322 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



in the swamps and gullies or deep woods sur- 

 rounding Limberlost Cabin, north. In the unus- 

 ually mild winter of 1918-19 these birds never left 

 us. In flocks of half a dozen, at any time during 

 the winter, they could be found in the spice thicket 

 back of the garage or in the sheltered ravines, and 

 their appearance indicates that they are living fatly 

 upon dried berries, frozen fruits and vegetables, 

 and food which they pick up in chicken-parks and 

 around the farmers' back doors. 



Our bluebirds, cardinals, robins, doves, king- 

 fishers, and other hardy ones in our extremely cold 

 winters go farther south, frequently stopping in 

 Kentucky and Tennessee. Often some of the car- 

 dinals remain all winter or others come from the 

 north. One of our ministers to Mexico told me 

 that there are cardinal grosbeaks exactly like ours in 

 Old Mexico all the year, but there are three times as 

 many there during our winter. Our wrens, thrushes, 

 bobolinks, and blackbirds proceed to the coast. 

 Our orioles go to Panama, and hummingbirds to 

 Brazil; our kingbirds and some bobolinks go as far 

 south as the West Indies and Bolivia; and most of 

 our warblers stop in Central America; but some of 

 our thru shes go on to Peru ; the golden plover ranges 

 to Patagonia, and the knot to Cape Horn. Exactly 

 where the swallows go is their secret. It is sup- 

 posed to be some island east or west of South 

 America or to some inland cave. So far, no one 

 has learned where they winter. 



