156 THE STORY OF THE BIRDS 



known to be increasing their area of dispersal at 

 the present time, or within the historic period. 

 As a rule, and possibly because of the great 

 stability or quiescence at the present time of 

 those conditions that influence colonisation, but 

 little expansion of area is now in progress. 

 Among birds that are certainly adding to their 

 area of occupation, or have recently done so, we 

 may mention the Starling, the Rook, the House 

 Sparrow, and the Partridge. 



We will now pass on to a brief notice of the 

 Migration of Birds. The coming and the going 

 of these birds of passage appear from the very 

 earliest periods of which we have any record to 

 have made a great impression upon mankind. 

 Jeremiah of old had evidently well studied the 

 migration of birds, telling us that the Stork 

 knows her appointed times, and how the Turtle 

 Dove, the Crane, and the Swallow observe the 

 time of their coming. The Prophet could not 

 have selected better examples to illustrate his 

 allusion, for the whole four species are migrants of 

 the most pronounced type. Even savage man has 

 not failed to remark the phenomenon, and to draw 

 up his mental calendar punctuated by the dates of 

 arrival and departure of the migrant birds. 



There is certainly no other avine habit which 



