^6 BIRD PARADISE 



vantage, but how it should begin as early as it 

 does with the bobolinks and swallows is certainly 

 a puzzling thing. Plenty of food here, and good 

 weather, "why not stay ? " is all answered by the 

 going, and the going seems to be all the answer 

 there is. Go and come at will seems to be 

 the law governing the birds' migration very 

 largely. 



The killdeer plover has taken his flight to the 

 Sunny South. The other members of his large 

 family are keeping him company — a merry party 

 wherever they are. With the killdeers, as with 

 the other birds, the season has favored the growth 

 and safety of their young. Years ago we had in 

 the spring and fall flights what was known as the 

 field or golden plover. They came to us from 

 the North at the time of wheat sowing, and usually 

 spent a month or more in our hill country. They 

 were sought as a table delicacy, and by some were 

 considered more appetizing than the wild pigeon. 

 I saw them on the plains of Oklahoma in great 

 ■flocks, where they spent most of the winter. On 

 -some of our long journeys we found them quite 

 an addition to our daily cuisine. All the plovers 

 are bright stirring birds, seemingly ever on the 



