TRAVELS OF THE BIRDS. 145 



II. 



I have stated tliat birds mostly travel in 

 flocks. These are doubtless guided by the 

 older members of the company, which have 

 become familiar with the route by going over 

 it year by year. It is evident that young birds 

 could not find the way themselves, for my ex- 

 perience in rearing them by hand is that, \\hile 

 there are some things that they learn by native 

 instinct, there are many other things that they 

 must be taught. 



It is said that there are certain routes that 

 migrants are most apt to pursue in their jour- 

 neys, and that they are not equally distributed 

 across the continent. Coast lines, mountain 

 ranges, extensive valleys, rivers, and lakes form 

 what might be called guideposts for these 

 winged pilgrims, so that they do not lose their 

 way in the trackless oceans of the air. But 

 they can not see their landmarks by night, you 

 object. That, no doubt, is true. Yet know- 

 ing the point from w^hich they start in the 

 evening, the direction in which they wish to 

 go, and the distance they can travel in a given 

 number of hours, there is little danger of their 

 becoming confused unless they should be over- 



