The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-12-04
Birds Stay in Their Own PartiCu-
lar Territory.
Prof. Chapman Has Classified Them
From Sea Level to Top of Andes
Those of Bright PIumage
Are of the Forest Alone.

1t seems a strange set of facts that
Prof. Frank M Chapman of the Amer
lean Museums staff is preparing to
bring out through exhibits of birds
which he made captive at different ais
titudes in Colombia, South America
Beginning at the sea he traced the
bird life all the way up the Andes
mountains to the snow line, where no
life in any form was found existing,
and, after doing one side of the noun
tain range, he investigated the other
His adventures now permit him to
make a map of the zones of bird life
in the tropics, and in doing it he finds
much that surprises even himself.
From sea level to an altitude of
5000 feet he found the shore birds,
none of them higher. From 5000 to
5000 feet he found other bird families,
none from the shore or from the zone
above. and these families never flew
higher than 5000 feet, nor lower than
5000 above sea level Still higher
up, from 5000 to 10000 feet, he foand
other distinctive forms of bird life,
related in no way to those below, and
never so far as he could see crossing
the line of their own territory to the
dead region above or the strange
country below inhabited by birds not
of their kind
Everywhere birds of bright plumage
are birds of the forest alone, but in
this South American country the fact
is accentuated. On the coast and i'll
the bare lands back of it, the birds
are like our swallows, gray or near it,
but in the great timber country UP
the sides of the Andes the gayest OF
colors and most glorious of stripes and
spots are found
Nature is kind to the birds in the
coats it gives them. Like the WILD
flowers, the birds are brightest where
they cannot be reached. BY the sea
and in the open fields where ruthless
hands may be turned against them,
dull colors are the rule, making il
harder to see them, harder 20 hunt
them.
Rather curiously, though, Professor
Chapman has evidence that the birds
of Colombia went there in many in
stances to remain in their fixed zones,
not by their own volition, but away
back, few million years ago, maybe,
they were driven on and on by the
polar ice caps until they found safe.
ty zone where they could pick liv.
ing and keep warm, according to the
conditions of climate and tempera'
ture to which they were most accus'
toned, and so he finds here a change
in types of the same species. t
For example, on the east side of the
mountain there is a yellow bird, a
beauty, with a blue head. Fully
grown, it is as big as a robin. On
the other side of the mountain 1t has
white head. 1t is not as good look
ing as the other ONE. The character
istics hold for the entire families on
either side of the mountain.
1t must be remembered here that
the birds couldn't cross the mountain
now or ever in their history, for the
end of the life zone is 10000 feet and
the elevation here is $4,000 feet, H..
600 feet being the perpetual snow
line.
Professor Chapman assumes, there
fore, that this species got separated
at the coast in It's migration, one Sec
ton coming up one side of the noun
tain and another going up the other
side to remain forever apart, an i'm
penetrable and unsurmountable wall
between them, living as they do now
in the attitudes between 5000 and
5000 feet in the thick forest. They
won't go down and they can't go up
to be reunited. And, besides, they
have changed their spots