286 Clear Skies and Cloudy. 



out of season, playing hookey instead of being 

 at school. Knowledge is retarded by calling 

 an over-staying bird a "straggler," as it is 

 learnedly pronounced to be. It is a pestiferous 

 word that covers ignorance, like "malaria" so 

 constantly upon the tongue of the physician 

 when diagnosis is beyond his skill. The bald 

 fact is, birds more and more are spending their 

 winters far north of where they did some years 

 ago, or else we are just finding out that the old 

 observers were in error. The latter case is not 

 probable, and now, recognizing a change, we 

 are given an opportunity to test our skill in 

 solving a problem. We are saved vain specu- 

 lation as to influence exerted by a change of 

 climate, because we have meteorological tabu- 

 lations showing that no change has taken place 

 thermometrically. It is just as cold now in 

 January as when the pilgrims landed or, proba- 

 bly, when the Norsemen sighted our shores, but 

 there is a difference that may have its bearing 

 upon the subject, we have less snow. Can it be 

 that the absence of snow, making the finding of 

 food more practicable, has its influence? It 

 will doubtless be urged that the birds leave 



