THE FALL FLEETING.
Already the cricket is busy
With hints of soberer days ,
And the goldenrod.lights slowly
Its torch for the autumn bln/.o.
CELIA THAXTKH.
September comes in with a blaze of
glory. Goldenrort fringes the country
roads and lights up every dull corner.
The fields are gay with it , and the
world is gorgeous to look upon. But
alasl the birds are flitting ; for this
month begins the great hegira , the
strange , mysterious movement which
wo call migration.
If we could see the whole bird world ,
by night as well as by daywhat a wonder
ful procession would appear ! Robins and
other fearless wingsters boldly setting
out on their travels by day , shy thrushes
stealing away under cover of darkness ,
small birds combining in great flocks , at
times of many species , and one and all
departing with no note of farewell , and
in silence except for the calls that keep
them together. Migration is the most
wonderful and least understood fact of
bird-life , with its two problems , why
they change their residence and how
they find their way. It is easy to see
why they leave us in the fall ; but why
do they come back ? There are many
theories , but there is little real knowl
edge. Herr Gatke studied the subject
for fifty years on the small island of
Heligoland , and added to the general
information little more than some
doubtful theories.
It is easy enough to form theories of
bird-life ; but I notice that , the more one
really knows about the lives of birds , by
observation and patient investigation ,
the more modest one is about making
oracular statements or setting up any
theoryIt is the new-comer to the
study who known it all , and can settle
off-hand the problems that have puzzled
ornithologists for ages. Something is
known of the wonderful height at
which migrating birds fly , and of the
incredible speed they attain. Much has
been learned of the marvelous distances
the thousands of miles , some of the
smallest birds travel ; but how the deli
cate creatures are able to endure all
this , why they do not content them
selves nearer home , and how they know
their way back to the spot they left in
the fall , of these we know nothing. In
' k
these and other difficulties wo have one
resource. We can take refuge in the
word "instinct , " which explains noth
ing , to be sure , but is a convenient form
under which to classify the things we
do not know. Year after year , as the
study goes on , one after another of the
acts of birds , heretofore classed as "in
stinctive , " is found by experiment to be
due to reason or training. Singing the
song of his father , for example , is no
longer considered instinctive ; it is
known to be a matter of training or
1P imitation. The same is true of the fear
of man , the selection of food , and other
things. But migration , the inclination
to go , the knowledge of the way , the
place to stop , and , still more remarkable ,
the return to the same nesting spot ,
all are .still set down to instinct. We
may yet get the clew to the mystery ,
and it is certainly a most interesting
subject of study. Herr Gatke's theory
that the young birds 'of the season ,
birds a few months old , lead in the fall
flitting , finds some supporters , but more
opposers , among American ornitholo
gists. Unless every bird in a flock is
lulled , it is difficult to see how one can
know there are no old birds as leaders ,
especially in species where the plumage
of the young is like that of one or both
of the parents.
In this month , from the latitude of
New York , though the weather is still
warm and insect life plentiful , go al
most the last of the resident warblers ,
orioles , fly-catchers , and some of the
thrushes. The places of some of these
are filled for a time by migrants from
the North , but bird-life is plainly on the
wane. The world is not entirely with
out bird-notes. To be sure , swallows
and fly-catchers , even song-sparrows
and robins , though they are not gone ,
are heard no more in song , though now
and then one utters a low note ; but
flickers continue occasionally to call and
" " nut-hatches " " their
"laugh , - "quauk"
way up the tree-trunks , humming
birds hover before the late flowers ,
while the little chickadee makes him
self heard on all sides. Indeed , he
seems to try filling the unusual si
lence with his own cheery voice. This
bird and one other , the bewitching gold
finch , give as much pleasure by their
sweet call and conversational notes as
some birds by 'their songs ; and at this
time of general bird silence they are
more than commonly welcome.
There is also fresh interest in making
acquaintance with the strangers as they
pass through and linger for days , some
times for weeks. It is true that the
knowledge gained is little more than of
the looks and manners of the birds ; for
they are most frequently silent , except
for their calls. But it is pleasing to
hear the tin trumpet of the red-breasted
nut-hatch , the brief utterances of the
various thrushes , the incisive notes of
the fox-colored and white-throated
sparrows , the staccato chirp of the
winter wren , and be inspired to seek
them on their return in the spring , to
hear their song.
Last September a mysterious proceed
ing of those birds of mystery , crows ,
came under my observation. All the
season I had been interested in listening
to the peculiar call of one bird. It
sounded so exactly like "hur-rah" that
I was startled , and thought at first it
must bo an escaped pet who had been
caught. On the occasion spoken of
there was an assembly of crows who
seemed to be in great excitement , flying
around and calling. There were a
dozen or more in a group of trees with
in plain sight of niy window. On the
top twig of the tallest tree sat the
"hur-rah" orow. Every few minutes
he uttered that strange cry , with great
apparent effort , humping his shoulders ,
depressing head and tail , and lifting his
wings. As soon as he gave the cry , the
others responded with a low "o-c-w , "
and flew around in a small circle , re
turning to the same trees.while the lead
er never moved from his perch nor joined
in their cry. This performance was
kept up an hour at a time. Was it ex
ercising the season's young folk ? Was
it some sort of initiatory drill ?
The crows of that vicinity an island
off the coast of Maine lived largely , if
not exclusively , on sea food. They did
not eat it where found , however , but
carried it to a small grove of very tall
spruce-trees , which appeared to' be their
. The below
common dining-room. ground
low was scattered with the remains of
their repasts , shells of clams , sea-urch
ins and crabs , and other edible things
found on the shore. This , too , seemed
to be their dressing-room , for here their
moulted plumage was found.
In this month there are often oppor
tunities to render aid to young birds
who wander away or are driven by
storm from their flock and are lost. One
may sometimes rescue such unfortu
nates from cats or bed boys , and , keep
ing them a day or two till they are
stronger , send them on their way. One
such stray a hermit thrush was kept
as a pet , and was never afraid of people.
He was an exquisite singer , and uttered
a great many low notes more rapturous
and thrilling than his loud song , or than
one ever succeeds in hearing from a
wild thrush , and all within three feet
of strangers , without a thought of fear.
Now is the time , toward the end of
the month , to lie awake at night , with
wide-open windows , and listen for the
little calls of the travelers , which at
that hour sound so pathetic , "falling
dreamily through the sky. " At this
time , if one happens to be in the unde
fined but evidently well-known route of
migration , he may with Longfellow
"Hear the beat
Of their pinions fleet ,
As from the land of snow and sleet
They seek a southern lea. "
Olive Thorne Miller in Unity.
Real estate agents in the North Platte
Valley of Nebraska , report an unprece
dented demand for land in their section.
One of them , writing to an acquaintance
in Omaha , says that the country is
"filled with land buyers. " The North
Platte Valley is the best irrigated section
of Nebraska. The water supply is
abundant and the price of land is low.
Several business men have recently lo
cated at Gering , and the citizens of
that thriving burg are jubilant over the
prospect of a big influx of settlers.