168 ON THE EDGE OF THE WILDERNESS 
across Long Island was the open sea itself. They 
got good food for a week or more on the grain 
fields of Long Island, and then cut across the 
open sea itself on a short flight to New Jersey, 
and worked on down, getting tasty sea food along 
the bay shores, till they scattered over the fertile 
fields of Virginia, roaming a little restlessly and 
chiefly intent on food. It was early in March 
that Jim felt the call of the north again too strong 
to resist, and gathering a small band, set out for 
the return journey, keeping step as he moved 
with the ploughed fields. The band, picking up 
other flocks on Long Island, crossed the Sound 
one fine day late in March, warmed by the south 
wind and finding the air “bumpy,” as the aviators 
say, so that they rose high over the water to get 
into easier going, and headed toward the hills. 
But up in the hills they found the fields were 
not yet plowed at all, and they met, too, a coun- 
ter, chill wind from the north. Jim was disput- 
ing the leadership with two or three old timers, 
but there was no dispute now about what to do. 
They all descended into a thick woods, to have 
shelter from the coming storm they sensed, and 
