NATURE'S CALENDAR 93 



mountains, cold and forest - clothed. Ma^y ^ 



Whatever that vague thing "instinct" " 



may have to do with starting birds upon 

 their migration, it has no part in leading 

 them. They guide themselves, as we 

 would do, by landmarks and memory; 

 and by following the older ones. This 

 leads me to note that in all cases the 

 older male birds go ahead, and the 

 females and young follow, sometimes a 

 week later, towards the end of the jour- 

 ney. 



They travel mainly by night, summon- 

 ing one another to assemble as dusk ap- 

 proaches, then rising together high in the 

 air — sometimes, it is believed, a mile high 

 in clear nights— then heading away on 

 their course like a ship leaving port; and 

 with the earliest dawn, sinking down to 

 the earth to rest. All day long they flit 

 about through the trees and bushes in 

 leisurely content, progressing gradually 

 on their way if the weather be good, sing- 

 ing, taking naps, and feeding, until the 

 evening bids them renew their journey. 



If the weather were always favorable 

 the birds would thus come to us, or 

 march past us, in regular platoons like 

 soldiers, and we might know the precise 

 day (as even now we may nearly) upon 

 which they would return; but "cold 

 snaps" and rain and head winds check 

 and confuse them. Then they seek such 

 shelter as they can find, and wait until 

 warmth and sunshine come again upon 



