On the Migration of North American Birds. 



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Art. IX. — On the Migration of the Birds of North America. 

 Read before the Literary and Philosophical Society of Charles- 

 ton, (S. C.) March 15th, 1833 ; by Rev. J. Bachman. 



For ages past, the migration of birds has been a subject of great 

 interest to naturalists. The mysterious appearance and disappear- 

 ance of many species, at different periods of the year, while many 

 of them have never been seen in their migrations ; the remote or 

 unknown situations to which they retire ; the sudden appearance of 

 some birds in the spring, after one or two days of warm weather, 

 and their equally sudden disappearance on the first cold day ; all 

 have conduced to create many vague and superstitious notions, in 

 the minds of the uninformed, and have often left the intelligent stu- 

 dent of nature in perplexity and doubt. Examples are seen, in the 

 accounts so often published, of the swallows having been found, in 

 great numbers, in caves and hollow trees, and in lakes and ponds ; 

 and of the common Rail or Sera, [Rallus Carolimts^ L.) having been 

 discovered in gutters and hollow banks. 



Some have supposed that birds, like some animals, are, by their 

 internal organization, capable of becoming dormant, during winter, 

 and hence they readily listen to stories of birds having been found, 

 concealed, in great numbers, in caverns, the hollows of decayed trees, 

 recesses of old buildings, and other secluded situations ; whilst others 

 have contended, that they were, during the winter, preserved under 

 the w r ater, beneath the mud. 



Amidst such contradictory opinions, on a subject concerning which 

 the most intelligent naturalists are not yet agreed, there is a wide 

 field open for inquiry and observation. The works of God, amidst 

 the wonders of nature, are always worthy of investigation. If he 

 has given to the birds of the air, instincts which cannot be equalled 

 by the boasted reason of man — if he has communicated to them 

 some mysterious faculties, which have hitherto baffled the researches 

 and wisdom of the wise, — may it not be well for us, at least, to re- 

 cord the facts, so that, although we may not be able to explain these 



hidden mysteries of nature, we may be humbled under a sense of 

 our inferiority, and thus be led to adore the wisdom of God. 



Very little appears to have been written on the migration of North 

 American birds ; a topic probably regarded as of too little impor- 

 tance, to merit the research necessary to a satisfactory result on such 



Vol. XXX.— No. 1 . 



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