Evening star., 1909-09-05
own cradles swung from northern trees
Resting Their Voices.

own cradles swung from northern trees
and bushes.
Resting Their Voices.
One might think that South and Cen
trail American plains and forests Wouio
ring with the music OF our waTbierS.
thrushes and bobolinks, while We arc anN-
iousy watching the fall of the mercury
and the rise Of coal prices; but this as
sumption would prove false; our nortneri
songsters are silent in the tropics.
haps they rest their voices ana recupeid a
from the strenuous season OF olro opei q, a,
IS human tenors and prima doilnas 40 III
mountain taverns and seaside villas.
If a man were to tell the BIRDS Wncii
way TO travel in their flight from s'oi III :
Swayed pines to the palms ana names VI
the tropics, he would bid them olrect
their course by way of Florida, the Ba-
hamas. Cuba. Hayti, Porto Rico ana Tue
Lesser Antilles
"On this route he might say TO the
winged millions. you are always IN slsh'
of land. If storm threatens. you can
rest until the sky is clear again. ana
none will be drowned in the raging waves
i'll vain effort to beat up against the
storm on feeble wings. TINS auNlce
sounds we'll and the route looks sood on
the map, but not a single bird lolioWs
this way as his regular route.
IF this route does not please YOU inc
bird adviser might continue. there Is ah-
other that is almost as easy. 30 rom
Florida to Cuba and thence to Yucatan
So natural does this route look that
years ago American ornithologists prac-
tically took it for granted that the mi
grating hosts followed it. until actual heid
observations showed that it is as deserted
as the one first mentioned. Only rev
adventurous or storm-driven birds use the
two routes which the bird adviser would
recommend. The most probable reason
why they are not used is that they could
not furnish sufficient food for the mil
lions of North American migrants. This
is especially true of the Lesser Antilles.
whose total area Is about equal to that OF
Rhode Island
Bird Highways.
Without human assistance. the birds
have selected several much-traveled high
ways between North America and Central
and South America. by far the greater
number of the birds of the Atlantic coast
follow route from northwestern Florida
to southern Mexico and Central America.
making Seven-hundred- mile flight across
the gulf In spite of this long sea fight
and its many dangers. this is decidedly
tho popular route with the birds of eastern
North America While the two easy island
to-isand routes are deserted. this Flori-
da and gulf route Is literally alive with
large and small birds for eight months OF
the year. Night after night the winged
southwark again in the autumn. Over a
vast expanse of sea they find their way.
where for ten or twelve hours at time
they are entirely out OF sight OF land.
But in spite of all dangers and difficult
ties this is the popular route with North
American birds.
About ten species reach South America
by way of Florida Cuba and Jamaica.
This list of travellers includes vireos,
cuckoos. wood thrushes. tanagers. bank
,tryrt h.lNr-
immensely in the majority are the
boboinks that bird men have referred to
this route as the Bobolink route. 1t in
wolves only fve-hundred-mle flight
from Jamaica to South America, but it is
not generally popular route.
The favorite route for many birds Of
the Mississippi valley also extends across
the broad expanse of the gulf. directly
southwark from the mouth Of the Missis-
sippi
The migrants making their summer
home on the Great Plains and in the
Rocky mountain country seem to be ia
vored by nature, as they reach their win
ter homes in Mexico and Central Ameri-
ca by short and easy overland journeys.
Many birds of California perform what Is
known as vertical migration They
journey to the warm loWlands and
coastal plains to spend the winter and
in spring return to their summer homes
on the slopes and in the valleys of the
mountains.
The great southwark moving wave does
not come fully to rest until December,
or even January. At this time, when
food is scarce in the far north, several
birds of the Canadian zone become at
least occasional temporary. sojourners In
the northern United States. 1t Is the
large snowy owl. the tame evening gros-
beak and the beautiful and trusty cross
bills. that come so to speak, with the last
ripples of the ebbing tide.
But. wonderful as Is this great migra-
tion of birds. The journeys of each species
are almost as marvellous. and each kind
vi bird presents a problem in itself.