The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-17
A cATAsTRopHE OF THE AIR.

The tragedies of the air are not en- tirely confined to humanity. Some times an airship or a balloon Is blown meath the waves. Sometimes one be- comes uumanageable and is blown by the wind currents against tree or a mountain and destroyed. Sometimes one bursts far above the earth and its passengers come down to their death.
 All these and more accidents may happen to those who attempt to nav igate the air. but misfortune and de- struction do not entirely pass by the fowls whose homes may almost be said to be in the air, and a recent issue of The Toronto Globe gives some partic- ulars of something like cataclysm that overlook a migrating army of feathcred travellers on the shores of Lake Huron last fall As all know, certain birds are migratory and in the fall great numbers of them desert their homes in the frigid North and find their way with unerring instinct to the. balfny regions of the South, to return to their homes and breeding places with the advent of the spring season.
 Near the middle of last october there was an unusual fall of temper ature and also heavy snow over and about Lake Huron and the great hocks of migrating birds were caught in it. We are told that atfer the snow was gone the dead birds were strewn by thousands for twenty miles along the southeastern shore of the lake, and that no less than twenty-six spe- cies were found among the dead Some of these birds according to The Globe, belonged to a species that can endure much greater cold than was encount- cred in this case and the suppos'tiou IS that they were borne down by the snow accommodating on their wings and bodies. It is also possible that in the darkness of the night they were so j confused by the falling snow that they lost their way and wandered in the cold wind and darkness until they were exhausted aud came down in great numbers to perish on tho cold earth.
 This catastrophe of the air. reasons The Globe. will be of advantage to the scientists by throwing light upon 1 the mysteries of bird migration and making the record of the manner and 1 method of its courses moro complete. They arc already of the opinion that great Aocks of the birds | from Canada traverse Lake Huron ! in preference to overland routes on their way South. Interesting as "the way of bird in the air may be i from the scientific point of view, there Is a sentimental side to these air trag- edies among the little travellers which should strongly appeal to the sense of humanity. When one thinks of the thousands upon thousands of them strewn along Lake Huron beaches for miles, and the thousands and tens of thousands more dropping out of their silent night journey in places so soH- | tary or remote that no record is left of their fate. the tragedies of the up per air seem so numerous and appall- ing that they should awaken general interest and sympathy. Such tragedies go far to explain the rapid disappear ance of our song birds and of the feathered race in general In view of the sufferings they must endure in their annual journeys and the havoc work ed among them by the cruelty of the clements. why should they not be pro- trctcd against human enemies. actu- ated by love of display oa the one hand and love of killing on the other?'