The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-26
Cros-Ocean Flights
Are Made BY Birds

Are maze Oy DtTQS
Our bird men" are striving to
drive their airplanes back and forth
across the Atlantic, but real birds
still hold the record for trans
oceanic, airline travel and they
long ago discovered that it is best
to do SO at a great height.
Many weeks were spent by our
naval men before they dared under
take a fight across the blight be-
tween Cape Cod and Nova Scotia, a
journey that the blackpoll warbler
makes as short cut twice a year.
rather than 60 around by the shore.
Then followed a period of tuning
up" of airplanes for an advance
from Halifax to Newfoundland; but
birds often hop" across the Gulf
of Newfoundland in single night.
Next comes for our men the
reach" to the Azores. and thence
another to Portugal. each leg some
thing Like . thousand miles in
length; but small land birds NIL
CRATE annually between the Azores
and Africa, or southern Europe. and
must do so at . speed at high a.
II not higher than, that Of our
hydroplanes, for they cannot exist
more than q few hours without
food. ....g.. H..
The Canary Islands, Madeira. and
even st. Helena. have their migra-
tory birds. although the last-named
Is 1900 miles from the African
coast. Certain waterfowls regular
ly travel back and forth between
Greenland and Europe by way of
Iceland. the Faroes and Scotland.
The last leg Of the transatlantic
aviation stretches across Spain and
the Bay of Biscay to England-pre-
cisely the route of the smaller Bri-
tsh birds when passing to and from
their winter resorts in Africa
But natures aviators perform
much greater feats Of transoceanic
travel than this. The crossing OF
the MEDITERRANEAN Is hardly worth
mentioning az . difficulty: and our
kingfisher, cuckoo. bobolink and
several other birds regularly visit
Bermuda. 600 miles when coming
northward from the tropics in
spring. hy directly across the Guif
OF Mexico from Yucatan; and GER
tain others. among them a tiny
warbler, jump straight form the
coast Of Venexula to Cuba. These
are astonishing long water jumps.
but they are exceeded by the per.
formances Of such birds as the
Pacific curlews. one kind Of which
winters In the South Sea Islands.
and makes its nesting home in
and another passes twice
q year between New Zealand and
and . certain cuckoo an
nually alternates In its residence
between New Zealand and the Fiji
Islands. 1900 miles away.
the golden plover
holds the record for hong overseas
flight, apart from the Unreasonable
Of albatross and
petrels. This plover is almost world
wide In its distribution. breeds T. |
long the Arctic shores and in wint-
er retreats south Of the equator and
to remote islands. Those that have
nested in Alaska make a straight
flight in autumn to Hawaii. travers-
ing more than 1000 miles of path
less ocean: those that have nested
in Arctic Canada drift to Nova SEQ
tia, and thence strike due south to
the Antilles and Guiana-1200 miles !
Of the open. tempestuous Atlantic.
Bermuda lies In their path, but |
unless storms pervail In that region
these bold plovers scorn Its invi-
tation to rest. and make their first
landing In Trinidad.
VIII the time come when human !
aviators will be equally Indifferent |
to oceanic distances?-Browning's
Magazine.
NO TIME TO HoLLER