THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1929, 9 November 1888, Page 35

THE NATURALIST.

The Governing Power iii Birds. The migrations of the Arctic tern (Sterna arctica), the Northern willow wren (Thylloscopus borealis), the rustic bunting (Emberiza rustica), the red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus), and many others dispel all mystery from the annual movements of our feathered voyagers. The details of one of these species will be sufficient for our purpose. The Northern willow wren visits and breeds in Finland every summer, but retires across country to Burmah and the Malay Archipelago in winter—its only known retreats at that season. At first sight this looks very much like an instance of this mysterious faculty, but what is really the philosophy of this little warbler's migrations 1 Simply this. At the last glacial epoch this little species, or its common ancestor, was driven southwards from Siberia into Burmah and the Malay Archipelago. When the mighty spell of cold had passed away our little warbler followed the retreating glaciers ; farther and farther north it went, multiplying and spreading out its increasing "numbers east and west over Siberia like a fan, but every bird returning by the well-known road back to its winter- home, even from Western Europe. Now if birds possessed this faoulty of finding their way across an unknown country, there can be doubt whatever that the birds of this species that visit Finland would make use of their mysterious power and'let it guide them to Africa, with the stream of European birds that hurry there in winter, and thus save the long journey across two mighty continents. But -these iittle birds only know of one winter resort, and only one road towards it, which they have had to learn, just like any other traveller. Again, birds migrate at enormous altitudes, along coast lines, and down great river valleys. They follow well-beaten tracks for ages, and are guided by old familiar landmarks, which their great powers of memory enable them to retain, by -which they steer their apparently wonderful course through space. But we know, with all their cunning, thousands and tens of thousands blunder on their course every year, lose their way and perish. The accident of a fog, a spell of cloudy weather, even an adverse wind, will disorganise their ranks, check their progress, and send the little travellers bewildered to the earth, hopelessly at fault, or compelled to tarry until normal conditions return, and they are able to hurry on their way again. Birds must no longer be regarded as mere automata, guided and governed by mysterious and supernatural influences, but as beings en* ! dowed with mind — that is, with mental faculties similar in kind to those possessed by ourselves, full of errors and misjudgments, differing only in the degree of their developr ment. There has been too much proneness in the past to class with the mysterious, and to account for by the supernatural, anything beyond our understanding in the realm of Nature. Modern science has taught us to discard such an unsatisfactory refuge, and in seeking for the cause of strange phenomena boldly to face Nature as she is, not surrounded by the halo of romance, but replete with simplicity and eloquent of truth. — Ohables Dixon, in the " Leisure Hour." Cat Suckling Young Fehrets. — I have at the present time at my houpe a tortoiseshell cat which is suckling 11 young ferrets. The jill ferret was killed by the lid of the box falling on her, and as a last chance for the ferrets I took the cat away from her kittens and put her to the ferrets, and she immediately carled herself -up round them, and has been quite contented ever since. She has now two, kittens and 11 ferrets all together— MuchaJl Grove. The Swallow.— Although as a rule swallows quit England at the end of September, yet a good many remain, and every year a few may be seen here and there throughout November, while the records of the appearance (late in December) of birds presumably too weak to travel are numerous ; but it very rarely happens that any are met with in the course of the two next months. Cueious Vabiety of Blackbird.— A blackbird was shot at Cotgrave, near Nottingham, recently by J. Coleman, head gamekeeper to Lord Newark, with buff plumage and spotted on the breast ; legs and beak buff colour. The bird was a youDg one, and was flitting along with two old birds — the supposed parents. Another young one, similar in plumage, was with them. — H. T., Nottingham. The Heron seldom flaps his wings at a rate of less than 120 to 15C times a minute, rhis is counting the downward strokes only, so that the bird's wings really make from 240 ;o 300 distinct movements a minute. (Continued on page 57.)