124 Bird -Lore 



ica, but this Plover, in good weather, is beheved to cover that immense dis- 

 tance in a single flight. 



Our next lesson will describe where these spring travelers go to nest, and 

 some of the things they must see on their way thither. Do not forget that when 

 they have reached the United States many of them still have a long journey 

 ahead. Wherever they go, there is much for us to learn about the places that 

 they visit.— A. H. W. 



SUGGESTIONS 



If clay is not at hand, let the scholars draw outline maps and color them to show 

 the points mentioned above. 



Geo. F. Cram, Chicago, publishes an orographical map, on which are marked altitudes 

 below 500 feet, from 500 to 2,000 feet, 2,000 to 5,000 feet, 5,000 to 10,000 feet, over 

 10,000 feet; also the northern and Mississippi watersheds and the Atlantic, Gulf and 

 Rocky Mountain slopes. 



P Learn the heights of the loftiest mountain-peaks in the United States, and try to 

 find out how far one would have to travel north in order to reach as cold a climate and 

 the same vegetation and animal life as are found upon them. 



Which way do the rivers run in the western United States? Which way do those in 

 the eastern United States run? 



How is the "Route of the Plains, or the Interior" hemmed in? What animals have 

 the habit of migration? Of hibernation? What is the difference between migration, 

 emigration, and immigration? Is the English Sparrow in this country a migrant, emi- 

 grant, or immigrant? 



How do birds' feathers protect them from heat and cold? 



For an Arbor and Bird Day programme see Bird-Lore, Vol. XIII, No. 2, pp. 108- 

 115. Consult the works of David Starr Jordan. Read his story of the travels of the 

 salmon. 



FROM YOUNG OBSERVERS 



Wintering of the Robin in the Northern United States 



W. D. Rice, a teacher, writes from Vanderbilt, Michigan: "Two of my 

 pupils saw two Robins this morning [February 16] near their home. We will 

 watch and report again. We think it is pretty early for Robins in northern 

 Michigan." 



[The following unusual records of the appearance of the Robin at various points in 

 the northern United States suggest the probability of the wintering of certain indivi- 

 duals of this species during an exceptionally cold season, where food and water and 

 suiificient shelter have been available. At Ferrycliff Farm, Bristol Neck, Rhode Island, 

 a flock of over 200 Robins is reported to be spending the winter, feeding largely on weed- 

 seed and waste grain. This flock has been fed by the caretaker of the estate when the 

 ground was covered with snow, but no artificial shelter has been furnished the birds. 

 A thick grove of junipers, with a protected glen where springs of water remain open, 

 seems to have attracted this large flock of Robins. The owner of the estate, Dr. H. M. 

 Howe, has for many years seen that feathered visitors were fed and protected within 

 his premises. 



On the morning of February 12, while driving to the railroad station at Burke, 



