52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



glass windows, cats and thoughtless boys. Especially during the migration 

 season many birds are killed in every city and village by flying against the 

 plate glass where they see a reflection of the landscape. Thousands are 

 also killed, or hopelessly maimed, by flying against wires which are strung 

 along the streets and railroads ; these wires being at the same hight as the 

 ordinary flight of the Woodcock, Pheasant and many others, form deadly 

 obstacles against which they break their necks. I have known many 

 instances of such birds falling victims to the telegraph wire and the same 

 is true of ducks and many of our smaller birds. I have also known of 

 upward of a dozen small birds being killed in a single month by flying 

 against the wire netting which formed the back-stop of a tennis court. 

 In the case of wire and plate-glass victims, it is only a very small percentage 

 which are noticed, but from the number which have come under my personal 

 observation, it is easy to believe that many thousands are thus sacrificed 

 annuallv in our State. If the disagreeable truth must be told, it is certain 

 also that tens of thousands of birds yearly fall victims in our State to the 

 domestic cat, while dogs kill a comparatively small number. 



Along the coast many birds fly against lighthouses and towers while they 

 are migrating at night. Sometimes several hundred birds are picked up 

 in a single morning by the keepers. While migrating on the night of May 

 7th, 1905, a bushel basket full of warblers, sparrows, vireos and wrens 

 consisting of 1 7 different species were killed by striking the Washington 

 Monument. During the night of September 23, 1887, 356 Blackpoll war- 

 blers, among others, were killed by the Fire Island Light, on Long Island. 

 On December 3d, 1888, 40 Scaup ducks were killed against the Montauk 

 Light Tower; on December 17, 1890, 24; and on November 15, 1890, 13 

 struck. Against the Fire Island Light 59 of these ducks were killed on 

 January 6th, 1888; on the 12th, 27; and on February 25th, 1894, 40 struck 

 [see, Dutcher, Water Birds, ms no. 148]. Accounts of smaller numbers strik- 

 ing Long Island lighthouses, both of Scaup ducks and many other species 

 of birds, are scattered through Mr Dutcher's Long Island Notes. 



