THIRD WEEK] March 77 



southeast of the southern extremity of India. A storm 

 must have driven the bird seaward, as there is no migration 

 route near this locality. 



The second bird was a European turtle dove which 

 was captured not less than seven hundred and fifty miles 

 from the nearest land Ireland. When caught it was in 

 an exhausted condition, but it quickly recovered and soon 

 lost all signs of the buffeting of the storm. The turtle 

 dove migrates northward to the British Islands about the 

 first of May, but as this bird was captured on May 17th, 

 it was not migrating, but, caught by a gust of wind, was 

 probably blown away from the land. The force of the 

 storm would then drive it mile after mile, allowing it no 

 chance of controlling the direction of its flight, but, from 

 the very velocity, making it easy for the bird to maintain 

 its equilibrium. 



Hundreds of birds must perish when left by storms 

 far out at sea, and the infinitely small chance of encount- 

 ering a vessel or other resting-place makes a bird which 

 has passed through such an experience and survived, 

 interesting indeed. 



In winter ruffed grouse have a habit of burrowing deep 

 beneath the snow and letting the storm shut them in. 

 In this warm, cosey retreat they spend the night, their 

 breath making its way out through the loosely packed 

 crystals. But when a cold rain sets in during the night, 

 this becomes a fatal trap, an impenetrable crust cutting 

 off their means of escape. 



Ducks, when collected about a small open place in an 

 ice-covered pond, diving for the tender roots on which 



