. Bird-land echoes; . osbeak or half a dozen red-polls arereally better than a thousand, for it is, or they are, agreat deal more easy to observe as respects habits,voice, and other particulars, just as one individualamong men may be very entertaining by himself,but lost in a crowd. First let me say that a greatmany more northern birds come south than thebird-books state ; and, second, several come as farsouth as New Jersey that are supposed to be con-fined to New England at this time of year. Thishas been disputed, but simply on the ground of itsbeing at variance with some preconceptions conc
. Bird-land echoes; . osbeak or half a dozen red-polls arereally better than a thousand, for it is, or they are, agreat deal more easy to observe as respects habits,voice, and other particulars, just as one individualamong men may be very entertaining by himself,but lost in a crowd. First let me say that a greatmany more northern birds come south than thebird-books state ; and, second, several come as farsouth as New Jersey that are supposed to be con-fined to New England at this time of year. Thishas been disputed, but simply on the ground of itsbeing at variance with some preconceptions concern-ing migration. It is not worthy of special notice,but this much may be said in passing. Manynorthern birds come ashore on our New Jerseycoast and scatter inland before finally leaving us. The Inspiring Sparrows. 49 Long years of constant association with a taxidermist,who was supphed with birds from the pine regions,brought to him by the charcoal-burners, gave meopportunities far superior to field work to see what. Snow-bunting and Lapland Long-spur. birds were about in winter ; and it is a curious factthat this taxidermist received birds in the flesh fromnear the coast that were not, that same winter, ob-served by any one in the immediate valley of theDelaware, and snow-buntings, several long-spurs,c d 5 50 Bird-Land Echoes. snowy owls, pine-grosbeaks, and a Bohemian chat-terer were among them. Observations by others as well as my own go toshow that it is not a question of cold as to whetherwe are likely to have this or that arctic bird with us,but wholly a matter of snow. Deep and long-lastingsnows will attract and hold them, too ; or is it thattheir long journey has fatigued them to an extentprecluding prompt return ? About my own neigh-borhood, year in and year out, we are almost sure, Ithink, to have a few common cross-bills, and occasion-ally the white-winged species ; then snow-buntings,and lastly straggling pine-grosbeaks. The Laplandlong-spur is an accidental visit
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1896
