BIRDS OF KANSAS 23 



to their winter retreats in the South and return again in 

 spring, and yet we are scarcely aware of it. They prefer 

 to travel by night, stopping for rest and food by day. 



It is a long journey from Alaska or Greenland to 

 Central America or the West Indies, and yet some of the 

 little birds, like our Fox Sparrow, that spend the winter 

 with us, summer in the Arctic regions. Others make a 

 trip from Greenland to Central America. They are fleet 

 of wing, and can go faster than the fastest express train. 

 Mr. Wilson estimated that many of them fly faster than 

 a mile a minute, so that with a few stops for rest and 

 food, it would not take long to travel several thousand 

 miles. Flying high above the surface of the earth, they 

 get a "bird's-eye" view of our continent, and are prob- 

 ably guided in their travel by the mountains, forests and 

 river-courses. 



Our resident birds are with us winter and summer. The 

 Bluebird, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hawks 

 and Owls, Quails, the Flicker, Blue Jay, Meadow Lark, 

 Goldfinch, Cardinal, Nuthatch, Chickadee, and Robin are 

 among the number of naturalized citizens. The Blue- 

 bird, Meadow Lark, and Robin are in tune with the first 

 touch of spring, while the Cardinal cannot wait so long : 

 he must whistle his good cheer for us in the bright days 

 of winter. 



During the winter season they must depend chiefly 

 upon winter berries, weed seeds, and insect eggs and larvae 

 that are snugly packed away in the bark of trees ; they must 

 often suffer from hunger and cold when for days snow and 

 ice cover the ground and trees. At such times they often 

 come about our doors and will not refuse a kindly crumb 

 thrown out to them. The good they will do in orchard and 

 garden when the noxious insects put in an appearance will 

 repay with interest any attention they have received at 



