THE MUSEUM 



A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Research in Natural Science. 



Vol. 1\". 



ALBION, N. Y., MARCH 15, 1898. 



No. 5 



1 



Mierationof Birdsat Seguin Light 

 House. 



BV HHKHEUT L. SPINNEY, 2ND ASSIS- 

 TANT KEEPER. 



The observations of which I shrill 

 speak have been made during the live 

 years I have served as second assis- 

 tant keeper of the li^ht. This light is 

 on Seguin Isfaud at the entrance to 

 the Kennebec River three miles from 

 the mainland. The island is nearly a 

 mile long by a third wide as the land 

 runs, and is 145 feet above the sea at 

 its highest elevation, upon which the 

 lighthouse rises 35 feet more to the 

 center of the lantern. The light is a 

 fi.xed white light of the first order and 

 is visible I9;| miles. 



During the spring while the birds 

 are migrating north to their breeding 

 localities, and again in the fall when 

 returning south to winter (juarters, 

 many of the smaller birds, especially 

 those of nocturnal Hight, are attracted 

 lO the light in numbers varying from 

 a few individuals to hundreds, accord- 

 ing to conditions of the atmosphere. 

 The nights which I have observed to 

 be most favorable for this exhibition 

 of bird phenomena are when during 

 migration there have been severe fires 

 at different localities, and the atmos- 

 phere has become impregnated with 

 smoke, this combined with lighc south- 

 west winds and clear nights offer the 

 best results for observation. 



On such nights as this, usually about 

 nine o'clock, a few individuals may be 

 seen flying around in the rays of light, 

 while others at a short distance may 

 be heard uttering chirping notes. 

 Gradually the number increases until 

 hundreds are in sight, looking like 

 small meteors as they gyrate^ around 

 ■the light, some drawing nearer, others 



receding almost out of sight in the 

 darkness, only to return until many of 

 them kill or injure themselves by 

 striking the lantern, or some atmos- 

 pheric change causes them to disap- 

 pear, or daylight appears. Many will 

 fly directly at the light and when al- 

 most near enough to strike the glass 

 will suddenly rise, going over the lan- 

 tern if they do not strike the top 

 which many do injuring or killing 

 themselves. Others would fly against 

 the glass and struggle to get through 

 until exhausted, when they would set- 

 tle on the sash of the lantern, or on 

 an iron rail and walk, which encircles 

 it, only to commence the same strug- 

 gle as soon as rested, ihis often lasting 

 until daylight. On the walk men- 

 tioned there would be a hundred or 

 more birds resting, and at the same 

 time so many fluttering against the 

 glass you could not count them. 

 While many kill themselves by flying 

 directly against the glass, the greatest 

 mortality is caused by their suddenly 

 rising out of the rays of the light and 

 striking the top of the lantern which 

 is copper. I have sat inside of the 

 lantern on a night like the one men- 

 tioned and listened to them strike, 

 sometimes faster than I could count, 

 a number often striking at the same 

 time, the vibration from the concus- 

 sion causing it to appear as if a body 

 of some pounds' weight had struck in- 

 stead of a small warbler. This hap- 

 pens many nights during migration, 

 from a few hours some nights, until 

 near daylight on others. Other con- 

 ditions favorable for this display are 

 warm cloudy nights, very dark with 

 little wind if any. Usually southwest 

 winds seem to be most favorable al- 

 though I have seen a fair display with 

 the wind northeast, but this is the e.x- 



