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THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



THE HOME INSTINCT OF BIRDS. 



BY HAEEY B. MILLER, CROTON PALLS, N. Y 



We may be quite sure that the birds 

 we found nesting in the meadows, the 

 ones that sang in the fields, and others 

 who greeted us in our rambles the past 

 year, will again next spring homeward 

 fly. Have you ever noticed the pewees 

 the first time they came around the barn 

 in early spring ? How familiar they 

 seem, acting just as if migration was a 

 thing of the unknown. 



Then there are the wrens, very ener- 

 getic folks in feathers, searching about 

 the nooks during the first few days after 

 their arrival, and coming out of some 

 cavity with a volley of notes, which in- 

 terpi-eted might be "I hire these apart- 

 ments." And the robins are criticising 

 the nest in the old maple tree which 

 last year they occupied, and not only 

 the robins, but many other birds are 

 thinking whether to patch up the old 

 nest or to construct a new one. 



This is another point in proof that 

 birds return to the place of their birth, 

 because it is not likely that they v^rould 

 take up with an old nest used by some 

 other birds last season. The same pair 

 of hawks will return to the same nest 

 year after year. But how can we be 

 more certain that the last year's birds 

 will come back ? It is found by measure- 

 ing birds of difiierent latitudes that they 

 vary somewhat, and not only does lati- 

 tude effect the size, but the habits are 

 more or less changed in different parts 

 of the country. 



We know birds are very affectionate 

 and thus they must have a strong attach- 

 ment for home. A captive robin has 

 been set free and gone with the rest of 

 his friends to the south ; but in the first 

 part of spring has fiown back to the cage 

 where he was reared, and upon the door 

 being opened, hopped in as if he had 

 never been free. Some birds come in 

 the day and some in the night and it 

 pleases me to think that they are guided 

 through storms and difficulties to the 

 land where first they saw the light of day. 



THE KINGLETS. 



BY WILLABD N. CLUTB, BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 



In autumn we commonly attach more 

 importance to the migrants from the 

 north than to our resident birds. The 

 pleasure we derive from watching for 

 their arrival, each autumn, is second 

 only to that with which we hail their 

 apperance from the south in the early 

 days of spring. These wanderers are 

 more interesting than the stay-at-home 

 bii'ds: their history has more of adven- 

 ture in it. Though all migrants interest 

 us, there are a few whose deportment 

 while in our latitude, has won for them 

 a deeper regard; and in this class, none 

 deserve a more prominent place than 

 the kinglets. 



The golden-crowned kinglet, and he 

 of the ruby-crown, are always abundan- 

 with as during migrations. In appear- 

 ance they are much alike, being active 

 little bodies with habits similar to the 

 chichadee's. The upper parts of both 

 are olivaceous, except two light bars 

 on the wings, and the underparts are 

 gray. The mark that serves to distin- 

 gush them, and also to give them their 

 names, is the crown of gold or ruby that 

 each wears partly concealed by the 

 feathers of the head. This crown is 

 the birds' family escutcheon and they 

 are able to display it at pleasure. 



The kinglets are nearly allied to the 

 woodpeckers, nuthatches and chick- 

 adees, and obtain their food in much the 

 same manner. They lack the strength 

 of the woodpeckers and cannot pene- 

 trate to the retreat of the grub? under 

 the bark, but with their sharp eyes and 

 tiny bills they seek and destroy the 

 many small insects overlooked by the 

 larger birds. They are very thorough 

 in their work, never leaving a twig till 

 the last insect on it is caught, and are 

 much given to frequenting the smaller 

 branches and inspecting the undersides 

 of leaves. 



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