OUR GREATEST TRAVELERS 



185 



problems of the migration student. A 

 favorite theory of the past, and one still 

 claiming many advocates, is that river 

 valleys and mountain chains form con- 

 venient highways along which the birds 

 travel in the spring, and which are easily 

 recognized on the return trip. 



The incorrectness of this theory (at 

 least with reference to some species) is 

 proven by the migration routes of the 

 palm warblers. They winter in the Gulf 

 States from Louisiana eastward and 

 throughout the Greater Antilles to Porto 

 Rico. They nest in Canada from the 

 Mackenzie Valley to Newfoundland. To 

 carry out the above theory, the Louisiana 

 palm warblers should follow up the 

 broad, open highway of the Mississippi 

 River to its source and go thence to their 

 breeding grounds, while the warblers of 

 the Antilles should use the Alleghany 

 Mountains as a convenient guide. 



As a matter of fact, as shown on the 

 map, page i86, the Louisiana birds nest 

 in Labrador, and those from the An- 

 tilles cut diagonally across the United 

 States to summer in central Canada. 

 The two routes cross each other in Geor- 

 gia at approximately right angles. 



Another idiosyncrasy of bird migra- 

 tion is the adoption by the Connecticut 

 warbler of different routes for its south- 

 ward and northward journeys. All the 

 individuals of this species winter in 

 South America, and, as far as known, all 

 go and come by the same direct route 

 between Florida and South America, 

 across the West Indies; but north of 

 Florida the spring and fall routes di- 

 verge. The spring route (page i86) 

 leads the birds up the Mississippi Valley 

 to their summer home in southern Can- 

 ada; but fall migration begins with a 

 i.ooo-mile trip almost due east to New 

 England, whence the coast is followed 

 southwest to Florida. 



The Connecticut warbler is considered 

 rare, but the multitudes that have struck 

 the Long Island light-houses during Oc- 

 tober storms show how closely the birds 

 follow the coast-line during fall migra- 

 tion. 



The map represents the spring-migra- 

 tion route as far as at i)rcsent known. 



MIGRATION ROUTE OF THE CLIFF SW^\L- 



LOWS THAT NEST IN NOVA SCOTIA 



(see pages 184 AND 193) 



The swallow, unlike the warbler, travels 

 by day. 



The fact that the route is practically 

 north and south through Ohio and then 

 turns abruptly west indicates a large and 

 as yet undiscovered breeding area in On- 

 tario north of lakes Huron and Superior. 

 Indeed, so little is known about the nest- 

 ing of the Connecticut warbler that the 

 eggs obtained by Mr. Seton more than 

 25 years ago still remain unique. 



Incidentally, this route of the Connec- 

 ticut w^arbler is a conclusive argument 

 against the theory that migration routes 

 indicate the original pioneer path by 

 which the birds invaded the region of 

 their present summer homes. 



THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS FLIGHT IN 

 THE WORLD 2,500 MILES 



Such elliptical migration routes as that 

 mentioned above are rare among land 

 birds, but are used and on a far larger 

 scale by many water birds, notable 

 among which is the golden plover. This 

 species nests along the Arctic coast of 

 North America, and as soon as the young 

 are old enough to care for themselves 

 fall migration is begun by a trip to the 

 Labrador coast, where the plover fat- 

 tens for several weeks on the abundant 

 native fruits. A short trip across the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence brings it to Xova 

 Scolia. the starting point for its extra- 

 ordinary ocean flight, due south to the 

 coast of South .\nicrica (page 180). 



