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The facts about the blaekpoll warbler sustain this theory almost as 

 well as those about the ter tern, the gannet or any other water species. 



The Blaekpoll. It winters south of the equator and nests north of the 

 Arctic Circle; its journey to its breeding grounds is a 10,000 miles round 

 trip. It passes through Richmond about May 15 and returns September 

 15 ; its movements as it passes by us are deliberate. It cannot spend 

 more than two months in its northern habitat ; these must be very busy 

 months. Nest making and family rearing are its chief business during 

 these two months. 



In a few minutes, or at least hours, the salmon prepares his nest and 

 lays his eggs 1,000 miles up the Columbia from the Pacific, and we con- 

 clude he came for this. 



In two months the blaekpoll prepares its nest, lays its eggs, hatches 

 its young, and rears them beyond the most critical periods of their exist- 

 ence, and starts back. Did it come to eat insects on the way, or to dis- 

 charge this race duty? It is a ground nester ; on or near the ground in 

 that high latitude its eggs and family are safe from nest-robbing reptiles 

 which abound in the warmer districts where it makes its winter home. 

 Does it not make it wisdom's child, if it makes this long journey to nest 

 in safety? If, as Aristotle said 2,500 years ago, the study of zoology is a 

 study of fitness, it is real zoology to study the migrations of such birds 

 as the blaekpoll. 



This argument applies to the water birds, which in countless num- 

 bers and numerous species fly over Indiana in early spring. The great 

 majority of these nest on the ground near lakes and streams ; some of 

 them on floating islands in lakes, just the places where the eggs and young 

 would be unsafe in their winter homes on account of reptiles. 



The young of these birds swim almost from the shell, and would be 

 reasonably sure to be eaten in southern waters. 



The argument applies with almost the same force to all indefensible 

 ground and low bush nesters, among which are the field sparrows, the 

 vesper sparrow, dick-eissel, grasshopper sparrow, Savannah sparrow, 

 bobolink, meadow lark, ground robin, brown thrasher, etc. 



Nearly all our migratory birds show protective coloration, or sexual 

 dimorphism ; these are a confession of inability to take care of themselves 

 or their homes, in fight. Those that exhibit sexual dimorphism are — 



