UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 



so developed and fixed. Hawks are doubtless the 

 main cause of it. The hawk comes suddenly and 

 strikes quickly, and is doubtless as old an enemy as 

 the birds have. For ages he had been wont to swoop 

 down from the air or from the cover of a tree, or has 

 skimmed over the hill and in a twinkling snatched 

 a feeding bird. I have seen the sharp-shinned hawk 

 in winter sweep over a garden fence and snatch an 

 English sparrow from a flock feeding in the street. 

 I have seen one of the smaller hawks pick up a 

 high-hole feeding in the fields in the same way. 

 Birds feeding singly are less easily alarmed than 

 when feeding in flocks, just as you and I would be. 

 Fear is contagious, and a bird feeding alone has no 

 alarms or suspicions but its own to disturb it. 



Since these birds left Canada and northern New 

 England last October they have probably traveled 

 over two thousand miles, beset by then' natural en- 

 emies at all times and places in fields and marshes 

 and woods; hi danger of hawks and shrikes and cats 

 by day, and of owls and other prowlers by night; com- 

 pelled to hustle for food at all times, and to expose 

 themselves to a thousand dangers. Is it any wonder 

 that they are nervous and watchful? 



In returning they will be exposed to the same 

 dangers. Their traveling is mostly done by night 

 and it is probably by easy stages. But just how long 

 any single flight is we have no accurate means of 

 knowing. It would be interesting to know if the song 

 98 



