142 



THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



[6:5-May, 1910 



ing upon flowers and supposedly pollinating them, the unfor- 

 tunate item being that the insect in question (taken from a 

 collection and glued to the flower) never visits this species of 

 plant. 



It is a good rule to buy only standard works, prepared by 

 authors of established reputation in scientific fields. 



Bird migration is one of the seven wonders of the scientific 

 world. To the popular mind the autumn exodus of the 

 birds finds ample explanation in the hardships of a winter in 

 the north, but this is not always a tenable conclusion. Doubt- 

 less the food problem is a more impelling factor than the in- 

 clemency of the weather, yet birds migrate from regions where 

 both food and temperature are satisfactory, so far as we can 

 discover, throughout the year. It is not the purpo.se here to 

 discuss theories which would attempt to account for the phen- 

 omena of migration, but simply to suggest certain frequent ex- 

 periences that befall migrating birds and to point out to the 

 teacher certain opportunities for most interesting lessons on 

 bird life and bird mortality. 



Some migrants fly by day, others at night, but in every 

 case the dangers are many. Meeting with adverse winds when 

 flying over a large body of water, pursued by hawks, beaten 

 down by sudden storms of sleet or hail, striking when in swift 

 flight in the darkness such objects as telegraph wires, tall chim- 

 neys, light houses, etc., — in these and other similar ways count- 

 less thousands of birds meet their death in spring or fall. 



The accompanying pho- 

 tograph of a king-fisher 

 sitting upon my hand, does 

 not tell the tale of an estab- 

 lished friendship but rather 

 one of near-tragedy. The 

 arrangement of the large 

 plate glass windows on op- 

 posite sides of our large 

 school building so deceived 

 the birds, especially during 

 their passion of migration, 

 that many flew against the 

 glass in anticipation of a 

 clear field ahead. Our hu- 



