THE TRAVELS OF BIRDS 



than that of a good-sized chicken. It can there- 

 fore remain in the air for long periods and, if 

 necessary, make great journeys without resting. 

 We cannot prove that the birds used as messen- 

 gers on the Pacific had not in some manner 

 learned the routes over which the natives sent 



MAN-OF-WAR BIRD. 



With a wing-spread of eight feet and a body no larger than 

 that of a good-sized hen, this is one of the world's famous flyers. 

 Its feet, however, are so small that it can barely walk. 



them. But in the experiments which I am about 

 to relate we know that the birds used had never 

 before made the journey from the place where 

 they were released to the place from which they 

 were taken. 



These experiments were planned by Professor 



Watson of Johns Hopkins University. The 



birds used were Sooty and Noddy Terns. Many 



thousands of these birds nest on Bird Key, a tiny 



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