20 October 1889

Like the bow of a ship cleaving the sea, the V-shaped flight of common cranes pierced the sky this morning. About forty individuals heading towards the south crossed the dungeon of the castle. These are the first I have observed this season. If only I could fly along in their wake and discover my estate and the surrounding landscapes from above! I would rise up slowly, then circle around, lose myself in the clouds, then alight on some hill where I could keep watch, far from human contingencies.

By what magical power do these birds undertake their great journey every year? What are the reasons behind such a prodigious cycle? We no longer hold Linneaus’ belief that swallows spend the winter at sea or in ponds. But the mystery remains. Two years ago we received proof of the incredible capacity of birds to travel from one point on the globe to another. On 18 September 1887, an albatross was examined on an island in Oceania. Around its neck was a distress message from French sailors lost on one of the Crozet islands. The bird had flown 4,800 kilometres in 46 days. Stuck on the ground, we can only observe the passage of these beings who thirst for air, riders of storms, indifferent to our destiny.