VII 



THE NIGHT FLYERS 



IT is difficult to believe that at times during 

 the season of migration the sky at night is 

 filled with birds from dusk until dawn. On- 

 ward they hurry through the darkness. If they 

 see the earth below, it must be too dim to guide 

 them on their journey. Still they find their way 

 just as surely as do those birds which travel by 

 day. 



The day flyers, as we have seen, are hardy 

 rovers which are used to the open and do not 

 hesitate to venture far from cover. But the night 

 flyers are the shy, retiring birds of thickets and 

 undergrowth, which rarely go far from their 

 own doorstep. Or, if they live in trees, their 

 flight is usually only from tree to tree. The 

 Thrushes, Warblers, Vireos, and small Fly- 

 catchers are all night flyers. 



Most of the Snipe live along the beaches or 



