372 Roberts, A Lapland Longspur Tragedy. {.Oct 



birds about 11 p. m. and from that hour they were abundant until 

 morning. They were most numerous in the vicinity of the electric 

 street lamps but he remarked, "they seemed to be everywhere." 

 He saw many fly against buildings and picked them up dead and 

 heard others strike and fall in the darkness. He said the ground 

 in places was covered with dead, wounded and apparently unhurt 

 birds. A great many were buried in the snow with just their heads 

 out and some of them when picked up, warmed, and dried, would 

 fly away as well as ever so far as he could see. These birds ap- 

 peared to him more bewildered than hurt. 



The night telegraph operator stated that he counted sixty-one 

 dead birds in going one and one-half blocks and saw fully one 

 hundred live ones. He caught seven or eight of the latter, carried 

 them home, warmed and dried them and when released next day, 

 they flew off all right, except one bird which was injured. The 

 night was not cold. The snow was in large flakes, quite wet, 

 and fell quietly to the depth of five or six inches. The birds began 

 to arrive about 11 p. m. and continued until three or four in the 

 morning. 



Another observer who was out at midnight said that the air was 

 everywhere full of birds but that they were more numerous about 

 the electric lights than elsewhere. He saw some inside of the arc- 

 light globes. Many were captured and examined. Some were 

 injured but others were not. These latter would lie in the snow 

 and make no effort to escape. The feathers of many were soaked 

 from the wet snow. The walks and streets were covered with 

 dead and live birds. 



An electrician in the employ of the electric light company re- 

 ported that on the night in question there was a scarcely perceptible 

 wind from a little east of south. The temperature was above 

 freezing. The birds appeared about 11 p. M. and kept coming 

 until nearly daylight. He corroborated what the others had said 

 but thought that the next morning the dead birds were most num- 

 erous under the electric lights and net work of wires in the central 

 portion of the village. The ground in such places was literally 

 covered with them. He took five or six out of one electric light 

 globe. He caught ten or twelve and took them home. They 

 were not timid and ate ravenously out of the hand. All flew away 

 when liberated later. 



