8c6 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to the Union the fruits of the joint labors of this great corps of ob- 

 servers, together with such deductions or generalizations as he may be 

 able to base upon them. 



By noting the species which are permanent residents, which winter 

 residents or visitants, which summer residents, and which spring and 

 fall migrants, together with the relative abundance of each species in 

 each locality where found, the geographical distribution of our birds 

 has already been pretty well made out. 



A like series of observations upon the time of arrival and departure 

 of each species, the manner of its coming and going, the period of its 

 stay, the place and time of its nesting, enables us to learn much of its 

 life-history. And a study of meteorological phenomena, such as the 

 direction of the wind, the temperature from day to day, the occurrence 

 of storms, together with data regarding contemporaneous phenomena, 

 such as the appearance in spring of the first frog, toad, or snake ; the 

 end of the period of hibernation of certain mammals ; the leafing of 

 different trees and the flowering of various plants ; and the breaking 

 up of the ice in the rivers and lakes — all these throw much light upon 

 the causes which induce, and the conditions which influence or con- 

 trol, migration. 



More than a thousand observers are now at work gathering data 

 for the solution of these problems. Never before have so many per- 

 sons worked together and systematically for the solution of any great 

 question in science. Observers are at work in every State and Terri- 

 tory in the Union, besides a number in the West Indies, Mexico, and 

 Canada. The interest of the lighthouse-keepers has been enlisted, and 

 many of them are doing excellent service. 



The most southern station in the United States is at Sombrero 

 Key, at the southern end of Florida, while the most northern is at 

 Point Barrow, Alaska, more than four thousand miles away. From 

 New Brunswick and Maine on the east, the stations extend across the 

 continent to California, Oregon, and Vancouver's Island. And from 

 the time a bird crosses our southern border in early spring-time until 

 it reaches its breeding-ground, wherever that may be, it is under the 

 careful surveillance of these inquiring spies. Its every movement is 

 watched and recorded, and by the time it has reached its Rummer 

 home, reared its brood, and returned again to its winter resort, few, 

 indeed, are the important facts in its life-history which have not been 

 made a subject of note by one or another of these observers. Thus 

 the records are made from year to year, and even now hundreds of 

 note-books all over our country contain thousands of entries to the 

 credit or debit of our birds for the last four years. All this, and the 

 Union has just begun its work ! 



As an illustration, let me ask your attention to the record of a 

 beautiful and familiar bird — the Baltimore Oriole. After spending 

 the winter within the tropics, it returns to our Southern borders in 



