Summary

A crane colt has had the migration path imprinted on its brain so it will know to return again and again and to bring its offspring to learn the same patterns. Even after men are long gone from the earth, the birds will remain and they will find water.

Analysis

The author wants the reader to know that birds have innate memories for the things that are critical to their survival such as migration paths and waterways. Long after men are gone from the planet, there will still be birds and they will use the instinctive memories that generations before them have used to survive and continue to find new life. In some ways, birds are smarter than men because they rely on instinct and memory and not on betrayals, deceit and manipulation which are the habits of men.

Discussion Question 1