The Washington bee., 1894-04-21
ON SWIFT PiNIONS.
The Mysterious Migration of Birds and
rs

Ihe Mysterious Migration OF Birds ana
l its Destructive Effects.
OrnithOlogists for a long time past
have been trying TO discover some way
] of protecting birds from destruction
by lighthouses. 1t is reckOned that
/ along the Atlantic coast hundreds Of
l thousands of feathered creatures an
nually are killed by flying against the
1 structures which Uncle Sam has set
up as a warning to mariners.
In general way it may be said
that timid and winged birds
prefer the night for migration, while
nose which are strong winged and
bold, seeking no concealment, migrate
by day. Swallows and snipe migrate
by day; thrushes, warblers and fly
l catchers by night. During storms
particularly in protracted eastern
blows-great numbers of birds fly
/ against the masts and smokestacks of
4 steamers. Frequently from 200 to 300
are picked up in night on the deck
1 Of these vessels In one case the count
Of victims was over 700.
During storm a lighthouse will
I often be surrounded by myriads Of
birds Of many species. Having been
SO unfortunate as to start off in their
migration on falling barometer, they
! have got lost and flocked to the light,
t1uttering about the lantern, and dash
ing upon it or against the tower. One
lightkeeper, describing such a phen-
I omenon, says that. as far as he could
see by the beam of the light, the air
appeared to be a solid mass of BIRDS"
When one considers the railroad
speed at which a duck flies, it is not
| surprising that the impact of it's
weight against the plate glass should
| break it.
Telegraph wires across the line of
migration on the prairies kill great
1 numbers Of birds, woodcock, especial
iy, because they fly low. But all sorts
OF feathered creatures, from sparrows
to swans, fall victims to this human
1 device. Amongst them snipe also are
1 conspicuous. 1t has been noticed that
when a telegraph line has been newly
l established great many birds are
slain in this way, whereas after two
| or three seasons comparatively few
suffer. This indicates that birds
| learn by experience
On the Pacific Coast, not far from
San Francisco, is a stretch of beach
on which after storm great numbers
l Of ducks and divers, and even many
] albatrosses, may be picked up as well
as petrels, cormorants, and other
birds. Some Of them, as the petrels,
| flying low, are struck by big waves,
and thrown upon the shore. Others,
| like the cormorants and surf-ducks,
are dashed upon the beach while swim
| ming near shore. Elsewhere along
| that part of the coast there are only
I rocks, and the waterfowl dashed upon
| them are not stranded, but float off
again, to land eventually on the strip
| Of beach above mentioned.
Vessels coasting off shore from ten to
/ 100 miles are often visited by birds
which have been swept off the land by
4 winds. If at a great distance from
the land, they invariably die from
exhaustion after reaching the ships.
| Sometimes hundreds are seen to fall
l dying into the water within a few
minutes, being unable to sustain fight
any longer. In fact, the ocean an
nmlly proves burial place for vast
numbers Of feathered creatures Like
wise, immense numbers are lost in the
great lakes, being blown off shore by
winds, or becoming exhausted in try
I ing to cross those sheets Of water.
There is no truth in the popular no
ton that birds are possessed of a
faculty which enables them to foretell
1 weather and time their movements
accordingly.
One Of the fastest birds is the fall
con, known as the duck hawk, the
flight of which is so rapid that the
eye is sometimes unable to follow it.
1t is able easily to overtake any duck.
But it is thought that swifts and hum
ming birds are even quicker travellers.
The migration Of birds have long
been regarded as mysterious in many
ways. Nevertheless, science has elu-
cidated the problem to considerable
extent The fact is, that these animals
have definite routes of travel. They
are guided by such geographical fea-
tures as coast lines, rivers, valleys,
and mountain ranges. From the
height at which they fly, the surface
Of the earth presents the appearance
Of a map, On which, at night, in the
light of moon and stars, the hills,
plains, lakes, ETC., are more or less
| distinctly outlined for 100 miles OF
more in every direction. Any one
& WIZ udS SpcuI d ClcdI Oh lue
summit of a mountain will not Ques
ton this statement The older birds
which 2ead the flights have no diff
Guilty, guided by these landmarks, in
following paths which they have re
ipeatedly traversed before. Points
along the route constitute stations. Al
such places ordinarily promonotories
extending into the sea, edges Of forest
bordering extensive plains. or extremi
ties of mountain ranGes~-the migratory
tide hesitates and halts before ventur
| ing ON the dangerous stage head. This
pause allows the stragglers to come
up. Oceanic birds doubtless find theil
way to their breeding grounds ovel
. the painless seas by using coast lines
and sea islands as guides.