THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS 



were near Nantucket we might expect to see 

 the Terns that nest on Muskeget Island. 



If some of these birds also had gone out to fish 

 at sea, when the fog came what would happen to 

 them? The deep, bellowing roar of the siren 

 could mean nothing to them. I doubt if they 

 would notice the direction of either wind or tide. 

 Nevertheless, bird after bird would go swiftly 

 through the fog, returning to its home just as 

 directly and surely as though it could be seen 

 distinctly. Then if we were wise, like many 

 fishermen before us, we would set our course by 

 the birds and reach land in safety. So the birds 

 would then be our compass. But what compass 

 do they steer by? 



Some years ago, when nearing the end of a 

 voyage across the Atlantic, I discovered a Cur- 

 lew aboard the steamer. The season (it was in 

 May) and the fact that several Wheatears had 

 also just taken passage with us showed that we 

 had entered one of the birds' highways of migra- 

 tion. 



The Wheatear is a small bird about the size of 

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