The Effects of a Hail -storm Upon Bird Life 145 



Not the least interesting feature was the manner and cause of death. 

 Of course hundreds of birds lost their lives by the deadly effect of the 

 hail direct, simply being knocked from the trees — many of which were 

 leafless in a few minutes — and literally battered to death. This was clearly 

 shown by the finding of many birds on higher and sloping ground, where 

 drowning would have been impossible, and on whom no injuries were 

 discernible. Others were knocked off their roosts into the paths below — 

 which were now great torrenTs of water — and carried into the lake, or 

 left in the deposit of sand and mud covering the lower grassy parts of 

 the park. Many of these birds which I examined had no manifest external 

 injury, and 1 felt it was a clear case of drowning. 



But the very interesting feature to me was the birds whose bodies 

 showed by deep gashes or penetrating wounds the bullet -like power of 

 penetration of the hail when driven by a wind of sixty miles an hour. 

 For instance, one bird had a penetrating wound on the right side of the 

 back which completely entered the thorax and lacerated the thoracic 

 viscera. I observed a number with somewhat similar injuries, and there 

 could be no doubt but that they were all caused by the hail. Here death 

 must have been instantaneous. The saddest evidence of the storm was 

 found in the great number of wounded Robins I found all about me. One 

 poor Robin — a fine big fellow — had received a crack from the winged 

 ice that shattered a portion of the bony arch over the eye and produced 

 complete exophthalmos (protrusion of the eye). Death seemed nigh, and 

 to him — as well as to many others — I gave release from their suffering. 

 I found no wounded Jays; possibly those not killed outright had greater 

 staying power than the Robins, and escaped from the inhospitable park. 

 According to the press, "One effect of the hail was the dispatching of 

 English Sparrows. Thousands of the little birds lay about the ground this 

 morning underneath where they had been roosting before stricken by the 

 ice pellets." I am convinced this statement is an exaggeration. A great 

 many Sparrows were killed in all those parts of the city which lay in the 

 path of the storm, but by the very nature of their roosting habits, so 

 familiar, they were immuned in much larger measure than other birds. 



Severe hail -storms over the northwestern portions of the United States 

 are of common occurrence, and especially over the prairie regions of North 

 and South Dakota. Each summer areas of miles in extent are visited by 

 such phenomena and attemled with great ilestruction to the crops and 

 vegetation generally. As such storms are 'a hot-weather product." and 

 occur fre(iuently during the nesting period and soon after, I have no doubt 

 man\' birds are lost each year in this manner. 



Finally, is not a subject of unusual interest suggested by the incidents 

 just recited ? When we remember that millions upon millions of birds 

 must die each \ear, is it not remarkable that we observe so few decrepit. 



