136 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



companies but singly and alone, such, for instance, as the small 

 Warbler, whose home is in the far northern parts of Europe. 

 Let us assume that a young Warbler like this, bred in Norway,- 

 within the confines of the Arctic Circle, had spent several weeks 

 in roaming about the neighbourhood of its nesting station to dis- 

 tances of twenty or even forty miles, and in the course of these 

 excursions had got to know every bush, rock, or piece of water 

 within this district, of what possible use, one may justly ask, can 

 such limited local knowledge be to it on its forthcoming journey to 

 Central Africa ? The time of its departure is drawing nigh ; one 

 fine calm evening it sets out on its first migrator^' voj^age, leaving 

 the world l^'ing far below it in the scent-laden dusk of evening. 

 The moment has arrived for it to enter on the one only true road 

 for its journey: Avhat possible guide is there to indicate this road? 

 The familiar signs within the circuit of its nesting stations have 

 long since vanished, and even if that were not the case, what help 

 could be afforded it by some recognisable rock or wood or lake ; 

 from none of these could it learn that its winter quarters lay 

 not to the west or east but to the south, nor could any of these 

 signs point out to it whither the southern course extended. Our 

 tiny friend soars along apparently heljjless and perplexed at 

 unknown heights in the darkening blue of the evening sky ; yet 

 without hesitancy he spreads his tender wings and flies with perfect 

 assurance towards the far-off goal. But a few hours more and 

 complete night enshrouds hira, still unerringly he pursues his flight 

 through pathless space; a thousand, nay, perhaps, thousands of 

 feet below him lies the world, no longer recognisable, and even 

 Avere he still able to distinguish the dark outlines of land and sea, 

 what would that avail him ? — everything is strange ; he has never 

 seen it before, and nothing could possibly serve him as a guiding 

 sign on his journey. 



At the dawn of the following day our little wanderer will pro- 

 bably find himself on the Danish islands, or perhaps in northern 

 Germany; preening his plumage in the sunshine, and roving about 

 for the day in all directions in search of food ; but evening 

 approaches, and with it the hour for resuming his journey. Once 

 more, though now in a strange country, he sets out for the goal of 

 his wanderings with the same calm assurance as on the evening 

 before ; during the night he crosses the Alps, and makes a second 

 day's sojourn by the shores of the Mediterranean. Nor are his 

 wanderings at an end here ; but the dusk of a third evening 

 summons him for fresh departure. He luiows not the extent of the 

 water}' surface beneath him, nor how far off is the shore on which 

 he may find rest ; no guiding sign or beacon is stretched out in his 



