THE BIRD AS A TRAVELLER 69 



storm comes up and it grows so foggy they can't see 

 how to follow the rivers — don't they sometimes lose 

 themselves ? " 



" Yes, very often they become confused and fly this 

 way and that, but ahvays toward the nearest place 

 where they see a light, as if it meant escape for them. 

 But this instinct is frequently their death, for they fly 

 against the towers of great lighthouses, or the win- 

 dows of tall buildings, or even electric wires, and thus 

 break their necks or wings." 



"That is why I have so often found dead birds 

 along the turnpike under the telegraph wires," said 

 Rap. 



" Yes, Rap, the inventions of man are very wonder- 

 ful, but some of them have been sad things for Bird 

 People, and this is another reason why we should pro- 

 tect them whenever we can. These journej^s that the 

 birds make when they leave their nesting haunts for 

 the winter season, and return again in spring, are called 

 migrations. The word ' migrate ' means to move from 

 one country to another with the intention of remain- 

 ing there for some time. The birds who only make 

 little trips about the country, never staying long in 

 one place, we call visitors. 



" Birds may be divided according to their journeys 

 into three groups, which will help you to place them: 



1. Citizens . . . Those Bird People whose families 



stay in or near tlie same place the 

 year round, roving about some- 

 what according to the food-sup- 

 ply and weather. 



