Judsonia weekly advance., 1915-05-19

iTF57.=:ZST=757 EW facts in natural history so lI1 @sM N 10 interesting as the annual migra- IIl slkTF-S1II tien of birds and largely because tlNfSg&@. Il there is such little real under I'M NS1V ill standing as to the nature and IlUGEEATAgUI methods of this remarkable phe 5tnl=@nl nomenon Theories are plen-
 tiful, but a demonstrable expla- nation of all the facts involved is still wanting Some of the inherent characteristics of migra ton, such as the apparent sense of direction possessed by birds, seem to defy observation and analysis and to be absolutely beyond our ken so far as any understanding goes. The cause itself of this curious habit so far is only conjeetural but the most logical explanation seems to be search for food. This apparently holds good for the fall flight from North to South, when insects have perished from the cold, and vegetation died, so that both inseetivorous and grain-eating birds are alike affected Yet some members of both species crows, jays quail, cartridges, wood ducks cardinal grosbeaks (the ordinary red bird) and often some red-headed woodpeckers, remain North throughout the win ter and manage somehow to make living and perpetuate their species
 Even if these be exceptions to the general rule, there still remains the unanswered question. Why do not those birds who winter in the South re- main there throughout the year instead of going North when the Spring opens? Food is abundant and apparently southern attitudes are as fitting for the rearing of young as the far North. AS matter of fact, really do not know though we have some interesting and plausible theories about it that do not bear the test of questioning So as usual when across some mystery In animal life that we cannot unravel we call it instinct" and let it go at that Of this one thing we may, however, De quite sure, that in- stinct in animals always serves some useful pur- pose and IS usually an expression of natures care for the preservation of the species
 Years of observation have developed the inter- 'esting fact that there certain welldefned routes in all countries which the migrations follow. certain water courses certain chains of mountains certain valleys and this seems to obtain from one generation of birds to another Whether the younger birds learn this from the older birds who have been before, or whether they simply mechanically follow the older birds in their flights is largely conjecture but two facts seem we'll established. First that animals evidently have some method of communicating with each other. Everyone who has heard Bob White call together the scattered covey. or the hen give the alarm for hawk to her chickens is convinced on this point. The second fact seems however to controvert the theory of the older teaching the younger ones the way they should go for it has been shown in many instances that f1ocks composed entirely of the years broods of young birds make their first migratory flight alone and unattended by the older birds and find their way unerringly along the usual routes of migration. Once more we have to fall back upon instinct
 Just how birds find their way from one distant latitude to another is the most inexplicabe of all the many mysterious facts of migration. The length of the flight from northern habitat to southern winter resort varies according to the different species of birds all the way from 1o00 to 5000 miles, and in a few cases to 5000 miles Yet these distances apparently traversed in generally direct straight lines and with the most orderly and businesslike methods of procedure To say that the older birds show the younger birds the way (since this has been shown to be untrue in many cases) only removes the difficulty back into the remote past, for at some time there had to be some birds to find the way the first time. and only dodge this difficulty when talk of inherited instinct
 1t is clearly not a case of birds seeing their way and being guided by landmarks. It is known that migratfons as rule take place at night, and that in general birds fly very high, in fact at tremendous heights. when migrating Under such conditions finding their way by sight is i'm possible Moreover, the sight theory breaks down in the case of those birds who cross great stretches of water where there are no landmarks whatever. There is a species of cuckoo which summers in New Zealand and winters in eastern Australia, which a straight flight of some 1,200 miles without rest or stop across the track less waters. Certain species of humming birds that winter in Central and South America spend their summer vacation in the United States and to do so must fly across some 1000 miles of the Gulf of Mexico
 A recent experiment demonstrated that neither the theory seeing the way nor previous knowl edge of the route account for the finding of the way in migration. Fifteen terms were taken from their nesting places Bird Key, Tortugas tone of the islands of the Florida reef) and were released at distances varying from 20 to $50 miles from their home, and 13 of the 15 found their way back safely. Observations have also shown that the same birds return to the same spot year after year Robins that winter in Florida will build their nests in the same tree fin a northern state as long they live. An plantation which is in much favor is the probable possession of sixth sense-the sense of direc