14 BIRDS OF FIELD, FOREST AND PARK 



much confusion, not to say perplexity, on the 

 part of the student who thought he could iden- 

 tify all common varieties. But one should not 

 take these difficulties too seriously, for with 

 their return again next spring they will appear 

 in their familiar garb. 



The round of the year's happenings is com- 

 pleted when the winter habitat is reached again. 

 It is a life of ceaseless activity with much of 

 danger and many difficulties to overcome, but 

 withal we may believe with much of joy. Under 

 normal conditions birds seem very happy. We 

 know little about the hardships they encounter 

 during their absence, of the countless numbers 

 that perish from the vicissitudes of travel. They 

 tell no tales. They return to us clad in their best 

 clothes, bubbling over with song, giving no sign 

 of having grown old. We accept them as they 

 appear, and feel a deep sense of gratitude that 

 we live in a land selected as a summer home by 

 the host of feathered songsters who give us much 

 to enjoy in beautiful plumage and cheerful song. 



Very little is known about the age to which 

 birds live, except in the case of those that have 

 been kept in confinement for many years; and 

 probably the facts thus obtained have little re- 

 lation to the length of life of the same variety 

 in a wild state. An effort is now being made by 

 bird students to find out definitely about the 

 length of life of birds, the direction and extent 

 of migratory movements, etc., by attaching 

 small aluminum bands to the legs of young 

 birds wherever found, bearing the name and 

 address of the person interested. It is believed in 



