102 



RECREATION. 



and passes the winter in the West Indies. 

 European birds migrate to Africa, the 

 English swallows going to Natal. 



Though most birds migrate from North 

 to South, in certain countries they go from 

 East to West. Richard's pipit nests on the 

 steppes of Eastern Asia, but winters in 

 France and Spain. The Royston crows, 

 which breed in Siberia, travel in winter as 

 far West as England, while the little bunt- 

 ing nests in the far East of Russia and 

 spends the winter in France. 



The first birds to depart in the fall are 

 those whose means of sustenance are first 

 cut off. Swallows live on insects, which 

 they catch on the wing, consequently when 

 harvest is over, evenings are cool and in- 

 sects fewer, the swallows begin to think of 

 their winter homes and toward the end of 

 August take their flight. 



One would expect the family of flycatch- 

 ers to leave about the same time as the 

 swallows, but they do not go till a few 

 weeks later, for, when their supply of in- 

 sects is exhausted, they turn to berries and 

 other small fruits which they eat with 

 relish. There are 5 common species in On- 

 tario, the kingbird, wood pewee, phoebe, 

 least and great-crested flycatchers. All 

 are orchard birds. They leave for the 

 South about the middle of September, the 

 great-crested flycatchers going as far as 

 Mexico. 



The red-eyed vireo, having faithfully ful- 

 filled its long ministry of song, departs for 

 the Gulf States early in September, just 

 when the Baltimore oriole visits the orchard 

 on its way to the South. The bobo- 

 link leaves also in September. He is one of 

 our most charming birds, coming from the 

 balmy South early in May and flooding the 



meadows with his jingling notes. There 

 is an ineffable charm in his festive man- 

 ner, his fantastic dress, and his joyous 

 song. He is the favorite of the poets. In 

 autumn the males change their handsome 

 summer clothes for modest traveling suits 

 of yellowish brown, and on a calm evening 

 they set out for the Southern rice fields, 

 where they revel in gluttony during the 

 winter. There they are known as reed' 

 birds or rice birds. They become very fat 

 and, sad to say, are shot in large numbers 

 as game. 



About the middle of September that 

 winged gem, the ruby-throated humming 

 bird, starts for Central America, and is 

 soon followed by all the warblers. How 

 wonderful is the endurance that enables 

 these little birds to sustain such long jour- 

 neys in spring and fall. Late in September 

 thrushes, catbirds, wrens, red-headed wood- 

 peckers, flickers and mourning doves leave 

 their summer haunts and migrate to their 

 winter quarters. As October approaches, the 

 vesper and song sparrows bid adieu. It is 

 pathetic to hear a lone song sparrow striving 

 then to sing. Its voice cracks when it 

 reaches the trill of its song. As the month 

 advances great flocks of bronze grackles, 

 red-wingred and rusty blackbirds and cow- 

 birds darken the sky on their Southward 

 flight. Flocks of wild geese and ducks 

 then fly South and often the "honk, honk" 

 of the wise old gander can be heard at 

 night as he leads his wedge-shaped flocks 

 through the sky. The last birds to leave 

 are the robins, purple finches, bluebirds, 

 meadow larks and goldfinches, though of- 

 'ten many of the larks and finches remain 

 during the winter. 



A little Cambridge girl was discovered 

 whispering in school, and the teacher 

 asked : 



"What were you saying to the girl next 

 to you when I caught you whispering?" 



The little culprit hung her head, and 

 then replied : 



"I was only telling her how nice you 

 looked in your new dress." 



"Well, that — yes — I know — but we must 

 — the class in spelling will please stand up." 

 —Christian Register. 



