BIRDS IN THE BUSH 



[95 



structures. I once witnessed such a 

 disaster in Lincoln, Nebraska. The at 

 traction in this case was the electri- 

 cally lighted dome of the state capitol. 

 From the lawn below I could distin- 

 guish spotted sandpipers, various spar- 

 rows and warblers. Most of the birds 

 passed the dome though they might 

 hover awhile about the lights; but 

 many, striking the pillars of the cupola, 

 fell to the roof dead or disabled. If 1 

 may judge from the number of dead 

 and crippled birds on the lawn, the 

 mortality must have been great, yet it 

 could have been onlv a handful com- 



pared with the thousands which 1 saw 

 or heard passing for two hours or 

 more in an unbroken flock. Most of 

 the crippled birds that I found were 

 black-throated buntings. 



One satisfaction is to see what im- 

 mense numbers of birds manage to 

 run the gauntlet now so thickly beset 

 with machine guns, air guns and other 

 "snares of the fowler." These addi- 

 tions to the host of checks which na- 

 ture had already imposed on their un- 

 due increase seem little or not at all 

 to affect their numbers. It is wdiere 

 flesh or plumes become an article of 



CHIMNEY SWIFTS GOING TO ROOST. 



