158 MIGRATION 



The vernal migration is much more satisfactory to 

 observers than the autumnal, for in spring the birds 

 are in song, and the males wear their gayest colors, 

 while in fall their voices are heard only in call-notes, 

 many of the males have changed to dull and incon- 

 spicuous hues, and the strange-plumaged young are 

 also there to complicate matters. From the middle 

 of April to the last of May, however, a morning spent 

 among the birds is not only interesting but is posi- 

 tively exciting as one tries to identify the many species 

 within sight and hearing. 



Around Washington there is no better place to 

 observe the migrations than the unfrequented parts 

 of the Zoological Park and Rock Creek Park adjoin- 

 ing. This piece of well-wooded and watered country 

 has long been known to ornithologists as a regular 

 stopping-place for many migrants, including some 

 rare ones, and its public use has not yet made any 

 perceptible change in the birds, except with such ex- 

 tremely shy species as naturally avoid man. 



C. M. 



