Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-19
D. c. IN DIRECT PATH
OF BIRD MIGRATION.
Sportsmen on Alert for
"Honk" of Passing Geese
and Other Small Game.

The conference Of SportSmen, game
officials and conservationists called
by DIR. E. W Nelson, chief of the Blu.
reau of the Biological Survey in Wash
ington. some days ago to discuss the
use of sink boxes or batteries, mat
blinds and other devices used in hunt
ing migratory wild fowl in the waters
Of Maryland. North Carolina and Vir-
ginia. suggests that the season for
bird migration is al hand. Sportsmen
and naturalsts in the District of Co
lumbia and adjacent Maryland and
Virginia are on the alert for the
"honk' of the passing f1ocks Of wild
geese and small game birds, such as
the marstins, hlackbirds. black billed
and golden plovers, yellow legs, rail
or ortolan that are seen and heard,
especially when there Is an overcast
sky. en- route to warmer climate.
Naturalists and ornithologists have
long since found that the District of
Columbia ard the Potomac River Val
lev are in the direct pathway of bird
migration near the Atlantic coast line,
and in their researches on the habits
of the feathered tribes have en-
phaszed the importance of the Au-
t,lmnal bird migration as season of
special interest both to the sportsman
and nature students:
why DO Birds Migrate?
For more than , 600 years. accord
ing to the Investigations Of the Inited
States Biological Survey. the phenom
ena of bird migration have been
scientifically noted. but while the eX-
tent and course of routes traVersed
have of late years become better
known no conclusive answer has been
found To the question: Why do North
American birds migrate?
Two diamelricaAy opposite theories
have been advanced to account for the
beginnings If these migrations. The
sum ~ these conclusions might he
express { IN plain words. because it
is ma l. -.
According to one migration theory,
the b rGS real home IS the southland.
All bird life tends to overproduction
and IL jhe end ri the glacial era the
birds. seeking in all directions Tor
suitable breeding grounds with less
keen competition than in their tfop-
ical Winter home. gradually worked
mort hWard AZ the retreds of ice made
hablable vast reaches of virgin coui
try. But The Winter abiding place
was stlIl the home and TO this they
returned as soon as the breeding sea
son was over.
The beginning of migration. ages
ago. undoubtedly was intimately con-
necied with periodic changes in the
food supply. While North America
possesses enormous Summer supplies
of bird food. the birds must return
South for the Winter. or perish. eX-
perts point out.
Food Habits Studied.
The food habits of bird life. as
studied by the United States BioloS-
zeal Survey, have developed in recent
wears much valuable data, especially
on the conservation Of game re-
sources for American hunters. In
fact. the activities Of the bureau are
directed chiefly toward conservation
or protection of bird life in order to
best guide the nature student and the
sportsman to get the most out OF this
wonderful provision of nature.
+ here has been a wonderful deVel-
opment in the study of bird life, the
nature Of their migrations. food
hah!ts. etc, arising from the system
of banding" adopted in comparatively
recent years. 1t is generally known
that some birds follow regular sea
sonal migrations. that in Winter they
60 South somewhere. 1t was tullH
expected that banded birds would be
found in Central America and the
West Indies. but there have been
some unexpected results. such as the
recovery in West Africa Of common
teal, banded on the New England
Coast