THE FLIGHT OF THE BIRD 153 
a brood, and by the first of August are headed southward. 
Six weeks later they are swarming in the vicinity of Chesa- 
peake Bay, and then they, too, pass out of the range of our 
knowledge. In April they appear in northern South 
America, moving north, but not a hint do they give of how 
they came there. The rest of the species, those that 
nest to the south or west, may be traced farther south, but 
they, too, fail to give any clew as to where they spend the 
five winter months. 
““Which one of the Wise Men can tell us? No one. 
Look out the window now; there are two Night Hawks, 
first flying high and then dropping suddenly through 
the air. Is it not hard to realize that, while you are going 
to and fro every day between your homes and school, 
and by and by having to dig paths through the snow in 
order to get there, those two slender birds will have flown 
5000 miles to find a new summer, and will be having a 
vacation absolutely free from family cares?” 
