. Bird migration . cidentsinfrequent. A few years ago on Lake Michigan a storm during springmigration forced to the waves numerous victims, as evidenced bymany subsequently drifting ashore. If such mortality could occuron a lake less than 100 miles wide, how much more likely even agreater disaster attending a flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Such acatastrophe was once witnessed from the deck of a vessel 30 miles off 32 BULLETIN 185^ S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICULTUKE. the mouth of the ^lississippi River. Large nunibers of migratingbirds, mostly warblers, had accomphshed nine-tenths of their lon
. Bird migration . cidentsinfrequent. A few years ago on Lake Michigan a storm during springmigration forced to the waves numerous victims, as evidenced bymany subsequently drifting ashore. If such mortality could occuron a lake less than 100 miles wide, how much more likely even agreater disaster attending a flight across the Gulf of Mexico. Such acatastrophe was once witnessed from the deck of a vessel 30 miles off 32 BULLETIN 185^ S. DEPAETMEXT OF AGEICULTUKE. the mouth of the ^lississippi River. Large nunibers of migratingbirds, mostly warblers, had accomphshed nine-tenths of their longflight and were nearing land, when caught by a norther, with whichmost of them were unable to contend, and falling into the Gulf theywere drowned by hundreds. During migration birds are pecuharly hable to destruction bystrildng high objects. The Washington Monument, at the NationalCapital, has witnessed the death of many httle migrants; on a singlemorning in the spring of 1902 nearly 150 hfeless bodies were strewn. Fig. 14.—Distribution and migration of the scarlet tanager (Firanga erythromelas). An example of anextremely narrow migration route. The breeding range has an east and west extension of 1,900 migrating lines converge until in southern Central America the limits are not more than 100 milesapart. (See p. 25.) For a less narrow and a wide migration route see figs. 13 and 12, respectively. around its base. As long as the torch in the Bartholdi Statue ofLiberty in New York Harbor was kept hghted the sacrifice of birdlife it caused was enormous, even reaching a maximum of 700 birdsin a month. Every spring the lights of the hghthouses along the coast lure todestruction myriads of birds en route from their winter homes in theSouth to their summer nesting places in the North. Every fall a stillgreater death toll is exacted when the return journey is made. Light-houses are scattered every few miles along the more than 3,000 miles BIRD MIGRATION. 33 of coast line,
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