l84 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 



