402 
BIRD-LIFE. 
with which the loss of the male bird is replaced could 
not exist but for this rambling propensity. This partial 
migration has been, also, carefully observed, especially in 
the cases of the larger birds of prey, owing to their 
attracting universal attention: they wander, even in 
search of food. The larger a bird, the more extensive 
the area over which it ranges when seeking nourish¬ 
ment. With some Raptores —and it may be said more 
especially of Vultures —finding the said nourishment is 
more a matter of good fortune than with other species. 
Before the Vulture can feed, a carcase must exist for him 
to feed upon; and on this account their daily ramble is a 
long one, and embraces a wide field. Other birds, after 
the breeding season, roam with their families,—like the 
Starling, when it associates with Kooks, under whose 
guidance it implicitly places itself, and to whose excessive 
caution it is much beholden: the Starling flies hither 
and thither with the Kook, without giving the slightest 
thought to the old breeding-box at home, at other times 
so dear to it. 
In the winter, when the males of many species 
separate from their wives, who are bound south, the 
temporary widowers roam from one place to another. 
The zone so traversed may be of almost any extent,— 
sometimes greater, sometimes smaller: it often does not 
extend over the eighth of a square mile; in other cases it 
covers a considerable tract of country. Titmice and 
Golden-crested Wrens ramble in this manner, even while 
on the “ passage,” from the northern slopes of the 
mountains to the southern and sunnier side, where food 
is to be found; Woodpeckers, sometimes, cover a space 
of over ten miles in their peregrinations. Certain places, 
such as warm springs or sunny mountain-si opes, are 
