Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-30

|
glare they dash themselves upon the glass
| of the lanterns most commonly. Wild ducks
have even been known to break the glass
which is heavy plate Lightkeepers often
pick up bushels Of the dad victims, among
which rare specimens are apt To be found
Many Of Their, are Forwarded TO the Depart
ment Of Agriculture for Identification. The
Slaughter occurs while TIL. birds are mi
{, ating. Startin,: IN clear weather storm
cm mes up and getting lost they seer for a
light. An easteriy blow. bringing fog, ia
/ tl,'- most disastrous m his way.
| Tree causes due to human agency are
| rcsrcn; ible for vast destruction Ct bird
| life. First in Importance Is the Demand
| foi skins and feathers By riiiilers. Wunr
| els unity is lteia,iy wip:ng Out a ME .or-
| ity of the most beautiful feathered species
In the world. Small boys. who system
auca11y hunt eggs, come next. Third in
respect to damage done are the lighthouses.
The Number of birds annually slain by the
Goddess of Liberty In the harbor of New
York, whose torch contains a light Of the
nrst order, is well nigh inca! ,uiahle. Not
long ago several ornitholo:,ists spent a
night on Bedloes Island. the weather being
stormy, for the purpose OF making observa-
tons and to deternIne III something could
not be done to prrvenr or lesson the siaugh-
ter. But UP to date no practicable Ian
iinasi.ied ;lp,t the lights might be enclosed
In wire net to advantage.
The Liberty Light.
The Liberty Light being of No value wor n
mentioning to mariners. but merely put
where 1t Is for sentimental reasons, the
damage 1t does in this way seems particu-
larry unfortunate. Other lighthouses which
cause great destruction OF teathered life are
those at Cape May. Cape haIteras. hunting
Island and st. Augustine. Unfortunately
most pirGs migrate by Night. In this class
are heary aii ducks. wnne geese migrate
IA the gay time. In u general way il may
De SAID That tlmid and feeble winged bros
prefer The nlgnt Ior migration, wnile those
wnicn are stroag-wIngeu ana oola, seeking
no conceainient, migrate by day. The I'm
shsn sparrow suueIs very rarely from the
eaus~ mentioned. ror the reason taAI 1t ~
not u Regular migrant Along the atlantic
eosIst tiie MARY Land yellow llroals cvusu-
lute iafSs percentase Oh the ylellms
swallows ana snlpe migrate oy oay; Inrusn-
Ss' ~afoiers anu ny calcuers at night
Dufins sIorins-par llcuiary iu pIouacted
eastefiy biows-Sreat numbers OF birds uy
aeaihss the mAsts anu smokestaens Of
s.eaers on Long Island Sound. FIRE.
Quentiy from 2UO 10 500 are picked up in a.
nisnt ON the ueck Oh one Of these vessels
III one case the count OF victims was over
~ In the city OF Savannah the electric
LOO to $50 reet above the town. 1t was
imagined that from such a height they would
throw wide illumination, but experience
has shown that they are too far aloft
Whole hocks OF reed birds are destroyed
by fying against them, and when there is
a storm at the proper season small boys go
out before daybreak and gather bushels of
them. as well as scores of other species
Many migrating birds are killed by flying
against the Washington monument and on
one occasion the keeper of that great ODE
lisk secured five wild ducks for breakfast
in this way.
During a storm a light house will often
be surrounded by myriads of birds of many
species Having been unfortunate as to
start off in their migration on a falling
barometer, they have got lost and fiockel
to the light, fiuttering about the lantern
and dashing upon IL or against the tower
One lightkeeper. describing such a pheno-
menon, says that. as far as he could see by
the beam of the light. the air appeared to
be .solid mass Of birds" When one con.
siders the railroad speed at which a duck
flies II is not surprising that the impact of
its weight against the plate glass should
break it.
Telegraph Wires.
Telegraph wires across the line OF nigra-
ton on the prairies kill great numbers OF
birds-woodcock especially. because they
fly low But all sorts of feathered crea-
lures from sparrows to swans, fall victims
to this human device. Among them snipe
also are conspicuous. 1t has been noticed
that when a telegraph line has been newly
established great many birds are slain in
this way, whereas after two or three sea-
sons comparatively few suffer. This indi-
Gates that birds learn by experience. Peo-
pie often wonder why the birds that perch
on telegraph wires are not killed by the
electricity. AS a matter of fact the current
does not pass through their bodies. but.
taking the shortest route, goes beneath
their feet. Anyway, 1t would be too mild
to destroy them.
waterfowl are destroyed in considerable
numbers by fsh-fykes-a kind OF net which
leads the fishes into cul de sac from which
there Is no escape. The birds follow the
fishes and becoming entangled. are drown
ed In the great lakes deep nets are set for
whitefish 300 feet beneath the surface of
the water. Ducks are frequently caught in
them. showing how deep they dive in pursuit
of finny prey. On the shores OF some aka
line lakes of the west notably Owens lake
in California. great quantities of erebes.
which are about the size of big pigeons are
sometimes found dead. As many as $4,000
have been counted at Owens lake. which Is
not a very large sheet This phenomenon
occurs every year. Either the water is in
furious to them. or. as seems more likely.
they come to the lake to catch fish and,
finding none. die Of starvation.
On the Pacific coast. not far from San
Francisco, is a stretch of beach on which
after storm great numbers of ducks and
picked up, as well petrels. cormorants
and other birds. Some of them, as the pet.
rels flying low. are struck by big waves and
thrown upon the shore. Others, like the cor
morants and surf-ducks, are dashed upon
the beach while swimming near shore Else.
where along that part of the coast there
are only rocks, and the waterfowl dashed
upon them are not stranded but float OF
again. to land eventually on the strip OF
beach above mentioned.
Vessels coastinG off shore from 10 to 1OC
miles are often visited by birds which have
great distance from the land, they invari-
ships. Sometimes hundreds are seen to fall
being unable to sustain flight any longer
place for vast numbers of feathered Greg
lures. Likewise immense numbers are los,
in the great LIKES. being blown OFF shore
by winds, or becoming exhausted In irving
to cross those sheets of water. In Septem.
Der. 1870, there was great storm in the
lake region which lasted twenty-four hours
After 1t the east shore Of Lake Michigan
was strewn with dead birds the number q,
which was estimated at upwards of a mil.
lion.
Can't FOreteIl Storms
There is no ruth in the popular notion
| that birds are possessed of faculty which
| enables them to foretell weather and time
| their movements accordingly. Great num-
! bers of feathered migrants are frequently
destroyed in the lake region during early