154 CITIZEN BIRD 



" They make their journeys mostly by night," con- 

 tinued the Doctor, " for darkness protects their bright 

 colors from the cannibal birds and various other ene- 

 mies. One day there will not be a single Warbler in 

 the river woods, and the next the trees will be bright 

 with them. 



'^ Another reason that we do not commonly see these 

 Warblers is, that the greatest number do not come 

 from the South until the trees are in leaf, and they 

 pass back again through the middle portions of the 

 States before the trees are bare in autumn, so that they 

 easily hide from us." 



" Are there no bright-colored birds that live all 

 winter where the trees are bare ? " asked Rap. 



" Yes, three — the Cardinal, the Crossbill, and the 

 Pine Grosbeak. They are seed-eating birds, and all 

 belong to the Sparrow family. Most of the very 

 sliowy birds belong to tropical countries, where the 

 trees are always in leaf and there are quantities of 

 orchids and other conspicuous flowers to attract the 

 eye from the birds themselves. 



"This habit of travelling l)y night has caused a great 

 many of these beautiful Warblers to lose their lives, 

 for they often fly against telegraph wires, high steeples, 

 and lighthouse towers, and are killed. Another dan- 

 ger also besets them — they may come from the South 

 with a bit of early mihl weather, and nearing the Great 

 Lakes meet a storm from the North, and the food-sup- 

 ply being very scanty, the icy winds overcome their 

 strength. 



" A friend of mine who lives in Wisconsin," con- 

 tinued the Doctor, " has a garden that slopes down to 



