138 



The Canadian Field-Natlrai.ist 



Vol. XXXV 



periods tAviee a year — early spring and 

 late fall. In the spring, before the sap 

 had stirred on the sunniest slopes, and 

 whilst snow seemed the eternal order of 

 things, and the season's advance was only 

 to be noted by the calendar, she became 

 restless and discontented. It was the 

 "Season of New *Song'' ; more, it was also, 

 it seemed, the season of migration, and 

 whether she knew the meaning of it or 

 not something stirred within her in con- 

 sequence and she was deeply moved. Nor- 

 mally serene and contented in her window, 

 watching with bright, interested ej'es all 

 that passed within her ken, then she wa." 

 restless and excited, pattering back and 

 forth along the narrow ruuAvay of her 

 window meeting-rail, pausing at interval? 

 to half-raise her Avings and chatter loudly 

 the well-known Sparrow Hawk cry of 

 agitation. Once at such a time I saAv a 

 Avild SparroAv HaAvk pass OA^er AA'ithout 

 She saAv it too, for little escaped her pier- 

 cing eyes. She foUoAved it Avith her gaze 

 from the time it first hoA'e in sight, lean 

 ing against the glass to see around the 

 AA^ndoAv jamb until it passed from sighl 

 behind some trees. This condition lasted 

 but a little Avhile each season, a couple of 

 Aveeks perhaps, but AAiiile it lasted it Ava? 

 nearly as hard on us, her friends, as upon 

 herself. Shortly she Avas her old self 

 again, content to Avatch the Avorld go by 

 from her o])servatory AvindoAv, lier only 

 agitation the butcher's or grocer's l)oy 

 that brought her food and sent lier seek 

 ing safety to the high toj) of her empty 

 cage. Similar disturbances to tlie even 

 tenor of her Avay occurred in tlie fall. As 

 the first frosts loosed the leaves and the 

 grasshoppers were dropping numbed from 

 the yelloAving grass Avhence Avild SparroAV 

 IlaAvks liad but lateh' gleaned them, 

 nature stirred again Avithin her. Its mean 

 ing I do not think she eA'er definitely re 

 cognized, but she became again uneasy, 

 restless and difficult to please. 



NoAv, neither before nor dining these 

 pei'iods Avei-e there any perceptil)le changes 

 in the conditions under Avliich she lived. 

 She Avas not reactiA'e to differences or 

 shortage of food, temperature or any otlier 

 factor that could be humanly recognized. 

 The change came from Avithin, rather than 

 from wii.'iout. I tiiink that as fruit and 

 folijige grow thi'ough the sea.son, in cer 



tain times ripen to maturity and then 

 decline in metabolic activitA', so the mi- 

 grating and sexual instincts develop, cul- 

 minate and decline in measured groAA'th 

 but slightly accelerated or retarded by 

 A'ariations in seasonal condition. And 

 thus birds feel the urge to migrate, and 

 depart in the fall Ijefore the lack of food, 

 the ultimate necessity for such a move- 

 ment, has sapped their energies and Adgor. 

 In the spring it Avorks the other Avay ; 

 the ouAvard urge toivard a harder rather 

 than a softer climate comes early, and 

 they tread ujion the A'ery footsteps of 

 Avinter. ariA'ing north at the earliest mo- 

 ment that existence for their kind is 

 measureably secure, to the end that they 

 haA'e the greatest length of season in 

 Avhich to raise their families to migrational 

 maturity I)efore the return of Avinter. 



One of Falco's interesting physical 

 characteristics Avas her comparatiA'e in- 

 dependence of Avater. She Avas fed prin- 

 cipally on butcher's meat. When liA'er, 

 English SparroAvs or other moist meat 

 formed a fair proportion of her food, 

 Avater Avas only desired for bathing, and 

 sometimes Aveeks Avent by Avithout her 

 drinking. After a spell of rather dry 

 meat she desired Avater and asked for it 

 in a Avay that Ave Avho kncAv her little 

 idiosyncracies recognized perfectly. She 

 enjoyed bathing, and splashed the Avater 

 from her boAvl far and Avide, retiring after- 

 Avards to her sunny AvindoAv to dry and 

 fluff. As said before, her food Avas lar- 

 gely, and of necessity, from the butcher's 

 shop, and Avhen English SparroAvs greAV 

 too Avary to he readily obtained, it Avas 

 found necessary occasionally to mix a 

 little (.ho])i)ed toAv or shredded rope end 

 Avith it to supply the roughage for na- 

 tural digestion and the pellet for regur- 

 gitation. She invariably avoided fat. 

 tearing it from the lean in little shreds 

 , a)id impatiently discarding it. She also 

 appreciated a variety in diet, and changes 

 from beef to pork or mutton oi- hack again 

 ahvays met Avitli her approval. At times 

 she even tired of English Sparrows and 

 l)ecame satiated Avith her favorite tit-bits, 

 June-bugs or Grasshoj^jjers. It is evident 

 then that birds enjoy a variety of foods, 

 and no nuitter hoAv plentiful some one 

 supply may I)e('oine. at times they will 

 turn thcii- attention dsewhei-e to balance 



