BIRD PARADISE 27 



move. In their migratory flight I think they 

 outdo almost all other birds. Far up in the Arctic 

 regions they build their nests and rear their 

 young. Once on the wing for the South they 

 seem to think that the journey is incomplete un- 

 less they push far down to distant Patagonia. Not 

 all the species make this record, but some of them 

 do and seem to be none the worse for the extended 

 journey. The song of the plovers is nothing more 

 than a call note uttered mostly in flight. As a 

 scavenger among the grubs and insects they are 

 very helpful to the farmer, and their cheery way 

 of making the most of life recommends them 

 highly. 



A friend sends me a clipping from the New 

 York Times bearing the date of March 8th. It is 

 an item of news from Montclair, New Jersey, con- 

 cerning the birds. It announces that almost all 

 over the mountain top in Montclair to-day could 

 be seen robins and bluebirds in abundance. 

 "To-day," it says, "the robins are taking pos- 

 session of their old nests and putting them in order 

 for spring.'' My friend who sends me the para- 

 graph thinks the last item must be a dream. 

 Very likely, however, the snow in that locality 



