THE INSPIRING SPARROWS. 



53 



many another northern bird were much more abun- 

 dant in this vicinity a century ago than now. When 

 all Southern New Jersey was one great pine forest, 

 and there were areas of woodland connecting this 

 region with the heavily forested regions of the upper 

 Delaware Valley, there was a regular southward ex- 

 tension of all the northern birds that migrated in 

 winter. This migratoiy movement, that is now 



Pine-grosbeak. 



limited to New England and the highland areas of 

 the Alleghany region, then included what is now a 

 practically treeless region. These so-called "strag- 

 glers" are the descendants of birds that a hundred 

 or more years ago habitually visited the locality ; 

 so it is not strange that these birds should come oc- 

 casionally, and, as has been said before, they come 

 more frequently than is generally believed. 



