70 THE LOG OF THE SUN 



flyers, the hummingbird, may come to grief in acci- 

 dental ways. I have seen one entangled in a bur- 

 dock burr, its tiny feathers fast locked into the 

 countless hooks, and again I have found the body 

 of one of these little birds with its bill fastened in 

 a spiral tendril of a grapevine, trapped in some 

 unknown way. 



Young phcebes sometimes become entangled in 

 the horsehairs which are used in the lining of 

 their nest. When they are old enough to fly and 

 attempt to leave, they are held prisoners or left 

 dangling from the nest. When mink traps are set 

 in the snow in winter, owls frequently fall victims, 

 mice being scarce and the bait tempting. 



Lighthouses are perhaps the cause of more acci- 

 dents to birds than are any of the other obstacles 

 which they encounter on their nocturnal migra- 

 tions north and south. Many hundreds of birds 

 are sometimes found dead at the base of these 

 structures. The sudden bright glare is so confus- 

 ing and blinding, as they shoot from the intense 

 darkness into its circle of radiance, that they are 

 completely bewildered and dash headlong against 

 the thick panes of glass. Telegraph wires are 

 another menace to low-flying birds, especially 

 those which, like quail and woodcock, enjoy a 

 whirlwind flight, and attain great speed within a 

 few yards. Such birds have been found almost 

 cut in two by the force with which they struck the 

 wire. 



