BIRD PARADISE 203 



am told that the advanced guard of the migrating 

 host consists entirely of young birds. Just how 

 the wise ones know I am not informed, and I 

 have my doubts about the statement holding all 

 the truth. In my experience in Oklahoma I 

 found that the old and young birds journeyed to- 

 gether. I am quite sure that the old birds are the 

 leaders of each flock. What plodders they are. 

 All the night through they go steadily on their 

 way seemingly little wearied by the effort. Dur- 

 ing the day they spend considerable of the time 

 on the ponds and along the streams. In my boy- 

 hood it was a common thing to find them in the 

 marshes near the old swamps, and our sportsmen 

 secured them easily. Occasionally I have seen 

 the large cranes here in company with the geese, 

 though I doubt if they care to associate very much 

 with each other. One of the most sombre objects 

 in the wide house of nature is a crane stalking 

 around in the shallows of one of our hill ponds. 

 Handsome with them must be what handsome 

 does, for the vision of their persons never re- 

 veals it. 



A long walk across the fields this morning had 

 many wintry aspects, and yet it was nicely punc- 



