Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-05-04
Migration of Bird is.

have access to the Government Year Book
1000 which contains very elaborate article
upon the Migration of Birds The writer
knows nothing of ornithology and simply
purposes to use this article by making use
of such data there given, as he hopes, will
be OF interest to the readers of the Register.
There are fifty species of birds in New
England that spend our winter in South
America. Why birds leave us is still mys
terry. Lack of food and home love were
reasons once assigned; but such reasons are
now dscredited. Insect eating birds go at
the very time when their food supply is most
abundant, and return when there is scarcity.
Note the common swallow, robin and blue
bird of these it is affirmed that many die
every spring of actual starvation. Seed-eaters
also migrate when their favorte food is in
full supply. Neither does love of home have
any marked influence over them, since they
migrate from it as soon as possible, beginning
to pass southwark through Florida about the
first of July
Never under normal conditions. Through
the densest fog or greatest darkness, they
pursue the even tenor of their way and only
by some brilliant light or terrible storm are
they swerved from their direct course They
seem to have what is termed a sense of d.
rection.
A cat placed in bag securely tied, was
once removed from Cornwall to the Green
Mountains 1t returned to its home in a
few days. A small pig was removed in like
manner. The next day the pig escaped and,
pointing his little nose straight homeward,
travelled two miles in a Decline and Joined
the home litter. Thus cats, pigs, birds, and
other lower animals have this sense of drec.
ton acutely developed. 1t is far less so in
the human family.
That birds use their eyes while migrating
is doubtless true; but this sense of direction
call it instinct, if you choose-is the steer
ing rudder in their aerial voyage, far more
than their eyes. Since birds flying over the
Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana, even if they
assembled to the height of 5 miles, would still
be unable TO see third of the way across.
Nevertheless this trip is successfully made
twice each year by countless thousands of
the warblers of the Mississippi Valley.
Birds of different species vary somewhat
in their migrating routes; indeed, it is stated
that in the Central States at the beginning
of the fall migration, nesting birds scatter
towards half of the points of the compass;
and one bird-the Theoretically takes a
little pleasure trip north before commencing
his long Journey southwark.
While instinct is unerring, it does not save
our winged friends from many perils in mi
grafton Shore birds that take long flights
can rest upon the waves when they encounter
storm and afterwards resume their flight;
but the warblers' doom is sealed when once
his feathers become water soaked. This often
happens. Then too high objects are en-
countered by birds when migrating. At the
base of the Washington Monument 80 life1t
less bodies were once found on a single MORT
ing. The Bartholdi Statue OF Liberty, when
kept lighted, caused the death OF 700 BIRDS
in single month. Truly, death turks not
only upon land and sea but also in the air
for our feathered friends.
The length of the migration journey varies
enormously. Some birds do not migrate at
all; others fly from 5000 to 5000 miles each
way. The cardinal, Carolina wren and bob
white are born, live and die all within
radius of 10 miles. The robin occurs as a
specie in the middle districts of the United
States throughout the year, in Canada only
in the summer, and along the Gulf of Mexico
only in winter. Probably no individual robin
is a continuous resident in any section-the
northern-bred bird occupying the deserted
home of the more southern bred.
A popular notion exists that birds push
northward to their summer homes as soon
as weather conditions permit. This may he
true of few species, but certainly birds inn
general have no such habit Thus during the
whole trip of $500 miles from New Orleans
to Great Slave Lake birds are continually
Xceptons-Canada goose, mallard, pin-tail,
common crow, red-winged black bird and
robin. The robin as specie occupies IS
days for the trip of 5000 miles from Iowa
to Alaska, while spring covers the distance
in 6S days.
Different species OF birds move northward
with varying speed; but the average for all
species is about % miles per day-the speed
beng regulated largely by the slow or rapid
advance of spring.
The migration of one bird-the American
golden plover-is of special interest. They
breed in June above the Attic Circle, far
beyond the tree line. BY August they reach
Labrador where they fatten on the curlew
berry. They next move to Nova Scotia and
then strike right out to sea and often fly over
1900 miles of ocean waste RI he An.;lla.