I do hope the words "polar circles" will bring clear ideas to you, my
dears. They've quite tangled up my notions. Wont some of you explain
the things to me?
BIRDS AND TELEGRAPH-WIRES.
The Little Schoolma'am has been talking about snow-birds, and she says
there was a poem about them in ST. NICHOLAS for April, 1875, and also a
picture of the dear little fellows comfortably perched on a
telegraph-wire, out in Colorado, somewhere. I dare say you'll remember
them, my chicks.
Well, she went on to say that telegraph-wires are not always such good
friends to birds, for she had heard that, along the great railroads in
the West, large numbers of prairie-chickens are killed at certain
seasons of the year by flying against the wires. Sometimes this may
happen in the dark, but more often in the day-time when the wind is
very strong.
Of course, this can't very well be helped; but it does seem dreadful,
doesn't it, my dears? However, the section-men, who have charge of the
railroad tracks, get some good from it, for they make a regular
business of gathering the fallen birds, which are then cooked and
eaten.
Pages:
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191