WILD LIFE OF ORCHARD AND FIELD 



There is no part of the world where the feathered 

 tribe is not represented; but no two quarters of 

 the globe, and scarcely any two places a hun- 

 dred miles apart, have precisely the same sort of 

 birds, or in similar abundance. There are several 

 reasons for this: first, the influence of climate. 

 Birds provided with the means of resisting the 

 extreme cold of northern regions would be very 

 uncomfortable under a southern sun. The geo- 

 graphical distribution of plants has long been 

 recognized, but it is only recently that a like dis- 

 tribution of birds has been proved to exist. More- 

 over, oceans and high mountain chains limit the 

 range of many kinds. Europe and America have 

 scarcely any species in common, save of water- 

 birds and large hawks. Those from the Pacific 

 coast are essentially different from those found 

 in the Mississippi Valley. Each district has a 

 set of birds — and other animals as well — peculiar 

 to its peculiar geography. Another great circum- 

 stance, determining the presence or absence of 

 certain birds in the breeding season, is the abun- 

 dance or scarcity of suitable food, not only for 

 themselves, but also for their young ; as the food of 

 birds at that time is often very different from their 

 •rdinary diet, it requires a close acquaintance with 



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