THE BIRD-LIFE OF A YEAR. 27 



SEPTEMBER. 



The student whose patience has been sorely tried 

 by the comparative scarcity of birds in August, will 

 find that in September his observations in the field 

 will be attended by far more interesting results. 

 The first marked fall in the temperature is sure to 

 be followed by a flight of migrants which, like the 

 " waves " of May, will flood the woods with birds. 

 The larger number will be "Warblers; indeed, Sep- 

 tember, with May, is characterized by the abundance 

 of these small birds. 



Birds of the year will outnumber the adults, and, 

 in most cases, their plumage will be quite unlike that 

 worn by their parents in May, while, in many in- 

 stances, even the adults themselves will appear in a 

 changed costume. Often this new dress will re- 

 semble that of the immature bird, a fact which 

 accounts for the apparent absence of old birds in 

 the fall migration. 



As a rule, fall plumages are less striking than those 

 of spring, and when, in addition, it is remembered 

 that birds are not in song, and that the foliage is 

 much denser, the greater difficulty of field identifi- 

 cation at this season will be appreciated. 



In September more migrating birds are killed by 

 striking lighthouses than in any other month of the 

 year. This is doubtless owing to the fact that 

 stormy or foggy weather is more apt to prevail in 

 September than during any other period of active 

 migration; that the majority of the migrants are 

 young and inexperienced, and that in September mi- 

 grants are more numerous than in any other month. 



