The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-19
BROOKS, THE BIRD sLAYER.
Wholesale Slaughter at Faulkner's Is-
 land Light-Birds Fly Into the Lam

OHe or the most interesting men III Connecticut is Captain Oliver N. Brooks of Guilford, for thirty-one years the keeper of the FaullSner's Island light, three miles from the Connecticut shore In Long Island sound, writes David s. Adams of New Haven in the Hartford Times. He is an experienced ornitholo- gist, and talked to me very entertain ingly the other day concerning the de- struction at night of migratory birds by flying into the lighthouse lanterns , and other fires, which is reported in the newspapers as being quite extensive along the sound shore this fall. Cap tain Brooks knowledge of Connecticut bird life, gained during his long isola- tion on that rugged three-acre island, as well as his studies into the laws of light, sound and electricity, and his knowledge of the sea and of salt water fishing, make him an instructive talker. The elderly captains private collection of mounted birds is probably not sur passed by any in Connecticut, and it eX- cites wonder and admiration, for, to the town or country dweller unused to the close observation of birds, many of the large specimens are so strange looking, so oddly shaped and so rarely found hereabouts outside of the pictured pages of books, that they cause surpris- ed comments involuntarily-com over the fact that such curious crea- lures are, although very rare, still flap ping their wings across the weather beaten old valley of the Connecticut.
 ABOUT FAULKNER'S ISLAND.
 Faulkner's Island, a familiar object to Hartford summerers on the sound, seems to be favorite point for nearly all kinds of birds to gather at certain seasons of the year, probably because it is the most prominent object stand ing, as one may say, at the southern gateway of the Connecticut valley. The white octagonal tower of the lighthouse, which attracts the birds with such deadly effect in the night season, is at- tached to the keepers dwelling, and the light which is shown from 1t is ninety six feet above the level of the sea. It is white light and is varied by flash panel containing strong lens which thus travel completely around the lam tern in a minute and a half. Hence from whatever quarter this light is seen 1t can be readily identified by this char acteristic, distinguishing it from the
 
 chinery which keeps the flash panel in operation is actuated by clock work, the motive power of which is a weight run ming down nearly the height of the tow CT, and which has to be moved up once each four hours.
 Captain Brooks smaller ornithologi- cal specimens consist wholly of song and other birds which were crushed by flying against this lantern, while the larger ones are mainly birds from the north which are driven to the more o1 less land-locked waters of Long Island sound by the rigors of winter, and which fell before the crack of the geni- al old shippers rife some time during his long period of insular life. Many of Captain Brooks best specimens found their way to Yale university and to the Smithsonian Institute as soon as they were shot, He was highly es- teemed aid in this, as well as in other ! lines of research, to Professor O.. C. Marsh, who has done so much for Yale 7s in her natural history department, anc also to Professor Henry, the late secre. tary of Smithsonian and who was al one time chairman of the lighthouse board. Indeed, so much has been sai6 by the latter in his formal report as tt his indebtedness to Captain Brooks fol carefully conducted scientific results that no more need be written on that subject here.
 Tn explaining how the birds are being drawn into Faulkner's Island light Cap tain Brooks says they seem at first tt be attracted by the brilliancy of thu flash, which is very powerful, and tha as they approach the lantern the ligh becomes so strong that it appears tt dazzle and finally to bewilder them, anc they plunge headlong into it. On { dull, hay night the attracting power of the light are greatest If the birt passes out of the track of the light safe Iy it acts comparatively helpless, ant founders around wildly, being extreme ly likely to enter the plane of the ligh again and repeat it's cratic movements On moonlight nights but few birds ar picked up by the light, although nor migratory birds are on the wing thel than at any other time. The lighthous tower is more readily seen and avoided at such times by the night flyers.
 GREAT SLAUGHTER OF BIRDS.
 Captain Brooks said the night of tn greatest slaughter of birds by his ligh during his recollection was on tn spring or northern flight. It was on tn 18th of May, but the year he does no recoIlect. He was in New York at tn time, and his wife and daughters hat charge of the light. Two hundred an, eighteen birds were killed by flying int the lantern and several hundred nor were wounded. They were all smal birds, none being larger than catbird and none smaller than a house wren The night was an ideal one for tn slaughter, the requisite smoky condi tions prevailing. The women notice the arrival of the birds as early as
 o'clock in the evening. They first ap peared in small numbers about the Ian tern, but by Il o'clock at night had in creased to such an extent that the ai seemed alive with them.
 That night was one the women vii never forget. At midnight troops o thousands of birds were circling an wheeling about the slowly winking ey of the great lantern. Many of then were of gaudy plumage, and the effec of the shuttle-like movements of thei columns through the rays of the pow erful lantern was "as brilliant as tn scintillations of thousand diamond T-