88 



WINTER 



an increase of architectural wisdom necessary to ^ J 

 meet all the conditions of the new hollow. The mor- % 

 tar or glue, which, I imagine, held firmly in the) 

 empty trees, will not mix with the chimney soot, so ?-, 

 that the nest, especially when crowded with young,^ 3 

 is easily loosened by the rain, and sometimes even \ 

 broken away by the slight wing stroke of a descend- ' 

 ing swallow, or by the added weight of a parent bird ^ 

 as it settles with food. 



We little realize how frequent fear is among the\ ' 

 birds and animals, and how often it proves fatal. C V 

 A situation that would have caused no trouble \ 

 ordinarily, becomes through sudden fright a tangle <. 

 or a trap. I have known many a quail to bolt intov , 

 a fast express train and fall dead. Last winter I left 

 the large door of the barn open, so that my flock of <! ' 

 juncos could feed inside upon the floor. They found v : -\ 

 their way into the hayloft and went up and down ^' / 

 freely. On two or three occasions I happened in so^'-'Jj 

 suddenly that they were thoroughly frightened and'y { 

 flew madly into the cupola to escape through the \ *, 

 windows. They beat against the glass until utterly i J --{ 

 dazed, and would have perished there, had I not 

 climbed up later and brought them down. So thou- j 

 sands of the migrating birds perish yearly by flying < 

 wildly against the dazzling lanterns of the light- c ' 

 houses, and thousands more either lose their course i 

 in the thick darkness of the stormy nights, or else ) 

 are blown out of it, and drift far away to sea. 



