of the flashes.
ne GlueISub ueSfo5S Oi iiSut 10 uOs JOlu OF lu~
tsrseet bat are separated by marrow masked or
! "eclipse" spaces.
Standing near the foot OF the tower and
/ looking up through the focal plans Of this light
in hazy and foggy weather, the several beams
| OF light together with the blank spaces, present
the appearance Of the spokes Of slowly revol-
wing wheel.
10 autumn, with the atmosphere in the con-
dition described, hundreds of birds may be
seen darting and swooping through these NOV.
ing arms of light; but it is the fixed light with
its sts ady sun-like glare that more surely
alnres them to destruction.
There are several varieties Of our most COM
mon small birds that are never seen round the
lights at night. Notably among these are the
robin and members of the swallow family.
Frank $. Cushing.
To the Editor Of the Press:
1 noticed in Tuesdays Press brlef mention
of the death ia New York of Mr.. Frank B.
Gushing, son of DIR. j S. Cushing, of skowhe-
gan. Will you kindly allow me space for a