184 ORNITHOLOGY OF COLUMBUS FIRST VOYAGE. 
Apparently each day they were now visited by “ flights of 
small birds of various colors ; some of them, such as sing in 
the fields, came flying about the ships and then continued 
towards the southwest, and others were heard, also, flying 
by night.” (IRvING.) 
Columbus’ records, the location of his ships, and the 
time of the year, leave no room for doubt that he was now 
in the line of flight of North American migrants which pass 
the summer in the north and the winter in the tropics. No 
subsequent observer has given us a better record of their 
migration in this region. 
It may with reason be asked, Where did the birds 
come from? The occurrence of occasional birds at so great 
a distance from land, particularly after severe storms, is not 
unusual; but how can we explain the continuous flights 
which Columbus followed to the southwestward. The ques- 
tion can be very easily, and, I think, satisfactorily answered. 
Long continued observation shows that the Bermudas are 
visited annually by numbers of migrants, which pause there 
to rest before continuing their journey to the south. These 
islands are about equidistant from South Carolina, Nova 
Scotia, and the Bahamas, As the only truly oceanic islands 
off the coast of the United States, they are a haven for 
wandering migrants, and they also receive regular visits 
from certain species. : 
A line drawn towards the southwest from these islands 
falls very near the place where, on October 14th, Columbus 
was first visited by migrating birds. There is, therefore, no 
cause to doubt that at this point he entered an established 
highway of migration. 
So much for an explanation of Columbus’ records. Now 
let us, in conclusion, briefly summarize the influence of 
birds upon this voyage. 
First, as Fiske concisely shows, it was due to birds, and 
birds alone, that Columbus materially shortened his venture- 
some voyage, and thus landed in the Bahamas, instead of 
