The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1901-11-16
BIRDS AT NIAGARA FALLS.
There Arc Many of the Tiny Creatures
Constantly Darling Through
the Clouds of Spray.

The bird student on q visitto Niagara
falls, if he can get his eyes away from
the magnificent, plunging water and
roaring cataract for few moments,
can find much about him that is of deep
interest in the line of his favorite pur
suit. 1t is doubtful if many of the
thousands of persons who stand daily
in the summer on Table rock or Goat
island give much heed % the tiny crea
lures that are darting through the air
above the brink of the falls. There is
a plenty of excuse for the visitor for
seeing nothing but the ever-changins
color beauty of the laundering waters
Still there is much interest attaching
to the movements of the myriad OF
swallows that pass and repass through
the great cloud of spray and mist that
dashes and rises from the rocks where
the waters strike, says the Cincinnati
Enquirer.
People approaching the falls from be-
low on the yenturesome little boat
called the Maid of the Mist are COM
PEELED to wear rubber clothing in or
der to escape a thorough drenchinS
from the dashing spray. 1t is much
heavier in places than the heaviest re-
corded rainstorm, and yet through 1t
con stantly during certain times of the
summer swallows Of many kinds are
passing and repassing, taking their
shower baths without apparently wet
ting so much a feather. Most OF
the birds hat were seen flying through
the spray this summer were tree swal-
lows. They cons family cut through the
bars of the floating rainbow. which in
sunshine is ever present at Mag CARA,
and as the bright light struck their
backs an added hue was 6 iveu to the
broad color bands.
The phoebes build their nests on the
little lodges that iut from the faces Of
the rocky cliffs that rise on either side
OIL the great Niagara gorge below the
falls. The whirlpool rapids roar be-
low these little homes. The wonder
to the visitor is how the phoebes ever
succeed in getting the fled CLING young
out of the nest and to place of safety
when the time comes to teach them to
fly. Any young bird balancing itself
on the edge of the nest and then at
tempting a first weak flight, it would
seem. must necessarily go fiuttering
down into the rapids. The only escape
from the nest to good flying practice
ground is upward, and it must be that
the phoebe exercising a rare wisdom.
y
steps upward from twig to twig of the
stunted trees that have frail footing
on the cliffs face.
Goat island. which lies in the river
on the brink of the Precipice between
the American and the Canadian falls,
is eternally deluged. as one might say.
with the roar of waters. In places
| upon Goat island it is hard to make
| ones self heard. Yet Goat island is
| the summer home of hundreds of song
| birds that perch in trees within a
stones toss of the laundering falls,
and sing and sing and sing just as
| though they could be heard. The sea-
| son was a little late for the singing of
| birds when I visited Goat island in
| July. The song sparrow, however.
| sings every month of the year. nd one
| of these little fellows was perched on
| the limb of tree close to the great
| fall and was fairly splitting his throat
| in the attempt to let the world know
| that he was singing a song. Birds have
| acute hearing. but / doubt very much
| if that song sparrow heard his own
| rains