THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS 



passed by steadily and at ten o'clock, when the 

 flight was at its height, Dr. Stone estimates that 

 there were two hundred birds in sight at once. 

 "They flew," he writes, "in a great, scattered, 

 widespread host, never in clusters. . . . Far off 

 in front of me I could see them coming as mere 

 specks, twinkling like stars, and gradually grow- 

 ing larger as they approached until their wings 

 could be distinguished as they passed overhead. 

 . . . Over all the illuminated area and doubtless 

 for a greater distance beyond, they seemed about 

 evenly distributed, those immediately over the 

 flames glowing like coals of fire, those further 

 away appearing silvery white." 



Dr. Stone believes that most of the birds were 

 Juncos and Sparrows of several kinds and the 

 discovery of the partly burned bodies of some 

 of these unfortunate night flyers that had come 

 too near the flames proved that he was correct. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY 



How do we know that birds travel at night? 

 Why do some birds migrate only after dark? Men- 

 86 



