Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-11-21
RISKS OF FEATHERED TRIBE
Birds Liable to as Many Accidents
as Other Creatures

Birds Liable to Many Accidents,
as Other Creatures.
OF all creatures birds are most ex-.
! empt from liability to accident, yeti
they not infrequently lose their livesI
n most unexpected ways. Once abovet
rees and buildings they have the wholv,r
upper air free of every obstacle andE
though their flight sometimes equalst
the speed of railroad train they havef
little to fear when we'll above grounds
Collision with other birds seems scarce
" possible, but it sometimes occurs
When covey of quail are flushed oc7
casionally two birds will collide, at,
times meeting with such force that.
both are stunned. Flycatchers DART
Ing at the same insect will now and
then come together, but not hard,
enough to injure either bird. In the;
English papers few years ago a rare;
accident was recorded-a heron had
spiked itself on one of the pointed ironp
arms of a cross surrounding a church;
steeple. Even the smallest and mosti
wonderful of all fiers, the hummingt
bird, may come to grief in accidental
ways, as was recently shown by thei
case of a tiny bird of the ruby throatetl{
variety which became entangled in thet
hooks of burdOck bur and died pris-11
Oner before help could free it,
Young phGbes sometimes become en-.
tangled in the horsehairs which are
used in the lining Of the nest WhenI
/ they are old enough to fly and attempt
to leave they are held prisoners or left!
dangling from the nest When mink;
traps are set in the snow in winter:
owls frequently fall victims, mice be-
ing scarce and the bait tempting
Lighthouses are perhaps the cause OF:
| more accidents to birds than any other
obstacle they encounter on their noe,
| turnal migrations north and SOUTH,
| Many hundreds are found dead at thes
| base of such structures. The sudden.
glare is so confusing and binding asi
they shoot from intense darkness into:
its circle Of radiance that they aret
completely bewildered and dash head
long against the thick panes of glass;.
Telegraph wires are another menacej
to low flying birds, especially those
which, like quail and woodcock, enjoy
a whirlwind and attain great speed
within a few yards Such birds have~
been found cut almost in two by the
force with which they struck the wire
The elements frequently catch BIRDS
unawares and overpower them. A
sudden wind or storm will drive coast
| flying birds hundreds of miles out to-
sea, and oceanic birds may be blown as
far inland. Hurricanes in the West
Indies are said to cause the deaths of
innumerable birds, as well as other
creatures. Small islands are known to-
have become completely depopulated
Of their feathered inhabitants from:
such cause. Violent hailstorms, COM
ing without warming in warm weather,
are quite common agents in the de-
struction of birds, and thousands OF
English sparrows have been stricken
in city during such storm.
Ruffed grouse have a habit Of bur-
rowing deep beneath the snow in win
ter and letting the storm shut them in.
They spend the night in this warm,
cozy retreat, their breath making it's
way out through the loosely packed
crystals. But this becomes a fatal
trap when cold rain sets in during
the night and an impenetrable crust
cuts off their means of escape.-New
York Post.