February 



Thus bird-life has its annual tide, whose 

 "flow" and "ebb" approximately coincide 

 with the months of spring and fall, while the 

 intervening seasons of summer and winter are 

 the periods of quiescence. 



In feren dally from the foregoing account of 

 migration, the birds for February are much the 

 same as for January. Yet this does not pre- 

 clude many interesting discoveries in any given 

 area. They are now in a roaming state within 

 their congenial latitude, and not bound by any 

 of the so-called " domestic ties " within very 

 close limitations. They wander hither and 

 thither, either singly or in pairs, or in larger 

 or smaller flocks, having no particular aim in 

 life except to keep as comfortable as possible, 

 and to find something to eat. A specimen 

 found anywhere in January will perhaps remain 

 in that immediate vicinity till spring, or it may 

 wander off more than a hundred miles. Their 

 instincts and circumstances are so unknown to 

 us, that we can feel that we may be on the verge 

 of a discovery at any instant. 



The demands of nature are paramount, and 

 in the sharpness of hunger one will not be over- 



57 



