The morning call., 1893-12-18
SEEKING A WARM ROOST.
The Speed Migratory Birds Make
and the Manner of Their Flight.
PltfsbuFy DlsDa

Nearly all the native American summer
birds make migratory journeys SOUTH ward
at the approach of winter. A few of the
varieties. such as the swallow family, leave
as early as the latter part of August. AS
soon as the young are able TO leave the
nest much time is spent on the wing by
those birds that have tile fall journey to
make. and when the breeding time is we'll
over they bunch into troops. having a holi-
day time feasting on the new crop of seeds
and enjoying the fine weather. Children all
grown up. no household cares, the young
rejoicing in the use of their developing
pilions, they frisk and flutter, scour the
surrounding country, but no one sees them
leave. SiDgularly enough the warblers
make these Journeys In the night. That
noisy auh now unwelcome and vOTacious
pet, the English sparrow. is not migratory
SO far as autumn Journeys pertain to mi
ration. They were imported TO this, a
strange climate to them. and have not
learned 10 leave with the approach of
winter. Whether or not they are an
insectiyOrous bird in their native island,
they certainly could not be otherwise than
graniyerous here in the winter. They are
hardy, pugnacious and aggressive, wei
typlfyiDg the peculiar character Of III
BrtOn.
A puzzle TO the scientist is TO solve the
problem of where the energy can come
from TO sustain the expenditure of force
involved in many occasions of bird flight.
That a diminutive bit of a stomach,
charged with few seeds as fuel, should
generate force to cleaye the air, cOntinu-
Ousiy bearing the body forward at rapid
rate for hoars and sometimes days, seems
incredible. No land or water locomotion
can compete with is. A goose, swan or
duck may start from Labrador and sooner
erAt n do h.d lie
lance may reach the everglades of Florida.
And this is probably done on less than the
equivalent OF half q peck of corn. We
understand the physics of their motion, we
can grasp both the mathematics snd the
mechanics involved in the wing movement,
but how this necessary energy is conserved
is matter that simply confronts our re-
searches with defiance.
One versed in orthodoxy should know
the kind of bird in its flight and walk, as
we'll as IL in hand. Each family of birds
has wing stroke peculiar to its class.
BuzZards and the familiar chicken hawks
fly in circles, with the wings outstretched
and still much of the time. The crow af-
fects peculiar swagger in its walk. A
quail and pheasant cannot sustain long
flight. Owls have light bounding move
ment as il much lighter than the air.
Nearly all small birds fly by jerks, and. OF
course, rise and fall, and these also hop
and close their wings when they fly, the
line being a series of rising and falling
curves. Larks walk. The kildeer is a
runner and when not in the nest is never
at rest. The humming bird has wing
stroke almost as rapid as thai of some
insects, but this cannot be much pro-
longed. The grain and grass eaters are
the speediest and sustain the longest flights.
Birds of prey ali have a wide base of brain,
large combatativeness and destructive
ness and very few are kinds that deserve
destruction.