Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-08-26

II birds carried life insurance tho
premium on their policies would be
high. Compared with the security or
the insecurity of man. every bird
would be an extra hazardous risk.
Many perils beset the bird-cats, Wild
beasts. snakes. boys. gunners. para.
sites. disease. famine. thirst. "acci-
dents by flood and field" windstorms,
hail. sleet and snow storms. forest
fires. brush fires. and bandit birds. such
as owls. hawks, crows. jays and other
fenthered pillagers which eat the
eggs OF other birds and kill fedglin2s
and full-grown birds.
Millions Of land blrds-the spar
rows. warblers. red starts. indigo
buntlngs and all the other migrants
lose their lives In storms ut sea. Light
houses. especially those that have
fixed white lights. cause the death Of
great numbers of birds. and during
the spring and fall migrations I'M
countable numbers of birds are killed
by striking tall structures on dark and
foggy nights.
Hit Tall Monument.
Wells W. Cooke. deceased. assist
ant biologist Of the government bi-
illogical survey at Washington. wrote
In 1915 that during migration birds
are peculiarly liable to destruction by
striking high objects. The Washing
fnV Mt
has Witnessed the death Of many little
migrants. On single morning In the
spring of 1902 nearly 100 lifeless
bodies were strewn around It's base.
AS long as the torch In the Bartholdi
Statue Of Liberty In New York har.
Dor was kept lighted the sacrifice of
bird life II caused was enormous, even
reaching n maximum OF 700 birds a
month";
Every spring lighthouses destroy
many thousands Of birds flying be-
tween their winter homes in the South
and their summer homes in the North.
| The death toll Is greater In the fall.
Lighthouses stand every few miles
along the 1900 miles OF Atlantic
/ coast. but those especially destructive
OF birds are the light on the Fowey
! Rocks and Sombrero Key at the south
end of Florida. That is because OF
! the character Of their lights and their
position.
Countless birds pass each year 10
and from Cuba and these lights. at
the top of high towers, are on much
travelled migration routes" The light
on Fowey Rocks Is fixed white light.
I which Is curiously deadly to migrating
| birds. flashing light frightens birds
away. and red light Is avoided by
| them, but steady white Hight loom
ing up In the mist and darkness at
/ tracts many of the nlght-travelng
birds. Generally they do not strike
against the windward side Of the
glass of the light but they fly around
to the leeward side and wear them
selves out 1uttering In the bewlldering
rays.
Many DIE In Storms.
Migration is a season full of peril
for those winged travellers that cross
large bodies Of water. Some OF the
water birds making long voyages can
rest ON the waves II Oyertaken by
storms. but death is usually the fate
Of the luckless sparrow or warbler
whose feathers become water soaked.
A bird catastrophe was once seen
from the decks OF a vessel 30 miles
| OFF the mouth of the Mississippi river
Large numbers Of migrating birds.
mostly warblers. had accomplished
nearly their whole flight across the
Gulf of Mexico when caught by a
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