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SS Bird- Love
AN ILLUSTRATED BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO
THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
EDITED BY
FRANK M. CHAPMAN.
Official Oraan of the Audubon Societies
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT EDITED BY
MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
AND
WILLIAM DUTCHER
VOLUME IX—1907 ~. IG 4 3
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
EARRISBURG, PA., AND NEW YORK CITY «|
- 7 TT
INDEX TO ARTICLES IN VOLUME Ix
BY AUTHORS
Abbott, Clinton G.
Photograph by, 95.
Ainsworth, Mrs. See Sloan, Mrs.
Allen, Mary Pierson, An Attractive Visi-
tor, 2106.
Anderson, Minnie K., Christmas Census,
See Stackpole, R. E.;
Z.
‘Antes Frank T., Christmas Census, 23.
Armstrong, E. E., and Carl C. Lawson,
Christmas Census, 29.
Arnold, Clarence M., Christmas Census,
21; Robins and Sparrows, 84.
Baker, John H., Christmas Census, 20.
Barber, A. H., The Blue Jay’s Food, 128.
* Barry, Anna K. See Peters, James L.
Bartlett, Mrs. Charles T., Bird Notes
from New Mexico, 127.
Barton, Ethel R., Christmas Census, 16;
A Bird Walk in December, 47.
Batchelder, Mrs. F. W., Secretary, report
of, 345. ‘ :
Bates, J. M., The Bartramian Sandpiper,
8
4.
Beck, Herbert H., Christmas Census, 27.
Beckwith, Constance. See Beckwith,
Mabel F.
Beckwith, Mabel F., Constance Beckwith
and Sarah Francis, Christmas Census,
30.
Beebe, R. H., Photograph by, 75.
Bent, A. C., Report on Condition of Bird
Colonies on Cobb’s Island, Virginia, in
1907, 3106.
Bergtold, W. H., The House Finch from
an Office Window, 61
Bildersee, Isaac. See Stackpole, R. E.
Bixby, H. S., A New Robin Food, 129.
Blake, Francis G., See Wright, Horace W.
Blakely, Walter J., President, report of,
345-
Blake, Maurice C., Christmas Census, 17.
Blanchard, George G., Christmas Census,
16; The Blue Jay’s Food, 83.
Blanchard, o. d4., Christmas Census, 21.
Bliss, Lucy B., Christmas Census, 20.
Boardman, Miss E. D., and Mrs. Lidian
E. Bridge, Christmas Census, 17.
Bonner, Mrs. Paul R., Notes on the
Starling, 171; Trapping English Spar-
rows, 211.
Borgen, Nels. See Phillips, Charles.
Bosson, C., Christmas Census, 19.
Bowdish, B. S., Nature Study Organiza-
tions, 90; The Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
110; The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) on
Long Island, 217.
Boynton, Alice M., The Audubon ‘Club
in the Bahamas, 184.
Bridge, Edmund, and Lidian E. Bridge,
Christmas Census, 20.
Bridge, Mrs. Lidian E. See Boardman,
Miss E. D.; List of Birds Observed at
West Medford, Mass., from January
I, 1906 to January I, 1907, 162.
Brooks, Allan, Christmas Census, . 31;
The Wood Duck and the Canvasback
in British Columbia, 127; Plate by,
facing 189.
- Brown, Edwin C., A Friendly Nuthatch,
ill
218; and Henrietta Jordan, Christmas
Census, Sr.
Brown, Frank A., Christmas Census, 21.
Bruen, Frank. See Smith, E. E.
Butler, Jefferson, Christmas Census, 30;
Secretary’s Report, 342.
Buttrick, P. L., The Starling at Stonington
and New Haven, 208.
Calvert, E. W. See McFayden, Charlie;
Christmas Census, 16.
Carson, Alma, Secretary, report of, 351.
Case, E. C. See Mitchell, I. N
Caskey, R. C., Christmas Census, 25;
The Starling at Morristown, N. J
209.
Chapin, James, Red-breasted Nuthatches
and Pine Finches on Staten Island,
N. Y., 174; The Starling on Staten
Island, N. Y., 209.
Chapman, Frank M., Photograph by, 7;
Editorials by, 40, 88, 132, 223, 275;
Brrp-LORE as a Text- Book, 46; Re-
views by, 86, 130, 175, 176, 220, 221,
a4t> The New Bird Groups in the
American Museum of Natural History,
168; A Call for Notes on the Starling,
172; The Starling in America, 206;
A Season’s Field Work, 256; Common
Names of North American Birds, 265;
A Contribution to the Subject of Bird
Surgery, 268.
Chase, Ethel B., Herbert T. Thomson
and Harriet W. Thomson, Christmas
Census, 30.
Childs, Helen P., Secretary, report of, 330.
Chuver, W. H. ‘See Mitchell, I. N.
Clark, Edith M., Christmas Census, 22.
Cobb, Beatrice, and Stanley Cobb, Christ-
mas Census, 18.
Coffin, Lucy V. B. See Gano, L.
Cooke, W. W., The Migration of Thrushes
32, 76, 121, 166, 205; The Migration of
Fly-catchers, 264.
Criddle, Norman, Nesting Sites of the
American Long-eared Owl in Manitoba,
128.
Davis, M. B., Secretary, report of, 358.
”?
iv Index
Davis, Wm. T., The Starling Eats Pears,
267.
Dawson, W. Leon, President, report of,
359-
Dayton, Reddington M. See
Wilbur F.
De Vine, J. L., Christmas Census, 29.
Dillon, F. N., A. G. Whitney and G. F.
Hubbard, Christmas Census, 17.
Dodge, V. K., Christmas Census, 28.
Drew, Emma E., Christmas Census, 17;
Some Bird Acquaintances, 114.
Drummond, Mary, Secretary-Treasurer,
report of, 335.
Dunham, Louis, A Late Warbler, 129.
Dutcher, William, Editorials by, 52, 97,
138, 183, 230, 282; Annual Report of
the National Association of Audubon
Societies, 285.
Dwight, Jonathan, Jr., Reviews by, 85,
86, 130, 221; 273; A Sketch of the
Thrushes of North America, 103.
Smith,
Earle, Carlos, Christmas Census, 27.
Earle, Eleanor P., Christmas Census, 27.
Edwards, Edna S., report of, 361.
Elliott, E. Earl. See Gavitt, S. B.
Ells, George P., The Starling at Norwalk,
Connecticut, 207.
Evans, William B., Christmas Census, 25,
Fair, Wm. W., Christmas Census, 25.
Ferry, John F., Christmas Census, 30.
Field, George W., The Heath Hen, 249.
Finley, William L., report of, 306.
Fisher, E. W., Secretary, report of, 353.
Fisher, W. H., Photograph by, 63.
Fiske, Dwight Lewis, Confiding Vireos, 47.
Fitzpatrick, Adele, and Samuel D. Rob-
bins, Christmas Census, 18.
Flanagan, Wm. M., and Wm. Rochow,
Christmas Census, 27.
Fletcher, Arthur W., and Samuel D. Rob-
bins, Christmas Census, 18.
Foote, F. Huberta, and Alice R. Northrop,
Christmas Census, 25.
Forbush, Edward H., report of, 303.
Fordyce, George L., and Rev. S. F.
Wood, Christmas Census, 30.
Ford, R. W. See Smith, E. E.
Francis, Sarah. See Beckwith, Mabel F.
Fuertes, L. A., Plate by, facing 32, facing
61, facing 193.
Gannett, Lewis S., Christmas Census, 26.
Gano, L; and Lucy V. B. Coffin, Christ-
mas Census, 30.
Garretson, John Lyall, A Gentle Criti-
cism, 73.
Gates, Frank, N. Partridge and = H.
+ Geberding, ’ Christmas Census, 29.
Gavitt, S. B., and E. Earl Elliott, “Christ-
mas Census, 23.
Geberding, R. H. See Gates, Frank.
Gill, John B., Christmas Census, 26.
Glover, Helen W., Secretary, report of,
330.
Grant, Mrs. Henry ‘Tyler,
report of, 354.
Graves, Frances M., Christmas Census, 21
sy Starling at ‘New London, Conn.,
Secretary,
Grif, Delia I., Secretary, report of, 359.
Gross, Alfred O., and Howard A. Ray,
Christmas Census, 28.
Gurley, Alvin H., Christmas Census, 21.
Harper, Francis, Christmas Census, 24.
Hegner, Robert W., Clay Bird-Houses
and Bird-Baths, 69.
Heil, Charles E., Christmas Census, 19. .
Hendrickson, John H., Wood Duck and
Woodcock “Summer Shooting Con-
demned, 229.
Herrick, Francis H., Bird Protection in
Italy as It Impresses the Italian, 156,
193.
Higgins, Joy Montgomery, Secretary,
report of, 345.
Hill, J. Irving, Christmas Census, 21.
Hix, George E., Christmas Census, 24, 25.
ara Edith M., Christmas Census,
Holts: Fred L., The House Wren, 198. ~
Honsinger, Lelia E., English Sparrow
Notes, 214.
Honywill, A. W. See Saunders, A. A.,
Christmas Census, 22; Photograph by,
37; Prairie Horned Larks in Connecticut
174.
Horsfall, Bruce, Plates by, facing 48,
facing 93, facing 103, facing 134, facing
147, 171, facing 179, facing 225.
Horton, Wm. C., An Attempt to Establish
a Purple Martin Colony, 204.
Howe, F. E., Photographs by. 15, 129, 161.
Howe, Florence A., Secretary, eae of,
339.
Hubbard, G. F. See Dillon, F. N.
Hubbard, Marian E., Bluebird Tenants,
Hunt, Richard M., English Sparrow
Notes, 215.
Hunter, S., Christmas Census, 16.
Hutchins, "John, The Birt. Habits of
the Blue Jay, 81.
Job, Herbert K., A Thrashing by Thrash-
ers, 241.
Johnson, Susan’ M., Christmas Census,
28.
Jordan, Henrietta, and Edwin C. Brown,
Christmas Census, 31.
Judd, Robert S., The Starling at Bethel,
Conn., 207.
Kenwood Bird Club, Christmas Bird
Census, 31.
Kimball, ids E., Secretary, report of,
341.
“Marrs,
Nichols,
Index : Vv
Knowles, Wilhelmina C., Christmas Cen-
sus, 22.
Kopman, H. H., Report of Exploration of
Seabird Colonies, 233; report of, 305.
Larson, Adrian, Christmas Census, 31.
Latham, Frank, Harry and Roy, Christ-
mas Census, 23.
Latham, Roy, The Starling at Orient,
iat Ley 200:
Lawson, Carl C., Christmas Census, 28;
see Armstrong, E. E.
Learned, Agnes M., Christmas Census, 18.
Learned, H. L., F. and A. M., Christ-
- mas Census, 18.
Lee, Charlotte E., Christmas Census, 24.
Leete, Bernard E., Christmas Census, 22
‘Lefebure, E. Lucas, Christmas Census, 28
Lemmon, Isabel McC., The Starling at
Englewood, N. J., 210.
Leonard, Mortimer D., Christmas Census,
25. -
Leonard, Mrs. A. G., Secretary, report of,
350.
. Lockwood, Emma H.., Secretary, report of,
347-
Lockwood, L. E., Photographs by, 11.
Lucas, F. A., Odlogy as a Science, 35, 125.
Marble, Richard, and James L. Peters,
Christmas Census, 1 19.
Mrs. Kingsmill, Chairman of
Executive Committee, report of, 332.
McConnell, Harry B.,; Christmas Census,
3°:
McFayden, Charlie, and E. W. Calvert,
Christmas Census, 16.
Merriam, C. Hart, John James Audubon, 3.
Miller, Frank M., President, report of, 339.
Miller, Richard F., Christmas Census, 26.
Miller, W. DeW., An Owl Tragedy, 173;
The Starling at Plainfield, N. J., 210._
Mitchell, I. N., W. H. Chuver, and E. C.
Case, Christmas Census, 31.
Mitchell, Mrs. M. B., Red-breasted Nut-
hatch at Sea, 126.
Montgomery,’ Thomas H., Jr., The
Question of the Amount of Science in
Oology, 36.
Morgan, Albert, The Starling at Wethers-
field, Conn., 208.
Morris, Robert O., The Introduction of
the Starling at Springfield, nee ., 206,
Morse, A. P., Photographs by, 1
baled Murphy, Robert C., A Winter "Plight of
Vesper Sparrows, 173.
Murphy, Robert C., and Edward A.,
Christmas Census, 24.
John Treadwell,
Horn for Petrels, 245.
apes Mrs. ca Christmas Census,
Around the
ii a. eoirsis, Wm. M., Jr., Christmas Census,
25.
Northrop, Alice R., See Foote, F. Huberta
Norton, Arthur H., Report on Colonies of
Birds in Maine ‘Receiving. Special Pro-
tection in 1907, 319; Secretary’ Ss report,
340.
Orr, Ellison, Christmas Census, 28.
Pabody, E. F., Jr., Christmas Census, 31.
Packard, W. H: and C. S. Van Deusen,
Christmas Census, 28.
Palmer, T. S., Reviews by, 87, 131, 222.
Pangburn, C. A., Horned Larks Breeding
in Connecticut, Si 7k
Pangburn, Clifford H., The Starling at
New Haven Conn., 207.
Pangburn, D. B. See Saunders, A. A.;
Christmas Census, 22.
Parrott, Mrs. Wm. F. , secretary, 337.
Partridge, N., See Gates, Frank.
Patton, John Si; and Leonard S. Pearson,
Christmas Census, 26.
Pearson, L. S., A Persistent Phoebe, 83.
Pearson, Leonard S. See Patton, John S.;
Christmas Census, 26.
Pearson, T. Gilbert, Florida Bird Notes, 6;
Notice of Annual Meeting of the Nation-
al Association of Audubon Societies, 229;
Secretary’s Annual Report, 300, 348.
Pennock, C. J., Christmas Census, 27.
Perkins, Edward H., Christmas Census,
16.
Perry, John S., Photographing a Loon, 266
Peters, James L., and Anna K. Barry,
Christmas Census, 20.
Peters, James L., See Marble, Richard;
Christmas Census, 20; List of Birds
Observed at Jamaica Plain, from Janu-
ary 1, 1906, to January I, 1907, 162.
Pettigrew, George A., Secretary, report of,
359.
Phillips, Charles, and Nels.
Christmas Census, 31.
Phillips, Sherman E., Christmas Census,
6
Borgen,
16.
Pierce, Nellie S., Christmas Census, 23.
Pitcairn, William G., A Report on the
Nesting Birds in the Vicinity of River-
view Park, Allegheny, Pa., for 1906, 154.
Pratt, George B., The Blue Jay as a De-
stroyer, 82.
Princehorn, A. L., Photographs by, 9, 206,
2zi.
Putnam, Miss. See Sloan, Mrs.
Putnam, Mrs. See Sloan, Mrs.
Randolph, Harriet, English Sparrows and
Electric Lights, 126.
Rattermann, M. Katherine,
report of, 350.
Ray, Howard A. See Gross, Alfred O.
Redfield, Alfred C., Christmas Census, 27.
Ripley, B. BS Christmas Census, 20.
ay es Reginald C., Christmas Census,
Secretary,
vi Index
Robbins, Samuel D. See Fletcher, Arthur
W., and also see Fitzpatrick, Adele.
Roberts, Thos. S., Photograph by, 170.
Rochow, Wm. See Flanagan, Wm. M.
Rogers, C. H. See Stackpole, R. E.;
Christmas Census, 24, 25.
Rumney, M. Eloise, A Plea for the Spar-
row, 213.
Saunders, A. A., Christmas Census, 22;
The Starling at New Haven, Conn., 207.
Saunders, A. A., A. W. Honywill and D
B. Pangburn, Christmas Census, 21.
Scribner, Julia S., Secretary, report of, 346.
Seeman, Ernest, Christmas Census, 27.
Sefton, H. L., A Southern California
Aviary, 147.
Sloan, Mrs., Mrs. Putnam, Miss Putnam
and Mrs. Ainsworth, Christmas Census,
29.
Smith, E. E., R. W. Ford, and Frank
Bruen, Christmas Census, 23.
Smith, Wilbur F., and M. Dayton Red-
dington, Christmas Census, 23.
Stackpole, R. E., and Clinton &. Abbott,
Christmas Census, 25.
Stackpole, R. E., Wm. H. Wiegman, Isaac
Bildersee and C. H. Rogers, Christmas
Census, 24.
Stansell, Sidney, S. S., Christmas Census,
31; Some Edmonton, Alberta, Birds, 118
starr, Minna D., Secretary, report of, 341.
Stockwell, Adelaide, Christmas Census, 20.
Stone, Witmer, Reviews by, 176.
Stupp, Frederick J., Christmas Census, 23.
Swain, J. Merton, The Maine Ornitho-
logical Society, 65.
Taverner, P. A., Oology a Science, 78.
Taylor, B. F., President, report of, 355.
Taylor, J. W., President, report of, 343.
Ten Eyck, Elizabeth Freeman, A Study
of a House Wren, 201.
Thompson, Albert A., Christmas Census,
I
31.
Thomson, Harriet W. See Chase, Ethel B.
Thomson, Herbert T. See Chase, Ethel B.
Thwaites, Mrs. R. G., Secretary, report of,
360.
Tinker, A. D., An Unusual Nesting Site of
the American Long-eared Owl, 83.
Trafton, Gilbert, and Edward Uebhling,
Christmas Census, 25; The Fallacy of
the Moving Bird-house, 269; Robins
Nesting in Bird-houses 270. —
Uehling, Edward. See Trafton, Gilbert.
Van Deusen, C. S. See Packard, W. H. —
Vermont Bird Club, Bulletin No. 2, re-
viewed, 272.
Wade, Francis C., and Jesse H., Christ-
mas Census, 17.
Wallace, John H., Game Commissioner,
report of, 328.
Warren, Edward R., A Hummingbird
That Wanted Light, 8r.
Watson, John B., Report on the Condi-
tion of the Noddy and Sooty Tern
Colony on Bird Key, Tortugas, Florida,
307.
Way, W. Scott, Secretary, report of, 328.
Wellman, Gordon. See Wright, Horace W.;
Christmas Census, 19.
Welty, E. J., Corresponding Secretary,
report of, 352.
Wheelock, Georgiana M., Christmas Cen-
sus; 21.
Whitney, Alvin G., Christmas Census, 17.
Wiegmann, Wm. H. See Stackpole, R
Wilson, Burtis H., Christmas Census,
29.
Wood, Rev. S. F. See Fordyce, Geo. L.
Woodward, Magnolia, Christmas Census,
28.
Worcester, E. J., Christmas Census, 20.
Wright, Horace, W. Gordon Wellman and
Maurice C. Blake, Christmas Census,
T7.-
Wright, Horace W., Maurice C. Blake and
i. G. Blake, Christmas Census,
Wight’ "Mabel Osgood, February, 41;
April, 89; In June, 133; August and the
Flocking Time, 177; October and Prep-
arations for Winter, 224; For December,
Six Reminders, 276; The Bluebird, 48;
The Red-winged Blackbird, 93; The
Baltimore Oriole, 134; The Indigo
Bunting, 179; The Purple Finch, 225;
The Herring or Harbor Gull, 277.
Index vii
INDEX TO
Alabama, 328.
Albatross, 246; figured, 247.
Alberta, 31, 178.
Anderson’s ‘The Birds of Iowa,’ reviewed,
220.
Audubon, John James, an address, 39;
photograph of bust, facing 309.
Audubon Societies, Directory of the State
Societies, 282.
Auk, The, reviewed, 86, 130, 221, 273.
Bahamas, 256.
Biological Survey of the United States
Department of Agriculture, recent pub-
lications of, reviewed, 272.
Bird-baths, 6
Bird Census, Brrp-Lore’s Seventh Christ-
mas, 16; Birp-LoreE’s Eighth Christ-
-mas, mentioned, 263.
Bird Colonies, Report of Exploration of,
233-
Bird Groups, The New, in the American
Museum of Natural History, 168.
Bird-houses, 69, 269.
Bird Reservations, 230.
Bird Surgery, 268.
Blackbird, Red-winged, figured, facing
933 93-
Bluebird, Arctic, figured, facing 193; 205.
Chestnut-backed, figured, facing 48;
Eastern, 11, 48, figured, facing 48, 69;
Mountain, figured, facing 193, 205.
Braislin’s ‘List of the Birds of Long Island,
N. Y.,’ reviewed, 271.
‘British Birds,’ mentioned, 176.
British Columbia, 31, 127.
Bunting, Indigo, figured, facing 179; 179
California, 31, 147, 328.
Canvasback, 127.
Cassinia, reviewed, 220.
Catbird, figured, 129.
Chapman’s ‘The Warblers
America,’ reviewed, 85.
Clark’s ‘The Birds of Amherst and Vicin-
ity,’ reviewed, 86.
Colorado, 61, 81.
Condor, The, reviewed, 87, 131, 222.
Connecticut, 21, 22, 23, 81, 172, 174, 207,
208, 209, 211, 217, 241, 330.
Cormorant, Double-crested, 325.
Council, Brrp-Lore’s Advisory, 38.
Crane, Sandhill, nest and egg figured, ro.
of North
District of Columbia, 330.
Duck, Wood, 127; figured, facing 189;
189.
Egret, American, 259.
Eider, American, 325.
CONTENTS
Finch, House, 61;
225; 225.
Florida, 6, 27, 52, 307, 332.
Purple, figured, facing
Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed, 264; figured,
facing es Vermilion, 265; figured,
facing 241.
Forbush’s TUsetul Birds and Their Pro-
tection,’ reviewed, 130.
Fourth International Zoological Congress,
Proceedings of, mentioned, 175.
Frigate Bird, 305, 315.
Fuertes’ ‘Calendar of
noticed, 271.
Fulmar, Slender-billed, 247.
Game Birds,’
Geeldi’s ‘Album de Aves Amazonicas,’
noticed, 271.
Grackle, Purple, 82.
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted,
T2O, TET, FEZ:
Guacharo, 274.
Guillemot, Black, 319.
Gull, Great Black- backed, 320; Herring,
277; figured, 280, 320; Laughing, 3006,
310, 317.
110; figured,
Hen, Heath, 249; figured, 254.
Heron, Great Blue, 326.
Hummingbird, Broad-tailed, 81; Ruby-
_throated, figured, 73.
Illinois, 28, 29, 30, 82, 335.
Indiana, 30, 336.
Iowa, 28, 337.
Italy, 156, 193.
Jay, Blue, 81, 82, 83, 128.; Canada, figured
IIQ.
Journal of the Maine Ornithological
Society, reviewed, 176.
Junco, Slate-colored, figured, 170.
Kentucky, 28.
Kingfisher, Belted, figured, 75.
Lark, Prairie Horned, 174, 217.
LaRue Holmes Nature Lover’s League,
46.
pinauad Society, Abstract of the Pro-
ceedings, Nos. 17-19, reviewed, 271.
Loon, 266.
Louisiana, 233, 305,.339-
Maine, 65, 319, 340.
Maine Ornithological Society, 65.
Manitoba, 128.
Martin, Purple. 204,
Maryland, 341.
Massachusetts, 11, 17, 18, I9, 20, 21, 47,
162, 206, 215, 249, 341.
viii Index
Massachusetts Audubon Society Calendar
for 1908, mentioned, 273.
Merganser, 268.
Mershon’s ‘The Passenger Pigeon,’ men-
tioned, 131; reviewed, 175.
Michigan, 30, 83, 201, 342.
Minnesota, 31, 198, 343.
Missouri, 28,°345.
Montgomery’ s ‘The Protection of Our
Native Birds,’ reviewed, 176.
’
Nebraska, 84, 345.
New Hampshire, 16, 46, 83, 345.
New Jersey, 25, 110, 173, 209, 210, 216,
270, 346.
New Mexico, 127.
New York, 23, 24, 25, 129, 173, 174, 209,
217, 266, 267, 347.
Noddy, 307; figured, 327, 330.
North Carolina, 27, 348.
North Dakota, 350.
Nuthatch, Red- egited: 126, 174; White-
breasted, 218; figured, 218.
Ohio, 30, 350.
Oklahoma, 351.
Ontario, 16.
Odlogy, discussed, 35, 78, 125.
Oregon, 352.
Oriole, Baltimore, 134; figured, facing 134.
Osprey, 327.
Owl, American Long-eared, 83,
Barred, 173; Saw-whet, figured, 37.
Oyster-catcher, American, 318.
128;
Pelican, Brown, figured, 6, 7, 8, 9, 167;
305; White, 306.
Pennsylvania, 26, 27, 83, 126, 155, 213,
353-
Petrel, Leach’s, 5245. Wilson’s, 245.
Phebe, figured, 74; 83.
Photography, ia.
Pigeon, Cape, 246; Passenger, 175.
Plover, Wilson’s, 318.
Puffin, 319.
Rail, Clapper, 318.
Rich’s ‘Feathered Game of the North-
east,’ reviewed, 271.
Rhode Island, 21, 84, 354.
Robin, American, figured, facing 61, 118;
76, 80, 84, 129, 269.
Sandpiper, Bartramian, 84."
Saskatchewan, 260.
Skimmer, Black, 305, 317, 318.
Skylark, 217.
Snipe, 274
erate Townsend’s, 205, figured, factiles
193.
South Carolina, 259, 355. ;
South Dakota, 31, 356.
Southern Seas, Bird Life of, 245.
Sparrow, House, 8, 126, 211, 213, 214, 215;
figured, 211, 212, 213, 214, 269; Vesper,
173.
Starling, figured, 171; 171, 172, 206, 207,
208, 209, 210, 267.
Tennessee, 28, 126.
Tern, Arctic, 323; Caspian, 306; Common, ©
323; Forster’s, 306, 317; Gull-billed, 317,
Least, 300, 306, 315, 317; Royal, figured,
284, 305; 317; Sooty, 307; figured, 328,
329.
Texas, 358.
Thrasher, Brown, figured, 210; 241.
Thrush, Bicknell’s, 109; Gray-cheeked,
figured, facing 103; 103, 121; Hermit,
figured, facing 103; 103, 123; Olive-
backed, figured, facing 103; 103; nest
figured, 120, 122; Varied, figured, facing
147; 166; Wilson’s, 33; figured, facing
32; 103; Wood, 32; figured, facing 32,
I61I; 103.
Townsend’s
reviewed, 221;
reviewed, 220.
Tropic Bird, 245.
‘Along the Labrador Coast,’
‘Birds of Labrador,’
Vermont, 17, 204, 214.
Vermont Bird Club, Bulletin No. 2, re-
viewed, 272, 359.
Virginia, 316.
Warbler, Blackburnian, 216; Black-throat-
ed Blue, 129.
Washington, 359.
Willet, 318.
Wilson Bulletin, The, reviewed, 222.
Wisconsin, 30, 128, 360.
Wolcott’s ‘Biological Conditions in Ne-
braska,’ reviewed, 176.
Woodruff’s ‘The Birds of the Chicago
Area,’ reviewed, 86.
sins House, 198, 201; figured, 198, 199,
Wright's ‘Bird-Craft,’ reviewed, 86.
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON
From the bust by William Couper in the American Museum of Natural History
. Biro=- Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Vol. 1D.¢ JANUARY — FEBRUARY, Craadl No. 1
John James Audubon
By C. HART MERRIAM'
F the naturalists of America no one stands out in more picturesque
relief than Audubon, and no name is dearer than his to the hearts of
the American people.
Born at an opportune time, Audubon undertook and accomplished one
of the most gigantic tasks that has ever fallen to the lot of one man to per-
form. Although for years diverted from the path Nature intended him to
follow, and tortured by half-hearted attempts at a commercial life, against
which his restive spirit rebelled, he finally, by the force of his own will,
broke loose from this bondage and devoted the remainder of his days to the
grand work that has made his memory immortal.
His principal contributions to science are his magnificent series of illus-
trated volumes on the birds? and quadrupeds* of North America, his
Synopsis of Birds‘, and the Journals® of his expeditions to Labrador and to
the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers.
The preparation and publication of his elephant folio atlases of life-size
colored plates of birds, begun in 1827 and completed in 1838, with the
accompanying volumes of text (the ‘Ornithological Biography,’ 1831-1839),
was a colossal task. But no sooner was it accomplished than an equally
sumptuous work on the mammals was undertaken, and, with the assistance
of Bachman, likewise carried to a successful termination. For more than
'An address delivered at the American Museum of Natural History, December 29,
1906, on the unveiling of busts of ten pioneers of American science, »-hrenentad to the
Museum by its president, Morris K. Jesup.
**The Birds of America.’ 4 atlases, double elephant folio, colored ‘el! London,
1827-1838; Ornithological Biography, an account of the habits of the birds of the United
States. 5 vols Royal $vo. Edinburgh, 1831-1839.
%’*The Quadrupeds of North America,’ by John James Audubon and Rey. John
Bachman, 3 vols. Royal 8vo. text, and elephant folio atlas of colored plates. New York,
1846-1854.
** Synopsis of Birds of North America.’ Edinburgh and London, 1839.
5* Audubon and His Journals,’ by Maria R. Audubon. 2 vols. 8vo. New York, 1897.
oe hag
4 Bird - Lore
three-quarters of a century the splendid paintings which adorn these works,
and which for spirit and vigor are still unsurpassed, have been the admira-
tion of the world.
In addition to his more pretentious works, Audubon wrote a number of
minor articles and papers and left a series of Journals, since published by his
granddaughter, Miss Maria R. Audubon. The Journals are full to over-
flowing with observations of value to the naturalist, and, along with the
entertaining ‘Episodes,’ throw a flood of light on contemporary customs
and events—and incidentally are by no means to be lost sight of by the
historian.
In searching for material for his books, Audubon traveled thousands of
miles afoot in various parts of the eastern states, from Maine to Louisiana;
he also visited Texas, Florida and Canada, crossed the ocean a number of
times, and conducted expeditions to far-away Labrador and the then remote
Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. When we remember the limited facilities
for travel in his day—the scarcity of railroads, steamboats and other con-
veniences—we are better prepared to appreciate the zeal, determination and
energy necessary to accomplish his self-imposed task.
That it was possible for one man to do so much excellent field work, to
write sO many meritorious volumes, and to paint such a multitude of
remarkable pictures must be attributed in no small part to his rare physical
strength—for do not intellectual and physical vigor usually go hand in hand
and beget power of achievement? Audubon was noted for these qualities.
As a worker he was rapid, absorbed, and ardent; he began at daylight and
labored continuously till night, averaging fourteen hours a day, and, it is said,
allowed only four hours for sleep.
In American ornithology, in which he holds so illustrious a place, it was
not his privilege to be in the strict sense a pioneer, for before him were
Vieillot, Wilson and Ronaparte; and contemporaneous with him were
Richardson, Nuttall, Maximilian Prince of Wied, and a score of lessér and
younger lights—some of whom were destined to shine in the near future.
Audubon was no closet naturalist—the technicalities of the profession he
left to others—but as a field naturalist he was at his best and had few equals. -
He was a born woodsman, a lover of wild nature in the fullest sense, a keen
observer, an accurate recorder, and, in addition, possessed the rare gift
of instilling into his writings the freshness of nature and the vivacity and
enthusiasm of his own personality.
His influence was not confined to devotees of the natural sciences, for
in his writings and paintings, and in his personal contact with men of affairs,
both in this country and abroad, he exhaled the freshness, the vigor, the
spirit of freedom and progress of America—and who shall attempt to meas-
ure the value of this influence to our young republic?
Audubon’s preéminence is due, not alone to his skill as a painter a birds
:
, i
EE a
John James Audubon 5
and mammals, nor to the magnitude of his contributions to science, but
also to the charm and genius of his personality —a personality that pro-
foundly impressed his contemporaries, and which, by means of his biogra-
phies and journals, it is still our privilege to enjoy. His was a type now
rarely met—combining the grace and culture of the Frenchman with the
candor, patience, and earnestness of purpose of the American. ‘There was
about him a certain poetic picturesqueness and a rare charm of manner that
drew people to him and enlisted them in his work. His friend, Dr. Bach-
man of Charleston, tells us that it was considered a privilege to give to
Audubon what no one else could buy. His personal qualities and charac-
teristics appear in some of..his minor papers—notably the essays entitled
‘Episodes.’ These serve to reveal, perhaps better than his more formal
writings, the keenness of his insight, the kindness of his heart, the poetry of
his nature, the power of his imagination, and the vigor and versatility of his
intellect.
a:
MONUMENT ERECTED TO AUDUBON IN TRINITY CEMETERY,
NEW YORK CITY
PELICAN ISLAND, CHARLOTTE HARBOR, FLORIDA
The birds here all nest in trees
Florida Bird Notes
By T. GILBERT PEARSON
With photographs by the author
\ ‘ J HILE in Florida last year, in the interests of the National Associa-
tion of Audubon Societies, the writer spent some time studying
ornithological conditions of the lower Gulf Coast region lying
between Tampa and Key West. The objects of the cruise were, in part, to
visit the bird reservations in Tampa Bay; to explore, in quest of bird colo-
nies, a territory heretofore but slightly known; to investigate reported traffic
in Egret plumes; and, finally, to select a home in Key West for Mrs. Guy
Bradley, wife of the murdered game-warden. ‘The expedition was made,
mainly in a two-masted sailing vessel, from which frequent expeditions were
made among the Keys and on the neighboring mainland.
Indian Key Reservation, near St. Petersburg, was visited on April 11,
1906. This island is about ninety acres in extent and is covered thickly
with mangrove trees, many of which attain a height of thirty feet. At this
time comparatively few birds were present. Seven Great White Herons
were seen standing on the mangroves, but two nests examined revealed no
eggs. Near by, one hundred or more Louisiana and Little Blue Herons
were likewise engaged in nest-building, but no eggs were seen. A flock of
Cormorants, numbering about sixty, left the trees at our approach and
settled on the water, as did also perhaps two dozen Brown Pelicans, but
these, too, were apparently not interested in domestic affairs. A Barn Owl,
(6)
Florida Bird Notes 7
a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a few Prairie Warblers were the other birds
found. In July, 1905, the writer found Pelicans and Cormorants breeding
here in immense numbers, and fully five thousand Man-o’-War birds were
using the island as a roosting place.
Passage Key, near the mouth of Tampa Bay, showed on April 18, but
an earnest of the throng of bird-life which gathers here later in the sea-
son. This island is a low bank of sand covered sparingly with grass and
cacti. Near the north sides a pond with a thickly grown margin of trees
furnished ideal nesting sites for perhaps fifteen hundred Louisiana Herons.
The nests contained usually from three to five eggs. A few Ward’s Great
Blue Herons were also here, with their well-grown young. A flock of Teal
and a Greater Scaup Duck were swimming contentedly about the pond.
Ground Doves, were abundant and many Laughing Gulls filled the sea wind
with their shoutings. ~
Mrs. Asa Pillsbury, wife of the warden in charge, has a long list of birds
she has seen here. One of her records is the Florida Burrowing Owl, in
fact, the warden pointed out one of the burrows of this interesting bird.
Eight miles south of Passage Key a little crescent-shaped mangrove
island, less than two hundred feet in length, was the home of a colony of
Cormorants and Brown Pelicans on April 15. At this time egg-laying had
begun, although many nests were not yet completed.
A SCENE ON PELICAN ISLAND, INDIAN RIVER
Photographed by F. M. Chapman. The trees having disappeared, the Pelicans here nest upon the ground.
Compare with Mr. Pearson’s pictures where all the birds are nesting in trees
8 Bird - Lore
Explorations on shore with local guides resulted in the finding of eight
breeding colonies of Herons. They were all located in “pop-ash’ trees
growing in small fresh-water ponds. Louisiana, Little Blue, Black-crowned,
Ward’s Great Blue and Green Herons were found, the relative abundance
of the species being in the order named. The Louisiana and Little Blue
were about equal in numbers and were far more numerous than the others.
One colony of about twelve pairs of Yellow-crowned Night Herons was
located. The nests were in the semi-darkness of an exceedingly thick,
swampy growth. Two nests were examined; these held four eggs each. —
The bird not infrequently, however, deposits five or six. The Anhenga,
locally called “Water Turkey,’ was frequently associated with the Herons,
and the snuff-colored young were often seen standing on the nests or
near-by: limbs.
In the scrub-palmetto flat
woods of Manatee county,
Sandhill Cranes were com-
mon, and some of their nests
were photographed on April
21. The loud, rattling cry of
these birds sounded strange in
the silence of the lonely pine
barrens, but added much of
interest and charm to the
journeys inland. The Cara-
cara, or ‘ Mexican Buzzard,’ .
was here, also, at times alert
and exceedingly wary, again
exhibiting a stupidness and
lack of fear for which it is
TREE NEST OF BROWN PELICAN dificult to account.
Bald Eagles were occasionally seen and a number of their nests were
found. These were usually in the tops of the largest trees available and
were sometimes six feet in thickness. Gray Kingbirds were common, espe-
cially near the coast, although outnumbered at least two to one by Tyrannus
carolinensis.
A few miles north of the Caloosahatchee River, on April 23, two
large colonies of Brown Pelicans were discovered. Many nests had not yet
been completed, and birds were continually flying about with twigs in their
bills. No young were found. One of the islands must have been the home
of two thousand, the other of at least four thousand of these great birds.
In view of the fact that Mr. Chapman has found this species breeding in
the Indian River, on the east coast of Florida as early as December, it is
interesting to note that here on the west coast, at a point fully as far south,
AG OS Oe
TWO PELICAN POSES
Photographed by A. L. Princehorn, from zodlogical garden specimens
(9)
10 Bird - Lore
the Pelican’s domestic affairs were four months behind the birds of the
Atlantic. In the five breeding colonies of Pelicans found on the Gulf Coast,
not one of them furnished the sight of young birds in April.
On the coast and its immediate neighborhood, Louisiana Herons were
abundant, and, in fact, they were far more numerous than alt the other
Herons combined. Several large nesting places were discovered. In Gas-
parilla Sound are two keys which, at the date visited, must have each held
1,000 or 1,200 nests. Three other populous rookeries of these birds were
found among the Ten Thousand Islands. ce:
Unfortunately, the bird laws of Florida are but slightly enforced,
although several professional hunters stated that the presence of Guy Bradley
in the Cape Sable region had prevented them from operating in that terri-
tory. The colonies are constantly raided for their eggs. A negro fisherman
told me that cake made with Pelican eggs “has shure made fine eating.”
Cormorants are shot in great numbers for food. Plume-hunting on a large
scale is no longer profitable, owing to the scarcity of plume-birds. Egrets
and Snowy Herons are now so scarce in the sections visited that not over a
dozen individuals were seen during the six weeks of field observations.
Bluebird Tenants
By MARIAN E, HUBBARD, Wellesley College
HE Bluebirds nested just outside
ae the dining-room window on the
third floor of a suburban apart-
ment house. This building isin the town
of Wellesley and surrounded by other
houses, but on one side it stands close to
the eastern slope of a long, low ridge
that forms one of the natural boundaries
of the college grounds. Oak-woods,
sprinkled with pine, crown the hill and
extend one-third of the way down over
the eastern side. Birds of many feathers
frequent this wooded slope. In the
springtime Warblers glean about its
edges, the Great -crested Flycatcher
whistles, buoyant, as he flies from tree
to tree, and notes of the Wood Thrush
rise through the stillness of late afternoon
like bubbles from the bottom of a spring.
* The window to which the Bluebirds
came is the west one of a southwest bay,
and looks straight out and up to the
wooded hill. A house stands opposite, a
little higher on the slope, surrounded by
an apple orchard, some trees of which
Pee eos WINDOW stray down to the yard immediately
Photographed by L. E. Lockwood beneath. .
From this window, for two winters past, birds have been fed with suet
and nuts. The success of the winter boarding establishment bred the idea
of summer boarders, and at the end of the first winter there was set out
upon a shelf a substantial and attractive dwelling made out of an apple-tree
bough,—the gift of an ingenious and nature-loving friend. The tenement
had no occupants during the first season, but last spring a pair of Bluebirds,
desperate over their fortunes in a cat-infested neighborhood, took the lease.
On April 25 there was grass inside the house, with telltale wisps pro-
truding from the entrance. Both birds came openly to the shelf that day,
and both worked busily for three days more. Later, four blue eggs were
laid, and while the female brooded these, the male, on the tip-top twig of a
neighboring tree or on a telephone wire some forty feet away, defended
valiantly his domain.
Anticipating the exhausting work of the following weeks, a supply of
(11)
12 Bird - Lore
tempting meal-worms was laid in. Sometimes the female, slipping away from
her task for a brief interval, would help herself to a worm or two, but by far
the greater number were devoured by the male, who watched keenly for
every issuance of the rations.
On June 13 the young birds hatched, and with that event began the
busy season. Tirelessly the mother came and went. She seemed too
absorbed to think of eating, and when she did help herself to meal-worms,
it was with an eat-to-live air that contrasted strongly with the evident
relish of the male. Upon her fell the chief burden of providing food and of
keeping both nest and young ones clean. But the male was no idle father.
That nest was the apple of his eye, and he guarded it assuch. Moreover, he
assisted in the feeding to no inconsiderable degree. :
Besides meal-worms, the young were fed on the usual Bluebird diet of
spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, cutworms and other insects, large and
small. The male spent much of his time on the edge of the shelf. The
arrival of the female with a load of provender was announced by a short,
subdued, yet decisive chep, that seemed to ask for a clear track to the nest,
a wish that had only to be uttered to be granted by the male. Each visit
of the parent birds with food precipitated from the young a shower of notes
that sounded like cheé-ee-ee-ee, cheée-ee-ee-ee, chee-ee-ee-ee, and which
did not cease until after the old ones had gone away.
Frequently a parent would be observed standing on the nest-porch,
looking attentively inside,—an attitude, no doubt, of nest-inspection. Notes
on this side of household duties are, unfortunately, almost lacking, but in the
few cases that were observed the female removed the excretal sacs to a
distance, the large white bundle plainly visible in her bill as far as the eye
could follow, some three hundred feet.
During these days of preparation of the young for flight, the old birds
grew accustomed to their unusual location and came and went freely, paying
no attention to ordinary sounds and movements in the room, even permit-
ting a person to sit near the open window. It was during this time that
most of the photographs were taken, the camera being set up within three _
feet of the windowssill. :
June 27, fourteen days after the hatching of the eggs, the most pre-
cocious of this precocious brood flew. This was toward sundown. No
more of the brood came out that night, and the parent birds, absorbed in
the care of their first-flown, let the rest go supperless to bed. .
The next day was a quiet one. Occasionally the old birds came with
food. At 4:25 in the afternoon the second aspirant scrambled up to the
nest-hole, where, clinging to the outer rim, it whistled loud and clear the
Bluebird call-note — tu#r-wee — which the parent answered from the
tree. This was the first utterance of this call, and later observation made it
clear that it precedes immediately departure from the nest, and may even
Bluebird Tenants 13
be reckoned upon to herald that event. For half an hour this youngster
clung at the entrance, gazing out at the untried world and starting nervously
at sounds within the room. To fly or not to fly, that was the question, and,
as it sat there wavering, the camera registered its indecision. At last,
encouraged by calls from the parent, it flew to the tree below.
In ten minutes another tzr-wee was heard, as the owner made its
way to the air and light. This young one flew in five minutes. Just one
minute later came another call as of one fearful of being left behind; but this
MALE BLUEBIRD AT NEST
Photographed from nature by A. P. Morse
nestling, after scrambling up to the light, fell back for the night, slipping
away unnoticed early in the morning.
They were all out now, and to the parents, busy with the initiation of
their charges into the ways of the perilous world, meal-worms offered no
further charms.
On July 12, just two weeks afterward, the old birds reappeared at the
window, helped themselves to meal-worms and went in to inspect their
house. Soon they began to prepare for the second brood. Some of the
old grasses were pulled out, new grass was brought, and this time some
horsehair was used for lining.
On August 1, three weeks after the birds began to repair the nest, the
second brood hatched.
The story of the second brood is a very different one from that of the
14 Bird - Lore
first. From the beginning the birds were much more timid, but this at first
could be accounted for by the fact that the room was not used much of the
time, and they could not so readily accustom themselves to occasional sounds
and movements. As the days went on the male grew very nervous, starting
at the slightest stir of people in the room, when six or even twelve feet dis-
tant. Appetites flagged and meal-worms were often left untasted. More
alarming still, the young were fed with much less frequency. The male sel-
dom left the shelf for any length of time. Had any one supposed that guard-
ing of the nest was an easy job, that illusion would have been quickly
dispelled by the sight of this patient father at his post, with bill agape, the
picture of discomfort. Dog-days had set in early, and the sun beat upon the
window through the middle of the day and in the afternoon until the hill
threw over it a friendly shadow. The need of some protection was painfully
apparent, and finally, in desperation, an old umbrella was raised outside the
window and fastened to a hook inside. The relief as it went up each day
was immediate and apparent.
One curious habit of the male after the second brood was hatched was
that of sitting on the nest-porch, facing the window, with his body pressed
close against the hole. Sometimes he would leave this position for the edge
of the shelf after the umbrella had been raised, but on other occasions he
would take his station there even in the protecting shadow. Was this merely
because the porch was an easier resting place than the shelf-rim, or was it an
instinctive attempt to keep out heat? In any event, the action, though it
may have been useful in the morning when the sun was pouring in, was of
doubtful value at other times, when it resulted in shutting out the air.
Something was wrong in the Bluebird household, as indicated by the
increasing nervousness and evident anxiety of the male. Many times he
would stand on the porch, peering steadily into the nest, in a fashion dif-
ferent from that of ordinary nest-inspection. His mute devotion was sweet
to see, but it was also painful to watch him growing more worn and har-
assed. The female all this time came and went, brooded even through the
hottest nights,and was apparently steadied. by her constant service.
The cause of the anxiety became apparent when, on the ninth day, a
little dead body, after much effort, was thrown up to the nest-hole and
pushed out on the porch. The umbrella, though put up two days after the
eggs were hatched, had been raised too late. :
The next day, flies about the nest and a bad odor told the tale of another
tragedy. The male was very nervous again and, as he sat against the entrance,
snapped at the flies that buzzed about his head. Late in the afternoon the
female went inside and tried to get the dead bird out. Over and over again
the little body could be seen tossed up to.the opening, but each attempt to
get it out was unsuccessful. Three times this was repeated in the course of
an hour and a half, and at last she got it in such a position that it could be
Bluebird Tenants 15
reached with pinning-forceps, with which in her absence it was removed.
The old birds looked once at the body as it lay on the shelf, but paid no
further attention to it.
One more tragedy remains to be recorded. Early on the sixteenth day,
flies buzzed again about the window. The absence of both parents sug-
gested the fearful thought that perhaps all of the rest of the brood had died.
Reassured at last that the nest was not deserted, the house was lifted from
the shelf and carried to the kitchen table, where its roof was quickly taken
off. Within was one dead bird and one living one. When this sole survivor
of the brood was lifted out he showed no fear, but cuddled down confidingly
in the hand and at the whistled call-note opened his mouth for a meal-worm.
It was not long, after the nest was mitt back on the shelf, before the old
birds came with food.
Three days later, when he was nineteen days old, fear developed, and on
being placed on acouch he hopped away hurriedly to hide behind a radiator.
In the afternoon he gave from the nest, for the first time, the call-note, and
five minutes later scrambled up to the opening. Hopping to the edge of the
shelf, he called again, and then, putting his trust in his untried wings, he flew
straight off and up to a tree one hundred feet away. The old birds had been
watching and followed now, guarding his course till he alighted. Another
flight to the roof of the neighboring house, with some imperfect attempts
at stopping, and he was off to the hill, still tended by his watchful parents.
An hour later the male came back to the nest-porch, and seated himself
against the entrance. Now and then he looked inquiringly into the nest.
The umbrella had been taken down, but after it was raised he came again
and took a drink; after that he disappeared and nothing more was seen of
the Bluebird tenants.
A BLUEBIRD HOME
Photographed from nature by F. E. Howe, Sterling, III.
Bird-Lore’s -‘Seventh Christmas Bird Census
ACH year an increasing number of observers take part in BIRD-LORE’S
EK Christmas Census. Established primarily asa means of arousing inter-
est in field work and of encouraging definite methods of recording
one’s observations, we are now gradually accumulating a mass of exact
information, interesting in itself and, in the aggregate, affording a definite
basis for comparison with results obtained in other years. It, therefore, has
true scientific value.
Millbrook, Ontario.—Time, 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Clear; foot of snow on ground;
wind northwest, light; temp., 6° to 8°. Downy Woodpecker, 3; Blue Jay, 7; Pine
Grosbeak, 10; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 16. ‘Total, 5 species, 39 indi-
viduals.—S. HUNTER.
Orangeville, Ontario —December 21; time, 8.25 A.M. to 12 M.; 1.25 to 3.30 P. M.
Damp and foggy atmosphere; about nine inches of snow; wind west,light; temp.,
23° to 29°. American Goshawk, 1; Blue Jay, 5; Pine Grosbeak, 4; White-winged
Crossbill, 19; Chickadee, 27. Total, 5 species, 56 individuals. Snowflakes were seen on
December 16 and Golden-crowned Kinglets on December 18.—CHARLIE MCFAYDEN and
E, W. CALVERT. :
Toronto, Ontario, High Park and Humber Bay.—December 22; time, 10 A, M. to
12.40 P.M. Light snow, storm at first, bright after; about six inches of snow; wind north-
west, light; temp., about 15°. American Herring Gull, 1; Old Squaw, about 50; Downy
Woodpecker, 2; Pine Grosbeak, 13; Slate-colored’ Junco, 12; Brown Creeper, 5; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 1 ; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 17; Golden-crowned King-
let, 1. Total, ro species, 103 individuals.—E. WELLINGTON CALVERT.
Reaboro, Ontario.—December 26; time, 10.20 A.M. to 12.20 P.M.; 1.05 to 2.20
p.M. Sky dull; about eight inches of snow; wind west, light; temp., 28° to 32°.
Ruffed Grouse, 3; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; White-winged Cross-
bill, 1; White-throated Sparrow, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 5. Total,
7 species, 16 individuals. Small flocks of Snowflakes have been seen here this winter.—
E. WELLINGTON CALVERT.
Canterbury, N. H.—-Time, 8.45 to 10.45 A.M. Cloudy; snow; wind west; very
rough day. Ruffed Grouse, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Chickadee, 12 to 15. Total,
3 species, 14 to 17 individuals. —SHERMAN E, PHILLIPs,
Cornish, N. H.—Time, 9.30 to 11 A.M.; 3.40 to 5 P.M. Cloudy and dark;
ground covered with several inches of snow; constantly snowing; strong breeze ;
temp., 20°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 7; Redpoll, 143
Tree Sparrow, 7; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 17; Golden-crowned King-
let, 2. Total, 8 species, 50 individuals.—ETHEL R. BARTON.
Tilton, N. H.—December 26; time, 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. Cloudy, with snow-squalls ;
about two feet of snow on ground; wind northwest, light; temp., 25°. American Mer-
ganser, 13; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; Redpoll, 42;
‘Tree Sparrow, 1; Northern Shrike, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 32; Gold-
en-crowned Kinglet, 7. Total, 10 species, 103 individuals. —Epwarp H. PERKINS.
Wilton, N. H.—Time, 8.45 to 11.45 A.M. and 3.45 to 4.45 P.M. Cloudy; ground
covered with six to ten inches of snow; strong northwest wind; several squalls; temp.,
20° to 25°. Ruffed Grouse, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Northern Flicker, 1; Blue Jay,
11; American Crow, 6; Pine Grosbeak, 9; White-winged Crossbill, 5; Redpoll, 3;
Snowflake, 6; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 15. Total, 11 species, 62 indi-
viduals. Within two weeks I have observed a Shrike and Goshawk, also Pine Siskins
(16)
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 17
and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and today I found fresh work of the Pileated Woodpecker
in a pine tree.—GerorGce G. BLANCHARD.
Burlington, Vt.—Time, 9 to 10.30 A.M., and1.15to2 P.M. Snowing hard; ground
covered with snow; wind northwest, strong; temp., 10°. From window.—Downy Wood-
pecker, 7; Pine Grosbeak, 3; American Goldfinch, 5; White-breasted Nuthatch, 5;
Chickadee, 20. This is the first time I have seen the Pine Grosbeak about Burlington.—
Emma E. Drew.
Norwich, Vt.—December 18 ; time, 7.35 A.M. to 12.20 P.M. Cloudy to clear; snow,
6 inches beneath a sharp crust; wind north, moderate ; temp., 14° to rr°.. Canadian Ruffed
Grouse, 2; Northern Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 1; American Crow, 18; Pine
Grosbeak, 20; American Crossbill, 1; White-winged Crossbill, 53; Redpoll, 7; Brown
Creeper, 5; White-breasted Nuthatch, 6; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 48;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 8. Total, 13 species, 173 individuals. Maurice C. BLAKE.
Groton, Mass.— December 29, 1906; time, 8 to 8.30 A.M. Cloudy; five inches
snow ; no wind ; temp., 38°. Blue Jay, 4; Crow, 12; Redpoll, 115; Snowflake, 1 ;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 13. Total, 6 species, 147 individuals. —ALVIN
G. WHITNEY.
Ipswich, Mass., Castle Hill and part of Beach. — December 22; time, 12.15 to 3
P.M. Weather cloudy ; wind west, light; ground bare; temp., 42°. Holboell’s Grebe,
1; Loon, 1; Black-backed Gull, 11; Herring Gull, 25; Red-breasted Merganser, 107 ;
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 2; Horned Lark, 5; American Crow, 130; Canadian
Pine Grosbeak, 6; Snowflake, 2; Ipswich Sparrow, 4; Tree Sparrow, 40, a few singing;
Junco, 4; Myrtle Warbler, 5; Chickadee, 6; Ring-necked Pheasant, 5. Total, 17 spe-
cies, 355 individuals.— Muss E. D. BOARDMAN and Mrs. Lipian E. BRIDGE.
Ipswich, Mass.—Time, 1o A.M. to 12 M. Cloudy; about a foot of snow on the
ground; wind northwest, fresh; temp., 30°. Crow, 39; Chickadee, 18; Hawk, 1;
Flicker, 1; Pine Grosbeak, 6. Total, 5 species, 65 individuals. —FRaNcis C. WabDE and »
Jesse H. Wane. ,
Lynn Beach and Nahant, Mass.—-December 26; time, 9.30 A.M. to 2.30 P.M.
Fair to cloudy; snow 7 inches; wind west, fresh, to northwest, brisk; temp., 25° to 32°.
Horned Grebe, 5; Loon, 2; Red-throated Loon, 1; Black Guillemot, 1; Iceland Gull,
1; Great Black-backed Gull, 12; Herring Gull, 600; Red-breasted Merganser, 8; Red-
legged Black Duck, 4; American Golden-eye, 160; Bufflehead, 30; Old Squaw, 66;
White-winged Scoter, 6; Horned Lark, 34; American Crow, 10; American Crossbill, 1;
White-winged Crossbill, 5; Redpoll, 3; Greater Redpoll, 1; SnowHake, 8; Tree Spar-
row, 1; Song Sparrow, 5; Chickadee, 21. Total, 23 species, 985 individuals.—HoRACE
W. WricHT, GoRDON WELLMAN and Maurice C. BLAKE.
Devereux and Marblehead Neck, Mass.— December 29; time, 9.10 A.M. to 1.30
P.M. Fair; two inches of snow on ground; wind north, light; temp., 40° to 47°. Hol-
boell’s Grebe, 18; Horned Grebe, 8; Great Black-backed Gull, 2; American Herring
Gull, 90; Red-breasted Merganser, 2; American Golden-eye, 60; Old Squaw, 13; Great
Horned Owl, 1; Northern Flicker, 10; Horned Lark, 1; American Crow, 8; White-
winged Crossbill, 23; Redpoll, 2; American Goldfinch, 8; Pine Siskin, 7; Tree Spar-
row, 17; Song Sparrow, 6; Northern Shrike, 2; Myrtle Warbler, 8; Chickadee, 23.
Total, 20 species, 309 individuals. Maurice C. BLAKE and Horace W. WRIGHT.
Fitchburg, Mass.—December 29, 1906; time, 2 to 5 P.M. Cloudy; five inches of
snow on ground; no wind; temp., 40°. Ruffed Grouse, 4; Downy Woodpecker, 1;
Blue Jay, 5; Brown Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 25; Golden-
crowned Kinglet, 12. Total, 7 species, 50 individuals.—F. N. Ditton, A G. WuirT-
NEY and G. F. Hussarp.
Nahant to Lynn, Mass.—December 21; time, 11 A.M. to 2.30 P.M. Weather
cloudy; wind northeast, light; ground bare; temp., 28°. Holboell’s Grebe, 1 ; Loon,
18 ° Bird - Lore
1; Great Black-backed Gull, 1; Herring Gull, 500; American Scaup Duck, 2; Ameri-
can Golden-eye, 17; Old Squaw, 41; White-winged Scoter, 10; Horned Lark, 10;
American Crow, 39; Pine Siskin, 24; Snowflake, 15; Song Sparrow, 2; Chickadee, 4.
Total, 14 species, 667 individuals.—-Miss E. D. BoarpMAN, Mrs. Lipian E. BripGE.
Squantum and Moon Island, Mass.—December 28; time, 9.45 A.M. to 3.00 P.M.
Cloudy to fair, snow-flurries ; snow two inches; wind southwest, light; temp., 32° to 36°.
Great Black-backed Gull, 40; Herring Gull, 700; Red-breasted Merganser, 4; Ameri-
can Scaup Duck, 200; American Golden-eye, 125; Old Squaw, 8; American Sparrow
Hawk, 1; Short-eared Owl, 3; Northern Downy Woodpecker, 1; Northern Flicker, 7;
Horned Lark, 2; American Crow, 70; American Crossbill, 1; Redpoll, 4; Pine Siskin,
2; Snowflake, 2; Tree Sparrow, 8; Slate-colored Junco, 2; Song Sparrow, 12; Northern
Shrike, 1; Chickadee, 7; Robin, 3. Total, 22 species, 1,202 individuals.—HORACE W.
WricHt, Maurice C, Biake and Francis G. BLAKE.
Bolton, Mass.—-Time, 10:30 A.M. to 1 P.M. Walk of one and one-half miles;
snow-storm, ground covered; wind light, west of north; temp., 22°. Blue Jay, 1; Pine
Grosbeak, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 6. Total, 4 species, 11 individ-
uals.— AGNES M. LEARNED. :
Bolton, Mass.—December 26; time, all day; seen from windows. Sunny ; five inches
of snow; wind light, west of north; temp., 30°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 3;
Amarican Crow, 5; Pine Grosbeak, 7; American Goldfinch, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch,
1; Chickadee, 7. Total, 7 species, 26 individuals.—H. L., M. F., and A. M. LEARNED.
Belmont, Mass.—Time, 2.45 to 5.30 P.M. Snowing, ground covered with snow;
wind northwest, strong; temp., 26° to 18°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 6; heard a
flock of Canadian Pine Grosbeaks and a flock of White-winged Crossbills ; American
Goldfinch, 4; Redpoll, 15 ; Junco, 2; Brown Creeper, 1 ; Chickadee, 3; Golden-crowned
Kinglet, 3. Total, 10 species, over 35 individuals.—- ARTHUR W. FLETCHER and SAM-
UEL D. ROBBINS.
Belmont, Mass.—December 24; time, 7 to 9 A.M. Cloudy; wind not noticeable;
ground covered with snow; temp., 20°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1;
Northern Flicker, 1; Canadian Pine Grosbeak, 15; Pine Siskin, 3; Junco, 2; Crow, 3;
Chickadee, 5. ‘Total, 8 species, 31 individuals.—AbDELE FirzPpATRick and SAMUEL D.
ROBBINS.
Belmont, Mass.— December 25; time, 2.15 to 4.45 P.M. Snow flurries, ground coy-
ered with snow; wind strong, northwest; temp., 26° to 24°. Northern Flicker, 1; Blue
Jay, 3; American Crow, 1; Screech Owl, 1; Canadian Pine Grosbeak, 70; American
Goldfinch, 2; Junco, 2; Chickadee, 9; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 9. Total, 9 species, 97
individuals,—ADELE FITZPATRICK and SAMUEL ROBBINS.
Belmont, Mass.—December 26; time, 9.30 A.M. to12.30 P.M. Clear; ground cover-
ed with snow; wind northwest, light; temp., 30°. Blue Jay, 1; Crow, 2; Canadian Pine
Grosbeak, 5; White-winged Crossbill, 4; Redpoll, 4; American Goldfinch, 4; Slate-
colored Junco, 22; Song Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1
(heard); Chickadee, 8; Golden-crowned Kinglet,5. Total, 12 species, 59 individuals.—
ARTHUR W. FLETCHER and SAMUEL D. ROBBINS.
Milton Hill, Mass.— December 27; time, 5.30 A.M. to 5 P.M. Fair to overcast ;
south breeze, cool; snow on ground. Great Black-backed Gull, 7; American Herring
Gull, 100; Red-breasted Merganser, 15; Scaup Duck, 3 (large flocks of 1,000-+ off shore,
probably these birds); American Golden-eye, 500; Old Squaw, 40; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1;
Flicker, 1; Horned Lark, 10; Blue Jay, 2; Crow, 1,000; Goldfinch, 20; Snowflake, 3;
Slate-colored Junco, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 10; Golden-crowned
Kinglet, 3. Total, 17 species, 2,719 individuals (numbers approximate ),—BEATRICE
Coss and STANLEY Coss.
Needham, Mass.—December 19; time, 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; ground nearly
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 19
bare; wind east to southeast, light; temp., 15°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 6;
American Crow, 3; Pine Grosbeak, 10; Redpoll, 12; Tree Sparrow, 33; Junco, 11;
Chewink, 1, male; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 17;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 4. Total, 12 species, ror individuals. A flock of 33 Pine
Grosbeaks were seen on December 20.—Cuar.es E. HEIL.
West Roxbury, Mass.— December 22; time, 10 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. Cloudy; ground
bare; no wind; temp., 34°. Flicker, 6; Blue Jay, 6; American Crow, 28; White-winged
Crossbill, 18; American Goldfinch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 4; Junco, 6; Red-breasted Nut-
hatch, 1; Chickadee, 10; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 9. Total, 10 species, go individuals.
—CuHar-es E, HEIL.
Boston, Mass. (Arnold Arboretum to Brookline Village and Howard Bridge) .—
December 22; time, 9.20 A.M. to 12.20 P.M. No wind; fair; no snow on ground; temp.,
26°. Herring Gull, 3; Golden-eye, 1; Great Horned Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1;
Flicker,8; Blue Jay, 9; Crow, 21; Goldfinch, 14; White-winged Crossbill, 3; Junco, 3;
Song Sparrow, 3; Cedar Waxwing, 18; Myrtle Warbler, 3; Brown Creeper, 2;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 6; Canadian Nuthatch, 5; Chickadee, 23; Golden-crowned
Kinglet, 5. Total, 18 species, 129 individuals.—C. Bosson.
Boston, Mass. (The Arnold Arboretum, Olmsted and Riverway Parks, the Fens,
and Charles River ).—December 22; time, 9 A.M. to 3.45 P.M. Fair, wind southwest,
light, A.M ; clouded, wind northeast, light, p.m.; ground bare; temp., 37° to 44°.
Great Black-backed Gull, 2; Herring Gull, 6; Black Duck, 1; Red-legged Black Duck, 5;
Green-winged Teal, 1 duck ; American Golden-eye, 45; Bob-white, 33; Ruffed
Grouse, 1; American Sparrow Hawk, 1; Great Horned Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3;
Flicker, 37; Blue Jay, 27; American Crow, 35; Pine Grosbeak, 6; Purple Finch, 6;
American Crossbill, 9; White-winged Crossbill, 30; Redpoll, 5; American Goldfinch,
22; Pine Siskin, 7; White-throated Sparrow, 4 (one singing); Tree Sparrow, 10; Junco,
28 ; Song Sparrow, 14; Cedar Waxwing, 20; Myrtle Warbler, 1; Brown Creeper, 4; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 2; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 56; Golden-crowned King-
let, 17; Robin, 1. Total, 33 species, 444 individuals.— Horace W. WriGHT, FRANCIS
G. and Mavrice C. BLake.
Arlington Heights, Belmont and Cambridge (fresh pond marshes and region ),
Mass.—December 24; time, 9.15 A.M. to 3 P.M. Clouded to fair; five inches of snow on
ground; wind northwest, light; temp., 18° to 24°. Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; American
Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Flicker, 3; Blue Jay, 1; American Crow,
24; Pine Grosbeak, 79; American Crossbill, 7; White-winged Crossbill, 10; Redpoll,
23; American Goldfinch, 27; Pine Siskin, 5; Tree Sparrow, 32; Junco, 32; Song Spar-
row, 3; Brown Creeper, 7; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2;
Chickadee, 33; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 20. Total, 20 species, 315 individuals. — Hor-
ACE W..WriGHT, Francis G. and Maurice C. BLAKE.
Middlesex Fells, Mass.— December 24; time, 9.30 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Clear; four
inches of snow on ground; wind northwest, light; temp., 15° to 21°. Red-tailed Hawk,
1; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Barred Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 9;
Crow, 10; Pine Grosbeak, 57; White-winged Crossbill, 3; Tree Sparrow, 6; Song Spar-
row, 1; Carolina Wren, 1 (first seen November 21); Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 16; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3.
Total, 16 species, 113 individuals.—GorDoN BolT WELLMAN.
Squantum, Mass.—December 24; time, 12.40 to 3 P.M. Clear; five inches of snow
on ground; wind northwest, strong; temp., 20°. Great Black-backed Gull, 2; Ameri-
can Herring Gull, 40; American Merganser, 20; American Scaup Duck, about 500; Old
Squaw, 5; White-winged Scoter, 14; Horned Lark, 2; Pine Siskin, 1; Tree Sparrow, 1;
Chickadee, 3. Total, 11 species, 588 individuals.—RICHARD MARBLE and JAMEs L.
PETers.
20 Bird - Lore
Franklin Park (Arnold Arboretum and Allandale Woods), Mass.—December 23;
time, 9.40 A.M. to 1.40 P.M. Cloudy, with occasional snow flurries; five inches of snow
on the ground; wind west, light; temp., 26°. Bob-white, 1; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1;
Northern Flicker, 7; Blue Jay, 7; American Crow, 8; Purple Finch, 5; White-winged
Crossbill, about 50; Redpoll, 10; American Goldfinch, 15; Pine Siskin, 14; Slate-col-
ored Junco, 2; Song-Sparrow, 3; Cedar Waxwing, 4; Myrtle Warbler, 6; Red-breasted
Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 7. Total, 16 species, 142 individuals.—James L. PETERS.
Boston Park System, Mass.— December 26; time, 9 A M. to 12.15 P.M. Clear;
five inches of snow on ground; wind northwest, light; temp., 27°. American Herring
Gull, 30; Red-legged Black Duck, 2; American Golden-eye, 2; Northern Flicker, rr;
Blue Jay, 12; American Crow, 14; Purple Finch, 4; White-winged Crossbill, 32; Amer-
ican Goldfinch, 3; Song Sparrow, 3; Northern Shrike, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 3; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 28. Total, 15 species, 148
individuals. —JAMES L. PETERS.
Nahant, Mass.—December 27; time, 11.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. Cloudy; five inches
of snow on the ground; wind south, light; temp., 38°. Holbcell’s Grebe, 1; Great Black-
backed Gull, 49; Herring Gull, about 600; Red-legged Black Duck, 1; American Gol-
den-eye, 18; Bufflehead, 1; Old Squaw, 20; White-winged Scoter, 12; Sparrow Hawk,
1; Horned Lark, 11; American Crow, 20; Snow Bunting, 18; Song Sparrow, 2. Total,
13 species, 754 individuals.—JAMES L. PETERS and ANNA K. Barry.
Arnold Arboretum, Mass.—Time, 2.30 to 4.30 P.M. Snowy, ground covered with
snow 6 inches deep; wind west, light; temp., 26°. Bob-white, 15; Flicker, 3; American
Crow, 3; Pine Siskin, 50; Butcher Bird, 1; Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 1. Total,
7 species, 74 individuals.—[?] name.
Cambridge, Mass.—Time, 8.30 to 10 A. M. Cloudy, six inches of snow; snowing
lightly; wind northwest, light; temp., 12°. Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 1;
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 1; American Crow, 2; Meadowlark, 1 ; Pine Grosbeak, 3;
American Crossbill, 8; Tree Sparrow, 6; Song Sparrow, 1; Brown Creeper, 1; Chick-
adee, 5; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2. Total, 13 species, 33 individuals. —JoHN H. BAKER.
West Medford, Mass.— December 23; time, 8.45 to 10.15 A.M. Weather cloudy;
wind northeast, light; eight inches of snow on ground; trees and bushes coated with snow;
temp., 28°. Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; Pine Grosbeak, 10; White-winged Crossbill, 20;
Snowflake, 100; Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 8; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1. Total,
8 species, 143 individuals. December 26 a Northern Shrike was singing on a tree next our
house.—EDMUND and LipiANn E. BripcE.
Watertown, Mass.— December 22; time, 10.15 A. M. to 12 M. (Time of low tide
attracting Gulls to exposed flats.) Light fog, at times but thinly veiling the sun; ground
bare; no wind; temp., about 40°. Great Black-backed Gull, 2; Herring Gull, 40;
American Golden-eye, 37; Belted Kingfisher, 2; Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; American
Crow, 3; American Goldfinch, 23; Tree Sparrow, 3; Song Sparrow, 5; Chickadee, 2.
Total, 11 species, 120 individuals, beside more English Sparrows than all others
together.— ADELAIDE STOCKWELL.
Piety Corner, Waltham, Mass.— Time, 8 to ro A. M. and from 12 M. to 1 P. M.
Seen from the window. Cloudy, followed by snow; ground covered with snow; wind
northwest, medium; temp., 15°. Downy Woodpecker, 2; Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 4; Crow,
1; Junco, 13. Total, 5 species, 21 individuals. On December 24, I saw a Robin from the
window.—E. J. WorCESTER.
Waltham, Mass.— Time, 10 A. M. to 2 P.M. Ground covered with ten inches of
snow; snowing hard; wind northwest, strong; temp., 26° to 28°. Flicker, 3; Crow, 3;
Goldfinch, 15; Tree Sparrow, 4; Junco, 2; Chickadee, 3; Robin, 2. Total, 7 species,
32 individuals.—B, L. Ripuey.
Taunton, Mass.—Time, 9.45 to 11.15 A. M. Cloudy, snow flurries; ground snow-
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 21
covered; wind, northwest, moderate; temp., 22° to 24°. Bob-white, 13; Downy Wood-
pecker, 1; Flicker, 4; Blue Jay, 16; Crow, 13; Purple Finch, 1; Goldfinch, 21; Pine
Siskin, 40; Tree Sparrow, 3; Junco, 75; Myrtle Warbler, 9; Chickadee, 2; Golden-
crowned Kinglet, 1; Bluebird, 5. At home I saw the following birds feeding on suet, etc.,
on pear tree in back yard: Downy Woodpecker, 2; Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 4; Golden-
crowned Kinglet, 1. Total, 15 species, 212 individuals.—Lucy B. Buss.
West Taunton, Mass.—December 26; time, 11.45 A. M. to 4.15 P. M. Clear; ground
well covered with snow; wind west, rather strong; temp., 28° to 30°. Bob-white, 7;
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 4; Crow, 565; Goldfinch, 22; Pine Siskin, 2; Tree
Sparrow, 85; Junco, 86; Song Sparrow, 3; Myrtle Warbler, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch,
2; Chickadee, 5. Total, 12 species, 783 individuals.—EpirH M. HopGMaAN.
Beverly, Mass.—Time, 8.30 to 11.30 A. M. Heavy snow-storm through forenoon,
with about twelve inches of snow on the ground; wind west-northwest; temp., 20°. Great
Black-backed Gull, 5; American Herring Gull, 125; Blue Jay, 2; Crow, 5; Pine Gros-
beak, 40; Redpoll, 17; Tree Sparrow, 1; Junco, 6; Chickadee, 6; Golden-crowned King-
let, 4. Total, 10 species, 211 individuals.—FRANK A. Brown. -
Nantucket, Mass.—Time, 7 A. M. to 8 Pp. M. Snow flurries, followed by clearing;
ground mostly bare; wind northwest, strong; temp., 29°. Horned Grebe, 6; Loon, 15;
Black Guillemot, 1; Great Black-backed Gull, 5; Herring Gull, 30; American Mergan-
ser, 19; Redhead, 18; American Scaup Duck, 7; Barrow Golden-eye, 2; Bufflehead, 1;
Old Squaw, 22; American Eider Duck, 42; American Scoter, 2; White-winged Scoter,
32; American Crow, 30. Total, 15 species, 229 individuals.—ALvin B, GurLey.
Spencer, Mass.—December 22; time, 8 A. M. to 12 M., 1.30 to 3 P. M. Cloudy,
ground bare ; wind northeast, very light; temp., 30° to 36°. Downy Woodpecker, 3 ;
Blue Jay, 1; Pine Grosbeak, 2; Redpoll, 14; Northern Shrike, 1 ; Chickadee, 13. Total,
6 species, 34 individuals. —H. H. BLANCHARD.
Hamilton, Mass. - Time, 9.30 A.M. to 12.30 P.M., and 2.30 to 3.30 P.M. Cloudy,
snow squalls; wind northwest, strong; temp., 22°. Pheasant, 1; Flicker, 2; Downy
Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 100; Pine Grosbeak, 20; Pine Siskin, 100; Tree Sparrow, 5 ;
Chickadee, 4. Total, 8 species, 233 individuals.—REGINALD C. ROBBINS.
Oxford, Mass.—December 27; time, 9.15 to 10.15 A.M. Bright, several inches of
snow; wind southwest, light; temp., 26°. Downy Woodpecker, 1 ; Blue Jay, 2; Tree
Sparrow, 8; Chickadee, 3. Total, 4 species, 14 individuals. —GEORGIANNA M. WHEELOCK.
Woonsocket, R. I.—Time, 9.45 to 11.45 A.M. Cloudy, ground snow-covered; wind,
northwest, strong; temp., 26°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 9; Goldfinch, 16; Tree
Sparrow, 10. Total, 4 species, 36 individuals.—CLARENCE M. ARNOLD.
Glocester, R. I.—Time, 8.30 A M., to 1.30 P. M. Slightly cloudy, six inches of snow;
wind northerly, strong; temp., 20°. Ruffed Grouse tracks; American Goshawk, 1;
Screech Owl, 1; Purple Finch, 1; Chickadee, 2. Total, 4 species, 5 individuals. Two
Song Sparrows seen daily up to December 24.—J. IRVING HILL.
New London, Conn.—December 26; time 9.45 A. M., to 1.30 P. M. Clear; ground
partly covered with light snow ; wind west, brisk; temp., 29°. Herring Gull, 11; Downy
Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay 2; Crow, 4; Goldfinch, 10; Junco, 1; Song Sparrow, 3; Chick-
adee, 5; Robin, 2; Bluebird, 2. Total, 10 species, 41 individuals.—FRaNcEs M. GRAVES.
New London, Conn.—December 28; time, 10 torr A. M., and 2 to4 P.M. Drizzling
rain in A. M., clear in p. M. Ground bare ; no wind; temp., 40°. Herring Gull, 100;
Great Black-backed Gull, 1; Whistler Duck, 8; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Horned Lark,
2; Pine Siskin, 30; Junco, 7; Song Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nut-
hatch, 1; Chickadee, 13; Bluebird, 14. Total, 14 species, 167 individuals.—FRaNcES M
GRAVES.
New Haven, Conn.—December 24. Lighthouse Point to Mamoguin. Time, 8.45 to
11.30 A. M. Clear, occasional snow flurries; one inch of snow on ground; brisk north-
22 ‘ Bird - Lore
west wind; temp., 10°. Herring Gull, 200; White-winged Scoter, 6; Ducks (kind ?), 40;
Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Hawk (kind ?), 2; Crow, 21; English
Starling, 16; Meadowlark, 20; Redpoll, 4; Tree Sparrow, 5; Song Sparrow, 1; Chick-
adee, 4. Total, 11 species, 321 individuals. —A. A. Saunpers, A. W. Honywitt and D.
B. PANGBURN.
New Haven, Conn.—An effort was made by five members of the New Haven Bird
Club to cover the best sections of bird country in and about New Haven. The results fol-
low: Fierce northwest wind; thin clouds covering sun; one inch of snow; temp., 18° to 22°.
I, Edgewood Park and Mitchell’s Hill.—Time, 8.15 A. M. to 12.30 P.M. Red-tailed
Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 1; Phoebe, 1; Blue Jay, 11; American
Crow, 1; English Starling, 2; Redpoll, 11; Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 6; Field
Sparrow, 1; Slate-colored Junco, 4; Song Sparrow, 5; Myrtle Warbler, 3; Brown
Creeper, 5; White-breasted Nuthatch, 6; Chickadee, 21; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3;
Bluebird, 1. Total, 19 species, 87 individuals. The Phoebe mentioned above has been in
the park since November 25. Last year one was in the same locality from December 21
to March ro. On December 26, 4 Pine Siskins and 1 Northern Shrike were in the Park.—
CLIFFORD H. PANGBURN.
II. East Haven and Lake Saltonstall.—Time, 8.30 A. M. tor Pp. M. Herring Gull,
26; Black Duck, 87; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker,
1; Flicker, 1; American Crow, 10; Blue Jay, 5; English Starling, 4; Meadowlark, 6;
American Crossbill, 4; Goldfinch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 78; Slate-colored Junco, 16; Song
Sparrow, 1; Brown Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2;
Chickadee, 34; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 17. Total, 21 species, 299 individuals.—A. A.
SAUNDERS.
III. West Rock Park and Wintergreen Sap. — Time, 8.20 A. M. to 12.20 P. M.
Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; American Crow, 5; English
Starling, 2; Goldfinch, 30; Tree Sparrow, 3; Field Sparrow, 1; Slate-colored Junco, 6;
Song Sparrow, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 13.
Total, 13 species, 67 individuals.— Dwicur B. PANGBURN.
IV. New Haven to West Haven.—Time, 9. A.M. to 1.30 P. M. Distance covered,
twelve miles. Herring Gull;20; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Flicker,
1; Blue Jay, 6; Crow, 7; English Starling, 6; Slate-colored Junco, 3; Song Sparrow, 1;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 3. Total, 11 species, 50 individuals.—A. W.
HONYWILL. ;
V. Prospect Hill to Pine Rock.—Time, to A. M. to 1 P. M. Downy Woodpecker,
1; American Crow, 3; Junco, about 20; Song Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 2; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 3; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1; Bluebird, 3. Total. 9
species, about 38 individuals.—BERNARD E. LEeETE.
Washington, Conn.—Time, 8.30 to 9 A. M. Clear; one inch of snow on ground;
wind northwest; temp., 16°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Tree
Sparrow, 10; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 6. Total, 5 species, 21 individuals.
December 28 two Pine Grosbeaks were seen among the trees. Observed the same pair
November 24, 1906, and heard the call, which I had not heard since the winter of 1903-04,
when these birds came for the first time under my observation. — WILHELMINA C.,
KNOWLES.
Glastonbury, Conn.—Time, 3.30 to 4.30 Pp. M. Six inches of snow; snowing a little;
no wind; temp., 22°. Crow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 1; House Sparrow, 1; (heard Juncos; )
White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 3. Total, 6 species, 7 individuals. December
26 saw Downy Woodpecker and December 27 Brown Creeper.—EpitH M. Ciark,.
Bristol, Conn.—Time, 7.30 A. M. to 12 M. Clear at 7 A. M., gradually clouding
until half overcast at noon; 2 inches of snow underlaid with ice; fresh northwest wind,
increasing to high but gusty; temp., 14° at start, 23° at noon. Downy Woodpecker, 1;
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 33
Blue Jay, 11; Crow, 2; Pine Grosbeak, 9; Redpoll, 40; Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 10;
Towhee, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 5; Chickadee, 11; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1.
Total, rt species, 92 individuals.—E. E. Smiru, R. W. Forp and FRANK BRUEN.
South Norwalk, Conn.— Time, 9 A. M. to 1 P. M. and 1.30 to 4.30 Pp. M. Fair,
becoming cloudy; temp., 18° at 9 A. M.; distance covered, eight miles. Grebe, 1; Her-
ring Gull, 54; Merganser, 1; Broadbill, 9; Golden-eye, 2; Goshawk, 1; Downy
Woodpecker, 7; Flicker, 5; Shorelark, 1; Blue Jay, 3; Crow, 17; Starling, 55; Meadow-
lark, 27; Goldfinch, 9; Pine Siskin, 1; Tree Sparrow, 20; Junco, 57; Song Sparrow, 11;
Northern Shrike, 1; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 8; Chickadee, 22;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2; Bluebird, 11. Total, 24 species, 327 individuals. —WILBUR
F. SmirH and ReppiIncTon M. DayrTon. :
Canandaigua, N. Y.—December 22; time, 7 to 11 A. M. Cloudy, snow flurries, wind
northwest, brisk; temp., 20°. Horned Grebe, 1; Herring Gull, 1; Red-breasted (?)
Merganser, 1; Black Duck, 30 (approximate); American Golden-eye, 15; Canada
Goose, 40 (approximate); Crow, 200 to 250; Tree Sparrow, 45; Song Sparrow, 1. Total,
9 species, about 325 individuals. December 23. American Sparrow Hawk, 1; Hairy
Woodpecker, 1. December 25, time, 8.30 A. M. to 12.30 P. M. and 2.30 to 5 Pp. M. Very
stormy; strong northwest wind, with snow; temp., 13°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow,
about 200; Snowflake, 47; Tree Sparrow, 18; Song Sparrow, 5; Brown Creeper, 1; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 13; Ring-necked Pheasant, 7. Total, 9 species,
295 individuals. Total number of species, three days, 17.—FRANK T. ANTES.
Victor and Fishers, N. Y.—December 26; time, 8.15 A. M. to 2.45 P. M. Clear, be-
coming cloudy; wind west, brisk; temp., 20° to 33°. American Sparrow Hawk, 2; Great
Horned Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Crow, 25; Blue Jay, 17; Ameriean Goldfinch,
11; Tree Sparrow, 24; Slate-colored Junco, 2; Song Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 3;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 28; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5; Ring-necked
Pheasant, 2. Total, 14 species, 128 individuals. —FRANK T. ANTES.
Auburn, N. Y.—Time, 10 A. M. to4 Pp. M.. Weather cloudy, heavy snowfall through-
out day, preceded by very cold weather, with much snow; wind very strong, northwest;
temp., 15°. American Herring Gull, 4; American Merganser, 9; Red-breasted Mer-
ganser, 2; Bufflehead Duck, 2; American Golden-eye Duck, 9; American Sparrow Hawk,
1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; American Crow, 117; Tree Sparrow, 15; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 3. Total, 11 species, 165 individuals.—FREDERICK J. STUPP.
Rochester, N. Y.— December 26; time, 10.30 A. M. to 12 M. Cloudy, ground covered
with snow; wind northwest, brisk; temp., 28°. Crow, 3; Pine Grosbeak, 3; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 1. Total, 4 species, 9 individuals. Also, December 23;
time, 11 A. M. to 12 M. and 2.30 to 3.30 P. M. Cloudy, ground covered with snow, and
snowing; wind northwest, light; temp., 10°. Cooper’s Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker,
1.—NETTIE SELLINGER PIERCE.
Lyons, N. Y.—Time, 9 A. M. to 6 Pp. M. Distance covered, twenty-five miles; cloudy
and snowing hard most of the day; about ten inches of snow on level, but much drifted,
due to a very strong northwest wind; temp., 16°. Ruffed Grouse, 1; Downy Woodpecker,
1; American Crow, 12; Snowflake —two flocks —75 and 200, approximately; Slate-
colored Junco, (?); Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Black-capped
Chickadee, 36. Total, 8 species, about 350 individuals.—S. B. Gavirr and E. Ear
ELLIOTT.
Orient Point, Long Island.—December 23; time, 7 A. M. to 4.30 P. M. Cloudy in
morning; wind northwest, strong; ground slightly covered with snow; temp., 20° at start,
15° at return. Horned Grebe, 11; Loon, 13; Red-throated Loon, 1; Great Black-backed
Gull, 3; Herring Gull, 461; Red-breasted Merganser, 42; Black Duck and Red-legged
Black Duck, 20; Redhead, 1; American Scaup Duck, 104; American Golden-eye, 2;
Bufflehead, 11; Old Squaw, 488; White-winged Scoter, 62; Surf Scoter, 12; Bob-white,
24 Bird- Lore
12; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; American Rough-legged Hawk, 1; Short-eared Owl, 1; Screech
Owl, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 6; Flicker, 20; Horned Lark, 235; Blue Jay, 29; American
Crow, 589; Fish Crow, 2; Red-winged Blackbird, 1; Meadowlark, 177 (several singing
finely); American Crossbill, 21; White- winged Crossbill, 3; American Goldfinch, 32;
Pine Siskin, 184; Snowflake, 154; Tree Sparrow, 290 (one singing spring song); Slate-
colored Junco, 5; Song Sparrow, gr (one singing sweetly); Swamp Sparrow, 1; Northern
Shrike, 5; Myrtle Warbler, 218; Chickadee, 165; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 25; American
Robin, 154. Total, 42 species, 3,659 individuals. A Pine Grosbeak, Redpoll and Purple
Grackle were seen on December 18, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and a Hermit Thrush on the
zoth.—FRANK, Harry and Roy LATHAM.
Mt. Sinai, Long Island, N. Y.—Time, all day. Sky overcast; high north- to north-
west winds; temp., 24° at 8 A.M; slight thaw at midday. Horned Grebe, 1; Herring
Gull, about 100; Black Duck, 4; White-winged Scoter, 35; Black-crowned Night Heron,
1; Bob-white, 4; Rufted Grouse, 2; Horned Lark, 16; Crow, 90; Fish Crow, 4 (heard);
Meadowlark, 75; English Sparrow, 3; Ipswich Sparrow, 1; White-throated Sparrow, 7;
Tree Sparrow, 300 (approximately); Slate-colored Junco, 70; Song Sparrow, 19; Myrtle
Warbler, 3; Winter Wren, 1; Chickadee, 2; Robin, 1. Country visited.—Sound Beach,
salt swamps, upland fields, deciduous woods, and red cedar woods. Total, 21 species,
737 individuals.—RosBert C. Murpuy and Epwarp A, Murpny.
Huntington, Long Island.—Time, 10 A. M. to 12 30 Pp. M. Clear; ground thinly
covered with snow; wind northwest, strong; temp., 24°. Herring Gull, 5; Screech Owl, 1;
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; American Crow, 13; Meadowlark, 5; American
Goldfinch, 30; Junco, 35; Song Sparrow, 3; Chickadee, 7; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5;
Bluebird, 1. Total, 12 species, 108 individuals.—Muss CHARLOTTE E. LEE.
College Point to Long Beach, Long Island.—December 30; time, 7.20A.M. to 5.30
p.M. Cloudy, rain in afternoon; ground bare; wind east; light to brisk; temp., 34°.
Great Black-backed Gull, 10; Herring Gull, 100; Old Squaw, 50; Red-tailed Hawk, 2;
Downy Woodpecker, 3; Blue Jay, 1; Crow, 10; Starling, 30; White-throated Sparrow, 2;
Tree Sparrow, 50; Junco, 25; Song Sparrow, 5; Winter Wren, 1; Brown Creeper, 1;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 1. Total, 16 species, 293 individuals.— FRANCIS
HARPER.
New York Harbor to and at the Cholera Bank (10 miles South of Long Beach, L.I.).
December 22; time, 8.25 A. M. to 3.55 P. M. Weather, cloudy, misty, showers; wind, north-
west, light to none; temp., about 35°. Loon, 6; Kittiwake, 3; Glaucous Gull, 2; Black-
backed Gull, 20; Herring Gull, very common; Bonaparte Gull, 10; Old Squaw, 1. Total,
7 species, 42 individuals plus Herring Gulls.—R.E. STackpoLE, Wm. H. WIEGMANN,
Isaac BILDERSEE and C. H. Rockers.
One Hundred and Thirtieth Street Ferry, New York, to Fort Lee, Coytesville, South
Englewood, Leonia, etc., N. J.—December 23; time, 10.10 A. M. to4.55 P. M. Weather,
fine; brisk northwest wind; temp., about 21°. Herring Gull, 20; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1;
American Rough-legged Hawk, 1; Barred Owl, 1 (dead); Downy Woodpecker, 2; Crow,
1; Red-shouldered Blackbird, 1; Pine Grosbeak, 12; American Crossbill, 1; White-winged
Cross-bill, 14; American Goldfinch, 9; White-throated Sparrow, 3; Tree Sparrow, 20;
Field Sparrow, 2; Junco, 7; Song Sparrow, 3; Swamp Sparrow, 1; Northern Shrike, 1;
Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 10. Total, 20 live species,
113 individuals.—CHARLES H. Rocers.
Rockaway Beach, New York City.— December 23; time, 10.15 A. M. to 3.35 P. M.
Cloudy first hour, fine afterward; ground bare; wind northwest, very strong; temp., 28°.
Great Black-backed Gull, 55; Herring Gull, 400; Bonaparte’s Gull, 1 (eight severed
wings of this species were found scattered upon the ground near a hotel); American Scoter,
1; Pine Siskin, 15; Tree Sparrow, 20; Hermit Thrush, 1. Total, 7 species, about 500
individuals.—GeorcE E Hix,
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 25
Central Park, New York City.—Time, 9.30 A. M. to 1 P.M. Weather partly cloudy;
wind west; temp., 19° to 25°. Herring Gull, 35; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Red-tailed
Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2 Starling, 38; Purple Grackle, 1; White-throated Spar-
row, 13; Junco, 1; Song Sparrow, 1; Fox Sparrow, 1; Cardinal, 3; White-breasted Nut-
hatch, 4; Red-bellied Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 6. Total, 14 species, 107 individuals.—
CHARLES H. Rocers.
Central Park, New York City.—Time, 9 to 10.30 A. M., and 10.15 to 2.25 P. M.
Fine the first time out, overcast the second time; ground bare; wind northwest, brisk;
temp., 28°. Herring Gull, 200; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Starling,
37; Purple Grackle, 2; White-throated Sparrow, 14; Junco, 1; Song Sparrow, 2; Fox
Sparrow, 1; Cardinal, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1;
Chickadee, 6; Robin, 1. Total, 14 species, 272 individuals.—Gerorce E. Hix.
Central Park, New York City.— December 26; time, 8.15 to 9.30 A. M.3; 2.10 to 2.50
P.M. Weather fair; ground bare; light winds; temp., 40°. Herring Gull, 500 (estimated);
Starling, 40; Chickadee, 5; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; White-throated Sparrow, 12;
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Cardinal, 2; Junco, 3; Purple Grackle, 2. Total, 9 species, 568
individuals.— Mortimer D, LEONARD.
Central Park, New York City.—December 23; time, 10 A.M. to 12 M., and 2.30 to
4.30P.M. Clear; ground bare; wind northwest; temp., 20°. Herring Gull, 150; Red-
tailed Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Starling, 20; Purple Grackle, 1; Chaffinch, 1;
White-throated Sparrow, 25; Junco, 4; Song Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 5; Brown Creeper,
3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 8; Robin, 5.
Total, 15 species, about 236 individuals.—R. E. STACKPOLE and CLINTON G. ABBOTT.
Van Cortlandt Park, New York City, and Yonkers, N. Y.—December 24; time,
10.30 A. M. to 12.30 P. M.; 2.30 to 4 P. M. Overcast most of the time; ground bare; wind
high, northwest; temp., 12° to 18°. Herring Gull, 1 (over river); Downy Woodpecker,
4; Blue Jay, 8; Crow, 2; Starling, 3; Purple Finch, 2; White-throated Sparrow, 1;
Tree Sparrow (three flocks), about 50; Junco, 20; Song Sparrow, 9; Brown Creeper, 1;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 6. Total, 13 species, 1rog individuals.—F.
Huserta Foote and ALIce R. NORTHROP.
Passaic, N. J.—Time, 10.15 A. M. to 12.15 P.M. Partly cloudy; ground bare; wind
north, strong; temp., 22°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 1; Starling, 18; Goldfinch,
1; Tree Sparrow, 31; Junco, 12; Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chicka-
dee, 9. Total, 9 species, 80 individuals.—GILBERT H. TRaAFTON and Epwarp UEHLING.
Morristown, N. J. — December 22; time, 3 to 4.30 Pp. M. Light snow flurries;
ground partly bare, with some patches of snow; wind northwest, moderate; temp., 36°.
Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Crow, 2: Redpoll, about 30 (one flock); White-throated
Sparrow, 6; Tree Sparrow, 10; Junco, 12; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 10;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 14. Total, 9 species, 98 individuals.—R. C. Caskey.
Princeton, N. J.—Time, 8.20 A.M. to 1.30 P. M., and from 3.20to 5.20 P.M. Clear;
ground bare; wind northwest, strong; temp., 15°. Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Sparrow
Hawk, 3; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 7; Blue Jay, 1; American Crow,
28; Goldfinch, 36; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 260; Junco, 90; Song
Sparrow, 60; Cardinal, 18; Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Tufted Tit-
mouse, 4; Chickadee, 1; Carolina Chickadee, 3; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1. Total,
18 species, 521 individuals.—WILLIAM M. Norris, JR.
Newfield, N. J.—Time, 10 A. M. to 3.20 P. M. Cloudy in forenoon, clearing up at
noon; ground bare; wind northwest, brisk; temp., 23° to 29°. Crow, 2; Meadowlark, 3;
Song Sparrow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 30; Junco, 45; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee,
1; Robin, rt. Total, 8 species, 85 individuals.—Wmo. W. Farr.
Moorestown, N. J.—Time, 6.10 to7 A. M., 8 A. M. to 1.10 P. M., and 2.10 to 5.15
p. M. Clear; wind west-northwest, strong; temp., 25°. Herring Gull, 2; Marsh Hawk,
26 Bird - Lore
1; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 6; Blue Jay, 2; Crow,
500; Goldfinch, 5; White-throated Sparrow, 9; Tree Sparrow, 24; Junco, 18; Song
Sparrow (singing) 21; Cardinal, 7; Carolina Wren, 1; Winter Wren, 1; Brown Creeper,
1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Tufted Titmouse, 6; Chick-
adee, 4; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 7; Robin, 1. Total, 22 species, 624 individuals.—
WiuiaM B. Evans.
Philadelphia, Pa., Delaware River Meadows, Bridesburg and Frankford.— Decem-
ber 22; time, 9.30 A. M. to 2.30 P. M. Raining at start, afterward clear and overcast,
ground bare and unfrozen; wind northwest, light; temp., 40°. Herring Gull, 20; Ameri-
cad Merganser, 1; Red-tailed Hawk, 2; Red-shouldered Hawk, 2; Sparrow Hawk, 1;
Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Northern Downy Woodpecker, 2; Northern Flicker, 2; American
Crow, 175 (estimated); Fish Crow, 3; Meadowlark, 18; American Goldfinch, 13;
White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 20; Field Sparrow, 1; Slate-colored Junco,
28; Cardinal, 1; Song Sparrow, 15; Swamp Sparrow, 1; Winter Wren, 1; Brown Creeper, |
1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Tufted Titmouse, 2 (singing); Black-capped Chickadee,
1; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1; Robin, 1. Total, 26 species, about 315 individuals.—
RIcHARD F, MILLER.
Philadelphia, Pa. —Between Spring Garden Street bridge and the dam on the Schuy!l-
kill. Time, 12.45 tor p.m. Ground bare; wind cutting; temp., 32°. American Herring
Gull, 1; American Merganser, 5; Red-breasted Merganser, 15; American Golden-eye,
1; American Crow, 2. Total, 5 species, 24 individuals. December 26 same flock con-
tained about forty-five Red-breasted and fifteen American Mergansers, also five Golden-
eyes.—Lewis S. GANNETT.
Germantown and Fairmount Park, Pa.—Time, 8.45 A. M. to 1.30 P. M. Cloudy;
ground bare; wind east, ‘light; temp., 37°. Herring Gull, 4; American Merganser, 7;
Downy Woodpecker, 3; American Crow, 25; American Goldfinch, 4; White-throated
Sparrow, 8; Tree Sparrow, 14; Slate-colored Junco, 74; Song Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 4;
Carolina Wren, 2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 8.
Total, 14 species, 160 individuals.—ArTHUR F. HaGar.
Germantown, Pa. (about the Wissahickon, northeast of the town) .— December 27;
time, 9.45 A.M. to 1 P. M.; 3 to 4 Pp. M. Clear in morning; rainy in afternoon; wind
west at first, veering about to east; temp., 35° to 50°. Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Wood-
pecker, 3; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; American Crow, 155 (flock of 127); Purple Grackle,
1; American Goldfinch, 51 (flock of 50); White-throated Sparrow, 14 (in two flocks) ; Tree
Sparrow, 13; Junco, 45 (flock of 40); Cardinal, 1; Winter Wren, 2; Carolina Wren
(heard, not seen); Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 7; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 7. Total,
1§ species, 302 individuals,—Lewis S. GANNETT.
Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pa.— December 24; time, 1 to 5 Pp. M. Clear;
ground bare; wind northwest to north, high; temp., 9° to 11°. Red-tailed Hawk, 1;
Downy Woodpecker, 2; Crow, 1,000; Purple Finch, 1; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree
Sparrow, 4; Junco, 1; Song Sparrow, 6; Cardinal, 5; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1;
Black-capped Chickadee, 25; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 15. Total, 13 species, 1,061
individuals.—JouHN S. PATTON and LEonarD S. PEARSON.
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa.—December 26; time, 8.30 A. M. to 2.30 P M.
Clear most of the time; ground bare; wind northwest, high; temp , 30° at start, 33° on
return. Herring Gull, 1; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk,
1; Downy Woodpecker, 8; Crow, 27; Purple Finch, 20; Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 1;
Junco, 75; Song Sparrow, 7; Cardinal, 10; Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthatch,
2; Tufted Titmouse, 2; Black-capped Chickadee, 2; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 9. Total,
17 species, 172 individuals.—LEONARD S. PEARSON.
Berwyn, Pa.—Time, 10.30 A. M. to 12.45 P. M., and 2.15 to 4.30 P. M. Cloudy;
ground bare; wind northwest, strong; temp., 21°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 2;
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 27
Crow, 90; White-throated Sparrow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 28; Junco, 77; Song Sparrow, 4;
Winter Wren, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1. Total, 9 species, 206 individuals.—JouN
B GIL.
Lititz, Pa. (Northern Lancaster County, Valley of the Hammer Creek. )—December
23; time, 10.45 A. M. to 5.15 P. M. Partly cloudy, with snow flurries; ground partly
covered with snow; wind northwest, strong; temp., 19°. Ruffed Grouse, 1; Turkey Vul-
ture, 3; Red-tailed Hawk, 2; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 7; Hairy Wood-
pecker, 2; Crow, 425; American Goldfinch, 2; Pine Finch, 7; Cardinal Grosbeak, 11;
Tree Sparrow, 70; Song Sparrow, 3; Junco, 3; Brown Creeper, 2; White-bellied Nut-
hatch, 7; Black-capped Chickadee, 31; Tufted Titmouse, 12; Golden-crowned Kinglet,
4. Total, 18 species, 592 individuals.\— HERBERT H. BEcK.
Columbia, Pa. —-Time, 9 A. M. tor2 M. Cloudy at first, clearing later; ground lightly
covered with snow; wind west, medium; temp., 10°, Crow, 200; English Sparrow, 150;
Tree Sparrow, 25; Junco, 20; Cardinal, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 2.
Total, 7 species, 400 individuals.—W™mn. M. FLANAGAN and Wo. RocHow.
_ Kennett Square, Pa.—Time, 10 A. M. to 1.30 P.M. Northeast wind; sky overcast, a
chilly, uncomfortable morning; temp., 20° to 25°. Turtle Dove, 7; Turkey Buzzard, 1;
Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2;
Crow, 6; Meadowlark, 5; Redpoll, 5; Cardinal, 1; Junco, 55; Tree Sparrow, 9; Gold-
finch, 2; Song Sparrow, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 5; Tufted Titmouse, 2; Chickadee,
1; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1. Total, 18 species, 108 individuals.—C. J. PENNocK.
Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pa.—December 29, 1906; time, 9.30A. M. to
1.15 P. M. Cloudy, ground bare; wind southwest; temp., 41°. Sparrow Hawk, 2; Hairy
Woodpecker, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Crow, 25; Meadowlark, 8; Purple Finch,
1; White-throated Sparrow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 25; Junco, 30; Song Sparrow, 8; Cardinal,
2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 3. Total, 14 species, 113
individuals.—ALFRED C REDFIELD.
Durham, N. C.—December 24, 1906; time, 1.30 to 4.00 P. M. Weather, fair; wind
northwest, strong; ground bare; temp., 33°. Turkey Vulture, 20; Flicker, 1; American
Crow, 8; American Goldfinch, 2; Field Sparrow, 25; Junco, 75; Cardinal Grosbeak, 3;
Maryland Yellow-throat, 1; Carolina Wren, 2; Winter Wren, 1; Carolina Chickadee, 3;
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3. Total, 13 species, 194 individuals.—ERNEST SEEMAN.
Palma Sola, Fla.—South shore of ‘lampa Bay, on one small salt-water bayou, and in
pitch pine and spruce woods. Clear; wind northwest. Loon, 2; Brown Pelican, 2;
Louisiana Heron, 7; Little Blue Heron, 26 Semi-palmated Plover, 12; Ground Dove, 2;
Belted Kingfisher, 1; Phoebe, 1; Red-winged Blackbird, 9; White-eyed Towhee, 3;
Cardinal, 1; Blue-headed Vireo, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 35; Yellow-throated Warbler, 1;
Pipe Warbler, 20; Mockingbird, 1; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,1. Total, 19 species, 127
individuals. ELEANOR P. EARLE.
Palma Sola, Fla.—December 26, 1906. Wind north to northwest; temp. 40° to 55°.
Florida Cormorant, 1; Brown Pelican, 6; Louisiana Heron, 11; Little Blue Heron, 20; a
flock of about 40 shore-birds, too far away to be identified; Ground Dove, 2; Turkey Vul-
ture, 3; Bald Eagle, 1; American Sparrow Hawk, 1; Belted Kingfisher, 1; Southern
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Phoebe, 2; White-eyed Towhee, 1; Cardinal, 1; Blue-headed
’ Vireo, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 60; Yellow-throated Warbler, 2; Pine Warbler, 30; Mock-
ingbird, 1; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 2. Total, 20 species, 192 individuals.—ELEANor P,
EARLE.
Palma Sola, Fla.—December 28, 1906. American Egret, 6; Louisiana Heron, 6;
Little Blue Heron, 20; Ring-neck Plover, 3; Least Sandpiper, 5; Ground Dove, 2; Tur-
key Vulture, 1; Bald Eagle, 1; Southern Flicker, 2; Phoebe, 2; Cardinal, 2; Towhee, 5;
Yellow-throated Warbler, 5; Myrtle Warbler, 3; Loggerhead Shrike, 1; Mockingbird, 2;
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, ro. Total, 17 species.—CAaRLos EARLE.
28 Bird- Lore
Knoxville, Tenn.—Time, 9 A. M to1 P. M. Clear; ground bare; wind north, light;
temp., 28°. Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Crow, 9; Cardinal, 3; Wren, 1; Tufted Titmouse, 1;
Bluebird, 12; unknown birds, 3. Total, 7 species, 29 individuals. -MacNoL1a Woop-
WARD.
Lexington, Ky.—December 23. Time, 10 A. M. to 4.45 P.M. Two inches of snow;
cloudy at start, changing to clear; wind brisk, north; distance about nine miles. Pied-
billed Grebe, 1; Bufflehead, 10: American Coot, 1; Killdeer, 5; Marsh Hawk, 1; Red-
tailed Hawk, 2; American Sparrow Hawk, 2; Short-eared Owl, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 2;
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 3; Horned Lark (about) 3,000; American Crow (about)
2,100; Meadow-lark, 33; Field Sparrow, 22; Slate-colored Junco, 36; Song Sparrow, 38;
Cardinal, 8; Carolina Wren, 1; Winter Wren, 1; Carolina Chickadee, 3; Golden-
crowned Kinglet, 11. Total, 22 species, about 5,282 individuals.—V. K. Dopce.
La Grange, Mo.— December 21; time, 9 A. M. to 12 M. One inch of wet, new
fallen snow covering ground and trees; strong northwest wind; heavy clouds, threatening
snow; temp., 30°. Green-winged (?) Teal, 5; Great Horned Owl, 1 (heard); Hairy Wood-
pecker, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 6; Blue Jay, 2; Crow, 6;
Goldfinch, 6; Junco, 12; Cardinal, 13; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Tufted'Titmouse,
14; Chickadee, 10. Total, 13 species, 83 individuals.
December 26, route, time, temperature, ground and clouds the same as before, but
wind light, southeast. Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Red-bellied
Woodpecker, 6; Flicker, 6; Blue Jay, 7; Crow, 7; Goldfinch, 150; Junco, 13; Cardinal,
8; Tufted Titmouse, 6; Chickadee, 23. Total, 11 species, 228 individuals.—Susan M.
JOHNSON.
Waukon, Iowa.—Time, 9 A. M. tor P. M. Damp and cloudy A. M.; clearing P. M.;
fresh south wind; temp., 30°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 6; Crow, 3; Goldfinch,
3; Sparrow (species undetermined), 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 1.
Total, 7 species, 16 individuals.—ELLISON Orr.
Cedar Rapids, lowa.—Time, 8 to 10.15 A.M. Two inches of snow but thawing
some; cloudy. Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 4; Red-headed Woodpecker,
1; Blue Jay, 3; Crow, 5; Tree Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nut-
hatch, 3; Chickadee, 31. Total, 9 species, 52 individuals.—E. Lucas LEFEBURE.
Urbana, Ill.—Time, 9.45 A. M. to 12.30 P. M. Clear, ground covered with one inch
of snow; wind southwest, strong; temp., 35°. Red-tailed Hawk, 1; northern Downy
Woodpecker, 4; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 3; Blue Jay, 5; Crow, 4; Purple
Finch, 5 (1 killed); Tree Sparrow, 38; Junco, 16; Song Sparrow, 1; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 3; Black-capped Chickadee, 6. Total, 12 species, 87 individuals.—ALFRED
O. Gross and Howarp A. Ray.
Atwood, Ill Time, 8 to 11.30 A. M. Cloudy; ground covered with one inch» of
crisp snow; wind northwest, light; temp., 22°. Northern Downy Woodpecker, 3; Red-
bellied Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 2; Blue Jay, 11; Crow, 150; Junco, 22; Tree Sparrow,
64; Song Sparrow, 8; Cardinal, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Tufted Titmouse, 1;
Black-capped Chickadee, 9. Total, 12 species, 278 individuals.—ALFRED OTTO Gross.
Roby, Ill.—Time, 1.30 to 3.30 Pp. M. Clear, but hazy; ground and small lake here
frozen and covered with thin layer of snow; wind southwest, light; temp., 32°. Bob-white,
3; Redpoll, 40; Tree Sparrow, 10; Slate-colored Junco, 5; Northern Shrike, 1; Chickadee,
2. Total, 6 species, 61 individuals.— Cart C. Lawson.
Peoria, Ill.—T ime, 10 A. M. to 3 P. M. Wind light, from south; temp., 28° to 31°.
Cloudy; one inch of snow. Ring-billed Gull, 4; American Coot, 1; Quail, one flock;
Downy Woodpecker, 14; Hairy Woodpecker, 7; Crow, 3; American Goldfinch, 11; Tree
Sparrow and Junco, two flocks estimated, 275; Cardinal, 8; Brown Creeper, 6; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 5; Chickadee, 27. Total, 13 species, 362 individuals—W. H. Pack-
ARD and C. S. VAN DEusEN.
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 29
Desplains River Region, Ill.—December 24; time, 7.40 A. M. to 3.30 P. M. Trace
of snow, cloudy; very light northwest to southwest wind; temp., 11° to 36°. Herring
Gull, 7; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 17; Crow, 12; Tree
Sparrow, 21; Junco, 4; Cardinal, 2; Brown Creeper, 1. White-breasted Nuthatch, 1;
Chickadee, 5. Total, 11 species, 73 individuals.— FRANK Gates, N. PARTRIDGE and
R. H. GEBERDING.
Chicago, Ill., Glenco to Highland Park.—December 26; time, 7.30 A. M. to 12 M.
Clear, becoming cloudy; wind southwest to south; temp., 21° to 40°. Loon, 1; Herring
Gull, 8; Ring-billed Gull, 7; American Merganser, 4; Red-breasted Merganser, 15;
Pintail Duck, 5; Lesser Scaup Duck, 50; Canada Goose, 7; Downy Woodpecker, 1;
Blue Jay, 2; Crow, 18; Evening Grosbeak, 2; Junco, 3; Brown Creeper, 1; White-
breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 4; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1. Total, 17 species, 130
individuals.— FRANK GATES.
Chicago, Ill.,Graceland Cemetery to Evanston and Bowmanvil.—Time, 7 A. M. to 1
P.M. Cloudy, becoming clear; traces of snow on ground; light north wind; temp., 21°
to 38°. Loon, 4; Herring Gull, 15; Ring-billed Gull, 2; American Merganser, 2; Pin-
tail Duck, 1; Lesser Scaup Duck, 150; American Golden-eye, 7; Canada Goose, 22;
Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Prairie Horned Lark, 18; Blue Jay, 24;
Crow, 12; Pine Siskin, 1 seen, others heard; Tree Sparrow, 50; Junco, 12; Cardinal, 1;
Cedar Waxwing, 7; Brown Creeper, 3; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 3; White-breasted Nut-
hatch, 1; Chickadee, 12. Total, 22 species, 351 individuals.—FRANK GATES.
Chicago, Ill., Stickney District.— Time, 10.30 A. M. to 3.30 P.M. Clear; ground
bare; a little snow in grass; wind west to southwest, light; temp., 33°. Prairie Hen
(flock), 20; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Prairie Horned Lark, 3; American Crow, 3; Tree
Sparrow, 30. Total, 5 species, 57 individuals.—J. L. De VINE.
Chicago, Ill., Jackson Park and Vicinity, District.—Time, 8 A. M.to1 P.M. Cloudy
and a dense fog, especially on lake, but clearing up toward noon; ground and lagoon fro-
zen and covered with light coat of snow; lake full of floating ice; wind light, varying from
northwest to southwest; temp., 30° to 32°. American Herring Gull, 15; Ring-billed Gull,
25; American Merganser, 18; Red-breasted Merganser, 8; American Golden-eye, 4;
Screech Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 4; Snowflake, 3; Lapland Long-
spur, 50; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 6. ‘Total, 12 species, 137 individ-
uals.—E. E. ArmsTronG and Cari C. Lawson.
Warren, Jo. Daviess Co., Ill.—Cloudy; wind southwest; trace of snow; temp., 38°.
Ruffed Grouse, 1; Red-tailed Hawk, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Flicker, 2; Horned Lark,
2; Blue Jay, 13; Crow, 564; Goldfinch, 2; Junco, 12; White-breasted Nuthatch, 11;
Chickadee, 20. Total, 14 species, 650 individuals.— [?] signature.
Moline, Illinois.—-December 27; time, 10.30 to 11.30 A. M., on Arsenal! Island in
Mississippi River, and 2.15 to 3.30 P.M., on Bluffs of Rock River, four miles southwest.
-—Very cloudy; moist air; ground bare; wind northeast, light; temp., 35°.—Quail ( Bob-
white), 6; Hairy Woodpecker, 4; Downy Woodpecker, 12; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 2;
Blue Jay, 6; Crow, 3; Tree Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 5; Junco flocks (estimated), 100;
Brown Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 8; Chickadee, 12. Total, 12 species,
about 164 individuals. December 16, a Sparrow Hawk, American Goldfinches and
Golden-crowned Kinglets were seen, and on December 26 a flock of Blackbirds ( Bronze
Grackles) were seen on Rock River.—Mrs. SLoaAN, Mrs. PuTNAM, Miss PuTNAM and
Mrs. AINSWORTH.
Rock Island, Il1l.—Time, 10.30 A. M. to 12.30 P.M. Cloudy; light snow on ground ;
light southeast wind; temp., 32°; Mississippi River channel open. Ring-necked Duck,
2; Quail, 35; Barred Owl, 1; Crow, 1; Blue Jay, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Downy
Woodpecker, 2; Snowbird, 30; Chickadee, 15; White-bellied Nuthatch, 2. Total, 1o
species, 91 individuals.—Burtis H. WILson.
30 Bird - Lore
The Beach, Lake Co., Ill.—Sunny; light west wind; no snow; temp., 34°. Ameri-
can Herring Gull, 10; Snow Goose (?), 5 ; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 5; Crow,
10; White-winged Crossbill, 1; American Goldfinch, 4; many unidentified Ducks on
the Lake.—Joun F. Ferry.
Youngstown, Ohio.—Time, 7 A. M. to 4 Pp. M. Cloudy; about six inches of snow, a
little snow falling during forenoon, wind west; temp., 14° to 28°. Distancé walked,
seventeen miles. Quail, 4; Ruffed Grouse, 6; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Broad-winged Hawk,
1; American Sparrow Hawk, 1; Barred Owl, 1; Great Horned Owl, 1; Hairy Wood-
pecker, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 5; Blue Jay, 3;
American Crow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 50; Song Sparrow, 16; Cardinal, 1; Winter Wren, 2;
White-breasted Nuthatch, 8; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Tufted Titmouse, 14; Chickadee,
25. Total, 21 species, 149 individuals.—Geo. L. Forpyce and Rev. S. F. Woop.
Cadiz, Ohio.—Time, 9.15 A. M. to 2.15 Pp. M. Snowing, with eight inches of snow
on the ground; wind west, moderately strong; temp., 15° to 19°. Ruffed Grouse, 1; Red-
tailed Hawk, 3; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Horned Owl, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Downy
Woodpecker, 15; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 9; Flicker, 10;
Junco, 50; Song Sparrow, 8; Cardinal, 11; Carolina Wren, 2 (singing); White-breasted
Nuthatch, 12; Tufted Titmouse, 4; Chickadee, 8; Robin, 1; Bluebird, 5 (singing). Total,
18 species, 144 individuals. On December 17, a farmer living near Cadiz shot a Black
Vulture under the impression that it was a Hawk. He brought it to meto identify. This
is a very unusual record for eastern Ohio.—Harry B. McConNELL.
Richmond, Indiana.— Time, 7.30 A. M. to 1 P. M. Wind northwest; four inches snow
temp., 8°. Mourning Dove, 1; Kingfisher, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 5; Red-bellied Wood -
pecker, 1; Flicker, 5; Blue Jay, 5; Crow, abundant; Bronzed Grackle, 15; Goldfinch, 4;
Tree Sparrow, abundant; Junco, abundant; Song Sparrow, abundant; Cardinal, 24; Brown
Creeper, 1; White breasted Nuthatch, 8; Tufted Titmouse, abundant; Chickadee, abun-
dant. Total, 17 species.—L. Gano and Lucy V. B. Corrin.
Greenville, Floyd Co., Indiana.—Time, 10.30 torr A. M., and 2 to 3.30 P. M. Ground
partly covered with snow; wind northwest, light, fair; temp., 40°. Buzzard, 1; Red-bellied
Woodpecker, 1; Red-headed Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 14; Blue Jay, 7;
Crow, 16; Cardinal, 5; Junco, 23; Song Sparrow, 6; Carolina Wren, 4; Crested Titmouse,
13; Carolina Chickadee, 5. Total, 12 species, 96 individuals.—Mrs. CHARLES NORMAN.
Port Sanilac, Michigan.—December 28; time, 10.30 A. M. to 12.30 P. M. Cloudy;
two to six inches snow; southwest wind, light; temp., 32° to 34°. American Merganser (?),
2; Crow, 6; White-winged Crossbill, 22; Chickadee, 4. Total, 4 species, 34 individ-
uals.—ETHEL B. CHASE, HERBERT T. THOMSON, HARRIET W. THOMSON.
Detroit, Mich.—Time, 10.15 to 11.45 A..M. Cloudy; three inches of snow; wind
northwest, light; temp., 20°. Location, Belle Isle in Detroit River. White-breasted
Nuthatch, 24; Chickadee, 14; Red-headed Woodpecker, 4; Goldfinch, 5; Crow, 2;
Herring Gull, 7; Pied-billed Grebe, 2 (flying southward). Total, 7 species, 59 individ-
uals.—JEFFERSON BUTLER.
Elkhorn, Wis.— December 23; time, 2 to 4 Pp. M. Clear, sunshine; ground partly
covered with snow; wind northwest, light; temp., about 50°. December 26; time, 9 to
11 A. M. Sunshine, snow in places; wind southwest, light; temp., about 40°. Downy
Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 16; Crow, 10; Redpoll, 70 (approximately); White-breasted
Nuthatch, 6; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 5. Total, 7 species, about 110 indi-
viduals. Our lunch-counter is visited daily by one Hairy and two Downy Woodpeckers,
several Blue Jays, two White-breasted Nuthatches, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, and three
Chickadees.—MABeEL F. BECKWITH, CONSTANCE BECKWITH and SARAH FRANCIS.
Milwaukee, Wis.—December 24; time, 9 A. M. to 3 Pp. M. Clear, sunshiny; ground
bare; wind north, very light; temp., 15° at 8.30 A.M. Herring Gull, 12; Ducks, 214,
chiely Buffehead, American Golden-eye, and American Scaup; Downy Wood-
Seventh Christmas Bird Census 31
pecker, 3; Crow, 3; Tree Sparrow, 7. Total, 5 species, 237 individuals.—I. N. Muir-
CHELL, W. H. Cuuver and E, C. Case.
Lake Minnetonka, Minn.—(Twenty miles west of Minneapolis.) Brief observations
between 12 M. and 2 Pp. M. Clear, light southeast wind; no snow; temp., 30°. Downy
Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 3; Pine Grosbeak, 10; American Goldfinch, 5; Brown Creeper,
2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 5. Total, 7 species, 30 individuals. Nearly
all seen at one spot in the woods where I had placed a supply of beef suet on Thanksgiving
Day. Grosbeaks very tame; could almost touch them.—E. F. Pasopy, Jr.
Red Wing, Minn.—Time, 8 A. M. to 1.45 Pp. M. Slightly cloudy; about two or three
inches of snow; wind southeast, moderate; temp., 21° to 27°. Bob-white, 16; Hairy
Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 23; American Goldfinch, 60; Tree Sparrow, 4; Junco, 18;
Cedar Waxwing, 6; White-breasted Nuthatch, 7; Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 17.
Total, 10 species, 153 individuals.— CHARLES PHILLIPS and NELS. BORGEN.
Minneapolis, Minn.—Time, 8 A M. to 12 M. Partly cloudy, ground nearly bare;
wind southeast, light; temp., 30°. Quail, 5; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 2;
Goldfinch, 9; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 5. Total, 7
species, 25 individuals.—HENRIETTA JORDAN and Epwin C. Brown.
Minneapolis, Minn.—Time, 11 A. M. to4 P. M. Cloudy; ground nearly bare; wind
northwest, strong; temp., about 35°. Bob-white, 5; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay,
many; Redpoll, 4; American Goldfinch, 8; Snowflake, 3; Brown Creeper, 2; White-
breasted Nuthatch, many; Chickadee, 10. Total, 9 species, about 50 individuals.—
KeNwoop Birp CLus.
Murdock, Minn.—Time, 9 to ro A. M. Clear; one inch of snow; no wind; temp.,
about 38°. Prairie Horned Lark, 20; Goldfinch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 7; Chickadee, ‘6.
Total, 4 species, 35 individuals.—ALBEeRT A. THOMPSON.
Kolls, Lyman County, S. D.—Time, 11.30 A. M. to4.30 P. M. Cloudy; ground covered
with snow; light south wind. Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse, 14; Black-billed Magpie, 4; Red-
poll, about 150; Chickadee, 1. Total, 4 species, about 170 individuals.—ApRIAN Larson.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.—Time, 8 A. M. tog P. M. Clear; thirty inches snow;
wind south; temp., 20°. American Goshawk, 3; Ferruginous Rough-leg Hawk, 6;
Golden Eagle, 1; American Hawk Owl, 7; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Canada Jay, 10;
American Raven, 1; American Crow, 12; Pine Grosbeak, 4; Snowflake, 100; Chickadee,
100, Total, 11 species, 246 individuals.—SipNEY S. S. STANSELL.
Okanagan Landing, B. C.— December 29; time, 7.30 A. M. to 2.30 Pp. M. Fine;
five inches of snow; calm; temp., 20° at7 A. M. Western Grebe, 1; Holbcell’s Grebe, 1;
Horned Grebe, 2; Greater Scaup (duck), 120; American Golden-eye, 2; Bufflehead, 5;
Herring Gull, 3; Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse, 5; Ruffed Grouse, 3; Northern Hairy
Woodpecker, 1; Cabanis’ Woodpecker, 1; Red-shafted Flicker, 4; Magpie, 12;
Western Evening Grosbeak, 1; Pine Grosbeak, 25; Rusty Song Sparrow, 2; Western
Meadowlark, 1; Slender-billed Nuthatch, 2; Red-bellied Nuthatch, 1; Long-tailed
Chickadee, 7; Mountain Chickadee, 2; Great Northern Shrike, 1; Townsend’s Solitaire,
1. Total, 23 species, 203 individuals.—ALLAN BRooks,
Vernon, B. C.— December 26. Cloudy; wind southwest; three inches of snow;
temp., 23° at 7 A. M. Northern Golden-winged Flicker, 2; Red-shafted Flicker, 3:
Clarke’s Nutcracker, 1; Magpie, 8; Pine Grosbeak, 7; Shufeldt’s Junco, 7; Rusty Song
Sparrow, 5; Mealy Redpoll, 60; Western Meadowlark, 6; Kingfisher, 1. Total 10
species, 100 individuals. — ALLAN Brooks.
La Cafiada, Los Angeles County, Cal.—Time, 10 A. M. to 4 Pp. M. Cloudy; no per-
ceptible wind; temp., 78° to 80°. Red-breasted Sapsucker, 1; Red-shafted Flicker, 2;
Black Phoebe, 6; California Jay, 2; House Finch, 6; Goldfinch, White-crowned Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrow, large flocks; Thurber Junco, 6; California Towhee, 26; Au-
dubon Warbler, large flocks; Western Mockingbird, 8; California Thrasher, 2; Vigor’s
Wren, 5; Western Robin, 45. Total, 15 species, 108 individuals.— MINNIE K. ANDERSON.
The Migration of Thrushes
FIRST PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey
With drawings by Louris AGASSIZ FUERTES and BRUCE HORSFALL
' X TE believe that all field-students of American birds will endorse the
statement that few ornithological papers have been published pos-
sessing greater enduring interest and value than those on the ‘ Mi-
gration of Warblers’ which Professor Cooke has prepared for BiRD-LORE.
We have, therefore, special cause for congratulation that, with the kind
permission of the Biological Survey, Professor Cooke has consented to treat
other groups of birds in the same equally thorough manner.—ED.
WOOD THRUSH
SPRING MIGRATION
PLACE No. of years’| Average date of Earliest date of
record spring arrival spring arrival
Atlantic Coast— |
Northern Florida’... .). +2 + 3 April 26 | Once in winter
Atlanta, Ga. (near) se i es 12 April 9 April 3, 1893
Raleigh, a CBT rarer gaan vay cian 15 April 16 April 10, 1893
Variety Mills, Ve. eres 13 April 28 April 17, 1896
Washingtom, Dy Sw 2%, ee pee 14 April 26 April 19, 1891
Beaver, Pa. ois gn ee wae ae 5 April 25 April 22, 1889
Germantown, Pe er ee, 6 May 1 April 30, 1890
Sale Fo Seg ey te eg II May 1 April 26, 1900
Roslyn, N. Y. re wt cage eo 6 May 1 April 29, 1894
Shelter Island, NOY tere 9 May 7 May 1, 1891
BAUS OPA Gs ING Yoo os dee San es 10 May 8 May 3, 1896
Hartford, "ye ONE ile ie ia” an 6 May 7 May 3, 1892
Providence; Ba 4. 6 i ee 8 May 8 May 3, 1905
Eastern Massachusetts... .... 20 May 6 May 1, 1899
Mississippi Valley—
New. Orleans; Baie epee ces th 13 March 31 March 25, 1900
Helena ATK. 7 ila ue he aerate 10 April 13 April 6, 1896
Eubank, Ky... ... 2.2 ee. 9 April 16 April 10, 1893
St. Louis, Mo. ... 2... ve 3 April 19 | April 19, 1886
Wauseon, Ohio... os bee ws 10 April 29 April 24, 1886
Petersburg, Mich... ......-. 12 April 29 April 23, 1891
Plymouth, Mich. ......-- 8 May 1 April 25, 1897
Chicago fDi: S91: ret 2 teva ig, 12 May 3 April 28, 1897
Southwestern Ontario ....... 14 May 4 April 30, 1899
Muskoka District, Ont. Ppa gute SRE Fs 6 May 13 May 8, 1899
Ottawa, Ont. . . OSI rane 6 May 10 May 6, 1905
Keokuk, TORS 8 2 ee Sits 10 April 30 April 20, 1896
Hillsboro, Iowa (near) Pee at Ir April 30 April 23, 1897
Central Iowa, ai. 40) late enk 19 May 2 April 26, 1902
Sabula, lowg 4%, See ee 8 May 1 April 28, 1892
Lanesboro, Mian: ...03) vee i 8 May 5 May 1, 1892
Minneapolis, Minn. (near) ... . II May 8 May 3, 1904
Northeastern Texas ........ 2 April 18 April 16, 1891
Manhattan, Kans... mle, es) 6 April 28 April 22, 1885
Oneea, Kans, 5% 3) ete te 10 May 5 April 28, 1891
Southeastern Nebraska. ..... 8 April 27 April 25, 1897
1. Woop THrRusH. 2 AND 3. WILSON’s THRUSH.
The Migration of Thrushes 33
The date of May 6 in eastern Massachusetts is based on the notes of
twenty-four observers in eleven towns in Massachusetts east of the Con-
necticut; the date of May 2 at 41° 40’ latitude in Iowa is from the records
of twenty-two observers in eleven towns.
FALL MIGRATION
PLACE ignetnes 25) jars pony last Latest date of I last
PEEPIIEINGD SO ey ae ee September 15, 1900
ROB EANS. ge et a eee 7 August 1 August 26, 1894
Lanesboro, Minn. ...... 4 September 14 September 19, 1888
Derttan TOW ao) so bs es te es 12 September 18 | October 6, 1887
SR eee ae eee ee 4 September 15 | September 22,.1900
Southwestern Ontario Be ae en 5 September 11 | October, 9, 1905
Wauseon, Ohio . 7 September 17 | September 27, 1895
Waterloo, Ind. 6 September 15 | September 28, 1891
New Orleans, La... gira is Ha 3 October 14 October 18, 1903
Melrose Mass, 026.) 5 25 ee aon September 16, 1899
Provedence; R. J... 3505.) avs September 22, 1904
Croton-on- Hudson, be etic 2 eae aa 3 October 5 October 6, 1891
Englewood, N. oD Pee 4 October 3 October 7, 1885
RNRRES ec et gh, 7 October 2 October 8, 1890
Germantown, Pa: ie 5 October 6 October 11, 1887
French Creek, iy, GRRE PRE eee aaa eg 3 October 7 October 12, 1891
Raleigh, N. ee pe i 4 October 11 October 16, 1885
Southern Florida ae MTs aa Re 2 October 12 October 13, 1885
WILSON’S THRUSH
SPRING MIGRATION
; a
PLACE oof zeat| Arerge duct | Rae a
|
Atlantic Coast— |
may wet, Fla. 205.8 6 “he aa April 28, 1887
Northern Florida . . ae Eaten 2 May 9 May 8, 1903
RM ARR os iia eke eles 9 May 1 April 27, 1893
French Creek, W. Va. Sri etage es 4 May 3 April 28, 1891
Mmmm, DOs ee Sic 8 May 1 April 26, 1891
PMID IN J ea cate 2 6! see fe) May 2 April 27, 1900
Braerom ona, ING Xs) eye ie Se ; 8 May 7 May 3, 1905
ee ePaPUOFd CONN .§ oii a eee 7 May 4 April 29, 1891
Eastern Massachusetts. ...... 20 May 7 May 4, 1904
WEMOUNSHULY,, Vt.) so siecmice ee 6 May 10 May 5, 1886
MAUR ANIIEIN, TE. Se ee ote la ea 3 May 15 May 11, 19co
Southern Maine... . . . 9 May 17 May 12, 1900
Scotch Lake, New Brunswick . 2 May 21 May 20, 1904
Montreal, * PET ec GH Sa aca ae 6 May 16 May 11, 1889
Quebec City, Can. 4 May 15 May 14, 1898
34 Bird - Lore
SPRING MIGRATION, continued
liest date of
REARE bhatt tas Nit shy soderaenval
Mississippi Valley—
New Orleanes la. ii ici Gel ee ters 4 April 19 April 14, 1905
PSC: Peat ORS Aa lt Sear pea 5 April 25 April 18, 1904
WVGUBEOT CORIO ishice aac see ole 6 May 1 April 28, 1894
Plymouth, Mich. (near)... 12 May 2 April 26, 1897
.Southwestern Ontario ....... 15 May 5 May 2, 1900
GEGUCO OMICS.) cosas THe es eet 8 May 6 May 2, 1898
Carn; Cnt, 3 be ene gees Vesa 15 May 13 | May 5, 1902
Grinnell, Iowa . 5 May 8 | May 5, 1885
Lanesboro, Minn. : 9 May 9 | May 5, 1890
Aweme, Manitoba ..... 8 May 15 | May 11, 1904
The date of spring arrival, May 7, for eastern Massachusetts is obtained
by selecting the earliest dates, as contributed during a series of twenty years,
1886-1905, by twenty observers located in thirteen different towns in Mass-
achusetts east of the Connecticut river. No measurable difference can be
noted in the time of arrival at Springfield and at Boston or in the intervening
districts. Treating the notes from these thirteen towns as if they had been
contributed from one locality, the record of the first one seen is so uniform
that it will be given in full. All the dates of the first one seen are in May
and are for consecutive years, beginning with 1886: May 8, 7, 6, 9, 8, 11,
7, 7,10, 7, 4, 7, 8, 6, 9, 6, 7, 9, 4, 5, average May 7. If the average date
of the first one seen had been calculated for each town separately and then
an average made of the resulting averages, the date of May 9 would have
been obtained for the final average instead of May 7.
FALL MIGRATION
The average date of the first one seen in the fall in southern Mississippi
‘is September 14, and at Raleigh, N. C., September 5. The first was noted
at Lexington, Ky., September 3, 1905; St. Mary’s, Ga., September 13,
1905; Tallahassee, Fla., September 11, 1904; northern coast of South
chdaicbeee October 5, 19ooe central Brazil, November 4, 1882.
PLACE No. of years’| Average date of last Latest deus of last
records one seen one seen
Aweme, Manitoba ....... 6 August 27 September 4, 1903
Chicago; Tra. 05k : 4 September 6 | September 27, 1903
Waterloo, Ind. (near). . 4 September 12 | September 22, 1887
W auseon rio 3550065". ee > September 16 | September 25, 1895
Lexington, Key iieessc. i Sa eee a 2 September 24 | September 27, 1903
Bay St. Louis, Migs. 3. see Fale October 11, 1898
New Orleans, Lalla Semen a 4 : October 17, 1903
Englewood, N.J...... Sear Shs hak 3 September 16 | September 20, 1885
Germantown, Pas: se iA tees 2 September 16 | September 19, 1890
Tallahassee, fla. 5 Re ole October 9, 1904
Oology as a Science
To the Editor of BIRD-LORE:
It is rather curious that neither Professor Montgomery, who attacks the
“egg collector,’’ nor Mr. Sharples, who defends him, should have mentioned
von Nathusius, who made a careful study of the microscopical structure of
egg-shells and obtained some highly interesting results. He, at least, pur-
sued oology as a science. J. A. Ryder studied the relations of the shape of
eggs to that of the birds that laid them, and elaborated a theory to account
for the various forms of eggs. The pigmentation and character of the pig-
ment have also been the subjects of more or less research, and an English
naturalist has made long and careful observations on the eggs of the Murre
from which he seems to have learned much.
Of course, the average egg-collector is that and nothing more, but has
the average collector of bird skins any higher claim to being a ‘‘scientist’’ ?
How many collectors of anything, in fact, from cigar wrappers to old masters,
collect with any-really intelligent purpose, any aim more definite than to
accumulate a number of objects whose possession gives them pleasure, all
the greater because their neighbors do not have them?
Collecting skins and eggs ot the Great Auk comes dangerously near
being just as much of a fad as collecting stamps; in some cases it is possibly
more of a fad, for there are stamp-collectors with definite aims and purposes.
The eggs of the humble and multitudinous English Sparrow have yielded
more important results than the highly prized and expensive eggs of the aristo-
cratic Great Auk. To secure a skin of the Labrador Duck would fill the
recipient with boundless joy, and yet, from a strictly scientific standpoint, it
is not a whit more valuable than one of the Old Squaw. One yields precisely
the same amount of information as does the other, neither more, nor less.
The Dodo is not important because it is extinct and rare, but because it Is a
highly aberrant member of the Pigeon family and a magnificent example of
the effects of isolation and environment.
Supposing that the eggs in the cabinets of collectors had developed into
embryos, would the world have been the wiser? How many eggs have been
wasted by embryologists and thus prevented from developing into chickens
and thereby contributing to the sustentation of mankind?
Years ago Alfred Newton came forward to defend the egg-collector
before a parliamentary commission, and recently Mr. Brewster rose in his
behalf before the A. O. U.; and, while this note is not to be taken too
seriously nor to be considered as a defence of indiscriminate egg-collecting,
it may perhaps show that in proper hands it may be capable of yielding good
results. For it is not the thing, but the manner in which it is used, that
counts.—F. A. Lucas.
(35)
The Question of the Amount of Science in Oology
To the Editor of Brrp-LoreE:
Two replies have been made to my article on this subject in this magazine
of the May-June issue, and I would ask a little space for a return of courtesies.
Mr. R. P. Sharples (BrrD-LoRE, September-October), in admitting his
ignorance of the names and works or the great embryologists named by me,
presents an example of the general lack of knowledge among oologists of
biological thought. He is also mistaken in considering embryology to be
a branch of oology, for the former subject comprehends all the stages of the
organism from the egg and the spermatozoon up to the adult, and had been
studied for some three centuries before the term oology came into use. One
might as well say that a gable upon a house supports the house! Then, in
answer to his question, I would reply that I know the works of Davie
and Bendire, and am aware that the latter is of great importance; that
I have had a slight personal acquaintance with Warren, and high esteem for
his services in securing protection for the Hawks and Owls; and that for
Baird I have always felt a great admiration, and would point out that his
fame rests largely upon his studies in comparative anatomy and geographica'
distribution, particularly of the fishes and amphibians. It is not quite fair to
allude to me by innuendo as one who has no field acquaintance with birds,
because from my ninth to my eighteenth year I spent most of my time col-
lecting and observing birds near the very town in which Mr. Sharples resides,
and my collections of skins are in two of the Philadelphia museums.
The writer of the editorial in “The Condor,’ November number, ex-
hibits a broader point of view. But he is hardly correct in his statement
‘“that the vast bulk of the work of embryologists, morphologists and
systematists is mere cataloguing of the structures of animals and plants.’”’
Embryology alone has built up the following important conclusions: that
the adult is formed by a gradual differentiation, by an interaction of inherent
energies and environmental stimuli; that the species is as much marked in
the egg as in the adult stage; that all problems of heredity come down to an
understanding of the energies of the germ-cells, as also does sex-determina-
tion; that it is probable that the mystery of variations will be solved by the
analysis of individual development; that the adult cannot be comprehended
without an understanding of its growth; and here many other great con-
clusion might be mentioned were the space at my command not limited.
Systematists and morphologists in cooperation have given us the theory
of evolution, the meaning of division of labor and polymorphism, the idea of
homologies, etc. These results would have been impossible with a simple
cataloguing of facts; they depend on far-reaching generalization. But
odlogy, the collecting and study of dead egg-shells, what ample generalization
has it given us? None at all, and, therefore, it is not science and cannot be
(36)
The Amount of Science in Odlogy 37
considered to have reached the scientific stage. To be sure, many of our
major theories remain to be tested, but it is scientific work that generalizes,
then tests the theories.
It is a pleasure to agree with both my critics that many subjects are
associated with odlogy that are of enjoyment and scientific profit. The
searching for nests furnishes keen delight and is a most wholesome and re-
freshing occupation; but, though it be all this and more, can it be called
scientific? If odlogists will only recognize that it is not scientific, I will have
no disagreement with them. The study of the nesting habits is, in my
opinion, one of the most suggestive lines of ornithological inquiry, for habits
and instincts are matters much more complex than any structures, and of
fundamental value for understanding the course and factors of evolution.
Most vigorously this study should be prosecuted. Here my critics have both
missed the point, for my whole argument was directed to show that the col-
lecting and preservation of dead egg-shells is the quest that in my opinion
has so far proved to be without scientific value. To put it in other words:
whatever observations ornithologists make with regard to habits and acts of
intelligence, may well serve as a basis for scientific induction; but the col-
lection of dead egg-shells is barren of scientific spirit, and result. Alfred R.
Wallace and Lloyd Morgan have opened the inquiry into avian architecture,
~ but 1 doubt much whether most American oologists are acquainted with
their writings.—THOMAS H. MONTGOMERY, JR.
SAW-WHET OWL
Photographed from nature by A. W. Honywill, New Haven, Conn.. Mareh 25. 1906
Bird-Lore’s Advisory Council
ITH some slight alterations and additions, we reprint below the
W names and addresses of the ornithologists forming BIRD-LORE’S
‘Advisory Council,’ which were first published in BirD-LORE -
for February, 1900.
To those of our readers who are not familiar with the objects of the
Council, we may state that it was formed for the purpose of placing
students in direct communication with an authority on the bird-life of the
region in which they live, to whom they might appeal for information and
advice in the many difficulties which beset the isolated worker.
The success of the plan during the six years that it has been in
operation fully equals our expectations; and from both students and
members of the Council we have had very gratifying assurances of the
happy results attending our efforts to bring the specialist in touch with
those who appreciate the opportunity to avail themselves of his wider
experience.
It is requested that all letters of inquiry sent to members of the Council
be accompanied by astamped and addressed envelope for use in replying.
NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL
UNITED STATES AND TERRITORIES
ALAskKA.—Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C.
ARIZONA.—Herbert Brown, Yuma, Ariz.
CALIFORNIA.—Charles A. Keeler, Calif. Acad. Sciences, San Francisco, Calif.
CoLorapo.—Dr. W. H. Bergtold, 1460 Clayton Ave., Denver, Col.
CoNNECTICUT.—J. H. Sage, Portland, Conn.
DELAWARE,—C. J. Pennock, Kennett Square, Pa.
District oF CoLtumBia.—Dr. C. W. Richmond, U. S. Nat’! Mus., Washington, D. C.
FLoripaA.—Frank M. Chapman, American Museum Natural History, New York City.
FLoRIDA, Western.—R. W. Williams, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla.
Georcia.— Dr. Eugene Murphy, Augusta, Ga.
Ituino1s, Northern.—B. T. Gault, Glen Ellyn, IIl.
ILLINoIs, Southern.—Robert Ridgway, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C.
InpDIANA.—A. W. Butler, State House, Indianapolis, Ind.
INDIAN TERRITORY.—Prof. W. W. Cooke, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Wash-
Iowa.—C. R. Keyes, Mt. Vernon, Ia. [ington, D.C.
Kansas.—Prof. D. E. Lantz, Manhattan, Kan.
Louisiana.— Prof. George E. Beyer, Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
Maine.—O. W. Knight, Bangor, Me.
MASSACHUSETTS.— William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.
Micuican.—Prof. W. B. Barrows, Agricultural College, Mich.
MinneEsota.—Dr. T. S. Roberts, 1603 Fourth Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn.
MississipP1.—Andrew Allison, Ellisville, Miss.
MissourI.—O. Widmann, 5105 Morgan St., St. Louis, Mo.
Montana.—Prof. J. M. Elrod, University of Montana, Missoula, Mont.
NEBRASKA. —Prof. E. H. Barbour, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
(38)
Bird-Lore’s Advisory Council 39
Nevapa.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C.
New HampsuHirE.—Dr.G. M. Allen, Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Boston,
New Jersey, Northern.—Frank M. Chapman, Am. Mus. Nat. History, New York City.
New Jersey, Southern.—Witmer Stone, Academy Natural Science, Philadelphia, Pa.
New Mexico.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C.
New York, Eastern.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washing-
New York, Northern.—Egbert Bagg, 191 Genesee Street, Utica, N.Y. [ton, D. C.
New York, Western.—E. H. Eaton, Canandaigua, N. Y.
New York, Long Island.—William Dutcher, 141 Broadway, New York City.
NortH Dakota.—Prof. O. G. Libby, University, N. D.
Nortu Carouina.—Prof. T.G. Pearson, Greensboro, N. C.
Oun10.—Prof. Lynds Jones, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.
OxLaAHoMA.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C.
Orecon.—A. W. Anthony, 7614 Savier St., Portland, Ore.
PENNSYLVANIA, Eastern.—Witmer Stone, Acad. Nat. Science, Philadelphia, Pa.
PENNSYLVANIA, Western.—W. Clyde Todd, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburg, Pa.
Ruope Istanp.—C. Abbott Davis, Museum Natural History, Roger Williams Park,
SoutH Caro.ina.—Dr. Eugene Murphy, Augusta, Ga. [Providence, R. I.
Texas.—Prof. Thomas A. Montgomery, Jr., University of Texas, Austin, Tex.
Texas.—H. P. Attwater, Houston, Tex.
Uran.—Prof. Marcus E. Jones, Salt Lake City, Utah.
VerMonT.—Prof. G. H. Perkins, Burlington, Vt.
Vircinia.—Dr. W. C. Rives, 1723 I Street, Washington, D. C.
W ASHINGTON.—Samuel F. Rathbun, Seattle, Wash.
West Vircinita.—Dr. W. C. Rives, 1723 I Street, Washington, D. C.
Wisconsin. —H. L. Ward, Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis.
CANADA
British CoLumMBiA.—Francis Kermode, Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C.
MANIToBA. —Ernest Thompson Seton, Cos Cob, Conn.
New Brunswick.—Montague Chamberlain, 45 Milk St., Boston, Mass.
Nova Scotia.—Harry Piers, Provincial Museum, Halifax, N. S.
Ontario, Eastern.—James H. Fleming, 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Ont.
OnTARIO, Western.—E. W. Saunders, London, Ont.
Quesec.—E. D. Wintle, 189 St. James Street, Montreal, Can.
MEXICO
E. W. Nelson, Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
WEST INDIES
C. B. Cory, Field Museum, Chicago, III.
GREAT BRITAIN
Clinton G. Abbott, 153 West 73d St., New York City, N. Y.
40 | ; Bird - Lore
BHird- Lore:
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
No. 1
Vol. IX Published February 1, 1907
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1907, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto:
A Bird in the Bush ts Worth Two in the Hand
Various causes beyond our contro] have
necessitated a change in the order of publi-
cation of the plates of Thrushes as announced
in the last issue of Birp-Lore. The Wood
Thrush and Wilson’s Thrush appear in this
number, the Robin will be given in April,
and in June the Hermit, Olive-backed and
Gray-cheeked Thrushes will be published.
Dr. Dwight will supply maps to accompany
the last-named birds, showing the nesting
ranges of their numerous races.
Ir will doubtless interest Birp-Lore’s
readers to know that the bust of Audubon
recently unveiled at the American Museum
of Natural History, and which is figured in
this issue, was based solely on the print of
the Cruikshank portrait published by Birp-
LORE some years ago.
WE publish in this number of Birp-Lore
two additional communications in regard to
the subject of egg-collecting, and the editor
of ‘The Condor’ contributes a page to the
same controversy in the November-Decem-
ber, 1906, issue of that journal.
None of the disputants, however, mention
what, as we have frequently stated, seems,
to our mind, to be the most deplorable result
of egg-collecting, namely: that in robbing a
bird of its eggs we are robbing ourselves
of an opportunity to study it during the
most interesting part of its life.
The editor of ‘The Condor’ extols what
he terms the ‘‘recreation phase’’ of egg-
collecting, and in California, the home of
“The Condor,’ one may find some admirable
examples of ‘odlogists’ to whom egg-collect-
ing is primarily a recreation, and very read-
able indeed are their often thrilling stories of
how ‘rare takes’ were made. But if one is
in search of information in regard to the
nesting habits of California birds, he will
pass by these tales of adventure, attractive
though they be, for the records of definitely
directed field work by an ornithologist who
went to California for the express purpose of
studying the home-life of California birds,
and wisely, therefore, left their eggs where
they were found.
The controversy, after all, is more or less
academic. A comparison of present con-
ditions with those which existed twenty-five
years ago shows how much a thing of the
past egg-collecting has become. Nor is the
change surprising. As long as there was
anything to learn or to record from a gather-
ing of birds’ eggs, their collecting was en-
couraged. But, when collecting brought
only duplication and the gratification of
the desire for acquisition, it was discouraged
and the collector discountenanced. Mean-
while more stringent bird-protective laws
have rendered increasingly difficult that
trading and trafficking in birds’ eggs which
has ever been the mainstay of egg-collect-
ing; and every one should rejoice that, in
North America at least, we have passed the
day when a mere hoarder of egg-shells
might pose as one of its exponents.
Tue ‘Warbler Book’ is so directly the
offspring of Birp-LoreE, we are sure Birp-
Lore’s readers will ‘be interested to learn
that, if all goes well, it will leave the
printer’s hands sometime in February. The
book has required just one year more time
to prepare than we had anticipated, but we
hope is one year better! ;
Frankly, if we had known of the amount
of work involved in preparing a book of this
kind, we should have turned a deaf ear to
those who induced us to undertake it. It is
one thing to place on record what you your-
self know about a given subject, but quite
another to record also what everyone else
has written concerning it; and we have tried
to make the Warbler Book reflect existing
knowledge of North American Mniotiltida. »
The Audubon Hocieties
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
FEBRUARY
When autumn is over, with all the excitement and confusion of the great
bird flight southward, we pause, draw a long breath and turn toward the
score of patient winter residents with positive relief. Now, at last, we
have time to meet them face to face and enjoy their individuality.
In December, if it be mild, we are often surprised by the lingering of
some belated migrant. This year an Orchard Oriole, a bird that should
leave us in September, hovered about the old apple trees near the house
feeding upon some frosted fruit that still clung to their branches, the flesh
of discarded pumpkins, or else upon the berries of the porch honeysuckle
vines, in the shelter of which he roosted nightly until the 16th of the month,
a particularly sunny day, during which he left the neighborhood.
During January, any one who is much abroad will have grown accus-
tomed to the residents of his neighborhood,—the Woodpeckers, Downy and -
Hairy, and the substantial Flicker, who has hewn him a home for all seasons
under the ventilator of the hay-barn or, maybe, in the cupola of your house
itself; the Nuthatches, Finches, Gold and Purple, the Meadowlark of the
fields, the Crow and his cousin the Blue Jay, the Chickadee and the Myrtle
Warbler. ;
The various Owls and Hawks will have passed in review, claiming
attention either by power of voice or wing. —TThe Brown Creeper.and Winter
Wren will have become so familiar that we forget that they are merely
visitors together with the Tree Sparrow, Junco, Shrike and Golden-crowned
Kinglet.
Comes February, the suspension bridge between winter and spring. We
may be unconscious that we have left the mainland of winter and are facing
the opposite shore of promise, yet so it is.
The landscape round about is more dreary than at any previous time
since leaf-fall. Ihe snow has pulled away from the soft drapery it first
formed and lies crusted and hard under foot; its glare hurts the eyes. This
is the ‘Coon Moon’ of the Indian calendar, when, emerging from his
hole, this wary beast feels that he can find sure footing for his peregrina-
tions, but, to my thinking, in this latitude, at least, February should wear
the title the Redman gave to March—‘The Moon of Snow Blindness.’
The days have already lengthened an hour, at least, and what do they
(41)
42 Bird - Lore
bring? With the first half of the month, come the tardy winter visitors
that have exhausted their more northerly feeding-grounds; the last half,
after the upward curve of the span has been reached, and one steps
quicker, a straggling advance guard of spring appears—the armorer, with
his creaking and filing of metal; the bugler, the minstrel and his more silent .
brother the poet—the Grackle, the Redwing, the Robin and the Bluebird.
Last week I heard a nature-loving friend say: ‘‘ February is the poorest
month of the season out-of-doors; every year when it comes I wish that I
might curl up and sleep like a woodchuck or bear. It is merely a twin of
January and the rougher and more monotonous of the pair.’’
This may or may not be, according to the chance of the particular
season. For myself, February has always been a month of surprises. In
February I can quite surely count upon seeing the lovely brown and white
Snowflake in company with dainty Redpolls in the field of wild grasses yonder.
The Crossbills and Pine Grosbeaks will visit the spruce knoll that has had
never a glimpse of them all winter. After a northeasterly snow flurry I scan
the marsh meadows hopefully for the great Snowy Owl, and I find the Horned
Lark and Lapland Longspur, or his telltale tracks, about the hayricks and
waste fields behind the shore huts. But best of all, after that central curve
has been rounded, is the first bit of spring color that tinges breast and
pinions as wings flutter through the bare trees and alders—ruddy breast of
Robin, azure spread of Bluebird and russet cloak of Song Sparrow. “* Yes,’’
but perhaps you say, ‘‘I have seen these birds in every winter month.”’
Surely, so there have been days and sunrises and sunsets in every month
of winter, but not the same as that day and the sunset thereof when, hearing
a scrap of rapid, insistant, half-nervous song, we rush out bareheaded and find
a Robin sitting alone, trying his throat. Not the winter wanderer, ill plumed,
scantily fed and anxious, darting hither and thither like a great wind-blown
leaf; but the Robin who, in the far South, has felt the glow of spring, and its
impulse has bid him venture forth and proclaim it ahead of his fellows.
And faintly, afar on the air, comes a purling call; nearer and nearer
it grows until sound takes shape bearing the sky colors of a calmer,
milder clime than the one to which it has returned with the anxious expec-
tancy of one glad to be at home again. Ah! we should love and speak well
of February, since before it ends its brief days it often gives to us the joyful
braggart Redwing; the Robin, that sings to the ear; the Song Sparrow, that
speaks to the silent places of the soul, and the Bluebird, that quickens the
beating of the heart. . ‘M. O. W.
THE AUDUBON SCHOOL LEAGUE
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
One of the principal objects of the National Association of the Audubon
Societies is to encourage the teaching and study of birds in the schools. To
The Audubon Societies 43
this end, it desires to assist teachers by supplying them with material suitable
for their uses and by stimulating the interests of their pupils. ;
Consequently it is proposed to form an Audubon School League, mem-
bership in which, shall be open to all boys and girls of sixteen years and
under who successfully take part in the competitions arranged by the Society.
These competitions will be in the form of essays, the subjects for which
will be announced in each issue of BiRD-LorE. The first essay will be in
the form of a life-history of the Bluebird. This biography should tell of the
Bluebird’s range, or geographic distribution, of its migrations, of its nesting
habits, its notes, its food, and should include particularly the results of personal
observations. No fact connected with the bird’s habits should be considered
too insignificant to receive attention, and each biographer should write as
though nothing had ever been published about the Bluebird before.
Each biography should be divided under the main headings given above,
with such additions or sub-headings as prove to be required, and should be
accompanied bya colored outline of the Bluebird and a map showing its
geographical distribution. Outlines for coloring and blank maps, similar to
those on a succeeding page, may be secured, without cost, of the National
Association of Audubon Societies at 141 Broadway, New York City. There
is no limit to the number of words in-each biography. Biographies should
be sent to the National Association of Audubon Societies at the address
above given, so as to be received not later than March 1. Biographies
received after that date will not be considered as eligible for the competition.
Competitors living in the West may write on either the Western or Chest-
nut-backed Bluebird.
PRIZES
For the best biography of the Bluebird, on the lines above mentioned,
will be given the first prize, the gold badge of the Audubon School League.
For the second best biography will be given the second prize, the silver
badge of the Audubon School League. Writers of biographies which are
accorded honorable mention will receive the bronze badge of the Audubon
School League. All to whom badges are granted become, by virtue of such
grant, members of the Audubon School League.
All manuscripts, maps and outlines should be endorsed by the competi-
tor’s teacher or guardian as the work of the competitor.
SUBJECT OF THE SECOND BIOGRAPHY
The subject of the biography for the Second Audubon School League
competition will be the Red-winged Blackbird. The announcement is made
now in order that those who propose to prepare biographies may have an
opportunity to study this bird in life, for it should be stated that, in awarding
prizes, preference will always be given to the biography containing the largest
amount of original observation.
OUTLINE OF BLUEBIRD PLATES
Teachers may obtain copies of this plate for coloring, on application to the School Department of the
National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City.
(44)
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46 Bird - Lore
BIRD-LORE AS A TEXT-BOOK
It is suggested that teachers will find material in each issue of BIRD-
LorE which will have a seasonable value in the study of birds. In the
present number, for example, Dr. Merriam’s tribute to Audubon might well
be made the subject of a lesson on the life of this naturalist. Miss Hub-
bard’s Study of Bluebirds contains much original observation and may well
be used to supplement the more general information contained in Mrs.
Wright’s Leaflet.
The Bird Census furnishes a wealth of material for a study of the dis-
tribution of winter birds. The Chickadee, Junco, Crow, Downy Wood-
pecker, or some other abundant widely distributed winter bird may be taken
as a subject for study and the student: asked to outline its winter range, as
shown by the census, on the map. In this connection the maps supplied by
the School Department of the National Association of Audubon Societies
may be used and the birds’ distribution plotted upon them.
Professor Cooke’s Migration Tables will also supply information in regard
to the distribution of birds, while as an aid to the study of bird migration
they are obviously of great value. A bird’s journey northward may be
- followed by the records from the localities given, its average rate of speed
reckoned, and the times of its arrival at each locality be used as some index
of the northward advance of spring itself.
In Mrs. Wright’s Editorial Essays on the month, which will be continued
through the year, the teacher will not only find matter of exact seasonal
interest, but we are sure an incentive to the study of nature as well.
F. M. C.
NOTES FROM YOUNG OBSERVERS
Boys and girls of 14 years and under are invited to send to the Editor of the School
Department, of the National Association of Audubon Societies, at 141 Broadway, New
York City, notes of interest in regard to their study of birds. Contributors should state
their age.
A Bird Walk in December
Filling my pocket with nuts, I started at 8 o’clock for a tramp about the
woods and fields in search of birds. It rained nearly all the time I was out.
I started toward the east, but, hearing a Woodpecker, returned to where
I heard the call and found that it was a Hairy one. Turning to my left I
entered a wood, but, not seeing many birds, thought it best for me to come
out into the opening.
As I approached the clearing once more, I observed two Chickadees
examining the bark of an apple tree.
The Audubon Societies 47
When I stopped one of the Chickadees flew toward me as if he intended
to alight on me; but, to my disappointment, he alighted on a bush just
back of me. Not to be discouraged, I followed the two Chickadees, and
therefore returned to the woods where-I had been. Coming to a thicket of
pines I stopped, anticipating a better acquaintance with the Chickadee, but
again to my disappointment it flew away. Ascending a little higher, where
I was not so much surrounded with trees, I saw several Chickadees. The
two nearest me were evidently procuring food. Going as near as I thought
possible without frightening the birds, I stopped and put two butternuts on
my hat, and, holding one in my hand, awaited for the approach of the Chick-
adees. Up flew a Chickadee to a dead sumac tree, then on the tree which
I was near, and at last on my hat, pecking the nut until he got sufficient
food, then flew to a neighboring tree. But ah, thought he, it is so good I
will come back and have another taste. This time he came on to my hand,
eating part of the nut, flew to a branch and wiped his bill, and then returned
to my hand again to say good-bye. I arrived home a little past eleven
o’clock.—ETHEL R. BARTON, Cornish, N. H.
Confiding Vireos
“One Sunday afternoon in July, as I was getting out of my carriage, I
discovered a bird underneath the horse; I picked it up and found it to be a
young yellow-breasted Vireo. He was too small to fly, so I took him in
the house.
I fed him a while on potato; then took him out onthe piazza. His loud
chirping attracted the parents. I put him on my finger, and, after fifteen
minutes of patient waiting, the mother bird flew down with a gypsy cater-
pillar, which she had taken from the apple tree. She first lit on my shoulder,
then on my hand and fed her young. She continued to feed it for three
quarters of an hour, when it became so dark I took it in the house and
put it in a cage on the piazza roof for over night.
The next morning when I went to see how it was, I discovered another
one of the brood on the roof; and before noon [ had all four sitting on my
finger, with the mother feeding them. The father only fed them once.
Fourth of July morning my sister and two of my friends each sat with a
bird on their finger, while the mother fed them in turn. That night I put
them in a tree close by, and the next morning, when I went to look for them,
they had flown. —Dwicut Lewis Fiske (aged, 14 years), Winchester,
Mass.
\ THE. BLUEBIRD
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che Pational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO, 24
Who dares write of the Bluebird, thinking to add a fresher tint to his
plumage, a new tone to his melodious voice, or a word of praise to his
gentle life, that is as much a part of our human heritage and blended with
our memories as any other attribute of home?
Not I, surely, for I know him too well and each year feel gual? more
spellbound and mute by the memories he awakens. Yet I would repeat his
brief biography, lest there be any who, being absorbed by living inward,
have not yet looked outward and upward to this poet of the sky and earth
and the fullness and goodness thereof.
For the Bluebird was the first of all poets,—even before man
had blazed a trail in the wilderness or set up the sign of his
habitation and tamed his thoughts to wear harness and travel
to measure. And so he came to inherit the earth before man, and this, our
country, is all The Bluebird’s Country, for at some time of the year he
roves about it from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Mexico to Nova
Scotia, though westward, after he passes the range of the Rocky Moun-
tains, he wears a different dress and bears other longer names.
In spite of the fact that our eastern Bluebird is a home-body,
loving his nesting haunt and returning to it year after year,
he is an adventurous traveler. Ranging all over the eastern
United States at some time in the season, this bird has its nesting haunts
at the very edge of the Gulf States and upward, as far north as Manitoba
and Nova Scotia.
When the breeding season is over, the birds ee sometimes in family
groups and sometimes in large flocks, moving southward little by little,
according to season and food-supply, some journeying as far as Mexico,
others lingering through the middle and southern states. The Bluebirds
that live in our orchards in summer are very unlikely to be those that we
see in the same place in winter days. Next to the breeding impulse, the
migrating instinct seems to be the strongest factor in bird life. When the
life of the home is over, Nature whispers, “To wing, up andon!” Soa few
of the Bluebirds who have nested in Massachusetts may be those who linger
in New Jersey, while those whose breeding haunts were in Nova Scotia
drift downward to fill their places in Massachusetts. But the great mass of
even those birds we call winter residents go to the more southern parts of
(48)
The Bluebird’s
Country
The Bluebird’s
Travels
Uprer Ficures—CHESTNUT-BACKED BLUEBIRD
Order—PAssERES Family—TurDID&
», Genus—SIALIA Species—MExICANA
SuBSPECIES—BAIRDI
Lower Ficures—BLUEBIRDS
Order—PassERES Family—Turpbipz&
Genus—SIALIA Species —SIA.LIs
a
The Bluebird 49
their range every winter, those who do not being but a handful in com-
parison.
“What does this great downward journey of autumn mean?” you ask.
What is the necessity for migration among a class of birds that are able to
find food in fully half of their annual range? Why do birds seek extremes
for nesting sites? This is a question about which the wise men have many
theories, but they are still groping. One theory is that once the whole
country had a more even climate and that many species of birds lived all the
year in places that are now unsuitable for a permanent residence. There-
fore, the home instinct being so strong, though they were driven from their
nesting sites by scarcity of food and stress of weather, their instinct led them
back as soon as the return of spring made it possible.
Thus the hereditary love of the place where they were given life may
underlie the great subject of migration in general and that of the Bluebird’s
home in particular.
Before more than the first notes of the spring song have
sounded in the distance, Bluebirds are to be seen by twos and
threes about the edge of old orchards along open roads, where
the skirting trees have crumbled or decaying knot-holes have left tempting
nooks for the tree-trunk birds, with whom the Bluebird may be classed.
For, though he takes kindly to a bird-box, or a convenient hole in fence-
post, telegraph pole or outbuilding, a tree hole must have been his first home
and consequently he has a strong feeling in its favor.
As with many other species of migrant birds, the male is the first to
arrive; and he does not seem to be particularly interested in house-hunting
until the arrival of the female, when the courtship begins without delay,
and the delicate purling song with the refrain, “Dear, dear, think of it,
think of it,” and the low, two-syllabled answer of the female is heard in
every orchard. The building of the nest is not an important function,—
merely the gathering of a few wisps and straws, with some chance feathers
for lining. It seems to be shared by both parents, as are the duties of hatch-
ing and feeding the young. The eggs vary in number, six being the maxi-
mum, and they are not especially attractive, being of so pale a blue that it is
better to call them bluish white. Two broods are usually raised each year,
though three are said to be not uncommon; for Bluebirds are active during
a long season, and, while the first nest is made before the middle of April,
last year a brood left the box over my rose arbor September 12, though I do
not know whether this was a belated or a prolonged family arrangement.
As parents the Bluebirds are tireless, both in supplying the nest with in-
sect food and attending to its sanitation; the wastage being taken away and
dropped at a distance from the nest at almost unbelievably short intervals,
proving the wonderful rapidity of digestion and the immense amount of
labor required to supply the mill inside the little speckled throats with grist.
The Bluebird
at Home
50 _ Bird- Lore
The young Bluebirds are spotted thickly on throat and back, after the
manner of the throat of their cousin, the Robin; or, rather, the back
feathers are spotted, the breast feathers having dusky edges, giving a
speckled effect.
The study of the graduations of plumage of almost any brightly colored
male bird from its first clothing until the perfectly matured feather of its
breeding season, is, in itself, a science and a subject about which there are
many theories and differences of opinion by equally distinguished men.
The food of the nestling Bluebird is insectivorous, or, rather,
to be more exact, I should say animal; but the adult birds
vary their diet at all seasons by eating berries and small fruits.
In autumn and early winter, cedar and honeysuckle berries, the grape-like
cluster of fruit of the poison ivy, bittersweet and catbrier berries are all con-
sumed according to their needs.
Professor Beal, of the Department of Agriculture, writes, after a pro-
longed study, that 76 per cent of the Bluebird’s food “consists of insects
and their allies, while the other 24 per cent is made up of various vegetable
substances, found mostly in stomachs taken in winter. Beetles constitute
28 per cent of the whole food, grasshoppers 22, caterpillars 11, and vari-
ous insects, including quite a number of spiders, comprise the remainder of
the insect diet. All these are more or less harmful, except a few predaceous
beetles, which amount to 8 per cent, but in view of the large consumption
of grasshoppers and caterpillars, we can at least condone this offense, if such
it may be called. The destruction of grasshoppers is very noticeable in the
months of August and September, when these insects form more than 60
per cent of the diet.”
It is not easy to tempt Bluebirds to an artificial feeding-place, such as I
keep supplied with food for Juncos, Chickadees, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches,
Jays, etc.; though in winter they will eat dried currants and make their
own selection from mill sweepings if scattered about the trees of their
haunts. For, above all things, the Bluebird, though friendly and seeking
the borderland between the wild and the tame, never becomes familiar, and
never does he lose the half-remote individuality that is one of his great
charms. Though he lives with us and gives no sign of pride of birth or race,
he is not of us, as the Song Sparrow, Chippy or even the easily alarmed
Robin. The poet’s mantle envelops him even as the apple-blossoms throw
a rosy mist about his doorway, and it is best so.
The Food of
the Bluebird
THE BLUEBIRDS
1. EASTERN BLuesirD (Sialia sialis)
Adult male.—Length 7 inches. Upper parts, wings and tail bright blue; breast and
sides rusty, reddish brown, belly white. Adult female.—Similar to the male, but upper
parts, except the upper tail coverts, duller, gray or brownish blue, the breast and sides
The Bluebird 51
paler. Nestling.—Wings and tail essentially like those of adult, upper parts dark sooty
brown, the back spotted with whitish; below, whitish, but the feathers of the breast and
sides widely margined with brown, producing a spotted appearance. This plumage is soon
followed by the fall or winter plumage, in which the blue feathers of the back are fringed
with rusty, and young and old birds are then alike in color.
Range.—Eastern United States west to the Rocky Mountains; nests from the Gulf
States to Manitoba and Nova Scotia; winters from southern New England southward.
1a. AzuRE BLueirp (Sialia sialis azurea)
Similar to the Eastern Bluebird, but breast paler, upper parts lighter, more cerulean
blue.
Range.—Mountains of eastern Mexico north to southern Arizona.
2. WESTERN BLueBirD (Sialia mexicana occidentalis )
Adult male.— Above deep blue, the foreback in part chestnut; throat blue, breast and
sides chestnut, the belly bluish grayish. Adult female.—Above grayish blue, chestnut of
back faintly indicated, throat grayish blue, breast rusty, paler than in male, belly grayish.
Range.—Pacific coast region from northern Lower California north to British Columbia,
east to Nevada.
2a, CHESTNUT-BACKED BLUEBIRD (Salia mexicana bairdi)
Similar to the Western Bluebird, but foreback wholly chestnut. (See plate. )
Range.—Rocky Mountain region from Mexico north to Wyoming.
2b. SAN PEDRO BLUEBIRD (Sialia mexicana anabela)
Similar to the Western Bluebird, but back with less chestnut.
Range.—San Pedro Martir mountains, Lower California.
3. Mountain BLuesirD (Sialia arctica)
Adult male.—A\most wholly blue, above beautiful cerulean, below paler, belly whit-
ish. Adult female.—Above brownish gray, upper tail coverts, wings and tail bluish,
below pale fawn, belly whitish.
Range.—Western United States from Rocky Mountains to Sierras, and from New
Mexico north to the Great Slave Lake region.
Questions for Teachers and Students
How many kinds of Bluebirds are there? Trace their distribution on the map. How
do they differ from one another? How far north does the Eastern Bluebird remain in
winter? Are the Bluebirds we see in winter the same individuals that spend the summer
with us? When dothe Bluebirds begin to migrate northward? Do they travel singly or
in flocks? Which sex comes first? When do the Bluebirds begin to nest? Where do they
place their nests? Of what is the nest composed? Do both male and female build? How
many eggs are laid? What color are they? Do Bluebirds raise more than one family in a
season? What does the Bluebird look like when he leaves the nest? What do Bluebirds
eat?
The Audubon Docieties
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
Membership in the National Association
$5.00 paid annually constitutes a person a Sustaining
ember
$100.00 paid at one time constitutes a Life Membership
$1,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Patron
$5,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Founder
$25,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Benefactor
FORM OF BEQUEST
I do hereby give and. bequeath to THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON SOCIE-
TIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD Birps
AND ANIMALS (Incorporated), of the City of
New York,
New Year’s Greeting
The President wishes every member of the
Association and all others who are inter-
ested in the subject of bird and game pro-
tection a Happy and Prosperous New Year,
and, at the same time, asks for their active
cooperation in the work of our Society. They
can give it in many ways, one of the most
valuable of which is to encourage others to
join the important economic movement we
are carrying on.
The whole trend of the public mind just
now seems to be toward a more intelligent
consideration of the value of wild birds and
animals. A great deal of this sentiment can
be attributed to the active campaign made
by the Audubon Societies during the past
decade. This is progress which must be
continued. It is a change in public senti-
ment which cannot be expressed in more
beautiful words than the following:
“TI see the hearts of men go out, in new
love and care and understanding, to the
beasts of the field and to the birds of the air;
and in all these I see the mind of the Son of
Man and the power of the Will Eternal.”
About Investments
The Association has received from the
Albert Willcox legacy the sum of $256,078.
The Finance Committee have invested $245, -
500 in first mortgages on property in the
City of New York, and the balance of $10, -
578, which has only recently been paid into
the treasury, will be invested as soon as a
satisfactory loan can be found.
The Finance Committee never loan more
than two-thirds of the appraised value of a
property, the valuation being made by the
firm of Douglas Robinson, Brown & Co.,
of New York, one of the most conserva-
tive real estate firms in the city; further,
a Title Guarantee Company’s insurance
policy is also taken, guaranteeing the title,
so that our investments are conservative and
safe and earn five per cent interest, free of
taxes. .
Another member of this Society, lately
deceased, who in life contributed twenty-
five dollars annually to the work of the
Association, left it a legacy of five hundred
Dollars, thus continuing his contribution in
perpetuity.
Reservation News
Warden Kroegel, in charge of Pelican
Island, Florida, sends us frequent and in-
teresting reports regarding the condition of
the birds there. He writes that the first
Pelican eggs were found about November
1, almost a month ahead of the date in
1905. On November 15, there were nearly
one thousand nests with eggs in them and
about five thousand birds on the island, and
nest- building was still going on. He adds, it
looks as though the island would be full this
season. On December 12, he reports that
the first birds were hatched the day before,
that not many were out yet, but the island is
very well filled up with nests.
(52)
ee
The Audubon Societies 53
During the recent marked fall in temper-
ature throughout the South, when thin ice
was made during two mornings at Pelican
Island, Warden Kroegel reports that about
one hundred and fifty young Pelicans,
mostly birds just hatched, perished as the
result of the freezing. On December 31, the
largest of the young Pelicans were beginning
to show wing-feathers; the cold did not
seem to hurt birds of this size at all. He
estimates that there are two thousand young
birds upon the reservation at this date. All
of the above shows the remarkable results
that can be achieved by perfect protec-
tion.
At the Breton Island and Audubon Res-
ervation, Louisiana, great changes have
taken place. During the hurricane in Sep-
tember last, one of the Jargest islands in the
reservation, Grand Cochere, which was a
sand and shell heap, but an admirable
breeding place for Terns, was entirely ob-
literated, washed away, so that the birds
will have to seek another breeding place
during the next season. The same storm
carried away our house of refuge on Breton
Island, and every sign we had upon the
entire reservation. The largest island in the
reservation, Breton, was infested with musk-
rats and raccoons, but the hurricane and
consequent high tides swept over the island
completely and every vestige of animal life
was destroyed. This will make it an ad-
mirable breeding ground for the Terns, as
there will be no mammals to destroy the
young birds or eggs.
The reservation covers about seven hun-
dred square miles of territory, in a part of
the Gulf subject to violent storms; therefore,
it has been deemed necessary for the safety
of our wardens, and in order that they
may patrol the territory more rapidly, to
furnish them with a seaworthy boat. An
order has been given for a boat forty-five
feet long, fourteen feet beam, schooner-
rigged, with an auxiliary engine of eighteen
horse-power. It will have accommodations
for four men and will be used exclusively
for patroling this large reservation, which
undoubtedly will in time become one of the
most wonderful of the bird-breeding grounds
in the western hemisphere. Warden Sprin-
kle reports large numbers of Royal and Fos-
ter’s Terns on the reservation as late as De-
cember 4, Black Skimmers December 9,
and Common Terns and Laughing Gulls
December 29. Wild birds soon discover
where they are not interfered with or an-
noyed, and remain there.
Legislation
The year 1907 bids fair to be one of the
most active legislative seasons ever experi-
enced by this Association, as will be seen
by the following outline of legislative work :
ALABAMA.—A bill of the most advanced
character has been introduced. It embraces
the Model Law and the following features:
Short open seasons for game and birds; non-
sale ; non-export ; establishment of a game
commission ; non-resident, alien and resi-
dent hunting licenses. A large amount of
educational work has been done and every
possible aid has been given to the Honor-
able John H. Wallace, Jr., who has taken
charge of the bill. Vice-President Palmer
visited the Alabama legislature for the pur-
pose of fully explaining and advocating the
bill.
CALIFORNIA.— This state is a hotbed, at
the present time, of legislative activity, and
there will undoubtedly be many important
and drastic changes made. Secretary Way,
of the California Audubon Society, is devot-
ing a great deal of time and energy to this
important work,
Mrs. Alice L. Park, Chairman, Humane
Education Committee of the California Fed-
eration of Women’s Clubs, has introduced
in the legislature a bill to establish Bird Day
in the schools. Mrs. Park, two years since,
introduced a similar bill which was passed
by both houses of the legislature, but unfor-
tunately it did not receive the Governor’s
signature, and therefore Bird Day in the
schools had to be postponed two years and
the work has all to be done over again.
This shows that a woman, when she.knows
she is right, and is serving the public, is
not apt to be discouraged but continues the
fight until she is finally successful.
54 Bird -
ConnecTicuT.—An attempt will be made
to change the open season for wild fowl and
shore-birds from late in the spring until
January 1. A great deal of preliminary
work has been done ta help accomplish this
very greatly desired result.
Iowa.— Mr. George A. Lincoln, State
Fish and Game Warden, has introduced in
the legislature a resident hunting license
bill in order to make the game commission
of his state self-supporting. In this con-
nection it may be stated that the benefits
derived from the hunter’s-license Jaw are
becoming better appreciated every day, and
it will certainly be only a few years before
every state shall have adopted this wise
provision.
MassACHUSETTS.—Mr. -George W, Field,
President of the Fish and Game Commis-
sion, has introduced a bill to “authorize the
Commission to take certainunimproved lands
upon the island of Martha’s Vineyard.”
This is for the purpose of making firestops
in order to protect the feeding and breeding
grounds of Pinnated Grouse, or Heath-hen,
nd otherwise secure the maintenance of these
birds or of any other species of wild birds
upon the said island.
A strong effort will also be made torepeal
the law permitting the killing of Herring
Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls in
Massachusetts, which is the only state in the
country that does not protect these two sea-
birds; and every bird-lover in Massachusetts
should make it his first duty, after reading
this notice, to write a strong letter to his
representative in the legislature, urging
that the present law shall be repealed.
It is known that the Game Commission
of Maine has written to the Game Commis-
sion of Massachusetts protesting against the
present Gull law in the latter state, on the
ground that it is an injustice and a violation
of the comity of states for Massachusetts to
permit the killing of migratory birds which
Maine is making special efforts to protect.
MissourI.—The conditions in this state
are very interesting. Two years ago, the
Honorable H. R. Walmsley succeeded, af-
Lore
ter strenuous work, in passing what is known
as the Audubon Bill. This law prohibits
the sale of game in Missouri and it also em-
braces the Model Law feature. St. Louis
has always been one of the greatest selling
and distributing points for game in the West, .
and the enforcement of the present law has
restricted the business of the game dealers
to such a degree that they are determined to
repeal the whole law if possible, and, if not,
that portion of it relating tothe sale of game.
It is reported that one game dealer spent
$2,000 to prevent the reélection of Mr.
Walmsley to the legislature, which he was
successful in doing. However, Mr. Walms-
ley cannot be prevented from taking an ac-
tive part in defending the present excellent
law of Missouri, notwithstanding he is not
a member of the legislature.
The fight in the legislatures of Missouri
and Texas this year is probably the initial
step in a campaign that is necessary to pre-
vent the total disappearance of the game-
birds of this country, including, among them,
water-fowl and shore-birds. If the sale of
game is not totally abolished it is only a
question of time, and probably a very short
time, before there will be no game to protect
or sell; and it is the duty of the public, es-
pecially those who love wild-life, to see that
this question is settled once for all, not only
in Missouri and Texas, but throughout the
whole of North America.
On the one hand, the sale of game can be
permitted for the benefit of a limited class of
people, i. e., market-hunters, game dealers,
and a few high-priced restaurants and
hotels. On the other hand, the game-birds
can be protected and perpetuated for the
enjoyment of an exceedingly large class of
persons who prefer the live bird in its natu-
ral surroundings and also for the benefit
of a still larger class of persons, known as
agriculturists, to whom birds of all kinds
are of great economic value.
New HaAmpsHIRE.— Following the sugges-
tion made in the last annual report, it is
probable that a bill will be introduced by
Commissioner Nathaniel Wentworth, to
establish a close season of ten years on the
Upland Plover and the Wood Duck. The
The Audubon Societies 55
Commissioner “thinks that it will be easy
to pass such a bill, as the sentiment of the
people is changing remarkably on the sub-
ject.”
New Jersey.—President Benjamin P. Mor-
tis, of the New Jersey Game Commission,
in his excellent report to the Governor and
legislature of the state, advocates very
strongly the abolishment of spring wild-fowl
and snipe shooting and also the adoption of
the resident hunter’s license Jaw. His impor-
tant recommendations will undoubtedly be
acted upon, and this Association, of course,
will do all that it can to help in this impor-
tant matter..
The fact that in Connecticut and New
Jersey, wild fowl can be shot after the first
of January, has always been one of the
strongest arguments brought by the Long
Island duck shooters for the repeal of the
New York law, and it is very pleasing
indeed to know that the Game Commissions
of New Jersey and Connecticut are both
strongly in favor of having a wild-fowl law
in their states, similar to the one in New
York, because they realize that spring shoot-
ing is one of the greatest causes for the
diminution of wild fowl, second only to
market-shooting and sale.
New Mexico.—Mr. W. E. Griffin, Game
and Fish Warden, has agreed to introduce
our Model Law at the present session of the
legislature, and he writes: “ From the present
outlook, I believe little difficulty will be
experienced in passing not only your bird
law, but also a comprehensive game law.”
New York StatTe.—T he battle in this state
has not yet taken form, as the legislature has
just commenced its session and it is too
early to get an idea of what game bills will
be introduced. There are many important
changes that should be made in the present
law; in-fact, a complete revision of the mass
of contradictory provisions in the New York
law should be made. The proper way to
do this would be for Governor Hughes to
establish a commission to revise the entire
game law; one member of the commission
should be an ornithologist of national stand-
ing, to look after the interest of birds and
game.
NorTH CaROLInA.— This is also one of the
hotbeds of game legislation. The residents
of certain of the counties on the coast where,
for years, one of the industries has been killing
Ducks for market, are determined to abolish
the Audubon Society of North Carolina, or,
if that is not possible, to remove all restric-
tions from some of the coast counties so the
gunners may continue their market-shooting.
It is the same old question whether the assets
of a commonwealth, that belong to.all the
people, shall be confiscated and used by a
very limited class.
Secretary Pearson recently visited Asheville
and gave two public lectures. A_ local
branch of the Audubon Society was formed,
with 155 members. Asheville is the largest
health-resort of the southern Appalachian
mountains and is an important point for
bird-protection work. Mr. George J. Gould
has just agreed to contribute the sum of $500
per year to help carry on warden work in
this state, in which he has large property
interests. It is fortunate that our secretary
who has charge of the work in this district
is young, strong and full of enthusiasm; for
he needs every one of these qualities to suc-
cessfully conduct the campaign that is now
on, not only in his own state, but in the
other six states under his supervision.
In this connection, it is of interest to call
the attent‘on of our members to the growth
of Association work. Five years ago, one
man, with the aid of a stenographer a portion
of the time, could do all the work. Today
the Association has at its main office, in
New York, a staff of four assistants; the
southern office at Greensboro, North Caro-
lina, which is managed by our secretary,
has a clerical staff of two. In addition, Mr.
‘Edward Howe Forbush, late ornithologist
of the Board of Agriculture of the State of
Massachusetts, devotes his entire time to lec-
turing, organizing and getting new mem-
bers for the Association in the New England
states. The services of a lecturer and organ-
izer for the states of Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, eastern Texas and Arkansas
will shortly be secured. The foregoing will
56
give some idea of the expansion of the
work of the National Association.
SouTH CaROoLiNA.—Mr. Pearson will in-
troduce a bill in the legislature, similar to
the law in force in North Carolina, incor-
porating an Audubon Society in the state
with all the powers of a game commission.
From present appearances there is no doubt
of the passage ofthe bill, as there is a grow-
ing interest in the state for bird and game
protection.
Tue Daxortas.—In both of the Dakotas
bills of the most advanced character will be
considered by the legislature. It is a matter
of interest to the members of this Associa-
tion to know that+in nearly every instance
when bills are introduced in any part of the
United States, they are, when in prepa-
ration, submitted to the National Associ-
ation for suggestions or revision. This gives
an opportunity for the Association to recom-
mend the adoption of the several fundamental
planks in the platform of the National
Association, which are, non-sale of game,
the abolishment of all spring shooting, and
resident and non-resident licenses for every
one who uses a gun.
PENNSYLVANIA.—It is reported that an at-
tempt will be made to make an open season
on the Flicker. This effort will be made by
a few persons living in one of the smallest
counties in the state, who wish the privilege
of killing this beautiful and very beneficial
bird. In order to secure this privilege, pro-
tection must be removed from the bird in
the whole state thirty days in the year, the
time selected being in the fall, when the
birds are migrating and are the most numer-
ous. This is another one of the instances
where a few individuals desire to take, for
their personal pleasure and benefit, public
property that every other individual in the
state wishes preserved. The two Audubon
Societies in Pennsylvania and the John
Burroughs Society will have to see that this
bill is killed, should it be introduced.
Texas.—The present bird and game law
in this state is excellent, and it was retained
Bird -
Lore
on the statute books largely by the work of
Captain M. B. Davis, secretary of the
Audubon Society, aided by the best sports-
men in the state, whose combined efforts
prevented its repeal in 1905. It is likely that
another attempt will be made to repeal this
law during the present session of the legis-
lature, and this Association is making a
strong effort to maintain the integrity of the
law and at the same time to strengthen it by
establishing a game commission and also by
having the resident, non-resident and alien
hunter’s license law passed.
There are a few men in Texas who make
large sums of money every year by dealing
in wild fowl. They are associated with the
game dealers in St. Louis, Chicago, New
York and other game-distributing centers.
These are the men who are opposed to the
present law and are trying to secure its
repeal.
This Association has been making some
investigations regarding wild-fowl condi-
tions on the coast of Texas, and our repre-
sentative finds a condition of affairs that is
simply an outrage. On one occasion, at a
railroad station, two market-hunters came
in from the marshes with 205 Ducks, the
result of that day’s hunt. In a conversation,
the hunter told our representative that he
had hunted for market for sixteen years,
going out every day except Sundays, while
the Ducks were there, and doing nothing the
balance of the year. He told of the diminu-
tion of water-fowl, and added, * There is no
doubt but that they will be entirely extermi-
nated within the next few years unless some-
thing is done to preserve them.”
At another station, he found men who
made a business of hiring gunners to shoot
for them, to whom they supplied ammuni-
tion and guns and paid so much apiece for
wild fowl which were shipped to Chicago
and other places, contrary to the Texas non-
export law. Our representative also learned
that the gunners are afraid to send their
water-fowl to the distributing points by
railroad and, therefore, send them by small
coasting vessels. On one of these boats he
saw an ice-box six feet long by four feet
wide and three feet high, which was filled
with Ducks at the time he inspected it, the
The Audubon Societies 57
number of which he estimated to be in excess
of one thousand. This boat makes an aver-
age of one trip a week from the time the
Ducks first arrive until the day the last one
leaves for the North in the spring. Market
shooting is illegal in Texas, but is carried
on because the game dealers of St. Louis,
Chicago, New York and other places get
from the high-priced restaurants and hotels
big prices for these birds. Every year the
price of game increases, because the number
of birds decrease. When the sportsmen of
the country wake up to the fact that the next
generation will not have any game-birds,
they will probably be willing to join with
the nature-lovers to stop the sale of all game
and also to stop the killing of any game-
birds after the first day of January.
This Association will have two active,
intelligent, earnest workers represent it at
the capital of Texas to prevent, if possible,
the repeal of the present law, which neces-
sarily compels the market-hunter to work
secretly and gives them a great deal of what
they consider, unnecessary trouble in ship-
ping their illegal goods. We also hope to
establish a game commission in Texas in
order that the law may be enforced, and to
have every man who uses a gun secure a
hunter’s license.
VermMontT.—Eternal vigilance is the price
of safety for birds, and it is not prudent for
‘the Audubon Societies to relax their watch-
fulness for a moment during the legislative
season. In Vermont, a single fruit-grower
thought he had cause for complaint against
the Cedar Waxwing for eating his cherries.
Without any thought of the results of his
action, he sought relief for his fancied loss
by an attempt to have protection removed by
legislation from all the Waxwings in the
state. By concerted action on the part of
the Vermont Audubon Society and the good
sense of the majority of the members of the
legislature, the bill was defeated. It came
up a second time in a modified form, i. e.,
that a fruit-grower might claim damages
from the state on presenting proof that he
had been damaged by Waxwings. It was
not a difficult matter to show the members
of the legislature that it would be practi-
cally impossible for any fruit-grower to
furnish reliable evidence of damage. The
mere fact that Waxwings were seen in a
fruit tree would not be evidence that could
be accepted by the state officials. The only
evidence worthy of credence would be an
examination of the stomach contents of the
bird made by an expert. Such evidence it
would be impossible for the complainant to
furnish. The second bill was also defeated.
In this connection the testimony of Mr.
William Brewster, of Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts, regarding the food habits of the
Waxwings, is of great value and interest.
There is no ornithologist in this country
whose statements regarding the habits of
birds have greater weight than those of Mr.
Brewster, as he never gives an opinion unless
it has been carefully weighed and is the
result of long personal and exceedingly
careful observation. Ina recent letter to the
National Association, he gives his views re-
garding the food of the Waxwings, as fol-
lows:
“IT am convinced, by an experience of
more than forty years, that the harm done in
the East to small-fruit crops by Robins,
Cat-birds and Cedar-birds has been greatly
exaggerated. Where those fruits are grown
in any quantity, the loss caused by the birds
just mentioned is very trifling. My father
used to maintain that the best way to deal
with the birds was to furnish enough extra
fruit to supply their wants and to allow them
to eat it undisturbed. I have long acted
on this principle and with perfectly satis-
factory results. In my garden in Cam-
bridge, six cherry trees have furnished us
with more fruit each season than our family
and friends have been able to use, both fresh
and for preserving. Yet the swarms of
Robins and the more or Jess numerous Cedar-
birds, which visit these trees at all hours of
the day, when the fruit is ripe, are never
disturbed at their repasts.
* At Concord, where I have been culti-
vating a variety of fruit and berries for the
past six years, I had much trouble at first
because I did not allow sufficiently for the
depredations of the squirrels (gray, red
and ground squirrels), which, being care-
fully protected, were numerous and bold;
58 | Bird -
but by the simple and inexpensive expedient
of increasing the number of fruit-bearing
plants of every kind, I was soon able to
supply the birds and squirrels with all the
food of this kind that they cared for and to
obtain for myself more than two families
could use. I am quite aware that there are
men in New England who grow such
small fruits as cherries, raspberries and
strawberries on a large scale for the markets,
and who claim that the Robins, Catbirds
and Cedar-birds cause them very heavy
losses. I do not believe such assertions, for
whenever I have investigated them I have
found that they were practically without
foundation. The man who has fifty cherry
trees, or half an acre of strawberries or rasp-
berries, has nothing to fear from either birds
or squirrels; he who has only one or two
cherry trees or only a few square yards
devoted to strawberries is likely to lose
almost his entire crop unless he protects his
trees and plants by netting, which is not a
difficult or expensive matter.
“Of our native birds, the Robin unques-
tionably does the most damage to small
fruits, partly because of his greater abun-
dance, than any of the other fruit-eating
species and also because he spoils many a
fine berry by pecking into it. The English
Sparrow is still more destructive in this way.
The Cedar-bird is seldom numerous enough
to do much harm, and he never, as far as I
have observed, mutilates cherries or other
fruit which he does not eat. I have talked
with other fruit-growers in eastern Massa-
chusetts, and they agree that there is no
serious loss from Cedar-birds. When the
elm-leaf beetles first arrived in Cambridge,
four or five years ago, the Cedar-birds
assembled to prey on their larve and were
of much service in this way.”
Pacific IsLANDs.—Mr. William Alanson
Bryan, the Honolulu representative of this
Association, in a late letter states that “I
hear of no further poaching in the outlying
islands.” How important and pleasing this
information is, and how great the change
from the conditions that obtained a few
years since, can best be understood by a com-
parison with the following account of the
Lore
conditions that existed in 1902, at Midway
Islands*; “August 21, 1902, we reached
Sand, the larger of the two islets of the Mid-
way group. We found no signs of recent
occupants, other than the cast-off garments
of the colony of Japanese bird-poachers, to
whose work of destruction I shall later
refer. Everywhere on Eastern Island great
heaps, waist-high of dead Albatrosses ( Dio-
medea immutabilis) Gooney, and Black-
footed Albatrosses (Diomedea nigripes) were
found. Thousands upon thousands of both
species had been killed with clubs, the wing
and breast feathers stripped off to be sold as
hat trimmings, or for other purposes, and the
carcasses thrown in heaps to rot. After my
acquaintance with the colony of bird pirates
on Marcus Island, it was but too apparent
that a similar gang had been in full opera-
tion at Midway not many months prior to
our visit, and that they had worked sad
havoc among the birds there, in spite of the
severe warning which had been given by
Captain Niblack, of the Iroquois, to a party
similarly engaged the season before. The
work of exterminating the Midway colony
was surely well under way, and I was con-
vinced that unless something definite was
done, and that at once, to prevent such wan-
ton destruction, before long this colony of
Albatrosses, as doubtless all those on the
low, outlying islands, would be wiped out
precisely as the one on Marcus Island had
been,
“On my return to Honolulu I took the
matter up with the proper officials in Wash-
ington, among others addressing a letter to
the Chief Executive, ‘with the result that the
subject was brought to the attention of the
various cabinet officers. concerned. With
the cooperation of Dr. Palmer, of the United
States Biological Survey, together with the
energetic services of Mr. William Dutcher,
President of the Audubon Societies, to whom
the whole matter of bird protection for the
Pacific has been presented in person by the.
writer, most satisfactory results have been’
obtained. A naval vessel will, in the future,
*Report of a visit to Midway Island by William Alan-
son Bryan. Extracted from Director's Annual Report,
1905, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu. Also,
see BIRD-LORE, Vol. VII, 1905, p. 301.
The Audubon Societies. 59
make at least two patrol trips each year to
the outlying islands of the Hawaiian group ©
to break up or prevent further depredations.
The officers and men stationed on Midway
have strict orders to protect the bird colonies
there. The fishing rights to certain of the
outlying islands will be let only by the Ter-
ritory, with special clauses protecting the
bird colonies thereon; while the Japanese
government will, in future, refuse to allow
predatory hunting and fishing vessels to leave
Japanese ports.”
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.— A valued correspon-
dent, who is an officer of the United States
Army, writes of the bird conditions in the
Philippines as follows: “As far as bird
destruction is concerned in these islands, I
think there is practically or even absolutely
none; for this there are many reasons. To
possess a firearm of any kind one must have a
special license obtainable only from Manila.
Wild birds or any part of them are not used,
as far as I have ever observed, by the natives
for any purpose whatever. No native has
energy enough to hunt for pleasure, even if he
should have a gun. There is no tendency or
capacity among the natives to take up any
new industry. Hemp, rice, tobacco, sugar,
fish, —nothing else practically. They never
indulge in sport, as we understand it, except
_cock-fighting and a little introduced horse-
racing. There are very few foreigners out-
side the big cities, and they are nearly all
agents of the hemp, rice and tobacco houses,
etc. I doubt whether a commercial skin has
ever been shipped.”
Mr. Richard C. McGregor, of the Philip-
pine Bureau of Science, Manila, confirms
the above opinion in the following words:
“TI think there are very few birds destroyed
here; with the very rigid law on firearms, it
is not probable that many species of birds
will be hard pressed.”
Notes and News
Piume Saces.*—Bird- of - Paradise skins
and ‘Osprey’ feathers were again in large sup-
ply at the Commercial Salerooms on October
*From ‘Bird Notes and News,’ Vol. 2, No. 4, 1906,
London, England.
16, over 5,700 of the former being catalogued
and nearly all sold. Of ‘Osprey’ feathers
there were 485 packages, described as East
Indian, Rangoon, Chinese, Venezuelan, Bra-
zilian and Senegal; “short selected” reached
as much as £8 per oz., “mixed heron” went
as low as 444d. and 6%d. The miscellane-
ous bird skins were almost all South
American. Forty cases of quills included
wing-quills of Pelicans, Swans, Albatrosses,
Eagles, Hawks, etc., and tail-feathers of
Buzzards and other birds of prey. At the
sale on December 11, there were offered
about 3,600 Birds-of- Paradise, 265 packages
of ‘Osprey’ feathers, and 5,278 wing-quills
of various birds. The miscellaneous skins,
etc., included a very large number of heads
of the Crowned Pigeon.
CaGE-Birps.—Occasionally dealers think
that the vigilance of the National Associa-
tion is relaxed in respect to cage-birds. Re-
cently some dealers in Philadelphia thought
it would be safe to offer for sale Cardinals
and Mockingbirds. This was called to the
attention of the Pennsylvania Game Com-
mission, who promptly arraigned three
dealers, two of whom paid fines, while the
third has been foolish enough to appeal from
the decision of the lower court.
EpUCATIONAL LEAFLETS.—T here is a con-
stantly increasing demand for our educa-
tional leaflets, which is not entirely confined
to the United States. A request was received
from N. Gest Gee, Soochow University, Soo-
chow, China, and also from Mr. C. C.
James, Deputy Minister of Agriculture,
Ontario, Canada, who says, “perhaps these
leaflets may be of use in connection with our
school work.” Miss Stebbins, Superintendent
of Nature Work in the schools of Spring-
field, Mass., writes: “Your leaflets have
been examined. They contain much of the
information which I have found it rather dif-
ficult to put into the hands of my teachers.
There are eleven school buildings, contain-
ing grade VII, in which we are especially
pushing the matter of the economic value of
birds; and we not only could, but should be
delighted to have an opportunity to use your
leaflets there. If you will send full sets to
60
me I will see that they are used in the
schools.”
WitH A CHECK FoR $309.—A friend who
sends us a check for $300 writes: “I am
only too glad to help protect the birds. I
wish every one could realize, as I do, the
damage, the terror, of the insect plagues we
are facing in Massachusetts. It would not
surprise me if in ten years all my spare pen-
nies may have to go to protect my wood-
lands.”
In this connection it may be stated that
the gypsy moth has spread as far as Maine
and also into Connecticut. How long will it
be before this terribly destructive insect will
have spread over a large part of the country
east of the Mississippi. It bids fair to do as
great damage as the boll weevil, which is
steadily marching eastward.
Use For HERRING GuLLs.—Mr. Edward
Hatch, Jr., who employs a special warden
to guard the Gulls breeding on his islands
in Lake Champlain, writes: “I have found
a practical use forthe Gulls: they are the
harbingers of pollution. They do not, and
cannot, live where there is no pollution.
They are the only scavengers Burlington
and Plattsburg have, and they are working
days and nights until the lake freezes over.”
DENMARK. — It is with pleasure that we
note that a bird-protective society, entitled,
**Svalen” (The Swallow), has been estab-
lished in Denmark, The secretary, Lieuten-
ant Colonel L. Nehrn, of Copenhagen,
writes: “At the present time the society
contains 75 circles and 4,000 members dis-
tributed all over Denmark. The aims and
principles of the society are:
“To influence the public generally, by
lectures, and by articles in the newspapers,
and to disseminate information regarding
the economic value of birds.
* To protect the useful birds.
“To discourage the murder of birds in
southern Europe.
* To discourage the purchase and use of
the feathers of any species of birds for orna-
mentation, except those of the Ostrich and
domesticated fowls.
Bird -
Lore
“To set up nesting-boxes and to feed wild
birds in the winter.”
The secretary adds: “The society will
be represented at the Agricultural COURT
in Vienna, in May, 1907.”
MArYLAND.—In this state the Audubon
Society has been reorganized, with new of -
ficers, and it bids fair to be an active, pro-
gressive organization.
Women’s Clubs
The club women of the country are show-
ing a splendid spirit and are doing a great
deal to help the National Association in its
effort to restrict the use of the “White
Badge of Cruelty,” which is sold by the
milliners under the name of “ Aigrette.”
Women of intelligence are unwilling to use
millinery ornaments that can be obtained
only by the sacrifice of life.
At a recent meeting of the Executive Board
of the New York State Federation of Wom-
en’s Clubs, it was determined to recommend
to the State Federation that they should
assist the Audubon Societies in their efforts
to protect the wild birds and animals of the
country. Although similar action was taken
a few years since, yet the recommendation
will be repeated and emphasized at the com-
ing annual meeting.
At the meeting of the Woman’s Club of
Denver, Colorado, January 7, after hearing
an address on the subject of bird protection,
by Professor Felger, the following resolu-
tions were unanimously adopted: “Inas-
much as the destruction of bird life will.
continue regardless of laws as long as the
women of our land persist in wearing bird
feathers for personal decoration; therefore,
be it
* Resolved, Fhat we, the Woman’s Club
of Denver, decry the use of all feathers,
except those of domesticated fowls, for deco-
rative purposes.
“Resolved, That we do hereby tender
our hearty support to the efforts being made
in the United States to discourage the sale
of wild birds’ feathers and to enact and en-
force laws prohibiting the killing of wild
birds for such purposes.”
= Rosin, MALE, 2. Rosin, YOuNG.
Rosin, FEMALE.
Bird= Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Vol. IX MARCH — APRIL, 1907 __ No. 2
The House Finch from an Office Window
By W. H. BERGTOLD, Denver, Colo.
ANY a bird-lover laments, because, in the rush of his busy life, there
M is not more leisure to spend in the meadows, and forests, whither
his bird friends constantly call. Probably he never dreams of study-
ing live birds while at his office desk. We, however, who live in the towns
and cities west of Kansas, have a charming bird with us always, right at our
office windows, which, if it be given the smallest encouragement, is an
unfailing associate and visitor, namely, the House Finch.
The House Finch is quite different, in habits, from its cousin of the East,
the Purple Finch: it prefers to build in and about the haunts of man, on the
points of vantage on houses and other buildings, and is perfectly at home
on the large buildings in the center of a large busy city, remaining with us
in the city the year round, and singing with sweetness and vigor all the
warmer months, it even bursts into song on bright and warm days during
the winter. This bird is a favorite with every one in Denver, and many
people feed it during the colder months, but, strange as it may seem to our
Eastern friends, the matter of drinking-water is a question more difficult
for the Finch to solve in cold weather than is that of food. In this dry
climate, where it scarcely ever rains in the winter, a season when at most
there is but scant precipitation which usually dries promptly, the Finches
find very little water left in the streets, on the roofs, or in the eave drains,
and, too, this little is very often frozen, pressing the birds hard to find a
drinking place.
The writer has, for some years past, kept a shallow pan filled with water,
fastened to one of his office window-sills; this office is in a building located
in the heart of Denver, surrounded by other high structures, and on the
top (fifth) floor, the windows facing south and west. During freezing
weather this pan is kept thawed with hot water; the Finches come to this
little drinking-dish by dozens and dozens every day in the year, and chatter
and dispute over precedence in taking a drink, like any diplomat at a presi-
dential reception. Those about this office have learned that the quietly
62 Bird - Lore
moving office occupants mean them no harm, and so do not cover their
individuality by timidity. It is fascinating, and often not conducive to
unbroken attention to work, to have these pretty little things about, to
watch the individual character, and to learn that each is really aclittle differ-
ent from the other. The bright males, their crimson heads flashing in.the
brilliant sunshine, are not one whit more interesting or attractive than their
sober-colored mates.
Early last spring a male, which had met with some accident that had
scraped off all the feathers of its left forehead, came daily, the shabby head
HOUSE FINCH AT DR. BERGTOLD’S WINDOW
Photographed by W. H. Bergtold
marking it for personal identification, so that we soon learned of its fearless-
ness, and through it we were able to determine definitely that the same bird
came for a drink several times a day. It was also noticed taking a bath
several times, scattering the water far into the office. And if the day were
very cold it would at times come into the room to sit on the slightly warmed
radiator near the open window. Most of the Finches, however, do not
come into the room, but show appreciation on cold days, of the warm out-
going air by sitting on the sill, backs to the current, puffed up like little
The House Finch from an Office Window 63
wool balls, but still watching in a sleepy manner for danger. Some are quite
timid, flying from the sill at the least noise, or motion, taking a drink only
after many seconds’ examination in all directions of the bird horizon. If the
awning above shake or be blown sharply, off they go like a flash. Some
drop on to the sill promptly, but show the least little hesitation in taking a
drink; most of the birds have learned, it is pleasant to say, that this perma-
nent water has no dangers, and alight at once, take a drink, and are off
again without haste.
Three or four dips into the water is an ordinary drink, though one bird
has been observed to dip its beak eleven times before being satisfied. The
~
sai " Le |
, - aS a > ‘
, ee SS
HOUSE FINCH RETAINING BALANCE BY USE OF ONE WING
Photographed in Denver by W.H. Fisher. Courtesy of ‘The Auk’
nests are located somewhere about these high buildings, and when the
young first fly they often flutter from the higher neighboring roofs to
our windows below, and, by chance, a number have landed at this drinking
window; lingering here for a while they would be fed, and then venture on
another flight into the great unknown world. One little fellow was seen to
take a drink, a first drink it appeared from its actions. It stood unsteadily
on the dish edge, and looked and looked and looked into the water, making
a motion as if to drink, but still uncertain. Then it touched the water
timidly, and again, and again, and then a long dip, and more. Perhaps
it was the same youngster that was watched taking its first bath, a perfor-
mance of timidity, uncertainty, hesitation, a sudden resolution, a plunge,
64 Bird - Lore
and an astonished retreat to shore, to be repeated over and over again
for the next few minutes.
These birds are good company and most welcome to roost in the folded
window awnings these winter nights; they usually get ready to retire for the
night about half an hour before sunset, and creep in and out of the canvas
like Wrens. One can tell-when they are nearly ready to go to bed, as
they come in large numbers to drink before settling down for the night.
There came to the water last spring, for a while, a female with only one
leg; it was in excellent plumage and flesh, but had difficulty in getting down
to the water, though the surface was but little below the pan edge, its one
leg being insufficient to steadily and surely lower and raise its body. We
felt that an acquaintance was gone when, after a few calls, it returned no
more. The writer’s desk is within three feet of the water-dish; the birds
drink fearlessly while they are being watched, and the charm of close
acquaintance enhances the opportunity of studying every detail of color,
hang of wing, attitude of legs and tail in alighting, hopping and drink-
ing. And, too, the many different notes of alarm, companionship, encour-
agement, notes of discovery and anger are given clarity of identification
by the closeness of observation; in fact, nothing can surpass the complete-
ness of this way of learning bird character. They are often so close
that one is reminded by their tiny, glistening black eyes, of Shakes-
peare’s keen powers of observation when he makes Imogen say:
“ But if there be yet left in heaven as small a drop of pity
As a Wren’s eye.” -(Cymb. 1V-2)
YOUNG GREEN HERONS
Bird Clubs in America'
III. The Maine Ornithological Society
By J. MERTON SWAIN, Secretary-Treasurer.
HE association known as ‘ The United Ornithologists of Maine’ was
oF. founded by Stephen J. Adams, of Cornish, Maine, January 1, 1893.
It was conducted for two years as a correspondence society without
officers. During this period an attempt was made at organization, and a
constitution was drafted; but, owing to the unsatisfactory results of the
correspondence method and to certain contentions that arose, the idea was
abandoned.
Increased interest, however, in the subject of ornithology in the autumn
of 1894 warranted a second trial. Another constitution was drafted January
I, 1895, and a permanent organization was effected by the election of the
following officers:
President, Stephen J. Adams, Cornish, Maine; vice-president, Charles
B. Wilson, Waterville, Maine; secretary, William L. Powers, Gardiner,
Maine; treasurer, Ralph Rockwood, Waterville, Maine.
The charter members were indeed few, as will be seen by the following
list: Stephen J. Adams, William L. Powers, A. P. Larrabee, Ralph Rock-
wood, Charles B. Wilson, Maurice Royal, all of Maine.
It was the plan of the founders to publish a list of all birds that breed in
the state, map their faunal areas, and add a list of migrants. At the close
of 1895 the ranks contained thirty-five members, yet no active work had
been done.
Early in 1896 new officers were elected and the work of the society
began to take a definite shape. The following were chosen officers for
1896:
President, James Carroll Mead, North Bridgton, Maine; vice-presi-
dent, Everett E. Johnson, Lewiston, Maine; secretary and treasurer,
Ora W. Knight, Bangor, Maine.
President Mead at once entered upon a campaign of reform by appoint-
ing Mr. Adams, Mr. Lane and Mr. Powers a committee to revise the con-
‘stitution. Negotiations were entered into with the leading papers of
the state for space in which to publish the transactions, and the ‘Maine
Sportsman,’ a monthly journal, published in Bangor, was decided upon
as the most suitable organ. In the March number of that year there was a
page devoted to our interests, edited by Ora W. Knight, of Bangor,
and each succeeding issue contained a like amount of information, valuable
to the student of ornithology.
In the April number of 1895, the committee on new constitution
1 For Nos. 1 and 2 in this series, see Birp-Lore, IV, 1902, p. 12. ‘The Nuttall Club’
and Ibid., p. 57, The Delaware Valley Club.
(65)
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PLLC WA TPSSUY AA ASSIA «(UONION ‘HY ‘SIN Jayled eng ssiw Alawig *f ‘SOUL Aasiay “S$ °*q SHIVA “AW “SIW
Sdi]I4d “A uvwoys JOUPA “uOsuMOIg “H “MA Sulpineds “gq poly Sta Westy (Sutpurig)
Bird Clubs in America 67
reported their final draft, and in the May number President Mead was able
to report its unanimous adoption by the society.
On December 28-29, 1896, the society held its first annual meeting
in the high school building at Gardiner. The following officers were
elected for 1897: President, A. H. Norton, Westbrook, Maine; vice-
president, Ora W. Knight, | Bangor, Maine; secretary and treasurer,
William L. Powers, Gardiner, Maine; councilors, A. L. Lane, Water-
ville, Maine, and James Carroll Mead, North Bridgton, Maine. Five
new members were elected at this meeting. Previous to this meeting, none
of the members, outside of the Gardiner branch, had ever met.
In the spring of 1897, the hopes and ambitions of the members of
the society were realized in the publication of ‘The Birds of Maine,’
under the able editorship of Ora W. Knight, of Bangor, the list having
been prepared under the auspices of the society. Such was the demand for
this careful and concise work that the supply was soon exhausted.
One of the best and most enthusiastic meetings the society ever held
was its second annual meeting, held in the rooms of the Portland Society of
Natural History, in Portland, December 31, 1897, and January 1, 1898.
All the officers were present and a goodly number of members. Twenty-
nine new members were elected and several valuable scientific papers
were read, among them, one of especial interest, ‘How I Became an
Ornithologist,’ by Hon. George A. Boardman, of Calais (the pioneer
naturalist of the St. Croix valley). These papers were placed in the
hands of Editor Mead for publication in the official organ, ‘The Maine
Sportsman.’ Messrs. Lane, Hitchings and Knight were appointed a
committee to consider a new and appropriate name for the society and
to report at the next meeting. The society, too, voted to make a
special study of a family of birds, by-each member, and make reports at
each annual meeting. At the third annual meeting held in Waterville,
it was voted to change the name of the society to ‘ The Maine Ornitholog-
ical Society’. A proposition made by Mr. Knight to publish the proceedings
of the society separately was accepted, and Clarence H. Morrell, of Pitts-
field, was elected editor, with Mr. Knight as publisher. It was voted to call
the new publication, The Journal of the ‘Maine Ornithological Society.’
To Mr. Powers belongs the honor of suggesting the name of the
society, and to James Carroll Mead for the name adopted for ‘ The Journal.’
The first number of ‘The Journal’ appeared as a quarterly in January,
1899, and the three following numbers, with an average of ten pages, were
well filled with material of much interest to students of Maine birds.
Owing to Mr. Morrell’s ill health, he declined to serve as editor of
Vol. II, and at the fourth annual meeting held in Brunswick, Mr. J.
Merton Swain, of Portland, was elected to succeed Mr. Morrell as editor.
At the completion of Vol. II, Mr. Swain assumed the publication of ‘ The
68 Bird - Lore
Journal’ also. Slowly, but surely, it was enlarged and put on a better pay-
ing basis by increasing the advertising and enlarging the subscription list.
Mr. Swain was reélected for five consecutive years. At the close of Vol.
VI, owing to pressure of business, and the conviction that for that reason he
could not do justice to ‘ The Journal,’ and to the fact that he was chosen
by Mr. Knight to serve on the committee to assist in writing ‘ The Revised
List of the Birds of Maine’, Mr. Swain resigned the office of editor and was
elected secretary and treasurer. Mr. W. H. Brownson, of Portland,
was then elected editor by the society, and under his management ‘ The
Journal’ has continued to improve and increase in value and popularity.
Still greater improvements are in contemplation as fast as a larger list of
members and subscribers can be added. Many papers of interest, relative to
Maine birds, have been published from time to time. In Vol. V, No.
4, a series of papers, ‘ Notes on the Finches Found in Maine,’ by Arthur H.
Norton,.was begun. It was concluded in Vol. VI, No. 3. In Vol. VI,
No. 2, began a series of papers, ‘Contributions to the Life Histories of the
Warblers Found in Maine,’ written by Mr. O. W. Knight and Mr. Swain,
and these are still being published in the current volume. For several years
the members have been making spring and fall migration reports. The
results have been tabulated by Mr. Dana W. Sweet, and published from
time to time in ‘ The Journal.’ The society at once became prominent in the
work of protecting the breeding colonies of sea-birds when the wave of
sentiment swept the whole country to stop the wanton destruction of birds
for plumage io adorn millinery. It at once responded to the call to
assist the A. O. U. committee on protection and the Audubon society
committee, rendering valuable aid. The adoption of the A. O. U. model
bird law by our state legislature was effected through the efforts of
our society.
A BLUEBIRD FAMILY
Clay Bird-Houses and Bird-Baths
By ROBERT W. HEGNER
With photographs from nature by the author
PROBLEM that greets us with the coming of each spring is
A that of attracting the birds to our homes. One of the best magnets
is the artificial nesting site, or bird-house. The most common
bird-house birds are the Wrens and Bluebirds. Whenever possible, the
Bluebird will build in a deserted nest-hole of a Woodpecker or a weather-
worn cavity in a tree. The pair of Bluebirds in the illustration nested
in a Cavity in a fence-post. They had five young almost ready to fly
when the photographs were made.
Wrens nest in similar situations, but will build in bird-houses whenever
possible.
The introduction of manual training and nature study into graded
schools has given a great opportunity to teach the value of birds by
_ means of the bird-houses made by the children. The children at the
School of Education of the University of Chicago studied carefully all
the kinds of birds that are known to nest in artificial sites, and then
(69)
70 Bird- Lore
each one selected the bird for which he
wished to build, and drew his plans
accordingly. In the spring of 1906, these
children, in cooperation with the Chicago
South Park Board, made several hundred
Wren- and Bluebird-houses which were
placed in trees in Jackson and Washing-
ton Parks. A photograph of the child-
ren, each child with his bird-house, about
to start for the park, was published in
the May, 1906, number of the ‘Elemen-
tary School Teacher.’ A new method of
building bird- houses was recently adopted
in the clay-work department of this
school. The children in the sixth grade
modeled them from clay. “They made
them with concave backs, so that they
would fit the trees for which they were
intended and could be fastened easily by
wires. They were baked a brownish color
resembling the trees, as a protection from .
various enemies. Several of the children
wrote the name of the bird they wished
for a tenant in sunken letters on thefront
of their production. One of the finished
efforts is so ingenious as to warrant a
drawing and description. This house is
CLAY. NEST- BOXES
Clay Bird-Houses and Bird-Baths 71
the one in the center of the lower row in the illustration. The builder of it
furnished it with a lid so that the contents could be examined at pleas-
ure. Bird-baths had been under discussion, and this lid was made con-
cave so that the rain would fill it with water. A gutter led from this bath-
tub to a cup of clay built on one side of the structure. This cup
caught the overflow and directed it through a small hole into another
cup on the inside. This made it possible for the bird to drink without leav-
ing the nest. On the other side of the house two other cups were
fastened. The cup outside was for food, which was to be protected by a lid.
The food was to run through a hole into the cup inside as fast as the
“
ie
ce ae
* , te
Say oe .
%
A BIRDS’- BATH
sitting bird desired. I do not know how successful this house has
proven during the two years it has been in use, but it certainly is a model
of modern methods in sanitation.
An accompanying illustration shows an excellent bird-bath. ‘This is the
work of Mrs. W. M. R. French, of Beverly Hills, Illinois. About four feet
from the corner of the veranda of her home there is a connection for
the garden hose. From this an abundant supply of water was obtained and
a bathing pool was built just beneath it. A shallow hole was dug two
feet wide, three feet long, and eight inches deep. This was lined with
small cobblestones laid in cement. The end away from the tap was
made lower than the upper end, and the superfluous water ran down a
slight incline to the roots of a large oak tree, the visiting place of a remark -
able number of birds at all times of the year. Every day throughout
the summer a swift stream of water was turned on which effectually
cleaned the tub and left a clear, cool supply for the thirsty birds. No
account has been kept of the varieties and numbers of birds that visited the
72 . Bird-Lore
bath, but it very soon became known to the feathered neighbors and
they came daily for their refreshment. Blue Jays, Catbirds, Bluebirds,
Robins and Wrens at once took possession, and not only were visitors
but built their nests and made their homes in the trees and bushes
about the yard. And the birds were not alone in their appreciation of
their hostess’ kindness, for many a dog has quenched his thirst at this
same fountain.
A large pedestal for flowers which stood on the lawn served as a bathing
and feeding place for birds, and its attractions were many. These are
only two of the devices at the home of Mrs. French for bringing
nature to the doorstep. Bird-boxes, food during the winter, and succoring
the strayed, injured or stolen were other activities that made the lives of the
wild inhabitants happier in this vicinity. The final result will no doubt
be the continued presence of birds and a general uplifting of the men,
women and children who become interested in them.
bd
~~ .
Fe! See Ae nih Pan a
A BATHING FOUNTAIN
OA a
Ty
-
A Gentle Criticism
By JOHN LYALL GARRETSON
With photographs by the author
ET us encourage the study of natural history with the aid of the
camera, and by our friendly criticism may we cause others to
think of ways to benefit themselves and at the same ‘time bring
pleasure into the hearts of the lovers of nature. :
With this idea in mind, it is the desire of the writer to call atten-
tion to the pages of many of our best magazines on natural history,
with their interesting pictures, especially of birds, many of which are
YOUNG RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS
admirable for what they bring to us, but are not strictly true representations
of nature.
The pictures, as we see them, truly portray the birds of the woods and
meadows while in a state of alarm; hence, they convey to us false impres-
sions of what we believe to be animal life in its wild state.
The question before us is: How may we overcome the obstacles which
hinder us from accomplishing the end we are striving for; that is, pho-
tography of nature while at home, as it were ?
There seems to be but one solution to be offered, and that is, to
sO arrange our work that the subject photographed be wholly uncon-
(73)
74 Bird - Lore
scious of what is taking place: thus we eliminate all timidity on the part of
our shy friends. Then only are we on the road to successful animal
photography.
The best picture is not the most difficult one: but that one which
brings nature to us as it exists away from harm’s reach, and is an
PHGEBE
honest representation of the manner in which God’s creatures live while
at home.
The expression, “at home with the birds,” sounds very nice, but
we should add, “while entertaining company,” and we will conclude that
the bird acts as unnatural while in the presence of strangers as does
the human being.
Attention may be called here to the intelligent, peaceful expressions
shown in our pictures of the domestic animals where there is no suggestion
of alarm. Is this not ample proof that, in order to obtain the best pho-
tographs of our wild animals, we must press the bulb while they are
unconcious of our presence ?
It is seldom that we see a photograph of a bird standing on one leg with
his feathers all ruffed up, and yet how well do we know from our
observations with the field-glass, that this is one of the most common poses
for a bird to assume!
The picture of the Humming-birds shows them full-grown and very
nervous, being ready to take flight at any moment. This picture, although
interesting, could hardly be called natural, since the birds are intently
A Gentle Criticism 75
watching the observations of the intruder. Shortly after the picture
was taken they left the nest, flying, to all appearances, as well as their
parents.
The young Phoebe here shown has a distinct naturalness which is lack-
ing in the other attempts, for the reason that the bird was wholly
unconscious of observation. :
Let us have pictures of our birds, as of ourselves, exhibiting an
unrestrained naturalness and ease of manner.
KINGFISHER
Photographed from nature by R. H. Beebe. Arcade, N. Y,
The Migration of Thrushes
SECOND PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey |
~ With drawings by Louis AGASSIZ FUERTES and BRUCE HORSFALL
AMERICAN ROBIN*
SPRING MIGRATION
No. of years’
Average date of
Earliest date of
PLACE cs record spring arrival spring arrival
Atlantic Coast—
New: Market Vids aoe chy eons 12 February 23 A few winter
Washington,DC en 7 February 26 A few winter
Waynesburg, Pa. Spe Bae ae re Kn 4 February 21 February 15, 1893
Beaver, Pa. . 4 February 17 February 16, 1890
Berwyn, Pa., early years tna arte 7 February 14 January 16, 1899
Berwyn, Pa., late years . . 13 March 7 February 26, 1901
New Providence, N. J 6 February 24 January 1, 1892
Seiden, ‘Wee ks. so 4 oe eis 7 March 1 January 17, 1892
Flatbush; Nove 2575 as 6 March 6 February 9, 1892
Alfred, We a ance ; 14 March 11 February 18, 1900
Shelter Island, N. Yon 6 March 16 January 1, 1887
Branchport, N. xs 3 9 March 11 February 29, 1896
Boonville, N.Y. . 10 March 20 March 4, 1889
Center Lisle, N. Y. 13. March 19 March 1, 1902
Holland Patent, N. Y. 17 March 18 March 6, 1894
Ballston Spa, N. Y. 16 March 18 January 20, 1892
Paradox, Ne Nave. 4 March 25 March 20, 1889
Hartford, Conn. 13 March 16 February 26, 1888
Providence, R. I. . 9 March 11 January 4, 1905
Eastern Massachusetts. . . . . 19 March 11 January 1, 1903
St. Johnsbury, Vt. fo) March 21 March 9, 1902
Hanover Nis ties ees so ee ee 5 March 20 March 13, 1898
Southwestern Maine . 18 March 21 March 3, 1902
Halifax, N.S. 4 March 19 January 1, 1890
Grand Manan, N. B. BY aie 5 March 24 March 14, 1889
Stjohne Nn: Beeen eo, 10 March 30 March 12, 1898
Pictou, N. S. ; 5 April 1 March 15, 1887
North River, Prince Edward Island r 4 March 31 January 9, 1887
St. Johns, Newfoundland . . : II April 6 March 25, 1865
Mississippi Valley—
Central Tennessee 7 February 19 A few winter
Central Kentucky ...... 7 February 20 A few- winter
Bloomington, Ind.. .°. . 7 February 14 | «January 16, 1887
Waterloo, Ind. (near) . Ir March 2. February 22, 1891
Wauseon, Ohio - 7 February 28 February 6,,1887
Oberlin, Ohio .-: . 7 February 28 February 14, %897
Ann Arbor, Mich. 19 February .24 January 24, 1904
Central Michigan 7 March 28 March 16, 1889
Northern Michigan 5 April 3 March 23, 1894
Rockford, Ill. 6 March 10 February 2, 1891
Chicago, Ill... . 18 March 13 February 25, 1888
Strathroy, Ont. . ... 13 March 8 February 19, 1890
Toronto, Ont. 10 March 12 . Wintered 1888-89
Listowel, Ont. . so March 13 Wintered 1891-92
Southeast Parry Sound District, Ont. 14 April 6 March 9, 1902
*The more western records refer to the Western Robin.
(76)
The Migration of Thrushes
SPRING MIGRATION
continued
77
PLACE
No. of years’
record
Average date of
spring arrival
Earliest date of
spring arrival
Mississippi Valley, continued
Ottawa, Ont... ..
Keokuk, Iowa .
Fairfield, Iowa (near)
Iowa City, Iowa (near)
Davenport, Iowa (near)
Southern Wisconsin
Wisconsin. Latitude 45°
ReEEOOPOONGINN, . «0. 6 sir.
Heron Lake, Minn..... .
Minneapolis, Minn. (near) .
Northwestern Minnesota.
Onaga, Kansas... .
Syracuse, Nebr... . .
Argusville, N. D..
Larimore, N. D.
Aweme, Man.
Reaburn, Man. .
Qu’ Appelle, Sask. Ae
Fort Providence, Mack. (near)
Fort Simpson, Mack. ‘
Fort Enterprise, Mack.
Kowak River, Alaska. . .
Rathdrum, Idaho . .
Columbia Falls, Mont.
March 23
March 2
March 5
March 5
March 8
March 12
March 25
March 18
March 26
March 24
April 7
March 5
March 1
April 10
April 6
April 10
April 13
April ro
May 1
May 3
February 25
March 21
PLACE
No. of years’
Average date of last
January 9, 1894
January 12, 1902
January 14, 1891
January 1, 1879
February 18, 1890
March 2, 1885
February 15, 1892
March 4, 1889
March 19, 1894
March 9g, 1903
March 28, 1905
February 28, 1896
Wintered 1904-05
April 1, 1892
March 25, 1905
April 2, 1905
April 7, 1901
April 4, 1904
April 29, 1905
May 2, 1861
May 14, 1821
May 20, 1899
January 20, 1900
March 15, 1896
Latest date of last
ait
| records one seen one seen
Northern Florida ‘a 5 March 14 April 27, 1887
Central Mississippi ......../| 5 April 6 April 16, 1902
Fredericksburg, Texas 3 April 8 April 26, 1895
CONT SI Sea eee neat April 17, 1897
FALL MIGRATION
PLACE No. of years’| Average date of first Earliest date of eee
record one seen one seen
Northern Florida 3 October 9 August 8, 1890
Southern Mississippi 6 October 20 October 9, 1897
TAG RG eae 4 October 22 October 15, 1894
Fredericksburg, Texas
Pasadena, Calif. . .
October 5, 1897
78 Bird - Lore
FALL MIGRATION, continued
PLACE Mod re Sarean oe)
Kowak River, Alaska ....... September 7, 1898
Great Bear Lake, Mack... ..... September 25, 1903
Columbia Falls, Mont. ... ... 3 November 14 | November 20, 1892
Aweme, Man. pS 9 October 22 November 4, 1901
Northwestern Minnesota. .... - 4 October 26 November 5, 1895
Lanesboro, Minn. Ferg es gee 6 November 6 Wintered 1888-89
Onatn) anena ek es esa res 3 November 23 November 27, 1904
Keokuk, Iowa fe) November 12 Wintered 1888-89
Oteswa, Ont iris 7h ete 14 November 12 November 29, 1888
GaltOntii st oes Asie serra, 7 November 24 | December 15, 1901
Obethitis: OMe tee ae Reales 7 November 4 November 28, 1896
Chicago, Ill. dy Aare ete yee 8 November 11 November 21, 1904
Alberton, Prince Edward Island 5 October 31 November 3, 1897
SSE TOI TING Bey es aan 4 Cana oe gars ; 4 November 5 Wintered 1893-94
Montreal, "Ganaaa toi sas. scala te 4 November 4 November 8, 1887
Southwestern Maine ..... 15 November 12 December 8, 1904
Renovo, Pa. .. . : : 9 November 10 November 20, 1899
Berwyn, Pass ae 10 November 20 | December 23, 1894
‘Oodlogy a Science’
To the Editor of Brrp-LoRE:
The recent discussion of this subject in BiRD-LorE and ‘The Condor’
has been one of considerable interest, but in spite of the various views given
it still seems that the crux of the question has been passed unnoticed.
In the first place, it must be admitted that odlogy is not embryology and
that, therefore, it is more or less unreasonable to discard the former because
it has given no results to the latter branch of science. Odlogy, even at its
best, has nothing to do with the development or structure of the
embryo, except in so far as it affects the removal of the same from the
shell. Therefore, odlogy, as odlogy, should not be tried on its merits as
embryology, though it is dificult to see how any thorough naturalist can be
unfamiliar with the great names cited in former letters on this subject.
Mr. Lucas has mentioned several cases where external ovarian fea-
tures have yielded greater or lesser results in capable hands, and a few more
might be cited that have shown confirmatory evidence of taxonomical
relationships, but here is the point—are these few and isolated results
enough and sufficient to dignify the subject as a special ‘ology’? Is there a
series of facts in nature, however commonplace they may be, that, with the
same amount of work as has been expended upon egg-shells, would
not have yielded equal if not greater results ? Do these meager results war-
rant us classing egg-shell study, as a whole, as scientific ?
On one point all authorities seem agreed, that nest-hunting does afford
ites
Odlogy a Science 79
admirable facilities for the study of bird habits and life-histories, but is
not this but a by-product of odlogy’? Are eggs collected for the sake
of the life-history knowledge thus gained, or are habits studied to aid egg-
collecting? In other words, is life-history the end of odlogy, or is it a
means to an end? If the former is the case, egg-collecting must be looked
upon as scientific, but in the latter we can only regard it as in the
nature of kindergarten work and as a means of absorbing knowledge in
a pleasant way.
The fact that some of our greatest ornithologists began as collectors
of eggs does not alter the question in any way; they began in the kin-
dergarten, that is all. The question is, ‘‘How many of them kept at it
when they grew able to do better ?’’ This immediately brings to mind the
memory of the late Major Bendire, who, perhaps, reached the high-water
mark in American odlogy. But what part of his fame rests upon his odlog-
ical work? If we eliminated the strict odlogical matter from his ‘Life-
Histories,’ would the latter be seriously damaged ? Reverse this operation
and what would be left ? If the pursuit of egg-collections was the only
way in which knowledge of the habits of birds could be attained, the ques-
tion would have a different aspect, but could not Bendire have learned
as much of birds and their ways if he had taken up photography, or
had sought to tag nestlings for migrational study, or, in fact, had taken up.
any one of the many subjects of inquiry that suggest themselves ? Until:
such is proved to the contrary, the.case of Bendire, and others of his class,.
cannot go far to substantiate the scientific claims of the oologist.
Mr. Lucas asks also whether the average skin-collector is any less of a
““mere collector’? than the average odlogist ? I am afraid that he is not,
but there is this difference; he is of more use to science than the lat-
ter. A skin, with its locality and date, is always of value irrespective of the
maker. It bears its own identity upon itself, and at any time may fall into
the hands of those who can use it. A properly made skin made by a savage
is of as much importance as one made by Mr. Ridgway, except, per-
haps, for sentimental reasons. Some of our most valuable data has been
gathered from old collections made by “‘mere collectors.’’ As much cannot
be said for egg-collections. Egg-shells can, in the great majority of cases,
be only identified by the label and data attached, and this can never, in any
case, be any more reliable than the knowledge of the one that wrote
it. Their identity is but the opinion of one man, and once the record is
made, mistakes can never be corrected. Add to this that, in many
cases, absolute identification is impossible to make without taking and pre-
serving the parents, and that at all times the utmost care must be taken to
make sure that the eggs really belonged to the supposed parents, and
we have ample reason for doubting what little value there is in the ‘‘mere
collector’’ of eggs.
80 Bird- Lore
Mr. Lucas says that his letter must not be taken too seriously, thereby
admitting that his words are but an apology and not a justification, and it is
well that he does add that qualifying statement when he comes to speak of
the comparative values of Old Squaws and Great Auks. I would not
like to offer him a skin of the latter in straight exchange for one of
the former. He would likely defend his eagerness to trade on good,
scientific grounds.
The mention of the name of Sir Alfred Newton as a defender of the
oologist, made me naturally turn to his Dictionary of Birds, but I find that
he does not seem to deem the word oodlogy as of sufficient importance
to even mention it as a separate heading, and only refers to it under
the heading of ‘‘egg,’’ p. 182. This edition is dated 1899, and seems
to indicate that with years a riper judgment has considerably altered his
opinions on this question. I quote what he says about it:
“It is, therefore, eminently pardonable for the victims of this devotion to
dignify their passion by the learned name of ‘Odlogy,’ and to bespeak for it
the claims of a science. Yet the present writer—once an ardent follower of
the practice of birds’-nesting, and still, on occasion, warming to its
pleasures—must confess to a certain amount of disappointment’ as to the
benefits it was expected to confer on Systematic Ornithology, though
he yields to none in his high estimate of his utility in acquainting the
learner with the most interesting details of bird-life. . ... ’’ This seems
to sum up the question in a few words that I have taken considerable space
to state. The apologetic tone that is so evident in Mr. Lucas’ letter
and the editorial of Mr. Grinnell’s in ‘The Condor,’ is most evident here.
In conclusion, I am induced to give the gist of a quotation that
floats hazily through the brain—from I know not where—but to the effect
that the greatest interest in odlogical work lies in ‘‘What contains the egg
and what the egg contains.’’
This may be epigrammatic, but we sometimes find a good deal of truth
even in an epigram.—P. A. TAVERNER, Highland Park, Mich.
Plumages of the Robin
The colored plate of the Robin, published in this number of BrirpD-
Lore, shows the female as duller than the male. Often, however, the sexes
cannot be distinguished in color, the female being fully as bright as a richly
colored male.
Potes from Jield and Stuvp
A Hummingbird That Wanted Light
The accompanying picture shows the nest
of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird built in a
most peculiar situation. I presume it to have
been the above-named species, as that is the
most common one in this locality, but as
only the female was seen I cannot be posi-
tive, for the females of
the Broad-tailed and
Rufous-backed Hum-
mers are too much alike
to be told apart unless
one has the specimens
in hand. This nest was
built, as the photograph
shows, on an electric
light fixture on the porch
of a residence in Colo-
rado Springs. The light
is directly in front of
the front door of the
house, and so close to it
that the screen door,
which swings out, comes
within a few inches of
the lamp when opened:
It was July 18 when the
picture was taken. At
that time people were
passing in and out quite
frequently, and sitting
on the porch much of
the time, but they did
not seem to disturb the
bird.
The picture shows
how the nest was placed
on the fixture much better
than I can describe it.
In taking the picture I
must have been at work
over a quarter of an
hour, but the bird’never oat f p
budged, though I‘ was
fussing about with a
step-ladder, using that
for a support for the
camera, in order to get somewhere near to
a level with the nest. Several exposures
were made, the longest of a minute, the
others less, but all were time exposures,
and not a single negative shows any trace
of the bird having moved.
Two young were successfully reared in
the nest and flew away. The parent bird
was seen to come back
once after the young
had left, examine the
nest, and then depart.
Possibly, of course, this
may have been another
bird attracted by the
sight of the nest. It cer-
tainly seems to be a very
remarkable instance of
confidence on the part
of a bird, when one con-
siders the publicity of
the location and_ the
constant disturbance the
bird was subjected to by
people passing in and
out, and moving about
on the porch.—Epwarp
R. WARREN, Colorado
Springs, Colo.
The Feeding Habits of
the Blue Jay
In the November-
December, 1906, num-
ber of Birp-Lore, the
Editor offers a welcome
to the testimony of orni-
thologists from the Mis-
sissippi valley upon the
feeding habits of the
common Jay. It was my
good fortune, through a
period of nearly twenty
years, to be an interested
observer of bird-life in
that region, principally
along the Baraboo and
Wisconsin rivers.
(81)
82 Bird -
The Jay, like the poor of the scriptural
passage, was always with us, summer and
winter. In the latter season he frequented
largely the corn-cribs of the farmers, and
would even come familiarly into the wood-
shed of the house where we lived in the
edge of the village. As a boy I liked the
sociable fellow in winter; but when the
spring and summer came the Jay was hated
by all the other birds, and I could not help
sharing in their feeling. In the ‘‘ oak open-
ings,’’ as we called them, along the edge of
the prairies, he was the one sly and ferocious
robber of eggs and young birds. The Mi-
grant Shrike made his feather-lined nest in
the locusts or amid the thorny depths of the
osage orange hedges, and he took also is
occasional toll of a Sparrow in summer and
Nuthatch in winter But I have never seen
the birds gather in screeching flocks against
the Shrike as I have seen and heard them
with the Jay. My remembrance of the Jay’s
depredations upon the young of birds recalls
more especially his greed for the young of
the Baltimore Oriole. With the exception
of the regions along the river-bottoms there
were fewelms and maples, and the Orioles
built. their nests most often in the top
branches and twigs of the bur-oak. These
were: sufficiently stiff to permit of so large a
bird asthe Jay ,perching upon them and
making of the young Orioles an easy prey.
But the robber was not particular in his
choice. All the birds hated him, and he
preyed upon the eggs and young of all.
May I also add this, however, as a pos-
sible explanation of the varying observation
and verdict of different bird-students as to
the habits of the Jay. His feeding habits
may be different in different localities, and
even at different times. I state this from my
observations of another species of birds.
That other species is the Bronzed Grackle.
The western sloughs and river-bottoms
fairly swarmed with this Grackle, and yet,
in all the twenty years of my residence in
Wisconsin, I never saw a Grackle molest a
nest, or eat either egg or young.
In the East I have lived now for some-
thing over thirty years, always and in many
different localities, taking deep interest in the
birds. But until I came to my present place
Lore
of residence I never saw a Grackle rob a
bird’s nest. But eleven years ago, on com-
ing to Litchfield, the marauding habits of
the Purple Grackle were forced upon my
notice to such an extent that if it had been
my only experience with the birds I should
have said that their chief diet during the
nesting season is made up of the eggs and
young of other birds. These depredations
went on through a period of three or four
years. The Robins were the special victims.
Hardly a nest in the apple trees about our
door, and, in so far as we could see, in the
orchard of our neighbor, escaped. The con-
stant bickerings of the Robins and the harsh
cry of their enemies under attack, quite
spoiled our spring-time pleasure. I have
seen, at such times, the Grackle making off
with fledglings of the Robin which were
quite a load for him to carry.
Now here is the strange part of the story: —
For four years I have not seen a single depre-
dation of a Grackle upon the nest of Robin
or other bird. It is true that the Grackles,
during this period, have not been nesting
near us in such numbers as they did. But
they have been present in the region, and I -
can only attribute the peacefulness of these
later times to a change of habit on the part
of the black freebooters. In tropical coun-
tries, where the tiger abounds, it is not true
that all tigers are man-eating ones; but let
the tiger once get a taste of human blood
and then he becomes the terror of the villages,
lurking in wait and snatching his victims
wherever he cancome uponthem. May not
the same be true of the bird- eating Jays and
Grackles? — JoHN Hurcuins, Litchfield,
Conn.
The Blue Jay as a Destroyer
In Dundee, Illinois, while walking down
one of its shady streets, I heard a great com-
motion among the English Sparrows.
Glancing up on to the outstretching bough
of a box elder, I saw a Blue Jay ferociously
tearing to pieces and devouring a young,
callow Sparrow just picked out of its nest. °
It had no feathers on. The nest was con-
spicuous a short distance off. A friend of
mine testifies that she saw at Stevens Point,
Notes from Field and Study 83
Wisconsin, a Blue Jay eating the remains
of a young Song Sparrow just filched from
its nest on the ground.
If the Blue Jay will confine its diet to the
young English Sparrow I am fairly content,
and could see a possible way by which we
could be rid of some of these miserable rats _
of the air; but when the question is turned
toward a depletion of the beautiful Song
Sparrow, there I have to weigh evidence.
The large nests of the English Sparrow
are such objective bunches of deformity,
perhaps the Jay will go for them sooner
than for the diminutive homes of the
Chipping or the Song Sparrows, when we
could allow the Jay to continue in his
depredation. I don’t believe every pair of
Jays go into this kind of business; yet there
is testimony enough here in the West to
establish the fact that as much as we
delight to see the bird on a cold winter’s
day, yet he does sometimes develop strong
cannibalistic tendencies.—GeEo. B. PRatTT,
- Chicago, Ill.
The Blue Jay’s Food
The appended quotation is from the Bos-
ton ‘Evening Record’ of January 3, 1907.
Blue Jays are very plenty here, as well as
brown-tail moth nests. I shall watch the
Jays most carefully, and if I find this good
work is kept up shall be glad to report it to
you. It will be interesting to know if you
receive any reports of like nature from other
sections. — Gro. G. BLANCHARD, Wilton,
N. A.
BLUE JAY EATS MOTHS AND MOTH EGGS
“Wilton, N. H., Jan. 1.—The Blue Jay
is helping to solve the brown-tail moth
question. Dr. Hatch reports that he wit-
nessed a sight which will be of interest to
all the people of New Hampshire, and it
may in a measure help out the brown-tail
moth question. While calling upon a
patient ‘he noticed a Blue Jay at work on a
tree near the window.
“Upon investigating he found it was
breaking into the nests of the brown-tail
and eating the eggs and the moths them-
selves. The bird cleaned the tree and was
busily engaged on another when the doctor
left. Upon examination he found that every
nest had been cleaned. Bird students explain
this by saying that the crust has been hiding
a great deal of the bird’s food, and he is.
getting what he can find elsewhere.”
A Persistent Phoebe
For the past four years a pair of Phcebes.
has taken possession of a certain spring-
house near here. The nest has yearly been
destroyed, owing to its near proximity to a
much-used path. I was, therefore, greatly
suiprised, on April 17, 1906, to see a pair
building in the same old place. Two days
later the nest. was completed and contained
one egg. The following day I planned
to photograph the egg, but I found the
rafter stripped of its dainty home.
On May 2, I again found them at work
on a new nest where the first had formerly
been, but this was likewise destroyed, and
so also was a third the following week.
Far from being discouraged, however, they
began a new structure on the opposite side
of the building which protruded into a
small pond.
This was also torn down and left the
poor birds once more without a home. I
anxiously awaited to see what their next:
move would be. I am sorry to say they soon
began a nest in the place where they had
lost their first three homes. At first they
were successful, and laid one egg: but,.
alas! this was also taken.
I thought they would give up and try
somewhere else, but they went right to work
and built a nest on the water-side of the
spring-house, far out of reach. This, sixth
and last, nest, I am glad to say, was not
molested. It was started on June 10, and
served as a home for the patient Phcebe’s.
young ones.—L. S. PEarson, Wayne, Pa.
An Unusual Nesting-Site of the Ameri-
can Long-eared Owl
It was in the spring of 1903 (April 13):
that I came upon the nest of an American
Long-eared Ow! placed upon the ground
underneath a couple of low, scraggy bushes.
The locality in general was a bit of swampy
ground, well fringed in by thickets of wil-
84 Bird- Lore
low and other water-loving species of
shrubs, surrounded on two sides by wood-
land. Plenty of suitable nesting-sites were
to be had in this wood for the asking, so
there was no apparent reason for this pair
departing so far from their usual habits of
nesting in trees. In fact, a nest of the
species had been, shortly before, discovered
in a hollow limb of one of the trees.
The nest proper consisted simply of a few
leaves and fine rootlets laid on the bare
ground. No attempt at concealment other
than that afforded by the surrounding shrubs
had been made. Six eggs were present, oval
in shape and pure white.
The female manifested great displeasure
at my presence, and her peculiar notes, re-
sembling the moaning meow of a cat, soon
brought the male to the scene of action.
Although the latter exhibited his annoyance
at having his home matters broken in upon,
by a sharp snapping of the beak, he was not
nearly as determined in his efforts to frighten
as the female. She would frequently fly so
close to my head and with such a show of
courage as to cause me to duck in some trepi-
dation. Upon one occasion, when bending
over the nest to secure a better view of its
contents, she hissed loudly, accompanying
the action with a fluttering movement of her
wings and a general ruffling of the entire
plumage.
During the period of my stay at the nest
the birds kept within a circle of thirty feet.
The female was on several occasions within
easy reach.
Some few days later I revisited the nest in
hopes of gaining a view of the young, but
was disappointed to find the eggs broken
and the nest abandoned.—A. D. FINKER,
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Bartramian Sandpiper
I have been greatly astonished, in reading
“Special Audubon Leaflet No. 6,” on Bar-
tram’s Sandpiper, to find the statement
made three times, that this bird is wholly
insectivorous. In Nebraska, at least, like
many other birds, it takes what comes most
easily. After the wheat is cut, and during
migration, it frequents the wheat stubble
and gorges itself with the waste grain.
They become, naturally, very fat on this —
nourishing food. As I used to find them on
the rye stubble, commonly in Connecticut,
when I was-a lad, I presume they were
eating rye likewise, but it did not interest
me then as now to observe the stomach
contents.
All that is said in the ‘ Leaflet’ regarding
the confiding nature of these birds and their
value in the landscape is perfectly correct.
They used to be shot for market straight
through the nesting season in Rock county,
Nebraska. They should, however, certainly
be well protected during the nesting season,
and not more than one month be open, as
is the case in some states with Quail and
other useful birds. I think it highly prob-
able that this liberty would be more bene-
ficial here, and elsewhere, than absolute
prohibition. Such is human nature.—J. M.
Bates, Red Cloud, Nebraska.
Robins and Sparrows
For a number of years I have been an
interested observer of the bird-life about my
home, but not until last summer did I note
that the English Sparrow had begun to
trouble the Robins so much that the lat-
ter are now seen in fewer numbers than
during past seasons. A large lawn near my
home has long been the Robins’ favorite
feeding-place. Sometimes eight or ten of
these birds might be seen, but this year
(1906) they have almost deserted it, and
it is rare to see more than two there at the
same time. The cause of this is as follows:
As soon as a Robin alights and begins
to search for a worm, an English Sparrow
will fly down and follow it closely. When
the Robin pulls forth the worm the Sparrow
rushes in, seizes it and flies off ‘a few feet
to swallow it- The Robin looks around in
a bewildered:sort of way but makes no
attempt to recover the stolen morsel, and
either goes to hunting again or flies away.
Sometimes he has time to secure a worm
before the Sparrow is back, but most often
not. This performance is gone through
with nearly every time a Robin visits the
lawn, so that now they rarely visit the
place where once they were so common.—
C..M. ARNOLD, Woonsocket, R. I.
Book Pews and Reviews
THe WarBcerRS OF NoRTH AMERICA. By
FRANK M. CuHapMAN, with the cooperation
of other ornithologists, with 24 full-page
colored plates by Louis Agassiz Fuertes
‘and Bruce Horsfall and 8 half-tones of
nests and eggs. D. Appleton & Co.,
New York City. 8vo., 320 pages.
However jaded may be the palate of the
weary bird-student who has swallowed the
nature-books of the last few years, he will
assuredly experience new and pleasant sen-
sations on turning the pages of Mr. Chap-
man’s latest contribution to his particular
needs. It is a work valuable to the expert
and indispensable to the amateur who would
know all that there is to know about the life
and surroundings of the Warblers of North
America, so fitly called the ‘‘best gems of
Nature’s cabinet.’’ It contains a wealth of
biographical and other detail that is posi-
tively bewildering, but the arrangement is
good and the volume well printed and of
convenient size.
The plan of the work, which the author
rightly hopes ‘‘adequately reflects existing
knowledge of the North American Mniotil-
tide,’’ is admirably carried out in every
detail. Each of the fifty-five species and
nineteen subspecies peculiar to the conti-
nent is treated separately, with a colored
figure of each species. These plates, by
Fuertes and Horsfall, having already ap-
peared in Birp-Lore, need no commen-
dation here. There are, in addition, a dozen
new half-tones illustrating nests and eggs.
An introduction of thirty-six pages is devoted
to ‘General Characters,’ ‘Plumage,’ ‘ Distri-
bution,’ ‘Migration,’ ‘Song,’ ‘Nesting
Habits,’ ‘Food’ and ‘Mortality,’ the remain-
ing 301 covering the individual species.
Under each of these will be found first, its
‘Distinguishing Characters,’ followed by
“General Distribution,’ ‘Summer Range,’
“Winter Range,’ ‘Spring Migration,’ ‘Fall
Migration,’ ‘The Bird and its Haunts,’
‘Song,’ ‘Nesting-Site,’ ‘Nest,’ ‘Eggs,’
‘Nesting Dates’ and ‘Biographical Refer-
ences’—in short, nothing is lacking save the
purely technical which would be out of place
in a volume of this kind. This brief outline
of contents, however, gives very little idea
_ of the valuable contributions to the life-his-
tories of the birds which have flowed from
the author’s own pen or have been judi-
ciously culled here and there from the writings
gf others. Indeed, our author has been so
generous in crediting the contributions of
others that he has, we think, too modestly
put himself in the background while cover-
ing his retreat with quotation marks. There
has also been much original matter contrib-
uted to the book; Professor Cooke’s migra-
tion data and Mr. Gerald Thayer’s descrip-
tion of songs and habits, being especially
noteworthy
Among the numerous praiseworthy features
of the book may be noted the efforts to de-
scribe songs. Now, not for a moment should
the current use of ‘cheps’ and ‘zees’ and even
musical notation be discouraged; but it must
not be forgotten that, at best, these symbols
merely jog the memory of the individual who
writes them in his note-book and mean
nothing to ears that have not heard the
original music. Inasmuch as most bird notes
are far removed from human rendition, a
sentence, such as “you must come to the
woods, or you won’t see me,” which Mr.
Chapman felicitously attributes to the
Hooded Warbler, is quite as likely to rouse
the memory echo as any jumble of meaning-
less syllables. We note, too, with regret,
that the ‘teacher’ song of the Oven-bird is
merely scotched. Any one who can put the
accent on the first syllable certainly gets the
cart before the horse.
The care in the descriptions of plumages
and the elaborateness of the tables of migra-
tion data are also features deserving of
especial mention, and there is a novel group-
ing of the Warblers according to their
songs.
Belief in the stability of popular names
receives a severe shock in the loss of our old
friend, the Maryland Yellow-throat, that
must now be known as the Northern Yellow-
throat with a Latin name a foot long. We
(85)
86
could have spared the less familliar Connec-
ticut Warbler or the Tennessee, but this is
indeed too much for our equanimity. Cruel
fashion deprives us of our birds, while a
crueler science deprives us of the very names
by which they might linger in our memories!
Some critics might take exception to the
contents of that ornithological scrap-basket,
the ‘Hypothetical List’ or object to Oporor-
nis as a full genus, but such minor matters
in no wise affect the general excellence of
the work. It is one that reflects great credit
on its author and will be nothing short of a
boon to everybody who wants to learn the
best of everything that is known about the
North American Warblers—J. D., Jr.
Birp-Crarr. A Field Book of Two Hun-
dred Song, Game and Water Birds. By
MaseL Oscoop WriGHT. With eighty
full-page plates by Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
New York, The Macmillan Company,
1907. I2mo0, 319 pages.
The contents of this standard book have
long since passed with honor the examination
of the reviewer, and we call attention to this
new edition only to comment on the new
dress with which ‘Bird-Craft’ celebrates its
twelfth year. The text is printed on un-
glazed paper, adding greatly to the pleasure
with which the book is read, while Mr,
Fuertes’ bird portraits (‘drawing’ is far too
indefinite a term to apply to the character-
istic work of this artist) are effectively repro-
duced as plates on the coated paper half-
tone engravings require. The corners of the
pages are rounded, the cover is flexible, and,
in short, the book’s makeup makes it closely
conform to the requirements of its subtitle.—
F. M. C.
Tue Birps oF AMHERST AND VICINITY. By
HuspertT LyMAN Ciark. Second edition;
revised and rewritten. Amherst, Mass.,
Press of Carpenter and Moorehouse, 1906.
12mM0, 103 pages.
The original edition of this list, published
in 1887, has been long out of print, and the
present edition has been prepared to meet
the demand which every authoritative, easily
accessible, local list creates for itself. Ten
species are added to the list of 1887, making
185 which are included :n the present list.
A ‘Field Key’ of twenty-one pages is a new
Bird -
Lore
feature, while the ‘Artificial Key’ has been
remodeled. Brief descriptions of plumage
are included under each species, with the
remarks on its local status, making it possible
for the student to begin his study of Amherst
birds with no other help than this book
affords. The nomenclature is several years
behind the times, but since the A, O. U.
‘Check-list’ now in preparation promises to
make our current classification and nomen-
clature quite out-of-date, it is probably
advisable to await its appearance and take
the medicine at one dose.—F. M. C.
BIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN NEBRASKA. By
R. H. Wotcotr. Studies from the Zo6-
logical Laboratory of the University of
Nebraska. No. 68. Lincoln, Neb. De- -
cember 1906. Pp. 23-34.
Within a few pages Dr. Wolcott draws a
clear and comprehensive picture of faunal
conditions in Nebraska. The state is divided
into a ‘Missouri Wooded Region,’ a ‘Prairie
Region,’ a ‘Sandhill Region,’ a ‘Plains
Region’ and a ‘Pine-Woods Region’ In
other words, Nebraska is a true connecting
link between eastern and western bird-life.
In its eastern part many arboreal eastern
birds find the western limit of their range,
the avifauna of the plains is fully developed
in its arid western portions, while the in-
trusion of wooded foothills in the north-
western part of the state marks the eastern
limits of the range of a number of western
arboreal species. Small wonder, then, that
400 birds have been recorded from Ne-
braska,—a larger number, we believe, than
has been found in any other state except
California and Texas.—F. M. C.
The Ornithological Magazines
Tue Auk.—There is much that is com-
mon-place in the January ‘Auk,’ for it can
hardly be expected to furnish new thrills
every quarter; still it is very pleasant for its
readers to wade in fancy up to their waists,
with Mr. C. G. Abbott, in the mud and
water of the Newark marshes, and study at
close range such denizens as the Florida
Gallinule, Least Bittern, Pied-billed Grebe,
and others whose presence so near great
centers of population was hardly to have
been suspected. Mr. C. W. Beebe’s ‘Notes
Book Notes
on the Early Life of Loon Chicks’ is also
instructive. He watched a pair of young-
sters in the New York ‘Zoo’ and their
habits, taken in connection with observations
on other species, convince him that swim-
ming, feeding, flight, call-notes and other
phenomena are congenital instincts,—so
away goes the pretty fable of the fond
parents teaching their offspring to fly!
Mr. F. M Chapman now tells us that
the Maryland Yellow-throat did not origi-
nally come from Maryland, bravely slaugh-
ters his Florida form, ignota, on the altar of
synonomy, and leaves us with two races east
of the Rockies, —the Southern Yellow-throat,
trichas, and the Northern Yellow-throat,
brachidactyla, for which conclusions let us
be profoundly thankful.
A fresh batch of Audubon-Baird letters
are presented by Mr. R. Deane, and they
contain many bits of information concerning
birds and beasts of America as known fifty
years ago.
There is a local list of the spring birds of
Tishomingo county, Miss., by A. Allison,
and one of those of Cobalt, Ontario, by F. C.
Hubel There is a strange lack in the
_latter of several species that must have been
overlooked, and the form of Downy Wood-
pecker should be medianus, not“ pubescens.”
Mr. J. H. Fleming’s accurate list of the
birds of Toronto is completed in the present
number. Two hundred and ninety species
and subspecies are recorded from a some-
what limited area. Among ‘General Notes’
‘A Migration Disaster in Western Ontario’
is worthy of special attention. Thousands of
birds were drowned in Lake Huron, over-
taken by the snow and cold of October 10,
1906. In closing; a review of the proceed-
ings of the T'wenty-fourth Congress of the
A. O. U. may be noted, also an article by
Dr. J. A. Allen on the status of the Rio
Grande Seedeater.—J. D., Jr.
_ Tue Conpor.—Two numbers of ‘The
Condor’ have appeared since the last review
in Birp-LoreE. The November number
opens with the first part of Finley’s ‘Life
History of the California Condor,’ illustrated
with photographs by Bohlman, which in-
clude some of the most remarkable pictures
and Reviews 87
of birds ever taken with a camera. The
author has made a wonderful addition to our
knowledge of the nesting habits and devel-
opment of the young of this rapidly disap-
pearing bird. Four other papers on habits
of western birds also deserve mention. These
_are Bowles’ account of ‘The Kennicott
Screech Owl’ ; Sharp’s description of ‘Nest-
ing of the Red-bellied Hawk’ in San Diego
county, California ; Miss Head’s ‘Observa-
tions of the Notes and Ways of Two Western
Vireos’ and Willett’s note on ‘The Southern
California Clapper Rail Breeding on Fresh
Water.’ The editor reviews the status of
the Hutton Vireo, recognizing three forms:
Vireo huttoni, which is common west of the
Sierras; V. h. oberholseri in San Diego
county, and V. mailliardorum on Santa
Cruz Island. An editorial on ‘Better Ver-
nacular Names’ suggests a number of
changes chiefly in the interests of utility,
uniformity, and the substitution of English
names now in common use for the ‘book
names’ now applied to several species in the
A. O. U. check list.
In the January number, the two leading
articles are on the habits of the Magpie in
Colorado. The first is by Warren, on ‘Photo-
graphing Magpies,’ and the other by Gil-
man, on ‘Magpies on the La Plata.’ Finley
contributes an account of his work ‘Among
the Gulls on Klamath Lake,’ in Southern
Oregon in 1905. A good illustration of the
opportunities for original observations even
in localities supposed to be well known is
given in Carriger and Pemberton’s ‘Nesting
of the Pine Siskin in California.’ In 1903
and 1904 the authors examined some 25 sets
of eggs of this species in San Mateo and
San Francisco counties. In view of the fact
that this section has been the collecting
ground of ornithologists for forty years or
more, and was supposed to be as well-known
as any part of the state, the record is as re-
markable as it is interesting. Among the
shorter notes is a record of the nesting of the
English Sparrow at Newhall, Los Angeles
county, May 19, 1906. This record marks
the first entrance of the bird into southern
California and indicates a decided advance
in the distribution of the species in the
Southwest.—T. S. P.
88 Bird -
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Vol. IX No. 2
Published April 1, 1907
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1907, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto:
A Bird in the Bush ts Worth Taro in the Hand
Tue last issue of ‘The Warbler’ contains
the unwelcome news that this publication
has been discontinued. Mr. Childs has
published some excellent material in this
magazine, and we regret to see that his
enterprise has not been accorded the support
it deserves.
This makes the third journal wholly or
in part devoted to birds, which has sus-
pended publication within a year, ‘The
Warbler’ being preceded by ‘American
Ornithology’ and ‘Our Animal Friends.’
All merited a better fate; for we believe
that they came to their end not through
failure on the part of their editors to meet
the demands of their readers.
Are we to infer, then, that the demise of
these periodicals indicates a decreased inter-
est in bird study on the part of the public
to which they catered? Personally, we
should not hesitate to reply to this question
with an emphatic “No,” and we base our
answer on the experiences of an unusually
active lecture season which has brought us
in contact with the bird-loving public in
many and widely separated districts, on our
knowledge of the sales of bird books, and
on the ever-widening field of Audubon
educational work.
Why, then, have the magazines mentioned
been forced to suspend publication? Doubt-
less they have not been “forced” to suspend,
but probably they have been discontinued
because they have not met with the success
their originators anticipated.
Their failure is not to be attributed to loss
Lore
of interest on the part of the public, but
rather to the fact that no ornithological
magazine has ever secured a circulation large
enough to assure it the patronage of adver-
tisers, and without advertising the most pros-
perous magazine of the day could not exist
as a profitable proposition.
Whether a sufficient number of possible
subscribers exist to make a bird magazine
profitable, from a commercial point of view,
is open to question, but assuredly the means
has not as yet been devised for bringing
such a magazine to their attention. General
advertising scores too many misses for each
hit made to make it profitable. Circulars
rarely seem to reach the mark, and if the
publisher cannot secure the codperation of
his readers, he may be assured a handsome
deficit at the end of the year.
Tue Audubon education work to which
reference was made above is destined to ex-
ert an influence which only those intimately
concerned with its development appreciate.
When Mr. Willcox endowed the National
Association of Audubon Societies, bird-
lovers doubtless thought of the numerous
practical ways in which the resulting income,
could be employed to protect birds, but few
doubtless realize the far-reaching influence
the expenditure of a portion of this income
for free Educational Leaflets will have on
the future of North American ornithology.
As long as this sum wiil supply the demand,
no teacher or pupil need lack first-class bird
literature, and the thousands and hundreds
of thousands of these little monographs, with
their attractively colored plates should reach,
an audience forever deaf to the publisher
who has profit in mind. :
A worp of explanation for the unfortunate
delay in the appearance of ‘The Warbler
Book’ is due the many inquirers who were
led to expect its publication in February.
Its tardiness is due to that ‘congestion of
trade’ of which we hear so much in other
branches of commerce. Paper that had been
promised early in January was not delivered
a month later and, as a result, the efforts of
author and printer to be prompt, went for
naught.
The Audubon Docieties
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
APRIL
April:is the dawn of the natural year. March isa spring month merely by
courtesy—a sort of delusive “twilight,” as Wilson Flagg said of it—through
which familiar shapes flit, appearing and disappearing like wind- blown phan-
toms. March may respond to the sudden lure of the south wind and,
yielding a little, show us a few hepaticas on a sheltered bank, a trembling
group of snowdrops in a garden corner, or the raised cowl of the skunk-
cabbage in the still ice-edged marsh. The flocks of Robins, Bluebirds and
Fox Sparrows may bring melody to the leafless trees, while the Meadow-
lark returns to the lowland pastures in company with his squeaking and
creaking cousins, the Grackles, Redwings and Cowbirds, and the Phoebe
vies with the Chickadee in telling his name about the sheds and outbuild-
ings. Or March may mean that the hope born of the lengthened days is
deferred by snow-squalls that check both insect and vegetable life and drive
the early birds disconsolately to mope in cover.
But with April all is different. To be sure, the old fields lie sere and
brown for the greater part of the month, edged and threaded here and there
by green ribbons born of watercourses, while on hillside and open woodlands
the verdure is of moss rather than grass; yet everywhere the change quivers
on the air, and the cheerful chorus of the Ay/as rises from the reed-beds and
makes the heart beat faster. For after all, northward from the middle part
of the country, it is by sounds rather than by sight that the season takes
possession: of the senses and makes us realize that it has come. It is by the
bird and not by leaf or flower that Spring first proclaims herself; the flower
lies next to the heart of earth, and one would think should be the first
to feel the pulse of renewal; but no, it is to the bird of the air that the
vision below the visible horizon belongs and, as if seeing the glow of the
spring sun before it has reached us, the birds arrive as heralds to proclaim it.
Already, when April comes, the Woodcock is practicing his sky dance,
and a snow flurry during the first half of the month may whiten the back
of his mate brooding on her nest among the protecting leaves with which
her colors blend. In April two bird families send their members with a
rush. The flocks of Fox Sparrows increase and pause on their northerly
migration. The White-throats, traveling in still more leisurely fashion, pause
(89)
90 Bird- Lore
wherever there are seeded weeds and grasses, and mingle their exquisite little
piping song with that of the Purple Finch and Vesper Sparrows; while the
Song Sparrow, that was perhaps present as an individual all winter, becomes
legion in a single night, and presently the tremolo of the Chipping Sparrow,
insectlike though of different quality, sounds at dawn from the ground or a
low bush where he sits with head thrown back in rapture.
In April, toward the middle of the month, the Swallows return to us,
with their pretty call notes and lispings, and the ear and eye are often piqued
by the voices and plumage of many Warblers. The Myrtle, that has been with
us at intervals all winter, is easily named; then there comes the Pine Warbler
and the Louisiana Water- Thrush, a Warbler that suggests the larger Wood
Thrush. The Black-throated’ Green and the Black and White- Creeping
Warblers, the latter mistaken frequently by the novice for a diminutive
Woodpecker, may be expected, and, should the last week in April be fair
and the leaves of the birches and swamp maples old enough to throw a faint
shadow, in reply to the golden signal of the willows, we may prepare to
welcome deputations from the families of Thrushes, Wrens and Thrashers,
the Wood-Thrush, Catbird, Brown Thrasher and House Wren; and when
we see the latter tip-tilting and scolding about the repairs necessary to his
last year’s residence, we know that spring, in all its promise and fullness, is
but lingering around the corner, coyly arranging her drapery before dancing
into our sight.—M. O. W.
NATURE STUDY ORGANIZATIONS
The value of nature study, properly conducted, as a training to the powers
of observation has long been conceded; moreover, its direct value in teach-
ing the true economic relations to man of objects animate and inanimate is
well established. The more we study nature the better we learn that part
of nature’s balance which best conserves human interests. Such studies
have enabled us to distinguish between friends and enemies among the lower
creatures; to realize how the former are beneficial and the latter harmful.
It must be conceded, also, that ‘‘in union there is strength’’; that
properly conducted organizations for the study and preservation of the lower
forms of life accomplish more than scattered individual effort.
Admitting all this, conscientious teachers are anxious to provide for thi
nature-study needs of the pupils under their charge, but they sometimes are
at a loss tocreate that interest which must underlie all successful educational
work. The writer belongs to a natural history society which is remarkable
because of its success in maintaining deep interest among its members, and
the consequent good attendance at meetings, two things unfortunately rare
in such organizations.
a ee a
The Audubon Societies 9gI
He also has had the privilege of attending, by invitation, a meeting of a
bird club composed of boys of a New Jersey school, and he was expected to
offer suggestions about the management of the club and its method of con-
ducting meetings; but, after critically noting the methods employed, he
could make no suggestions for their improvement.
There are certain features in the management of these two organizations
which so obviously contribute to their remarkable success that they are here
used as examples, in the hope that other organizations may derive from them
hints that will lead to a like measure of success.
The natural history clubs above referred to have the usual officers, which
are elected annually; meetings are held twice a month, and are presided
over by the president, or, in his absence, by the vice-president or some mem-
ber temporarily selected; the secretary keeps the minutes, which must be
read and approved at a subsequent meeting; the dues are $1 per year.
Occasionally a member gives a stereopticon talk or some other special
program, but the usual order is to pass briefly through the routine
business, roll-call, reading minutes of last meeting, election of members
proposed at last meeting, proposal of new members, unfinished business,
new business. Then comes ‘‘items of interest,’’ under which head the
president calls on each member in turn for any matter of interest he
may have to relate, and general discussion of such items takes place. In a
membership almost entirely amateur it is surprising what an amount of
interesting and valuable information is brought out, and the discussion is so
informal that there is no atmosphere of undue stiffness or restraint. Follow-
ing the items of interest, all of the members exhibit specimens, rare or com-
mon, many being of the simplest form, yet all are of interest to those
present.
The boys’ bird club referred to is nearly ideal and will continue to be so
while its original methods are adhered to. The ages of the members range
from twelve to sixteen years; there are the usual officers and parliamentary
methods of conducting meetings; the educational leaflets of the National
Association of Audubon Societies are used as a basis of study. A leaflet is
alloted to each member to study and report on, three or four members at
each meeting reading essays on as many different birds, studied from the
leaflet, from any other accessible source, and as far as possible from original
observations. In these essays, quotations are given from authorities, with
remarks on the quoted statements from the experience of the boy observer,
much of the matter given being entirely original.
Prizes are given for the best essay during a given period.
Another feature is the reading, by each member, of a list of the birds
observed since the last meeting, and prizes are given for the best lists made
during a given period. A few of the boys have cameras and photograph
bird life, and here again prizes reward the greatest measures of success.
92 Bird - Lore
The boys are careful in their photographing not to harm or disturb the
birds; they aim to be very accurate in preparing lists, and they never collect
birds or eggs, but only nests after the birds have left them. The meetings
are held in the-evening, twice a month, at the school. They have field days,
when they go out Saturday in small parties to find nests and record obser-
vations. They are always careful never to remain long in the vicinity of a
nest. While a teacher fosters the club, the management is entirely with the
boys.
Here is the problem of nature study solved; study and work are made
play; no time is lost from other essential studies; powers of observation are
developed; healthful recreation is had; there is practice in parliamentary
methods of conducting meetings; information is acquired which in the future
life of the students will benefit them in a thousand practical ways; and all
the time the direction of their diversion, recreation and surplus energy is
turned into safe and improving channels and away from the innumer-
able temptations that beset boys. The writer has yet to hear of the boy
who earnestly and conscientiously studied nature who became a bad man.
The success of these two organizations is due to the way in which their
programs are made attractive. The same secret applies to man as well as
boy. Put an attractive program before the members, let them manage, sug-
gest, discuss, and, above all, observe and report their observations and leave
the success to them. They will take care of that part, and nature study can
be conducted not only without interfering with, but to the advantage of all
other practical studies—B. S. Bowprsu.
THE VALUE OF BLACKBIRDS
“Kalm states, in his ‘Travels in America,’ that in 1749, after a great
destruction among the Crows and Blackbirds for a legal reward of three
pence per dozen, the northern states experienced a complete loss of their
grass and grain crops. -The colonists were obliged to import hay from
England to feed their cattle. The greatest losses from the ravages of the
Rocky Mountain locust were coincident with, or followed soon after, the
destruction by the people of countless thousands of Blackbirds, Prairie —
Chickens, Quail, Upland Plover, Curlew, and other birds. This coinci-
dence seems significant, at least. A farmer from Wisconsin informed me
that, the Blackbirds in his vicinity having been killed off, the white grubs
increased in number and destroyed the grass roots, so that he lost four
hundred dollars in one year from this cause.”—FoRBUSH, ‘Useful Birds
and their Protection.’
i
| ' Ae
| Bavee. Honse + *
i me a eee ia is it
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
(Upper Ficure, Mate; Lower Ficure, FEMALE)
Order —PASSERES Family — IcTERIDA
Genus—AGELAIUS Species—PHENICEUS
THE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che Pational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 25
“Among all the birds that return to us in April, which ‘is the most strik-
ing and most compels attention?” asked a bird-lover of a group of kindred
spirits.
“The Fox Sparrow,” said one who lived on the edge of a village where
sheltered wild fields stretched up hill to the woodlands. ‘Every morning
when I open my window I can hear them almost without listening.”
“The Phoebe,” said another, who was the owner of a pretty heme,
where many rambling sheds broke the way from cow-barn to pasture.
“The Whippoorwill,” answered a third, a dweller in a remote colony of
artists in a picturesque spot of cleared woodland, where the ground dropped
quickly to a stream. ;
“No, the Woodcock,” said her nearest neighbor, a man whose cottage
was upon the upper edge of these same woods, where they were margined
by moist meadows and soft bottomlands—a man who spent much time out-
of-doors at dawn and twilight studying sky effects.
“And I think it’s Red-winged Blackbirds,” cried the ten-year-old son of
the latter; “for when I go out up back of the trout brook by the little path
along the alders near the squashy place where the cattails grow in summer,
you’ve just got to hear them. You can’t listen to them as you do to real
singing birds, for they make too much noise, and when you listen for a bird
it’s got to be still at least in the beginning. Sometimes they go it all together
down in the bushes out of sight, then a few will walk out up to the dry
Meadowlark’s field with Cowbirds; or maybe it’s their wives, and then one
or two will lift up and shoot over the marsh back again, calling out just
like juicy sky-rockets. Ah, they’re it in April before the leaves come out.”
And, in spite of difference of viewpoint, the group finally acknowledged
that the boy was right.
ae In point: of coloring the Redwing is faultlessly plumed—
st sane glossy black with epaulets of scarlet edged with gold—the
uniform of a soldier, and this, coupled with the three martial
notes that serve him as a song, would make one expect to find in him all
the manly and military virtues. But aside from the superficial matter of per-
sonal appearance, the Redwing is lacking in many of the qualities that
endear the feathered tribe to us and make us judge them, perhaps too much
by human standards.
When Redwings live in colonies it is often difficult to estimate the exact
(93)
MY
94 Bird - Lore
relationship existing between the members, though it is apparent that the
sober brown, striped females outnumber the males; but in places where the
birds are uncommon and only one or two male birds can be found, it is
easily seen that the household of the male consists of from three to five nests
each presided over by a watchful female, and when danger arises this feath-
ered Mormon shows equal anxiety for each nest, and circles screaming about
the general location. In colony life the males oftentimes act in concert as
a general guard, being diverted oftentimes from the main issue, it must be
confessed, to indulge in duels and pitched battles among themselves.
The Redwing belongs to a notable family—that of the
His Family Blackbirds and Orioles—and, in spite of the structural sem-
blances that group them together, the differences of plumage,
voice and breeding habits are very great.
The Cowbird, the Redwing’s next of kin, even lacks the rich liquid call
note of the latter and the lack of marital fidelity on the part of the male is
met in a truly progressive spirit by the female, who, shirking all domestic
responsibility, drops her eggs craftily in the nests of other and usually smaller
birds, who can not easily resent the imposition. Though a strong proof of
the unconscious affinity of race lies in the fact that these young foundling
Cowbirds invariably join the parent flocks in autumn instead of continuing
with their foster mothers.
The Meadowlark with the true spring song, who hides his nest in the dry
grass of old fields, is also kin to the Redwing and the Bobolink too, the
vocal harlequin of the meadows and hillside pastures. The Orchard and
Baltimore Orioles, also next of kin, are skilled musicians and model husbands.
Still another plane is to be found in the Redwing’s dismal cousins, the
Grackles—Purple, Rusty, Bronzed and Boat-tailed—all harsh of voice and
furtive in action, as if a Crow fairy had been present at their creating and,
endowing them with ready wits, had, at the same time, deprived them of
all sense of humor and cast a shadow upon their happiness. For a Grackle
is gloomy, even during the absurd gyrations of his courtship, and when, in
autumn, the great flocks settle on lawns and fields and solemnly walk about,
as they forage they seem like a party of feathered mutes waiting to attend
the funeral of the year; and this trait somewhat tinctures the disposition of
the Redwing before and after the breeding season.
The Redwing, in one of his many subspecific forms, and
His Country masquerading under many names,—Red-shouldered Black-
bird, American Starling and Swamp Blackbird,—lives in North
America from Nova Scotia and Great Slave Lake southward to Costa Rica.
The Redwing, as known to us of middle and eastern North America, breeds
in all parts of its United States and Canadian range, though it is more
numerous by far in the great prairies of the upper Mississippi valley, with
their countless backwater sloughs, than anywhere else. It is in regions of
The Red-winged Blackbird 95
this sort that the great flocks turn both to the fall-sown grain, as well as
that of the crop in the ear, causing the farmers the loss that puts a black
mark against the Redwings. Yet those that dwell east of this area, owing
to the draining and ditching of their swampy haunts being in much reduced
numbers, are comparatively harmless.
During the winter months the Redwings are distributed
His Travels throughout the South, though stragglers may be occasionally
seen in many parts of their summer range. Exactly why they
begin the southward migration in September and end it with the falling of
the leaves in late October, it is not easy to guess; for the food-supply is not
NEST OF RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
Photographed from nature by C. G. Abbott
at an end and they do not dread moderate cold, else why should they be
in the front rank of spring migrants ?
The last of February will bring a few individuals of the advance guard
of males. [n early March their calls are heard often before the ice has
melted and the hylas found voice; yet, in spite of this hurried return, the
nesting season does not begin until the middle of May; and so for two months
and more the flock life continues, and foraging, fighting and general court-
ing serve to kill time until the remote marshes show enough green drapery
to hide the nests.
96 Bird - Lore
As a nest-builder the Redwing shows much of the
His Nest weaver’s skill of its Oriole cousins, though the material they
works with is of coarser texture, being fastened firmly to low
bushes or reeds and woven of grass and the split leaves of reeds and flags,
all nicely lined with soft grasses and various vegetable fibers. Often, like
that of the Marsh Wren, the nest will be suspended between three or four
reeds and so firmly knit that it resembles one of the four-legged work-
baskets that belonged to the ‘mother’s room’ of our youth. The pale
blue eggs of the Redwing are particularly noticeable from the character of
the markings that thickly cover the larger end, for they seem the work of
a sharp scratching pen dipped in purplish black ink and held by an aimless
human hand, rather than the distribution of natural pigment.
An eater of grain though the Redwing is, and a menace to
His Food the farmer in certain regions, Professor Beal concedes to him
a liberal diet of weed seeds and animal food, itself injurious to
vegetation. Dr. B. H. Warren, who has made a wide study of the food
habits of this Blackbird, says: “The Redwing destroys large numbers of
‘cutworms.’ I have taken from the stomach of a single swamp Blackbird
as many as twenty-eight ‘cutworms.’ In addition to the insects, etc., men-
tioned above, these birds also, during their residence with us, feed on earth-
worms, grasshoppers, crickets, plant-lice and various larvz, so destructive
at times in the field and garden. During the summer season, fruits of the
blackberry, raspberry, wild strawberry and wild cherry are eaten to a more
or less extent. The young, while under parental care, are fed exclusively
on an insect diet.” These facts should make us of the East welcome rather
than discourage the Redwing; for this is one of the species of familiar birds
‘that must become extinct in many localities, owing to the circumstance so
desirable in itself of reducing the waste marsh lands, and, though later in
the year other birds replace him acceptably, March and April would seem
lonely without the Redwing, for then, as the child said, “ You’ve just got:
to look at him.”
Questions for Teachers and Students
Are there other species of Redwing than the one pictured? Trace its distribution. How
far north does it breed? At what season does it leave for the South in autumn? When does
the spring migration begin? What sort of country does the Redwing inhabit, high or low
ground? Does it nest immediately on its return? Where is the nest built and of what
materials? Do Redwings mate in pairs like Robins and Bluebirds? Are the males and
females feathered alike? What color are the eggs? To what family does the Redwing
belong? Name some of his kindred.
ee
The Audubon Societies
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
Membership in the National Association
$5.00 paid annually constitutes a person a Sustaining
Memb
$100.00 paid at one time constitutes a Life Membership
$1,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Patron
$5,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Founder
$25,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Benefactor
FORM OF BEQUEST
I do hereby give and bequeath to THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON SOCIE-
TIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD BIrpDs
AND ANIMALS (Incorporated), of the City of
New York,
Legislation
This issue of Birp-Lore might well be
called the legislative number, as all of the
matter in the Executive Department will
relate only to legislative proceedings through-
out the country.
While much of the story will show that
the Association has been successful in many
of its attempts for better legis!ation and the
defeat of bad legislation, yet, unfortunately,
in some important cases the forces that have
combined against us have been successful.
In the entire experience of the President of
the Association in legislative work, the year
1907 surpasses all the others in the number
of bird and game bills that have been intro-
duced; they certainly number several hun-
dred. It is true that many of them are local
bills of little importance, but, on the other
hand, many of them seem to have emanated
from market-hunters and game dealers who
are becoming very restive under the pressure
of restricted opportunities for killing and
selling the fast-disappearing game birds and
animals of the country.
Our great benefactor,
Mr. Willcox,
“builded far better than he knew” when his
love for wild life led him to leave to this
Association a substantial legacy. If the
National Association had not been placed
in its present strong’ position through this
benefaction, it would not have been able
to carry on the enormous amount of legis-
lative work that it has done during the
present legislative season. Heretofore, it
was only after the most careful consideration
and under the most urgent stress of circum-
stances that money could be appropriated
for legislative work, but this year we have
had able and energetic representatives doing
missionary work at a number of capitals.
The detailed story of legislative work
which follows will show to the members of
the Association and the readers of Birp-
Lore how important this branch of our
work is.
Congress and the Biological Survey
While the story of how the House Com-
mittee on Agriculture attempted to end the
existence of this valuable and important
Bureau is familiar to many of the members
of the Association, because they took an
active and prominent part in continuing the
Survey, yet to others this episode will be
entirely new; further, it is well to place
such matters on permanent record,
When the agricultural appropriation bill
was reported in Congress by the committee
in charge, it was discovered that no ap-
propriation whatever had been made for the
Bureau of Biological Survey. This meant
that this important and necessary Bureau
would be legislated out of existence, which
would have been such a serious handicap
and loss to the work of the National Associa-
tion that it would have taken years to have
_ overcome the setback. There was only one
(97)
98
thing to do, and that was for the National
Association and the State Audubon Societies
and the real sportsmen of the country to
rally to the work of saving the Survey.
The first week after the matter was dis-
covered was a busy time at the Association —
headquarters. The mails were entirely too
slow, and whole letters were sent by wire to
all parts of the country, asking for help in
this emergency. Our lecturers and organ-
izers were taken from their legitimate work
and were detailed to help save the Biological
Survey. The importance of this Survey to
the Association can hardly be realized,
unless one is actively connected with the
work at headquarters. To the Biological
Survey we turn for all data regarding the
food habits of birds and their relations to
agriculture that are used, and in addition,
whenever the Association is advocating a
legislative bill relating to game or non-
game birds, the Bureau of Biological Survey
is appealed to for an expert to appear at
hearings. To the Bureau also we turn for
publications, relative to birds and game,
for distribution to help in the educational
campaign the Association is always carry-
ing on.
Who instigated the outrageous attack on
the Bureau of Biological Survey is hard to
discover, but when we recall the work done
by the members of the House Agricultural
Committee in 1906, in the matter of the
meat-packing bill, it suggests the thought
that the same interests, through the same
channels, sought to cripple the work of
game protection and to remove a factor that
is doing so much to stop the sale and cold
storage of game.
The Senate of the United States insisted
that the Survey be continued, and forced the
House into a compliance with its wishes;
thus reflecting the wishes of every person in
the United States iaterested in the preserva-
tion of its wild life.
The Bureau of Biological Survey was
continued with the same meager appropria-
tion that it had last year. This appropria-
tion is so small that it does not permit the
Bureau to carry on its valuable work with a
force of scientists that it should be able to
employ.
Bird -
Lore
The National Association and the real
sportsmen of the country are struggling at
the present time with the subject of the
preservation of the water game-birds of the
country, and the Survey is unable to give
us any data as yet regarding the food habits
of this class of birds, simply because they
have never yet been in a position to make
these important investigations. It is ex-
tremely desirable and vitally important that
the food of the shoal water-ducks and the
shore-birds of the country should be de-
termined at once; there is little doubt but
that it will be discovered that these two
classes of birds destroy enormous numbers
of noxious insects whose larval stages are
passed in water, but the proofs are needed.
MaineE.—Our representative in Maine,
Mr. Arthur H. Norton, some time since
sent us a copy of a petition that had been
sent to the legislature of his state by eighty-
three persons, residents in the township of
Lubec, and another petition from nineteen
persons in the township of Trescott, both of
which towns are in Washington county, in
the extreme eastern part of the state. The
petition prayed for an amendment to Section
8 of Chapter 32 of the Revised Statutes by
adding after the word “caught” in the
fourth line the words “but this shall not
apply to the shooting of Gulls by the owners
of land or those having lawful possession
thereof in the towns of Lubec and Trescott
and Whiting in Washington county, while
said Gulls are in the act of taking or menac-
ing to take fish exposed for drying purposes
or fish refuse or pumice spread upon said
land for manure or fertilizer.”
This Association and its predecessor, the
Thayer Fund, spent several thousands of
dollars in protecting the Gulls of Maine.
There is no part of the United States at the
present time where Gulls are not considered
as non-game birds of beneficial character
and are not protected by the model law.
There was but one thing to do, which was
to send an ornithologist to make an investi-
gation of the damage claimed to have been
done by the Gulls and also to investigate the
character of the persons who petitioned.
The Honorable James Carroll Mead 7
The Audubon Societies 99
selected; he was the member of the Assem-
bly who introduced and successfully carried
to adoption the model law in his state in
1902. Mr. Mead’s report is an interesting
one, and shows how little foundation there
was for the petition. As a matter of record,
the report is given in full:
“Of the eighty-three names on the Lubec
and Trescott petition, I find but nineteen
are in any degree farmers. One man is
dead, four unknown, and the balance are
business men, mechanics, boatmen, laborers,
etc. I have personally interviewed fourteen
of the farmers, as well as several farmers who
were not petitioners, and the results are
almost confusing. I find no one making
complaints against the Gulls except for the
practice of feeding on the fish cuttings, or
*‘Scoots,’ when spread on the land, and they
claim to be damaged annually from ro per
cent to 75 per cent of the cost of the spread
fish. Several men have assured me that it
sometimes happens that while a man is at
the factory for a load, the Gulls will devour
a load already spread. The worst damage
they claim is done after the weather grows
cool in the fall; early in the season (a few
men say until the middle of September in
‘ordinary years) the ‘Scoots’ spread decay
rapidly and the damage to them by Gulls is
not worthy of consideration. Those pushing
the bill strongest insist that June and July
are the only months that they are free from
the depredations. Some admit that Decem-
ber, or the fall of snow, ends all trouble,
while others just as strongly insist that the
| danger on exposed, hilly farms, is equally
| great all winter, inasmuch as the late-spread
fish, especially those kept some time in
pickle, remain intact all winter, unless
eaten by Gulls. For potatoes, grain, etc.,
the ‘Scoots’ are plowed in and the injury
done is not worthy of consideration. It is
‘only when spread as a top-dressing for
grass land that the Gulls are attracted. ‘The
farmers commence haying in July, but I
judge late in the month; right after this, and
until winter, they do their fertilizing. The
*Scoots’ in July are often given away by the
packers in order to get rid of them, but later
sell for from 75 cents to $1.50 per load of
ten or fifteen barrels’ capacity, and are
usually spread at the rate of two or three
loads per acre. I found two farmers who
said they protected their fields with dogs.
Another man has a piece of boiler iron near
his house on which his children pound with
a hammer and so frighten away the birds
for an hour at a time. Another man says
he can frighten them from his fields by
pounding his barn with a board, but he
added that ‘pounding a barn with a board
wouldn’t earn a living in Lubec.’ One
man, Walter Myers, thought the Gulls a
damage to him as a farmer, but a help to
him as a fisherman, inasmuch as they kept
his weir and the shore free from dead
fish.”
From the above report, it will be seen that
the greater part of the damage claimed is in
the late fall and winter months, at which
time there certainly can be very few Gulls
left in the state of Maine, as the great body
of them have migrated further south.
A copy of this petition was sent to our
warden, Captain Fred. E. Small, in charge
of Old Man Island, Me., which is not very
far from Lubec, asking his opinion of the
merits of the complaint, and he replied as
follows:
“I have heard some few complaints made
by farmers against Herring Gulls eating the
herring off their fields, but most of them
make an image of a man and put in the
field, which keeps the Gulls away. In
regard to their eating codfish or herring left
on boards to dry, there is no truth in such
reports. ‘I‘his is called the principal fishing
locality in Maine, and I have been in the
business myself and know what I am talk-
ing about; my opinion in regard to these
reports is that the petitioners are planning to
make a business of killing Gulls for market.”
Mr. Norton and Mr. Mead appeared at
the legislative hearing on the petition and
submitted all the facts gathered, and made
an appeal to the committee not to report the
amendment favorably. This appeal was suc-
cessful, and the Fish and Game Committee
reported adversely.
This Association does not take the stand,
nor has it ever advocated the protection of
birds when it is conclusively proven that
they are doing more damage than good; at
100
the same time, the Executive of the Associ-
ation never has, nor will it ever consent to
any amendment of a wise law on a com-
plaint, until the reasons back of the same
and all of the facts have been thoroughly
investigated. We have never yet found a
case where such a petition was not founded
upon prejudice or ignorance. It is only
another instance showing the value of and
necessity for thoroughly organized work,
such as is being carried on by the National
Association.
There is a petition before the legislature
of Maine to make the open season on Ducks
in the county of Lincoln extended to April
1. This is being combated, as there are
two reasons why it should not be adopted;
first, because it is the trend of public opinion
at the present time among the best class of
citizens to prohibit al] spring shooting; and
second, because it is unwise in a state of the
size of Maine, where the conditions are
practically the same in every part of the ter-
ritory, to have different open seasons. The
game law should be general and apply to
the entire state.
A petition is also before the legislature to
make a close season of five years on the
Wood Duck and the Buffle-head Duck,
commonly called “Dipper.” The reason
given in the petition is an exceedingly wise
one. :
“We urge the protection of the Wood
Duck and Buffle-head, because they are at
present so exceedingly rare as to afford prac-
tically no sport or food supply, and we be-
lieve, unless rigid protection is afforded them,
it will be only a short time before both
varieties are absolutely extinct.” Such an
intelligent appreciation of present conditions
deserves the highest commendation and ap-
proval.
Another petition: “No person shall at
any time, hunt, trap, catch, kill, destroy
or have in possession any Moose, Deer,
Caribou or any game or fur-bearing animals
of any description, within a radius of ten
miles from the highest point of Mount
Katahdin, known as the south monument,
believing that the best interests of the state
require this to be done.”
The above is an exceedingly meritorious
Bird -
Lore
measure, and, if adopted by the legislature,
will establish a game refuge in one of the
most beautiful and interesting parts of
Maine.
New HAmpsHirE.—A bill to amend the
Fish and Game law of this state was intro-
duced and has been passed. In some tre-
spects the bill makes important improve-
ments ; for instance, it makes the close sea-
son on the shore-birds and Ducks from Jan-
uary 31, which practically stops spring
shooting, as none or but very few of these
birds are found in the state during the
month of January.
A second bill, making a five years close
season on the Wood Duck, Killdeer Plover
and Bartramian Sandpiper, commonly
known as the “ Upland Plover,” was intro-
duced and has been adopted. This is the
first state to adopt the recommendation made
by the American Ornithologists’ Union at its
last annual meeting.
MASSACHUSETTS.—Out of the mass of bill
that were presented to the legislature tor and
against bird and game protection, the fol-
lowing important measures are of interest to
this Association:
An act for the protection of Loons and
Eagles; this was adopted.
An act to protect the Herring and Great
Black-back Gulls; this was adopted. By
the passage of this act protection is now
given to all the Gulls in every part of the
United States. The privilege to kill these
two species of Gulls in Massachusetts was
the only gap in a perfect series of laws in
the entire country.
This is one of the results of the work of
the “ Thayer Fund” and the National Asso-
ciation during the last seven years. When
the plume-hunters commenced their on-
slaught against the larger Gulls in 1900, it
was found that in many states there were no
laws protecting these birds.
Two bills regarding spring wild-fowl
shooting were introduced, one making the
close season on certain species of wild fowl
commence March 1, and another January 1.
Neither of these bills received favorable
consideration. This is unfortunate, because
si i ee a
Se a ey, ee ee ae ee eM ie My
close season commences.
The Audubon Societies
it is absolutely necessary that the spring
shooting of wild fowl should cease in North
America. There is need for educational
work in this connection in Massachusetts;
but with the love of birds and the intelli-
gence of the people of that state, there is
practically no doubt that, when the matter is
properly brought to the attention of the pub-
lic, laws shortening the open season for
wild fowl! will be adopted by a future legis-
lature.
A bill to make an open season on the
Sabbath Day was very properly defeated.
Without considering the question of respect
for the Sabbath Day, it is always well to
make a close season of at least one day in
the seven, even during the season when
shooting is lawful.
_ConnecTicutT.—In this state, bills have
been introduced to make the close season
for Ducks and shore-birds commence Janu-
ary 1. A great deal of educational work
is being done, and it is hoped that the bills
will be considered favorably, although there
is considerable opposition developing from
the shore towns of the state, because the
market hunters do not desire their special
privileges curtailed. It is a fact that the
only opposition that is ever found in any
part of the country to the passage of bills
stopping spring shooting, comes from the
restricted class of persons who shoot for
market or who sell game. The great
majority of the people of every state advo-
cate laws that conserve the wild life of the
country for future generations; all intelli-
gent people hope to prevent conditions that
will lead to another story like that of the
Wild Pigeon and the bison.
New York. —In the president’s last
annual report, he called the attention of the
citizens of this state to the very wicked
provision in the game laws, which permits
the sale of wild fowl sixty days after the
This provision
renders the January 1 wild-fowl law
nugatory and practically of no effect. There
is a further provision in the New York law
which permits the placing in bond of
surplus game which is on hand at the end
IOI
of the close or sale season, to be held until
the next open season.
Bills to remedy this marked defect in the
game law of this state were introduced;
that is, for the purpose of stopping the sale
of wild fowl after the roth day of January;
in other words, giving the dealers ten days
in which to get rid of their surplus stock
and also to stop the cold storage of any kind
of birds or game. ~
A hearing was held on both of these
bills on the 19th of February before the
Assembly Fish and Game Committee. The
Audubon interests were represented by your
president; two other Game Protective Asso
ciations were ably represented, and the only
opposition to the bill came from the Poultry
and Game Dealers’ Association of New York,
which was represented by a paid attorney.
It was thought that those in favor of the
two bills had proved conclusively to the
Assembly Fish and Game Committee that
these bills were meritorious and necessary,
and that they should be favurably reported.
The only claim that the attorney of the
Game Dealers’ Association made was that
the bills interfered with vested rights and
the interests of his clients who were legiti-
mate dealers in game. Further, he claimed
that they did not sell New York State Ducks,
but received all of their supplies from other
states. In rebuttal, it was shown that many
of the states prevented the export of wild
fowl and other game and therefore the New
York dealers must necessarily be selling
goods illegally obtained.
For some reason which it is hard to learn
or understand, these bills have not been
reported out of the committee, although
the chairman has been personally urged to
give them favorable consideration and let the
fight for the bills be made on the floor of
the House; it is believed that the sentiment
of the state is so strong for the passage of
these bills that the Assembly will pass them.
At this writing an appeal is being sent
broadcast throughout the state, asking the
citizens to insist that the above bills should
be reported by the committee.
New Jersey.—An anti-spring shooting
bill for wild fow] and shore-birds have been
102
introduced, together with a Hunter’s License
Bill. A joint hearing before the Game
Committees of both Houses was held, and it
is an interesting fact that not a voice was
heard at the hearing in opposition to them.
Both of these bills have passed the Assembly
and are now before the Senate foraction. It is
with great pleasure that we call the attention
of the citizens of New Jersey to the speeches
made in behalf of the anti-spring shooting
bill, and also for the most advanced bird
and game protection by Assemblymen
Crowther, of Middlesex; Fake, of Bergen,
and Hahn, of Essex.
SouTH Caro.Lina.—A bill incorporating
the Audubon Society of South Carolina was
passed by the legislature. This law is
exactly like the one in North Carolina, and
gives the Audubon Society of the state all
the powers and duties of a game commission.
Secretary Pearson will spend a large part
of April in organizing and starting the new
organization, so that the same efficient game
and bird protection may be had in South
Carolina that has obtained in North Carolina
since the Audubon Society of that state was
vested with its present powers.
How necessary it is to have an organiza-
tion to enforce the bird and game laws of
South Carolina will be shown by a quota-
tion from a letter recently received from
Sumter:
“About February 21 the first Robins
made their appearance in this vicinity, and
almost immediately a wholesale slaughter
began. Boys just large enough to hold a
gun (many with slingshots), men and even
women, all joined in the ‘sport.’ You can
hardly look out on the streets that you do
not see some one passing with a string of a
dozen or more birds. They seem to vie with
each other to see who can kill the most.
Only last evening, the gentleman with
whose family we board came in after only
a few hours’ gunning with a bag of Robins.
You think, when every one, almost, that you
meet is bent upon the self-same errand, that
it is a wonder there are any Robins left to
continue the journey northward.
“There is a splendidly organized Civic
League here, and I have thought that pos-
Bird -
Lore
sibly they might take the matter up, if it
were placed before them in the proper light.
I spoke to one of the members the other
day, and she promised to mention the matter
at the next meeting. Can you not send each
of them one of your leaflets on the subject?
“ This is the heart of the cotton- growing
industry of South Carolina, and I believe
that if the subject were placed in the hands
of a few of the leading men, something
might come from it.”
ALABAMA.—The bill spoken of in the
January number of Birp-Lore passed both
branches of the legislature and was signed
by the Governor, and it is now a law in
this state. It is without doubt the most
advanced and drastic game law now in force
in the country. By appointment of the
Governor, the Honorable John H. Wallace,
Jr., has been made the Game Commissioner
of the state, and this means that the new
law will be enforced, for he is a most ardent
protector and has a very high conception of
the value of birds to agriculture, and also
that they are one of the assets of a state and
should be conserved in every possible way.
PENNSYLVANIA.—A very radical retrograde
step has been taken in this state, and it is
understood that the legislation was approved
by the Fish and Game Commission. A bill
was introduced and has been passed by both
branches of the legislature to repeal the anti-
spring-shooting law. It has been stated that
this will not result in the killing of more
than ten thousand Ducks in the spring, but
when we consider that that means that there
will be at least a shortage of sixty thousand
Ducks in the following fall, the offspring of
those killed in the spring, there is no ques-
tion whatever regarding the great wrong
that has been done the wild fowl.
West Vircinta. — This state has just
adopted by a practically unanimous vote of
both branches of the legislature the model
law. Senator Hazlett introduced the bill and
successfully accomplished its passage. The
bird-lovers of the state are under great obli-_
gations to him for his public spirit and his
high appreciation of good civics.
1. HERMIT THRUSH. 2. GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. 3. OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH.
PHird- Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
a
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON Socieriecs
Vol. IX May —JuNE, 1907 No. 3
A Sketch of the Thrushes of North America
By JONATHAN DWIGHT, Jr., M. D.
AINTY of plumage and musical of voice, the Thrushes of North
D America are perhaps the most delightful members of the great bird
population that spreads northward over the continent in spring, to
retreat far southward again in autumn before the snow and ice of a northern
winter. Five species inhabit our country, all of them abundant, but so
silently do they accomplish their long migratory journeys, slipping along in
undergrowth and hedge-rows by day and winging their way far up in the
quiet sky by night, that, except for flashes of wings in the woods or mellow
calls borne on the night air, their presence may easily be overlooked until
they have settled for the brief summer in their breeding haunts. Then
truly it may be said that they “waste their sweetness on the desert air,” for
two of them, the Hermit and the Olive-backed, vie in breaking the solemn
spell of silence that broods over the wilderness of the great north woods;
one, the Gray-cheeked, carries his music to the very shores of the Arctic
Ocean, and only two,—Wilson’s and the Wood Thrush,—remain to pass the
summer in the more temperate and populated portions of the country, their
Northern range scarcely reaching the northern borders of the United States.
In plumage the Thrushes are brown of different shades, the breast and
under parts white with dusky spotting and often suffused with buffs and
grays. They molt but once in the year, but, as they dwell mostly in shaded
seclusion, they do not fade as much as might be expected in a twelvemonth.
The field-student will do well to distinguish even the species, for the
geographical races or subspecies are not readily recognizable even with
Specimens in hand for comparison and measurement. It is to be regretted
that so much effort has been expended in forcing names upon very slight
differences, because, in the confusion which arises, the very purpose for
which a name is given, convenience, is defeated. Here, I merely ask my
readers to remember that variation is of three kinds, —individual, when one
bird differs from his own relatives; seasonal, when plumage is affected by
molt and by wear; and geographical, when environment imposes characters
:
104 Bird- Lore
that are inherited. The geographical are the only variations that are«
nameable.
My out-of-door acquaintance with the Thrushes is of years’ standing,
and I have enjoyed their company in many parts of the United States and
Canada. Furthermore, I have had access to large series of skins, and I now
80 170 100 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 90 0 SO Go 30 20
>
19 300 70
BREEDING RANGES OF THE OLIVE-BACKED THRUSHES (Hylocichla ustulata)
1, H. u. ustulata. 2. H.u. swainsoni. 3. H. u. alme
hope, by outlining their distribution and prominent characteristics of plumage
and habit, to impart, even to the casual reader, some idea of the meaning
of geographical distribution and the significance of subspecies. 4
Let us first turn to the Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) , one of the
species most familiar to every bird-student of eastern North America. It is
known afield by its large size, tawny back and white breast heavily spottec
with black, and its breeding range is the smallest of any of the five specie
4
;
A Sketch of the Thrushes of North America
extending only throughout the dry, deciduous woodlands of the eastern
United States and the Mississippi valley, and not crossing the Canadian
boundary except in Ontario. In winter it retreats to Cuba and Central
America, departing south, like most of the Thrushes, in September.
readily adapts itself to modern conditions and fearlessly nests in the shade
0 170 too 150 140 130 120 10 100 00 40 70 60 50 0 30 20
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ik
BREEDING RANGES OF GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSHES (Hylocichla alicia)
7 1. H, a. alicie. 2. H. a. bicknelli
‘trees of parks and lawns, although shy as its brethren in its native forest.
Its rich song, suggestive of drowsiness and midsummer, is hardly surpassed
“even by that of the Hermit Thrush. So much has been written about
‘this species that I need say but little. There are no subspecies recognized.
The Wilson’s Thrush or Veery (Hylocichla fuscescens) is also a familiar
“acquaintance, much smaller than the preceding species, less yellowish
brown and with a buffy breast that is very faintly spotted. He pushes
105
106 : Bird - Lore
farther north, reaching Newfoundland in the East and British Columbia in
the West, where the coast range of mountains seems to bar his way to the
Pacific coast. A line drawn from Philadelphia to Denver will roughly
indicate the southern limit of his breeding range, and in winter he is found
in Cuba, Central America and sometimes the countries farther south. The
Veery, so called from his song, which is a somewhat monotonous although
sweet repetition of metallic whistled notes, dwells chiefly in marshy thickets
and makes his nest in tussocks of grass.
The birds of the Rocky Mountains and adjacent regions have been
separated as a subspecies under the name salicicola, or Willow Thrush,
characterized by larger size and darker colors, characters that are not well
borne out by the few specimens I have examined. Another dark race,
fuliginesa, from Newfoundland, has also been described but it was not
accepted by the A. O. U. Committee.
In Hylocichla ustulata we have a group of Thrushes called Russet - backed
(ustulata) in the West and Olive-backed (swainsoni) in the East, the
unfortunate discrepancy arising because the western birds were named first,
in 1840, and the eastern not until several years later, both being then con-
sidered full species. Asa matter of fact, Nuttall called wstulata the ‘Western
Thrush’ (Russet-backed being a later invention), and a simple solution of
the dilemma will be to call the two races, which they prove to be, one the
Western and the other the Eastern Olive-backed Thrush, with alma —
(Alma’s Olive-backed Thrush) a connecting link between them. The ©
eastern form, swainsoni, lacks the russet tinge of ustulata which is quite ;
pronounced in the tail, while a/me@ is a greenish, gray-backed bird very close |
to swainsoni. As for adica, I quite agree with Mr. Grinnell that it is merely
ustulata, faded in the California sun faster than are its fellows to the north.
The breeding range of the Olive-backed Thrush is coextensive with the
great belt of coniferous forest that stretches across Canada from ocean to ©
ocean, encroaching also on the northern parts of New England, New York, ©
Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota and dipping southward along the
mountains of the Appalachian, Rocky and Sierra systems. ‘The tree limit
of the continent marks the northern limit of this belt, the greater part of
which is still a trackless wilderness, which, for a brief season only, is filled
with birds and flowers.. Here, however, in this northland, where billows of
somber green spruces and firs stretch away on every hand, broken only by
innumerable lakes and streams and outcroppings of cold gray rock, the
cheerful songs of the Olive-backs may be heard to best advantage, often
mingling with those of the Hermits that occupy the same region. The
quiet of evening is the favorite hour for their most extended vocal efforts,
although they often sing during the day, while the Hermits are apt to be
silent save in the early morning hours and toward dusk. Perched high in a
tree, whence they may spy any one approaching and dive into the neare 7
A Sketch of the Thrushes of North America
underbrush, they pour forth successive bursts of rippling melody. While the
song lacks the variety, the deliberation and the “spirituality” of that of the
Hermit Thrush, it flows with an irresistible swing that fairly eclipses the
In the dry air of the Pacific coast their ringing tones
Hermit’s best efforts.
seemed to me to be even clearer and sweeter than in the East.
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BREEDING RANGES OF THE HERMIT THRUSHES (Hylocichla guttata)
2. H. g. pallasi.
I. H. g. guttata.
They are much shyer and more restless than are the Hermits, although
they carelessly place their nests five or six feet from the ground, commonly
in small spruces, where they are very conspicuous. The sitting bird crouches
motionless in the nest if surprised, but is generally able to slip away unob-
served and flit about silently with its mate in the adjacent bushes, sometimes
uttering a liquid ‘ puk’ of alarm.
Along the Maine coast and along nearly the whole coast of California,
3. H. g. auduboni.
4. H. g. nana
108 Bird - Lore
these birds breed at sea-lével, and they have clung to their favorite haunts, the
spruce forest, wherever it has been spared by the lumberman and the farmer. —
So it is that they occur along the higher Alleghanies as far south as Penn-
sylvania, in the southern Rocky Mountains at about 8,000 feet altitude and
in the Sierras and ranges of Nevada at varying altitudes. When the vast
breeding range of the birds is considered, it is really remarkable that they
vary so little in plumage and practically not at all in size. For the winter
they betake themselves to Cuba and Costa Rica, sometimes reaching
Ecuador or Peru.
In the Hylocichla guttata group of Hermit Thrushes there is a beautiful
tangle of names and races, chiefly the result of mistaken zeal on the part of
expert ornithologists. Suffice it to say, that Gmelin’s old name aonalaschke.
has been thrown over because his description is vague and because no
Hylocichla has ever been or is likely to be taken on Unalaska Island. The
next available name is guttata.
The range of the Hermit Thrush coincides very closely with that of the
Olive-back, although the species is slightly more southern in distribution
except in winter, when it does not entirely desert the lower border of the
United States. It dwells in the same coniferous forests, with perhaps a
preference for the deciduous bits scattered through it, and its song is often
blended with that of the other species. It is more sluggish in its movements
than the Olive-back, and even its song moves slowly. Nevertheless, the
Hermit Thrush bears the palm as the most gifted songster of North America,
and his sweet, measured notes poured forth in many stanzas of different keys
have been the theme of poetic writers.
The Hermit is less tidy in appearance than the Olive-back and, perhaps
because of his more terrestrial habits, becomes more frayed and worn in
plumage. This may be one reason why so many subspecies have been
described, and varying size is another, but in my opinion, when we have
accepted four races, we have about reached the limits of recognizable
- variation. We should have, then, pallasi, the eastern race; nana, the smaller,
deeper colored Pacific coast race, and guttata, the gray Alaska-Rocky ~
Mountain connecting link just as in the Olive-backed Thrush; then we
should also have auduboni, a large race at the southern extremity of the
Rockies, which has no counterpart in the Olive-backs, because they show :
no variation in size. As for slevini of California, if @dica is a summer
fading, then slevini falls into the same category; sequoiensis of the Sierras
fills an inappreciable gap between gutiata and auduboni, and verecunda of
Queen Charlotte Islands is, of course, merely the mainland bird nana. —
These conclusions may not meet with general favor, as they are not in
complete accord with commonly accepted ideas, although I find them in~
accord with the facts derived from personal examination of a large number
of specimens. I am satisfied that the recognition of more races will simply 4
A Sketch of the Thrushes of North America 109
mean that all winter specimens will be named by guesswork. Light ones
and dark ones, large ones and small ones, may be sorted out into series to
which names may be applied, but no one can feel sure by this process of
matching that some of the birds in different rows did not come originally
from the same nest !
The Gray-cheeked Thrush (Hylocichla alicia) is a species that boldly
seeks the most inhospitable northern confines of the continent, building its
nest beyond the tree limit, in the stunted birches, willows and alders that
fringe the Arctic Ocean. It ranges from Labrador to Alaska, extending
over Bering Strait to the bleak shores of northeastern Siberia,—truly a
_ dreary summer home, but in winter it retires to Costa Rica and Panama.
‘It closely resembles the Olive-back in plumage and, although larger and
greener, may easily be mistaken for the latter species. Its habits are similar,
and it, too, lays blue eggs spotted with brown, the eggs of the other three
species being plain blue. Its song is said to resemble that of the Hermit,
but, as it hastens quietly northward in the spring, few of us are destined to
enjoy its full melody.
A small dark race, bicknelli, Bicknell’s Gray-cheeked Thrush, has been
| described from the Catskill Mountains of New York, and similar birds have
| been found on the Adirondacks and higher points of New England, as well
/as on the cold islands: off the Nova Scotia coast. The race is but slightly
| differentiated and may perhaps be considered as a survival, dating from times
when glaciation was nearer home.
In conclusion, 1 would say that many definite records of capture of
specimens of the different races are open to doubt, and, while I have not
been able to investigate all of them, I have endeavored to weigh them
\ properly and the results are roughly indicated on the accompanying maps,
which show approximately the breeding ranges of the different species and
races.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak
By B.S. BOWDISH, Demarest, N. J.
With photographs from nature by the author
J HILE a few writers have tended to exaggerate the beauties of
\ \ color and sweetness of song, and the value of food habits of this
bird, more have slighted it. In the matter of brilliant color few of
the tropical birds surpass the Rose-breast, while to the writer, at least, his.
song has a charm that is rivaled only by the melody of a very few of our
feathered vocalists. While, I believe, no systematic study of his food habits.
has been made by the Department of Agriculture, yet the casual observa-
tions. of bird students have shown that the Grosbeak has a peculiarly valu-
able habit, namely, the including of the potato beetle in his bill of fare,—a
taste apparently shared by few if any other birds.
On one point the Grosbeak’s chroniclers have many of them been re-
miss. I refer to the share that the male takes in the labor of incubation.
In some instances writers ignore this entirely, while I have seen the extreme
statement that the male performed this entire work. Neither view is in
accord with my experience. In most cases I have observed the female on
the nest, while the male proved to be the more fearless and devoted in.
attending to the household duties in the presence of supposed danger.
NEST. AND EGGS OF ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
(110)
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak III
This, of course, is as it should be, but is so contrary to the habits of most
birds as to excite comment. ¢
On May 24, 1906, I located two unfinished nests, which I ascribed to
Grosbeaks. One of these was never finished, but the other, completed
i
. _ ~ ‘ ie “ih
MALE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK APPROACHING NEST
later, proved to be the property of a pair of Rose-breasts. The following
day I found another nest in a dense thicket some three miles from my home.
It was situated about eight feet from the ground in an elder bush, and con-
tained two eggs. The male was the only bird about the nest, but was not
seen on it. I made a photograph of nest and eggs, but did not again visit
the spot, so know nothing of its future history. Within fifteen feet of this
nest was a newly finished one of a Wood Thrush and a Catbird’s home
containing three eggs, while, a little further away, there was another Wood
Thrush’s nest with three eggs and a second Catbird’s with three eggs, also,
so the Grosbeaks did not lack for company.
On May 26, a female Grosbeak was sitting on the finished nest found
building on the 24th, while another nest was discovered within twenty rods
of this one, with the female on it. This latter nest was about nine feet
from the ground, in a choke-cherry bush, in a damp thicket, and con-
tained two eggs. The male was nearby, while, in the case of the former
nest, no male was seen. The next day I made two visits to these nests in |
hope of obtaining photographs, but was prevented by rain. On the first
112 : Bird- Lore
occasion the female was on the nest in each case, while; at the second visit
the male was on nest number three.
On the afternoon of the 27th, I set up the camera on a tripod the legs
of which had been spliced with extra pieces to elevate it, and, with a bicycle
pump and one hundred feet of tubing, awaited an opportunity to make an
exposure. Late in the afternoon, when the light was becoming very unsat-
isfactory, the male went on the nest. I made an exposure, but develop-
ment proved that the bird had moved and spoiled the picture. On this
date I found the other nest was empty and abandoned, I suppose robbed.
MALE ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK ON NEST
‘This latter nest was built in a little elm, about seven feet from the ground,
and in plain sight of a public road.
On the 31st, nest number three contained four eggs; the female was on
when I arrived, but promptly got off. I set up my apparatus, and at the
end of the tube I wrapped myself up in the photographic tent and lay down
among the bushes, where I could take an occasional peep at proceedings,
through the opening at the top of the tent, closing this during the interim
to exclude the too friendly attentions of the myriad of mosquitos. It took
some time to establish the confidence of the male Grosbeak (the female
retired altogether), but at last he settled on the nest and, giving him time
to get comfortably ensconced, I made a half-minute exposure. “The second
exposure was obtained under even greater difficulties, but eventually I gave
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak 113
the bird ten seconds as he stood beside the nest, and then went home, fully
prepared to find that my two attempts were failures. I was agreeably sur-
prised when they proved to be fairly successful.
On June 2, I again tried to get photographs of both birds, without suc-
cess, so made pictures of nest and eggs and retired. On the following day
day the nest was gone, another of the frequent depredations about this spot.
June 9, about ten rods from the site of this nest I noted a female Gros-
beak sitting on a new nest, and presume it was the bird from the rifled nest.
Minot, in ‘Land Birds and Game Birds of New England,’ paying high
tribute to the beauty of dress\and elegance of song of the male Grosbeak,
says “he therefore absents himself from the immediate neighborhood of his
nest except when obliged to approach it, or when relieving his mate from
the fatigue of incubation, as he occasionally does.” In contrast to his
observation, I have with one exception found the male Grosbeak always in
the close vicinity of his home. Moreover, as seems often to be the case,
conspicuousness by reason of brilliant coloring is more apparent than actual.
As the photograph shows, when the male Grosbeak settles in his nest the
| rosy tints are concealed, and the apparently striking blacks and whites blend
nicely into the blacks and whites of the foliage perspective.
. Off of the nest.he is no more conspicuous than the Cuban Trogan,
and any one who has been in the forests where the latter birds abounded
| can testify that, despite brilliant color, the birds are by no means readily
located.
The song of the Grosbeak resembles in a great measure the songs of the
Robin and the Scarlet Tanager, and I heard one performer that I supposed
was a Baltimore Oriole until I saw the bird. ‘There is a less melancholy note
to the Rose-breast’s song than the Robin’s possesses, while it has not acer-
tain harshness that detracts from the quality of the Tanager’s performance,
| and to me it is greatly superior to both.
As a final note I may add that on June 24, 1906, I located an empty nest
in the top of a locust in a grove of such trees, near my home. On July 7,
Il found the female Grosbeak on this nest which, at that time, contained
eggs. As this is a late date for Grosbeak to be commencing housekeeping
Cares, it seems probable that it was a second or third attempt on the part of
birds previously disturbed.
Some Bird Acquaintances
NOTES FROM AN INVALID’S SKETCH-BOOK
By EMMA E. DREW*
IRST come my friends, the Red-eyed Vireos and their family. The
kK pretty mother built her little basket-nest in the apple tree just outside
my window. Mr. Red-eyed Vireo did not help his wife in her work,
but was ever near at hand to cheer her with his song. It was wonderful
to see how skilfully this tiny creature wove the bits of material into a
charming little home. Soon there were four pretty eggs in the nest, and in
due time three tiny, squirming, naked little birds, and one unhatched egg,
which Mrs. Vireo calmly poked out of the nest.
While the mother bird was on the nest I spent a great deal of time by
that window, and after a few days she did not mind me in the least. Once
I almost touched her; and she never moved.
When the three little Vireos began learning to fly, there were exciting
times at ‘ Shadyside.’ Often Mrs Red-eye came to the veranda where I
was reading and invited me to step round and rescue her children, once from
Miss Day’s good, toothless old pussy-cat, and several times from a mass of
tall, wet grass. Soon I concluded to bring the’youngsters to the vine on
the porch, and after that I had an ‘easier time. Then, too, I could watch
proceedings from my comfortable steamer chair. One day it occurred to me
to try my hand at feeding these young Vireos. So I got a few meal worms
and offered one to a youngster. My, how quickly he opened his mouth!
Down went the poor worm into what looked to me like a deep well, and
his parents had been feeding him almost every moment since dawn! While
I stood feeding them, the parent birds came into the vine with food in their
bills. Did they fly off in alarm ? Not they. Instead, they waited until I had
dropped my last worm into the mouth of a nestling, and then proceeded to
take their turn as undisturbed as you please. You may be sure I was very
happy to be taken into partnership by these neighbors.
—_—— ee ee
*In a letter to the Editor of Birp-Lore Miss Drew writes: “I send a few notes on —
birds, not because I feel these notes to be of value, but because some of your readers must, —
like myself, live an out-of-door life for several years, to regain, in a measure, health and —
strength, and who, because of inability to walk or drive very much, feel that even the
study of birds is not for them.
“ For nearly seven years I have been forced to live in the woods in the Adirondacks.
For four years I have spent most of the spring and fall months in the little country village —
of Jay, almost in the “heart of the ancient wood.” Most of my days have been spent in a
steamer chair on the wide piazza, doing nothing. I have not been from the porch at any
time, except during the last year, when I have been able to take some long drives through —
wonderful woodsy places, and yet I have a list of one hundred and forty birds seen in this
way, and have made friends with quite a number. My idea is to show some discouraged ©
invalid that there is real pleasure and work in watching the birds, even from a steamer
chair on a piazza.”
(114)
Some Bird Acquaintances 115
I have a very special friend in a White-breasted Nuthatch, who has been
about the place constantly for about three years, and who knows me any-
where. I call him ‘Chum.’ This bird friend comes into my room for nuts,
placed on the wide window-ledge for his benefit. One day last spring -he
came before the nuts were quite ready. Not finding what he wanted in the
usual place, he gave a low qguank of wonder and proceeded to look about.
I sat near at hand and had just filled a plate with broken peanut meats,
ready to distribute about on the window-ledge and on the trays which I
have nailed to the pillars of the porch. ‘Chum:spied me and at once flew
my way, alighting on the edge of the plate, where he slipped about at a
great rate. Finally, getting his balance, he selected a bit of nut and flew
off out of the window. When walking in the garden, Chum often drops
| down on/me, and I try to remember his fondness for peanuts before I start
| out anywhere. Again, when writing at my table on the wide piazza, Chum
seldom fails to join me, tramping calmly over my letter, if necessary, to
| reach his little dish of nuts. If I happen to be reposing in my steamer chair
| reading, Chum spies me there, and flies down on the toe of my boot and
| marches solemnly up my whole length to my hand, where he selects a bit
| of nut with due deliberation and great satisfaction. Sometimes he settles
himself comfortably on my hand and eats his lunch there, hammering the
‘nut meats between my fingers, and then biting off little pieces best suited to
{his taste. This little friend brought his wife and five little ones to a tree
near the veranda, about the middle of June, but while he came freely, as
‘usual, neither Mrs. Nuthateh nor any of her interesting family could be
_ persuaded to come near me.
Every fall, beginning October 1, I tie pieces of suet to the near-by trees,
‘and nail little wooden trays to the piazza posts. The trays are kept filled
with cracked corn, nuts, hemp seed, sunflower seed and coarse oatmeal.
‘Both the suet and the trays are well patronized always.
The fall of 1903 was unusually cold, and most of the time I was glad to
‘Wrap up in my rugs and watch the birds from a couch on the veranda, so, in
addition to the usual trays, I placed a well-filled one on a little stand about
a foot from my resting place. Soon I had plenty of company. All day,
from 9 A. M. until nearly 5 P. M., my little comrades were busy at
both lunch counters and suet. There were Chickadees, Nuthatches, Gold-
finches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and Tree Sparrows. Even a Blue
Jay appeared once in a while. The tray near my couch was patronized
almost entirely at first by the jolly, friendly, confiding little Chickadees.
Often there were a dozen at a time eating peanuts from that tray. Each
would take a piece of nut, fly to some near-by resting place and eat with a
good appetite. One fellow flew over onto me and ate his nut, warming
his toes on my rug at the same time. Another inquisitive little Chickadee
flew onto my head, and began to peck at the button which adorns my cap.
116 ‘ Bird - Lore
Sometimes I would not get out very early with fresh nuts for the trays.
Then some of these little friends would appear at my window and peck at
the glass, as much as to say, “Where is our breakfast ?” Soon these bird
neighbors become so friendly that, when I opened my windows and held out
my hands filled with nuts, down they would fly with a chickadee-dee for
good-morning, and take the nuts from my fingers.
This spring I had the pleasure of finding a flock of ten red Crossbills.
They were first observed April 30, in some apple trees near our cottage.
They were very tame, and I was able to sit down within six feet of them
and watch them. Three of the males were in full spring dress, and were
beauties. Two more had a quantity of red in their plumage. When startled,
they would fly a short distance away, uttering twittering notes as they flew.
I watched them for more than an hour with my glass, and found they were
extracting the seeds from.some apples which had been left on the trees all
winter. The next morning when I looked out, lo, there they were again
to greet me! Reading in Mrs. Bailey’s “Birds of Village and Field’ that
these birds were very fond of salt pork, I tied bits of this meat to the limbs
of the trees hoping to keep them after the apple seeds failed. This suc-
ceeded beyond my expectation, for morning and afternoon of nearly every
day until June 8 that little flock came to the orchard. On that day they ©
disappeared and were not seen again. While feeding, they gave a sort of
whistling note. They seemed very happy and very much at home. At
intervals one would stop feeding and sing a sweet little song, not powerful
or very loud,, but varied and exceedingly pleasing.
While watching the Crossbills one morning (May 4), a Ruby-crowned
Kinglet flew into a near-by tree. At first he fed in silence, then began to ~
flit from twig to twig in such a pretty, graceful fashion, and suddenly broke
out into song. This was the first time I had ever heard the spring song of
this tiny bird, and it was, truly, a red-letter day for me. ‘The song is quite ©
wonderful—or so it seemed to me—a prolonged and varied warble, mellow —
and flute-like, with such sweetness and purity of tone! The bird is so
small, and the song so loud, and rich and full, that at first I looked about
for a larger bird.
One morning, about the middle of June, a Robin, seemingly in great
distress, came into the vine near my chair. When I started up, expecting
to see a cat about, the bird flew to her nest at the other end of the veranda -
and then back to me. Placing a chair under the nest, I climbed up and —
looked into it. Half in and half out of that nest hung a young Robin! In
some way a piece of string had become twisted about his neck. I hastened
to get my scissors and cut him down, to the great joy of his mother, who
kept close at hand while I released her child and placed him safely back in
the nest. She seemed to know I was doing her a good turn. The young
bird, after he got his breath again, appeared to have suffered no great harm. 7
\ Some Bird Acquaintances 117
This spring, besides keeping out the tray of food and the suet for my
bird neighbors, I hung out several cocoanuts. First I made a hole in one
side about the size of a quarter and then suspended the nuts by strong twine
from the near-by trees. Soon Nuthatches, Chickadees and Woodpeckers
patronized freely these little ‘houses full of meat” and furnished no end of
fun besides. Often all I could see of a hungry Chickadee was the end of
his tail. The Downy Woodpecker couldn’t quite get inside, but he went
as far as he could, and even the big Hairy tried his hand at the nut.
I would like to tell of other friends among the birds—of the pair of
Song Sparrows who for two years have built their home in a white rose
bush not far from the house, and who daily — yes, and many times a day —
stroll up and down this wide piazza, talking in undertones of housekeeping
cares and feeding on the hemp seed scattered about for them at the same
time, never minding me in the least, and of the two pairs of Chipping
Sparrows who never failed to build in the vine on the porch, or to bring
their young to my window-sill and teach them to eat peanuts, and of how
one poor bird was nearly choked to death because its mother jammed too
large a piece down his throat one day. And, too, of the pair of Robins
who also built in our vine very close to a Chippy’s nest, and of how each
time Mrs. Robin left her own pretty eggs for a little recreation she never
failed to bring back some dainty for her neighbor’s children; all of which
attentions Mr. and Mrs. Chippy resented, even severely pecking the officious
Robin, who seemed to like the unkind treatment, for she steadily and per-
sistently fed those young Chippies. I would like to tell you all this and
more, but there is not time. But let me add one word. Let me tell you
that the friendship and the companionship of these little comrades has been
not only a source of real pleasure and comfort during these few years of
enforced exile from home ‘and friends, but an education as well. Many a
needed lesson in patience have they taught me. Many a lesson in affec-
tionate consideration and helpfulness as well.
Some Edmonton, Alberta, Birds
By SIDNEY S. S. STANSELL
With photographs from nature by the author
N visiting Alberta for the first time, I find there are many birds here
I that are not listed as breeding this far north by several hundred miles.
My first surprise was in seeing the Rose-breasted Grosbeak; my second
when, early one morning, I heard ‘a House Wren singing, for all the
world, as it does in Illinois. My third surprise came when I heard the
familiar call of the American Goldfinch, flying just as he did at home and
singing his same old song when resting on a bush or tree.
Thus my list of birds has lengthened and, by searching the woods day
after day, | became acquainted with more and more birds on each visit,
locating a nest here and one there. I soon had a fair collection of photo-
graphs, a few only of which are shown here.
On June 25, I visited Rat Lake, a small body of water containing only
a few acres, situated within a few minutes’ walk of the city of Edmonton.
ROBIN FEEDING YOUNG
(118)
Here I expected to find
Ducks nesting, but, on
account of its proximity
to the city, the small
boys and hunters kept
them away; and all the
reward I received for
my diligent search was
a solitary Pied - billed
Grebe’s nest floating in
the center of the lake,
and this contained only
one egg, so no photo-
graph was taken.
After encircling the
lake twice I noticed what
at first seemed to be a
bunch of dry grass, but,
on looking closer, it
proved to be an Ameri-
can Bittern hiding. I ad-
vanced toward the bird
slowly and carefully until —
I was within fifty feet of
it, and yet it stood
perfectly still. I timed
it, and it remained in
pis
= 3
S65
=
a
<
S<
120 Bird - Lore
the same position for twenty minutes, then flew away to another lake
near by.
On starting home I flushed a Wilson’s Snipe, but failed to locate its
nest. Several Killdeers were running along the shore, continually uttering
their familiar cries and trying to lead me away from their nest of young,
which I did not have time to locate.
The Northern. Flicker is quite scarce here. I do not remember seeing
more than two or three pairs during the season and did not locate a single
nesting site. White-throated Sparrows and Slate-colored Juncos abound in
NEST AND YOUNG OF OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH
the low, wet places, even in the back yards in the city, and frequently are
seen sitting on the telephone and electric light wire on the busiest streets.
The English Sparrow did not seem to be very abundant in the spring of
1906, and the following fall numerous flocks could be seen at most any
time of day chattering in the trees or flying about over town.
The American Robins are more numerous here than I expected to find
them. They nest along the Saskatchewan River and close to habitation;
the greatest number of nests I located were in white poplar trees. The one
in the illustration was on a steep hillside near the river. Even in this short
summer two broods are reared. Several nests of the Olive-backed Thrush
were found, all of them being about the same height above ground and
constructed of the same material. In the nest containing the three young
Thrushes, shown in the illustration, two Cowbird eggs were found.
The Migration of Thrushes
THIRD PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in
the Biological Survey
With drawings by Louis AGASSIz FUERTES and BRUCE HORSFALL
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH
SPRING MIGRATION
PLACE
No. of years’ Average date of
Fort Keogh, Mont. ars
House River, Alberta . . .
Fort Chippewyan,
Fort Anderson, Mack
Kowak River, Alaska
Alberta
Fae ee Te eae a
Earliest date of
spring arrival
records spring arrival
Ss ec ean ae
EL BS RSS RS er ieee 3 May 12
Mmemnmetane dy, Cos a 8 May 11
RINOOG ee ss 8s oe 5 May 23
Shelter Island, N.Y. ..... eek 4 May 20
a eran ree er Streit 5 May 23
New Orleans, La. (near) 4 April 22
Me ROU; Mee wT 4 ay 3
Soemtral lowas. 5. . ‘ 7 May 9
Ee) a a P 5 May 7
MME ia 55g ps facie vei oh 9 May 12
Lanesboro, Minn....... 8 May 12
San Antonio, Texas. .....
Onaga, Kansas... . . 3 May 6
DU IEOME Whe a a es May 14
April 26, 1887
May 4, 1894
May 8, 1907
May 11, 1898
May 17, 1901
May 20, 1902
March 27, 1897
April 24, 1885
April 28, 1906
April 29, 1899
May 1, 1899
May 7, 1893
April 24, 1890
May 1, 1904
May 11, 1906
May 18, 1889
May 19, 1903
May 22, 1901
May 28, 1865
May 24, 1899
PLACE
No. of years’ Average date of
Latest date of last
record last one seen one seen
Dd ee ek ee May 17, 1893
PMEEOMRIIR. fe. 6 6 May 27 June 5
DE Pe ye 5 May 28 June 1, 1897
DIE MARNR Se Te 3 May 31 June 2, 1904
Seemonreans, La... 2 4. ks 4 May 5 May 10, 1903
St. Louis, Mo. ... . 3 May 22 May 25, 1886
mnrcamo, Til... .. . II May 25 May 29, 1900
Lanesboro, Minn.. ..... 3 May 24 May 27, 1893
San Antonio, Texas. .... 2 May 13 May 15, 1890
Onaga, Kans. 3 May 17 May 18, 1904
FALL MIGRATION
PLACE
Chicago, Ill... .
meaver. Pa, ...
Washington, D. C
| ge RR eal aa
Earliest date of first
one seen
No. of jours’! Average date of
record | first one seen
6 | September 11
3 | September 18
5 | September 28
4 October 6
August 26, 1894
September 7, 1903
September 15, 1897
October 2, 1888
(121)
Bird - Lore
122
FALL MIGRATION, continued
No. of years’) A date of Latest date of |
PLACE et) Act oe ee
Kowak ‘River, Alaska’: s )/.000 0. August 25, 1898
Notice City; Alama ore ea teens September 8, 1899
Fort Simpson, Mack. ...... September 9, 1860
Athabaska Landing, Alberta. .... i September 12, 1903
Aweme: Man ores icc rie eae a 5 September 9 September 30, 1903
Ohicags; Tits oti e) oie Sate a ae a 3 October 2 October 6, 1894
Whashingtony 19.00) seo oe ereaine 2 October 9 October 12, 1889
The most striking characteristic of the Gray-cheeked Thrush is its
rapid migration, probably the most rapid of alk North American birds.
Scarcely five weeks are occupied in the journey from the Gulf of Mexico to
Alaska, an average speed of a hundred miles a day and a probable speed
during the latter part of the journey at least twice as great.
OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH
SPRING MIGRATION
| be ;
PLACE ie, ent] arcane tae ot
Atlantic Coast—
Raleigh, Wo'Gs) olin ely pee ee 8 May 4 April 22, 1892
Lynchburg) V duiciiaiee wee eee 3 May 4 April 30, 1902
French ‘Creek; "WieVa. see ee 3 April 29 April 27, 1893
Washington, Dees ero 17 ay 5 April 19, 1896
Beaver: (Pa ise eee re ue : 4 May 3 April 30, 1902
Germantown, Pa.. . : 5 May 6 May 3, 1890
Pioyidence; “Rivks eS eee 5 May 12 May 11, 1902
Eastern Massachusetts. ...... 14 May 14 May 7, 1897
St=JohayNy Bae aes ; 10 May 21 May 8, 1887
Hahivax NOS trained rare agg May 18, 1896
Mississippi Valley— i
New Orleans art ses EU ee April 2, 1895
Central Keaticky ee 5 April 24 April 14, 1906
Bt. Tews Ie Ss os ves ae a 6 April 23 April 17, 1885
Oberlin SONI oss" se wire Fee hs i 8 April 29 April 22, 1902
Southwestern Ontario ....... 5 ay 6 May 3, 1885
Ottawa; Oat oon ws: 7 May 13 May 5, 1902
Southeastern Nebraska. .... 4 May 4 April 28, 1900
Chivaco Fs aie ae Oe ae II May 2 April 23, 1897
Central Iowa Way ies see 14 May 6 May 3, 1904
Lanesboro Mimi a. 65698 osteo se Se 6 May 8 May 1, 1887
Minneapolis, Minn. (near). 7 May 8 May 3, 1905
Huachuca Mountains, Ariz. May 2, 1902
Northern Colorado 4 May 8 May 6, 1906
Cheyenne, Wyo. ...... 3 May 9 May 7, 1888
Great Fails; Montagne is te 3 May 15 May 13, 1892
Columbia Falls, Mont. ..... 3 May 19 May 17, 1896
Athabaska Landing, Alberta (near). May 17, 1903
Fort Simpson, Mack. ....... May 24, 1860
Southern California* ....... 3 April 12 April 7, 1886
Central Galifornia 0 ee ek 6 April 22 April 12, 1885
Southern British Columbia... . . 4 May 10 May 7, 1889
Dawson, Yukon 250 3553 5 se ee eo May 24, 1899
*The Pacific coast records belong to the Russet-backed Thrush,
The Migration of Thrushes
SPRING (hed soiree continued
No. of years’
Navake date of
123
Latest date of last
PLACE record last one seen one seen
Memes OXOS. . kw we 8 Ne tcane May 22, 1880
a i ae se 6 May 13 May 17, 1893
ppesemnpron, D.C... 2... ein Pe 7 May 21 May 28
ree ae 3 May 22 May 23, 1902 .
DeMPeWNIVeIIASS, we ee 8 May 27 June 4, 1900
m Central Kentucky. ........ . 7 May 21 May 24, 1905
DEM IO ae ee eke he 4 May 25 May 29, 1882
EIEURPRIO 5 4 5s we 9 May 24 June 13, 1905
Rivet Uacte 10 May 28 June 6, 1894
= Chicago, Til... ..
FALL MIGRATION
| Atlanta, Ga. (near). .... 6...
PLACE No. of years’} Average date of Earliest date of first
record first one seen one seen
AES Sia ere ae Se ara II August 27 August 16, 1900
Central Kentucky. ...... byte 4 September 4 September 3, 1904
- Southern Missiestppi. a eae . 3 September 19 September 12, 1897
mpeaver, Pa... .... es 6 September 15 September 13, 1902
PNMRAMUOW EA... ge tw ek ws 5 September 17 | September 11, 1886
UN OS» 5, OEE aa oan eerie 5 September 24 | September 6, 1879
maencn Creek, W.Va. ..:5.... 3 September 15 | September 8, 1890
6 September 19 September 14, 1901
PLACE
No. of years’
record
Average date of
last one seen
Latest date of last
one seen
Columbia Falls, Mont. .......
MRM oe! 6 eee eels
RI SPU ee al ee ae
ee SE a ae ee
_ Bay St. Louis, PM ee.
St. John, N.B.. ea ace aout gee
Sisermantown, Pa... ........
MOApa> (MEAL). so. lena sls
Raleigh, Me ss se
OE aes
Mmnuwn
aun
October 2
October 2
October 3
September 22
October 17
October 19
September 23, 1895
October 21, 1902
October 24, 1896
October 24, 1897
October 31, 1901
October 18, 1892
October 24, 1885
October 25, 1904
November 19, 1885
HERMIT THRUSH
ATS SE yreEss
ie We eae et
SPRING MIGRATION
ap No. of 1) OA date of Earliest date of
f Bi PLACE N Booka og Stok acted riba 4 seaival
|S Coast—
S@euwashington, D.C....:..... 8 April 7 January 1, 1876
els ED tea a 6 April 9 April 3, 1888
smemmemeiewood, N.J....... 3 April 11 April 1, 1898
| ee a 10 April 17 April 5, 1897
Sueeeured, N-Y. 2... 1 ww. II April 19 April 10, 1895
Bueperercord, Conn’... .. 2... 9 April 12 April. 3, 1901
Menmevmence, R.J.......2... 5 April 20 April 10, 1904
| Eastern Massachusetts ...... 12 April 15 March 18, 1894
Meeme. jJohmsbury, Vt...%....... 5 April 21 April 10, 1896
124 Bird - Lore
SPRING MIGRATION, continued
PLACE No. of years’| Average date of Earliest date of
record spring arrival spring arrival
Atlantic Coast, continued
Lewiston, Mies ins RRS 6 April 20 April 6, 1902
Plymouth, Mes 0) i) 5c a 13 April 21 April 17, 1895
Montreal, Can.(near)....... 4 April 26 April 12, 1890
Quebec City, COR. a) aha eee II May 4 April 22, 1902
Scotch Lake, Ne... su ee « 6 April 21 April 19, 1902
St: John: My Bite: G5. . cages 8 April 29 April 16, 1889
Hatifax, Nu 655 0's s ae 6 April 25 April 19, 1891
North River, Prince Edward Island . 5 May 2 April 18, 1891
Mississippi Valley—
St): Lowe; Metis ss S4s ei eae 7 April 4 March 30, 1888
Bloomington, Ind. ..... me 4 April 4 March 23, 1902
Oberlin; Ohigi ais a kek 6 April 10 March 21, 1903
Petersburg, Mich. ..... iGsihae 9 April 11 April 7, 1893
Aun ‘Arbor! Miche. 05. Sere 10 April 9 April 2, 1904
Southwestern Ontario ....... 15 April 15 April 6, 1904
Ottswas. nts goo ic" se tees 13 April 19 April 8, 1906
Charlwich, Ont., and vicinity ; 9 April 25 April 13, 1890 !
Chicago, Pe ee 12 April. 7 March 24, 1893 .
Hillsboro, Iowa, and vicinity . 9 April 6 March 31, 1905 {
Gentral lowe c..: < aire usenet 14 April 7 March 20, 1905
Lanesboro, Minn. :s 02-6 (esi bia 6 April 9 April 5, 1888
Minneapolis, Minn., and vicinity . 5 April 11 April 1, 1905
A weme, Wish ohio a ee ee a 3 May 2 April 25, 1903
Athabaska Landing, “Alberta (near). May 17, 1903
The Hermit Thrush, in one or another of its forms, ranges from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, but in the West it breeds from Alaska to Arizona.
The winter and summer ranges overlap for some hundreds of miles and the
migrations of the more northern breeding birds cannot be accurately traced.
. of *| Average date of Latest e
ghia ae last pets seen “ preys -
Northern Florida ....... re ae 4 March 19 May 7, 1903
Raleseh, Bho Coos). toca taocas see ates 6 April 23 April 29, 1892
Washington, D, C..0). 2 2 6's: 3 a 3 May 4: May 17, 1891)
New Orleans; La roe ee 5 April 8 April 13, 1895
Waterloo, Ind. (mear) ....... 5 May 4 May 17, 1905
Oberlin, Olan eee eer - 6 May 6 May 14, 1906
Chicago, DI st eens Se ae II May 5 May 20, 1897
FALL MIGRATION
J No. of years’| Average date of Earliest date of first
PLACE ?
record first one seen one seen
Germantown, Pa. oy testa ees 5 October 12 September 29, 1889 —
Beaver; {Pass 2c s/h ce ee pee Vie . 3 October 14 October 3, 1899
French Creek, WiVacgt Ss vas 3 October 12 September 3, 1889
Washington, Dee PS eae 7 October 20 September 18, 1900
Raleich; NeoGs. ge eae ee Tease 8 October 21 October 16, 1885
Northern Florida ....... Powis 2 November 19 | October 27, 1904
New’ Orleans; Lai. 003" 5 ej eee September 26, 1894
Migration of Thrushes 125
FALL MIGRATION, continued
PLACE Ce rcaas teat | Seige oi
Athabaska Landing, Alberta. . .. . _ September 14, 1903
Wamvemean, 6. ee a ee. 3 September17 October 17, 1906
PencematOe MANN sie 6 ee Se 3 October 12 October 26, 1890.
CNRS ike sw oe wa wie -s 6 October 12. = October 20, 1897
BOT RU OWE ce. 6 ke we 3 October 15 November 9, 1889
Waterloo, Ind. (near) dies eh le bes 5 October 22 October 25, 1889
Ottawa, Ont. Passes Ae eR ee A 9 October 14 November 24, 1895
Southwestern Ontario ........ 9 October 18 November 11, 1898
Oberlin, Ohio . ‘ 4 October 27 December 4, 1903
North River, Prince Edward Island 2 October 10 October 19, 1887
Montreal, ME ee tr, ce 4 October 16 October 20, 1888
Scotch Lake, a Me aa 5 October 22 | November 3, 1905
eS a rr : 7 October 24 = October 26, 1893
Southwestern Maine. ..... . ini 8 October 27 November 14, 1903
Sin So) arena rete 5 October 30 == November 11, 1900
Southeastern New York ....... 7 November 2 November 13, 1903
MINOW Paso SONI 5 November 3 | November 11, 1889
Washington, MMe oi a) ste a EY FSS YG 2 November ro | A few in winter
|
Correspondence
Editor of BrrD-LoRE:
Dear Sir: lf there is one thing that is more aggravating to me than
another it is to be misquoted, and, as Mr. Taverner has systematically mis-
| quoted me throughout his article in the last number of BirD-Lorg, I hope
the Editor will give me a little of his valuable space for a reply.
In the first place, I did not intend to apologize for anything; the object
_ of my communication was, first, to show that even egg-shells might be
' scientifically studied and, second, that the average egg-collector was as
_ scientific in his methods as the average collector of anything. I made no
| comparison of the comparative value of the Old Squaw and Great Auk, but
said that from a strictly scientific standpoint the Labrador Duck was not a
whit more valuable than the Old Squaw. Neither did I say anything about
Professor Newton’s opinion of odlogy as a science, but that he came for-
ward to defend the egg-collector. What he said may be found in the Report
from the Select Committee on Wild Birds’ Protection, published in 1873.
I am not aware that he has changed his point of view since.
In conclusion, let me remark that but for Major Bendire’s interest in
collecting birds’ eggs, we should not have had his charming and valuable
“Life Histories of North American Birds,’ and while he might have taken
up various other branches of ornithological work, the fact remains he did
not. - Very truly yours,
Brooxtyn, N. Y., April 24, 1907. F. A. Lucas.
otes from Ficin and Study
English Sparrows and Electric Lights
The English Sparrows in a country com-
munity near one of the large cities of the
Middle Atlantic states have learned to make
use at night of the electric lights.
Many of the houses in this district have
recently been provided with lights over the
entrance doors or in the porticoes; and the
electric bulbs are, for the most part, sus-
pended in decorative lanterns of an old-
fashioned style consisting of a high-peaked
iron top and a frame which encloses the
glass below. This glass is spherical, and
is so set in the frame that there is an open
space all around between the glass and the
top of the lantern. The birds have found
this easy entrance, and have also discovered
part way up inside the iron top a bar that
looks as if made for a perch. There, above
the warm light, they have found shelter at
night, one bird, as a rule, being in each
lantern.
The lights are controlled at a central
plant and are turned on automatically at a
fixed time, and on clear evenings they often
appear before the daylight has gone and are
then relatively inconspicuous. The birds,
however, seem to be watching for them and
quickly fly into the lantern-tops. On dull
evenings, or when the lighting has been
unusually delayed, the birds have frequently
been seen on their perches in the lanterns
before the lights have appeared.
For about an hour the Sparrows remain
awake and on the alert, ready to take flight
if investigation is inquisitive or is prolonged
more than a very few minutes; but when
they are once sound asleep they are not
easily disturbed.
The birds were first observed in the lan-
tern-tops in the cold weather that came early
in January of this year, and’ from that time
until the present (April 15) they have regu-
larly occupied most of the available places.
The difference in temperature between
the air inside the lanterns when the lights
are on and that immediately outside is con-
siderable. With an outside temperature of
27° Fahr., the mercury in a thermometer
whose bulb was placed ona level with the
perch inside the lantern stood at 44° Fahr.
three hours after the light had been turned
on.
While it gives pleasure on a wintry night
to think that the birds are enjoying the
warmth of the electric lights, it is question-
able whether the toasting at night followed
by exposure to storm and wind by day can
be beneficial. And, if this suddenly acquired
habit of the English Sparrow is injurious, it
is at variance with the commonly received
idea that animal instincts are a safe guide.
If the greater warmth is so agreeable to
these birds, why do they not go in winter to
a warmer latitude? Are they unaware of
the migration of other species, or are they
physically unable to accomplish it? Or is
it something so long absent from their hered-
itary make-up as to be non-existent to
them ?
With the coming of spring a new feature
has appeared: In two lanterns straws and
hay are accumulating. In one case they are
collected inside the glass globe close around
the electric bulb. This arrangement seems
not to be satisfactory, for the work is not —
progressing. In the other lantern there is a
closely-packed mass across the base of the’
cone-shaped iron top forming a compact
layer above the electric light with one small
round hole that seems like an entrance. Is
this layer the base of a nest? Is the ar-
rangement a sort of incubator? To-investi-
gate would be to destroy the structure.—
HARRIET RANDOLPH, Bryn Mawr College,
Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Red-breasted Nuthatch at Sea
The notes ‘of the Red-breasted Nuthatch
migration in Birp-Lore for December re-
mind me of the birds that boarded our
steamer last September. :
It was, I: believe, the 27th, and a strong
northwest wind was blowing. When
(126)
Notes from Field and Study
between two and three hundred miles east
of Newfoundland it was reported that several
birds had come aboard, apparently much
exhausted. They kept largely to the lower
deck, where they were fed, and a number of
the passengers saw them there, but no one
seemed able to identify them until at last
they were declared to be Labrador Wax-
wings. This announcement aroused my
curiosity. I heard strangely differing de-
| scriptions of the birds, but I did not see
)
|
.
|
|
| seemed very fond of hemp seed and were
them until we were nearing Boston Harbor,
when they flew all about the steamer.
My first glimpse was of one running
down a post, and shortly afterwards I saw
several of the pretty little Red-breasted
Nuthatches, apparently as happy to be in
_ sight of land as we were.
Were they probably driven out to sea by
_ the winds as they were leaving Labrador or
Newfoundland? A
| Occasionally we see these northern birds
_ here in the winter. Three years ago a pair
| of them appeared November 17, and re-
| mained with us until January 27.
They were daily visitors at my bird table,
| very friendly and familiar. I have not seen
| them here since, though I eagerly look for
Mg
|
them every winter.— (Mrs.) M. B. Mirt-
CHELL, Chattanooga, Tenn.
| The Wood Duck and the Canvasback in
British Columbia
As. an instance of the variation in num-
bers of some Ducks, I may cite my experi-
ence with two of the species you name.
When I first came to British Columbia,
in 1887, the Wood Duck was comparatively
| searce, though little Duck shooting was done
then.
| Rumerous; in 1896 the species had reached
Each year it became a little more
“the height of its abundance. In that year it
was an easy matter in the lower Fraser
valley to kill fifteen or twenty birds in a
_ day, but not a small portion of the flocks
"passing through were killed. About sun-
down in September and early October flock
after flock of Wood Ducks could be seen
flying at a moderate height, from thirty to
one hundred yards high. The direction of
127
flight was from east-northeast or, following
the Fraser River, they seemed to come down
through the Fraser cafion, which splits a
deep rift in the wall of the Cascade Moun-
tains. But the curious thing is that at no
portion of the province east of the Cascades
have I found the Wood Duck anything but a
very scarce bird, and I never saw or heard of
it in the Cariboo district (where these birds
were heading from). Were these eastern birds
from northern Ontario, northern Manitoba,
etc.? Of late years they have somewhat
decreased, though still fairly common,
The case of the Canvasback is still more
remarkable. In 1887 I never saw the bird,
and not until] 1891 was I able to shoot one,
though Duck shooting almost continually.
There were considerable numbers on the
coast, but up the Fraser it was almost un-
known.
About 1894 it commenced to appear in
the latter locality, and was very common in
1896 and has been of common occurrence
since. Here this spring it was numerous,
more so than I ever saw it before.
It is a common breeder in open country
from latitude 54° northward, and a few
breed even as far south as this latitude.
East of the Rockies it breeds farther to the
south.—ALLAN Brooks, Okanagan Land-
ing, B.C.
Bird*Notes from New Mexico
I fear that we are going to have trouble
with the Flickers, and it worries me, for I
can not ask every one to be as sentimental
about birds as I am. I have heard them
tapping on our wood cornice and veranda
pillars. I don’t see how worms could exist
in painted wood. There is very little wood
about here. Nor can I see how there can be
any insects in plastered adobe, although we
all know that the unplastered adobe houses
are hotbeds of ants. We have lots of boxes
around and there are wooden fence-posts,
so I don’t know “what to do; all our birds
seem very tame.
Some of our best farmers also complain of
the Quail; in the evenings they descend in
great flocks from the foothills, and feed
upon the alfalfa. We are too far from the
128
foothills to be troubled by this; ours live in
the orchard, and we prize them.
Apropos of Hawks—I have seen very few
this winter, although Mr. Bartlett had told
me of the great flocks which usually winter
here, and I wonder if their scarcity has any-
thing to do with the unusual trouble we are
having with rodents! Our new ditch banks
are literally riddled with gopher holes, and
we are having great trouble in irrigating.
Yesterday they found about thirty holes in
half a mile of ditch!
The New Mexico rodents which break
our ditches are gophers, also “commercial
rats,” field mice and others. We are rodent-
ridden. We have had great trouble with
the rat-holes in ditches causing flooding and
delays in work. I saw a number of Hawks
last autumn, but only one group of five all
winter, although they are said to winter
here. This is a wonderful country and
almost anything can be done agriculturally
if the rodents and insects can be kept down.
We have more pests than I ever before saw
or dreamed of; what would become of us
without the birds? And yet they are cen-
sured for taking some grain and fruit, while
it has literally to be snatched from insects.
The Tanager is also greatly censured and
often shot for molesting the bees.
I often watched them last summer and
never found them doing any harm. I am
happy to say that the Flickers did not return
to our eaves. I hearthem all about us. Our
western Flycatchers and Meadowlarks are
numerous and charming.—( Mrs.) CHARLES
T. BartTwett, Victoria, N. M.
The Blue Jay’s Food
I noticed in the April, 1907, number of
Birp-Lore what is said about the Blue Jay
as acannibal. I fear the half has not been
told; still, I would not wage war on the
saucy, brilliant fellow who gladdens our
grove the year round Five or six years ago
my manager had a serious attack of making
money raising chickens, and purchased in-
cubators, brooders, sanitary coops, etc.
After the little chicks were placed in the
brooders and confined in little pens about
sixteen feet square, the Blue Jays found they
Bird -
Lore
had a good thing and began acting up to
their belief in its goodness by killing the
chicks from one to three weeks old by the
dozens. A Jay would swoop down into the
pen, hit a chick nearly always in the eye
and off again. In a few minutes back he
would come and give the little chick another
peck, and usually about the third time kill
him, pick him up and fly a little distance
away, pick out the brains and begin an
attack on another chick. We tried to pre-
vent this destruction by keeping on the
watch and frightening them away, but still
they would succeed in killing as many as
twenty in a day. Finally anger took the
place of admiration, and guns were called
into use. Needless to say that the firing
caused the migration from our groves of —
nearly all the birds we had protected for —
years, as well as the death of the Jays. “3
There is no question as to the killing of
the chicks by the Jays, for many of us
watched the manner of the Jay’s attacks
from start to fatal ending. If the chicken-
raising had been continued I am sure other
protection than the gun for the little fellows
would have been instituted.—A. H. BARBER,
Waukesha, Wis.
Nesting-Sites of the American Long-
eared Owl in Manitoba
In “Notes from Field and Study” for
March-April, 1907, there is a note by A.
D. Tinker* on the “ Unusual Nesting Site
of the American Long-eared Owl.”
In Manitoba it is not a very unusual —
occurrence to find these birds nesting on the —
ground. The nests that I have seen have
always been in woods among aspens and —
willows, in rather damp situations, little.or
no attempt being made to build a nest.
This habit seems to be practiced only
when no old Crows’ nests are to be found ©
in the immediate vicinity, as such nests —
seem to be always used when in a suitable
situation. .
In my twenty years’ experience I have in-
no case found a nest of this species above
*We take this opportunity to correct a typographical
error, Mr. Tinker’s name having been inadvertently
spelled with an F.
Notes from Field and Study
the ground that
occupying it.
The same habit of using other birds’
nests is practiced by the Western Horned
Owl in Manitoba, but in this case it is
usually an old nest of a Red-tailed Hawk
that is selected. NORMAN CRIDDLE, Aweme,
Manitoba.
was built by the bird
A New Robin Food
The snow-storms and cold of last week
made a trying time for the advance guard of
birds up from the South, but at least one
Robin came out of it fatter than he went in.
It was noticed nearly three weeks ago that
he had taken possession of certain premises,
and, when the snow came, apple was cut up
for him and placed on the sill of an open
bay window. He was glad enough to come
and eat, and when the next lunch was set
for him on the couch inside, it was a very
short time before he had ventured in after it.
_ For the following two or three days, when
the snow kept falling and the ground was
129
covered, he remained in possession of the
room, flying in and out at frequent intervals.
But he would eat nothing but cut apple and
shredded wheat biscuit. Pettijohn and oat-
flakes he passed by, and at beefsteak minced
for him he turned his beak way up,
utterly refusing even in stress of weather to
lower his standard of toothsome delicate
angleworm. —H. S. Bixsy, Plattsburgh,
Me:
A Late Warbler
On November 27, 1906, I saw a male
Black-throated Blue Warbler, feeding in
some shrubbery. I saw him again on
December 1, and on December g, I found
him lying dead outside the door. The day
before had been very cold, and I suppose
that the cold, combined with lack of food,
was the cause of his death.—Lours DurRHAM,
Irvington, N. Y.
[The specimen above mentioned was presented by
tr. Durham to the American Museum and was found to
be in a greatly emaciated condition, having evidently
died of starvation.—F. M. C.]
CATBIRD ON NEST
Photographed by F. E. Howe, Sterling, Ill., April 11, 1906
Book News
UseruL Birps AND THEIR PROTECTION,
Containing brief descriptions of the more
common and useful species of Massachu-
setts, with accounts of the food habits,
and a chapter on the means of attracting
and protecting birds. By Epbwarp Howe
Forsusu, Ornithologist of the State Board
of Agriculture. Illustrated by the author,
C. Allan Lyford, Chester A. Reed, and
others. Published under direction of the
Massachusetts State Board of Agricul-
ture. [1907.] 8vo. xx + 437 pages, 171
figures, 56 plates.
In no single volume known to us is the
importance of birds to man so satisfac-
torily established. Mr. Forbush is not only
an ornithologist but an entomologist as well,
and, furthermore, he has had wide experi-
ence in making a personal presentation of
the results of his studies to those for whom
they were primarily intended. He is there-
fore exceptionally well equipped to state the
birds’ case in their varied relations to man,
and we are assured that no one who will
_ read this volume conscientiously will fail to
be convinced by his arguments.
The book contains an amazing amount
of information and still is interesting read-
ing—a rare and valuable combination.
BirD-Lore’s space only permits of the fol-
lowing synopsis: Chapter I, * The Value of
Birds to Man,” under which are included
sections on “Primitive Man’s Relations to
Nature,” “The Increase of Insect Pests,”
“Capacity of Birds for Destroying Pests,”
“The Increase of Injurious Insects Follow-
ing the Destruction of Birds,” “The De-
struction of Injurious Mammals by Birds,” —
“The Commercial Value of Birds,” “The
Esthetic, Sentimental and Educational Value
of Birds,” etc.
In Chapter II, “The Utility of Birds in
Woodlands,” and the “Relations of the
Bird to the Tree” are discussed. Chapter
III treats of birds as “ Destroyers of Hairy
Caterpillars and Plant Lice,” while Chap=
ter IV states the “Economic Service of
Birds in the Orchard.” Chapters V and
VI and VIII to X contain descriptions and
biographies with special reference to food
(130)
and MAeviews
habits of our common birds under such
groupings as “Song Birds of Orchard and
Woodland,” ‘‘Birds of Field and Garden,’’
“Birds of the Air,” “Birds of Marsh and
Waterside,” etc. In Chapter XI we have
an exceptionally valuable contribution to the
question of bird destruction under the head-
ing “Checks upon the Increase of Useful
Birds,” and in Chapter XII, under the title
'’The Protection of Birds,” we have one of
the best contributions to practical bird pro-
tection with which we are familiar. The
illustrations, many of them by the author,
are admirable, and, all in all, we have here —
a book which will long remain the most
comprehensive statement of the bird’s claims —
to man’s attention.—F. M. C.
The Ornithological Magazines
Tue Avuk.—Several papers in the April ©
issue deal minutely with the. distribution of —
birds in limited areas, H. H. Kopman dis- —
cussing those of Louisiana and Mississippi; —
B. H. Swales and P. A. Taverner, those —
rare in or wrongly attributed to southeastern
Michigan, and J. F. Ferry, the winter ]
visitors of a section of northeastern Illinois. —
R. Deane records an unusual flight of Gos-
hawks (Accipiter atricapillus), composed, —
singularly enough, almost exclusively of
adult birds, which, during the past winter, —
descended from the north and were noted by —
many observers from Maine to Manitoba.
H. A. Estabrook epitomizes the English
Sparrow problem, and advocates extermina-
tion of the birds; A. Brooks describes a
hybrid (with accompanying plate in black
and white); R. W. Williams, Jr., offers
further notes on some birds of Florida; W.
C. Braislin, some on those of Long Island,
N. Y., and A. C. Bent gives us a pleasantly
readable account of the nesting of the
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), with half-
tones of its nest and eggs. q
The lays of Bewick’s Wren are inter-
and H. Oldys; and who would suppose so
Book Notes
diminutive a bird could sing about three
notes in six flats!
William Brewster separates the Black
Rails of California under the name Porzana
jamarcensis coturniculus, and, in another
article, corrects the supposed records of the
Cinnamon Teal in Florida and South
Carolina.
Much might be said in favor of A. H.
Felger’s card system of note-keeping at
page 200, but every system has its limita-
tions, and the distinctness of the individual
_ pen-pictures in our journals is lost by the
use of any mechanical method, while the
hopelessly unwieldy size to which card
systems grow is another serious drawback.
_ Poets and geniuses are not tied to card-
_ catalogues, and can we think of White or
titrant
a
result,
_ Audubon or Burroughs or a dozen others
with pockets full of ruled cards?
Changes in the names of North American
_ birds are discussed in a paper by W. Stone.
When a cast-iron code of rules for fixing
scientific names is invented, stability may
and meanwhile current usage is
fixing vernacular ones to the confusion of
those who ought to furnish handles that don’t
pull off.—J. D., Jr.
Tue Conpor.—In the March number of
- ‘The Condor’ Finley continues his series
SHG
_ of life-histories of western birds, illustrated
with photographs taken by Bohlman.
Among the Pelicans’ is an_ interesting,
account of a breeding colony of the birds in
southern Oregon, and the eight half-tones
_ show clearly some of the habits of the old
and young. The ‘Migration and Nesting
_ of the Sage Thrasher,’ by Gilman, recounts
_ the experiences of the author with this com-
_ paratively little-known bird at Palm Springs,
Cal., and in southwestern Colorado. ‘An
Experience with the South American Con-
_ dor,’ by Samuel Adams, describing the |
_ finding of a nest and the collecting of the
‘old birds and young near the mouth of the
Rio Gallegos in Patagonia, is an article
which should be read in connection with
Finley’s ‘Life History of the California
Condor.’* It is interesting to note the simi-
larity in the nesting habits of the two birds «
and Reviews 131
and also to learn that the Condor, instead
of being confined to the Andes, as usually
supposed, is found on the pampas and breeds
in the barrancas or cliffs along the coast of
southern Patagonia.
In ‘Nesting Ways of the Western Gnat-
catcher,’ Miss Harriet W. Myers describes
a nest found in the Little Santa Anita
Canon. Los Angeles county, California,
and the manner in which the young Gnat-
catchers are fed by their parents. An excel-
lent piece of work on geographic distribution
has been done by the editor, Joseph Grin-
nell, in a paper on ‘The California Distribu-
tion of the Road-runner ( Geococcyx califor-
nianus). All the authentic definite records
of the occurrence of the bird in the state
have been collected and plotted on a map,
which is reproduced to illustrate the article.
The distribution of the bird “seems to fol-
low very closely the limits of the Upper
and Lower Sonoran zones,” and in the
interior extends from Igo, Shasta County,
to the Mexican boundary. ‘Stray Notes
from the Flathead Woods’ consists of brief
notes on five species of birds made by Sill-
oway in June, 1906. In discussing ‘The
New Check-list’ now being prepared by
the A. O. U., Taverner suggests that the
names of subspecies be printed in smaller
type than those of species, and that the
latter be given a distinctive English name.
Some such plan as this would go far toward
simplifying the ‘Check- List’ for readers who
are now confused by the number of subspe-
cies in such groups as the Horned Larks
and Song Sparrows. Under the title ‘A
Forgotten Reference to the Natural History
of California,’ Walter K. Fisher summar-
izes the notes on birds in T. J. Farnum’s
‘Life, Adventures and Travels in Cali-
fornia,’ the second edition of which appeared
in 1852.—1.S. P.
Book News
THE OvuTING PUBLISHING COMPANY an-
nounce the publication of ‘The Passenger
Pigeon,’ by W. B. Mershon, illustrated by
colored plates by Fuertes and Allan
Brooks.
*‘The Condor,’ VIII. pp. 135-142, 1906.
132
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Vol. ITX No. 3
Published June 1, 1907
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1907, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto:
A Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand
To the Editor alone is due the entire blame
for the delay in the appearance of this
number of Birp-Lore. A voyage to the
Southeastern Bahamas consumed double the
time allotted to it, and, on returning, a
-Heron rookery, which under protection has
developed conditions creditable to the days
of Audubon, proved so alluring that we
deliberately ignored the call of editorial
duties, confident of the approval of Birp-
Lore’s readers.
To this same absence must be charged
the sin of a sadly neglected correspondence ;
and may we beg further indulgence in this
connection during the next two months, when
field work will take us to the Canadian
Northwest ?
In ‘Everybody’s Magazine’ for June,
_ President Roosevelt, as reported by Edward
B. Clark, expresses his indignation that,
after all that has been said of their inaccu-
racies, the books of W. J. Long should
continue to be used in schools for supple-
mental reading.
After exposing some of Mr. Long’s
errors, Mr. Roosevelt remarks: “ The
preservation of the useful and_ beautiful
animal and bird life of the country depends
largely upon creating. in the young an
interest in the life of the woods and fields.
If the child mind is fed with stories that are
false to nature, the children will go to the
haunts of the animal only to meet with
disappointment. The result will be dis-
belief, and the death of interest. The men
Bird -
Lore
who misinterpret nature and replace fact
with fiction, undo the work of those who
in the love of nature interpret it aright.”
Is it the undeniable Jiterary charm of
Long’s books, or the dearth of desirable
nature stories, or the activity of his pub-
lishers which, in spite of their proved per-
niciousness, still keeps them on teachers’
lists ?
In the April number of ‘The Nature-
study Review,’ a writer speaks of the
“fascinating tales of the wilderness, as told
by Long, and the delightful life-histories of
Wabbles the Song Sparrow and Bismark
the red squirrel as recorded by Walton the
hermit of Gloucester,” and couples them
with the “works of Burroughs and Tho-
reau,” a grouping which we believe will
make truth-loving ‘Oom John’ envy
Thoreau his resting-place in Concord’s
churchyard.
Discussion of this subject with one of the
leading educators of the country brought
from him the surprising opinion that in
the city, at least, it is of more importance that
nature books used in supplemental reading
should be interesting than that they should
be accurate; it being argued that the im-
mediate object of such reading is to arouse
the child’s curiosity.
Admitting that few children in our city
schools have an opportunity to test the
accuracy of the information they receive in
regard to animal life, is it desirable that
they be given as true that which is known
to be false merely because it is interesting ?
Nature study is designed not only to make
the child familiar with the commoner forms
of life, but also so to train his powers of
observation that he will see more widely
and more accurately; and no form of nature
study which has not science, and hence
- truth, for its foundation can be expected to”
endure.
THE mention of ‘ Everybody’s Magazine’
recalls, by the way, the interesting cover of
the April number of this magazine, which
depicted a Scarlet Tanager perched amid
pussy-willows, a striking and original com-
bination of an April flower and a May
bird.
4
7%
-
The Audubon Bocieties
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
IN JUNE
What may one say of June? So much is to be said that silence perhaps
is best,—silence that we may pause and listen, listen intently and open the
eyes wide, that nothing escape us. Why attempt to catalogue the pictures
that are daily hung against the wall of the sky or set upon lichen-covered
granite easels against hangings of deepest green, or those elusive ones that,
being painted by the mist of sunrise, vanish in full day?
Why attempt to reduce the soloists and chorus of the great natural
oratorio to a programme of names and titled performances. Suffice it to say
that all the birds will be there, at least all that have escaped the dangers of win-
ter, of long travel and the guns of unfriendly lands held by barbarous hands.
But one thing let us beg of June, daughter of Juno, and that is
that her temper may be even and that she distribute her rain and sunshine
with impartiality; for upon the disposition of June does much of the weal
and woe of the season’s bird-life depend. If long rains flood the meadows
and marshlands, and weigh down the tree branches making the foliage
heavy and sodden, death and destruction visit many bird homes. The young
of the ground builders are either drowned or die of cold and damp; while
the tree-nests, especially those of the Thrush tribe in whose composition
mud is used, melt and give way, and oftentimes a little sodden heap under
a branch is all that is left to tell what- has been.
On the other hand, if June is ‘ unco’ hot and dry, and the tender foliage
withers, many song-birds of open nests are sufferers, holding up open, gap-
ing beaks to their distressed parents. In such a June as this the bird-bath
and the water-trough are blessings, and every bird-lover living in regions
without brooks or ponds should keep one filled; and even if there is water
near by, each orchard and garden should have its own supply close to the
nesting trees. ;
With the poet, we would praise God for June,—but let us not forget
that as it is the season of bird song, it is also the month of their greatest
anxiety; and, while we are listening to the music and enjoying the grace
of their every motion, let us endeavor to lessen their cares as much as pos-
sible by supplying nesting shelter for those who crave it and ensuring pri-
vacy for those birds who gather near our homes with pretty confidence
that we will help them to escape the preying habits of their wilder neigh-
bors of remote woods and fields.—M. O. W.
(133)
THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che ational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 26
“ Hush! ’tis he!
My Oriole, my glance of summer fire
Is come at last.”—LOwELL.
‘We, who punctuate our reading of Nature's calendar with bird and
flower rather than by the artificial figures of the almanac, give to March
the Bluebird and Song Sparrow, the Redwing and the return of the Swal-
lows to April—and to May and June (for so does the rush of growth and
migration flood these months that they should be taken as a continuous
sixty-day jubilee), the Wood Thrush, Catbird and Oriole.
In one reading of the matter the Baltimore Oriole should be first men-
tioned, for his voice is that of the bugler that heralds actual spring, the long-
expected, long-delayed mellow period, distinct from the almanac spring,
that, when it once comes to us of the middle and north country, is quickly ~
absorbed by the ardor of summer herself. Also is this Oriole the glori- -
ously illuminated initial letter wrought in ruddy-gold and black pigments,
heading the chapter that records the season; and, when we see him high in
a tree against a light tracery of fresh foliage, we know in very truth that not
only is winter over, that the treacherous snow-squalls of April are past, but
that May is working day and night to complete the task allotted.
For as the Indian’ waited for the blooming of the dogwood, Cornus —
florida, before planting his maize, so does the prudent gardener wait for
the first call of the Oriole before she trusts her cellar-wintered geraniums
and lemon balms once more to the care of mother earth.
This Oriole has history blended with his name; for it is
said that George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, tired and
discouraged by many of the troubles of his Newfoundland
colony, in visiting the Virginia settlement in 1628, explored the waters of the
Chesapeake, where he found the shores and woods alive with birds, and, con-
spicuous among them, vasts flocks of Orioles. These so pleased him that he
took their colors for his own and they ever afterward bore his name—a fair
exchange.
The Baltimore Oriole comes of a parti-colored American family—lIcter-
His Name
and Identity
idae—that to the eye of the uninitiated at least would appear to be a hybrid —
clan drawn from all quarters of the bird world. Yet it is typically American,
even in this variety; for what other race would have the temerity to har-
(134)
a ee
The Baltimore Oriole 135
bor the Bobolink, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Redwing, Meadow-
lark, various Grackles, together with the vagrant Cowbird, in the branches
of the same family tree ?
One of the many welcome facts concerning the Oriole is the ease with
which he is identified; and I say he advisedly, for his more industrious half,
who is the expert weaver of the pair, is much the more somber of hue. In
early May, or even as late as the middle of the month in backward seasons,
you will hear a half-militant, half-complaining note from the high tree
branches. As you go out to find its origin, it will be repeated, and then a
flash of flame and black will shoot across the range of vision toward
- another tree, and the bird, chiding and complaining, begin a minute search
along the smaller twigs for insects. This is the Oriole, Jcterus galbula,
as he first appears in full spring array,—his head, throat and top of back
and wings black, except a few margins and quills that are white-edged.
The breast and under parts, lower part of back and lesser wing-coverts
are orange flame, while his tail is partly black and partly orange.
Two other tree-top birds that arrive at about the same time, one to
remain and one to pass on, wear somewhat the same combination of red
and black—the Redstart and the Blackburnian Warbler. But, besides being
much smaller birds, they both belong to the pretty tribe of Warblers that,
with a few notable exceptions, such as the Chat and Water-Thrushes,
should be more properly called lispers, and not to be confused with the
_ clear-toned Oriole.
Once the female Oriole arrives, usually several days after the
| His Mate male, his complaining call, “‘ Will you ? Will you really truly?’’
gradually lessens; and after a few weeks, when nest - building
| begins, it quite disappears or, rather, is appropriated by the songless female,
who, while she weaves the nest, is encouraged by the clarion song of her
mate. The plumage of the female is brown and gray blended with orange
above, the head, back and throat being mottled with black, while the
_ under parts are a dull orange, with little of the flaming tints of the male.
Though the Oriole exposes himself more freely to view
His Nest than most of our highly colored birds, and in fact seems to
regard his gift of beauty anything but seriously, he takes no
| chances, however, in the locating of his nest, which is not only from twenty
feet above the ground upward, but is suspended from a forked branch that
is at once tough yet so slender that no marauding cat would dare venture
_ to it. This pensile nest is diligently woven of grasses, twine, vegetable
‘fibers, horsehair, bits of worsted or anything manageable, and varies much
in size and shape, as if the matter of individual taste entered somewhat into
the matter. It has been fairly well proven that location enters largely into
this matter, and that nests in wild regions, where birds of prey, etc.,
abound, are smaller at the top and have a more decided neck than those in
136 Bird - Lore
the trees of home lawns and orchard. Of the many nests that I have found
and handled or else observed closely with a glass, the majority have been
quite open at the top like the one pictured, and the only one with a nar-
row and funnel-like opening came from a wayside elm on the edge of a
dense wood.
The female seems to be weaver-in-chief, using both claw and bill, though
I have seen the male carry her material. It is asserted that Orioles will
weave gayly colored worsteds into their nests. This I very much doubt, or,
if they do, I believe it is for lack of something more suitable. I have repeatedly
fastened vari-colored bunches of soft linen twine, carpet thread, flosses and
the like under the bark of trees frequented by Orioles, and, with one excep-
tion, it has been the more somber tints that were selected.
In the exceptional case a Jong thread of scarlet linen floss was taken and
woven into the nest for about half its length, the remainder hanging down;
but, on resuming my watch the next day, I found that the weaver had left
the half-finished task and crossed the lawn to another tree. Whether it
was owing to the presence of red squirrels close by, or that the red thread
had been a subject for domestic criticism and dissension, we may not know.
Be this as it may, in spite of the bright hues of the parent birds and the
hanging shape of the nest that is never concealed by a branch upon which
it is saddled, like the home of so many birds, an Oriole’s nest is exceed-
ingly dificult to locate unless one has noticed the trips to and fro in the
building process; but once the half-dozen white, darkly etched and spotted
eggs it contains hatch out, the vociferous youngsters at once call atten-
tion to the spot and make their whereabouts known, in spite of sky cradle
and carefully adjusted leaf umbrellas.
If their parents bring them food, they squeal (yes, that is the only word
for it); if they are left alone, they do likewise. Their baby voices can be
heard above the wind, and it is only either at night or during a heavy
shower, when a parent would naturally be coppers to be upon the nest, —
that they are silent. .
As an adult, the Oriole lives on rather a mixed diet and ©
His Food has a great love of honey; but, of course, as a parent he is,
with his sharp beak, a great provider of animal food for his —
home, and to his credit must be placed a vast number of injurious tree-top
insects that escape the notice of less agile birds. i
Complaints are frequently heard of his propensity for opening pods and
eating young peas, piercing the throats of trumpet-shaped flowers for the
honey, and, in the autumn before the southward migration, siphoning grape —
and plum juice by means of this same slender-pointed bill.
Personally, I have never lost peas through his appetite for green vege-
tables, though I have had the entire floral output of an old trumpet vine —
riddled bud and blossom; and I have often stood and scolded them from —
The Baltimore Oriole 137
under the boughs of a Spitzenburg apple tree, amid the blossoms of which
they were rummaging (perhaps for insects) but also scattering the rosy
blossoms right and left with torn and bruised petals. Powell, in ‘ The In-
dependent,’ writes feelingly of this trait of the Oriole, thus:
“ An Oriole is like a golden shuttle in the foliage of the trees, but he is
the incarnation of mischief. That is just the word for it. If there is any-
thing possible to be destroyed, the Oriole likes to tear it up.
““ He wastes a lot of string in building his nest. He is pulling off apple
blossoms now, possibly eating afew petals. By and by he will pick holes in
_ bushels of grapes, and in plum season he will let the wasps and hornets into
the heart of every Golden Abundance plum on your favorite tree.
Yet the saucy scamp is so beautiful that he is tolerated—and he does kill an
enormous lot of insects. There is a swinging nest just over there above the
blackberry bushes. It is wonderfully woven and is a cradle as well as a
house. I should like to have been brought up in such a homestead.’’
It seems as if the Oriole must be the descendant of one of
His Country the brilliant birds that inhabited North America in by-gone
days of tropic heat, and that has stayed on from a matter of
hereditary association; for in the nesting season it is to be found from
Florida and Texas up to New Brunswick and the Saskatchewan country
and westward to the Rockies, beyond which this type is replaced by Bul-
lock’s Oriole, of much similar coloring save that it has more orange on the
sides of the head and the white wing patch is larger.
But, however much the Baltimore Oriole loves his native
His Travels land, the climate and the exigencies of travel make his stay in
it brief; for he does not appear until there is some protection
of foliage, and he starts southward toward his winter home in Central and
South America often before a single leaf has fallen.
THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE
How falls it, Oriole, thou hast come to fly
In tropic splendor through our northern sky?
At some glad moment was it Nature’s choice
To dower a scrap of sunset with a voice?
Or did an orange tulip flaked with black,
In some forgotten garden, ages back,
Yearning toward Heaven until its wish was heard,
Desire unspeakably to be a bird.
—Edgar Fawceett
~— The Audubon Bocieties
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
Membership in the National Association
$5.00 paid annually constitutes a person a Sustaining
Memb
$100.00 paid atone time constitutes a Life Membership
$1,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Patron
$5,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Founder
$25,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Benefactor
FORM OF BEQUEST
I do hereby give and bequeath to THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON SOCIE-
TIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD Birps
AND ANIMALS (Incorporated), of the City of
New York,
Legislation
“ The world is growing better—I know
it. A great unceasing movement toward
truth and goodness is carrying slowly for-_
word ever the character of this great,
mighty, mysterious humanity. How slow
it is, but oh, how real it is, the study of the
ages tells. And yet behold how the good
causes fail. Behold how selfishness comes
in to paralyze each great endeavor for the
good of man. Alas for him who sees only
this surface fact; who does not feel beneath
it all the heave and movement of the whole
race forward toward goodness. . . . The
best is strongest and shal] ultimately con-
quer.”—Sermon by Bishop Brooks.
The above seems also prophetic of the
conditions that now obtain in the bird world
as well as in the realm of humanity. The
stories which follow of the results obtained
during the past few months show that there
is a steady, although slow improvement in
legislative conditions; although, on the other
hand, how true it is that the selfishness of
(138)
individuals bars the way for a more rapid
advance. ‘The hope for the future lies in
the fact that right always conquers in the
end, and, as the Audubon workers know
they are absolutely in the right in the work
that they are doing for the preservation of
the wild life of the country, our courage _
must not decrease and our determination to. |
succeed must not be abated one instant. _
Just here it is important to call attention to-
the fact that our membership is entirely too-
small; among the eighty millions of citizens.
of this country are there not a few thousand
who will join in the movement to preserve
for future generations the wild life of North
America? Members, publish among your
friends the work of this organization and
ask them to give us their support and in-
fluence. It is hard to see this civic effort
languish when the aid of a few thousands.
of interested persons would make the Asso-
ciation a great power for good. Bear in
mind that if the vigilance of the National
Association is relaxed an instant all of
the work already done will be dissipated in
the twinkling of an eye.—W. D.
CALIFORNIA.— The most important gain in.
California in the way of legislation in the
interest of wild birds and game protection
at the session of 1907 is a hunting license
law fixing an annual fee of $1 for hunters
who are citizens of the state, $10 for citizens
of the United States who are non-residents.
of the state and $25 for aliens.
There are one or two defects in this law
that will no doubt be remedied two years.
hence, but there was quite a pronounced
prejudice in many parts of the state against
a hunting license law of any sort, and it
was only by the hardest possible work on
the part of the friends of game preservation.
1H
|
:
;
¥
|
|
‘
i
‘!
The Audubon Societies
that this was sufficiently overcome to ob-
tain the law even in its present form.
The open season for Doves has been cut
from seven and one-half to three months,
but the season opens at least a month earlier
than it should. There was an almost unani-
mous consent of the sportsmen of the state
to cut the Dove season to the one month of
August, and this could readily have been
done if the State Board of Fish Commis-
sioners had not, in its report, recommended
the longer season, which was incorporated
in the successful game bill.
There is a pronounced popular sentiment
in California favoring the taking of Doves
from the game list, and giving them pro-
tection at all times. It is generally conceded
that no open season satisfactory to all sec-
tions can be made for the whole state, that
does not subject these birds to being hunted
during a part of the time they have young
in the nest. On this account, possibly 75
per cent of the sportsmen favor the drop-
ping of the Doves from the game-list, and
probably three-fourths of the remainder are
opposed to opening the season before Au-
gust. It now opens July 15, two weeks
later than under the old law.
The Doves, chiefly because of the prac-
tice of hunting them in the nesting season,
are fast being decimated in many parts of
California, and it will be necessary within
a very few years to close the season entirely
in order to preserve the species. The hunt-
ers of the state, with very few exceptions,
recognize this fact, and regret that the later
period was not fixed for the opening of the
_ season by the amended law. A number of
counties protect Doves (Santa Cruz pro-
hibits their killing at any time).
The open season for Ducks is now Oc-
tober 1, two weeks earlier than formerly,
_ and the bag limit has been cut from fifty to
_ thirty-five birds to the hunter in one day.
_ There is evidence that bag limits on Ducks
have not been generally respected in Cali-
fornia, save where public sentiment and ac-
_ tive and efficient game-wardens compelled
such respect, but it is hoped that the in-
crease of funds now available for game
preservation, provided by the hunting li-
_cense law, will give such increased warden
139
service as will put a stop to many former
notorious violations of this sort by those
who make a business of killing Ducks for
the market.
Several county district attorneys ruled
last year that the Robin is a “game bird,”
and was, therefore, not protected by the
non-game law as it then stood. This re-
sulted in much Robin shooting in two or
three counties at the north, but happily the
law has been amended to remedy this defect.
Much to be regretted, an open season of
four months has been made for tree squir-
rels, which during the past two years have
been protected at all times. This was also
a recommendation of the State Fish Com-
mission, and one for which there was seem-
ingly no demand from any considerable
number of hunters.
Other open seasons for game and the old
bag limit remain unchanged, except that
the deer season now opens and closes two
weeks earlier than under the old law.
A law was passed providing that any
owner of one hundred and sixty acres or
more of land may enter the same as a State
Game Preserve for one to five years, and
thus absolutely prevent hunting thereon for
such a period. If the intent of this law is
properly carried out, it will do very much
to restore the wild game in many depleted
sections.
A strong effort was made to remove pro-
tection from the Meadowlark, but this was
defeated in the Senate by a vote of three to
one. When this bill was introduced in the
Legislature, the Audubon Society issued a
special leaflet on the food habits, and thor-
oughly established benefits of this bird to
the agricultural interests, and a large edi-
tion was circulated at Sacramento and
among farmers’ organizations throughout
the state.
The only piece of really vicious bird leg-
islation enacted at the late session is an
amendment to the non-game-bird law, re-
moving protection from “all fish - eating
birds, except Sea- Gulls and Blue and White
Cranes.” The Audubon Society used every
possible means, including an appeal to the
State Fish Commission, to prevent this
crime against the several species of sea and
140
bay birds, practically all of them harmless,
thrown open to inexcusable slaughter by
this act. It showed by the best of evidence
that there was no demand from the fishing
interests for such a retrograde step, that
there was no complaint against any of these
birds, with the possible exception of King-
fishers, and that the proposed legislation
was in the interest of no class save plume-
hunters and those who supply “specimens”
for the curio trade. The legislation remov-
ing protection from these birds, many spe-
cies of which are already nearly wiped out
by market and plume-hunters, is roundly
condemned by every recognized naturalist
and deplored by all classes, except those
who slaughter and exterminate bird-life for
coin. The Audubon Society is making an
effort to remedy this legislation, for which
no doubt a great majority of the legislators
voted unthinkingly, by an appeal to county
supervisors to protect the Terns, Herons
and other harmless water-birds, other than
game-birds, by county ordinances, which
supervisors have authority to do under the
county government act.
A carefully prepared and up-to-date bill
for the protection of non-game birds, amend-
ing the law passed two years ago, was
urged by the Audubon Society. The bill
was modeled after the best non-game bird
laws recently enacted in eastern states, had
been revised by a representative of the De-
partment of Agriculture, at Washington,
and was indorsed and approved by more
than forty farmers’ organizations of the
state. It should have had the support of
every person who favors an effective law to
stop the further destruction of our harmless
bird-life. By the efforts of Mr. Ludington,
Assemblyman from San Diego county, and
a member of the Audubon Society, the bill
passed the Assembly with practically no
opposition. In the Senate, it was favorably
reported by the Fish and Game Committee
and passed to the third-reading file, where
influences beyond the society’s control pre-
vented it from being called up for final vote.
A thoroughly commendable amendment
to the trespass law, providing for the
proper protection of uninclosed and other
private lands, was introduced and success-
Bird -
Lore
fully carried through the Senate by Senator
Walter F. Price, of Santa Rosa, but in the
Assembly met a fate similar to that of the
Audubon non-game bird bill in the Senate.
Had adjournment been delayed a few days
longer, both of these bills could probably
have been passed.—W. Scorr Way.
In February Birp-Lore, page 53, refer-
ence was made to the splendid efforts of
Mrs. Alice L. Park, Chairman, Humane
Education Committee of the California
Federation of Women’s Clubs, to establish
Bird Day in the schools of California. ;
Mrs. Park was successful in the legisla-
ture in passing the bill, but the Governor
vetoed it, much to the indignation of the
club women of California.
His action in this matter was hard to
understand in view of the fact that he
signed a bill appropriating five thousand
dollars to purchase rifles for schoolboys.
The minds of some statesmen certainly
work in queer channels.
California will have other governors in
the future; let us hope that one may be
elected who will recognize the great benefit
to the school children of the state, of Bird
Day and what it stands for, bird protection
and good civics. —W. D.
ConnecTicuT.—The prospect for better
legislation for the protection of wild fowl
and shore birds in Connecticut seemed at
first sight rather discouraging. Keepers of
shore hotels, owners of boat liveries, and
some of the older gunners have always been
in favor of spring shooting, and resented
any attempt to shorten the open season as
being an unwarranted interference with
their business. It was through the efforts of
these people, and the resulting influence on
the legislature, that Connecticut took a retro-
grade step, which extended the open sea-
son to May 1. The agent of the National —
Association undertook a journey along the
coast of Connecticut, making inquiries —
among the older gunners, and all agreed
that the number of wild Ducks and Geese
had fallen off tremendously in the past sixty
or seventy years, that their destruction —
within the last thirty years had been even
more rapid than before that time, and that the 4
The Audubon Societies
Teal, Black Duck, Wood Duck, and other
valuable food Ducks were in danger of ex-
termination. They agreed, also, that most
of the shore birds had been depleted even
more than the wild fowl. It was learned
that gunners were beating about the marshes
in April, in order to find the nests of the
Black Duck and so secure the mother birds,
and that the few Wood Ducks left were
being waylaid and shot when they left the
nest to feed. The Audubon Society of the
State of Connecticut, through Dr. Van
Name, chairman of its Committee on Legis-
lation, hoping to remedy these conditions
somewhat, had prepared a bill fixing the
open season between March 1 and Sep-
tember 1. Before this could be presented,
however, your president succeeded in intro-
ducing into the General Assembly, by the
medium of Judge Elmer S. Banks, of Fair-
field, two bills, one establishing a close sea-
‘son on wild fowl beginning January 1 and
‘ending August 31, and another providing a
’
‘close season on shore birds beginning Jan-
‘uary 1 and ending July 31.
| The bill prepared by the Connecticut
| Audubon Society was then withdrawn, and
the united efforts of the members of the
National Association, members of the
American Ornithologists’ Union and those
of the Connecticut Audubon Society were
concentrated to secure the passage of the
bills introduced by Judge Banks.
A hear-
ing on these bills and others relating to
wild fowl and shore birds was held before
the Committee on Fisheries and Game in
| the Senate chamber of the capitol at Hart-
“body.
“ford. This was one of the largest and most
enthusiastic hearings ever held before that
The large gathering was due mainly
to the work of Miss Laura G. Jones, of
Hartford, local secretary of the Connecticut
tAudabon Society, who sent out invitations
requesting the friends of the birds to attend.
The committee was addressed by your presi-
dent, by Dr. T. S. Palmer, of Washington,
and the Rev. Herbert K. Job, of Kent,
Connecticut.
_ Many other Connecticut people spoke in
favor of the bills, and there was no opposi-
tion. The sentiment of the large number
present was not only unanimous in favor of
} a
I41
closing the shooting on Ducks, Geese,
Brant and Swan from January 1 to Septem-
ber 1, but the majority were in favor of pro-
hibiting the shooting of shore birds during
that time, and thus making illegal all
spring and summer shooting. The Com-
mittee on Fisheries and Game reported fa-
vorably on two bills containing the above
provisions, and also extending the close sea-
son on Rail. Such opposition as appeared
in the House was speedily overcome. The
agent of the National Association did con-
siderable work among the farmers, who
usually may be depended upon to come to
the rescue of the birds, when the necessity
of protecting them is called to their atten-
tion, and the bills passed the House almost
without a dissenting voice. By this time
the Audubon Society, of Connecticut, was
fairly awake to its powers and opportuni-
ties, and when the bills came up in the
Senate, the full force of this strong organiza-
tion was brought to bear. As a result, the
friends of the bill in the Senate, led by Sena-
tor Briggs, of Middletown, passed the
measure by a practically unanimous vote.
Great credit for the result is due to the
president of the Connecticut Society; to Dr.
Willard G. Van Name, of the Committee
on Legislation, and to Mrs. Helen B.
Glover, secretary of that society, as well as
to Mr. E. Hart Fenn, house chairman of
the Committee on Fisheries and Game, and
to Mr. John H. Sage, of Portland, secre-
tary of the American Ornithologists’ Union.
It is but just to add that many sportsmen,
who care more for the preservation of the
birds than for the gratification of their own
desires, lent moral support to the movement.
The Governor signed both of the Audu-
bon bills and they are now laws of. the
state, and Wild Ducks and Shore Birds can-
not legally be shot, in the future, in the
spring of the year in Connecticut.
This is another state that has been added
to the list of those that have adopted the
wise and beneficial anti-spring shooting law
and is a distinct gain in Audubon work in
the year 1907.—Epwarp H. Forsusu,
MissourI.—In 1897, an effort was made
to enact a comprehensive “game” law in
142
Missouri, but it had less than half a dozen
supporters. In 1899, the friends of the
birds and animals made a very forceful ef-
fort. The Audubon Society, of Missouri,
many independent lovers of nature and
sportsmen became thoroughly awakened.
They realized that a commercial interest
was blocking their efforts and exterminating
our many beautiful and useful creatures.
This commercial] interest (the game dealers )
managed to retain their attorneys in seats in
the legislature, and block the passage of a
protective measure through the sessions of
rg90rt and 1903. Im rgor, an ideal law
passed the House and would have passed
the Senate, but the chairman of the commit-
tee to which it was referred pocketed it
and it was not reported back from the com-
mittee. These were the sessions when it
was known that the Legislature was openly
and notoriously corrupt. Then came the
‘session of 1905, when the “ Audubon Bill”
passed and was signed by the Governor,
although the attorney and representatives of
the dealers made strenuous efforts to prevent
it. The game dealers then organized as the
Missouri Country Produce Dealers’ Associa-
tion, and placed paid men throughout the
state to create sentiment to repeal the law.
They spent great sums in printing and post-
age, in defeating candidates adverse to their
nefarious business and electing those candi-
dates who were friendly. By trading, threat-
ening and other corrupt methods, they
passed through both branches of the Legis-
lature a most grotesque caricature of a pro-
tective measure. And the Governor of
Missouri, in order to obtain the friendship
of these destroyers for his political advance-
ment, signed this measure, a measure that
allows the shooting of fawns and does in
night-time or by day, the running of fawns
or does with dogs, the seining of streams,
the selling of Quail and other game; that
destroys the warden service, and is abso-
lutely without means of enforcement. The
most unfair methods were taken by the game
committees and the speaker of the House;
and now the timid and innocent deer, the
lordly Turkey, the magnificent Ruffed
Grouse, the dear little Bob-white, the
strange Woodcock, the strutting Prairie
Bird -
Lore
Chicken, the beautiful Wood Duck and all
other game of our picturesque wilds are to
be erased from Missouri forever.—HARRY
R. WALMSLEY.
NorTH CAROLINA.— Considerable im-
provement was made at the last session of
the Legislature in the game laws. ‘The Au-
dubon Society’s bill providing for a close
season on Woodcock, and making it illegal
to sell game-birds during that period of the
year when they cannot be killed legally,
was passed, and this will doubtless be the
means of saving the lives of thousands of
birds annually. As usual, a large number
of local county laws were enacted, but,
almost without exception, these were of a
more restrictive character. A few counties
absolutely prohibit the killing of Quail and
deer for a term of years. Laws were also
passed for several counties providing for the
protection of English Pheasants for a num-
ber of years, and the State Audubon So-
ciety will conduct experiments in raising
these interesting game-birds for stocking
purposes. .
The general sentiment of the Legislature
was manifestly more favorable to bird and
game protection than heretofore, a marked
instance of the result of Audubon educa
tional activity. ;
The Audubon Society of North Carolin ;
has recently purchased four islands in Pam-
lico Sound in order to give permanent pro-
tection to the large colonies of sea-birds
which breed there. One of these islands i
locally known as “Royal Shoal” and the
other three collectively are called the
“Legged Lumps.” These are the main
breeding places of the sea-birds along the
North Carolina coast, at least eight thou-
sand young birds having been raised the
last summer. The species breeding on the
islands are Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns
Wilson’s Terns, Least Terns, the large
colony of this species in the country, Black
Skimmers and American Oyster-catchers
The islands are in the care of Game-ward
N. F. Jennette, who patrols that territory
throughout the breeding season, in the large
Audubon launch * Dutcher.”—T. GILBER
PEARSON.
The Audubon Societies
SouTH Carouina.—By the provisions of
the recent state bird and game law enacted
by the South Carolina Legislature, the mem-
bers of the National Association of Audu-
bon Societies resident in that state were in-
corporated and clothed with all the powers
usually enjoyed by a State Game Commis-
sion. Under its provisions, the Audubon
Society has the authority to select all the
game-wardens of the state who will operate
under its direction. Money gathered from
the sale of the $ro state non-resident hunt-
ers’ license goes to the society, and this, to-
gether with the membership fee, constitutes
the fund which the society will have for
carrying forward its work.
On April 9, the society was formally
organized under its charter and includes,
among the members of the Board of Direc-
tors, some of the best known people of the
‘state. President B. F. Taylor, of Columbia,
has already begun work by renovating the
present list of game-wardens, and is carry-
ing forward the educational work begun by
the National Association. —T. GILBERT
Pearson.
_ SourH Daxora.—In this state the model
law was adopted during the present ses-
‘sion of the Legislature, and an Audubon
Society has been organized which bids
fair to be both active and aggressive. Its
‘president is Charles E. Holmes, of Sioux
Falls, and the secretary is George A. Petti-
_ grew, of the same place.
Orecon.—A bill amending the model
_law was introduced and, notwithstanding
the hard work done in opposition to the
"amendment by the Oregon Audubon Society
and others interested in the preservation of
the wild birds of that state, it passed the
- Legislature. The bill was vicious in its
character, since it provided that all protec-
tion should be removed from “ Owls, Hawks,
Butcher - birds, Magpies, Black - birds,
_ Woodpeckers and Applebirds, and, further,
that nothing in this act shall be considered as
preventing farmers, gardeners and orchard-
ists from destroying any birds other than
game-birds when necessary to prevent de-
struction of crops from the ravages of birds.”
143
Governor George E. Chamberlain, after a
careful examination of the bill, discovered:
how prejudicial it was to the best interests
of the state, and very wisely vetoed the
measure.
The National Association will take steps.
to have a large amount of educational liter-
ature circulated and many bird lectures.
given in that state before. the next session of
the Legislature, in order that the people
may fully understand the value of wild.
birds, and will also have the claimed
“depredations” of birds thoroughly investi-
gated, in order to see how much truth
there may be in the charges made by the
orchardists.
Texas.—The Texas Legislature enacted,
and the Governor signed, two bills for the
protection of the wild birds and wild ani-
mals of this state, one being a game-warden
statute, and the other a reénactment of the
general game and bird law passed by the
Legislature in 1903, the new bill being
practically the same as the old bill, the
changes being mostly unimportant. Under
the law, which will be operative next July,
the non-marketing and non-transportation
sections are retained in all their strength,
and that we conceive to be the most impor-
tant of all. The law enacted in 1903, with-
out a warden’ system for its enforcement,
was, nevertheless, a means of saving to the
state its wild birds and game in a great
measure, although thousands of dozens of
Quail were marketed and water fowl were
slaughtered and sold in carload lots. The
Texas Audubon Society estimates that the
old law, without the warden system, re-
duced the slaughter after its enactment
fully 50 percent annually, and that if it had
failed of enactment in 1903, and the state
left unprotected from that time until now,
there would be no game birds and game
. animals in the state now in sufficient quan-
tity to make it an object to look after them.
Prior to 1903, the slaughter was progress-
ing at a rate which would have resulted in
annihilation, and after the model bird and
game law was enacted, it was only through
constant vigilance of the Audubon societies.
and kindred organizations that its partial
144
enforcement was secured. The protection-
ists rallied in 1905 and -prevented the re-
peal of the non-marketing and non-trans-
portation clause, driving the market hunters’
lobby out of the field, and immediately
commenced distributing literature looking
to the reenactment of the law, which would
have expired this year by limitation, and
the enactment of the game-warden bill, the
efforts of those seeking protection having
been blessed with success almost to the ex-
tent of the desire of those who sought to
afford protection to the wild birds and the
wild animals.
It is true that we did not get all that we
asked for, because the Legislature refused to
exact a license fee on the resident gunners,
placing the expense of the warden system
entirely upon the non-resident gunners,which
will reduce the funds for game protection fully
6o per cent. The law will be new, and the
means of enforcing it insufficiently organ-
ized, and it is likely that a great many non-
residents will enter Texas, take game and
get out again without paying a cent. If so,
the fund will still afford enough for a com-
mencement, and as it is pretty certain that
legislation in the future will continue pro-
gressive, and that the warden system will
be improved with each succeeding legisla-
ture, we may congratulate ourselves that we
have achieved something which will, in the
end, result in an ideal condition in the
Lone Star State.
Another matter which we regret is that
the Legislature refused to reénact the sec-
tion of the bird and game law which per-
mitted of the taking of wild birds and wild
animals for scientific purposes. Fhat entire
section was eliminated, and the consequence
is that the Bureau of Biological Survey
can not, after next July, send its experts into
the state for collecting material and secur-
ing data for bulletins, which have in the
past proved so valuable to the farmers and
the people generally.
We shall strive hard to educate the peo-
ple sufficiently to induce them to insist that
their representatives and senators at the next
Legislature amend the bill, so that scientific
inquiry may be continued by the Biological
Survey. The issuing of certificates for the
Bird -
Lore
taking of birds for scientific purposes, as
permitted by the old law, had been so
shamefully abused that it was impossible
to secure an exception in favor of the Fed-
eral Government in that respect. We tried
hard, but we failed and we regret it. The
Biological Survey had undertaken one par-
ticular work which was of inestimable value
to the South. Its experts had already ascer-
tained that forty-two birds were destroyers
of boll weevil, and the investigations in the
cotton fields are still in progress. The Au-
dubon Society has been informed by the ex-
perts sent here by the Government that
much important work can be accomplished
before the certificates issued to them under
the old law expire, and that the interval
will be short in which the work must be
suspended. We have no doubt that the
next Legislature will amend the law, so as
to allow that inestimable service to continue
until it shall be demonstrated that the only
way to eradicate the cotton-boll weevil and
all other pernicious insects is to protect the
birds, so that they can increase and multiply
and carry out the mission for which they
were created.—_M. B. Davis.
How very necessary drastic game laws
and efficient means for their enforcement are
in Texas is forcefully portrayed in the fol-
lowing communication from one of the best
friends the National Association has: |
“In the second column of page 56 of the
January-February Birp-Lore is an account
of the exterminating slaughter of wild fowl
by Texas market-hunters. ;
“It must stir every bird-lover and every
real sportsman to protest. It recalls my own
observations there eight or ten years ago at
, about forty miles north of on
the coast. It was then a famous place fo
Ducks, Brant, Geese and Snipe. It was a
upland, rising but a few feet above great
stretches of marshes—the latter an idea
winter home for such birds.
* Until I went there, I never had an ade
quate conception of what it was to be in
place where such birds were plentiful. Mal-_
lards, Pintails and Teal were most soug
for by the market-hunters. My guide, t
second winter, was named ;
me that the Mallards had grown so scarce
The Audubon Societies
that he had given up hunting and gone to
farming, except when he guided parties. I
noted quite a falling-off of Mallards, al-
though then they were plentiful to northern
eyes. was the most noted hunter
there. Such a skilful ‘shot’ as he could
easily get one hundred Ducks in aday. He
said that, in previous seasons, there had
been thirty days when he got more than two
hundred Ducks each day. He and my com-
panion and I shot ninety-two Snipe in one
day—a sickening record. I vowed it would
be enough for a lifetime, and I think it has
been. I was there a few days each winter,
and I am now ashamed to say, in February.
Then, I was thoughtless of bird protection;
never realized, nor had heard about the evils
of spring shooting; it was an open season,
and that sufhced. This I mention, as I be-
lieve many sportsmen have just that attitude
and need only the persuasive, educational
influence, and the information and reasons
shown for the preservation of birds by the
National Association.
* Down there the hunters shoot Snipe for
market only when they can find them squat-
‘ting on the ground, for to shoot single fly-
ing birds would require more time and am-
‘munition than would be covered by the
price received for the birds. My ‘ hunter’
told me—and certainly not to brag, but in
connection with market-shooting of Snipe—
‘that, once, after a sleet-storm, when the
marshes were covered with thin sleet, ex-
cept in the muddy trails trod by the large
herds of cattle, the Snipe squatted in rows |
along the trails, and there the men potted
them in paying quantities. That was the
“occupation of these men. Why not gather
the harvest when it was ready before them,
ibe I presume, their justification, if, in-
deed, they ever thought any was called for,
for such destruction of that gamey little
bird.
| “Many sportsmen went there for Snipe,
“and, with one or two good dogs, could
easily get one hundred Snipe in a day; and
seldom did even sportsmen halt till the sun
“went down! Upon later visits to —,I
ch ard that all such game as I have men-
tioned had diminished materially. In the
vicinity of was a famous wild-celery
145
pond which a rich banker had gotten pos-
session of. From all accounts, and the fights
—legal and physical—over the rights to
access to this pond which this ‘ bounder’ of
a sportsman had corraled and used as a show
place for lions visiting - , and of his
keeping a gang of men there to shoot for him
and of his shipments to and others, I
judged this man as more guilty than the ordi-
nary pot-hunter. They said he made lots of
money out of the venture. I think his name
is , and probably I could ascertain
positively. Perhaps, now, he may be oppos-
ing your efforts to have Texas enforce its
non-export law, and to exact a law to pre-
vent the sale of game and spring shooting.
It really would not surprise me. We have
individuals and clubs in Massachusetts—
men of means, not real sportsmen it is true—
who have ‘ducking’ and ‘ goose-stands’
where they regularly have their care-takers
shoot and sell birds to pay the expenses of,
or make profits on, the ‘stand.’ This last,
incidentally, is the cause of thinning-out
the Geese and Black Ducks, which are an
easy prey to the highly organized decoying
artifices employed.”
Wisconsin.—A bill was introduced in
the Legislature to repeal the anti-spring-
shooting wild-fowl law in the state.. The
Fish and Game Commission and the Audu-
~bon-Society of Wisconsin, and a number of
other persons who are deeply interested in
the matter, are combating the bill with all
their power and will probably be successful
in defeating the measure.
Wisconsin now occupies the proud posi-
tion of being one of the fitst states to adopt
the anti-spring-shooting law, and the position
occupied by that state has always been
pointed to by this Association as an example
of excellent and wise legislation. Should a
retrograde step now be taken there, the in-
fluence exerted will be very bad indeed
in all other parts of the country. Wis-
consin is so near the Chicago market, one
of the great game-distributing points of the
country, that there is undoubtedly a strong
market-shooting influence that is at work in
Wisconsin. There is no doubt that the
great majority of the citizens of Wiscon-
146
sin are in favor of the wise and bene-
ficial wild-fowl law now upon the statute
books of that commonwealth, and the only
persons who desire the repeal of the present
excellent law are the market-hunters, who
have no consideration for the future, but are
simply trying to appropriate assets that be-
long to all of the citizens of the state and not
to any individual.
Plume Sales*
The returns for the six plume-auctions
held at the Commercial Sale-rooms, Lon-
don, in 1906, are not encouraging reading
for the bird protector. The numbers cata-
ogued of Birds-of-Paradise and of pack-
ages of “Osprey” feathers were as follows:
Osprey Feathers Birds-of-
Packages Paradise
February . . 327 8,508
April ei i eOD 7,188
June 458,289 11,841
August. . . .242 3,948
October - . 485 5,700
December. . . 265 3,600
This would give a total of 1,868 packages
of “Osprey,” but, owing to the fact that the
packages are of varying sizes, the actual
quantity of feathers can be only very roughly
estimated,
An average of between 20 and 30 ounces
to the package seems to be a fair estimate,
and at 20 ounces the total would be over
37,000 ounces, or, on Professor Newton’s
calculations, the feathers of nearly 150,000
birds. The total numbers of the Paradise
skins is 40,785. In both these cases a per-
centage must be allowed for unsold plumes
offered a second time; but the figures remain
sufficiently discreditable.
Apart from Egrets, Herons and Birds-of-
Paradise, the notable features of the sales
were the enormous numbers of Sea- Swallows
(Terns) and Kingfishers on sale, and the
growing consignments of quill-feathers from
Eagles, Buzzards, Pelicans, Albatrosses,
Swans and other birds. Ladies are usually
*From ‘Bird Notes and News,’ Vol. II. No. 5, 1907,
London, England.
hunted to extermination.
Bird - Lore
under the impression that a“ quill” must be
a harmless ornament obtained from the
farmyard.
The trade in quill-feathers was even
more remarkable at the first sale of the
present year, held on February 12; of
Albatross quill-feathers one firm alone cata-
logued some 15,000, and also a very large
number of “ Osprey wing-quills.”
Another feature was the 7,000 heads and
crests of the Crowned Pigeon on the market.
The two handsome species, the Crowned
Pigeon (Goura coronata) and the Victoria
Crowned Pigeon (Goura Victoria) are
natives of New Guinea and adjacent islands.
They are nowhere very numerous, and—
have little chance of becoming so, a only’:
one egg is laid. Some years ago the plume
trade penetrated New Guinea in quest of
them, but lately fashion has run on other
species. Now it would appear that the aE
of feathers on the head, known, asthe
goura mount,” is again the incentivé-to the
persecution of the Crowned Pigeon, and —
ladies who are tempted with “ pigeon” feather —
trimmings will do well to ascertain what
manner of pigeon is meant. The number of —
Birds-of-Paradise catalogued was 4,328 4
light and 400 dark, nearly all of which —
were sold. For “Osprey” plumes the de- —
mand was less; 504 packages were offered.
Fifty-three Emu skins were put up; the ©
Emu is the Australian representative of the —
Ostrich, much hunted and now being q
There were 138 Impeyan Pheasants from
India, which “sold at higher prices.”
AIGRETTES. — The legal battle that has —
been going on in New Orleans, relative to —
the sale of aigrettes, whether taken within
or without the state, has probably been
finally settled in favor of their mon-sale. —
President Miller, of the Louisiana Audubon ~
Society, who has been the head and front of
the fight, wires this Association that “The
aigrette case was decided in our favor and —
the entire non-game bird:(model) law has
been upheld.” Will women still defy law
and sentiment ?
Pird=- Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Vol. IX JuLy — AuGustT, 1907 | No. 4
A Southern California Aviary
By H. L, SEFTON
OR over ten years the aviary which is the subject of this sketch has
stood amidst the semi-tropical verdure, in the private grounds of the
J. W. Sefton residence, in San Diego, California, where hundreds
yes, I think I may say thousands—of people from different parts of the
_ world, have visited it. For years it was alone in its unique beauty, but now
one sees others; for many have followed our hobby and taken up the study
of birds, the climate of California being particularly adapted to the out-
door rearing of them. .
The building is entirely open, save for the west and north end, and a
Strip of roofing, about twelve feet wide, that runs the full length of the
building, over the nesting part. It covers an area of 20x 40 feet, is built of
one-fourth inch square-mesh wire, and has a wire partition through the
center, so as to separate the tiny birds from their larger kin. Everything
that love and thought can do for the comfort of the birds is done: there
are pools of running water, low-growing shrubs, stumps of trees, swings
_and perches of all kinds; in fact, it is a home for the feathered people, which
show their appreciation of it in song from the dawn of early morning
until night wraps the world in sleep.
How did we begin ? I will tell you: Many years ago—I think as many
as twenty—a German Canary was given to a member of our family ; he
Was a magnificent singer, a great pet and very tame. We always had a
horror of small cages, so got him in a good-sized one, but left the door
Open in order that he could go in and out at his pleasure, until finally he
Went in only at meal time. The cage hung in the sun-room, and he flew
about among the growing plants and vines perfectly happy. His favorite
perch was on a clock that sat on the mantle in front of a large mirror in the
living-room; here he would fly and sing to “the other bird,” in the glass.
He was a born flirt, and really behaved shamefully, sometimes getting
$O angry at the seeming impertinence of the fellow in the glass that he
‘would fly right at him with mouth wide open. It was while watching these
148 Bird - Lore
antics we first conceived the idea of a mate for him, so we got‘ Zip,’ a
pretty, motherly-looking bird.
We kept them in the cage for a few days and then opened the door,
when the fun began. Don’t tell me birds don’t think! Why, Dick took Zip
everywhere, into the parlor and out through the hall, on to the sideboard
and the dining table, all his favorite places, and last, as a sort of crowning
surprise, up on the clock, where he showed her the “other bird” ; but he was
completely nonplussed, for, instead of one other bird, there were two. Dick
was furious; he ruffled up his feathers and was in for a great fight. Well,
they finally went to housekeeping, mot in the daintily lined wire nest
provided for them in their cage. Ah, no! Dick was not that kind of a bird;
A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AVIARY
but very carefully and laboriously they picked out each thread that we had
just as carefully put in, and carried them, together with many choice bits of
fringe, etc., to an Indian jar that sat on a high shelf in the sun-room. They
raised two families in Indian jars that season, and by the time Dick had
shown the brood around, and we had rescued some from behind curtains,
others from the backs of pictures, and discovered the whole lot asleep on the
clock, we concluded that one bird loose in a house was very unique and
interesting, that two birds were a good bit of a nuisance, but that a flock of
nine was a calamity. So we decided to build them a house out in the yard,
which we did; an 8 x 8 octagonal affair, that is now used as a jail for unruly
members of the colony. The first prisoner was a Baltimore Oriole, sentenced |
for life for egg-eating.
A Southern California Aviary 149
At that time we had not thought of importing birds, but with the assist -
ance of some of the neighborhood children, we tried raising young native
birds. We raised, among others, about a dozen Redhead Linnets, and right
here I want to tell a strange thing. The California Linnet is a pretty bird;
the male’s head and neck are a deep red, which, shading into the soft brown,
makes an exceedingly smart-looking bird. This color does not show until
after the first molt, so you can imagine our surprise when we saw the
Linnets we had raised getting orange-colored heads. It must have been
caused by a lack of coloring-matter we failed to supply in the food, for
some old birds that we trapped, with perfectly red heads, changed to orange
when the molting time came.
One learns a lot more by observation than by reading. We had very
little real knowledge of birds, so bought and read eagerly all we could find
on the subject; but we have, from our own experience, concluded that
most of the articles are either written from theory or from a study of speci-
mens of the taxidermist’s art.
About this time we went abroad, and in our travels saw many odd and
beautiful birds, so we decided to import some, which we did, and have con-
tinued to do up to the present time. I remember some little Finches from
India arriving one day with a lot of others; they were round, fat little
things, and made quite a fuss whenever they did anything, chattering with
a shrill, rasping voice. We had a neighbor at that time building, and he,
too, was round and fat, and made a lot of fuss and noise, so we dubbed
them “the Doctors.” That was ten years ago, and that pair of birds are
_ the fore-parents of hundreds now, but we still call that variety “ Doctors.”
Birds have characteristics the same as people,—some are good-natured and
generous, others are crabbed; sour and mean. Watch a lot of them, and
- you will see.
We have raised birds which the books say never breed in captivity. We
study them, make guesses at their wants and try to give them the environ-
‘ment they would have in their native haunts. For example, some birds never
carry twigs; hence we must know that they don’t build nests. For those
birds we supply compartments, put a little sawdust in the bottom and,
behold! —perfect contentment with no present indications of a race suicide!
We raise hundreds of Grass Parrakeets. For them we have trunks of trees
cut in sections and hollowed out, each section divided into from two to four
compartments, each with an opening about the size of a silver dollar.
These birds make no nests, but lay their eggs—some as many as six—right
on the sawdust in the bottom, and commence sitting from the laying of the
first égg, so that you will find, in the same nest, birds covered with pin-
_ feathers and some just hatched. They are very cunning and make nice pets.
AB We have a pair of Rose Cockatoos, also from Australia, but, as these
_ birds were never known to breed in captivity, we gave no thought to an
in
E.
%
150 Bird - Lore
increase. One day we missed one of them,—they are so much alike we
scarcely knew the male from the female. Several days went by and still the
bird was missing. We had noticed that the remaining bird sat a great deal
on or near a hollow log, hanging on the wall, so we decided to investigate.
We reached down into the hollow, and such a howl as rose upon the air!
Heavens, how that bird bit! We retired, vanquished, and left Mrs. Rosalie
eee |
Rice
arr oa
AN INTERIOR VIEW
victor. Some weeks later she appeared, and we knew, from the hisses that
issued from that hollow log, that her vigil had not been in vain; later on
five youngsters came forth, thus proving there is more than has been writ.
Another member of the Parrot family is the Cockateel, a beautiful bird
of soft shades of gray. The male has a pale lemon-colored head, a crest of
lemon, and two bright orange spots on each cheek; he has a soft, musical
whistle. We have raised quite a number. The young are the homeliest
things imaginable. The only thing I can think of when I see them squirm-
ing, twisting their necks, and uttering their snake-like hisses, is St.
George and the Dragon,—only in their case St. George is missing.
We have also the brilliant King Parrot, a peaceable, elegant bird; the
mischievous, gorgeously colored Lory, with his acrobatic stunts; the Pink-
crested Cockatoo and other commoner varieties.
Among the larger birds are three varieties of Pigeons. —Two of them are
game-birds of Australia—the Bronze and the Crested Pigeon; the other is
A Southern California Aviary 151
called the Bleeding Heart, rather larger than an ordinary pigeon, fuller
breasted, of a dark gray-blue with a white breast, on which, directly in
front, is a splash of bright red, that at a glance looks exactly as though the
bird were wounded,—the illusion is perfect.
There are also several varieties of Doves, the rarest and most beautiful
being the Blue-eyed Zebra of Australia, and the Red-eyed Pekin of China.
The latter is the smallest Dove known, being, except for the length of its
tail, about the size of a Norwich Canary.
The Finches are astudy in themselves. There are many varieties, the
smallest being the tiny Strawberry, which looks, as I heard a little girl say,
“good enough to eat without either sugar or cream.” It is the tinest mite,
exquisitely proportioned and with a song most wonderfully sweet and clear.
I cannot tell, in this article, of all these interesting little birds as much as I
would like to, for each kind has its own peculiar ways. For example, one
tiny variety, commonly called “Black-throat,’ of the softest pastel shades of
gray and brown, and with a bib-like collar of velvety black, makes a regular
apartment nest. We have a series of little boxes about six inches long, with
a small hole at one end of the sliding front. Into this little box they will
carry the wild dried grass we provide, until the box is almost full; then, at
the farthest end, they build a tiny nest in this dried grass, lining it on all
AMIDST THE-SEMI-TROPICAL VERDURE
152 | Bird - Lore
sides with soft bits of pampas plume, or any tiny feathers they can find.
This is the ‘lying in’ room, as it were. Then down by the opening they .
weave the grass and any soft bits left over, into another nest. The eggs,
usually four, are laid in the soft, dark nest, where the young stay until
pretty nearly feathered; then they come down into the outer nest, where
they stay until ready to fly out. They never go back into either nest again.
The Weavers, as their name implies, weave their nests, using the
threads from the fan-palms. The Canaries build beautiful little nests among
the calla lilies and in the marguerite bushes, but we find they have more
success rearing their young in regular nesting cages away from the other
birds. A Canary is a regular gossip, and will often neglect its home duties
for the society of others.
Several years ago, we had a bird of the Grosbeak family. He was a
beauty, gray with a bright scarlet head and crest. He never sang; indeed,
Ican’t even recall a whistle, but he would sit for hours on a perch and we often
remarked on his apparent loneliness. On day a gentleman who has traveled
much and made a study of bird language, called and asked to see our col-
lection. While looking at them he said, “I see you have an Brazilian
Cardinal; does he sing?” I told him the bird was apparently dumb.
“Strange, strange!” he said. “Why, in their native home they are
wonderful singers’ —and then occurred a remarkable thing. The man,
whispering to me to watch the bird, drew close to the wire, uttering a low,
peculiar whistle. Instantly the Cardinal seemed to awaken, his crest lifted,
he seemed to be listening; then, as the whistle: continued, he answered
sharply, eagerly, flew over to a perch by the side of the wire from whence
came the whistle, and broke forth into a perfect torrent of melody.
The gentleman called a number of times afterward, and at each visit
the bird sang to him, but never, as far as we know, at any other time.
When the traveler’s visits ceased the bird again. lapsed into silence, and a
few months later he died,—I always will believe from homesickness, for
perhaps in his far-away home across the seas another lonely bird called
vainly for his mate.
The Redbird, or Cardinal, is a remarkably handsome bird, but of so jealous
a disposition that it is impossible to keep more than one pair in the same enclos- _
ure. You can put a dozen males together and all is peace and harmony, but put —
_one female in and it is simply a survival of the fittest; so we have but two ~
pairs—one on each side of the aviary. The female of one pair is as fine a _
singer as her mate, and he is a Caruso. They build fine nests, lay eggs and ©
hatch their young, but never raise them. ;
Of all our birds I think we love the Robins best—perhaps because their _
voices recall the childhood home so far away, for whenever I hear a Robin’s |
call I seem to hear the voices of old friends, see their faces and smell the
blossoms from the apple orchard close by. We have Robins in San Diego |
A Southern California Aviary 153
but only for a very few weeks in early spring; they simply stop to say
“Howdy’ on their way to other lands. We had two Robins in our aviary—
Rob and Bob. The latter was a rarely intelligent bird; he would stand with
his head on one side and listen intently while the Skylark sang, or a Nightingale
trilled, and then, at first very softly, he would try the notes over and over
until he learned many of them. He knew my footsteps, and before he saw
me would call a welcome. The many visitors to the aviary naturally gave
_ more attention to the rarer birds; but one day when a gentleman visitor
and I were standing looking at them, Bob walked gravely up and com-
: menced his wonderful song. In amazement the gentleman listened, and
then turning, asked, “Isn’t that bird just an ordinary Robin?” Most
_
indignantly I replied, “Indeed not; that bird is a most extraordinary
Robin.” We still have Rob, for, as is always the case, those whom the
gods love die, and poor Bob sings no more for us. We laid him away as
befitted so rare a bird, his casket a dainty white box filled with the petals of
the fragrant La France rose, among which we laid him, and then buried
him at the foot of a royal palm.
With over six hundred birds to feed, the question of proper food is no
smallone. We mix in large bins, built for the purpose, our own seeds, buy-
ing it direct from the importers in great sacks, and accepting only clean,
_ bright seed. We use mostly canary and millet, with a little hemp in winter
_ (which is very fattening) , some sunflower seed, wheat and cracked corn. We
have little rustic tables on which, twice a day, the seed is placed, and each
bird takes what best suits its fancy. We always have cuttlebone and
crushed shell scattered about, and once a week a little plate of raw ground
_ beef is put on each side; those that need the meat eat it, others leave it
alone.
One can learn much from the study of birds. They teach us virtue,
_ generosity, kindness, gratitude—all those things that go to make living
worth while. Many would glance at those birds, perhaps see nothing in
| them and pass on; others would be attracted by their plumage, by their
song, by the beautiful whole of the great cage, with its tropical setting
filled with life and song; but the student, he who sits and watches and
‘Studies, can learn much.
Briefly I will try to prove all I claim for them. The birds do not, except
0M rare occasions, hybridize. Each stays by his or her mate, each bearing
his share of the burden and responsibility of the family. They are gener -
ous to the stranger that alights on the wire, going to him, giving him a
friendly greeting,—so much so that on more than one occasion strange
birds have of their own accord, after several visits through the wires, hopped
down, and into, the half-open outer door (it is made double, one swinging
Out, the other in) and gone in to dwell among them; and surely it shows
kindness to feed a nestful of half-starved babies they never saw before, and
154 Bird- Lore
I have seen that done. I had found four young Linnets, half-grown, some
cruel boys had taken from their nest and left on the sidewalk to die, and,
not knowing what to do with them, decided to put them in the aviary and
see what would happen. What did happen was a great surprise. First one
Canary and then another flew down. Peep! peep’ the young called, but
received nothing. The young birds’ mouths meanwhile were wide open;
then down came a female Linnet. She seemed to take in the situation at a
glance, flew over to the feed tray, ate greedily, and then back to those.
yawning mouths, and she fed those birds until they were satisfied, and sub-
sequently raised them. Could there be greater kindness than this? As for
gratitude, birds are full of it; for everything you give them they thank you.
If an apple, a crisp lettuce-head or a cluster of sweet alyssum or nasturtium
is put within their reach, they’ pipe a word of thanks before they eat.
Our family, large as it is, is a happy one; there is little or no quarreling, |
for there is plenty of food and room for all,—only at eventide, when the
sun begins to sink behind Point Loma, and the sea and sky is a mass of
gorgeous coloring, then they scold a little. Perhaps some one, unmindful
of the rights of others, has chosen the very particular limb or corner that
belongs to some one else, and for a few moments there is discord—for each
bird has his or her sleeping place—but gradually there steals a silence and,
as the night shadows creep softly, from out of the west comes a crescent
moon, that, peeping down shyly through the branches of the camphor tree,
sees only the great cage with no signs of life within. All is still, save for a
soft twitter now and then, like the last sweet words from a little child’s
lips before he drops off to sleep.
3 Report on the Nesting Birds in the Vicinity of Riverview Park,
Allegheny, Pa., for 1906
By WILLIAM G. PITCAIRN
AHESE observations were all made in the vicinity of Riverview Park,
_ Allegheny, Pa., the greater part in the park.
Riverview is a natural park of about two hundred and fifty acres,
ly wooded hills and much hawthorn growth, situated about two and
half miles from the city of Allegheny. Being a picnic park, there is
hing going on almost every day during the spring and summer, and I
that this fact tends to limit the number of breeding birds; but, in
of the conditions, the birds seem to prosper fairly well, their chief
‘ being the small boy, who wantonly destroys many nests.
here has been a considerable increase, I think, in the number of birds
‘this locality, particularly in the cases of the Baltimore Oriole, the
yy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and the many species of migrants.
e eel B |$$ |B2 |B [se
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Meea Cuckoo ...°.055 0405... I I
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breasted Grosbeak ......... I I
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BUOe Geedas «6 eae ie! eb tig hue <6 14 6 4 4
— — | —_, —_ |__|
AES hear ack Barger 95 | 14 43 | 4 | 22 | I 9 2
Some breeding species of which no nests were found— Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
tm Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Yellow Warbler, Towhee, Vesper Sparrow, American
h, Chimney Swift, Indigo Bunting, Cowbird.
(155)
Bird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian
By FRANCIS H. HERRICK,
Author of ‘The Home Life of Wild Birds’
I
WISH it could be said that Italy was at last beginning to awake to the
necessity of protecting its bird-life, but thus far the efforts of a few
ornithologists and humanitarians seem to have been of little avail.
Individual protests of the strongest kind have been made; international
congresses have been held and stringent laws proposed, but little has been
accomplished. The annual hecatombs of song-birds are still offered up, and
the great peninsula of Italy, famed for centuries as one of the most beauti-
ful and fertile spots of the earth, which should be teeming with bird-life at
all seasons, is well-nigh desolate.
In a former article (in BrrD-LoRE, November—December, 1906) I
spoke of the general absence of bird-life in Italy as it impresses an American
traveler and resident in that delectable country. Italian birds are trapped
and shot in incredible numbers, especially during the spring and _ fall
migrations, without respect to kind, size or habits, and are regularly sold in
the markets as food for man and beast. Comparatively few birds are thus
allowed to breed, and outside of the limits of certain cities, no adequate or
uniform protection is afforded those which succeed in rearing young on
Italian soil. There is no strong public sentiment in favor of the birds, and
their service to agriculture is doubted. We showed that, in consequence of
the destruction of birds in Italy, the little insect-eating lizards had undoubt-
edly increased, that they form a vast army, enlisted to aid the farmer by help-
ing to save his crops; yet, in spite of the reptile brigades, many districts suf-
fer, and famine is not unknown. But the Italian might reply: “You are
jumping to conclusions too fast; there is a fatal flaw in your reasoning; liz~
ards, like birds, are indiscriminate destroyers of insects; how can you know
that they both do not effect more harm than good, or, at least, no less harm
than good by destroying parasitic and other insects beneficial to agriculture?”
We shall meet this question again. It goes to the very root of the problem.
and may well stagger any one who has accepted a sentimental solution
this large problem, without question.
Before considering remedies for this hard lot of the birds, we will let th
Italians speak for themselves. The subject is wide-reaching, and I mu:
depend upon relatively few sources for information, but these are suggestive,
and, so far as they go, seem to be authoritative.* I made a number of
visits to the University of Rome to examine the excellent collection of
stuffed birds in its museum, which forms a very useful and _ instructi
*It should be added that my observations in Italy were made in 1903-4, but, so : ]
as I am aware, the fortune of the birds has not materially changed since that time.
(156)
Bird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian 157
- exhibit. A curious fact about this collection, which furnishes unimpeach-
q able testimony of the ruthlessness of Italian pot-hunters, is that avery large
: proportion of these specimens, great or small, common or rare, were
i obtained from the Roman markets, and are often thus marked (for
“example, “ Mercato al Pantheo’”’) with the date. Besides the common song-
birds of Europe there were Grebes, Loons, Egrets, Herons, Gulls, and
_ many others too numerous to catalogue here which found their way to the
markets in Rome at various times of the year.*
_ The curator of the museum informed me that the smaller birds were pro-
tected from April 15 to August 15, the close season for water-fowl being
‘shorter. As we shall see, different regulations have been in force in different
» augment the bird-life of the country, but rather to improve the business
‘of the gunners and snarers at other times. My informant would not admit
: at the killing of wild birds had led to any injury of vegetation or of crops.
Further, I interviewed the director of the Royal Institue of Forestry at
Beticmbrosa, and submitted to him a series of questions upon the subject
of bird protection in Italy, but this kindly man was unable to give me any
formation on the subject. The idea of protecting the lives of wild birds
smed as foreign to his thought as the “canal system” of the planet Mars.
* Quod semper, omnibus, ubique,” what has always been done by every one,
everywhere, seemed to him eminently proper. The director knew that the
yractice of killing song-birds:was very old, but he thought it did no harm,
ad he could not refer me to any literature upon the relations of birds
to man.
_ Sig. Nigro Licd has written an interesting manual? on the protection
of animals, from the standpoint of an Italian, and Professor Antonio Berlese, {
_ *It would require a far greater familiarity with the birds of Europe than I possess to
entify a large part of those offered for sale in Italian markets, especially when the bodies
of the victims are plucked or even skinned, as is sometimes the case, I will note here a few
of the kinds seen in the Roman markets in 1903-4, concerning the identity of which there
vas little or no doubt. When the Latin name is given, the common Italian one follows in
‘brackets: Turdus musicus (Tordo, the name used indiscriminately for various species by
; he populace), Song Thrush, February 29. TJ. pilaris, Fieldfare; sold at 8 cents apiece
(in markets apparently under the name of Grives savoyard), February 29. Erythracus
rubecola (Pettirosso), Robin Redbreast; seen tripping’ about the Medici gardens,
Mat h 9. Vanellus cristatus (Pavoncella), Lapwing or Plover; seen on the marshes in
lland in early September; very common in the Roman markets from January 1 to
April 1; sold in the markets, and hawked all over the city in long strings, bringing ten
to a enty cents apiece. Gallinago ca@lestis (Beccaccini), on sale at Ponti’s on the Corso
at twenty cents each, February 29. Allodola, a large Finch streaked all over with umber
a nd buf, to be seen in great piles in the markets toward the last of February and in March,
Ab out twenty-five other species were more or less common in the markets of Rome at some
time of the year.
es +La Protezione degli Animali (Manuali Hoepli), Milano, 1902.
Ps Bolletino di Entomologia Agraria, anno VIII, Num. 5-9. Padova, 1901.
158 Bird - Lore
director of the Royal Station for Agricultural Entomology in Florence and
a distinguished entomclogist, has very decided opinions upon the relations
of birds and insects to agriculture. Aside from every question of sentimen-
tality, he considers it an open question whether wild birds are not, upon the
whole, more destructive than useful in their relation to insects, and thus to
the farmer and his crops. He considers that predatory and parasitic insects
are quite capable in most cases of controlling injurious species, while many
of these really useful agents are destroyed by birds*. This naturalist is
now engaged upon a treatise on insects, the concluding volume of which
will deal with the relations of insects to man. We may examine his views
more fully at some future time, but, since the latter work is not yet com-
pleted and his earlier writings are not readily accessible, we shall follow
for the present the compilation of Lico.
Lico devotes a chapter to the relation of birds to agriculture in which he
weighs the opinions of Italians both in favor of the birds and against them,
taking a stand rather guardedly with the latter. In the following paragraphs
I shall translate freely or literally from Licd, or even paraphrase his remarks,
in order to present his meaning or to define his position and that of others
upon this important question. Quoting from a paper delivered by Comm.
C. Durando before the National Zodphile Society of Italy in 1899, he says:
“In Italy, while the olive fly and the piralidit cause annually losses of
several millions of francs, there is a furious hunt after birds of every kind
with firelocks, drag nets, bird-lime, snares, as well as mirrors, bird-calls, —
artificial decoys, and even with birds caged and blinded for the purpose. At
every period of the year, without regard to the laws which prohibit it,
hunting is carried on. The prey is sold with impunity in the public markets ©
in the close season, and, what is worse, they do not spare the nests of —
young birds, not even those of the poor Swallows. It is estimated that in
all Italy the annual hecatomb amounts to ten millions of individuals, among
which the Landsteiner of Wiholsburg reckons three millions Swallows.
“As a result of this, one should not wonder at the fact that not only in 5
Italy, but also in foreign countries and especially in Germany, the alarm has ©
been sounded and has spread from one state to another so that it has been —
turned into a kind of proverb which one hears everywhere repeated; ‘ The@
birds are the best allies of the farmer; let us protect the birds.’ :
“One of the most fervent of our ornithologists is Sig. C. Ohlsen. ~
Animated with a passion and a persistency worthy of better success, if not —
a better cause, he does not limit his exertions to lectures on this subject, —
‘
*For the reference to Professor Berlese’s work and for this expression of his views I am _
indebted in the first instance to the courtesy of Dr. L. O. Howard, Chief of the United 4
States Bureau of Entomology, and later to Professor Berlese himself. ‘
+ Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), of which we are told in another place that the
are twenty-eight genera in Italy, and that all of them are very injurious to agriculture, —
especially to the apple, to hemp, and to the vine. 4
Bird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian 159
but, with the aid of a political press, tries to scatter his ideas among the
people. His various articles which have appeared for this purpose in the
journal ‘Il Sole’ of Milan present ample details for confirming those prin-
ciples which are briefly stated here. He further shows how the destruction
of forests, no less than shooting, uae led to the decrease of birds and the
_ consequent multiplication of insects.’
Under the heading of “Friends True and Imaginary,” Licé continues:
“Regarding this maxim a recent entomological school has attempted to
establish the two following cardinal ideas: (1)The enemies of injurious
insects should be sought in the order of insects, and (2) insectivorous birds
destroy not only injurious but useful insects as well. In support of the last
q thesis, the remarks of the distinguished ornithologist, Dr. T. Salvadori,
delivered to the Chamber of Deputies in Vienna, on December 9, 1891, are
- quoted in part as follows: “You must have heard, O gentlemen, repeated
- a hundred times the eternal refrain—‘ Protect the birds! They are very
_ useful, because they destroy a great quantity of insects!” In regard to this
question, I would like to ask upon what kinds of insects do the little birds
i chiefly feed, since the merit of their activity hangs upon this question; in
which of the two warring armies do they select their victims? Do they feed
chiefly upon the destroyers of our woods and fields? With all security and
_ determination, I answer, No!’”
Licé then observes that the birds which devour harmful insects should
be preserved, while those which feed upon useful kinds should be destroyed
_ as quickly and as painlessly as possible. It is recognized that the question of
the utility of wild birds is a complicated problem, because it embraces various
elements. In order to decide whether a bird is useful or injurious, we must
inquire, says Lico, first, whether the products of agriculture or insects
_ themselves are its prevailing food, and second, whether such insects are in a
_ greater degree useful or injurious under all conditions. Lists of the useful
and harmful birds are then given as approved by an international commission
bh for the protection of birds and agriculture, which sat in Paris in 1895.*
While this classification of the good and evil may be unjust or inaccurate,
on the other hand, says Lic, the figures which Sig. Ohlsen has set down
_as the measure of the loss to Italy through the abuse of hunting do not have
| the appearance of accuracy. In this regard the ‘Naturalist’s Bulletin’
é (Sienna, 1896) offers the following comment: “Dr. Carlo Ohlsen, who
_\ has very decided views in regard to the losses of agriculture due to hunting,
in an article published in a journal referred to above, recommends, in his
_ usual style, excessive rigors for the sport, and says that while the public
_ treasury received only 250,000 lire (francs) from the sale of the hunting
*In the class of birds condemned as injurious to agriculture, to hunting or to fishing
are Eagles, Kites, Hawks, Goshawks, Falcons, Owls, Crows, Magpies, Jays, Herons,
Bitterns, Pelicans, Moor-hens and Coots.
160 | Bird - Lore
permits, agriculture incurred a loss of 25,000,000 lire at least. How does
the distinguished Sig. Ohlsen prove his estimate of this damage? Besides
proof to the contrary, we maintain that this sum is wholly imaginary,
because we believe that this gentleman cannot be in a positidn to distinguish
the utility from the harm which birds bring upon the cultivated plants by
feeding on insects, some of which are certainly of much more use to agricul-
ture than a few birds.”
The same sheet for November 15, 1897, further expresses its views upon
the subject as follows: ‘As we have remarked on other occasions, there
are most estimable persons and distinguished writers who fall into contra-
diction in their efforts to prove the utility of birds and the need of excessive
measures in order to protect them, the outcome of which would bring more
harm than good to Italy. Here is another example of their efforts: “An
esteemed sportsman and writer upon sporting matters has published in a
periodical of sport a plea for a single hunting law, and in it we find the fol-
lowing remarks: ‘The immense slaughter of little birds which is carried
on in autumn by means of nets, especially in upper Italy, arouses every-
where even in foreign countries the fiercest protests.” ’
“There are millions of pretty little birds which hunters destroy every
year by carefully crushing the cranium. In order to form an idea of this
slaughter, it is sufficient to walk at this season (October and November) in —
the market place at Bergamo and at Brescia. There are to be seen, Robin |
Redbreasts, Thrushes, Sparrows, and other kinds piled up like grain along —
the walls. Pass at once one good law that shall put an end to such bar-
barity and such insane destruction. And here it is understood that this good :
law should be of such a character as to prohibit absolutely the use of the
nets in hunting everywhere.”
Now hear Lico’s comment upon these sane remarks: “Let us ask if, —
after so many, many years that hunting has been carried on by the use of —
nets, after our fields have become less and less suited as covers for the poor —
little birds, after that the government has shown that it is absolutely unable —
to protect the birds during their reproductive period among us,—if after all —
this there can still regularly occur that enormous slaughter of millions of ki
little birds, so that they can be seen in the markets like sacs full of grain, ~
then why condemn absolutely hunting by means of nets, since by this very
showing the method of hunting has not yet caused grave damage? Why
renounce a thing certainly useful in order to substitute another which is
very problematical ? ” @
I have given this long and almost verbatim translation in full, because —
it illustrates the kind of argument which is sometimes used, and used no
doubt with a certain degree of sincerity, to bolster up a bad cause. It isa
sad case of the blind leading the blind, for the entire bottom of this kind of —
argument drops out the moment we consider the fact that the present great ~
Bird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian 161
destruction of bird-life in Italy falls not upon the resident species which alone
belong to the Italian soil, but upon the migrants,—the birds of passage
which belong to the rest.of the world. Owing to the compass-like preci-
sion of their instincts, one and all have kept for ages to the fatal overland
route in passing the peninsula of Italy on their migrations. The resident
species are as dead as the ancient Romans themselves, who fortified the
Capitoline Hill or built the Colosseum. When the migrants really give out,
Mr. Editor, so that they are no longer piled in your markets like grain, it
will be a sign not that “grave damage” has been done to Italy alone, but
that a large part of the bird-life of two continents has been wiped out. In
discussing the relation of birds to man, the migratory instincts, and the
relation of the country to the rest of the world, are just as important as the
food habits. Where do the millions of Swallows and the smaller migratory
song-birds, which are annually slaughtered for food in Italy, come from, if
not from central, northern, eastern and western Europe, and where do
many of them go, if not to Africa by way of Italy and Spain ?
(To be concluded)
WOOD THRUSH ON NEST
Photographed by F. E. Howe, Sterling, Ills., June 11, 1906
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird-Lists
GC). of the means employed by the Massachusetts Audubon Society
to interest its members in the practical side of bird study is an
invitation to make lists of the birds noted in the state during
the year, blanks being furnished for the purpose of properly recording
observations.
The best ten lists received by the secretary for the Society for
the year ending December 31, 1906, were made by the following members:
Lidian E. Bridge, West Medford, 184 species; James L. Peters, Jamaica
Plain, 164 species; Anna K. Barry, Dorchester, 138 species; Percival S.
Howe, Jr., West Newton, 138 species; Louise Howe, Brookline, 116
species; Henry H. Lowell, Newton Centre, 115 species; William T. Barker,
Bertha Langmaid, Boston, 108 species;
Jamaica Plain, 111 ‘species;
Samuel Dowse Robbins, Belmont, 86 species; Georgianna M. Wheelock,
The two lists first mentioned are published herewith.
63 species.
List of Birds observed by
Lidian E. Bridge, West
Medford,
Mass.,
from
January 1, 1906, to Jan-
907.
uary 1,
List of Birds observed by
James L.Peters, Jamaica
Plain, from January
1, 1906, to January 1,
1907.
Name of Species Locality Date Locality
Riolbcell’s: Grene ise 3 ey eteence ee Nahant. . . .|Jan.6 | Nahant... .
Horned Grebe! e's a ee Middlesex Fells Oct. 22 || Ipswich ;
Pied-billed Grebe... 6s: Middlesex Fells | Sept. 21|| Jamaica Pond .
RON NS COS eee PAE Dats Ri Nahant. . . .|Jan.6 | Nahant... .
Red-throated Loon. ..-..... Nahant. :.¢. Jan, 605) See ene
Bisck Ciaitlemas 5 ee oe | eR OR . . . | Nahant
Pareaiic Forgets. see late. h Ipswich Aug.29] 3° eae
Kittiwake has PRR irene ae MEN Se om: eee Nov. 9 | Ipswich .. .
Great Black-backed Gull... .. Middlesex Fells Jan. 21 | Brighton ...
Herring aa) ee sent ee ec Medford . . .|Jan. 7 | Boston... .
Ring-billed Gull es so Bi Ipswich Nov. 17|| Boston . . . .
Langhing Galt os is ot 3 Muskeget . July 28 | Vineyard Haven
Common Tei yaaa peo eek Muskeget . . . | July 28 | Vineyard Haven
AYOue: Teta ee ashen tyra Muskeget..°... | July 28: |) .:55 oes
Rowento Fer} ¢ 6035 des. ans oils Muskeget . ... | July 28). 5 55 soe
Least ern: ica aweaeoeisa vices Muskeget . . . | July 28 | West Tisbury.
CBRN OS 0s Soe eee owl) os Ih abe SLING eS 2. WN Reverecaiiy ean ey
Double-crested Cormorant Ipswich . . Nov. 9 | Ipswich
American Merganser. ...... Middlesex Fells| Mar. 11| Newton . . .
Red-breasted Merganser .... . Nahant. .-. ,-|Jan. 6 | Revere . 2).
REANBES S| 5 ck o's ae eck ae Middlesex Fells | Oct. 22 |. «++
Black: Duck 2 see g es Middlesex Fells) Apr. 8 | Natick ...
Red-legged Black Duck ..... Middlesex Fells | Jan. 21 | Cambridge . .
Blue-winged Teal. ....... Middlesex Fells | Apr. 8 0 ae
Scaup Duck: 4 (ccmerecnee yas Nahant Jan. 6 | Nahant. ...
Lesser Scaup Duck oa). eas «\s Squantum . ./| Apr. 14) Squantam ‘
American Golden-eye ...... Nahant. . . .|Jan.6 |Boston... .
Buffle-ftad 325 -o wheat elie ys Squantum . | Dec. 19) Nahant. . . .
id -SQUEW 588s cee eee 8 Nahant... :. | Jan. 6° | Rever€a Ss
American Scoter: 6.60623 ae, Nahant. . . Feb. 22 || Revere. . -
White-winged Scoter....... Nahant. . . .| Feb. 22] Revere .
(162)
a eat vane, ile
=
in a a ne ee ited bn
Pe
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird-Lists
163
List of Birds observed by
Lidian E.
Bridge, West
Medford, Mass., f
rom
January 1, 1906, to Jan-
List of Birds observed by
James L. Peters, Jamaica
Plain, from January
1, 1906, to January 1,
uary 1, 1907. 1907
Name of Species Locality Date Locality Date
ENS ere ae gaa Nahant. . an. 6 | Nahant. . Feb. 3
Ruddy Duck ......... . | Middlesex Melts Ovts gab sch, cc, cui bern
American Bittern ........ Belmont .. .|May 5 _ | Ipswich May 19
Great Blue Heron ...... Ipswich . . . | May 19) Ipswich May 19
BEEOROM 005566 ee ew Middlesex Fells May 20) Dedham May 5
Black-crowned Night Heron Middlesex Fells | May 20] Morton Marshes May 8
GENS aera eer Cambridge . .| June 5 | Cambridge . . | May 25
COE 2, we paioueee . . | Nov. 3 | Jamaica Pond . | Oct. 24
American Woodcock. ...... Medford RE [LER PT gees No eae Marte tee ae
SP OMIDG es WBA Ore its boo | MEME 2S ee eens
Pectoral Sandpiper. ....... LEW soc) AUR) FON ein le enk w t ay
White-rumped Sandpiper... .. Ipswich May 23/Chilmark. . . | Aug. 18
Memeest ganadpiper......... Ipswich May 19/Ipswich .. .!|May 19
Red-backed Sandpiper. . . . . . | Ipswich Sept. 28 Nahant Oct. 6.
Semipalmated Sandpiper .... . Ipswich May 19|Ipswich .. | May 19
Es SSE IE ane Ipswich .. .|May 19| Ipswich .. .| May 19
Greater Yellow-legs . .....- Cohasset . . . | May 30) Ipswich May 19
MT IEES . . we ke tle Ipswich . Aug.17| West Tisbury | Aug.24
Solitary Sandpiper. ....... Middlesex Fells May 18) Franklin Park | May 18
Bartramian Sandpiper ..... . Ipswich . Aug.17|Chilmark . . . | Sept. 8
Spotted Sandpiper ........ Middlesex Fells May 11) Franklin Park | May 4
Black-bellied Plover. ...... Ipswich May 19) Ipswich . | May 19
American Golden Plover ..... Nahant... ..°.(.Sept.27) 2. se os «Ln
Semipalmated Plover. . . . . . , | Ipswich. . . .| May 23) Chilmark. . .| Aug.24
ty Ok! 8 ke Be | see se 8 . . | Chilmark. . .| Aug.24
Ruddy Turnstone ‘ Nahant . BENE AP ra x eae ie BP:
ieemopewhite 2... ... 2. . - «| Middlesex Fells | Mar, 11| Franklin Park Jan. 10
Memeumed Grouse. ......... Middlesex Fells | Mar 31| Holden. . May 12
OS eee Middlesex Fells | Apr. 27) Ipswich . . | May 19
Sharp-shinned Hawk. ..... . Cambridge Apr. 28] Franklin Park | Jan. 2
ES OL ee Middlesex Fells | May 7 | Natick . | Apr.-7
Memmed-tailed Hawk ......... Medford : Mar. 11] Natick .. . Apr. 7
| Red-shouldered Hawk ...... Middlesex Fells | Feb 25| Morton Marshes Jan. 16
Broad-winged Hawk ...... . . | Weston .. .| Apr. 28
American Rough-legged Hawk Middlesex Fella| Nov. 26]... 0. gee be
RW le Ipswich . . .| Aug.17 Ee ver wirehas
Mpeeen tiawk ..-.......- ei ees oe 6 ae eee Park: | Gotite
_ American Sparrow Hawk ..... Medford . . ./| Feb. 23|| Newton ars | Jatheoug
American Osprey ......°..- Medford Apr. 28|| West Tisbury . | Aug. 30
meemoreeared Owl. .......-. Ipswich toy ag RE ees oR MEY TRY
Beeereech Owl. ....-.-....-s Medford . . Aug. 4 | Jamaica Plain . | Aug. 5
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. ...... Middlesex Fells May 18) Franklin Park .| May 16
Memsiack-billed Cuckoo. ..... . Medford . |May 13|| Belmont . . . | May 11
Memecminehsher......:.. Medford . Apr. 19| Franklin Park | Apr. 17
Hairy Woodpecker. ....... Middlesex Fells | Feb. 25 || arnold Arboretum | Dec. 30
Downy Woodpecker ...... Medford . . .|Jan.1 | Franklin Park | Feb. 18
_ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker... . . Greylock June 16 || Belmont . . . | Sept. 28
Semortnern Flicker .......'. Medford Jan. 4 | Franklin Park | Jan. 7
: Whip- ER Gare are aaa eh ics A sa West Tisbury . | Aug.15
MWK. 7 wk ee te Medford . . . | May 17/| Boston . | June 21
_ Chimney Swift . . . | Medford . |.May 5_ | Franklin Park May 4
_ Ruby-throated Hummingbird . . .| Medford .. .|June 3 | Cambridge . . | Aug.10
ee A ee Medford . | May 4 | Dedham May 5
ieested Flycatcher Fe SR ES ay Belmont May 26 | Belmont May 11
eT ee
164 Bird- Lore |
q
List of Birds observed by || List of Birds observed by
Lidian E. Bridge, West | James L. Peters, Jamaica
Medford, Mass., from | Plain, from January
January a. 1906, to Jan- | 1, 1906, to January 1,
uary 1, 1907. | 1907.
Name of Species Locality Date | Locality Date
Pre eS es Medford May 2. Franklin Park | Apr. g .
Olive-sided Flycatcher BB hie oe Greylock . jJune<316] 3:00 3 ee Ne
Wood Pewee .. . Medford . . | May 13 Holden May 12
Alder.Flycatcher. 2.5... Middlesex Fells] May 27|/) ....... AS |
Lenat Blycateher sii) Medford ay 2. Dedham May 5
Horned Latte Gis a2) Nahant. . Feb. 22 Ipswich Oct. 20. 74
Prairie Horned Lark... 0.0) S. Ipswich Aug. 17||\\.° 4. cera Sony 4
PNG FON ee oat Cana Medford Jan. 1 | Jamaica Plain | Jan. 2 :
PTRTICA CHOW oof a wie» Pops a he Medford Jan.1 | Franklin Park | Jan. 2
Bouslak sac i ig. Pee Concord May 2 | Franklin Park | May 8
Cowbitd sient ns ees As Medford Apr. 16, Franklin Park | Apr. 5
Red-winged Blackbird Medford Apr. 7 | Morton Marshes; Feb. 25
Meadowlark) i cn te os Medford Apr. 5 | Morton Marshes] Feb. 25
Orchard Oriole ..... Ipswich May 19 | Ipswich . |May 19
Baltimore Oriole <0. i. a Ss Medford . .|May 12.) West Roxbury | May 5
Rusty Blackbird .. ..... Cambridge >. | Mar. 17}: .: «see ph oeaths
Bronzed Grackle-. 475 a. oes, Medford Apr. 12) Franklin Park | Mar. 6
Canadian Pine Grosbeak... . Medford Nov. 18 Arnold Arborextas: pana eae
Parple: Finch: us Medford Apr. 17| Franklin Park | Apr. 8
American Crossbill Greylock . . June 18) Arnold Arboretum Nov. 25
White-winged Crossbill Middlesex Fells | Nov. 3 | Jamaica Plain | Nov. 3
Redo 2.00%. .2oucemeis Middlesex Fells | Nov. 24| Arnold Arboretum | Nov. 25
American Goldfinch ....... Medford Mar. 11 Franklin Park | Jan. 13
Pine Siskin Middlesex Fells | Nov. 26) Franklin Park | Nov. 4
Snowflake. . NEP eNYEL eNOS Medford Mar. 17, Squantum Feb. 24
Lapland Longspur . Ipswich Oct. 30 | Ipswich . . . | Nov. 17
Vesper Sparrow Medford Apr. 17) Franklin Park | Apr. 13
Ipswich Sparrow. .. . Ipswich Oct. 30 Ipswich - » | Oct. 20
Savanna Sparrow ..... Medford Apr. 16|Squantum . .{| Apr. 14
Grasshopper Sparrow. . Concord May 14) West Tisbury . | Aug. 30
Henslow’s Sparrow. . . Pad epee | Norwood . . . | June 16
Sharp-tailed Sparrow . Fs, | Hosrieh May 19, Ipswich May 19
White-crowned Sparrow . . | Medford May 36]. so. see ae
White-throated Sparrow . . | Medford Apr.-5 | Franklin Park | Apr. 28
Pree\Spartow 22 50 ss) eietabe: . | Medford Feb. 24, Morton Marshes) Jan. 14
Chipping Sparrow . ; . | Medford Apr. 11) Franklin Park | Apr. 15
Foeld Soarrom: (oa es Medford Apr. 17| Franklin Park Apr. 14
Slate-coloredJunco. .... Medford Apr.1 | Franklin Park | Jan. 10
Song Sparrow ; Medford Mar. 7 | Morton Marshes! Jan. 16 —
Lincoln’s Sparrow . Medford . . . | May rs . 0 .
Swamp Sparrow . Cambridge Apr. 28] Morton Marshes| Apr. 13 —
Fox Sparrow Medford Mar. 21! Franklin Park | Mar. 28 ¥
"Fowhee sii. (4k 278 Medford May 4 | Weston . . . | Apr. 28 |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak... . . Middlesex Fells} May 5 Franklin Park May 7
Indigo Bunting Medford May 13 Franklin Park | May 13
Starlet Tawager te eS Medford May 13. Franklin Park May 15
Purple Martin . . Concord June rr) | Wayland June 2
Cliff Swallow Ipswich May 19 Ipswich . . .| May 19
Batn Swallow 25. 4. ys. Medford Apr. 28 Franklin Park | Apr. 28
Eree. Swallow! 40h s Medford Apr. 12 Natick... 72) Apri
Bank Swallow Concord May 14 Ipswich . | May 19 —
Cedar Waxwing. . Medford Mar. 30 Franklin Park | Feb, 18 —
Northern Shrike . . Medford Jan. 6. Morton Marshes} Jan. 21 —
Red-eyed Vireo Middlesex Fells May 6 Franklin Park | May 11
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird-Lists
165
Lydian E.
Brid ee, West
Medford, Mass.,
List of Birds observed by Ese
|
January it hi toJan- |
List of Birds observed by
James L. Peters, Jamaica
Plain, from January
; 1906, to January 1,
1907.
from
. uary 1, 190
Name of Species Locality Date | Locality | Date
|
|
meuwarping Vireo ......... Medford May 10 Jamaica Plain. May 6
Yellow-throated Vireo ...... Medford May 10) Franklin Park May 6
' Blue-headed Vireo. ...... Concord May 2 A se oat
Mumemie-eyed Virco ........ Cohasset . . . July 4 Braintree . . | May 30
~ Black and White Warbler Middlesex Fells May 4 | Franklin Park | Apr. 28
i, Golden-winged Warbler Middlesex Fells May 6 | Arnold Arboretum | May 6
Semasnville Warbler. ...... Middlesex Fells May 6 | Holden . |May 12
_ Northern Parula Warbler... . . Middlesex Fells May 6 | Belmont . | May 11
Seeemow Warbler . ...... Medford May 4 Franklin Park | May 2
_ Black-throated Blue Warbler . . . | Medford May 13|Holden. . . . | May 12
Memewmie Warbler. ........ Medford Apr. 22) Franklin Park | Apr. ro
_ Magnolia Warbler... ..... Medford . May 13) Franklin Park | May 13
E Chestnut-sided Warbler Middlesex Fells | May 6 | Arnold Arboretum | May 6
_ Bay-breasted Warbler Medford Mayo) see Pe
i Black-poll Warbler ....... Middlesex Fells May 18) Franklin Park | May 15
_ Blackburnian Warbler... ... Middlesex Fells May 18 Franklin Park ;May 21
i, Black-throated Green Warbler . Middlesex Fells May 6 | Franklin Park | May 2
_ Pine Warbler . . : Medford Apr. 5. Franklin Park Apr. 15
Yellow Palm Warbler Medford Apr. 16 Franklin Park | Apr. 14
| Prairie Warbler. ..... Arlington . . May 26| Hyde Park . . May 26
Ovenbird Bee wie. <6 4 Middlesex Fells May 8 | Franklin Park aay 5
meverer-ihrush ...... Middlesex Fells May 13| ..... ..-| ;
| Mourning Warbler. ....... errevicck 60) JUMe ASP a Weawce
| Northern Yellow-throat ..... : Middlesex Fells May 11) Dedham May 5
_ Yellow-breasted Chat ...... Cohasset . . . May 30) Braintree . . . | May 30
' ~ Wilson’ Seeeeemier co. re Middlesex Fells May 20) Franklin Park May 15
Canadian Warbler. ....... Middlesex Fells May 20) Franklin Park May 19
American ene one Medford May 6 | Belmont May 11
|: Seeeripit =~ ww Ipswich Aug.30, Nahant. . . . | Oct. 6
| ee Medford . . . May 5s | Franklin Park May 2
) Brown Thrasher. ........ Middlesex Fells May 4 | Morton Marshes) Apr. 22
_HouseWren ..... Medford May 14) Belmont May 11
'WinterWren....... . . . | Greylock . . . June 18) .
_ Short-billed Marsh Wren. .— Norwood ... July 14, ' South ‘Sadbury | May 26
_ Long-billed Marsh Wren. . Cambridge . . June 5 | Cambridge . . | May 25
Memnown Creeper ...... Middlesex Fells Feb. 25| Franklin Park | Jan. 16
White-breasted Nuthatch... . . Middlesex Fells Feb. 25 Jamaica Plain | Jan. 11
Red-breasted Nuthatch... . . . | Medford . Sept. 24) Franklin Park | Sept. 29
MI Medford Jan. 7 | Franklin Park (Jan. 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet . . Medford Jan. 7 | Franklin Park ie 2
_Ruby-crowned Kinglet. ..... Arlington Apr. 21 Jamaica Plain | Apr. 17
Sood thtush......... Medford . . May 11) Arnold Arboretum May 6
feytison’s Lhrush ...°. .. >. Middlesex Fells May 7 | Franklin Park | May 23
_Gray-cheeked Thrush ...... Medford Sept. 25. erie NUOe ie oe if é
- Olive-backed Thrush . Concord . . | May 14) Franklin Park May 24
eet i hroush). . 2°. . ek Middlesex Fells | May 15) _Squantum Apr. 14
American Robin. ........ Medford | Mar. 4 | Arnold Arboretum | Feb. 4
Bluebird Sa Oi aaa Medford | Mar. 4 | Milton . . | Mar. 11
WRing-necked Pheasant ....../ ....... . . . | Franklin Park | Jan. 2
SID O's ye po. ge. Ee | Boston | Feb. 3
Oememkem .. 1... .- . . | Ipswich =| Aug. 30| West Tisbury . | Aug. 29
Purple I Cae a eee ee ere ee | j | West Tisbury. Aug. 15
Baird’sSandpiper ........ Ipswich | Sept. BRN eg Pili a lal ean sags Ge
Acadian Sharp. -tailed Sparrow. . Cohasset. i506 5.7] May. gol se eee ee
Orange-crowned Warbler... . . Middlesex Fells | Nov. 26]
The Migration of Thrushes
FOURTH PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
: in the Biological Survey
With drawings by Louris AGASSIZ FUERTES and BRUCE HORSFALL
VARIED THRUSH :
P NHE Varied Thrush, under which name both forms of this species are
included, breeds from northwestern California, northern Idaho and
northwestern Montana, north to Fort Franklin, Mackenzie, Fort
Yukon, and the Kowak river, Alaska; winters from central Washington
to southern California. Accidental in New Jersey, Long Island, Massachu-
setts, Kansas and Guadalupe Island, Lower California.
The spring migration begins so early that, on the average,
migrants arrive in central Washington March 6 and southern British
Columbia March 10. The valley of the Kowak river, Alaska, was reached
May 21, 1899. The average date of arrival at Columbia Falls, Mont., is
April 1, and the earliest date is March 2, 1895. Central California is
deserted, on the average, April 2, and the latest date in southern California
is April 12, 1899. ;
The species leaves its breeding grounds in northern Alaska about the
first of September and usually arrives in central California, along the coast, —
November 7, the earliest date being September 27, 1898. It appears on the
higher mountains of northern California about the first week in October.
SAINT LUCAS ROBIN
The Saint Lucas Robin is a resident species in the southern portion of
Lower California. The only record for the United States is that of a speci-—
men taken January 2, 1880, at Haywards, California.
(166)
Valuold ISI NVOIIdd NO SdIOadS SIHL AO SLIGVH ONILSAN AHL ONILVULSATIL ‘“dNOUD NVOIIAd NMOUM FHL.
The New Bird Groups in the American Museum of
Natural History
By FRANK M,. CHAPMAN
ROM time to time during the past four years photographs of certain
k bird groups in the American Museum of Natural History have
appeared in BrrRD-LoRE, but, beyond the caption with each cut,
nothing has been said of the groups themselves or of the object of the series
of which they form a part. This series will be known as ‘The Habitat
Groups of North American Birds.’
The novel features of these groups consist mainly in their painted hack
grounds and in their method of installation, particularly with respect to
lighting.
Briefly, it may be said that these groups are lighted from above by
reflected natural, and, when necessary, artificial light. The source of light,
therefore, whether by day or night, is always the same, and, in consequence,
there is but one set of shadows, a matter of the first importance where an
attempt is made to connect the actual foreground with the painted back-
ground.
In ground plan the groups are curved at the back and straight in front,
from which point alone they can be seen. Only a part of the front is
occupied by the glass through which the group is viewed, both the ends and
_ the top of the group being beyond the range of vision from the normal view-
point. This increases the panoramic illusion and adds greatly to the artistic ©
effectiveness of the whole.
It is, however, not my object to speak of the method of construction of
these groups, but rather of the idea which they are designed to embody.
The more novel feature of this idea is to be found in the painted back-
grounds which form a part of each group. Painted backgrounds for small
groups or panels of mounted birds have long been employed by the taxider-
mist; but this, it is believed, is the first attempt to introduce backgrounds
painted from nature and intended to reproduce a given scene as accurately
as the groups they supplement do a limited portion of it. Such backgrounds
have, therefore, not only a biologic or ecologic value, as they portray the
nesting habitat of a species or illustrate colonial nesting habits on a scale
which mere taxidermy alone would prohibit, but they have also a botanic,
geographic and physiographic value. It is believed, therefore, that when the
thirty-odd groups which have been planned for this series are completed,
the Museum will have not alone adequate reproductions of the nesting
habits and haunts of many American birds, but will have also a series of ~
paintings representing, in a novel and attractive manner, characteristic
American scenery. The series might indeed be called America and its Bird-
Life.
(168)
a, a
9961 ‘KYW NI ‘VNOZIYV “NOSONL LV Adv
I'I-duld LUYgsAd-SsALOVO
ea 2 Mayo ae: Ree
———————————————
170 Bird- Lore
The following groups have been completed: (1) Summer Bird-Life of
Cobb’s Island, Virginia*; (2) A Flamingo Colony in the Bahamast;
(3) Summer Bird-life of an Irrigated Section in the San Joaquin Valley at
Los Banos, Californiat; (4) Brandt’s Cormorant, Monterey, California§;
(5) Sandhill Crane, Kissimmee Prairies, Florida; (6) Anhinga, in a ‘bonnet’
(Nuphar) swamp, Brevard County, Florida; (7) Ward’s Heron, Brevard
County, Florida; (8) Brown Pelican and Pelican Island, Indian River,
Florida; (9) Wild Turkey, Mountains of West Virginia; (10) Prairie
Hen, Sandhills of Nebraska; (11) Golden Eagle, Bates’ Hole, Wyoming;
(12) Cactus Desert Bird-life, Tucson, Arizona. Others are approaching
completion, and it is hoped to finish the series in 1908.
It should be added that the photographic reproductions here shown are
so far from doing justice to the originals that they serve only to suggest the
method of treatment, without conveying an idea of the remarkably success-
ful manner in which artist and preparateur have overcome the technical
difficulties encountered.
*Figured in Brrp-Lore, V, 1903, p. 108.
tFigured in Brrp-Lore, VII, 1905, p. 201.
{Figured in Birp-Lore, VII, 1905, p. 202.
@Figured in Birp-Lore, VIII, 1906, p. 202.
SLATE-COLORED JUNCO.AND YOUNG
Photographed by Thomas S. Roberts
Potes from Field and Stuny
Notes on the Starling
Unless the ornithologists are satisfied that
Starlings are enormously valuable to the
country economically, I predict that we are
going to deplore the importation of these
ey
ASS
a
Ae
Aey
Sj
Road ys
\
STARLING, WINTER PLUMAGE
Drawn by Bruce Horsfall
birds quite as much as we do that of the
English Sparrow. I do not know that they
raise more than one brood each year, but
from their increase in numbers, they evi-
dently have large families,
and I am led to believe
that they have singularly
bad dispositions.
They have appropriated not only
all the holes in the old apple trees,
including those stolen from the Blue-
birds by the English Sparrows, but
also the holes in all the big lawn
trees, hitherto occupied by Flickers,
etc.
For three consecutive summers a
pair of these latter birds nested in a
hole in an elm tree, on a level with,
and not more than ten feet from my
bedroom window. Very early last
year a pair of English Sparrows tried
to build there, but I promptly ousted
them. They started in a second time, but
Starlings had discovered the snug place and
wanted it for themselves, so they were my
allies until I. had to watch out that both.
interlopers were forced to go elsewhere. In
spite of this, and in spite of the fact that the
Starlings had a hole of their own and
had occupied it for some time, they harassed)
my poor Flickers into seeking a nest else-
where. It certainly looked like mere wan-
ton cruelty, for having gained their point,
the Starlings took no more interest in that
hole.
It is strange that these birds, so much in.
evidence throughout the rest of the year,
become, when the trees are in leaf, so secre-
tive that they are rarely seen. Occasionally,
late in the summer, small flocks join the-
Red-winged Blackbirds feeding in the salt
marshes; but, excepting between dawn and)
. sunrise, one looks in the trees for them in,
vain. At this early hour they are invariably
to be seen within a few yards of their nest,.
apparently having a good game of “hide-
and-seek,” and keeping up an incessant
chatter. The trees are old and have many
holes, and five or six Starlings play until a
few minutes after sunrise, then disappear as.
if from the face of the earth. That the same
thing goes on every morning in the vicinity
of other Starlings’ nests, and that their first
STARLING, SUMMER PLUMAGE. Drawn by Bruce Horsfalls
(171)
172
appearance mornings seems to be as they
emerge from a hole, causes me to believe
that the young, as well as the old, sleep in
holes. I think, but cannot say with cer-
tainty, that the young, until each takes a
mate, sleep in the hole in which they were
hatched; for those that I watched played
every morning about their birthplace long
after they were fully grown. Possibly about
the time of the fall migration they seek new
quarters for themselves; but so secretive are
they that it is almost impossible to study
their habits through the summer months.
Even before the young can fly, the parents
are seen no more on the lawns with Robins
and Grackles, but hunt for food where they
cannot be seen.
In the fall, when not a leaf remains on
the trees, Starlings are seen in their tops in
small flocks of from three to eight or ten.
It is at this time that one hears their loud,
clear whistle of two notes,—a high one fol-
lowed by one a trifle lower, the two some-
what slurred together. It is rather sweet
and very easy to imitate; in fact, one can
call them. This whistle and the result pro-
duced by the ludicrous straining at a song,
and which is only a wheezy creaking heard
all through the spring, constitute the Star-
ling’s own singing; but, “to give the devil
his due,” he is an excellent mimic; he can
copy many notes of the Catbird; he gives
the Wood Pewee’s call so perfectly that the
season is the Pewee’s only alibi. One day I
was so sure that I heard a Downy Wood-
pecker hammering over my head that I
strained my neck searching for him; then,
to my astonishment, discovered a Starling
producing this noise from his throat.
In proof of my statement that these birds
have bad dispositions, I may say that I
have seen them annoy many different kinds
of birds, and I must tell of one incident that
occurred very early one morning only last
week. A_ Flicker was calling so loudly
and persistently that I was awakened.
Thinking it must be close at hand, I
went to the window and saw a male bird
in the old hole in the elm I have al-
ready spoken of. The female, although
quite near, was too timid to join him,
evidently because of a pair of restless Star-
Bird -
Lore
lings just overhead. I was too sleepy to
watch any longer, so settled myself for
another nap, and, almost at the same mo-
ment, heard both Flickers “talking” softly
together at the hole. It could not have been
more than five or ten minutes later when I ©
heard a bird cry very much like the quaver-
ing cry of the Screech Owl, only softer. I
jumped to the window and saw the body of
a Flicker half-way out of the hole, its head
twisted so far back and downward as to be
invisible. The contortions it made strug-
gling to get away were pitiful, and this
pathetic cry wrung my heart, but it got
away, and almost at once was followed by
a Starling, who gave a satisfied grunt as he —
came to the edge-of the hole, then flew to a
branch above, where he began his torturing
efforts at singing.—Mrs. Pau R. Bonner,
Stamford, Conn.
A Call for Notes on the Starling
Seventeen years have passed since the
Starling was first successfully introduced
into this country, and Mrs. Bonner’s esti-
mate of the bird suggests calling for
information in regard to the distribution of
this recent addition to our avifauna, as well
as for an expression of opinion in regard to
its desirability. Introduced into Central
Park, New York City, in March, 1890,
‘the Starling has now spread eastward nearly
if not quite to New London, Conn., north-
ward to Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, and
southward at least to Princeton, N. J. As
a contribution to the history of this bird in
America, it will be well to place on record
now replies to the questions which appear —
below: ;
1. When did the Starling first appear in —
your vicinity ? A
2. What is its status now ?
3. Do you consider it a desirable addition —
to our avifauna ? q
4. If undesirable, give reasons why.
5. Do you know of any Starlings, other — |
than those released in Central Park, —
which have been introduced into this —
country ?
6. Was the introduction successful ?
The Editor will welcome replies to one
Notes from Field and Study
or all of these questions. They may be
sent to him at the American Museum of
Natural History, New York City, not later
than September 1, for insertion in the next
issue of Birnp-LoreE.—FRANK M. CHAPMAN.
A Winter Flight of Vesper Sparrows
The following account, relating to a mid-
winter flight of Vesper Sparrows in the
vicinity of New York City, appears to consti -
tute an unprecedented record. The presence
of this species here first came to my notice
on February 12,1907. During the forenoon
of that day I observed many individuals of
the species in the grassy fields and stubble
growth north of Merrick, Long Island; and
from this locality southward to the salt
meadows and westward along the Merrick
‘Road, I found Vesper Sparrows in com-
_ parative abundance. The birds were some-
times seen singly or in groups of two or
three, but were more commonly found
associating with Juncos and Tree Spar-
rows. All three species were industriously
_ feeding among the roadside weeds, in a
___ temperature which stood near the zero point.
| Within the limits of Freeport, L. I., just
north of the center of the village, many
Vesper Sparrows were seen feeding between
the rails of the electric-car tracks from
which the snow had been entirely cleared,
and, as I followed the tracks toward Hemp-
| stead and Garden City, one bird after
another flew up from before me, only to
_ alight again some distance ahead. After
_ being repeatedly flushed, the birds would fly
_ into a near-by bush or tree, and allow me
_ to pass before resuming their quest for food.
| _ They were, without exception, exceedingly
_ tame, and usually permitted a close approach
ReBetore flying and expanding their white-
| i tails. North of Freeport, one of the
ee ae eee Te
As eo A ek ee
—~
eS eae ee
birds was secured for the Museum, thus mak-
ing identification positive.
| On February 17, a careful search in the
ae vicinity of Jamaica, Long Island, failed to
| disclose a single Vesper Sparrow, and none
ie “was seen by members of the Museum
staff, who spent several days on the south
shore of Long Island during the latter part
of February and the first week in March.
kK,
Wc
Rea
173
Several hunts made since that time have
yielded no better results; the conclusion,
therefore, is that the flight must have been
either very local or of short duration,
probably the latter.
Although Giraud, in his ‘ Birds of Long
Island,’ says of the Vesper Sparrows, “A
few remain with us throughout the year,”
recent records for dates. later than the middle
of November are not common, and, more-
over, the above statement would hardly
account for such numbers of the birds as
were seen by the writer. With the excep-
tion of Giraud’s account, the northernmost
recorded winter range of the species is in
southern Pennsylvania, where, according to
Warren, the birds are frequently seen in
winter. In Rhoad’s and Pennock’s list of
e ‘ Birds of Delaware,’ the Vesper Spar-
row is given only as a summer resident.
The fact that the Vesper Sparrows were
with us during the coldest period of the
winter would appear to preclude the sup-
position that they were early migrants from
the South, and yet no other theory seems
probable. Field notes from all sections of
the country around New York City might
aid greatly in determining the direction of
the flight, so it is to be hoped that other
observers will be heard from.—RoserT C.
Morpny, American Museum of Natural
History, New York City.
An Owl Tragedy
Early in April, 1906, I made my first trip
of the season to the home of a pair of Barred
Owls which I had been in the habit of visit-
ing each spring for several years. The
Owls nested in the hollow top of a dead pin-
oak stub about thirty feet from the ground.
The hole was open and unsheltered at the
top, and its floor was about two feet below
the entrance.
Upon reaching the familiar tree, I rapped
upon the trunk, expecting to see the big Owl
fly out as usual. Nothing happened, how-
ever, so I climbed to the nest. As I neared
it the clicking of an Owl’s bill reached my
‘ ear. Upon looking into the hole, I was
taken aback to see it closed by a heavy cake
of ice a few inches below the top, and it did
174
not take long to guess what had happened.
Two or three days before there had been a
snow-storm, and the old Owl, keeping her
eggs warm, had been covered by the falling
snow. The sleet and subsequent cold had
converted this into ice, which had frozen so
closely around several projections on the
walls of the hole as to resist all the Owl’s
attempt to break through.
In the center of the ice-cake was an
opening little more than an inch square,
and through this hole I could see the Owl.
Her head was pressed against the center of
the disk of ice, and this had resulted in
melting the hole through the thinnest part.
It took but a few minutes to break and
remove the ice, but it is no wonder that the
Owl had been unable to do so, as it was from
three to four inches thick around the edge.
The poor bird presented a most pitiable
appearance, her bedraggled feathers hang-
ing in wet, stringy masses, with lumps of
ice adhering to parts of the plumage. I
pulled her from the hole, for she was so
stiff and weak asto be unable to fly. I suc-
ceeded in greatly improving at least her
appearance by drying and smoothing her
plumage, and left her sitting in an appar-
ently dazed condition in a cedar tree not far
from the nest.
Before I left, her mate was observed flying
about among the large oaks near by, but he
did not go to the nest. Whether the Owl
recovered or not I do not know, but this
year (1907) the old hole was found to be
unoccupied when I paid it my annual visit.
It may be well to add that in her strug-
gles to escape the imprisoned Owl had
broken her eggs into small fragments. Also
that a feather on the ice-cake showed that
her mate had visited the nest while she was
entombed within. — W. DeW. Miter,
Plainfield, N. J.
Prairie Horned Larks in Connecticut
Prairie Horned Larks breed in Berkshire
County, Mass., and in the northern New
England states, but I can find no record
of their occurrence in Connecticut, except .
during migrations.
While spending my vacation at Wash-
ington, Conn., in the summer of 1906, from
Bird -
Lore
the middle of July to the end of August, I
saw almost daily a flock of between twenty
and twenty-five of these birds ona side-hill
pasture lot not far from the house.
They fed on the ground, and, when
startled, flew to the top of a stone wall or
into a tree; unless further disturbed, they
immediately returned to the ground to con-
tinue feeding. If suddenly startled, the flock —
would rise and fly to a distant part of the
field, uttering on the wing a note that
sounded like tzee-a-wee, tzee-a-wee.
I believe that the Larks nested here this
year (1906). Only four or five were in adult
plumage, the rest having the plumage of the ~
immature bird. As some were here all
summer, there can be no chance that they —
bred elsewhere and then wandered here.
Likewise I was told of a nest that had been
found, which corresponded with a descrip-
tion of the Lark’s nest and eggs, although
the person at the time did not know what
the birds were.—[ Will the writer of this
note kindly send his or her name for pub-—
lication ?>—Ep. ]
Red-breasted Nuthatches and Pine-
Finches on Staten Island, N. Y.
In Birp-Lore for December, 1906, Mr. —
Dutcher described a remarkable migration 4
of Red-breasted Nuthatches over Fire Island —
Beach, N. Y. While no such flight was
noticed on Staten Island, still these birds —
were unusually abundant throughout the
fall of 1906, the first being seen about Sep- —
tember 1, and the last remaining till late in —
the autumn.
Pine-Finches, too, were present in for
large rnumbers during the winter of 1906-7
than in the two preceding. They were mo
numerous on the beach on the south side of —
the island, where they fed on the ground
and in the goldenrods.
Singularly enough, both birds were also
common on Staten Island during the season”
of 1903-4, when the Nuthatches were ob-
served from September till November, and.a
few the following spring, and the Pine-
Finches were even more numerous in the
central part of the island than during the
past winter.—JAMEs CuaPIN, New Brighton,
Staten Island, N. Y. ;
Po ee
Book Pews and Reviews
PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTH INTERNA-
TIONAL ORNITHOLOGICAL ConGRESS. Lon-
don, June 1, 1905. Edited under the
direction of the president, R. Bowdler
Sharpe, LL.D., by the secretaries: Ernst
. O. Hartert, Ph.D., and J. Lewis
Bonhote, M.A. London; Dulan & Co.,
37 Soho Square, W. February, 1907.
8 vo. 696 pages, 18 plates.
This well-edited volume contains not
alone the papers presented before the Fourth
International Ornithological Congress, but
also an excellent history of the Congress
jitself, with lists of officers, committees and
members, and detailed reports of the pro-
ceedings of the various sections into which
the Congress was divided. It is manifestly
impossible to review here in detail the con-
tents of the nearly seven hundred pages
forming this volume, and, merely as a
matter of information, we give the titles of
those papers of interest to Brirp-Lore’s
readers. (2) ‘ President’s Address’ (A His-
tory of the British Museum’s collection of
Birds), Bowdler Sharpe; (3) ‘ What Con-
stitutes a Museum Collection of Birds?’ 6
plates, Frank M. Chapman; (5) ‘On the .
Migration of Birds,’ Otto Herman; (9) ‘On
Extinct and Vanishing Birds,’ 2 plates,
Walter Rothschild; (11) ‘On Some Ant-
arctic Birds,’ Edw. A. Wilson; (12) ‘ Some
Notes on the Hybridizing of Ducks,’ 4
plates, J. Lewis Bonhote; (13) ‘ The Prin-
cipal Aims of Modern Ornithology,’ Ernst
Hartert; (14) ‘Some Ornithological Re-
sults of the Scottish National Antarctic
Expedition,’ W. S. Bruce; (16) ‘Mono-
graphie de la Sterne de Dougall,’ 1 plate,
Louis Bureau; (20) ‘On the Origin of the
Differences Between Nestling Birds,’ W.
_ P. Pycraft; (24) ‘Sequence in Moults and
Plumages,’ Jonathan Dwight, Jr.; (27)
“The Unusual Migration of Briinnich’s in
_ Eastern North America,’ 1 plate, J. H.
Fleming; (30) ‘On Colour Variation in
the Eggs of Palearctic Birds,’ F. C. R.
| Jourdain; (31) ‘The Wild Birds Pro-
tection Act,’ Sir Digby Pigott; (32) ‘Bird
Legislation in Australia,’ Sir John Cock-
burn; (33) ‘ The Rationale of Bird Protec-
tion,’ Frank E. Lemon; (34) ‘ The Food of
Birds,’ Otto Herman; (35) ‘Ornithologie
Economique,’ A Quinet; (37) ‘The Sparrow:
Is it Useful or Harmful to Agriculture ?’
Igali Svetozar; (40) ‘The Importance of
Aviculture as an Aid in the Study of
Ornithology,’ D. Seth-Smith.— F. M. C.
THE PASSENGER PicEoN. By W. B. MeEr-
SHON. New York: The Outing Publish-
ing Company, 1907. 8vo. xii + 225
pages. 9 plates, 2 in color.
Mr. Mershon is to be thanked for bring-
ing between two covers the more important
literature relating to the Passenger Pigeon,
and adding thereto his own recollections of
this lost species, together with much interest-
ing data from various sources. Thus we
have the biographies written by Wilson,
Audubon and Bendire; Fennimore Cooper’s
graphic description of a Pigeon flight from
‘The Pioneers,’ with more or less extended
quotations from later writers.
No part of the original contributed matter
appears to be of greater value than that
furnished by Mr. Henry T. Phillips, of
Detroit, who from 1864 to 1878 marketed
Passenger Pigeons either dead or alive.
From a single nesting in Oceana county,
Michigan, in 1874, Mr. Philips states 100
barrels of dead birds were sold daily for
thirty days and, in addition, 175,000 live
birds were shipped. He writes that in this
same year there were over 600 professional
netters, we assume in Michigan, and adds
that “when the Pigeons nested north every
man and woman was either a catcher or
picker.” And still people marvel at the
Pigeon’s extinction, and seek to account
for its disappearance through the action of
some catastrophe which destroyed nearly all
the existing birds. Need we look for a
greater catastrophe than that supplied by
man himself? We are glad to observe that
Mr. Mershon places no belief in this alleged
cause of the Pigeon’s disappearance, but
finds in their persecution by man a sufficient
explanation of their decrease. A colored
plate of the Passenger Pigeon by Fuertes
(175)
176
and one of the Band-tailéd Pigeon by
Allan Brooks add to the attractiveness and
value of this volume.—F. M. C.
THE PROTECTION OF OuR Native Birps.
By Tuos. H. Montcomery, Jr., Pro-
fessor of Zoology, University of Texas.
Bulletin, University of Texas, No. 79,
1906. 8vo. 30 pages.
Professor Montgomery discusses the sub-
ject of bird protection under three heads:
(a) “Reasons for Protection,” (4) “Data
on the Destruction of Birds,” and (c):
“Means of Protection of Birds.”
He has long been interested in a study of
the food of birds, and the information
acquired by personal investigation, as well
as that obtained from the published works
of others, has convinced him of the value
of birds to our agricultural interests.
The question is handled in a scientific,
logical manner, which increases the force
of the arguments employed, and we trust
that the publication of this paper in a state
particularly in need of the services of insect-
destroyers will help to bring its inhabitants
to a realization of their indebtedness to
birds.—F. M. C.
THE BIRDS OF THE CHICAGO AREA. By
FRANK Morey Wooprurr. Bulletin VI
of the Natural History Survey, Chicago
Academy of Sciences, April 15, 1907.
221 pages, 12 full-page half-tones.
In an introduction of twenty-four pages,
Mr. Woodruff states the sources of informa-
tion on which this list is based, outlines the
territory embraced with its more significant
climatic conditions, calls‘attention to locali-
ties of special interest, describes conditions
unfavorable to birds, speaks of those extra-
limited species which have occurred and
those which may be expected to occur, and
has a word to say about migration from a
local standpoint.
For the excellent reason that a local list is
not the place in which to exploit the latest
scheme in classification, the A. O. U.
check-list is followed.
Pages 25 to 195 are devoted to the treat-
ment of the birds which have been reported
from the area covered. This is stated to in-
lul: *all >? Cook and Du Page counties,
Bird -
Lore
the nine north townships of Will county
and the northern portion of Lake county,
Indiana.” The species are not numbered,
nor does there appear to be a synoptic table
of their manner of occurrence from which
we could readily obtain an impression of
the character of the ornis of the area under
consideration.
The annotations include a statement of
the local status and general distribution of
each species, the less common species being
treated with a detail which should make
this paper of great value to local students.
An extended bibliography should help to
rescue from oblivion much matter in regard
to Chicago birds which has been published
in the daily press. It is interesting to
observe that, although E. W. Nelson appears
here as the author of only two papers relat-
ing to the birds of the Chicago area, he is
more frequently quoted than any other
author.—F. M. C.
JourNAL MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY.
— The leading article in the December,
1906, number is on ‘Bicknell’s Thrush on —
Mt. Abraham,’ by D. W. Sweet, describ-
ing the occurrence of the species in Maine
during the breeding season. W.H.Brown- ~
son contributes some notes on ‘Portland
Birds’ observed in 1906 and J. M. Swain
furnishes ‘Contributions to the Life History
of the Pine Warbler.’ Migration tables
and numerous local notes make up the
number. 3
In the March, 1907, number, O. W.
Knight contributes to the Life History of ©
the Yellow Warbler and A. H. Norton dis-
cusses the occurrence of the Jerfalcons, —
Lapland Longspur, Sharp-shinned and —
Pigeon Hawk in Maine in winter. There —
is also the report of the Eleventh Annual
Meeting and numerous Christmas Bird —
Censuses and Local Notes.—W. S.
Tue publication of the first number of
‘British Birds,’ an illustrated monthly
magazine devoted to the birds on the
British list, is announced for June r. The
editor will be Mr. H. F. Witherby, assisted”
by W. P. Pycraft. The annual subscription
of 10 s. 6d. may be sent to Witherby & mm ”
326 High Holborn, London.
The Audubon Societies
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
AUGUST AND THE FLOCKING TIME
The nesting season is practically over at middle July, and dingy, faded
- feathers are everywhere seen as the forerunners of the August time of silence
and withdrawal to seclusion for the summer molting. There are but three
birds that can be counted on for August music—the Red-eyed Vireo, the:
_ Song-sparrow and the Indigo Bunting.
| The novice cannot hope to identify new birds at this time of changing
_ and mixed plumage, and it is no easy task to follow some of the most familiar
species through the change and still be able to name them. The clearly
_ marked black, white and buff male Bobolink of June meadows, now wears
the brown stripes of his mate. After molting, the Scarlet Tanager is
_ feathered in olive-green, his wings and tail remaining black; the autumn
| Goldfinch changes his bright gamboge coat for olive-gray, though his wings
are as in summer.
The birds of more sober plumage remain much the same, though the
| markings seem less distinct. The brick-red spring breast of the male Robin
has faded to a yellowish hue, while the immature plumage of the young
birds of the season make the work of naming very difficult for the amateur.
In May and June, identification, learning-the various call-notes and songs,
and watching the various processes of rearing the young, fill the hours to
‘overflowing, so that one day lapses to another, and midsummer comes all
\toosoon. The nesting season shows the personal and individual side of bird -
life, while, with late summer and early autumn, the impersonal or gregarious
phase begins. This gathering of the clans, as it might be called, under the
autumn spell, or flocking impulse, is very interesting to watch, and is in
itself a study.
The smaller birds travel in more or less mixed companions, and as early
as the first week in August, flocks of various Warblers arrive from the
North and remain for a month or more, according to the season, feeding
in the tree-tops. The first of our own summer residents to leave are the
Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, the Purple Martin, Yellow Warbler and
_ the Yellow-breasted Chat; and, though they do not finally disappear before
‘the middle of September, their migratory activity begins the last of August,
as soon as the molt is over and they have gained fresh strength of wing
with the new pinions.
(177)
178 3 Bird - Lore
There are two classes of birds whose flocking is of special moment, and,
when we see them assemble, we know that summer is over, no matter how
green the trees or fresh the herbage,—these are the Blackbirds, including
Grackles, Redwings and Cowbirds, and the Swallows.
The Purple Grackle makes himself ludicrous in April and May by tak-
ing a conspicuous position in a tree-top, and standing on tip-toe, with extended ~
wings, going through a series of ludicrous contortions and gasps and squeaks
that he evidently considers highly dramatic love-making. But, when they
have at last settled down to domestic life, they become almost as furtive as
the Crows in their comings and goings, and we forget them.
Comes a day in late August and there is a noise in the open between
garden and orchard like the rustling of fallen leaves under the tread of many
feet, mingled with strange creakings as if the doors of autumn were
turning on rusty hinges, and there far and wide, walking through the
stubbly grass or cloaking the bushes and trees upon which they perch in
sable, are the Grackles.
At a signal from the leader, they will rise and drift away like a storm-
cloud; but tomorrow they will return, and the next day, and the next, staying
with us until Thanksgiving, and many injurious insects will they glean from
the land plowed for fall sowing. The Grackle flocks haunt stubble-fields and
wood edges, while the Cowbird flocks keep to the open pasture, and the
Redwings claim the marsh-lands.
The flocking manceuvers of Barn and Bank Swallows are interesting in
the extreme, and worthy of patient observation, for there are many things
not yet understood. It seems to me that they engage in flying drills, with
distinct right- and left-wheels, and various other tactics.
Whether this practice is merely for the pleasure of motion, or whether
it is to accustom the young of the year to the fatigue of travel, who can say? —
But one thing is a fact, that while both Bank and Barn Swallows flock in the ~
middle or late August, they keep up this flying practice for a full month, .
during which period they may be seen in vast numbers resting on the tele- —
graph wires by the wayside, or on the fence-rails of wide-open commons
along the shore.
One day we think that they have swept off for good, but the next sees
them back at their posts, and a Barn Swallow flock has often remained in
this latitude until the first week of October. “Then, when other flocks
fail, except in the absolute breeding season, we have the Crow always with
us; and mendicant, thief, or whatever else we choose to call him, the watch-
ing of a flock of Crows, from August, when the corn is in the milk, until
the next mating season is a sufficiently interesting proposition for any bird
student.—M. O. W.
THE INDIGO BUNTING
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che Pational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 27
Rich color is the chief attribute that sets the Indigo Bunting apart
from its kin of the tribe of Sparrows and Finches.
Blue that is decided in tone, and not a bluish gray, is one of the
rarest hues among the birds of temperate zones; for one may count the
really blue birds of the eastern United States upon the fingers of one hand.
This Bunting belongs to the tree-loving and tree-nesting
His Family part of his tribe, in company with the Grosbeaks and the
brilliant yellow American Goldfinch, whose black cap, wings
: aad tail feathers only enhance his beauty. The Sparrows, of sober stripes,
_ mest on or near the ground, and their plumage blends with brown grass,
_ twigs, and the general earth coloring, illustrating very directly the theory of
color-protection, while the birds of brilliant plumage invariably keep more
closely to the trees.
In size, the Indigo Bunting ranks with the small Sparrows, coming in
| grade between the Field- and Song-Sparrows, and being only slightly larger
_ than the Chippie. The female wears a modification of the Sparrow garb, the
upper parts being ashy brown without stripes, the under parts grayish white
_ washed and very faintly streaked with dull brown, the wings and tail
feathers having some darker edges and markings.
When it comes to painting the plumage of the male in words, the task
becomes difficult; for to use simply the term indigo-blue is as inadequate as
to say that a bit of water that looks blue while in shadow is of the same
color when it ripples out into full sunlight, and catches a dozen reflections
from foliage and sky. A merely technical description would read: Front of
head and chin rich indigo-blue, growing lighter and greener on back and
underparts; wings dusky brown, with blue edges to coverts; tail feathers
also blue-edged; bill and feet dark; general shape rounded and canary-like,
_ resembling the Goldfinch.
The last of May, one of these Buntings came to a low bush, outside
my window, and, after resting awhile, for the night before had been stormy,
pped to the closely cut turf to feed upon the crumbs left where the
unds had been munching their biscuits. I have never seen a more
eautiful specimen, and the contrast with the vivid green grass seemed to
develop the color of malachite that ran along one edge of the feathers,
ating as the bird moved like the sheen of changeable silk.
(179)
180 : Bird - Lore
In vain did I search among contemporary writers for a description of
this phenomenon, which appears only in the plumage of the fully developed
male of two or more years of age. Finally, I chanced, in searching Alexander
Wilson’s American Ornithology for a different matter, to find the only
adequate pen-picture of this bird that I know. Of its plumage he says:
““ There is one singularity, viz., that in some lights, his plumage appears of a
rich sky-blue, and in others of a vivid verdigris green; so that the same bird, in
passing from one place to another before your eyes, seems to undergo a total
change of color. When the angle of incidence of the rays of light reflected
from his plumage is acute, the color is green; when obtuse, blue. Such, I
think, I have observed to be uniformly the case, without being optician
enough to explain why it is so. From this, however, must be excepted
the color of the head, which is not affected by the change of position.’’ |
The nest, in no wise typical, is a loose and rather careless
His Nest structure of grass, twigs, horse-hairs, roots or bits of bark
placed in a low, scrubby tree or bush at no great distance
from the ground, and the eggs are a very pale blue or bluish white, and
only three or four in number.
Being a seed-eater, it is undoubtedly this Bunting’s love —
His Travels of warmth that gives him so short a season with us; for he ©
does not come to the New England states until the first week
in May, and, after the August molt, when he dons the sober clothing of his —
mate, he begins to work southward by middle of September,—those from
the most northerly portions of the breeding range, which extends northward
to Minnesota and Nova Scotia, having passed by the tenth of October. It —
winters in Central America and southward.
Although of the insect-eating fraternity of the conical ©
His Food beak, the Indigo Bunting consumes many noxious insects in —
the nesting season, when the rapid growth of the young —
demands animal food, no matter to what race they belong. Being an
inhabitant of the overgrown edges of old pastures, or the brushy fences of ~
clearings and pent-roads, he is in a position where he can doa great deal
of good. Mr. Forbush, is his valuable book on Useful Birds and Their Pro-
tection, credits the Indigo Bunting with being a consumer of the larva of
the mischievous brown-tail moth; but, whatever service it may do as an
insect destroyer, its service the year through as a consumer of weed seeds, e.
in common with the rest of its tribe, is beyond dispute. 4
The voice of the Indigo Bunting is pretty dulees than
His Song impressive, and varies much in individuals. It consists of F
series of hurried canary-like notes repeated constantly and ris-
ing in key, but, to my mind, never reaching the dignity of being called
impressive song. Yet on this point opinions differ, and Wilson calls it ‘
vigorous and pretty good songster. It mounts to the highest top of a tre .
The Indigo Bunting 181
and chants for half an hour at atime. Its song is not one continuous strain,
but a repetition of short notes, commencing loud and rapid and falling by
almost imperceptible gradations, for six or eight seconds, until they seem
hardly articulate, as if the little minstrel were quite exhausted; and, after a
pause of half a minute or less, commences as before.’’ Then, too, the Indigo
_ bird sings with as much animation in the month of July as in the month of
May, and not infrequently continues his song until the last of August.”
Nuttall writes that though usually shy the Indigo bird during the nesting
season is more frequently seen near habitations than in remote thickets:
_ “Their favorite resort is the garden, where, from the topmost branch of
some tall tree that commands the whole wide landscape, the male regularly
_ pours out his lively chant, and continues it for a considerable length of time.
_ Nor is this song confined to the cool and animating dawn of morning, but
_ it is renewed and still more vigorous during the noon-day heat of summer.
_ This lively strain is composed of a repetition of short notes, which, com-
-mencing loud and rapid, and then slowly falling, descend almost to a
_ whisper, succeeded by a silence of almost half a minute, when the song is
_ again continued as before.
| "In the village of Cambridge (Mass.), I have seen one of these azure,
| almost celestial musicians, regularly chant to the inmates of a tall dwelling-
_ house from the summit of the chimney or the tall fork of the lightening-rod.
i I have also heard a Canary, within hearing, repeat and imitate the low
| lisping trill of the Indigo bird, whose warble indeed often resembles that of
this species.”
This combination of musical ability, lovely plumage and its seed-eating
qualities long since has made the Indigo Bunting in danger of extermina-
| tion, through the fact of its being universally, throughout the South, cap-
tured and sold as a cage-bird, both for home use and for export. In that
section the bird is called ‘‘blue pop,” a corruption of “‘bleu pape,” or ‘“‘pope,”
of the French. Thomas Nuttall and Alexander Wilson, both writing in the
early years of 1800, speak of the Indigo Bunting as one of the most familiar ~
of cage birds. Not only has this traffic existed since the days of Wilson,
but, until a very few years ago, when the Audubon movement began to be ~
'\a power, this Bunting, together with its cousin, the beautiful Painted Bunt-
ing, or Nonpareil, the Cardinal Grosbeak and the Mocking-bird were listed
and sold, as a matter of course, by every bird-dealer in the country.
_ Oh, the untold misery and waste of this caging and selling of free-born
birds! It is only one grade less direct a slaughter than killing them totrim a
| ip While the sufferings of the bonnet-bird have ended, with it life
those of the caged bird have only begun as the door closes behind him.
able and willing to make their surroundings endurable, count as nothing
against the general condemnation of the practice of caging birds born wild.
182 -. Bird- Lore
z '
Those of us who have khown, by experience in caring for wounded or sick
birds, exactly what incessant watchfulness is necessary to keep them alive,
realize how impossible it is that this care should be given them by the aver-
age purchaser.
Birds born and reared in captivity, like the Canary, are the only ones
that real humanity should keep behind bars. There is no more condemna-
ble habit than allowing children to take nestlings of any kind, and try to
feed and rear them; if disaster overtakes the parents, a responsible adult
should be the one to endeavor’ to succor the brood.
Nominally, the traffic in caged wild birds has ceased; actually, it has not;
nor will it until every bird-lover feels himself responsible for staying the
hand that would rob the nest, whether it is that of the ignorant little picka-
ninny of the South, who climbs up the vine outside the window where
you are wintering, and sees in the four young Mockers in the nest just
under the sill a prospective dollar, the child at home, who likes to experi-
ment for a few days with pets and then forgets them, or the wily dealer,
who sells sub rosa what he dares not exhibit. No quarter to any class who
make prisoners of the wild, outside of the Zoological Gardens or private
aviaries where the proper conditions exist.
Any free citizen prefers death to loss of liberty, and even the literalists —
will, at least, allow this human quality to Citizen Bird, while it proves that —
he or she who either cages or a the captive wholly to lack the
spiritual quality.
Should we make prisoners of
‘“The ballad-singers and the Troubadours,
The street musicians of the heavenly city,
The birds, who makes sweet music for us all
In our dark hours, as David did for Saul.’’?
_—H. W. LONGFELLOwW.
Questions for Teachers and Students
When does the Indigo bird come in Spring? How far north does it travel ? How is
its color different from the blue of the Jay and Bluebird? Is the caging of wild birds
ever right? Why was the Indigo bird popular as a pet?
The Audubon Societies
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
Membership in the National Association
$5.00 oe epee constitutes a persona Shetsiding
mber
$100.00 ad at one time constitutes a Life Membership
$1,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Patron
$5,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Founder
$25,000. oo paid constitutes a person a Benefactor
FORM OF ‘BEQUEST
I do hereby give and bequeath to THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON SOCIE-
_ TIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD BiIRDs
‘anpD Anrmats (Incorporated), of the City of
New York.
*I go to prove my soul!
I see my way as birds their téabkless way;
I ask not; but, unless God send His hail
| He guides me and the birds. In His good
B time.”
| The bird and animal lovers will arrive at
_ the goal of their hopes, “In His good time,”
_ but the way to mortal eyes seems dim and
undefined very often and is beset by many
an obstacle placed by indifference, or, what
is far worse, selfishness and greed. The
altruistic has not been reached, by any
‘means, although bright gleams of sunshine
often cheer our way. When public officials
take the time from their busy lives to pen
‘such sympathetic words as the following,
which came from Governor Davidson, of
Wisconsin, it shows that “He guides.” “I
‘assure you our Audubon Societies will ever
find me ready to lend any assistance in my
power to protect the wild birds and animals
of our country.” Doubtless there are many
other men who occupy positions of public
trust who have the same feeling at heart but,
(183)
I shall arrive: what time, what circuit first ©
Or blinding fire balls, sleet or stifling snow,
__Insome time, His goodtime, I shall arrive;-
unfortunately, they do not take the time to:
express it, and thus the influence of a word
from them is lost. Another gleam of sun-
shine from a well-known public man, James
Lane Allen, whose pen gives pleasure to so
many, will serve as a guide to others who
probably have the same sympathy at heart
but have not yet expressed it in a like
practical manner:
“I am today in receipt of your letter of
18th of June, requesting me to become a
sustaining member of the Audubon Socie-
ties. It gives me pleasure to do so, and my
cheque in payment of the annual dues shall
be found herein enclosed.
“I should have become a member long
ago, if I had been asked—since the aims of
the Association appeal to me very strongly.”
Members and readers, please recollect that
the work of the Association is expanding daily
and that our great need is a largely increased
membership and a greater endowment’ in
order to carry on the work to which we
have placed our hands; that is, to protect
and conserve the wild birds of the country,
Nature’s own check on the undue increase of
insect pests. Do you know the’ annual
loss occasioned by destructive insects in
the United States? If not, the following
will give you some facts which surely will
be of interest to you.
Product Value ergo popes
oe Ae inh ee $2,000,000,000 10 $200,000,000
pase Le ee nee 530,000,000 10 53,000,000
yo ame 600,000,000 10 60,000,000
Tobacco. sic.) 8.. 53,000,000 10 5,300,c0O
Truck crops 265,000,000 20 53,000,000
Sugars. . <4... 50,000,000 + I0 5 .000,000
Fruits . * ane Gh ie 135.000,000 20 27,000 ,000
Farm forests .. - - 110 000,000 10 11,000,000
Miscellaneous crops. 58,000,000 10 5 800,000
Animal products . - 1,750,000,000 10 175,000,000
Total . - + - $5.551,000,000 $595,100,000
Natural forests and
forest products. .
Products in storage -
$100,000,000
100,000,000
Grand total .. $795,100,009
184
The above table was prepared by Prof.
C. L. Marlatt, Assistant Entomologist,
United States Department of Agriculture,
and was published in the “Year Book,”
1904. Professor Marlatt says, “In no country
in the world do insects impose a heavier tax
on farm products than/in the United States.
The lessening or prevention of this loss is the
problem for the economic entomologist to
solve.” The members of the National
Association are doing their part to solve the
problem. Every wild bird that is saved is
an additional natural check. Reader! Have
you among your possessions a tree or bit of
land that youcherish and love? Then encour-
- age the wild birds to dwell with you; be an
example to your neighbor, and also help the
Association to spread its propaganda every -
where.
“In some time, His good time, I shall
arrive.”—W. D.
The Audubon Club in the Bahamas
Perhaps nowhere in the world are birds
more needed than in Nassau, New Provi-
dence. Ants infest the gardens, borers rid-
dle the trunks of the most useful trees—in
short, nothing but the lynx-eyed, hungry
bird is able to cope with and check the
ubiquitous West Indian creeper and crawl-
er. And yet, strangely enough, birds are
scarce throughout this beautiful island.
Tourists, enamored with Florida’s glorious
song-birds, complain of this defect in our
favorite winter resort, which, climatically,
is unequaled. Various causes are assigned
to the phenomenon, as the absence of run-
ning streams, etc. But the main cause is
this: the native children are incessantly
catching and killing the lovely bright-plu-
maged native birds. Sapodilla-gum, traps
—all possible devices are utilized to this
unspeakable end,
Convinced by long observation that, once
the value of the bird, and the joy of culti-
vating his acquaintance in the tree, could
be brought home to these children, the
problem of bird protection would be solved,
I began in the winter of 1906 distributing
Audubon Bulletins, with short informal
talks; the response was a surprise. A num-
Bird -
Lore
ber of young colored men formed themselves
into a police-corps for the protection of the
birds. Now any boy detected with a bird
tied by the leg to cap or buttonhole, with a
bit of string, is promptly seized, and, if
necessary to the release of the victim, is
thrashed, and the frightened, often injured,
bird is after some careful nursing set at lib-
erty. In short, so much interest has devel-
oped that three Bird Clubs are now
regularly organized. One, the “ Nassau
Audubon,” has a membership of intensely
interested little white girls. Another, the
“De Lancey-Town Audubon,” is made up
of young colored men and is doing a splen-
did work. The third is a club of eighty school
children of Nicoll’s Town, Andros Island.
These children have made a marvelously
practical move by planting guinea corn for
the birds around the school yard. A fourth
club is now forming under the leadership of
another Andros Island boy in the settle-
ment of Fresh Creek. Herbert, who visits
Nassau from time to time in his father’s —
boat, loaded with kindling-wood, strayed
into my cottage; to my questions whether —
birds were abundant in Fresh Creek, and ©
whether he clubbed and trapped them, he
laughed and answered “ Yes’m.” A set of —
Bird Bulletins to read and carry to his —
school-teacher with the usual “talk” per-—
suaded Herbert that there was a lot more in —
the bird than he had ever dreamed of. A
month later, a letter came from Herbert, —
brought direct to the cottage by a brother,
because he had “done forgot how to spell —
your name.” He wrote that he had “got
into many a strife” and been taunted with —
indulgence in “fool talk” through his ad-—
vocacy of the cause of the birds. He ended
with “I am getting on fine with the birds.
O, I love them and all what you say is
true.” Two months later, the day before
we sailed, he again appeared on the porch.
He was overjoyed to find on our table i
package of magazines and newspapers z
dressed to him, and which we were just
about mailing. On May 23, he, with
other faithful friends, carried our many bag
and baskets aboard the tug “Colonia,” said
good-bye,” and went back to his isolatec
island home cheered and enheartened by
d
The Audubon Societies
“Jove for the bird.” Outside the harbor,
where we boarded the “Vigilancia” four
members of the young men’s club bade us
“God speed,” with a cheery promise “to
look after our birds.” —At.ice M. BoyNToN
Legislation.
New Jersey.—In April Birp-Lore the
passage by the House of an anti-spring
shooting bill for wild fowl and shore-birds
was reported. When the bill reached the
_ Senate, it was referred to the Committee on
_ Game, consisting of three members, one
each from Bergen, Monmouth and Ocean
counties. At the hearing in the Senate
Chamber, the professional gunners and
those interested in the preservation of shoot-
ing, but not of the birds, were out in full
force. They had no arguments to advance
of a scientific or economic nature, but their
strong plea was that they had always shot
_ birds in the spring and still wished to do so
and that it did no harm, and their gain and
pleasure should not be interfered with by
_ sentimentalists. One of the advocates of
_ Spring shooting was a clergyman and some
of his ornithological statements were of such
ee remarkable character and so entirely new
to all of the scientists present that one was
led to wonder whether his ecclesiastical lore
‘might not have been obtained in the same
_ school. The bill was never reported out by
_ the Game Committee and consequently the
lack of wild fow! and shore-bird law still
LRaciees in New Jersey. Without exception
_| this Commonwealth has the most barbaric
law regarding wild fowl and shore-birds
| that now is extant in any part of the conti-
- nent of North America. Further, it is decep-
- tive and misleading, for it seemingly pro-
"vides a close season for ducks and snipe, but
iti is so carefully arranged that the period
“that i is closed by law is only when there are
ee wild fowl or shore-birds in the state.
Repeated visits to Trenton were made by
those interested in the passage of the anti-
ing-shooting bill to urge on the Game
| to let the bill be passed upon by
the Senate as a whole, and not to have the
Committee decide a question which was of
interest to the entire state. Every possible
Po a
|
185
argument and legitimate influence was
brought to bear on the Committee, but with-
out avail, The bill was killed in Committee
by a vote of ¢wo to one. And thus the
people of the state of New Jersey were
deprived of their unalienable right to have a
voice in the making of the laws that they
are subject to. Legislative committees, as
death-traps for bills, are far too prevalent
at the present time. This is death to states-
manship, for a legislator is now valued far
more for his ability to steer a bill to Com-
mittee and there advance or kill it, than for
ability to expound to his fellow legislators, in
public debate on the floor of the chamber,
the worth of a measure or explain why it
should be defeated. In the present case the
whole state of New Jersey was disfranchised
by the action of two men, and yet not another
legislator raised his voice in protest. Is not
government by the people a farce in such
cases? However, it is, after all, the fault of
the people themselves for-not taking enough
interest in legislation to keep in touch with
the work of their representatives and when
they do or do not approve of measures to
speak plainly and forcefully.
New York.—In April Birp-Lore atten-
tion was called to the bills to prevent sale of
wild fowl after the close season and also to.
stop the cold storage of any birds or game.
The Legislature was in session almost six
months, yet these bills were never reported
out by the committees in charge, although
persistent effort to that end was made by
repeated visits to Albany, by letters and by
all other legitimate means. The lack of this.
legislation is a serious defect in the game
laws of New York. This is another case
where the criticism made of legislation in New
Jersey will apply with equal force. All of
this emphasizes the urgent need for Federal
control of all migratory birds. So long as.
there is divided control over creatures that
are in one state one day and in another the
next, satisfactory protection cannot be given
them. It is practically impossible to get the
legislatures of all the states to look at the
matter in the same light. It is a serious sub-
ject and one that deserves the closest atten-
tion from the public. As a marked example
186
of the need for Federal control, take the case
of wild-fowl laws in the states of New York
and New Jersey. During the northward
migration, wild fowl can be killed in the
latter state, but_cannot be in the former,
- although the two great wild-fowl resorts of
Barnegat Bay (N. J.) and Great South Bay
(N. Y.) are only a few miles apart. It isa
manifest injustice to the citizens of New
York that New Jersey permits the killing of
wild fowl during the spring, and it is a still
greater injustice to the citizens of the whole
country that on one side of an arbitrary
geographical line migratory birds may
legally be killed, while on the other side of
the line they may not be. The only remedy
for this inconsistency is to place all migratory
birds under Federal control. Several feeble
attempts were made to pass local bills per-
mitting spring shooting of wild fowl and
snipe, but they were successfully combated.
However, were it not for the vigilance of
the National Association in all legislative
matters, a flood of such bills would be
passed each session.
Very early in the session foreign-game-
sale bills were introduced in both branches
of the Legislature. —IThe Committees to which
they were referred were seen at once and an
agreement was obtained from the Chairman
that before the bills were reported the
National Association should have a hearing,
when it could present reasons why the bills
were undesirable and a formal protest
against their passage. A hearing was not
called for, and it was supposed that the
advocates of the bills had abandoned them.
In the Assembly in this state, about ten
days prior to the close of the session, all un-
finished legislation is taken from the hands
of Committees and is placed in charge of
the Rules Committee and thereafter no hear-
ings are held. Much to the surprise of the
executive of the Association a bill to amend
Section 33 of the Game Law was introduced
by a member of the Rules Committee. This
amendment was the old Foreign Game Sale
Bill in another form, but with all its vicious
features. This necessitated another trip to
Albany ; a stay was obtained for a few days
to enable the Association to prepare a brief,
showing why the proposed amendment was
Bird -
Lore
undesirable legislation. To prepare such a
brief necessitated a trip to Washington to
consult experts on the subject. A copy was
sent to Governor Hughes, and also to many
of the most prominent and influential mem-
bers of both the Senate and Assembly.
Nothing further was heard of the bill.
The brief was as follows:
Brief on Assembly Bill No. 2769, Entitled
An Act To Amend Section 33 of the
Forest, Fish and Game Law Relating
to Certain Varieties of European Birds.
This bill proposes to authorize, in any
city of the state having a population of
more than a million, the sale during Dec-
ember, January, February, March and
April, of five species of foreign game birds,
namely, Egyptian Quail, Red-leg, Lapwing,
Russian Grouse, and Rebhthner; attempts
to impose a tax of one cent on each bird ~
imported; and provides for the appoint-
ment of at least two special officers at a
salary of $1,500 and an allowance of $1,000
each for traveling expenses—a total annual
expense of at least $5,ooo—for carrying out
the provisions of the Act.
This bill (1) contains provisions in direct
conflict with the constitutions of New York
and of the United States; and is also (2)
defective in title; (3) bad in form; (4) bad —
in policy; (5) class legislation. a
(1) Bill Unconstitutional. In so far as —
the bill provides for imposing a tax on birds —
imported, it is clearly in conflict both with —
the Constitution of the State of New York —
and the Constitution of the United States. —
On p. 4, line 1, occurs the provisions:
A person, firm or corporation importing —
said game shali, upon the arrival of said ~
game into the port of New York, pay a tax
of one cent per bird to the Forest, Fish and —
Game Commission, to be paid by said Com- ~
mission into the treasury of the state of —
New York in the same way as other moneys”
are received and transmitted into said treas- —
ury by said Commission. ig
No statement is made as to the reasons’
for or objects of the tax and the bill is,
therefore, clearly in conflict with the provis-
ion in Section 48 of the State Constitution,
which declares: aa
Every law which imposes, continues or
The Audubon Societies
revives a tax shall distinctly state the tax
and the object to which it shall be applied,
and it shall not be sufficient to refer to any
other Jaw to fix such tax or object.
The bill is also clearly in violation of
Art. 1, Sec. ro of the Constitution of the
United States relating to import duties.
The Supreme Court of the United States in
passing upon a provision enacted by the
state of Maryland in 1821, almost identical
with the tax provision of this bill, held in
Brown v. Maryland (12 Wheat. 419) that:
An act of a state legislature, requiring all
importers of foreign goods by the bale or
package, etc., .. to take out a license,
pit which they shall pay $50 and, in case of
| neglect or refusal to take out such license,
% "subjecting them to certain forfeitures and
: penalties, i is repugnant to that provision of
“the Constitution of the United States which
- declares that ‘‘no state shall, without the
consent of Congress, lay any impost, or
_ duty on imports or exports, except what may
be absolutely necessary for executing its
inspection laws;’’ and to that which declares
| that Congress shall have power ‘‘to regulate
| commerce with foreign nations, among the
| several states and with the Indian tribes.”’
_ The principles here laid down have been
applied, reiterated and relied upon by the
‘same court in subsequent decisions so often
that this decision is now generally regarded
as a leading case for the guidance of courts
‘in the interpretation of this section of the
Constitution.
(2) Title defective. The title is defective:
(a) In purporting “to amend Section 33
of the Forest, Fish and Game Law relating
to certain varieties of European birds.” Sec-
tion 33 of said law relates primarily to the
protection of non-game birds native to the
state of New York, not of European birds,
or of game birds. It therefore attempts to
amend a section which in reality has no
existence as there is no “Section 33 relating
to certain varieties of European birds.”
(6) The bill attempts to amend Section 33
by deliberately inserting two subjects, each
separate and distinct from the subject-matter
of the original section (1) the sale of certain
game birds imported from Europe, and (2)
the imposition of an import tax.
187
(c) The bill is manifestly a local measure
in that it applies only to cities which have
a population of more than a million, that is,
to the city of New York, and as such, it,
title is in violation of that provision of the
Constitution of New York (Sec. 40), which
declares that “No private or local bill
shall embrace more than one subject and
that shall be expressed in the title.”
(3) Bill Bad in Form. The subject-
matter of the Forest, Fish and Game Law is
arranged in an orderly manner, and to
facilitate reference to the various topics, each
special subject is placed in a separate sec-
tion which is given a distinctive number.
The amendments proposed in this bill have
no relation to the subject-matter of Sec.
33. but relate primarily to the sale of
Grouse and Quail, and as such, should be
given a distinctive number following either
Sections 28 or 29.
The bill is ambiguous. (a) In author-
izing sale of European game but allowing
importation of Egyptian Quail; (d) in allow-
ing sale of Red-leg without specifying
whether the birds intended are Red-legged
Partridges, Red-legged Sandpipers or Red-
legged Ducks; (c) in permitting sale of
Russian Grouse which may cover a number
of species, some of which are indistinguish-
able from native birds; (d) in permitting
sale of ‘Rebhuher,’ which is not a recog-
nized name in this country of any game bird,
but merely a German name that should be
translated into the common English equiv-
alent of ‘Gray Partridge’.
(4) Bill Bad in Policy. (a) The bill is
opposed to the general policy of the state in
breaking up the practically uniform close
season for the sale of game under existing
law.
(6) It is opposed to the policy of the state
in making a distinction between imported
and native game.
(c) It is a direct reversal of the policy of
the state maintained at considerable expense
to the taxpayers and upheld by the Court of
Appeals in the cases of People ex rel Hil]
v. Hesterberg, Sheriff (1906), and People v.
Waldorf Astoria Hotel Co. (1907).
(d) The bill is bad in policy in attempt-
ing to amend Section 33, a section which
188
has already been re-enacted three times (in
1901, 1902 and 1903) since it was originally
passed in 1900, which has been construed
by the courts and the language of which is
now in a form which is generally under-
stood.
(e) The bill is bad in policy in author-
izing an expenditure of $5,000 or more for
the employment of two special officers,
without the powers of ordinary protectors,
who may be on duty less than half the year
solely for the purpose of inspecting the
transactions growing out of the importations
of a single firm. How extensive these trans-
actions may be is perhaps disclosed by the
tax clause which is evidently intended to
reimburse the state for-the-cost-of imspec~-
tion. At this rate, the importations would
aggregate at least 500,000 birds per annum.
(5) Class Legislation. The bill is evi-
dently drawn in such a way as to be genera]
in form, but by restricting its operation to
‘‘any city of the state having over one mil-
lion in population,’’ it is practically limited
to the city of New York. In fact, on p. 4,
line 1, the mask of general form is thrown |
aside in the declaration that ‘‘a person, firm
or corporation importing said game, shall,
upon the arrival of said game into the port
of New York pay a tax, etc.,’’ ignoring the
fact that such game might be imported via
Canada through the ports of Buffalo,
Niagara Falls, Ogdensburg, Plattsburg,
Sag Harbor, Oswego, Rochester, Dunkirk,
or Cape Vincent. The measure will work
injustice and hardship to every other city in
the state and to every game-dealer outside of
' New York by granting exclusive privileges
in Greater New York for the importation
and sale of five kinds of foreign game birds
in large quantities during four months in
the year when the season is closed elsewhere
in the state. Careful scrutiny of the history
of the measure and of the restrictions of the
‘‘person, firm or corporation importing said
game’’ will reveal the fact that the bill is as
clearly drawn in the interests of a single
firm as if its title were ‘‘A bill to benefit A.
Silz & Co., of New York City.”’
MASSACHUSETTS.— The bill referred to in
February Birp-Lore to ‘‘Authorize the
Bird -
Lore
Fish and Game Commission to take certain
unimproved lands upon the Island of
Martha’s Vineyard’’ passed the Legislature
and is now a law. This-act is really for the
purpose of enabling the Commission to con-
duct a scientific experiment of the greatest
value and interest, i. e., to preserve the very
small remnant of Heath Hens from extermi-
nation. This sole remaining colony of a
once numerous species of Grouse is in an
ideal situation in which to conduct the experi-
ment. Not more than one hundred birds
still remain, and the question of whether a
species so close to extermination can. be
indefinitely continued will be watched with
the greatest interest by scientists in all parts
of the world.
ConneEcTicuT.—In addition to the other
excellent game and bird laws adopted by
this state during the present legislature, a
law was secured providing for hunting
licenses for residents, non-residents and
aliens. A law was also passed ‘‘making
the possession in the open air on Sunday of
any implement for shooting, prime facie evi-
dence of an intention to hunt.’’ 4
Certainly the citizens of Connecticut have
reason to be proud of the very advanced
position held by the Commonwealth in the
great economic question of-bird-protection.
A Bison Herd in the Adirondacks
The legislature of New York appropriatec
$20,000 for the purchase of a herd of Bison
to be placed in the Adirondacks. Governor
Hughes vetoed the item, in view of the many
other demands on the treasury of the State
In Massachusetts the citizens interested it
the perpetuation of the Heath Hen did no
ask fora state appropriation, but raised
money themselves to carry on the experi
ment. Had the same method been taken i
this state, Governor Hughes probably wou
have conceded the use of the necessary publ
lands. Both of these instances emphasi
the importance of not permitting a wil
species to approach so near extermination
the Bison and Heath Hen, and also emp!
sizes the need of the proposed ten y
closed season for the Wood Duck.
vsNoag—sepedS Sigil “xig—snues
WdaLLYNy — A[Iwey SHUASNY— JepioO
Mond GOOM
THE WOOD DUCK
By WILLIAM DUTCHER
Che Mational Association of Audubon Societies
oF SPECIAL LEAFLET NO. 10
(Supplement to Bird-Lore, Vol. X, No. 4, July-August)
| The object of this leaflet is to call the atterition of the aes public
to a condition that now exists, but which it is hoped may be remedied by
certed and prompt action on the part of all those who love the beauti-
il in nature and are willing to guard it.
When Audubon wrote his account of the Wood Duck in
1835, only seventy-two years ago, he referred to their very
great abundance in such statements as follows: “At Boston,
here I found them rather abundant during the winter”; “I knew a person
1 South Carolina who caught several hundreds in the course of a week”;
for my own part, I assure you, I have seen hundreds in a single flock.”
, “hat they were abundant even as late in the last century as in the seventies
s well established by reference to Dawson’s ‘Birds of Ohio,’ published in
1903, i in which it is ah oe ‘pale bate ago Wood Ducks were killed by
wagon- -loads every spring.”
rf yr ASK, Fisher, Ornithologist of the Biological Survey,
United States Department of Agriculture, was the first to
call attention to the growing scarcity of the Wood Duck in
PY article entitled “Iwo Vanishing Game Birds,’ published in 1901. He
said, “Unless strong protective measures are soon adopted, the Woodcock
and Wood Duck, two popular and valuable game birds, will become extinct.’’
_ In order to secure late data, inquiries were made in all parts of the
continent, and the information received came from so many points that
it can be relied on to fairly represent the present status of the Wood Duck.
The consensus of opinion is that the Wood Duck has become alarmingly
arce. Many reports were received showing that this species has entirely
isappeared as a breeder in the sections referred to, while others used such
srms as “Absolutely disappeared,” “None,” “Very rare migrant,” “Have
en but one in twenty years,” “Decrease 60 per cent—70 per cent—go
er cent.” Quotations from the reports might be continued indefinitely,
Ot t they would all be of the same general tenor; although, in some localities
at the center of distribution of the species, the reports were not quite so
arming. However, nearly every report showed in the most emphatic
anner that the time has arrived when the most heroic means must be
aken to stop the decrease.
| There are several very potent reasons for the rapid decrease in the
numbers of the Wood Duck which are worth careful examination. Some
(189)
190 Bird - Lore
of these it is possible for man to remedy, while others are
inherent in the habits of the species itself and thus are beyond
the direction of mankind. The habits of the Wood Duck,
which is often known as the Summer Duck and in some portions of the
South. as “ Branchu,” differ greatly from other wild Ducks. This species, as
its name indicates, is not a bird of the ocean or even the wide coastal bays,
but is found about the swamps and inland streams and ponds, especially
those bordered by timber. Contrary to the usual habits of Ducks, it nests
in trees, generally in holes or natural cavities. ey
Its tree-loving habit is one of the causes of decrease. The increase of
population in this country, and the consequent clearing of the land for
agricultural purposes, the ruthless destruction of the forests and the draining
of swamp-lands, have lessened the number of breeding sites; this applie:
particularly to the eastern and middle-western section of the country. In
many localities where the Wood Duck was known to breed until within a
few years, it is not now found, owing to the fact that every tree suitabl
for nesting has been cut down. This cause of decrease is largely due to the
habits of the species, and in some degree to the unwise practice of defor s-
tation, which unhappily is so common in these days. When the citizens o
the United States wake up to the fact that it is criminal to cut down all the
forests, the homes of the Wood Duck will be saved; but, at the present rat
of decrease of this species of Duck, it may then be too late to be of avail.
Another cause, and probably the greatest, is spring-shoot
ing. The Wood Duck is a species of very wide distributio
on this continent, and in some portions therefore, it is practi
cally a resident. For this reason, the species has suffered far more than an
other of the wild fowl by the wasteful practice of spring-shooting.
killing of any species of birds while on the migration to the breeding grount
or after they have reached there, is indefensible, and, in these days of increa
ing intelligence respecting the value of birds, both economic and estheti
is becoming more and more repugnant to the self-respecting sportsma
Until spring-shooting is absolutely prohibited, both by law and sentimer
the wild fowl of this continent, as well as all other migratory game bir
will decrease. Let us examine for a moment how spring-shooting affet
the Wood Duck. This species, according to Audubon, pairs about Mar
first in Louisiana and as far north ‘as Kentucky, and sometimes a fortnig
earlier; in the middle states about April first, and still later as it appro ch
the northern limit of its range. One of the writer’s correspondents
Louisiana, who states that his knowledge of the “Branchu” is derived fr
fifty years’ experience as a sportsman, claims that these birds “pair off
mate during the month of December, and from then on until February t
prepare for breeding. On the 11th of May (1907), on my way tot
fishing haunts, I came across a flock of young, fully four weeks old.”
Reasons for
Scarcity
Spring-
Shooting
¥
The Wood Duck 191
|
|
ort from Kansas states, “Early in April, 1906, examined a female Wood
Duck, killed by a local hunter; the ovaries contained partly developed
eggs.” A correspondent at Princeton, N. J., states, “In 1905 a pair were
killed here late in April, after two eggs had been laid in their nest.” Still
another reporter, in Utica, N.Y. crates, “Saw female killed April 15th, which
contained a well-developed egg.” A well known ornithologist at Portland,
Maine, says, ‘‘Wood Ducks reach us mated, and spring-shooting of mated
birds has no doubt had a potent influence toward decrease.” From the
dence given above, it is fair to assume that the Wood Ducks that are
esident in the Gulf states certainly mate early in February, with some
vidence that pairing takes place earlier, and that mating has already taken
lace when the migratory numbers of the species reach the northern limit
f their range. It is, therefore, a self-evident fact that every Wood Duck
that is killed after January first is a strong factor in the ultimate and early
xtermination of the species. There are no words too strong to use in
ondemnation of the unscientific, wasteful and depraved practice of killing
ated and breeding birds. A sportsman who has any self-respect or regard
or the rights of future generations will not engage in spring-shooting.
pA glance at the accompanying map, showing the 1907 open seasons fot
ood Ducks will demonstrate to the reader what a terrible drain on the
species spring-shooting is, for the diagram shows that, in the fifty-seven states
nc provinces, thirty-eight legalize, the shooting of Wood Ducks during
i or some part of the spring. It will also be noted that six states, nearly
O per cent, give the Wood Duck no protection whatever, but allow it to
e killed whenever it is found in the state. It may also be noted that, in
veral of the states where no protection is given, the Wood Duck is a
sident, which renders the entire lack of protection a far more serious
atter than if the species were only a summer visitor for the purpose of
eeding. Is it strange that by reckless waste, this species of wild fowl is
vidly becoming exterminated?
Wood Ducks are greatly attached to i siete breeding places,
and are gentle and rather unsuspicious. This very fact is
often the cause for the complete annihilation of an entire
ahily. where summer-shooting is allowed. Several of the reports received
e this as one of the important reasons for the decrease of the species,
ating that in some cases, even before the open season, entire broods are
illed by one or two pot-shots, and that in many sections the entire hatch
a season is killed on the first day for legal shooting.
There are several other reasons for the decrease that may
"' Causes be mentioned, but cannot be considered in detail: the very
great increase in the number of gunners; the marked improve-
ent in guns,—compare the old muzzle-loading shotgun with the present
eech-loader and the magazine gun; the great number of gasolene launches
192 _ Bird- Lore
|
that are on the lakes and streams, which can cover more space in an hour
than a boat propelled by oars could in a day; the natural enemies, such as
the Great Horned and the Barred Owls that live in the same territory with
the Ducks; the turtles, snakes and large predatory fish that are known te
destroy the ducklings when they are first led to the water. With so many
artificial, as well as natural enemies to deplete, the numbers of Wood Ducks
it is imperative that drastic action should be taken at once, to prevent the
total extermination of the species.
There are several methods by which the rapid extinctior
Remedy of the Wood Duck may be prevented, the first of whic
is to have Congress pass a law placing all migratory bird
under the control of the Department of Agriculture. Federal control
such birds is undoubtedly constitutional. To secure such beneficial legislz
tion is a matter of time and education; the public need to be shown th
necessity for such action, and the legislator must be shown that his constit
uents demand that the birds that cannot secure uniform legislation for the
protection by state laws must get it through Congress. In the interim,
second method may be employed, which is to secure in every state ai
province where the Wood Duck is. found, either as a resident or migra
legislation making @ closed season for ten years. There should be a heavy
penalty for the slightest violation of the act, either by shooting, possessio
offering for sale, or the destruction of nests or eggs. Two states, Mass
chusetts and New Hampshire, have already adopted such a statute, —but o1
for five years from 1907. In addition to such a law, which is imperativ
necessary at this time, it is recommended that all the clubs of the coun
which control large preserves, and individuals owning estates where suita
breeding places are found, should engage in the experiment of raising
Ducks, which at the end of the breeding season could be liberated. W
a ten years’ close season and breeding by public-spirited citizens, this bez
tiful species of American wild fowl may be prevented from following in
steps of the Bison, the Passenger Pigeon and others of the wild fauna
the continent that the present generation of nature-lovers are lamen
the loss of. Shortly, it will be too late to take action. This is an appea
the ornithologists, who still have scientific facts to discover; to the tr
sportsmen, who are willing to refrain from reducing a species of game-|
to the verge of extinction, and to the nature-loving men and women of
country, who desire the added beauty of all wild life, to join in the dem
that not another Wood Duck shall be killed for a period of ten ye ‘s
enable a fast-disappearing species of wild fowl to recuperate its was ed
depleted ranks. Do not read this paper and idly pass it by, but join ip !
movement, actively and aggressively; nor cease your good work until
known that success has been achieved, and that the Wood Duck 1
longer in danger of being classed as an extinct species.
CLOSE AND OPEN SEASONS FOR WOOD DUCKS IN 1907
_ NORTHERN STATES
JAN, | FEB, | MAR,| APR. | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUG, | SEPT.| O6T. | Nov. | DEC,
{Maine
New Hampshire
‘| Vermont
‘| Massachusetts
Rhode Island OPEN
Connecticut. LOS!
oe ‘Minnesota SEASON
|
_ SOUTHERN STATES
SEASON
PACIFIC STATES
OSE
aaa ; CANADA
itish Columbia
x catchewan SEA
1Seasons vary in different counties
Sagi:
wal
we
—— Hiry- Lore
E DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Vol. IX SEPTEMBER — OCTOBER, 1907 No. 5
ird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian*
‘ By FRANCIS H. HERRICK
Author of ‘The Home Life of Wild Birds’
II
E question of protecting wild birds is usually discussed in relation to their
practical use to man, but, says Nigro Lico, there is also the question of
humanity to be considered. If we drop the consideration of real or
sumed usefulness, should the birds be protected out of regard for our esthetic
ngs and our duties to humanity? Upon this point Sig. Salvadori is again
ted as follows: ‘‘As to the esthetic side of the question, I heartily agree that
birds are an ornament to the woods and fields, but who could deny that the
terflies are still more so? Is it not a pleasure to see, in the spring time, and to
te again the strawberry Colia, the gloomy Antiopa, the resolute Jo, the great
iclora, all of them harbingers of the mild season? Why do we not dance with
hen one after another are present on the scene—the silent Cavolaia, the
ocial Pieridi, the restless Arlecchino, the suberb A pollo, the grave Podalirio, the
playful Licene? Why is it not a pleasure for whomsoever is not a stranger to
nature, to welcome these familiar friends, to study anew and to admire the varied
colors with which they are clothed, their manifold forms, properties, and habits?
Unfortunately, all of these graceful and attractive creatures, which contribute so
much to the esthetic side of nature, all are more or less injurious and on this
account all are condemned to destruction.”
_| “In respect to humanity, I would like, moreover, to ask in turn, is it a humane
act, when, witha shot from a musket one brings down a Woodcock, a Partridge, or
use; when, with its legs broken or its bill crushed or split, it is condemned toa
slow and painful death by hunger? We bird hunters,at least, do not torture any of
r victims. Not a brief second passes between the shot and death. Why, on the
scor > of humanity, should we not also speak of a prohibition of hunting? Such a
mstruction of the law would in no way, I believe, receive official sanction, and
, | submit, it would be refused with entire reason.”
-*The first part of Professor Herrick’s Paper appeared in the July-August number of
31RD-Lore.
oP whee
194 Bird - Lore
This sounds well, but has not Sig. Salvadori confused the main point with
subordinate issues? The great question raised is the protection of song birds,
which, according to a large number,—probably the largest number of students, the
world over,—are, upon the whole, of decided benefit to agriculture, and therefore
to man, to say nothing of esthetics, and this question must not be involved with the
Hindoo doctrine of the sanctity of all animal life. Invertebrates, like the insects,
are not to be placed on a par with the highest expressions of vertebrate life. We all
must and do acknowledge that hunting, whether for food or sport, entails inevi-
table hardship upon the animals. The rule for all to follow is: No needless
sacrifice of the life of any animals whatsoever, whether vertebrate or invertebrate,
unless (1) they are destructive to the life of man, or to his interests, especially in _
tilling the soil, and (2) unless they are of prime value as food. Where two living
beings—the man and the animal—can not dwell together in peace and to mutual
advantage the rule has ever been and must ever be that the weak gives way to shel
strong. Under the head of necessary food animals, come the domesticated kinds |
like the pig, sheep, and ox, various birds, and, as a compromise to the latent
savage instincts of man in the present state of civilization, wild or preserved game,
whether fish, flesh, or fowl. As to what shall be legitimate game among the
mammals and birds, it should not be difficult to reach a common-sense agreement.
No animal should be considered game which is not useful for food, and no food
animals should be sought among the small and harmless mammals, or among
the small or useful birds. Taking the life of the higher animals is an unpleasant,
and, when needless, a cruel proceding ; but it is necessary unless the whole worl
is to be converted to a vegetarian diet. Nature, however, does not seem to
expect this, and probably would not permit it, for in the alimentary tract of mat
she has made a luxurious provision for both the digestion and the absorption 0
proteids. Proteid is also stored away in the muscles and other tissues, to meet
unexpected emergencies, like the storage bins of fat and starch in both plant a 2
animal bodies. Now, since the animals are the great source of proteid, or nitro-
genous food, it is evident that nature expects us to make a liberal use of then
in our diet. Pee: #
The laws and proposals of laws, as given by Licé, upon hunting in Italy, are”
interesting and instructive. As he remarks, those who are interested in the proi re
tion of birds, from whatever motive, confine their attention to laws to reg a 4
hunting. Many assemblies have been held for this purpose, and many societi 4
have been formed to obtain from the government the most judicious laws upon
the subject.* q
*We are told upon the authority of Comm. Durando, that the present laws which reg u a
hunting are those which were in force in the ancient Italian States. Thus, in the Neapolit 7
and Sicilian provinces the law of October 18, 1819 exists, and is still in effect; in what were
formerly the Papal States, with the exception of the Marches, the edicts of July 10, 1826, 2 :
August 14, 1839 prevail; in Tuscany the law of July 3, 1856; in Modena the decree of Feb
ary 6, 1815, and notifications of January 22, 1826; in Parma the royal resolutions of Septer
ber 1, 1824, June ro, 1828, May 23, and 28, 1835; in Venice the law of February 13, 18
.
Bird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian 195
It is not suprising to hear it said that “the multiplication of so many different
rules brings confusion and contradiction between regions but a short distance
apart or contiguous, whence the negligence or the ignorance of the authorities to
_ whom the execution of the law belongs; whence everything is in disorder in the
3 development of rural economy everywhere so important, and especially in Italy.”
y What these varied and antiquated laws are in every case is not stated, but it is
+ evident from the present practice, as already suggested, that they were framed
bi mainly in the interests of the hunters, and not of the birds nor of agriculture.
: What are the legal enactments demanded by those Italians who desire to
a really protect their birds? Licd quotes the statement of Sig. G. Spanna, made at
_ the Congress of the Zoological Society, held at Turin, in October, 1898, and
_ which may be summarized as follows: (1) To prohibit absolutely the hunting of
__ birds by any means except firearms; (2) To prohibit the destruction of the nests
_ of birds, taking or destroying the eggs, the young, the mothers; disturbing in any
_ way the nidification, also with the design or pretext of training dogs for hunting,
and this in whatever position the nest is found; (3) To prohibit the hunting with
- firearms from March 1 to-August 15, in all Italy; (4) To make it penal to pos-
sess and to sell in public or in secret, during the time when hunting is forbidden,
iy birds, whether living or dead; in the hunting season it is legal to receive only
those birds which have been killed by firearms, and on the bodies of each of
i Sivhich appears a wound from a leaden bullet, sustained by the living animal; (
\
| - excepting only foreign species, or those wach are not follatecy or resident in
_Taly; (6) To increase the tax upon hunting with firearms to such a sum as may
_ correspond to the loss sustained by the public treasury through the suppression of -
_ the concessions for hunting with nets, snares, and every other forbidden means;
(7) To declare as lawbreakers all who hunt in property not belonging to them,
. and in the neighborhood of lakes, ponds, or streams, and water-courses belonging
to the provinces, to the municipality, or to private persons, without having
_ previously obtained permission in writing from the proprietor, which is to be
“shown to the police officers whether public or private; (8) To the person author-
__ ized to proceed against the lawbreakers, and to the accusers, a share of the fine is
to be given, as well as of the sums paid per head of the game seized; (9g) In so
far as regards the secondary rules, account is to be taken of the royal patents of
what was formerly the kingdom of Sardinia.
__ The sponsor for these laws thus expresses his opinion regarding them: “ Hanit:
‘ing, now-a-days, I am glad to say, is no longer a means of procuring food.* For
‘@few is it a means of diversion and of ostentation in banquets. In either case,
n¢ decrees of July 7, 1804, September 21, 1805, March 21, 1811, and the proclamation of
July 5, 1615 ; in the provinces once forming the Sardinian States, and in those of Lombardy
and the Marches the royal patents of December 29, 1836, July 16, 1844, and July 1, 1845.
_ It thus appears that the antiquated laws upon the shooting of birds in Italy date all the
way from 1615 to 1856.
-*This is hardly the case in Italy where shooting birds is often a means of eking out a living.
+
196 Bird - Lore
the pleasure and the luxury ought not to be obtained at a loss to the public
economy, and, therefore, the coercive measures framed to protect it have to be
such as produce efficient results.”
Had the provisions recommended by Spanna been adopted in 1898, and
stringently enforced throughout the Kingdom of Italy, not only that country, but
the whole continent of Europe, would have been benefited. The proposals are
designed to prevent wholesale slaughter by restricting the times and methods of |
killing wild birds. No discrimination is made between kinds supposed to be useful,
useless, or injurious, so far as agriculture or any of the interests of man are con-
cerned.
Considering the antiquity of the practice of killing birds in Italy without any
discrimination whatever, and the state of public opinion upon the whole subject of
bird protection, the proposals of Sig. Spanna are commendable, and if they were
adopted and carried out they would mark a great stride in the right direction.
We learn further from Lico’s Manual that demands for new and uniform
laws to regulate hunting have not been made in Italy alone, but in other countries
also. Since the migratory birds change their habitation at stated periods, it is for
the interests of all countries through which they pass to protect them by common
consent and for the common good. Again, we are told that a great ornithological
Céngress was held at Aix, in Provence, November 9-14, 1897, and another at
Gratz, in Stiria, August 58,1898. The resolutions passed at these meetings were
considered by the different governments; but. to the proposals made by France,
with the concurrence of adjoining states, unfortunately, the Italian government did
not agree.
From the preceding extracts it will be seen that those Italians who have given
any thought to the subject of birds, in relation to man, are by no means agreed upon
the desirability of evoking the aid of the law for the protection of birds of any
kind. Lico presents both sides of the question from the standpoint of an intelli-
gent Italian, and I hope it has been made sufficiently clear to what extent I am
indebted to him for the substance of many of the preceding paragraphs. His
conclusion of the whole matter, in which his own sympathies are clearly ex-
pressed, is given in the following sentiments: “ Birds, like all other creatures
endowed with feeling, ought not to be subjected to needless suffering on the part
of man; they deserve his protection. This sounds well! Again, when everything
is considered, birds do more good than harm. The conclusion is logical! But the
excess of utility.over damage is so great we should favor in all possible ways the
multiplication of birds. How would that sound? This is a question to which
we should give more direct attention, before insisting on new and 2
results in the work of national and international legislation. Heaven forbid
that a humanitarian cause like this should one day make its defenders repent o
superfluous zeal !” a
Thus, we are brought again to the main problem: “Should the birds =
be protected ?”’ as the Italians conceive it, but it cannot be discussed at the cl
ts Sa
<a,
Bird Protection in Italy as It Impresses the Italian 197
of this paper. My aim has been to give the view of the other side. But, we must
ask, Are Salvadori, and Berlese and Lico, who voice their opinions, and the others
of their school right in considering bird protection as a question of such grave
doubt that they will not lift a finger to stay the slaughter? I believe that the.
Ttalians are right in some of their minor premises, but wrong in their general con-
‘clusion. So far as argument goes, it can be shown upon the broad general facts of
ology that indiscriminate slaughter of the birds is very unwise. If birds are
discriminates layers of insects, which is admitted on all sides, how much greater
e evil for man to become the indiscriminate slaughterer of the birds?
On the practical side, we are putting the question to a test in this country,
re, thanks to the ornithologists and bird-lovers, and to the elaborate analyses of
food of birds made by the National Government, we are beginning to pursue
sry general and uniform policy of protecting at all times as many of our wild
ls as possible—a policy quite the reverse of that favored in Italy. If the other
s in the case can be equalized, time should soon show who is right and who is
is difficult to prescribe for the patient who will insist that he has no ailment,
nevertheless, we believe that a great reform is needed in Italy, in checking
t we consider the insane and shameful slaughter of the song birds of Europe,
ing the migratory periods especially; but this reform must come from the Ital-
s themselves. Possibly, foreigners can do something to favor the movement: at
ents, it is for the interests of the other nations of Europe, and of Germany and
ce in particular, to see that this cause does not languish. From all accounts, a
reform is needed in southern France and in Spain.
some future time another international congress will be called to discuss
new the subject of bird protection, and to draft a uniform code of laws governing
he destruction of migratory birds in all the countries through which they pass.
n international court of arbitration should then be formed before whom,
necessary, every question in dispute can be brought, and, let us hope,
d, at appropriate times.
The House Wren
By FRED. L. HOLTS, Mankato, Minn.
With photographs by the Author
watch their tenants. The tameness, audacity and nimble ways of the Wrens,
and .their exuberant twittering song make them delightful birds to have
around a city home.
Wrens usually arrive in this locality about the second week in May, and go to
selecting their homes very soon after arrival. I put up two boxes last year, and
before they had been here a week the Wrens had begun to build in one box, and
had preémpted the other also by occasionally carrying material into it. This
second box was later used for the second brood.
1. has been my pleasure for several summers to put up Wren boxes, and to
2 a. ewe” ; »
SHOWING THAT THE NESTING MATERIAL RARELY LEAVES
ROOM FOR THE BIRD
I had no trouble in keeping the House Sparrows from the boxes. If the hole is
not more than an inch in diameter, the Sparrows cannot get in, but the Wrens can. —
One winter I left the Wren box attached to a shed. A red squirrel took possession —
of it. He gnawed the hole large enough for him to enter. Next spring I fastened —
the box toa tree. I wished to test the statement I read in Brrn-Lorp that the Spar-—
rows would not build in a box attached to a swaying tree. The Sparrows soon
discovered the box, went in and examined it, but, on thinking it over, decided not —
to build there. Later the box was used by Wrens which, however, were not
(198)
The House Wren 199
molested by the Sparrows. Parenthetically, I may remark that House Sparrows
occasionally build rude nests in trees, in spite of their swaying.
Wrens seem to work in the early morning hours in collecting the nesting ma-
terial. Sometimes, though rather rarely, I saw them at work during the day. The
box is filled about two-thirds with twigs about six or eight inches in length. It
is amusing to see a Wren picking up a stick by the middle and then poking it into
the hole of the box endwise. The box is filled with sticks nearly to the level
of the opening. This seems to serve as a sort of platform for the nest proper,
which is made of grass and a few feathers. :
HOUSE WREN AND NEST
During the building and hatching period, the Wrens are shy and avoid going
near the box when observers are present. But, when the young are hatched, the
necessity of feeding them at frequent intervals makes the parents bolder. One
may then stand within a few feet of the box while the old birds go in and out.
The male is an indefatigable singer from early morning to late at night. The
Song, though not especially melodious, is so rollicking and cheerful that one
enjoys hearing it.
Wrens feed chiefly on the ground, skulking about under the broad leaves of
vegetables, weeds and berry bushes picking up cutworms, moths and other
insects.
200 Bird - Lore
Several broods are’hatched yearly. The male shares in the household duties.
Before the first brood is fully fledged, the female begins laying in the second nest.
Possibly the preémpting of a second box is forethought on the part of the birds.
Toward the last the care of the first brood is chiefly left to the male. The young
are unusually well-fledged before they leave the nest. In fact, they are able to fly
fair'y well several days before leaving the box. They are very clamorous for
food and will thrust their heads out of the box to be fed. On finally leaving the
nest the young are conducted to some brush-pile, in whose shelter, where cats can-
not reach them, they may be heard twittering for several days. After the last
brood is hatched the Wrens are rarely seen or heard in the city. They go to the
fields and copses for the rest of the summer.
ba eee
A HOUSE WREN FAMILY
pers.
A Study of a House Wren
By ELIZABETH FREEMAN TEN EYCK, Lansing, Mich.
J HAVE always wanted a Wren tenant, but, through pressure of affairs, especi-
ally at the proper season, I had failed to arrange the proper conditions.
Even now it was past the middle of June, and, if the wife of a professional
: nithologist had not assured me it was not yet too late, another year would have
ssed without the Wrens in residence. In a storeroom I found an immense
-cup which I suspended on a hook by its handle, under the porch in a good
sition for observation.
The Wrens were to be my company while the family went on a short tour, tak-
y with them the life of the house—the boys. Boys attract other boys, so that the
sult of one boy in a family is a merry house. But there are compensations for
iness and quiet which I was to learn.
Aneighbor made me envious with two Wrens’ nests for which she used common
at-pots, nailed up under a porch, the small drainage hole serving the purpose of
twigs, which, being of various lengths, many of them trailed outside, looking
atidy. This would never do. I threw out all this accumulated treasure and
er the top of the cup a piece of shingle in which I had bored a small hole for
As the cup was hung up by its handle, the door, of course, was not perpen-
. For a few days it remained untouched. Then two birds quarreled for its
ssion until one gave up and went away. I should like to think that the
aining in possession was the first comer whose work I had destroyed.
Viany a sweet song was sung by the cheerful little workman, to the not-at-all
‘ woman sitting on the porch, watching him. We like thus to think that the
rd know us and care for us. Yet, I fear they are, in this respect, like a certain
iend” of mine, an unsuccessful elderly spinster who, I am sure, regards me in
| of a good, square meal! The dish of water, too, they like to have where
‘may drink and bathe, though I never saw the Wrens take advantage of it for
€ pose.
atching the little builder, I wondered at his faith, as he sang day after day for
. It required no little skill to manage the forked twigs that went through
doorway. Coming sometimes wrong end first, as they did, the little bill
d along until it reached the end which made it possible to pull and push it in.
ctures that I have ever seen of Wrens are like this one. He carried his tail on
with his body, instead of perking it up at an angle; but perhaps this
tude comes later when the cares of a family crowd upon him and make
r ha cious
In other years, a Wren had sung all summer long in a spruce tree near the
e, the same sweet, monotonous, liquid trill. Why is it thata monotonous song
fill the heart that it is ready to run over? The Whip-poor-will with his
(201)
202 Bird - Lore
three short notes always fills me with a homesick longing, and the years when I
could not hear him have been many.
For days my Wren sang and labored on without a mate. When he absented
himself for some time, I wondered if he had gone to Florida to fetch her, and
whether, when she came (for the Wren’s faith was contagious and I never doubted
she would come), she would like the cup house. I had heard instances of the bride
flouting the home prepared for her by her little mate and utterly refusing it,
whether out of pure coquetry or obstinacy, or for good and sufficient reasons
which she saw and he did not. Years ago I nailed up in a pine tree a shallow
cigar-box in which a small hole was bored, and a male Wren at once began to —
build in it. The female refused it, and I considered her the more sensible of the
two. |
If the Wren of my porch in his absence had been South, he returned alone and —
sang on as cheerfully as ever. Dick, our canary, hung in the porch and the Wren }
often alighted on his cage to sing his bubbling song, perhaps taunting the caged —
bird on his imprisonment. }
When at last the expected one arrived, it was a question in my mind, whether —
the bright silvery house provided attracted her, or the song of the preserving bird ;
whose patience was now rewarded. I wondered, too, if it were his mate of last f
year or only a casual traveler who came. How could one find out? We know the ,
ostrich mates for life, but I proved by my summer study that this is not true of ©
- the Wren. Very soon there was a tiny chocolate-colored egg in the nest. One=
could see it by lifting up the door, though the nest was in the farthest corner on
the top of a pile of twigs that almost filled the cup. This was on the first day
of July. There were then no decorations to the nest. On the fourth, when the 7
shingle-door was lifted, the little bird flew out through the little hole with a sad
little peep, the only sound she had been heard to make. If she only could ha
sat still for a minute in her dainty bower! Surrounding her were speckled hen’s
feathers each standing on its point, which was somehow woven into the nest
each feather being so placed as to curve over the nest. It was beautifully artisti eS
(I feel as though every word of this sentence should be in italics), and may
have been arranged by her mate while she sat on the nest, for she just fitted —
into her bower. E
Do Wrens always build so daintily? I put this question to my neighbor,
whose Wren’s nest in nailed-up flower-pots and she answered carelessly that they |
always do. I doubted whether she gave thought enough to my question to answe 4
properly, for, when the nest-box is in something you cannot open, how do you~
know what is inside? If I had put up a plant-crock for a bird-house, I sho
never have seen this remarkable decoration. On July 5, there were five eggs
in the nest. g
The birds seemed to get their entire living out of an adjacent pine tree, among
whose needles were plenty of small insects. When they found an unusually large
one, they flew down onto the gravel driveway, to master it. It wasa bad habit. TI
A Study of a House Wren 203
\ ren that will see the danger in this habit, and refuse to do so, will have a better
ance to live long. At the corner of the porch was a spreading funkia. Under
t our cat loved to lie, though always driven away when found there,—he may
; spent the night there. It is a question what to do with cats in the bird-nesting
nm. On the morning of the sixth, the tragedy must have taken place before I
my place on the porch, for the mother bird came no more. The male bird
d for her and came and dropped a moth inside the nest, though he knew she
ot there. He hung above the cup with his neck stretched down to look in the
and then uttered his discontented call. Once before, when she was lost, he
ud used this querulous call and it had driven her back to the nest,—she was neg-
ting her duties. Now it was the only sound he made; there was no more song.
e family came home. If the boy could not see a nestful of young birds he
ald at least see the eggs! I went to the nest—the eggs were gone—not even a
ell was left—and the eggs were not on the ground—there was nothing to show
had ever ever been an egg in the nest! The doorway was too small for any
ta Wren to enter,—what had he done with those eggs? Some one said
must have eaten them.” Perish the base thought!—until it is proved
him.
the same day in which the loss of the eggs was discovered, the Wren was
with a fury of industry, and back and forth from the nest to the pine tree
, each time carrying out a single feather and dropping it from his perch in
etree. When the feathers were all out, he carried out the hairs of which the
s made till the last one caught about a twig and hung from his doorway.
“not carry out any twigs. What a sad piece of demolition it was. But,
itely the little fellow had a short memory, for now, on the other side of the
he at once began to sing for another mate; and the song which had
seemed so cheerful now seemed a very sad and lonely one. It was so
the season ‘to have his hopes blasted, and how could he expect another
As he sang,I counted ten, then counted ten between the songs,—the song
silence were of the same length, Thus it went on, the bird occasionally
) the side of the house where the porch with the empty nest was.
d one day she came and entered the little doorway, while his bubbling song
fed quivering wings testified to his delight. But she came out of the little
and flew away never to return. Did she feel there the presence of the ghost
murdered bird? He followed her and never came back. In some happier
re death had not been, they may have made another home and raised
1@
~~ ie
An Attempt to Establish a Purple Martin Colony
By WM. C. HORTON, Brattleboro, Vt.
COLONY of Purple Martins which for twenty-five years had occupied a
house at the home of Mr. Wm. C. Horton, Brattleboro, Vermont, having
been killed by the exceptional weather of June, 1903 (See Brrp-LoRE
Vol. V, 1903, 164), Mr. Horton has attempted to establish a new colony by plac-
ing Martins’ eggs under Tree Swallows. While his experiment has not met with
success it is nevertheless encouraging and, from a purely ornithological point of
view, exceedingly interesting.
Mr. Horton writes that the ‘experiment was tried under favorable circum-
stances, as the Tree Swallows were occupying my old Purple Martin house, and
had been for three years. Five years ago, when the Martins left on their migra-
tion south, they numbered about eighty young and old.” :
FROM MR. HORTON’S NOTE-BOOK
May 31, 1907—Received four Purple Martin’s eggs from J. Warren Jacobs
Waynesburgh, Pa. a
June 1, 1907—I found six Tree Swallow’s eggs in nest; four eggs were remove d
and replaced by four Martin’s eggs.
June 6, 1907—I removed the other two Tree Swallow’s eggs, leaving the for
Martin’s eggs, only. The Swallow was sitting on the eggs nicely.
June 16, 1907—7.00 A.M. Found one egg hatched.
June 16, 1907—6.00 P.M. Found two more eggs hatched. a
June 17, 1907—7.00 A.M. Found the fourth egg hatched. The young Mar-
tins were doing well, their foster parents feeding them as though they were their
own. |
June 22, 1907—Young Martins growing and looking finely. Eyes not open yet
and not a feather started. Foster parents feeding them nicely.
June 24, 1907—6.00A.M. Young Martins progressing finely. Feathers begi
ing to show under the skin. Eyes just beginning to open. Foster parents are cari
for them satisfactorily.
June 25, 1907—6.30 A.M. Young Martins’ eyes about one-third open; feathers |
just beginning to show through skin. =
June 26, 1907—This morning 6.30 A.M. I found the young Martins’ ey
open ; feathers well started through skin ; tail feathers showing perceptibly.
were doing finely and were plump and fat,—foster parents giving them the be ;
of care. q
June 29, 1907—7.00 A.M. On visiting the Martin house, I found not one young
Martin in the nest. One was found on the ground under the house, and from if
appearance I should say it had been dead two or three days. I could not find the
other three. What caused this disaster I cannot conceive, but it ended summi .
rily my first experiment in trying to establish a Purple Martin colony.
(204)
The Migration of Thrushes
FIFTH AND CONCLUDING PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey
With drawings by Louis AGASSIZ FUERTES and BRUCE HORSFALL
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE
b~
.
te
'
HIS species breeds throughout the Rocky mountain region from northern
L Mexico and southern California to the valley of the Yukon, near Circle
ie: City, and the valley of the Mackenzie near the Nahanni Mountains; and
fi om the Pacific coast to western Texas, western Nebraska and central Montana.
ince it winters as far north as southern British Columbia and central Montana,
its migrations are not extensive, and consist largely in passing from the winter
home in the valleys to the breeding grounds on the high mountains. Most of
he migration dates fall in the month of March.
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD
The Mountain Bluebird breeds north to southern Manitoba, southern Sas-
katchewan, Lesser Slave Lake and the upper Yukon; and winters north to central
Kansas and northern California. It is one of the early spring migrants, as shown by
‘the following dates: Northern Colorado, average, March 6, earliest, February 24,
1902; Cheyenne, Wyo., March 12, 1889; Custer City, S. D., March 17, 1897; Terry,
Mont , average, March 25, earliest, March 20, 1903; Columbia Falls, Mont., aver-
age, March 23, earliest, March 9, 1895; Rathdrum, Idaho, March 1, 1903; Spo-
kane, Wash., March 1, 1905; southern British Columbia, average, March 9,
earliest, March 3, 1906; Banff, Alberta, April 2, 1903; Medicine Hat, Sask., April
| a
a The latest date on which the species was seen in Los Angeles county, Cal.,
| was March 14, 1895, and the earliest date of the return in the fall, October 31,
- 1897. The last birds leave southern Manitoba, on the average, October 13, the
latest date being October 16, 1900. The latest date at Columbia Falls, Mont.,
November 6, 1896; and in southern British Columbia, November 6, 1888.
Bird-Lore’s Colored Plates
pie FEA
4 “With the publication of colored figures of the Solitaire and Mountain Bluebird, the
series of plates of North America Turdidz is completed. It is proposed now to take up the
chers, and the first plate of this series will appear in Brrp-Lore for December.
‘Much time is required in the preparation of these plates, and it is necessary now to select
| eae which will follow the Flycatchers. We ask our readers, therefore, to write to the
Editor stating their choice of the next family to be treated.
Nae ‘The delay in the appearance of this number of Brrp-Lore is due to unexpected difficul-
ties in the preparation of this plate——Ep.
: (205)
The Starling in America
In the last issue of Brrp-LoreE (Vol. IX,
p. 172) the editor called for replies to the fol-
lowing questions concerning the Starling
(Sturnus vulgaris) in this country:
1. When did the Starling first appear in
your vicinity ?
2. What is its status now ?
. Do you consider it a desirable addition
Ww
to our avifauna ?
4. If undesirable, give reasons why.
5. Do you know of any Starlings, other
than those released in Central Park,
which have been introduced into this
country ?
6. Was the introduction successful ?
Several correspondents have responded to
these questions serially, others in a general
YOUNG STARLING AT ENTRANCE TO NEST
Photographed by A. L. Princehorn, New Rochelle, N. Y.
way. All the replies are given below as a con-
tribution to the history of this introduced spe-
cies. It appears that although Starlings have
been introduced at several localities in eastern
North America (see the note of Mr. Morris
beyond) only those birds released by the im-
porter, William Bartels, under the direction
of their purchaser, the late Mr. Eugene Schief-
felin, have prospered. On May 16, 1895, Mr.
Schieffelin wrote us that 80 Starlings were
released in Central Park, New York City, on
March 6, 1890, and that on April 25, 1891, 40
more were set free in the same place.
The city to the south, the Hudson river to
the west and East River to the east proved,
for a time, boundaries to range extension in
those directions, and the bird spread more
rapidly and
northward into the country lying
between the Hudson river and
Long Island sound. Stonington,
more numerously
Conn., to the east, and Poughkeep-
sie and Newburgh to the north,
mark limits of the
Starling’s range in these direc-
the known
tions, while to the south it seems
not to be established beyond
Plainfield and Morristown, N. J.,
although a report has been re-
ceived of its presence in Baltimore
Ep.
in the fall of 1906.
The Introduction of the Starling
at Springfield, Mass.
In the early spring of 1897 nearly
one hundred Starlings were liber-
ated in a secluded spot in Forest
Park, in Springfield, Mass. The
next day two of these birds re-
turned and entered the box in
which they had been confined and
which had been left at the place
where they were let go, undoubt-
edly coming back for the food that
they could obtain there. From
that time, for nearly a year, noth-
ing was heard from these birds by
the persons who had _ released
them. Then it was learned that
(206)
_ three had wintered in the town of Long-
- meadow, about five miles from where they
_ had been liberated. I saw these three birds
_ several times, but before the middle of spring
_ they had disappeared. About that time it was
reported by a farmer that at another place
nearby a Blackbird had spent the winter in
the vicinity of his house. Very likely this bird
was a Starling, as Blackbirds only very rarely
winter in this region. The meteorological
_ conditions of the year following the release of
_ these birds was about normal, except that in
- ‘July the rainfall was almost unprecedented,
_ nearly fifteen inches being recorded in Spring-
_ field for the month. Since the spring of 1898,
* the presence of an unconfined Starling within
_ twenty-five miles of Springfield has not been
_ noted by any competent observer.—ROBERT
_ O. Morris.
The Starling at Norwalk, Conn.
Starlings were first discovered in Norwalk
S the spring of 1900 by Mr. Frank L. Hum-
_medieu, who called my attention to them.
a were first seen by me on June 10, of
‘. “that year.
‘x They first located in the extreme south-
eastern part of the town, but now can be
_ found in various parts of the town, they hav-
ing increased much in number.
__ Ihave heard some complaints against them
but Iam apt to take it with a grain of salt and
have plenty of leniency for them, and believe
be a desirable addition to our avifauna,
_ depends; some think not.—GerorcE P. ELLs.
2 _ ‘The Starling at New Haven, Conn.
P 1. The first bird I saw at New Haven was
mn. October 26, rgor. I did not see the species
; Bin the city and in certain localities in the
urrounding country. It is increasing. In the
ar Woodmont, Conn., which I estimated at
jout 1,500 birds.
I do not think that the Starling is a
sirable addition to our avifauna.
The Starling in America
they do much good. Whether or not they will -
207
4. According to my observations the Star-
ling is much more fond of hollow limbs in
apple orchards, etc., than the English Spar-
row and, for this reason, is liable to have
more effect on the Bluebird and others than
the English Sparrow has had. In feeding
habits I believe that they are largely bene-
ficial, as they eat insects both in meadows and
pastures, and from the terminal twigs and
bark of elm and apple trees. In spite of this,
they are probably not so valuable as the Blue-
birds and others that they drive away,and are,
therefore, not desirable—A. A. SAUNDERS.
The Starling at Bethel, Conn.
The Starling was first seen in Bethel during
the first week in April, 1907. On April 16 I
saw a pair building in the clock-tower of the
Congregational church. There was a shingle
off on its southwestern corner and they were
bringing dry grass from a sidehill nearby to
this hole. I saw them nearly every day after
this for about two weeks, when they seemed
to disappear entirely —ROBERT S. Jupp.
The Starling at New Haven, Conn.
I first identified the Starling in New Haven
on March 4, 1903. I had been in this city
only three months at that time and, judging
by the numbers then present, I think that
they must have been here as early as rgot.
The Starling is very common here and
seems to be well established. My daily bird
record, in which I record the birds observed
every day, shows that in the 218 days from
January 1, 1907, to date (August 5), I have
recorded the Starling 213 times, although
there are other sections of the city in which it
is more abundant.
Regarding their distribution, I would say
that on one occasion, during the summer of
1906, Mr. Philip Buttrick, my brother, and
myself observed the Starling at Stonington,
Conn. Stonington is fifteen miles east of
New London.
I think that nearly all Starlings raise at
least two broods each year. I know of two
pairs both of which have raised two broods.
One of these pairs commenced the construc-
tion of their nest on April 3, and the second
208
brood flew July 25. I think that six is the
ordinary number of young.
While the young are being raised the old
birds keep very quiet. They usually go to a
considerable distance for food, and they make
their trips to and from the nest with great
regularity. They obtain their food on lawns
or, if there is one convenient, from a cow
pasture. In the winter I have often seen
them eat decayed apples.
About the middle of July the first flocks of
Starlings appear. These flocks, I think, are
largely composed of young birds of the first
brood, as a large part of the old birds are
still occupied with family affairs. During the
fall and winter the Starlings gather in flocks.
—CLIFFORD H. PANGBURN.
The Sterling at Wethersfield, Conn.
In the spring of 1906, in Wethersfield,
Conn., where I reside, I noticed a strange,
dark-colored bird, with straws in its bill, fly-
ing toward an old tree with a hole in it where
a branch had been sawed off. This bird was
entirely new to me and for a long time I did
not have a chance to observe it again. How-
ever, the following winter a flock of five or
more of these birds stayed with us all through
the winter months. I finally decided that
without a doubt they were English Starlings;
probably the first observed in this section of
the state.
It is evident that at least one brood was
raised, and in all probability more broods will
be raised, as I observed the parent birds
flying across my yard many times during
the past summer and have been very much
interested in their strange calls— ALBERT
MorcGan.
The Starling at Stonington and
New Haven
In reply to the request for information con-
cerning the English Starling, made in the last
issue of Brrp-Lorg, I can say that the Star-
ling has reached New London and beyond.
In July, 1906, during a three-weeks’ stay at
Stonington, Conn., I saw this bird twice.
The first time on July 9g, at a short dis-
tance outside the town; the next day in the
‘Bird -
Lore
town itself. This time I was accompanied by
Mr. D. B. Pangburn, a well-known New
Haven bird student. On neither occasion
was identification doubtful. Once, while
passing though New London on the train,
Mr. Pangburn and myself saw a Starling
sitting on a telegraph wire in the railroad
yards there.
I am inclined to think that the Starling is
not numerous east of New Haven. At West-
brook, Conn., near the mouth of the Connec-
ticut river, it is practically unknown. Miss
B. A. Moore, a bird student who has had field
experience with the bird, says that it is some
years since a Starling has been seen in the
town, and she doubts if there is a pair there
now.
This bird was first reported from New
Haven by Dr. L. B. Bishop. He discovered
it on December 3, 1900, as reported in ‘The
Auk’ (Vol. XVIII, rg01). By 1903 it had be-
come common, and today it is, next to the —
English Sparrow, the most numerous and —
conspicuous bird in the city, and it is con- —
stantly on the increase. Starlings roost in —
most of the church towers, even those on the
green, often in company with flocks of —
escaped domestic pigeons, with which they —
seem to get along peaceably. a
I wish we could settle the question of the ©
desirability of the Starlings by saying that -
they are a desirable addition to our avifauna —
in the cities, for there they do not come into”
contact with many native species, and they
are certainly fully as interesting as the English —
Sparrow. It seems to me, however, that they ©
seek the city largely as a place of protection”
from the elements, that only a small portion —
of their food supply is drawn from it, ane
that the great bulk of them nest outsi
of its borders.
except when the ground is covered with snow. -
They are seldom seen on the ground or about
the streets in the neighborhood of their roosts.
with us. Toward dusk they appear near —
their roosting-places, flying from the direction
of the surrounding country, singly and in
flocks. At the same time of day I have stoo 1
on the hills outside the city and seen them
flying toward it. At daybreak there is a
reverse flight. j
.
The Starling in America
Near my home is a large elm tree which
rises above the surrounding shade trees and
has a very large, flat crown; near it is a church
tower, used as a roosting-place. Late in the
afternoon on winter days often as many as a
hundred Starlings may be seen in this tree,
altogether making a racket that may be heard
several blocks. Yet I do not know of a pair
breeding in the neighborhood.
_ These facts, together with the fact that
_ during late summer, when few Starlings are
4 to be found in the city, they are found in
_ flocks on the marshes, convinces me that,
economically, they must be considered with
_ the Grackles and Red-wings, and not with
_ the English Sparrow and a few other city
_ dwellers, and that to arrive at an estimate of
q _ their desirability we must examine their food
# supply.
In Germany (see Baron Laffert in ‘Forest
and Stream’ for March 30, 1907) they are
_ regarded as economically valuable. It may be
_ we shall find them a welcome addition to our
_ avifauna.—P. L. Burrricx.
*
7
_ The Starling at New London, Conn, ’
; ‘The Starling has arrived in New London.
On May 28, 1907, a friend came to me and
"strange Blackbird. From her description I
suspected it to be the Starling, which I had
een looking for ever since it was reported
m New Haven and Norwalk. Sure enough,
= “it was the Starling, which I saw for the first
: @ . There were not more than ten birds in
Vian, aad several of them were big young birds,
still being fed by the old birds; so it looks as if
_ they had come early enough for the nesting.
| This i is their first appearance in New London,
as far as I know, and I have never seen them
except in that locality, so that I can not say
© soon whether they are desirable or not.—-
FR M. GRAVES.
The Starling on Staten Island, N. Y.
‘The early history of the Starling on Staten
land, N. Y., has already been recorded by
rr. W. P. Heineken in the ‘Proceedings of
1¢ Natural Science Association of Staten
s and’ for February 12, 1898. The first
209
Starlings observed by Mr. Heineken, about
twenty in number, settled in Livingston,
Staten Island, in November, 1891. The fol-
lowing summer he found a nest in West New
Brighton; and in the winter of 1892-3 the
Starlings at Livingston numbered about forty.
Thereafter they slowly increased; but even in
1898 Mr. Heineken knew of no others on the
' island than those at Livingston and West
New Brighton.
Only three or four years ago, when Star-
lings were quite numerous throughout the
northern and eastern portions of the island,
they were rarely to be seen in the less populous
districts. At the present time, however, they
may be seen almost anywhere on the island,
though they still seem to favor the vicinity of
houses. During the early summer, while
breeding, they are very inconspicuous, but in
the autumn they wander about in large flocks.
I have never seen them attack any of our
native birds, but their rapid increase is start-
ling. I do not believe in introducing foreign
birds, but, even now, I doubt if the Starling
could be completely exterminated.. It is a far
warier bird than the House Sparrow, and even
that pest seems well able to survive the half-
hearted dislike of the general public.—JAMES
Cuapin, New Brighton, Staten Island, N.Y.
The Starling at Orient, L. I.
Two Starlings have been observed here this
spring. They were first seen on May 12, by
Mr. Rufus W. Tuthill, an enthusiastic local
ornithologist, who called my attention to
them. They were seen almost daily through
May, spending most of the time in a large
cherry tree, containing an old Crow’s nest,
fifty yards from the highway and a trifle
farther from the dwelling of Mr. Tuthill.
Orient is at the extreme end of Long Island
on the north shore and one hundred miles
from New York City. —Roy LATHAM.
The Starling at Morristown, N. J.
I believe that the Starling has never been
seen in this locality until 1907.. On March 20
_ I saw a flock of about twenty, and since that
time until the last week in June saw one or
more of them nearly every day. On June g
210
I saw probably two hundred-of them flying
in small flocks toward some evergreens,
evidently to roost, as it was near evening.
I have noticed a number of nesting-places,
both in hollows in trees and under electric-
light hoods.
No acts of aggression against other birds
came under my notice; but one old orchard
that has heretofore furnished nesting - sites
for a number of Bluebirds was almost de-
serted by them this year, and the Starlings
were in possession.—R. C. CASKEY.
The Starling at Englewood, N. J.
1. March 15, r898, two were seen,
2. Tolerably common.
3. No. %
4. They are noisy and unmusical, and,
with their fondness for buildings, I think
would soon become a nuisance. Moreover,
when a flock takes possession of an old or-
chard or similar neighborhood, their rapid
Bird -
Lore
increase makes it probable that Bluebirds,
Wrens and other small birds would soon be
driven out.
5. No.—IsaBEL McC. Lemmon.
The Starling at Plainfield, N. J.
The Starling was first noticed by me in the
vicinity of Plainfield, N. J., on February 11,
1900, when I met with a flock of seven birds
in Ash Swamp, Union county. Since that
date they have steadily increased in numbers
and are now generally distributed and com-
mon in the surrounding country.
Although the Starlings do not seem to
openly annoy or drive away our native birds,
there can be little doubt that their increase
will have an unfavorable effect on several of
our native birds that have similar nesting or
feeding habits. For this reason, I would be
glad to see them exterminated in this country,
but greatly doubt the possibility of doing so.—
W. DEW. MILLER.
BROWN THRASHER
Photographed by Henry R. Carey, Portsmouth, N. H.
Potes from Fico and Stuvp
Trapping English Sparrows
That I may not be considered heartless,
let me first say that I am known as a lover of
birds; but each year that adds to my acquain-
tance with the English Sparrows, brings my
wrath against them nearer to the boiling-
point.
If they only went about their own business,
living their own lives, one could forgive their
disagreeable, insistent noise, and even forgive
the expense they entail by their depredations
.in the chicken-yard; but they seem to have
only mean traits and, certainly, they are
pleasing to neither eye nor ear.
When I hear people called tender-hearted
who plead in favor of the English Sparrow, I
cannot help feeling that they must live where
there is a sad scarcity of our more attractive
42% me . 7
= se a
| ARTIFICIAL
birds. Not that I doubt their tenderness of
heart, only it seems to me that they cannot
have had opportunities to observe this Spar-
row among communities of other birds. -“‘There
may be exceptional individuals but, as a whole
in my experience, the English Sparrows have
really vicious natures; I know they drive
away and harass other birds.
They, and of late the Starlings, have
appropriated all the holes in’ the old apple
trees, they promptly take possession of nearly
every bird-box I make, or in the féw cases
where Bluebirds or Wrens have'‘succeeded in
starting a home, the Sparrows try to oust
them; failing in this, they pester and’ harass
them nearly to death: and this, even, when
they have a home and family of their own.
From what I have seen, I believe I am
justified in saying that the English Sparrows
a“ -
UBBISH HEAP IN WHICH THE PHOTOGRAPHER WAS CONCEALED
WHILE MAKING THE ACCOMPANYING PICTURES OF ENGLISH SPARROWS
i Photographed by A. L. Princehorn
(211)
212
will neglect their young for long intervals
many times a day, just to persecute other
birds. I have seen them pull out nesting
material from Wrens’ boxes, the entrance to
which was so small that they could only get
their heads in. I have seen them pull to
pieces a Robin’s nest only to let the material
float off on the breeze. I have seen them enter
Starlings’ nests every time the Starlings left to
get food for their young and remain only just
long enough to escape detection; and the way
they harass my Wrens inclines me to murder-
ous thoughts. We are told that besides the
birds of prey, Crows, Blue Jays, Grackles and
even Catbirds become cannibals at times and
eat little nestlings of other birds, but English
Sparrows have been known to kill them
and just drop them to the ground in what
looks like pure wanton cruelty.
All told, the English Sparrow is a menace in
too many ways to deserve considering his pro-
Bird - Lore
tection. They are dirty, noisy, quarrelsome,
meddlesome and cruel. To be perfectly fair,
I will say that for a couple of weeks in the
spring they no doubt are a benefit to my elm
trees for they eat the little green worm
that attacks the leaves; but I am very
confident that were the Sparrows absent
or more scarce my trees would be quite
as well cared for by Warblers and
Vireos,—birds that I see fewer of every
year. It is the same with Song Sparrows
and Bluebirds, both of which I used to
have in large numbers. I fear we have
got to choose between having English
Sparrows with perhaps a few Robins
and Grackles on the one hand and hay-
ing all the other birds indigenous to the
locality on the other; and as this latter
choice means having perhaps fifty dif-
ferent varieties nesting within a stone’s
throw, and all of them valuable because of
the good they do, it has my vote. This means”
that I must rid the place of the Sparrows as
far as possible. I dislike having them shot,
fearing some might escape instant death and
get away to die slowly; so I was glad to learn -
of a way to trap them. The knowledge came
to me by mere accident but the method see med
to work, and I give it here below. :
Get some of the very large wire rat- traps,
the kind that have the funnel-shaped entrance —
the small end of the funnel pointed inward.
Sprinkle on the floor of the trap some grain
or crumbs or any suitable bird-food and a
little more on the ground leading to the trap.
Place it where the birds will see it and if you
have the luck my stable-boy had you will
Notes from Field and Study
eve caught fifteen or twenty Sparrows in as
many minutes; then they may be drowned.
_ It seems incredible that they will enter the
trap, but I had the
evidence of my own
eyes and I mean to
try this method late in
the fall and through
‘the coming winter;
for, of ‘course, it
should be done only
after the fall and
before the spring
migrations. A very
? lew years of persist-
vent work should re-
sult in bringing back
ni ny birds whose
iy colors or sweet
song are sadly missed
or rarely seen or
heard —Mrs. PAUL R_ Bonner, Stamford,
Conn,
A Plea for the Sparrow
In the April number of Brrp-Lore I read
article condemning the much-maligned
English Sparrow, stating that it drove off the
Robins and other song-birds. This statement,
often made, is so contrary to my own obser-
va tions that I feel obliged, in justice to the
ws, to give my experience. Around
old ieee there were many trees, with a
lawn in front, where the birds daily collected.
In the vines covering the stone walls of the
¢hurch and parish house adjoining, the Spar-
‘tows built their nests, while the others’
be theirs around the piazza or in trees
4 One morning, while in the library, I
| heard a frightful signal of distress from
- Robin, followed instantly by a pro-
——
3
SS
i
obin et on top of the parish
¢ chimney, trailing his wings and giv-
ows had flown from their nests, and
on a beech tree in front of the
. other.
213
flew from the vines and settled on the cross of
the church spire, preening his feathers, ap-
parently oblivious to all the trouble he caused.
The Robin, however, still gave his call of
alarm and the Sparrows chattered in angry
protests in the tree. After a few minutes the
Hawk flew away and the Robin gave him
chase, joined by another bird, and soon all
three were lost to sight. The Sparrows then
returned to their nests and peace was restored.
Three times I think it was that the Robin
warned the Sparrows of their enemy, and they
always heeded his cry, leaving the vines and
fleeing from them in distress to the tree on the
lawn;
The Sparrows and Robins I have constant-
ly feeding together, neither disturbing the
Sometimes perhaps an impudent or
quarrelsome fellow would jump toward a
214
Robin, but he would only move a short dis-
tance off and go on peacefully ““orubbing.””
The Sparrows’ main food is so different
from the worms the Robins eat that there is
no reason why they should be enemies. A
friend feeds the birds daily from her window,
and both the Robins and Sparrows feed
together on her roof. As to the farmers’
objections, I find the Robins are the thieves
of their cherries and strawberries; but, after
all, we have plenty of our garden fruits to
spare the birds their gleanings.
Instead of seeing fewer song-birds, for the
last two summers, there have been more.
The Robins have returned each spring very
fat and tame.
There are many trees and gardens where I
am now living in Germantown, Philadelphia,
and this summer before leaving, there were
many beautiful birds settled for their summer
abode in the trees around. The Sparrows, too,
were many, but they settled their families in
the vines around the house, or back of the
shutters, which were not often closed. The
Sparrows gleaned much of their food from
the streets, while the Robins, Blackbirds and
many others fed in the gardens or lawns
around.
I plead for the Sparrows who stay with us
all winter, through cold and ice. They are
always cheery and so grateful if you cast
them even a crumb which falls from your
table. So trustful and sure you will not forget
them, while they wait patiently in the cold,
huddled together, until you have eaten your
warm breakfast, only softly chirping their
Bird - Lore
knock at your front or kitchen door.—M.
ELoIsE RuMNEy, Germantown, Philadelphia,
Pa.
English wate sia Notes
In the May-June, 1905, number of Brrp-
Lore (page 176), is a very interesting note
“The English Sparrow as an Evictor,” in
which your. correspondent intimates he —
would like to hear from the readers “‘who
have really discouraged these pests,” and —
experiences in the use of firearms for their —
extermination, ‘‘as to whether or not the —
shooting scared away any other birds.” ‘
In the spring of 1902, a pair of Bluebirds, —
after thorough inspection, began carrying —
building material to one of the apartments in
the bird-house which is fastened to the top of
the horse barn, to be immediately set upon, of ©
course, by a pair of English Sparrows, and —
ousted after an unequal fight. Thereupon the —
lordly cock Sparrow settled himself before the —
disputed door and began his impudent yelp-
ing, to the evident chagrin of the crestfallen
Bluebirds and the raising of my ire, for seiz-_
ing my brother’s 22-calibre Winchester —
repeater, I carefully concealed myself, fully
determined to teach that Sparrow a lesson if
possible, to give him one good scare at |
A few flying feathers was the only tang
result of the light report of the rifle, plus
sudden ceasing of the yelps. Returning
rifle to its accustomed place, I brought «
the glasses and discovered the body of tl
braggart on the shelf where he had stood an¢
fallen. sa
With considerable wonder as to whether )
not the Bluebirds would take offense at the
use of a gun in ther nearby presence, I key
a keen lookout and was soon gratified to se
the pair working their way slowly back |
their rightful possessions,—alighting on th
barn, on the weather-vane of the bird-housé
and all the time warbling to each other i
their soft, pretty voices. al
Finally the ma
became bolder and flew down to the shelf «
which lay his dead enemy, eyeing the bod
askance, hopped nearer, and finally shove
the body over the edge where it fell to fl
ground below and I picked it up, still warn
Then the Bluebirds engaged in s
hallelujah as I never witnessed before
_ only once since, the entire family of us watch-
ing the proceedings with much interest from
_ the time the shot was fired. The birds sang
and warbled, made ecstatic little gyrations
_ in the air and hopped around in the grass not
fifteen feet from the door where we were
watching them, warbling over and over again
their soft notes, the beautiful blue of their
ge fairly scintillating in the sun. The
next day both birds—I suppose the same pair
—were carrying materials to the bird-house.
In a day or two another pair of Sparrows
drove away the Bluebirds with exactly the
ne result as happened to cock number one,
d with exactly the same happy evolutions
Bluebirds, even to the male pushing or
ng the dead Sparrow over the edge to
earth below. This time the Bluebirds
left in peace and happily reared their
in the bird-house.
This year a pair of Bluebirds nested early
le same bird-house; Chipping Sparrows in
arge gooseberry bush not fifteen feet from
“iby of the house, and Robins under an
de stairway of the shop. These nests,
from the Bluebirds, were inspected
and the Chippy’s was photographed
About this time a cloud of English
‘ows settled down and, as usual, my
began shooting them with his .22
I have repeatedly watched these nests
turns as he aimed, and have never seen a
fly therefrom at the light report of the
_ Both the Bluebirds and Chipping
roWs are now nesting for the second time
mn or near the first sites.
_ This is only one or two years’ experience
t of seven or eight, during which tinie my
ther and self have used the 22-caliber
ver a shot-gun) effectively and effectually
‘il either of us appearing anywhere in sight
been the signal for a general flight of
ows, they finally leaving for good and
r months at a time. Meanwhile all the
birds are confiding and fearless, and
nd in great numbers around the house.
ILIA E. HONSINGER, St. Albans, Vt.
English Sparrow Notes
the May-June, 1905, issue of Brrp-
5, Mr. F. M. Bennet’s account of his
Notes from Field and ‘Study
215
English Sparrow troubles is of more than
ordinary interest to me, for my own experi-
ences with this pest have been strangely
similar. His description of the actions of
these Sparrows toward the “respectable”
birds illustrates splendidly the way my
English Sparrows have done. I, too, have
bird-boxes, and my Bluebirds had a hard
time indeed until I relieved them.
Perhaps a brief account of my experiences
will be welcomed by other bird-lovers, whose
bird-boxes are infested with these pests. My
plan for exterminating the English Sparrows
is simple, but is better than it sounds. I
simply shoot from the house, through a win-
dow slightly raised, every English Sparrow
that comes to a bird-box. As I do not thrust
the muzzle out of the window, very little
noise is heard outside and the birds are not
disturbed,—except, of course, the stricken
Sparrow. I use a 38-caliber auxiliary barrel
inside of my shot-gun, the shells being charg-
ed with smokeless powder and dust-shot; but,
of course, any rifle or gun with a similar
charge would do.
Now, one might say that all bird-boxes
cannot be reached from a window, and indeed
I have several times shot Sparrows from out-
doors from necessity. And I can say this
truthfully: the bang of the rifle did not
frighten my Bluebirds or Tree Swallows in
the least. They even seemed to appreciate
the service I was doing them. In one case, an
English Sparrow expelled a Tree Swallow
from one of the boxes, and sat uttering its
disgusting notes at the door. The Swallow
lit in a nearby tree. From outdoors I shot the
English Sparrow, which fell to the ground.
Almost immediately the Swallow, with a
joyful twitter, was on the grass by the dead
Sparrow, surveying it quizzically from all
sides; then it entered its own home in peace.
I give this incident more as a noteworthy
happening in bird-life than as an illustration
of “how Tree Swallows regard the bang of a
gun,” however; yet, as I said, my Bluebirds
and Swallows seem to know my good intent
towards them while, on the other hand, I now
take pride. in the fact that the English Spar-
ows in my yard have become as wild as
Hawks, and fly at the mere rattling of a
window-sash.
216
I certainly should not recommend Sparrow-
shooting to readers of Brrp-LoreE if my own
experiments in doing so had not proved highly
satisfactory as they have; for this year I have
had the pleasure of recording, in my yard,
more birds than ever before, and several
never seen there before; while the nests, built
all within twenty feet of the house, show that
the birds trust in us for their protection. Let
the following ‘‘nest-record” speak for itself:
One Song Sparrow’s nest and four young,
in shrubbery eight feet from our front steps;
one Chippy’s nest in front-piazza vine, just
built; two Bluebirds’ nests in boxes, one
pair just raising second brood; one Yellow
Warbler’s nest with young in bush; one Tree
Swallow’s nest and eggs in box, five feet from
ground and near our parlor window, and one
Robin’s nest and eggs on top of same box.
And I have killed no less than a score of
English Sparrows on these boxes since early
spring! And my Swallows are so tame that I
can stand within a yard of them without any
uneasiness on their part—RiIcHARD M.
Hunt, Winchester, Mass.
An Attractive Visitor
On the ninth of May a friend gave me a
female Blackburnian Warbler which had evi-
dently been stunned in some way, as it was
lying with closed eyes when found. When the
exquisite little orange-throated creature came
into my possession she had greatly improved
and could fly about again. I brought her
home with me and placed her in my room
until after supper when I attempted to find
some insects with which to try to tempt her
appetite. Three circumstances greatly hind-
ered my success in this laudable undertaking.
In the first place, it was growing dusk. In the
second place, the season was but little ad-
vanced and the evening cool, and in the third
place, I am not related to the family Tyranni-
dz. However, I procured a few specimens
and attempted to feed my little friend, but
she refused to eat a mouthful. I picked up
my orange stick and found that the mite’s
feet would close around it beautifully. After a
little I walked carefully to my bureau and
shut the sharpened end of the orange stick
in one of the drawers. I left the room, and
Bird -
_ placed a fly on the rubber tip of my fencing —
Lore
when I returned later with the light I found
the tiny traveler still on the stick with her
head tucked carefully under her wing and
resembling a dainty pompon, save for the
almost imperceptible rising and falling of the
little breast. Later she roused a little and I
put out the light, fearing she would become
frightened and fly about the room. A few
A VISITING BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER
Photographed from nature
moments later I lighted a match and found _
that my guest had again tucked the head —
under and was settled for the night. In the —
morning she was still sitting on her perch
but later began to fly about the room. I~
foil and slowly raised it toward her as she sat
on a picture-frame, but she still scorned my —
advances. I climbed on a chair and placed a
fly on the picture-frame and on her return she
cocked her head and eyed it with interest.
The next time she came I was overjoyed to
see her snap up the little fly. I found a sunny
me flies, and a good part of my morning
spent in this humble occupation. The
ttle stranger soon concluded that I served up
‘irly acceptable class of delicatessen, and,
iving formality, sat upon my hand and ate
e to the exquisite mite, but found her so
ently interested in my eyes that I had
eep them partly closed for fear of the
little beak. Perhaps she was fascinated
sing the reflection of her dainty self.
uced her to the dining-room bay-
, filled with house plants, and here she
ed happy, for she hopped from plant
picking up insects and larve by the
She had many callers during her
Stay with me, but seemed to care little
ny people were about her. Early in
noon I caught the tiny morsel,
her on a spray of alder and photo-
| her. But pictures are so inadequate
coloring and grace that they seem
sacrilegious. In the early afternoon I
r her freedom, leaving her time to get
wrings before dark, and I may always
s I look upon one of these brightest
in our migrating throng, “perhaps it’s
iful little friend.”—Mary PIERSON
tistown, N. J.
ylark (Alauda arvensis) on
Long Island
-June, while passing a vacant
n was arrested by the flight song of a
The bird was above this vacant lot
nued to rise and poise in the manner
bed. It remained in the air for at
minutes, singing continually, or
I walked some distance away. Then it
d in zigzag fashion to a point near
-of the field. Thinking it might have
near a nest, I carefully marked the
walked rapidly over to it. I flushed
4 about the point I expected, but a
tic search failed to discover a nest or
nother bird. When the bird was flushed
se in song flight. Another bird was
Notes from Field and Study
by the wholesale. I put my face down”
, Greater New York, my
217
place for the purpose of investigating the
status of the Skylark in that locality. In the
same field where the bird was found in June
one was flushed, but it merely flew away:
much after the manner of a Horned Lark, no:
song was heard and no other bird was seen.
I enquired about the bird at the office of a
real estate dealer nearby and was referred to
an intelligent ex-farmer living in the vicinity.
This gentleman said that the bird was a regu-
lar but not abundant permanent resident,.
equally common in winter and summer; that.
about eight years before while farming im
that section, he found a nest and four young,.
and he did not believe that the birds had in—
creased in numbers since that time. He esti-
mated that there were not more than thirty-
birds in a radius of a mile in that section. Im
two fields in front of his place he thinks that
the birds now breed and says that in the early-
evenings they rise in flight song above these
fields. Of course the song is heard only dur-
ing a period covering the breeding season and
a short time prior to and following it. During.
the rest of the year, the birds are compara-
tively silent and inconspicuous. For the failure
to increase in numbers this gentleman could
suggest no cause.—B. S. Bowpisu, New
York City.
Horned Lark Breeding in Connecticut
In the July-August Brrp-Lore there is.
published an unsigned article on the Prairie-
Horned Lark in Connecticut. As the writer,
who is a friend of mine, is away from home:
and will not see this article until his return
in a month or two, I take the liberty of reply-
ing to your request for his name. The writer
is Mr. Albert W. Honywill, Jr. I was with
Mr. Honywill for a time and also saw the
Larks. On May 30, this year, my friend and’
I went with Dr. L. B. Bishop to Washington,
Conn., and although we went over all the
ground, were unable to find any Larks. Sev-
eral people, who had become acquainted with
the Larks in 1906, said that they had not seen
any this year. However, we heard an account
of a nest and young which was undoubtedly
that of a Horned Lark.
We found the Bartramian Sandpiper om
May 30.—C. A. PANGBURN.
218
WHITE - BREASTED
Bird- Lore
ae. te es
NUTHATCH AND SUET.
NOTE THE GRASP
OF THE BIRD’S EXTENDED FOOT
A Friendly Nuthatch
Last winter I kept a lunch-counter for the
birds just outside a window of my room. It
was visited by several different species of
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
AT WINDOW
es
birds, but the most
frequent patrons
were the White-
breasted Nut-
hatches. They ate
everything from
cracked corn to suet,
but seemed particu-
larly fond of walnut
meats. I took ad-
vantage of this and,
after the birds had
become accustomed
to my presence at
the window, tried
feeding them from
my hand. One little
fellow became much
tamer than the rest
and after a few days
of training he
hopped upon my
hand and fed quite
fearlessly. After eating a few pieces he invar-
iably took one and flew to a nearby tree,
where he hid it in a crevice in the bark.
Later in the winter, the Nuthatch hopped
upon my arm, and even upon the top of my
FEEDING TRAY
Notes from Field and Study 219
head, and took food I had placed there. He
found it great sport to come into my room and
feed from piles of food on the window-sill, and
also from my hand. One day he took another
hop towards civilization,—he flew from the
window-sill to my dresser and ate from a lump
of suet I had placed there. After feeding a
while, he gave an indignant glance at his
image in the looking-glass, and flew out of the
window with a piece of food in his bill. He
even took food from a chair set a few feet
from the window and, at the request to ‘‘look
pleasant” in the form of a sharp whistle,
posed for his picture several times. He
_ apparently paid no attention to the glaring
_ face of the camera only two feet away. My
room was now being converted into a photo-
graphic studio, but all my customérs came in
through the window!
_ When out in the yard, the Nuthatch would
fly down and eat from the top of my head.
He also would come down the tree trunk and
feed from my hand. I took some pictures of
him doing this, pressing the bulb with my
other hand. (When I was feeding the Nut-
hatch, with nothing between me and the bird,
I could not help but think of Brrp-Lore’s
motto, but must confess that I thought for the
time being that ‘‘A bird.in the hand is worth
two in the bush.’’)
These little experiences which I had with
the Nuthatch, go to show what can be done
with a wild bird when its confidence is won.
I won the confidence of Teddy (as we called
him), and he knew that he would not be
harmed or even frightened if he came near
me, and therefore he came into my room and
fed from my hand with very little fear. Teddy
was a friend whom I shall never forget.—
Epwin C. Brown. Minneapolis, Minn.
ik Sm
A SELF-SUPPLYING LUNCH-COUNTER
Book Pews and Reviews
THE Brirps or Iowa. By RUDOLPH
MartTIN ANDERSON, Proc. Davenport
Academy Sciences, xi, 1906, pp. 125-
388.
Familiarity with the literature of his sub-
ject, access to pertinent collections, the codp-
eration of other workers, and an extended
personal field experience, combined with an
evident grasp of his thesis, have enabled Mr.
Anderson to produce an admirable treatise on
Iowa birds.
An introduction of twenty pages contains
sections entitled ‘Scope,’ ‘Historical Work,’
‘Relative Abundance,’ ‘Breeding,’ ‘Food,’
‘Migration,’ ‘Range in Iowa,’ Topography
of Iowa,’ ‘Climate of Iowa,’ ‘Faunal Areas,’
and ‘Contributors.’ We wish that there had
also been included here some discussion of
the changes which have occurred in the char-
acter of the Iowa ornis incident to the tillage
of prairies, drainage of sloughs, planting of
trees and increase of population. In this con-
nection, we may also suggest the desira-
bility of placing in a separate list those
species which have become extinct in Iowa.
Mr. Anderson is commendably conserva-
tive in admitting birds to his list of 353
species; capture within the state and satis-
factory identification being the entrance con-
ditions imposed.
The annotations under each species relate,
in the main, to the bird’s distribution, relative
abundance and season of occurrence, liberal
quotations from the earlier writers affording
material for comparison with the notes of
recent observers. There are also remarks on
habits which, in the case of breeding species,
often include much interesting biographical
matter.—F. M. C.
CassIniA. Proc. of the Delaware Valley
Ornithological Club, x, 1906.
pages, 2 plates.
There are evidently certain conditions in
and about Philadelphia favorable to the
development of ornithological endeavor.
Whether Alexander Wilson was stimulated
by them, or whether the ‘Father of American
Ornithology’ created and willed them to his
(220)
8vo. 76
scientific descendants in the valley of the Del-
aware, we do not pretend to say, but each
year when Cassinia comes to us as a material
evidence of the continued activity in organ-
ized bird study about Philadelphia, we won-
der why such a well-directed interest cannot
be aroused and maintained elsewhere.
Fifty observers, for example, sent in sched-
ules covering the 1906 migration, and the edi-
tor, Mr. Stone, remarks of the work thus far
done by the “migration corps” of the D. V.
O.C.: “It is doubtful if such an accurate and
comprehensive series of data has ever been
collected over such a limited area anywhere
in America gat
In addition to a report on the results of this
co6perative migration work, and an abstract
of the proceedings at the meetings of the
Club during 1906, this volume contains papers
on ‘William Bartram,’ by George Spencer
Morris (with two plates); ‘A Study of the
Solitary Vireo,’ by Cornelius Weygandt;
‘Suramer Birds of Western Pike County,
Pennsylvania,’ by Richard C. Harlow; ‘The
Concordville Robin and Grackle Roost,’ by
Samuel C. Palmer; ‘A June Trip to Pocono
Lake, Monroe County, Pennsylvania,’ by
John D. Carter; and ‘Winter Bird-life in the
Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania,’ by Wil-
liam L. Bailey.—F. M. C.
Birps oF Laprapor. By CHARLES W.
TownsEND, M.D., and’ GLoveR M.
ALLEN, Proc. Boston Society Nat. Hist.,
Vol. 33, pp. 277-428, pl. 29. :
A summer on the Labrador coast gave the .
authors of this paper an opportunity to be- 1
come acquainted with the more significant
characteristics of the avifauna of the region
and, at the same time, gave them that inter- |
ested and discriminating point of view which —
only personal experience creates. Hence, we
have here, not alone, some exceptionally —
good biographical material based on original
observation—and in passing we comme
this paper to young ornithologists as an illus-
tration of how much may be seen in a brief
period if one is determined to make the best
use of one’s opportunities,—but a critical
4 | Book News
resumé of ail that has been previously pub-
lished in regard to Labrador birds. The
result is a copiously annotated list of 213
‘authenticated,’ 2 ‘extinct’ and 44 “‘doubt-
_ ful and erroneous species.”
_ Introductory sections on ‘Topography,’
‘Faunal Areas,’ ‘ Migration,’ ‘Ornithological
Li Ornithologists,’ ‘Bird and Egg
Destruction,’ supply much general informa-
While the actual number of specimens col-
ed was small, they proved to be of special
_ value showing, among other things, that the
; Prairie Horned Lark has no status as a Lab-
. wr bird, Otocoris alpestris alpestris being
pparently the only form of the group occur-
ing in this region.
| unusual feature of this paper is a census
1e approximate number of individuals of
s of birds seen at stated localities—
&
ONG THE LABRADOR Coast. By CHARLES
WENDELL TownsENpD; M.D., with illus-
trations from Photographs and a Map,
m, Dana Estes & Co., 1907. 12mo.
at 289 pages. 40 half-tones, 1 map.
his book admirably supplements the
er on Labrador birds by its author and
ver M. Allen, reviewed above. It is the
of the summer cruise along the Labra-
soast, during which was gathered the
al on which the more technical paper
d. Each work has its place, and each
als to its own audience, but in reading the
together one is impressed by the com-
itive absence of repetition and conse-
tly realizes how much of the story of the
ition would have been left untold if the
ent work had remained unpublished.
poe we have a continuous narrative, in
h with no effort at ‘‘fine writing,’’ the
rador coast and its inhabitants, human
ell as avian, is brought very clearly before
e wish there were more books of this
d, and if every traveling ornithologist
tell his story as simply and as pleas-
as Dr. Townsend relates his, our
y of readable and informing nature
would be acceptably increased.—
and Reviews 221
The Ornithological Magazines
THE AvuK.—In the 128 pages of the July
number there is much to attract the general
reader as well as other matters that will more
particularly please the student of ornithology.
The first instalment of an exhaustive local
list of ‘The Birds of Custer and Dawson
Counties, Montana,’ by Mr. E. S. Cameron,
is finely illustrated by photographs of the
country and is accompanied by two maps.
The third instalment of Messrs. Beyer,’
Allison and Kopman’s ‘List of the Birds of
Louisiana,’ will be found on later pages.
The Rev. P. B. Peabody writes pleasantly
of his experiences with ‘The Crossbills of
Northeastern. Wyoming,’ where he found
these nomadic birds nesting in mid-winter.
A mop-stick proved a successful, though un-
certain weapon for securing specimens of the
birds. Fledglings and a nest were obtained.
Mr. A. H. Clark gives us a glimpse of ‘Char-
acteristic Kamchatkan Birds;’ Mr. J. T.
Ferry has something to tell us about the win-
ter birds of southern Illinois, and Mr. J. C.
Wood writes about the autumn migration of
Warblers near Detroit.
More technical articles are one by Mr. O.
Bangs on birds of Costa Rica, one on a hybrid
Humming-bird by Messrs. Bangs and J. E.
Thayer, and one on a new Agelaius from
Canada by Mr. H. C. Oberholser. Mr.
Bangs describes two new species and five new
races, but what comes nearer home to most
readers of Brrp-LorE is the separation by
Mr. Oberholser of the Red-winged Blackbird
of the Canadian Northwest under the sub-
specific name of arctolegus. This is still
another of the millimeter races, differing from
its nearest ally, according to its describer’s
dwn figures, about 5 per cent in dimensions
and nothing in plumage. Inasmuch as the
Red-wing is already split into so many races
that even experts do not agree as to what
name to call a given specimen, this latest
‘split’? in a much worked-over—if not over-
worked—species is not a welcome guest.
An obituary'notice of Professor Alfred ~
Newton marks the passing of an old-time
ornithologist of note—J. D., Jr.
222
THE Conpor.—In the leading article of
the July number of ‘The Condor,’ entitled
‘The Grebes of Southern Oregon,’ Finley
gives an interesting account of the habits of
the Western and American Eared Grebes
and calls attention to the ruthless manner in
which the birds have been destroyed for the
millinery trade. Five illustrations from pho-
tographs by Bohlman show the old birds, the
young and the nests. One figure shows clearly
the curious habit the old birds have of carry-
ing the chicks on their backs. ‘Nesting Habits
of Phainopepla nitens,’ by Harriet Williams
Myers, contains the results of some observa-
tions of these interesting birds made near
Garvanza, in the vicinity of Los Angeles.
A brief, but important, illustrated article
on ‘The Thick-billed Parrot in Arizona’ is
contributed by Austin Paul Smith, who
states that a flock of Parrots estimated at
700 or 1,000 was observed in the Chiricahua
Mountains in August, 1904. He expresses
the opinion that the birds are ‘“‘not nearly
as casual as supposed.”’ ‘Summer Birds of
a Prairie Lake,’ by G. Willet, is an account
of collecting experiences in northeastern
Montana in 1903. Under the title ‘Measur-
ing a Condor,’ M. French Gilman gives notes
on several California Condors seen near
Werner Ranch and San Jacinto Peak in San
Diego county, and near Bear Valley in San
Bernardino county. The specimen measured
had an expanse of nine feet, ten and one-half
inches. Finley adds some brief ‘English
Sparrow Notes’ illustrated by a photograph
of a Sparrow’s nest built inside of a hornet’s
nest. Among the short notes ‘From Field and
Study,’ Torrey records the Vermilion Fly-
catchers at Santa Barbara, California; Beck
adds several species to.the list of birds known
from Clipperton and Cocos Islands; Finley
records the Magnolia Warbler from Salem,
Oregon; and Felger the Prothonotary War-
bler from Colorado.
The ‘Directory of the Cooper Ornitho-
logical Club,’ published in this number,
shows that the Club has two honorary and
229 active members, and has lost seventeen
members by death.—T. S. P.
THE WILSON BULLETIN.—Four numbers
of the ‘Wilson Bulletin’ have appeared since
- Bird - Lore
the journal was last noticed in these columns.
They are filled with the usual annotated lists
and popular sketches of bird-life.
The September, 1906, number contains a
short sketch of the birds of Clayton county,
Iowa, by A. R. Sherman, an annotated list
of common birds of Whittier, California,
by E. Craigmile, based on six months’ obser-
vation—far too short a time to warrant
publication for a region so well known—
‘A Purple Martin Roost,’ by P. A. Taverner;
‘A Glimpse of the Birds of Second Lake,
Coos county, N. H.,by C. H. Rogers;
‘August Days with the Birds,’ by L. Jones,—
locality not mentioned—and ‘Two Days
with Beach Birds and Botanists’ at Stone
Harbor, N. J., by C. J. Hunt.
In the December number J. Henderson
describes the birds observed on a trip through
northeastern Colorado; the editor presents an
anonymous list of ‘Birds of Cleveland, Ohio,”
which had perhaps better have been preserved
in manuscript until something could be
learned of the author; F. H. Hall writes of
‘Some Western Adirondack Birds,’ and L.
Jones on ‘Some Migration Records in Cedar
Point, Erie County, Ohio.’
In the March, 1907, number, W. F. Hen-
ninger writes at length on the ‘Paradise of ©
Germany;’ G. C. Fisher describes the ‘Nest- _
ing of Bald Eagles at Lewistown, Ohio; and
C. J. Hunt gives a list of ‘August Birds of —
Lake Sebago, Maine,’ with a description of
the locality. A list of ‘Birds of Summit,
N. J.,’ by the late L. K. Holmes, is published
and Larus franklinii and Ammodramus
lecontet are added to the Ohio list.
The issue for June contains the first in-_
stalment of an important paper on ‘Birds of
Point Pelée,’ by P. A. Taverner and B. H.
Swales, which promises to be oné Of our best
contributions to the bird-life of the Great
Lakes. ~O. Widmann discusses ‘Spring
Migration Anomalies in 1907,’ a subjec
which we trust may receive further attention
from observers elsewhere. Other papers ar
‘Notes on the Broad-winged Hawk,’ by R.
W. Shufeldt; ‘Our Bird Bath,’ by C.
Schautz; ‘Ruby-throats,’ by C. J. Hunt, an
‘Walter J. Hoxie,’ by F. L. Burns. 3
Numerous short notes appear as usual
each number of the Bulletin.—W. S.
tae
Fi ey
Editorials
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
«OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
4 Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
soca by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
:
IX __— Published October 1, 1907 No. 5
SUBSCRIPTION RATES —
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
ity gente a number, one dollar a year, post-
COPYRIGHTED, 1907, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
a Bird-Lore’s Motto:
| Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand
annual meeting of the National
sociation of Audubon Societies, to be held
the American Museum of Natural History
October 29, should be well attended.
e Association’s increased income has per-
it greatly to broaden its field of activ-
and with its allied State Societies, it is
w not alone the most effective organized
r of wild life, but through its work in
sminating good, sound, popular ornitho-
cal literature to the schools, it exerts a
for influence on the future of ornithol-
in this country. Numerous possibilities
velopment present themselves and their
sussion at the annual meeting is greatly to
ne
wee ‘ARISON of conditions prevailing in
i pountry with those which exist in Italy,
: ‘are revealed by Professor Herrick’s
| er, concluded in this number of Brrp-
| E, should give all Americans cause for
"special thanksgiving. In other phases of
the study of migration, of geo-
‘ ot ical distribution, and of climatic varia-
| —American ornithologists, as is well
| mm, are more advantageously situated
5 heir brethren of the continents, where
smaller political divisions do not beget the
_ cooperation and unity of interests which are
found in this country.
| ity of law is one of the fundaments
uate bird protection. While with us
4 e of the Model Law, by most of the
States in the Union, has gone far toward mak-
he laws effective in their primary intent,
223
the ideal condition will not be reached until
we have a Federal law such as Mr. George
Shiras, 3d, has proposed, placing the framing
and enforcement of all laws relating to migra-
tory birds in the hands of the Federal govern-
ment.
In Europe the attitude of Italy well-nigh
renders the whole case hopeless. At the
International Convention for the Protec-
tion of Birds, held in Paris in 1902, Italy’s
delegate was instructed to sign no “‘bind-
ing schedule,” and her refusal to cooperate
with the other countries represented was
emphasized by her further statement that
‘no agreement refused by Italy could be of
any advantage to Hungary or Austria.’’ Not
only is the enormous destruction of bird-life
in Italy to be deplored, but the fact that Italy
is a migratory highway over which the birds
of a large part of Europe travel in their jour-
neys to and from Africa discourages attempts
to protect these birds in their more northern
summer homes.
It is unfortunate that the attempt to form
an ornithological section of the International
Zodlogical Congress held in Boston, August
19-24, 1907, was undertaken at too late a
date to permit of proper organization, for that
there was no lack of interest in the subject,
was evinced by the number of papers on
birds presented before the Congress, as will be
seen by the following titles: ‘A Comparative
Study of Birds with Respect to Intelligence
and Imitation,’ J. P. Porter; ‘The Influ-
ence of Domestication on the Behavior of
the Ostrich,’ J. E. Duerden; ‘Organization
of the Gull Community: A Study of the
Communal Life of Birds,’ F. H. Herrick; ‘A
Statistical Study of the Local Distribution and
Ecology of Birds,’ S. A. Forbes; ‘Geo-
graphic Variation in Birds, with Special Refer-
ence to Humidity,’ C. W. Beebe; ‘Remarks
on the Geographical Origin of North Ameri-
can Birds,’ Frank M. Chapman.
IN republishing several of the photographs
illustrating Schilling’s ‘Flashlights from the
Jungle,’ the National Geographic Magazine
calls attention to the fact that the flashlight
apparatus employed by Schilling was in-
vented by George Shiras, 3rd, the pioneer in
the flashlight photography of wild animals.
The Aunuvon Societies
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
OCTOBER AND PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER
If you have not already set-
tled the location for your lunch-
counter, and begun to spread
it with tempting tid-bits, you
should do so at once.
Whatever form this table may
take, either a partly roofed shelf
surrounding a tree, a bracket
against the side of the house, or
merely an extension to the win-
dow sill, it should be made of
weathered wood and be wholly free from the taint of new paint.
Birds love the old and are distrustful of the new and glittering. It is a good |
plan, when time serves, to.make a collection of old boards or mossy shingles,
that are so often discarded when old buildings are repaired, and keep them
ready; for there is nothing better than such material either for birds’ houses or
feeding-boxes.
Also, do not wait until the natural food-supply is cut off, and most of the birdss
have gone, before you offer them daily rations ; for the fact that food lies close |
at hand may win for you many winter friends that otherwise would pass on.
Hungry birds will eat many things that do not belong strictly to bird diet, but two”
articles I have found will suffice for all species, and gray squirrels as well, if you”
have any in the neighborhood,— suet in good-sized lumps that will not be to:
to shreds too soon for the Woodpeckers and all other tree-trunk climbing birds, -
and any one of the various dog-biscuits broken into pieces of various sizes, rane
ing from that of a chestnut, which Jays and Nuthatches love to pound up to s
their taste, to crumbs that tempt the Junco, Tree Sparrow, Purple Finch, Snow- |
flake, and even the Robin and Bluebird. As for the Chickadee, bless his brave
little heart! he will take both meat and bread and nod you thanks between
courses. 5
The suet may remain on the counter until it is consumed, but be careful to put
only enough of the biscuit out each morning for the day’s use, as, if it becomes
water-soaked and lacks crispness, it not only loses its seed-like quality and c q
to be tempting, but is unwholesome for birds accustomed to digest either dry
seeds or juicy fruits but not pultaceous masses.—M. O. W.
(224)
ak cee
Z THE PURPLE FINCH
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che Pational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 28
oe
,
e
Be.
; ;
The family of Sparrows and Finches, like that of the Warblers, Blackbirds
and Orioles, offers such an infinite variety of species and disports so many con-
tradictory fashions in the cut of beaks and tinting of plumage that when we have
a bowing acquaintance with it we feel that we have really entered the realm
ird knowledge.
In addition to its rarity, family Fringillidae is the largest of all
Family __ bird families, numbering some five hundred and fifty species, that
inhabit all*parts of the world except Australia.
he one point that binds them together which the untrained may discover is
he stout bill, conical in shape with great power for seed-crushing. For, first and
as , all of the tribe are seed-eaters, and though in the nesting season much ani-
"mal food is eaten by adults as well as fed to the young, and tree-buds and fruits
are also relished, the tribe of Finches and Sparrows can live well upon seeds—
eds of weeds, the seeds concealed between the scales of pine-cones and the pulp-
oped seeds of wild fruits that are called berries.
This ability to pick a living at any season of the year that the seeded weeds of
» fields and roadsides are uncovered makes what are called “ permanent resi-
ents”? of many species of Sparrows, and causes them, when they migrate, to still
ep to a more restricted circle than their insect-eating brethern. Also, alas! this
-d-eating quality, coupled with beauty of plumage and voice, has made them
vorite cage-birds the world over. Happily, freedom has now come to them in
$ country, together with all our birds, and as far as the law may protect them
are safe, though the latest reports say that small consignments of Mocking-
and Cardinals are still smuggled over seas by way of Hamburgh.
un over the list of prominent members of the Fringillidae, or family of
nches and Sparrows. Call them by memory if you can; if not, take a book
look them up.
The Sparrows are clad in shades of brown more or less streaked, and their dull
rs $ protect them amid the grassés in which they feed and lodge. The birds of.
ighter plumage are obliged to look out for themselves, as it were, and keep nearer
é sky, where their colors are lost in the blaze of light.
oa First to be remembered are the birds that wear more or less
pe a red,—the Cardinal, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the Redpolls,
Pa 3 Crossbills, the Pine Grosbeak and the Purple Finch (who is no
re purple than he is bine or yellow).
(225)
226 | Bird-Lore
Then come three birds who would seem original and striking in any family—
the Indigo Bunting, the southern Blue Grosbeak and the beautiful Painted Bunt-
ing or Nonpareil, gay in blue, gold, red and green plumes.
Red and blue—then yellow must follow as a natural sequence, to complete
the primary colors. It is a fact, in the floral kingdom, that the three primary
colors never exist naturally without artificial hybridization in one family; thus,
there are red and yellow roses, but no blue; red and blue verbenas, but no yellow,
and so on.
In the Sparrow family, however, we have the three primary colors in all their
purity,—the American Goldfinch clad in pure gold and the Dickcissel of the yellow
breast, together with the yellow wing and tail marks of the Pine Siskin, supplying
the third color. The Towhee Bunting stands alone, a blending of brilliant black
above, white below, with chestnut sides and red eyes. The Chippy, Song and Field
Sparrows are typical of the color - protective family type. The white outer tail
quills are an index to the Vesper Sparrow; the same white quills and a white vest
name the Slate-colored Junco. The White-throated Sparrow has his name plainly
printed under his beak, and the White-crowned Sparrow writes his in his white
head-stripe, while the rusty brown Fox Sparrow is known both by size and color.
The Purple Finch, which, as I have said, is not purple, but, when in full
plumage, washed with a rich raspberry-red, deepest on breast, crown and rump,
light breast, brownish back, wings and tail, is one of the notable members of the
family. Its bill is heavy and round, approaching in size those of the Grosbeaks,
while in body it ranks with Song and House Sparrows. Besides having a heay
bill that suggests the Grosbeak, it has a way of bristling the feathers of its crow:
that sometimes gives it the aggressive mien of the Cardinal; while its clinking ca
note and way of flying in scattered flocks, and the fact that it is with us in winter,
cause it to be sometimes mistaken in the distance for one of the Crossbills.
One would think that, with its rich coloring and the fact that it is a winter resi-
dent in many parts of its range, this finch would be a well-known bird; yet man
people who have a fair knowledge of our common birds do not seem to know it
Perhaps this is because the females and immature birds, wearing gray and bro vr
stripes, look so very much like their Sparrow kin that the rosy-vested bird tha
sings in the trees, where his colors cannot be seen unless you are directly unde
him, escapes unnoticed. The change of the young male Finch from his north 1
plain garb to the full crimson costume is interesting as it is deliberate, taking tw
seasons, the rosy flush not appearing until the end of the second year. 4
The range of the Purple, or Crimson Finch, as I wish that t
His Range Wise Men would agree to call him, is eastern North America. TI
‘ nesting season is spent from Minnesota and the Middle Stat
northward, and the winter from the borders of the northern States southward 1
the Gulf. Its choice of a nesting location is very wide, for, like the Catbird, it
equally at home in unfrequented and brushy woodlands, and on the borders of
home gardens where people are constantly present.
The Purple Finch 227
In spite of his unique plumage, it is for his song that this bird has won renown,
and it is by his song that he is most readily to be identified. To hear this in its
4 perfection, one must listen for it in May and June; for this Finch
His Song has not the enduring vocal qualities that endear his cousin, the
Song Sparrow, and give us the perpetual hope that we may hear
his voice in every month of the year,—a hope that is usually fulfilled. The
= Finches that have wintered with us begin to warble a little in late March, and the
same partial song may be heard in October, after the molt; but the song that
suddenly bursts into exuberance, rendering him one of our most conspicuous
songsters and recalling many notes of the English Chaffinch, belongs to the
sting season.
_ It is almost impossible to render the song of a bird in syllables so that it appeals
any number of people; for, as bird music is phrased according to the natural, not
e artificial key that we associate with annotation, its translation is a matter of
ood, temperament and accord between imagination and ear. To me, when the
ice of the Crimson Finch bursts forth in sudden joyousness, it cries, “List to me,
t to me, hear me, and I'll tell you,—you, you!”? There must be, however, some
nilarity between these syllables and the song, because more than once, on endeavy-
ng to name a curiously described bird that I suspected might be this Finch,
e rapid whispering of these words has completed the clue, by the inquirers
claiming—‘“ Yes, that is the way the song went.” Yet, do the best we can to
ggest rhythm of the song, the music of it belongs to the woods and fields, the sky
id sun, from which we may not separate it. Forbush says of it: “ The song of
= male is a sudden, joyous burst of melody, vigorous, but clear and pure, to
‘ich no mere words can do justice. When, filled with ecstasy, he mounts in air
1d hangs with fluttering wings above the tree where sits the one who holds his
tions, his efforts far transcend his ordinary tones, and a continuous melody
forth, until, exhausted with his vocal effort, he sinks to the level of his spouse
the tree-top.” :
These Finches travel at times in flocks and are at all times somewhat grega-
s,and this trait has made them an easy prey for bird-catchers, and Mr. For-
tells us that, “If a bird of this species is confined in a trap-cage in spring
exposed in a conspicuous place, most of the Purple Finches in the neighbor-
d may be trapped. The greater part of the so-called ‘Linnets’ in many
ities have been taken in this way, despite the law and its officers, who are on
lookout for the law-breakers. The birds have been sold in the bird stores or
‘to Europe as red or gray Linnets. This may account for a local scarcity of this
h in some places where it was formerly common.”
2 The Purple Finch, though, like many others, it hunts for suc-
culent food, apple and cherry blossoms in the spring, has a decided
economic value; for, the season through, it feeds upon orchard and
and caterpillars, lice, cankerworms, and when these are out of date it con-
nes quantities of the seeds of injurious plants, including the noxious ragweed.
:
\
é
228 Bird - Lore
Wilson (1829) devotes some space to a description of his experience with these
Finches as caged birds, showing that they have been captives these many years:
“The Purple Finches fly at a considerable height in the air, and their note isa single
chink, like that of the rice bird. They possess great boldness and spirit and, when
caught, bite violently and hang by the bill from your hand, striking with great fury;
but they are soon reconciled to confinement and in a day or two are quite at home.
I kept a pair of these birds upward of nine months, to observe their manners.
Both are now as familiar as if brought up by hand from the nest, and seem to pre-
fer hemp seed and cherry blossoms to all other food. Both male and female,
though not crested, are almost constantly in the habit of erecting the feathers of
their crown. . . . They are a hardy and vigorous bird. . . . When these
birds are taken in their crimson dress, and kept in a cage until they molt their
feathers, they uniformly change their appearance and sometimes never after
regain their red color. . . . They are also subject, if well fed, to become so
fat as literally to die of corpulency, being at these times subject to something
resembing apoplexy, from which they sometimes recover in a few minutes, but
oftener expire in the same space of time.
The moral of this being that even a hardy Finch, when caged, bécomes abnor-
mal and should be granted the same liberty as the Cardinal, Mocker, and all the
rest. Wilson says that the pair he caged were reconciled to confinement in a day
or two. This I am never prepared to believe about any bird born wild and cap-
tured after maturity. Cowed, or caged into submission, they may be, but recon-
ciled, never!
Questions for Teachers and Students
What family of birds has the greatest number of species? What is the relation between the —
colors of Finches and Sparrows and their haunts? What is the principal external character of 4
Finches? What is their chief food? Do they migrate as far as birds which live mainly on ~
insects? How many of our commoner winter birds belong to the Sparrow family ?
Che Audubon Societies
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
a ‘ Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
er et oe
:. Notice of Annual Meeting of the National
=f Association of Audubon Societies
__ The annual meeting of the members of the
_ National Association of Audubon Societies
for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals,
for the election of four directors to take the
q places of the following directors, viz.: Frank
_M. Chapman, Witmer Stone, Hermon Bum-
‘pus and William Brewster, class of 1907,
_ whose terms of office will then expire, and of
George Panitz and Alphonso Hodgman,
class of 1907, who have resigned, and for the
' transaction of such other business as may
: properly come before the meeting, will be
held at the American Museum of Natural
History, Columbus avenue and 77th street,
in the Borough of Manhattan and City of
_ New York, on the 29th day of October, 1907,
. : at 2 o.clock.—T. GmLBERT PEARSON, Sec’y.
bey
Wood Duck and Woodcock Summer
Shooting Condemned
_ Wood Ducks bred here (Long Island, N.
| Y.) this season and all summer long I have
seen scattered birds, and now small bunches
are beginning to appear in the ponds close by.
I saw one nice bunch of seven, a few morn-
_ Ings ago, in a pond right close to several
4 For the past two months—ever since I
| st looked for them—I have been finding
Woodcock, and I believe I have pretty well
proven the theory that these birds can regu-
larly be found within a few feet of where you
firs locate them, for I have found them every
me I cared to look for them. If summer
| Shooting is allowed to continue, you can
| readily see how this local habit of the Wood-
‘ck will seal its doom. To this very habit I
attribute its present scarcity in sections where
"it was formerly abundant, for gunners have
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
killed every bird they could find, until none
was left to return another season. In Nassau
and Queens counties I know great stretches
of fine Woodcock grounds where today the
bird is rarely seen in the summer months,
while further east, in Suffolk county, where
the bird is not much disturbed, in the summer
months, it can still be found in goodly num-
bers.
To illustrate how destructive summer shoot-
ing is, I have heard of one man who killed
nine birds on the Fourth of July, this year.
This man is not a good shot, but he takes
pride in the fact that not a bird escaped him.
These birds were killed along a small drain,
in one piece of woods, and he probably killed
the old and young of two entire broods. Next
season this party will probably wonder why
there are no birds in this particular patch of
woods. A few such men as the above will
destroy many birds in a season and in a short
while will leave the section of country they
hunt without a bird.
If the open season did not begin until the
first of October, or even until the 15th of Sep-
tember, it would be impossible to kill off all
the birds found; for by that time they would
have obtained their full growth and would be
better able to take care of themselves. Every
gunner knows that after you put up a fall
Woodcock a couple of times without getting
it, it is a hard matter to again locate it. In
this connection, I might state that, on a trip
last fall, a friend found about thirty-five
Woodccck, only sixteen of which were killed.
He could, of course, have killed a few more
of these birds, but does not believe in
hunting too close. Many of these birds
would not lie for the dogs, and flushed with-
out giving a shot, showing that in the fall
they are well able to take care of themselves.
—Joun H. HENprRickson, Jamaica, L. I.
(229)
The New Bird ‘Reservations in the Gulf of Mexico
The National Association of Audubon Societies, in continuing the plan origi-
nated by the Thayer Fund of making a thorough bird survey of the coasts of the
United States, sent its lecturer and organizer, Mr. Henry H. Kopman, who is a
well-equipped ornithologist, early in May last to explore the coast of Louisiana
from the Texas line to the mouth of the Mississippi. The trip was made in a small
schooner, 15 tons, the “Sea Bird,” under command of Captain Couvillier with
‘mate Colson. The results obtained by Mr. Kopman were complete and satis-
factory and furnished the desired information on which to base a request for two
new reservations which were made by official orders of President Roosevelt in
August, as reproduced below.
The report of Mr Kopman contains so much valuable ornithological material
that it is given in full for the benefit of the bird students of the country, and also
because it cannot fail to interest the members of the Association who, besides
being deeply concerned in the preservation of the birds, furnish the funds with
which to cairy on the work.—W. D. R
Executive Order
It is hereby ordered that all small islets, commonly called mud lumps, in or
near the mouths of the Mississippi river, Louisiana, located within the area
segregated and shown upon the diagram hereto attached and made a part of this
order, are hereby reserved and set aside for the use of the Department of Agri-
culture, as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. This reservation to be
known as Tern Islands Reservation.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
THE WHITE HOUSE,
August 8, 1907
Executive Order 7
It is hereby ordered that the Executive Order of July 9, 1855, creating the ,
Light House Reservation, which embraces a small group of unsurveyed islets loca-
located in the Gulf of Mexico about three and one-half miles south of Marsh
Island, Louisiana, and approximately in latitude 29° 26’ north, longitude gr° 51’ :
west from Greenwich, as appears upon United States Coast Survey Chart No. 200,
be, and the same is hereby vacated and set aside; and it is also ordered that these
islets, located within the area segregated and shown upon the diagram hereto
attached and made a part of this Order, be, and they are hereby reserved and set
apart for the use of the Department of Agriculture as a reserve and breeding
ground for native birds. This reservation to be known as Shell Keys Reservation. -
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
THE WuitE Howse,
August 17, 1907
(230)
TERN ISLANDS RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
At Mouths of Mississippi River
LOUISIANA .
Embracing all small islets within area segregated
by broken line shown hereon and designated
Tern Islands Reservation”
DEPART MENT OF THE INTERIOR,
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
Richard A.Ballinger, Commissioner,
[DIAGRAM ATTACHED TO AND MADE A PART OF THE EXECUTIVE:
ORDER DATED AUGUST 8, 1907.)
(231)
SHELL KEYS RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
| LOUISIANA.
Embracing all small islets within area segregated
by broken line shown hereon and designated
“Shell Keys Reservation”
or'ss’
9°55.
DEPART MENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner
[DIAGRAM ATTACHED TO AND MADE A PART OF THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER DATED AUGUST 17, 1907.)
(232)
Report of Exploration of Seabird Colonies
On the Coast of Louisiana West of the Mississippi River, Made in the Interests of
the National Association of Audubon Societies, May 15, 1907, to June 21, 1907
By H. H. KOPMAN
In submitting a report of the conditions of sea-bird life observed during the
cruise along the coast of Louisiana between the Sabine river and Pass a L’Outre,
Mississippi river, from May 15 to June 21, 1907, I would first call attention to
several general features of the situation now confronting an attempt to establish
_ breeding reservations in the regions under consideration.
First. The birds of the territory visited showed a decided disposition to
congregate during the nesting season within two comparatively small areas, one
_ being the chain of outer islands from Isle Derniere to East Timbalier, and the
other being the mud lumps off the mouths of the Mississippi; practically all
_ the nesting colonies found were within these two areas.
_ While the fact just instanced would doubtless facilitate in the work of pro-
"tection, it indicates that the birds of the western coast of Louisiana are not dis-
_ playing at present their normal breeding vigor because of lack of confidence in
‘ their surroundings, due to recent as well as to previous persecution. Islands
_known to have been used formerly as breeding resorts were found deserted
_ during the past season, or, if occupied, the birds showed no disposition to take up
. heir nesting duties. While it was réasonable to suspect the presence of non-
3 _breed ng birds at most of the islands, the proportion of these seemed unusually
large.
Re In beidusion, as regards this particular subject, it is my belief that, after
_ several years of careful warden supervision of the coast explored, the extent of
_the nesting territory would be greatly increased, and that islands now used only
by feeding and resting birds during the present season would become regular
o nesting resorts.
Second. The most important single discoveries made were the colonies oe
| Laughing Gulls, Black Skimmers, and Louisiana Herons on East Timbalier,
in that neighborhood to molest the birds, nee apparently full broods were
. I was informed by the United States engineers in charge of the dredging
Beerations at Southwest Pass, where the new concrete jetties are being constructed
ata cost of several million dollars, that the mud lumps off the Passes are part
Ff the territory under National control. There lumps appear, disappear, and
Teappear from time to time, but always within the same general areas. I saw
“none more than a mile from shore, and most of them are closely adjacent to the
actua’ outlets of the river. Some of them have grown to an elevation of six or
Wy :
(233)
234 Bird - Lore
eight feet above ordinary high tide and an extent of an acre or more. It is the
opinion of an engineer with whom I conversed that all of these mud lumps
might be set aside en bloc as a National Reservation. While all the lumps were
not used as nesting-sites, any of them is apt to be so used. The lumps are sup-
posed to originate from the action of gas and oil domes, but there is evidently
a growth in their size from the ordinary course of sedimentation. There is little
ie)
hele om i
r.
CAPTAIN FRANK COUVILLIER AND WARNING NOTICE ON EAST TIMBALIER
Y a eA Se om :
= Mie TNE AI Lot ee ee
vegetable growth on the lumps except of those weeds that come readily in Mis- —
sissippi mud. i
Third. With respect to»patrolling possible reservations, Grand Isle seems_ :
the most generally convenient base of operations under present conditions. |
Lighthouses are in close proximity to the colonies at East Timbalier, Southwest
Pass and Pass a L’Outre. The most inaccessible colonies are those on Isle
Derniere and She'l Keys, off Marsh Island. The former of these might be in
snk
*
Report of Exploration of Seabird Colonies 235.
,
fended on the beat from Grand Isle, but would be more conveniently included
with Shell Keys on a distinct route, with Morgan City as headquarters.
{ Fourth. The clusters of islands in the shallower parts of the several bays.
between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers, contrary to expectation, proved
ulmost absolutely unproductive in the present connection. Aside from the fact
t all or nearly all of these islands are infested with raccoons, muskrats and
small predaceous mammals, their growths are not especially suited to the
ting of sea-birds; rushes (Juncus), and a low shrub allied to Rhizophora mangle
most of these islands. In a few cases, however, Spartina and a few other
h grasses offer suitable nesting-sites for Laughing Gulls, Forster’s Terns.
nd possibly one or two other species; yet only three small colonies of Forster’s.
» The innermost of the islands just referred to are in water so shallow that it
4 as impossible to reach them with the Seabird, which cannot be safely handled.
: much less than four feet of water; and, while I am confident that almost entirely
milar conditions prevail throughout these districts of clustered marsh islands,
| very shallow-draft boat, working among the innermost of the islands, might
- ver a few additional colonies of Forster’s Terns. The territory uncovered
the Seabird from the outside could easily be covered in a week or ten days.
he most by a small boat working from the actual mainland.
NESTING COLONIES
1. Shell Keys (Now a reservation).—These keys lie about south of east from
) yest Pass, Vermilion Bay, and are about four miles south of the mouth of
Bayou, Marsh Island. The keys form a reef about a mile and a half in
The eastern key is the longest and is separated by about a half-mile
the others. The chart shows the reef as composed of a single key.
ese keys were visited May 16 and 17. About 300 Brown Pelicans, 500-
-o’-War Birds and goo Royal Terns were seen on the keys. The Terns had
n to nest on the central key and about 200 nests were found there. About
nests were found on this key and about 20 nests on the western key..
Man-o’-War Birds, so far as known, use the keys only as a resting-place.
esides the birds seen on Shell Keys, about 60 Brown Pelicans and 200 Royal
were seen on Diamond Reef Keys, two and one-half miles off shore from
niere la Croix, Marsh Island. These latter keys are merely resting-places.
fhe Shell Keys are composed entirely of oyster-shell fragments, are devoid
of vegetation, have an average breadth of about 15 feet, and are nowhere more-
han three or four feet above ordinary high tide.
2. Caroline Cut Island.—This small island is a portion of Isle Derniere..
ot named separately on the government charts. It lies west of a pass known
as Caroline’s Cut. |
236 Bird - Lore
I visited this island. June 3 and June 20. At the time of the second visit,
Black Skimmers had begun to nest freely. There were about 750 of these birds
on or about this island. Over 200 nests were found. No other birds were found
nesting here, although 150 Royal Terns, 200 White Pelicans and 300 Brown
Pelicans were seen. The extent of this island is about eight acres. There are a
few raccoons on it, but otherwise it is an admirable site for nesting.
3. East Timbalier—Nesting, except.among ‘he Black Skimmers, was in
full progress while I was at this island, June 5 to 7. There were present about
4,500 Laughing Gulls, 5,500 Black Skimmers, 1,750 Louisiana Herons, 8 or 10
Snowy Herons, and 6 or 8 Black-crowned Night Herons. Very few Skimmers’
freely. The Gulls nest chiefly at the western end of the island, the Herons chi
at the eastern end. The area of the island is about 50 acres. It is making %
the eastern end, and washing at the western end. East Timbalier has th
heaviest vegetation of any of the seaward islands, yet raccoons do not appear tO”
be present. a
Other birds seen here were about 200 Royal Terns and 500 Brown Pelicans.
4. North Pass Mud Lumps (All the mud lumps are now a Reservation)
These lumps are about a mile directly off the pass. Their bearing from Pas
L’Outre light is N. N. E. On two of these lumps, the larger of the two being
only about one hundred feet across, the following birds were nesting: 25 Laughin,
Report of Exploration of Seabird Colonies 237
Gulls, 25 Royal Terns, 50 Forster’s Terns, 75 Caspian Terns and 20 Brown
Pelicans. A stop was made here, June 13.
5. Pass a L’Outre Mud Lumps.—A rather large lump lies a little to the north
of a direct line out of this pass. Its bearing from the light is E. by N. $N. A
few Royal Terns, 25 Caspian Terns, 25 Laughing Gulls and about 125
Forster’s Terns were nesting here. This lump was visited June 13.
6. Northeast Pass Mud Lumps.—About twelve islands, with a general bearing
of E. S. E. from Pass a L’Outre light, lie off Northeast Pass. The more northerly
of these lumps are in most cases the larger, and are occupied almost exclusively
by Brown Pelicans. Of young and adults there were about 600 birds. From 350
LOUISIANA HERONS, EAST TIMBALIER
to 400 Forster’s Terns and about 500 Laughing Gulls were distributed among
the more southerly islands, and the majority of them were nesting. There were
also about 50 Cabot’s Terns in this vicinity, but no certain proof of their nesting
was secured. These lumps were visited June 14.
7. Southwest Pass Mud Lumps.—Just to the east of the new jetties and about
| 4 mile from the lower end, I found about 200 Brown Pelicans nesting on three of
the four lumps in that locality.
On the west of the jetties and near the upper end, two small lumps and two
large lumps were found occupied by about 7,500 Brown Pelicans in every stage
of nesting.
The situation of these lumps, within easy reach of the Southwest Pass light-
house and the United States engineers’ offices, renders them an ideal location
|
238 Bird - Lore
for a baidecnenecilan reservation. ‘Surveillance here would be a very simple matter.
These lumps were visited on June 15. 7
FEEDING STATIONS
1. Caltasieu Pass —I had excellent opportunities for obaceviiten at this point
being held there by contrary winds from the evening of May 21 to the mornin
of May 26. Calcasieu Pass is the site of the Gulf Biologic Station, a state institu-
tion. The town of Cameron, or Leesville, is about two miles up the river. Except
for this village, the region about Calcasieu Pass is rather isolated. The neares|
town of any size, Lake Charles, is about forty miles distant in a direct line, and
nearly sixty by river. This entire locality offers exceptional advantages as a pre -
serve for both land and water birds. The country is low and open, for the most
part. At the time of my visit, I observed about 50 Least Terns, 50 White Pelicang
and 300 Black Skimmers feeding along the shore and about the pass. Florida
Ducks were nesting plentifully in the vicinity. In winter, Ducks of many specie;
are present by thousands. In spite of the lateness of my visit, shore birds were
present in great variety and in considerable numbers. On the prairies, Doy es
Meadowlarks, Bob-Whites and Nighthawks are exceedingly: abundant. So i
of the larger and less common water-birds, such.as the Wood and Glossy Ibise
Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Duck, and Sandhill Crane are present where dee
swamps and river woods occur in this region. Altogether, this entire lo clit
seems one of exceptional avian resources. a
2. Trinity Bay, Isle Derniére-—A number of birds were seen June 3 at a
head of the bay, and at a point half-way up the bay. ‘The species and app
mate numbers were as follows: Black Skimmers, 600; Brown Pelicans, 45
White Pelicans, 175; Royal Terns, 100; Least Terns, 75; Laughing Gulls, 5
Forster’s Terns, 15; Caspian Terns, 10. The nesting season of Black Ski
had hardly begun when this locality was visited, but, as they have occu
as a breeding place in former seasons, it is “ probable that they are nes
there this summer. : ee
3. Wine Island.—Although shown on the charts a3 a single island, this is la
has been divided into two parts. Birds were found on the spits at both ¢
the eastern island, and on the eastern end of the western island. The total ir
population here was: Brown Pelicans, 1,300; White Pelicans, 150; Royal Per
400; Black Skimmers, 100; Least Terns, 60. These were the estimates made
June 4. a
4. Ft. Livingston (Barataria Light).—Visited June 7, 10 and 16. Abo
Cabot’s Terns and 300 Brown Pelicans were observed in this particular loce
5. Barataria Bay.—I was in various parts of this bay and its contigu
waters, June 7-10, and June 16 and 17. 50 White Pelicans, 150 Brown Pelica
200 Forster’s Terns and about 500 Laughing Gulls included most of the birds s
6. Shell Islands, Bastian Bay.—Though these islands seem to afford a \
suitable nesting-site, being somewhat similar to the Shell Keys off Marsh Isla
Report of Exploration of Seabird Colonies 239
irds were found near them, and none were nesting. I saw, in all, about 25
a ‘Terns, 40 Forster’s Terns and 125 Brown Pelicans.
ENUMERATION OF SPECIES
Of birds seen in nesting colonies and at feeding stations. (Breeding colonies are
with an asterisk [*].)
PELICAN— Caspian TERN—
9 eS 60 PRS MRD S5ie Us ote ane sn o's te Pasa 75
DRORIE e 5 2) sak po iat 2 wid 300 Pre Ae alte CLs eee.) 28
mot Island © 22... al. 300 nm
eee eee 450 RoyaL TERN—
Hiland (eastern)... p Spr ageing YT Diamond Reef Keys ............-- 200
Island Reitern).. Ruta Naurad aed 1,000 Wiel! Reyes nook ce iste ew -goo
MS oe te s+ 500 Caroline’s Cut Island. . 2... 2.2. 150
SR ts Se Ieee ate ee a 300 Trinity Bay Sora tea Ioo
MU hee Sek as lp ss 150 Wine Island (eastern and western). .- 400
ae ui ais Se hag 125 mast: Limbalier . i .- 355 IGe Ss 200
Me eh ag SORE POMS oo ae hes ea mene 6 25
a 600 EN OF UIE MAB a co ees 4 Sys uig oe Daw eiae 24 25
Ete Sas sls oka es 7,500 2,000
BLACK SKIMMER—
net 11,630 hcciggonge Pastincx - : Does Kbit wha s 300
Caroline’s Cut Island.............. 750
once SETARICY EA io te leis </ahplersis 600
cn his aetiaaeaaal ial 5° Wine Island: (eastern)... /... 2.020... 100
A =e sap ed = PEakt Timnbalier oo 2504 SS: ae 5,500
2 Neve Pi nest esate ae
a Bay...------------2---- 5°. Lourstana HERON— ve
Whaat Vrbalee 2. 0" ooo 2 sae 1,750
650 ,
LAUGHING GULL—
iy PIO PAM n oo Se nies shoes eee 5°
BPs. ----+- ac 5° Witust: Timbinlier: 0032 33240. 25540; 4,500
OR Saenger As ep TS PIAA ATIA BAY: 2.7,5 tar aoa Gos 5 OO
nd (eastern) .......- Sidhe Pe Nirah el = 2) he: oh aa a 25
SPacs at COwtre. oo oe cote Date, ee
a5 MNortieast Pas. oon bar sree = 500
NN ey ain os 5 dp orice 25 ¥ aire
‘Pass.......-.-----...-- Bee Apa "Penta ed bad es w See 30,340
75 Approximate numbers of birds found breed-
TERN— ing—
May 5 uses Pewieiod s < 200 rows Pelican. js. 055 2. asses 8,500
Ny ERS aia "50 Poreter’s: Derm: oe .iee 2. pees. 2 eee S700
Se ae er ee 5° Caspian Tern. é..y. 56 3 Seeinie ss oie 100
Be dss 2. 6 Ue wee 125 Royal Tera. soca ts eee ey GOO
RRC eek B9e. set eee SKIN MET 2 os vis cies «5 oae- 6,000
lees o's Ss ec <A 3s 200 Louisiana Heron 2... 2... 60424 - 1,500
baughing Gull J 200 2.76 s ee ews 5,000
240 7 Bird - Lore
In “making the estimate above, considerable difficulty was experienced on
account of the unsettled condition of the birds. This was particularly true on
East Timbalier. Frequent disturbance of the birds here made it almost impossible
to judge the proportion of breeding to non-breeding birds. My estimates in this
respect, therefore, are purely approximate. The estimates of birds seen are e reason
ably accurate.
ROUTE OF TRIP
The general course of my route was from Morgan City to Sabine Pass, a nd
return, and from Morgan City to Pass 4 L’Outre, Mississippi river and retry
The first trip occupied the time from May 15 to May 2g, and the second trip was
made between June 1 and June 21s. Four days were entirely lost on account of
head winds; three Sundays we lay at anchor and two days we stayed in port at
Morgan City, while putting the Seabird on the ways for copper painting and sma )
repairs. The rest of the time was spent either ‘n making destinations or in studyit
conditions ashore. A log was kept for brief entries of the daily course, inclu
all stops. A copy of the exact itinerary, as entered in this book, will be furnis
on request. ;
COURTESIES EXTENDED a
At the Gulf Biologic Station, Mr. M. H. Spaulding, who was in siiaadae at t! ie
time of my visit, did everything possible to make my stay, and that of my crew, a
pleasant one. At East Timbalier, Mr. Will Oliver, the lightkeeper, codperat
with me in warning off violators of the state laws, and furnished some of th
material for the erection of large warning notices. At Southwest Pass jetties, t
United States engineers put at my command what information they had. "
In conclusion, I wish to express my satisfaction at the faithful performance
a
WHird=- Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Pe te ee ep tee
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
“Vol. IX NOVEMBER — DECEMBER, 1907° No. 6
A Thrashing by Thrashers
By HERBERT K. JOR
With photographs by the author
5 OMEWHERE, [had read that the Brown Thrasher is at times very bold in
S defending its nest, even from human intrusion. But as the years slipped
! by and I had inspected nest after nest of this species, in every case finding
| the owners as timid as the average song-bird, I began to wonder whether the
story was not the product of some nature-fakir’s art, which needed the prover-
bial grain of salt. But one day I found out the truth of the matter.
i On the afternoon of June 18, 1906, toward sundown, I was driving homeward
along a country road, on one side of which was a farmhouse, and on the other
a bushy pasture. Here I saw a Brown Thrasher fly across the road just ahead
| of me, carrying in its bill a large worm. It flew down into the pasture and alighted
_ upon the top of a dead sprout which projected from a thick clump of bushes.
After pausing a moment to look around, in order to be sure that the coast was
clear, down it went into the midst of the thicket. It was evident that there was
"a nest somewhere near that spot, so I hitched the horse, took my 4 x 5. camera and
tripod, and went to investigate. But, though I made a careful search of the
thicket into which the Thrasher had gone, I could find no sign of thenest. After
looking it through again without success, I was about to look further away when
I began to hear some hissing sounds, which increased in vehemence as I began
to follow up this clue. It proved to be no snake, but the Brown Thrasher, sitting
‘close on a nest which was built into a cavity of the ground under the bushes.
There the bird remained, though I was but a step away, looking up into my face
and continuing to hiss, braving me and daring me to touch it.
_ Withdrawing a little, I made ready the camera on the tripod. But the presen-
tation of that blunderbuss was too much for the Thrasher’s nerves. It ran off into
the bushes, where it was joined by its mate, and both of them set up a great outcry.
‘Icould now catch glimpses of them both, and discovered that the brighter-hued
‘one, the male, was the one which had been on the nest. No wonder they were
angry and anxious, for they had five promising young—ragged and uncouth, to be
sure—but fine, healthy young birds. After opening the bushes, to let in a little
y
7 ee
= SV gcnaes aes ron
i
242 Bird - Lore
more light upon this interesting subject, I set the camera upon the shortened
tripod, decked it with foliage, attached a thread, set the shutter for an exposure
of one second, and retired awhile. The birds soon stopped their scolding, so I
quietly returned and discovered that the male bird was again onthe nest. I pulled
the thread, and was glad to see that my subject did not move. He even allowed
me to creep up behind the camera, change plates and make exposures by hand.
But when I tried to push the camera nearer, he beat a retreat. It was now getting
MALE BROWN THRASHER DEFENDING NEST
too dark for further work that day, so I put back the bushes in order and pro-
ceeded homeward.
Owing to trips away and rainy weather, it was not till four days later, June 22,
that I was able to resume the work, this time with a reflecting camera. Again
I found the male on duty. He slipped off, as before, and again I opened the
bushes, and then, very innocently, put out my hand to the nest to remove am
obstructing leaf. I was so surprised and startled that I almost fell over backwards
when instantly the male Thrasher dashed from the shrubbery behind the nest and
struck the offending hand a stinging blow. Instantly, he withdrew again and took
his station behind the nest, waiting to see what I would do. As I was not looking
for a fight, but for pictures, I stepped back a bit and squatted, waiting for the
A Thrashing by Thrashers 243
brave defender to make the next move. Though it was mid-afternoon and the June
sun was quite hot, and in a very short time the young, now about old enough to
leave the nest, began to grow restless. The devoted father noticed this, and
came at once to their relief. Running out from this shelter, he took his stand
over them, spreading out wings and tail so as to make a perfect canopy to shield
them from the sun. How impressive he looked as he bravely did his duty,*with
an air of being fearless and resigned to whatever might befall, if only he might
protect his helpless little ones! The female was back in the thicket, exhorting
BROWN THRASHER AND YOUNG
him, I took it, to be brave,—though she took good care not to expose herself
to danger.
With the reflecting camera, I then advanced, and, presenting the instrument
as near to him as I cared to, made a couple of exposures. Then I wanted a differ-
ent pose of the brave bird, so I extended my foot toward him. Instantly he
pounced at my leg, struck it a quick, angry blow, and hastened back to the young,
this time sitting on the nest as though incubating. After getting his picture in this
position, I decoyed him off again and again. After each attack he would generally
£0 Off into the thicket, whence in a short time he would return to the nest and there
assume some new and striking pose. One such was when he stood over the young
| and some of them poked out their heads through the feathers of his wing to see
for themselves what was going on. Sometimes, when I made only a slight feint,
244 , Bird - Lore
id
he would run part way to meet me, and stand out in the open in a defiant std
while I snapped him. a
During the course of this fracas, the young had one by one crawled out of th
nest and into the shade of the thicket,—all but one which was more puny than the
rest, and could not get up out of the rather deep cup. It was fortune for me that
this was so, for the brave little father was as ready to incur danger for one as for
all. His fine example at length seemed to inspire his mate, for she began to gro\
more threatening in her advances, and she even came out in front of the nes!
where I secured just one snap-shot of her standing on a low, flat rock. ;
Having now used up a couple of boxes of plates and secured pictures of ab OU
every possible position, I thought I would see what they would do if I actuall
handled the young. So I started to lay hold of the chick in the nest. But no soon
had I touched him than like a whirlwind, with shrieks of rage and despair, both
Thrashers precipitated themselves upon me. Seizing my fingers with their claws
they hung on, scratching like badgers, nipping my hand here and there with theit
sharp bills, and beating it furiously with their wings. Then they darted off i
the thicket, and again and again I touched the young one, with the same resi P
The whole performance so interested me that I felt no injury from their attac
When I bethought myself to look at my hand, I saw that it was dotted with li
drops of blood, where they had scratched or bitten through the skin, Then
wrapped a handkerchief around as armor and let them try their strength on
If I put my foot near the nest, they went for that in the same vindictive fa
My only lack was of an assistant, to photograph the birds in the act of att
ing me. It was too late to secure one that afternoon. The next day I would hi a
brought my son, but the rain poured down unceasingly, and on the following « d
the thrashing Thrashers and their offspring had retired from the bloody fi
the hard-fought battle and the glorious victory. No doubt they believed that th
had worsted and routed a man, and henceforth and forever Thrasher art,
and literature will, of course, prate of arms and of the man who, on a mem
day, baffled and beaten, backward reeled from some stubborn birds anda barr
field. As for the man in the case, he no longer doubts the Thrasher prowess, a an
even while nursing his sore hand, took pleasure in describlng to interested
tors his rather unusual experience in receiving a thrashing from small bute ox >
enced professional Thrashers. ; "
Around the Horn for Petrels
By JOHN TREADWELL NICHOLS
With photographs by the author
j BF isc is a glamour which hangs about the sea, due perhaps to its dangers,
its wildness, its mystery. There is a peculiar fascination in the study of
pelagic birds. |
__ For some years the writer has been particularly interested in the Albatrosses
and Petrels, and in the latter part of the year 1906 was fortunate enough to make
Pa trip to their center of abundance, the Southern Ocean. Some species of this
group occur on all oceans, but to find them in abundance one should cross the
allel of, say 33° south latitude. At about this point the weather changes trom
od to bad. South of it are the westerly gales and the birds.
- The ship, a square-rigged, iron sailing vessel which plies between New York
nd Honolulu, T. H., averaging about one year to the round trip, left her wharf,
‘ the Battery, early one August morning. That same day, when well to sea,
fother Carey’s Chickens became common. As to size, color and habits, birds
the Petrel order tend to be grouped about certain types. One of the best marked
hese groups is the Mother Carey’s Chickens. This again is separable into two
ructurally quite different divisions. One has short legs and generally a forked —
and is characteristic of the Northern Hemisphere. A representative of it,
ch’s Petrel; breeds on our coast from Maine northward. The Mother Carey’s
kens that were following the ship were, however, a long-legged, square-tailed
ecies, Wilson’s Petrel, which breeds in the far south in our winter, the southern
mmer, and, crossing the equator, is common off our coast in summer. For a few
they were about the ship, then they were gone.
We passed through a great, practically birdless area in mid-Atlantic, and
seven days went by without a bird,—the longest period of the voyage,—
haps of my life. One day, out in this barren region, a beautiful white Tropic
ird was seen resting on the water. When the ship came abreast of it, it rose and
ew away with characteristic flapping flight, and with a glass it was possible to
plainly its elongated central tail-feathers. Tropic Birds are as truly ocean
derers as any fowl of the sea, and particularly characteristic of fine weather
ind the trade-wind belts of the Pacific. Here they are not numerous, and sometimes
ays go by without them; but again there are several-flying about the ship, and
eir constant nasal cry becomes as familiar as the sunshine and the dancing
‘Wade-wind waves. They are higher flyers than the Petrel tribe, and this and their
: up pping flight mark them at once as of a different kidney from those ree He
. cist to carry with him.
a But, to return to Petrels. As we approached the equator, with South America
drawing closer to the west and Africa to the east, there was a Mother Carey’s
(245)
246 7 Bird - Lore
Chicken again, that looked so like those left in the Gulf Stream that it was pro-
bably the same species—Wilson’s Petrel—journeying south to its breeding grounds.
None could be secured, however, so the identification must stand as hypothetical.
Because we entered south latitude in September, which would correspond
to our northern March bad weather and the birds were found well to the north.
On September 18, about 20° south, there was a lone Cape Pigeon, not positively
identified. That evening a heavy wind squall with rain and a little lightning
bringing the wind about southwest, gave us our first taste of bad weather. Two
days later there were ‘ Mollyhawks,’ and the day after that Cape Pigeons. The
smaller southern Albatrosses, exclusive of the gray, wedge-tailed Phebetria, the
weirdest looking bird of the sea, belong to one type. Although systematists make
CAPE PIGEONS
two divisions of them, one of which includes also the large Albatrosses,—they are
lumped by the sailor under the name ‘Mollyhawk’ or ‘ Molly,’ and the name
‘Albatross,’ is reserved for the larger birds which differ also in color-pattern.~
Sailors claim that the ‘Albatross’ has one more joint in its wing than any oth er
bird, and while doubting the anatomical truth of the statement, we still must
confess that the narrow wing and elongated upper joints do give somewhat that
impression.
ing flight is the most interesting, and to a landsman the most striking thing abo it
these birds, not even excepting the great bulk and wing spread of the Albatross
Around the Horn for Petrels 247
which afterwards makes com-
mon birds seen unnaturally
small. They all will occasion-
ally give their wings a few
flaps, but the sailing greatly
predominates. I cannot do
better than quote from my
note-book.
“September 20. A gray
day; the sun barely more
than burning through the sks fe ahha
clouds in the middle of the YOUNG WANDERING ALBATROSS
day. Not much wind, and A poor picture, which nevertheless shows the characteristic
ive ‘sea very smooth, Fist ton scaling flight, low over the water
‘the swell. Heard a cetacean blow close to the ship, and had a glimpse of his
rather light-colored, brownish black, and his small dorsal fin. Saw two or three
‘Mother Carey’s Chickens settle and sit on the water astern of the ship, which
Seems worth noting, because one usually sees them on the wing. There were
a couple of small Albatrosses about,—the first this voyage. It was fine to watch
these birds sweeping along in their sailing flight, at intervals interrupted by a few
flaps of their great wings; turning this way and that, often leaning far over to one
side; now close to the water, now curving into the air some yards above it. They
seemed to flap their wings less frequently later when the wind was a little fresher,
than earlier with less wind.
| “September 22. Towards evening watched a small Albatross come close to
the ship, and then fly off into the distance. I watched it as continuously as I could,
and did not see it flap its wings at all. I believe it was sailing all the time. There
was a strong wind blowing.
“October 29. In the afternoon there was a strong wind blowing. I was watch-
ing carefully the flight of some Cape
Pigeons, a few ‘ Mollies’ and a Cape Dove
or slender-billed Fulmar. The flight of the
three was very similar and illustrated well
the sailing, Petrel flight at its highest devel-
opment. Occasionally they gave their wings
-a few flaps, but only occasionally, and the
general impression was that they were sail-
ing, sailing, sailing always. The birds were
sometimes horizontal, but often one wing
was lower than the other, and frequently
the bird was thus tilted far over to one'side.
I noticed that they turned toward the down
wing, and probably this is a, if not the
248 Bird - Lore
chief, factor in their steering method. Occasionally, I saw a bird flapping its
wings often, as though it were for the moment tired of sailing, or found a
in getting properly started, but this was exceptional.
“The Cape Dove seems to be much like the Cape Pigeon in flight and habits,
coming about the ship with equal fearlessness and being equally eager for food
which may come from her. The light mark near the end of the wing also suggests
the stronger though not dissimilarly placed mark in the Cape Pigeon, and I find
it very useful in recognizing the species.
“Later I had a chance to watch a few Phebetria and one or two large Alba-
trosses. The flight is the same as that just described. Perhaps Phebetria is more
inclined than the other birds to half flap its wings, a tremor, which it is hard to
decide to have been flapping, or simply adjustment of the wings in sailing.
“October 31. At sunset watched a Phebetria sailing about, back and
forth, at times passing directly over the ship, and when highest in the air, I should
say a little higher than her masts, I watched it for some time, constantly, until
it sailed astern and I lost track of it for the moment. Only once or twice was it out
of my sight for an instant, and I did not see it flap its wings once. It was sailing
constantly. There was a breeze, but it was not blowing hard.”
One thing all the members of the Petrel order with which I am familiar have
in common,—they fly low. Their method seems to be to fly about over the sea
scrutinizing the miles of salt water which slip by below them for what they may
pick up; at the same time ready to take the hint from another more fortunate
bird which they see drop down to some food it has spied. Luck must play a big
part in this game, and who can say how many miles sometimes go by without
yielding return. But miles mean little to them, and a day’s gorging doubtless
compensates for days of want.
CAPE HORN
The Heath Hen
A Sketch of a Bird Now on the Verge of Extinction
By DR. GEORGE W. FIELD,
Chairman, Massachusetts Commission on Fisheries and Game
\, URING the past two years much interest has been shown to save the last
remnant of the Eastern Pinnated Grouse or Heath Hen (T'ympanuchus
ag cupido). It was formerly distributed from Cape Ann. to Virginia, and
s especially abundant in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Long
and and New Jersey; but immense numbers of adult birds were destroyed by
and traps, while the young fell victims to the colonial cat and to forest
. So abundant was this bird in the dark ages of ornithology, when indis-
nate slaughter prevailed without thought of the bird’s economic value or
a e and function in Nature, that the articles of apprentices often specified
lat they should not be compelled to eat the meat of this Grouse, (locally
“Heath Hen’), oftener than twice weekly.
Between 1800 and 1840 the bird had been generally exterminated in Massa-
. In 1844 Giraud believed it to be extinct on Long Island; as late as 1869
s still found in New Jersey, and today the very last stand of the bird is on the
island of Martha’s Vineyard.
__ The eastern bird was first distinguished from the western type by William
rewster, and described by him under the name Cupidonia cupido (Auk, January
p. 82). In 1890 Mr. Brewster estimated that 120 to 200 birds, inhabiting
it forty square miles, were left over from the previous winter. This number
owly but surely diminished. Careful daily observations, extending from
sber 1906 to May 1907, showed that the inhabited area has become restricted
By actual count of the flocks very definitely located in various
the range, seventy-seven different individuals were accounted for.
1906, a destructive forest fire swept practically the entire breeding
a favorable one. We know that at least ten broods were successfully
d our census this year will probably show that the number of birds has.
doubled.
Grouse (called ‘Hethen’ by the natives) has been a well-known and
istic bird of the island as far back as memory or local tradition extends.
are widely held that from time to time western Pinnated Grouse or
ens have been liberated on the island. Careful inquiries indicate that
are as follows: (1) In 1859 Dr. Fisher liberated Ruffed Grouse and
the island, but no western. Prairie Chickens; (2) In 1902 specimens of
n Prairie Chicken (T’ympanuchus americanus), which had survived
rtmen’s show at Boston, were liberated on Martha’s Vineyard, but no
ent indications of their presence are known.
(249)
250. Bird - Lore
In 1877, foxes and coons were introduced for sport and later liberated from 7
spite, but it is probable that these have now been exte:minated, and at present ;
the chief checks to the increase of the Heath Hen are (1) the forest fires, which —
in recent years have swept large areas of the breeding grounds almost annually, —
usually during the nesting period; (2) cats, whether kept or abandoned by the q
summer visitors, feed upon the young Heath Hen, Terns and other birds; (3) cer-_
tain species of hawks, notably the Goshawk, are known to kill considerable
numbers of adult Grouse; (4) with the increase of poultry raising on the islands,
particularly of the Turkey, there is danger of the introduction of enteric cee
notably “the black head,” caused by the internal parasite Ameba melegridis, 1
which is equally fatal to Turkeys, Ruffed Grouse and Quail, but which i is also
spread by domestic fowls. ‘
About 1813 the Heath Hen disappeared from the district around Springfield,
Massachusetts. In 1824 it was reported as no longer common around Boston.
Cape Cod was the last stand on the mainland. In 1831 the ‘Grouse or Heath Hen’
had become so reduced in numbers that a law was passed making a close seas
from March 1, to September 1. In spite of this, the decline continued. Chap
170, Acts of 1837, made a close season of four years upon this bird, which,
Chapter 7, Acts of 1841, was extended for five years. These acts, however,
mitted any town to suspend this law in that town for such a period as they deem
expedient. Some towns took advantage of this to secure special privileges
the inhabitants of that town, e. g. Tisbury, on May 6, 1842, “ Voted that the |
for the Preservation of the Grouse or Heath Hen be so far suspended in the T
of Tisbury as to allow the inhabitants of said town to kill, take or sell
or Heath Hens from the first day of December to the tenth day of December
sive, provided they hunt them without the aid of dogs.’’ The action of a
quent town indicates that the decline in numbers was rapid. On April 1,
the same town of Tisbury voted to suspend this law so as to permit the hi
(without dogs) of these birds on the “12 and 13 of November next.” (F
for the purpose of providing a substitute for the Thanksgiving Turkey.) Frot
this period to 1995 there were no systematic attempts to enforce the law. ’ Ch
number of birds killed usually equaled or frequently exceeded the annual i
crease. The islanders resented the intrusion of non-resident hunters, but mi D
birds were killed by rabbit hunters and by duck hunters crossing the island to th h
ducking stands on the south shore. Some birds were taken by collectors, ai
these skins, supplemented by others bearing fraudulent data, were disposed «
extensively to museums and natural history stores.
During all this period, however, there was kept alive the feeling of local
in the Heath Hen as a peculiar possession of Martha’s Vineyard. It has been ev
stated that sentiments wellnigh voodoo-like in tendency were current on t
island,—e. g., that a boy must eat Heath Hen before reaching a certain age. T f%
writer, however, from careful inquiry, is of the opinion that there is no basis
such statements.
—————
The Heath Hen 251
Since almost nothing has been recorded of the habits of the Heath Hen, the
following notes, made by the writer on the spot, may be of interest.
MARTHA’S VINEYARD, May 1, 1906
At 6 P. M., we arrived at the point where we hoped to find traces of the Heath
Hen. Ina cleared field about thirty rods from the road we distinctly saw two large
birds. On our nearer approach they squatted close, and their protective coloration
was so effective that, although we knew almost exactly the precise location of the
birds, we could not distinguish them. We crawled behind the nearest cover, and
TRE Bit
THE HOME OF THE HEATH HEN
The men are looking at the nest shown in the next illustration.
Photographed by George W. Field
temained motionless for perhaps ten minutes. At length the long shadows from
the descending sun enabled us to distinguish the birds as they crouched with head
close to the ground, among the very scanty vegetation. After another interval of
motionless activity on our part, one bird quickly arose and began feeding, appar-
ently without suspicion; soon two more birds arose as if by magic from the ground.
Then began a most interesting series of antics. These birds were joined by five
others, coming in singly and on foot from the scrub in various directions. The
birds came frequently within forty paces of our hiding-place, and in one instance
alighted on a small oak tree twenty-three paces from our camera. While not near
252 , Bird- Lore
enough for successful photographing, we were well situated for using our field —
glasses. The birds were all actively feeding in the open field, apparently on
grasshoppers and other insects, but nipping red clover leaves yery freely.
They moved leisurely about. Frequently two birds, sometimes-as much as one
hundred to one hundred and fifty yards apart, ran directly toward each other,
dancing and blowing on the way, with the so-called ‘neck wings’ pointed upward —
ina V form. On facing each other, both squatted and remained motionless from _
one to five minutes. We could see none of the nodding and pecking motions of the —
head so commonly indulged in by domestic fowls when fighting; rarely was there ©
sparring with the bill or striking with the feet and wings. In twelve or fifteen —
encounters, only three or four times did they strike thus, and only once did we
see ‘feathers fly.’ Most of the energy seems to be spent in posturing and blowin
Generally, one of the combatants backed slowly away, suddenly stopping if
‘opponent advanced too rapidly. In all these fighting tactics the similarity
habits with those of the domestic fowl were very marked. From all directi
came the peculiar ‘toot,’ like distant tug-boats in a fog, all having whistles of
same pitch. This call may be well imitated by blowing gently into the neck
a two-drachm homceopathic vial. Each call extends over a period of two secon¢
and is repeated at frequent intervals. It is prefaced by a run of about one y
with very rapid, mincing steps. The strides, however, are so short that th
does not advance rapidly. The tail is spread and the wings dropped after th
manner of the strutting Turkey cock. When the tail is spread, the white u under
tail coverts are conspicuous, and remind one forcibly of the ‘white flag’
deer and antelope or of our gray rabbit. The head is then depressed and the
outstretched forward until it is about parallel with the surface of the ground;
neck tufts are elevated to a V-shape. The bright, orange-colored air-sacs on |
side of the neck, directly behind the tufts of feathers, are slowly inflated -
they reach apparently the size of a tennis-ball, when they appear like tw:
ripe oranges, one protruding from either side of the neck. The duration of th
call appears to closely coincide with the period of inflation, and seems to ne
emitted as the air enters the sac, rather than when the air is expelled. The collapse
of the sac is sudden. The sound is ventriloquial, and it is very difficult to lecate
the direction or distance whence it comes, unless the bird can be seen. A secon
sort of call is much less frequent, and closely resembles a single syllable of th
hoot of the Barred Owl. .
Another characteristic antic was a peculiar combination of a short run,
sudden jump of three to five feet into the air, and a rapid uncodrdinated flop am
scramble in the air, the bird usually alighting within ten or twenty feet of the star
ing point, but turning so as to face at least at right angles, or even in the opposil
direction from which it started. When in the air, it emits a peculiar cacophono :
call or cackle, which, when heard at a distance, gives the impression of a heat
burst of laughter. The purpose of these semi-somersault-like manoeuvers
peared to be to attract the attention of other birds, possibly even as a challen
The Heath Hen 253
for frequently they seemed to precede the somewhat pacific duels described
above. The effect of these sounds, together with the ‘tooting’ calls in the mists
which so often obtain in their habitat before sunrise, is weird in the extreme. At
4:15 A. M. on May 2, these sounds were practically continuous, without appreci-
ible interval, apparently from all directions. At 4:45 A. M. six birds could be
counted, all in sight at once. They appeared to resort to a particular clear space
sf about two acres in extent, where the antics just described were carried on. All
he birds, except one, were observed to have the orange-colored air-sacs. These
THE FIRST NEST OF THE “HEATH! HEN TO BE DESCRIBED
AND PHOTOGRAPHED
Photographed by George W. Field, June 2, 1906
were probably cocks. We saw only one bird which we suspected might be a hen.
he other hens were probably nesting, or at least had secured mates, and no
onger resorted to the promenading place. As the sun rose high the ‘tooting’
became less frequent; the birds became more restless, often flying to the neigh-
poring low oaks, nesting there until disturbed. The flight reminds one of that
tharacteristic of the Carrion Crow or Black Vulture of the south (Catharista
wriibu),—a succession of four to ten strong, rapid wing-beats, followed by a sail
if one hundred to two hundred yards on set wings; this is repeated until the bird
gain alights or passes beyond the range of vision. T he line of flight is usually
| straight line, twenty to twenty-five feet above the ground. Of our native birds,
pe manner of flight most resembles our Meadowlark. ‘
254 Bird - Lore
Thebird givesone the impression of admirable adaptation to the open country,—
a large, muscular, hardy, vigorous bird, able to withstand snow and sleet) in size
equal or even exceeding the Ruffed Grouse in weight. Inhabiting open fields
and pastures, subsisting on insects, leaves, seeds and wild berries, in a country
where the absence of foxes and raccoons reduces the numbers of its enemies prac-
tically to cats, men, skunks, field-mice and rarely some species of hawks, the
problem of maintaining and bringing back the bird to its former abundance
seems practicable.
Of the total number, twenty-one, which we observed on May 1 and 2, twenty
were plainly males; of the sex of one we were uncertain.
On June 4, a set of nine Heath Hen’s eggs was taken and placed under a ban-
tam hen, selected for this purpose because she appeared to be unusually tract-
able; but on June 20, when one of the chicks hatched it was immediately killed
by the hen, which attacked it viciously before it was entirely out of the shell. The
34 ie as. 3 re Cea t 2 . Ad _
THE HEATH HEN GROUP IN THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
The nest and eggs are shown im situ in the preceding illustration
Photographed by J. Otis Wheelock
- »
The Heath Hen 255
So ee ee
wa Heath Hen’s eggs failed to hatch, and only one contained a well-developed
embryo. After destroying the Heath Hen chick, the hen was given some pheasant
eggs, hatched them, and reared the chicks with all possible care.
_ An injured Heath Hen was received from Martha’s Vineyard, November 19,
out refused to feed, and, though placed in a pen with a tamed Ruffed Grouse,
ived only a week in the pen.
_ The only nest known to the writer was found in oak woods among sprouts
ut the base of a large stump and contained either twelve or thirteen eggs, about
une 10. William Brewster has a set of seven eggs taken July 24, 188s.
The value of the birds as a local asset was early appreciated by many of the
people, but to J. E. Howland is due the credit for initiating the action which
aises to prevent for all time the extermination of this bird. Mr. Howland
the attention of the Massachusetts Commissioners on Fisheries and Game
conditions, and a permanent guardian was located in the midst of the region
d by birds, to study their habits and to enforce the law. Amply supported
opinion, Representative Mayhew introduced a bill, placing under the
s placed under special protection. In order that the expense may be
, the legislature authorized the commissioners to take, “for and in the
ling one thousand acres, as they may deem necessary for the purpose
; fire-stops for the protection from fire of the feeding and breeding
f the Pinnated Grouse, or of otherwise securing the maintenance and
‘such Pinnated Grouse or of any other species of wild birds upon said
.” For work “incidental to these purposes, and for an investigation and
' yon the best methods and probable cost of protecting and increasing
es of birds on the island,” two thousand dollars was appropriated by
A Season’s Field Work
By FRANK M. CHAPMAN
With photographs by the author
HE niany readers of Brrp-LorEe who have expressed an interest in the
‘Habitat Groups’ of North American birds, now being prepared in the
American Museum of Natural History, may care to hear briefly of the field
work accomplished in connection with these groups during the past season. This
work can be prosecuted only during the nesting season.
The studies for this year were, therefore, planned to cover as long a nesting
period as possible, beginning with southern species which nest as early as January,
and ending with northern birds which are not concerned with domestic affairs
until July. In brief, the schedule was as follows:
March, southeastern Bahamas for Man-o’-war Birds and Boobies (Sula
leucogastra).
April, southern border of the Florida Everglades for Spoonbills and POS
May, South Carolina for White Egrets.
June, plains of Saskatchewan for Wild Geese and Grebes.
July, summits of the Canadian Rockies for Ptarmigan and other arctic-
alpine birds. )
The species of birds here included show wide variation in form and in nesting
habit, while the country in which they live,—their habitat—presents an even
greater diversity as we pass from a coral islet to a mangrove swamp or cypress _
forest, or over rolling plains to snow-clad mountain crests. The subjects selected
were thus designed to add to the zodlogical as well as the geographical instruc-
tiveness of the exhibits as a whole. : ;
A series of mishaps so prolonged the Bahaman expedition that I was pre-
vented from reaching the Everglades in time to find Spoonbills nesting, but, wi
this exception, the schedule outlined above was tolowes with eminently satis-
factory results. ‘
On March 28, with Dr. Alfred M. Mayer and Mr. George Shiras, 3d, I sailed
from Miami, Florida, for Nassau, Bahamas, aboard the 58-foot auxiliary kete hl
‘Physalia,’ belonging to the Marine Biological laboratory of the Carnegie Insti-
tution. Dr. Alfred M. Mayer, director of the laboratory, was in comman i
To Dr. Mayer’s coéperation the Museum is indebted for the success which
attended our efforts to secure material and studies for the group of Man-o’-War
Birds and Boobies; indeed, had it not been for Dr. Mayer’s skillful seaman: ship
it is probable that the expedition would not have returned. am F
Nassau was reached March 29, at midnight. Laboratory supplies were heré
landed for the use of members of the staff, who proposed to pursue their stu dies
in this vicinity, and, permission to collect the birds needed having been prom pth
granted by the Bahaman Government, we set sail for Cay Verde, March 3 3
at 7 A. M.
(256)
A Season’s Field Work 257
Cay Verde is an uninhabited islet of some forty acres area, situated on the
eastern edge of the Columbus Bank, between the Ragged Islands and Inaugua.
It is only 250 miles from Nassau, but, owing to adverse weather conditions, which
at'times threatened us with serious disaster, ten days were required for the voyage.
The absence of definite information, both as to the number of birds frequent-
ing Cay Verde and the time of their nesting, made the outcome of our trip more
or less uncertain, and the difficulties encountered in reaching this remote islet
added in no small degree to the pleasure with which we found it thickly populated
with Boobies and Man-o’-war Birds, whose nesting season was at its height. 4
eee eee ee ee ee ee a he
CAMP ON CAY VERDE
The birds-in the air are Boobies
_ There is no harbor at Cay Verde, and, fearing that we might be forced by
We estimated that there were about three thousand Boobies and five hundred
- Man-o’ -war Birds on Cay Verde. The Boobies nested on the ground, the Man-o’-
“war Birds in the dense thickets of sea-grape and cactus. ‘Some nests contained
re, presented an epitome of the whole nesting season.
The Boobies were remarkably tame, our intrusion occasioning surprise and
258 Bird - Lore
resentment rather than fear. One could walk among them as one would through
a poultry yard, examining the nests and their occupants without attempt at con-
cealment.
The Man-o’-war Birds were more suspicious, but still were approached
without difficulty. Under these circumstances photographs and specimens were
CYPRESSES IN WHICH WHITE EGRETS WERE NESTING
The blind from which the birds were studied may be seen in the upper right-hand
corner of the picturé
easily secured, and at the end of three days satisfactory material was collected
for the proposed group. A much larger period would be required to make ade-
quate studies of the life of this bird community. Cay Verde was left April 11, and,
after encountering the usual unfavorable conditions and some mishaps, we arrived
at Miami April 29.
It being now too late to do the work planned for southern Florida, I pro=
A Season’s Field Work 259
.
ceeded to South Carolina, being joined by Mr. J. D. Figgins of the Museum’s
department of preparation, and by Bruce Horsfall, the artist, who has so success-
cessfully painted many of the backgrounds of the groups already completed.
It has long been our desire to include the White Egret in the series of ‘ Habitat
Groups,’ but plume hunters have brought this bird so near the verge of extermi-
nation that our efforts to find a ‘rookery’ in which suitable studies might be made
had been fruitless. However, in February, 1907, information was received of
the existence of a colony of Egrets on a large game preserve in South Carolina,
where the Museum was readily granted permission to make the necessary studies
and collections. On our arrival, every facility in the way of transportation,
guides, etc., was accorded us.
When the ground in which the rookery is situated was acquired by the club
now owning it, plume hunters had nearly exterminated the aigrette-bearing
Herons which formerly inhabited it in large numbers. A few had escaped, and,
after seven years of protection, they have formed one of the largest colonies of this
much persecuted bird now existing in the United States. Six other species of
Herons were found nesting with the White Egrets, the whole making a rookery
such as existed commonly in the days of Audubon, but which in the United States
are now almost unknown.
A former ‘plumer,’ now chief warden in charge of the preserve, stated that
both the little White or Snowy Egret and the Roseate Spoonbill were once found
in the region, but their complete annihilation left no stock which, under pro-
WHITE EGRET AND YOUNG
| Made from the blind shown in the preceding picture
{
260 Bird - Lore
tection, might prove the source of an ever-increasing progeny. It is doubtful if
these birds could be introduced, but, in any event, the preservation of the White
Egret alone is a sufficient cause for thanksgiving, and bird-lovers will learn with
gratification of the existence of an asylum where this beautiful creature will long
be assured .of a haven of refuge.
The Egrets were nesting high in the cypress trees growing in a lake several
miles in length. In order, therefore, to make the photographic studies so essen-
tial to the taxidermist in securing life-like poses for his subjects, as well also, as, to
RINGED- BILLED AND CALIFORNIA GULLS, ‘CRANE LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN
learn something of the Egrets’ little-known home life, the artificial umbrella-bl
employed on many previous occasions was placed fifty feet up in a cypress tr
and draped with Spanish ‘moss’ (Twllandsia). From it photographs of the bi
nesting in neighboring trees were eventually made.
The surroundings here were of great beauty, and Mr. Horsfall’s coral
made studies will no doubt enable him to reproduce i in his background the sing !
charm of a flooded cypress forest. :
On June 5, accompanied by Mr. L. ALF uertes, as artist, I left New York:
Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, on the line of the Canadian Pacific railway. T
is a region of rolling plains dotted with lakes and ponds, which, when the wat
is not too alkaline, support in their shallower parts a dense growth of rushes,
the home of Grebes, Coots, Bitterns, Franklin’s Gulls, Ruddy, Red-head
‘A Season’s Field Work 261
and Canvas-back Ducks. About ‘the grassy borders of the lakes and sloughs,
Mallards, Gadwalls, Pintails, Widgeon, Blue-winged Teal and ‘other Ducks
nested. These species were also found on islands in the lakes where alone the
Wild Goose was known to nest, while some small islets were virtually covered
by hosts of Gulls and Pelicans.
On the prairies, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwits and Bartramian
Sandpipers laid their eggs. The region has well been called the nursery of wild
fowl, as at one time were our border states to the south. But the advance of civili-
zation, which first transforms a buffalo range to a cattle country, and later to a
CAMP AT PTARMIGAN PASS
wheat ranch, has already reached the early stages of its agricultural development
about Maple Creek, and the forced retreat of the wild fowl to the more remote
north is only a question of time. The Canadian Government would do well to
set aside some of its still unsettled lands as permanent breeding reservations, to
which each year, the water-fowls could return to nest. Such reservations would
in truth be nurseries, and, in permitting a bird to reproduce, would be of infin-
itely more importance than preserves which afford protection only during the
winter.
Near Maple Creek, materials were secured for groups of Wild Geese, Western
and Eared Grebes, the Long-billed Curlew and Bartramian Sandpiper, due
permission having first been received from the chief game guardian of the Province.
The lack of timber and of drinking water made this region poor camping-ground,
262 Bird - Lore
and, while hunting and collecting, we were given quarters with Mr. Andrew Scott
on Crane Lake and with the Messrs. Baynton on Big Stick Lake. To these
gentlemen we are indebted not alone for entertainment but for much practical
assistance.
July 2, we resumed our western journey in search now of those arctic birds which
on the alpine summits of the Rocky Mountains find congenial surroundings.
After inquiry at various places, we decided to camp near the Ptarmigan Lakes,
where we were informed the birds we wanted could be found. Saddle and pack-
MR. FUERTES ABOUT TO STROKE A WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN
ON ITS NEST
The bird left the nest a moment later
horses and a guide were secured at Laggan, and on July 8, we encamped near
timber-line, here at an altitude of 7,500 feet, just below the entrance to Ptarmi-
gan pass.
The alpine spring was at its height. The wet sichAeae from which the snow |
had but lately disappeared were yellow with buttercups, the bordersof the rapidly —
shrinking snowbanks were starred with large white alpine anemones; on the ‘
drier slopes heath and heather bloomed luxuriantly, and the rocks were covered ‘
with flowering Dryas. The lakes were still ice-bound, the mercury reached the
freezing point nightly, and we experienced storms of snow and sleet, our tent,
one morning, being stiff with ice. a
Bird-Lore’s Eighth Christmas Bird Census 263
Our work in this indescribably picturesque region was unexpectedly suc-
cessful, specimens of birds and plants and a large number of photographs being
obtained. Furthermore, the view from the heather-grown home of the Ptarmigan,
hich will form the actual foreground of our group southward through the Ptar-
migan pass, was, even in this land of sublime scenery, of exceptional grandeur.
The successively fainter timber-clad shoulders of the gap leading to the Bow
ley are backed by Mt. Temple towering impressively, the central peak on
horizon marked, to the east, by the spire-like summits of the mountains
yout Moraine lake and to the west by Hungakee, Lefroy, and Victoria.
_ The tourists who climb these mountains or penetrate the valleys lying between
m, may obtain a far more striking view of the range by crossing the Bow river
Laggan and ascending the mountains to the north, in which the studies for
our Ptarmigan group were made.
Bird-Lore’s Eighth Christmas Bird Census
HE plan of reporting one’s observations afield on Christmas Day has met
with such cordial and practical endorsement by bird students throughout
- the country that Brrp-Lore’s Christmas Bird Census may now be con-
a fixed event, which increases in interest as the accumulating records give
al material for comparison. From a total of 25 lists received in 1900, it —
wn to 135 lists in 1906.
1 ence to the February, 1901-1907 numbers of Brrp-Lore will acquaint
the nature of the report of the day’s hunt which we desire; but to those
m none of these issues is available, we may explain that such reports
int of returning. "Then should be given, in the order of the A. O. U.
-List,’ a list of the species seen, with exactly, or approximately, the number
lividuals of each species recorded. A record should read, therefore, some-
ut as follows:
Yonkers, N. Y. Time, 8 A. M. to 12M. Clear, ground bare; wind west, light ;
perature 38°. Herring Gull, 75. Total,—species,— individuals.— J AMEs GATEs.
4 e records will be published in the February issue of Brrp-Lore, and
| itis particularly requested that they be sent the editor (at the American Museum
Nat al History, New York City) not later than December 28. It will save
e editor much clerical labor if the model here given and the order of the A. O. U.
ck-List be closely followed.
The Migration of Flycatchers
FIRST PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
H in the Biological Survey
With drawings by Louis AGAssiz FUERTES and BrucrE HORSFALL
butions on the migrations of Warblers and of Thrushes will be gratified
to learn that with the kind permission of the Biological Survey this valu-
able series will be continued with a similar treatment of the Flycatchers. The
unrivalled amount of data which Professor Cooke has at his disposal gives to
these papers a value and interest readily appreciated by all field students of
bird-life.—Ep.
FR ribo of Brrp-LorE who are familiar with Professor Cooke’s contri-
SCISSOR- TAILED FLYCR OE
The winter home of the Scissor-tailed F lycatcher i is in Central America and
Mexico, from which region it enters the United States in March. The average
date of arrival near San Antonio, Texas, is March 21, and the earliest, March 16,
1904. The bird is one of the most uniform species in its dates of arrival from year
to year. During fifteen years of observation, it reached San Antonio for five years
on March 21, and for eleven years within two days of this average date.
‘southern Texas the average date of arrival is ‘March 18, the earliest being March
12, 1898. The average date in northern Texas is March 26, the earliest being
March 21, 1876. Thus, the species, on the average, is only eight days in crossin
the great state of Texas, or an average of more than fifty miles per day—a speec
almost twice as great as the average of birds in the southern United States.
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is one of the few birds whose progress can bt
measured in this way, from southern Texas to the northern part of the state, fo
the reason that it migrates from its winter home to its breeding range by a lan
route through Mexico, while some other species that fly across the Gulf of Mexic
to Texas appear in northern Texas as early as they are seen along the Rio Grand
The Scissor-tail is most common in eastern Texas, fairly common in souther
Oklahoma, and ranges north to southern Kansas. The journey from Texas 10
Kansas is usually made during the first ten days of April. a
The return movement begins in August, and the greater number leave f
United States in September. The last bird at Winfield, Kansas, was seen Se
tember, 26 1902. In northern Texas, the average is October 11, the late
October 18, 1888. In central Texas, the average is October 18, the latest, Oc ot
20, 1892. a y
A few enter Louisiana, and they have been noted as arriving at New Orlea
March 25, 1894; the latest record being near Kenner, Louisiana, October 6, t é
The Scissor-tail is one of the greatest of wanderers. While its regular hot
(264)
‘ The Common Names of North American Birds 265
extends from eastern Louisiana to southern Missouri, central Kansas and south
to central Texas, it has been noted as an accidental visitant in twelve of the
United States and three Canadian provinces, from Florida and Colorado to New
Brunswick and Hudson Bay.
VERMILION FLYCATCHER
_ This species winters in Mexico, so near the United States boundary that it
sometimes appears in February (San Antonio, Texas, February 8, 1890; Oracle,
outhern Arizona, February 25, 1899). Usually, however, it enters Texas a month
iter, and the northern limit of the ordinary range, which is about at San Antonio,
s reached the latter part of March. About the same time the birds enter their
reeding grounds in the lower mountain valleys of Arizona. A few wander in
winter to southern California, as far northwest as Ventura county. Stragglers
ave been taken in southwestern Utah, May 13, 1891, and in northwestern
Florida, March 25, rgor.
The Common Midhen of North American Birds
'N preparing its ‘Check-List of North American Birds? the Committee
| appointed by the American Ornithologists’ Union showed excellent judg-
~ ment in the selection of the ‘common’ or English names for our birds.
Wi ith few exceptions the names adopted have met with general approval and are
in almost universal use. In this period of biblio-zodlogical activity little is
left of the scientific nomenclature of the first (1886) edition of the ‘Check-
Bp, wnereas the English names, not being subject to nomenclatural rules, have
ved far more stable than the technical ones. Winter Wren, for example, is
il Winter Wren, though from 1886 to 1907 it has been known as Tvroglodytes
iemalis, Anorthura hiemalis, Olbiorchilus hiemalis and Nannus hiemalis.
Only the specialist keeps informed of these changes, but the name Winter Wren
ntelligible to all concerned. The consistent use of the English names of the
ck-List’—and in Brrp-Lore we try to employ these names consistently—
srs unnecessary for purposes of identification the use of the technical name.
1e forthcoming edition of the ‘Check-List,’ therefore, it is hoped that the
O. U. Committee will make only such changes in the common names of our
as seem to be absolutely necessary. Where, however, the attempt to secure
adoption by the public of names given in the original edition of the ‘Check-
V (e.g. Bartramian Sandpiper, House Finch, Wilson’s Thrush) has failed,
me most commonly used should be accepted for the new ‘Check-List.’
1, certain ‘Check-List’ names are so obviously inapplicable (e. g. Louisiana
, Magnolia Warbler, Palm Warbler) that a change seems desirable.
f Beisject is eminently one for popular discussion and Brrp-LoRE will be
d to print the views of its readers.—Ep.
Potes from Fic and Study
Photographing a Loon
When I arrived at Spencer Bay,
Moosehead Lake, last June, I was told
that there was a Loon’s nest on a small
island three miles down the bay. The
birds, they said, were in the habit of nest-
ing there each summer. A few days later
I was rowing around this island to find
a landing-place, and was greatly surprised
to see the old Loon, which I imagined far
out on the lake, come scrambling out
from under a pile of logs and dive into
the water.
a bird which afterward gave me no little
This was my introduction to
excitement when I attempted to take its
picture.
My first chance to photograph the Loon
presented itself two weeks afterward, as
my guide and I were paddling down the
bay on our way to a neighboring pond.
The Loon’s island lay directly in our
course, and, remembering my previous
experience with the bird, I suggested that
we try to photograph him. When we were
within fifty yards of the island, I arranged
the camera for an exposure at fifteen feet.
The guide then paddled quietly up toward
the place where I had seen the Loon dive
into the water. Nearer and nearer we
approached, until it seemed as if the Loon
was not there, and that we were to be dis-
appointed. Suddenly, with a great com-
motion, the old bird came scrambling
off the nest and dove into the lake, as
before splashing water right into the
canoe, and startling me to such an extent
that I hardly had enough presence of
mind left to press the bulb.
Our calculations were upset completely
by the bird’s sudden retreat at the last
minute. We had no idea that he would
allow us to approach as near as we did.
The camera was focused at fifteen feet,
'
o? +5, “28 3
ac.
s
— “one i. ae
LOON LEAVING ITS NEST
Note how the white neck-ring seems to cut the bird’s head off; an apparently conspicuous
mark, which, in effect, renders the bird less evident.
Photographed by John S, Perry
(266)
Notes from Field and Study
PEARS EATEN
and, as a matter of fact, when the ex-
posure was made, I could not have been
five feet from my subject. It is no wonder
then that the negative, upon develop-
ment, showed only a gigantic splash and
no Loon.
The experience gained from our first
attempt, together with good luck, enabled’
us, in our second, to secure a picture,
which, considering the subject, might be
‘ealled a success. We employed the same
tactics as before, except that we kept
further out from the shore, and, having
gained respect for the old fellow’s rapidity
of motion, set the shutter speed at one
hundred and twenty-fifth of a second.
This time, the Loon, when we started
him, did not immediately dive into the ©
‘Water, but skirted the shore for a’ few
feet, and, in so doing, gave me a better
Opportunity to expose my film at the
right moment. How well I succeeded
may be judged by looking at the picture
itself.
I afterward attempted .to photograph
the Loon on the nest by means of a set
Camera, but was unsuccessful. The
Camera may not have been hidden skil-
fully enough to deceive so wary a bird as
the Great Northern Diver. But another
‘reason for my failure has been suggested
to me by hearing the guides declare that
in hot weather the Loon often leaves her
nest for a long time, relying upon the hot
267
BY STARLINGS
sun to keep the eggs warm. I am inclined
to doubt this, and think that the cause of
my not getting the picture was due to the
extreme shyness of the bird.—Joun S.
PERRY, Troy, N. Y.
The Starling Eats Pears
In the early morning of October 17,
1907, the pleasing notes of Starlings were
heard in a large pear tree close to the
window of my home at New Brighton,
Staten Island. I looked out cautiously
and saw three Starlings engaged in eating
the ripe pears. They were very noisy
about it, and each seemed to think that
the pears being devoured by the other two
were better than its own, and they accord-
ingly changed places several times. In a
few minutes a large portion of each pear
had been devoured, and the Starlings flew
away. All the time they were busy, several
House Sparrows sat within a foot or two,
looking on, and, as on previous occasions,
I observed that they had no fear of the
Starlings. However, they knew better
than to molest these comparatively new
comers, and seem to be treated with indif-
ference by the Starlings.
When the birds were gone, I climbed
the tree and procured two of the pears,
and it will be seen from the photograph
that they were quite destroyed. Under the
tree I found two other pears that had evi-
268
dently been eaten on a previous occasion.
These fallen pears are quickly covered by
Prenolepis ants, that may sometimes get
. the credit for the destruction first com-
menced by the Starlings. When critically
examined, however, the work of the birds
is very unlike that of the ants.
It is with regret that I present this pho-
tograph and damaging evidence, for it
would be much pleasanter to say a wholly
good word for the cheery-voiced Starling
that adds so much to the interest of our
rambles in town and country. Personally,
I am quite willing to give the Starlings
some pears in exchange for their enter-
tainment, nor do we begrudge the few
cherries that our native Robin eats every
summer.
Mr. Clifford H. Pangburn has men-
tioned, in the expressions of- opinion
regarding the Starling printed in the last
number of Brrp-LoRE, that he has seen
them eating decayed pples in winter;
and Mr. James Chapin, referring to Mr.
Heineken’s published note, gives an
account of the bird on Staten Island;
but, to be strictly impartial, the pear-
eating habit should be added in evidence.
—Wso. T. Davis, New Brighton, Staten
Island.
Bird-
‘only to show what nature will do without
Lore
A Contribution to the Subject
of Bird Surgery
It is a well-known fact that at the close
of the wild-fowl shooting season there are
present a greater or less number of what
sportsmen term ‘cripples.’ These are
usually wing-broken birds which, de-
prived of the power of flight, are unable
to join their more fortunate comrades in
the return to a northern nesting-ground.
Such birds are not known to breed, and,
handicapped by the loss of flight, they
generally fall prey to some enemy before
the return of another shooting season.
The American Museum of Natural His-
tory has been presented with the humerus
(reproduced herewith) of a Duck which
met this fate. Attached to the bone is a
label which reads: *‘ Wing-bone of a Shell
Drake, broken in December, 1891, at the
head of River Pond by J. B. Payne of
Smithtown, L. I. The bird escaped by
crawling under a bog where he could not
be reached. It was seen occasionally dur-
ing the winter, and finally shot on March,
9, 1892, by A. W. Payne of Brooklyn, while
in my company. The bird did not attemp ;
Ce)
to fly when found the last time. This is
the aid of surgery.’’ (Signed) J. B. Payne.
OS aon Sn ie Sets ie ne
HUMERUS OF A MERGANSER WHICH HAD BEEN BROKEN BY
A second shot may be seen embedded in the right end of the bone
Ret
i ays
des ae era AS
Notes from Field and Study
‘**Nature, ”’ as will be seen
from an examination of the specimen,
made a very poor job of it. The growth
of new bone is indeed remarkable, but, far
from joining the ends of the fractured bone,
it has forced them apart, rendering the
wing useless, so far as flight is concerned.
The bone appears to be large for a
Merganser, but without commenting on
its size or the pathologic aspects of the
case, I present it as an authentic instance
an which a bird with a broken wing was
evidently unable to set it. The usual fate
of the crippled birds, referred to above,
however,
269
their efforts to attract the birds around
their homes. In the work in nature-study
in the public schools of this city, the chil-
dren have been encouraged to feed the birds
in winter, and to provide nesting-boxes in
the spring. But the almost universal
report comes from the children that what-
ever they try to do for the birds proves of
little avail on account of the interference
of the English Sparrows. : If food is put out,
the Sparrows devour it and drive away
the other birds: when nesting boxes are
put up, the Sparrows occupy them at once.
or, after other birds have begun to build
YOUNG HOUSE WREN JUST LEAVING A NEST WHICH HAS NOT
BEEN MOLESTED BY THE ENGLISH SPARROW
eads to the conclusion that this is only
one of many similar cases, and raises the
inquiry if, as has been recently asserted,
birds can and do set their leg-bones when
broken, why do they not also employ their
alleged surgical abilities in the repair of a
far more important part of their anatomy ?
~-Frank M. Cuapman, Englewood, N. J.
The Fallacy of the Moving Bird-house
The English Sparrow has proven itself,
in this locality, a quarrelsome, trouble-
making nuisance, driving away our native
birds and discouraging the children in
quarrel with the first inmates till they are
driven away, so that the children are dis-
couraged from making further efforts.
As this activity of the children in doing
something for the birds is an important
factor in the child’s development, the
author has sought for several years for
some clue as to how the discouraging inter-
ference of the Sparrows might be avoided.
Various devices in the method of con-
structing the bird-houses have been tried,
but with no avail. Last year the author
saw a suggestion which he hoped might
prove successful, namely, that if the house
were suspended the Sparrows would not
270
use it. In order to give this matter a fair
test, the codperation of the children was
sought in those sections of the city where
any native birds still remained. The
matter was explained to the elder children
of the schools, and they were asked to sus-
pend their bird-houses by a spring or wire
and to notice whether the English Spar-
rows interfered with them.
In the fall, statistics were obtained from
the children concerning the results. Re-
ports were received from 33 moving
houses. In 26 of them birds began to nest,
including 12 Bluebirds, 12 House Wrens,
3 Robins, 1 English Starling, and 6 English
Sparrows. Of these six, two pairs reared
their young, and others doubtless would
have done so had they not been driven
away bythe children. Of the other twenty
birds, only six reared their young. Of the
fourteen that did not complete their nesting,
six were driven away by the Sparrows. Of
the six which did rear their young, three
were attacked by the Sparrows, but were
able to defend themselves successfully.
These experiences indicate that the
moving house is a failure as a means of
outwitting the English Sparrow. Indeed,
much less difficulty was reported from
the stationary houses. Out of 27 from
which reports were received, birds began
to build in 24 and successfully reared their
young in 15, including 8 Bluebirds, 5
House Wrens, 1 Robin and 1 English
Sparrow. Three pairs of Sparrows began to
build, and three pairs of birds which had
begun to nest were driven out by the Spar-
rows. As far as the author’s own experi-
ence goes, the Sparrows seem to show a
preference for the stationary house; but
these reports indicate that the preference
is a slight one, and that they quickly avail
themselves of an opportunity to occupy a
moving house ‘if no others are near.
The majority of reports indicated that
the Sparrows drove away the other birds
simply from the generally quarrelsome
nature of this troublesome nuisance, as,
in most cases, the Sparrows did not remain
to nest after driving out the first inmates.
In some instances, the Sparrow inter-
fered with the House Wren, although the
Bird -
Lore
openings were made so small that the
Sparrows could not enter the house. They
were reported as remaining near the box
and worrying the Wrens as they were
bringing nesting material, till the Wrens
deserted the nest.
In all the author’s experience, the Eng-
lish Sparrow has proven an unmitigated
nuisance, and, apparently, the only effec-
tive way of getting rid of it is by use of
the rifle or shotgun, although this method
cannot, of course, be ‘recommended to
the children.
The only kind of nesting-box which the
author has used, the inmates of which
have never been troubled by the Sparrows,
is one made of an old tomato can with a
circle of wood, containing an inch hole,
fitted into one end. The opening is so
small and the house is so insignificant that,
apparently, it seems beneath the notice
of the Sparrow. A brood of Wrens has
been reared in this for four successive
seasons, and, during one summer, two
broods were reared. Possibly, this might
be a little safer from the attacks of the
Sparrow if it were suspended by a wire.
Has any one found a successful method
of outwitting the Sparrow other than kill-
ing it, which. might be recommende
to the use of the children?—GmILBERT
H. TRaAFtTon, Supervisor of Nature Stud
Passaic, N. J.
Robins Nesting in Bird-houses
Five cases have been reported to the
writer of the Robin’s beginning to build
in bird-houses, and one case of their suc
cessfully rearing their young. Three 6
these were in moving, and two in station-=
ary houses. As these were the first cases)
of this kind to which the attention of th
author had ever been called, he took
special pains to investigate each case as|
much as could be done in the fall, and ht
was convinced that in two instances, a’
least, the reports had been correct. TI
will be worth while for students to expe
ment with houses containing openir
large enough to allow the Robin to enter!
—GILBERT H. TRAFTON, Passaic, N.
Book News and Reviews
_ FuErRTEs’ ‘CALENDAR OF GAME BIRDS.’
—While the printing of an artistically
designed little statement of days and
_ months on each of the large sheets (18 x 14
_in.) to which Mr. Fuertes’ beautiful draw-
ings are attached, makes this publication
a ‘calendar,’ it might better be known as
an album or seabed of paintings of birds
_in nature.
| The species represented are the Can-
vasback, Willow Ptarmigan in winter
din summer, King Rail, Sandhill Crane,
Ruffed Grouse, Wood Duck, Upland
‘Plover,’ Bob-white, Mallard, Wild Tur-
key and Wild Goose. Acknowledged to
be America’s leading ornithological por-
trait painter, Fuertes has here reached
a higher plane than that in which his
awings show only the bird. In these
rawings he has placed his bird in the
ndscape, and the result is not merely
portrait but a picture.
*calendar’ has been forgotten, these admir-
ably reproduced paintings will continue
to appeal to the nature-lover, who will
appreciate the spirit of the bird and season
ey so strongly convey, while the lover of
beautiful will be attracted by their
istic excellence. The Calendar may be
ained from its publishers, Moffat,
d &Co., or from L. A. Fuertes, Ithaca,
EM. c.
EATHERED GAME OF THE NORTH-
EAST. By WALTER H. RicH. With
Salustrations by the Author. New York.
| Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 8vo. xvi+
| 432 pages. Colored frontispiece. 82
7 Be pase half-tones.
Practically all the Galline, Limicele,
allide and Anatide of northeastern
d States are treated in this volume,
1 nearly every species is illustrated.
' e writing chiefly from the sports-
n’s point of view, the author shows a
tu alist’s interest in his subject, and
= information is given concerning
> habits of those birds whose misfortune
Long after this’
[. Y. The price, carriage paid, is $3. 5°. =
it is to be ranked as game. The book there
fore admirably supplements those works
which treat only of the land birds of the
northeastern States.—F. M. C.
ALBUM DE AVES AMAZONICAS. ORGANI-
SADOPELO PROFESSOR Dr. EmILio A.
GOELDI. . . . Desenhos do Ernesto
Lohse. Supplemento illustrativo <A’
Okra ‘Aves do Brazil.’ pelo Dr. Emilio
A. Goeldi.
With the issue of the third part, this
important work is concluded. Designed
to illustrate Dr. Goeldi’s ‘ Birds of Brazil,’
this album is also issued separately. It
contains, in all, 48 quarto plates and illus-
trates 420 species, in many instances, both
sexes being figured. The birds are excep-
tionally well drawn and, as a rule, satis-
factorily colored, and, notwithstanding
the fact that from ten to fifteen species are
often placed on a single plate, they are so
tastefully grouped as to produce a pleas-
ing effect. Dr. Goeldi should be congratu-
lated on his choice of an artist. No other
work contains so large a number of
colored illustrations of South American
birds. We have here then an adequate
pictorial exposition of one of the most
remarkable of avifaune. This series. of
plates framed would make a capital mu-
seum exhibit where funds were lacking to
secure specimens of the birds themselves.
The ‘Album’ was projected while Dr.
Goeldi was director of the Museum Goeldi
at Para. Since his resignation Dr. Goeldi
has resided in Berne, Switzerland, where
he may be addressed for further informa-
tion.—F. M. C.
ABSTRACT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE
LINNAEAN Society. Nos. 17-19, 1904-
07. Containing a List of the Birds of
Long Island, N. Y. By WiriiaAM C.
BRAISLIN, M.D.
From an average attendance of nine-
teen in 1903, the number has arisen to
thirty-four for the year ending March 12,
1907, and the figures are indicative of the
increased interest which has been shown in
(271)
272
the meetings of the LinneanSociety. Stand-
ing for the more popular phases of natural
history, particularly for field studies of the
local fauna, the Society is deserving of
far greater support from local natural-
ists than it now receives.
Dr. Braislin’s paper occupies pages
31-123, bringing together for the first time
the information in regard to the occurrence
of birds on Long Island which has been
gathered, most of it, by Linnean mem-
bers, since the publication of Giraud’s
book in 1844. The number of species
listed is 364; but, subtracting two extinct
and three introduced species and 2 (Acto-
dramas coopert. and Aigialitis meloda
circumcincta) that have no standing, we
have 356 as the number of birds properly
to be accredited to Long Island.
Dr. Braislin’s list is authoritative; his
annotations are to the point; references
and exact migration dates are liberally
given, and we wish he had also presented
an analytical synopsis of the Long Island
avifauna together with remarks on the
confines of the faunal areas represented.—
F. M. C.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE BUREAU
OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRI-
CULTURE.
Each publication of the Biological Sur-
vey increases the indebtedness of orni-
thologists to this Bureau.
Sentiment is admirable in its place, but
its place is assuredly not legislative halls,
and, when the advocate of bird-protec-
tive measures appears before committees
of Senate or Assembly, facts, not esthet-
ics, win him a hearing.
The increasing number of facts in re-
gard to the economic value of birds, gath- _
ered by trained specialists who are ac-
knowledged authorities in their particular
branches, which the Biological Survey is
each year making accessible, form the most
effective arguments which can be presented
when urging the birds’ claims to our
attention.
Among the recent economic publica-
tions of the Survey, each one of which,
through distribution or republication,
Bird -
Lore
should have the widest possible circula
tion, are: Circular No. 56, ‘Value of Swal-
lows as Insect Destroyers,’ by H. W.
Henshaw; Circular No. 57, ‘Birds Useful
in the War Against the Cotton-Boll
Weevil,’ by H. W. Henshaw; Bulletin
No. 29, ‘The Relation of Birds to the
Cotton-Boll Weevil,’ by Arthur H. Howell;
and ‘Birds that Eat Scale Insects’ (reprint
from Yearbook of Department of Agricul-
ture for 1906), by W. L. McAtee.
The Survey has also published a re-
port, by Henry Oldys, on ‘Cage-birds
Traffic of the United States’, in which it
appears that the once large traffic in Amer-
ican birds for ‘pets’ has been suppressed, —
and that for the year ending June 30, 1906,
we imported 322,297 cage-birds, of which .
274,914 were Canaries and 47,383 various
species, chiefly of wild birds.
The Survey’s Department of Game
Preservation, under the efficient care of
Dr. T. S. Palmer, continues its good —
offices in unifying the work of game pro-_
tectors by the publication of the follow-
ing papers: Bulletin No. 28, ‘Game Com-
missions and Wardens, Their Appoint-
ment, Powers and Duties,’ by R. W.
Williams, Jr., a book of nearly 300 pages;
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 308, ‘Game Laws
for 1907,’ by T. S. Palmer, Henry Oldys
and Chas. E. Brewster; a tabular cha
showing the ‘Close Seasons for Game in
the United States and Canada,’ by T.. S.
Palmer and Henry Oldys; Circular No.
62, ‘Directory of Officials and Organi-
zations Concerned with the Prote
mer; from the Yearbook for 1906,
Game Warden of Today,’ by R. W. Wi
liams, Jr.; and ‘Game Protection in 1906
by T. S. Palmer.—F. M. C.
Vermont Brrp CLus, BULLETIN No. ;
Burlington, Vt., July, 1907-8vo., 35 page
The first and most important paper
this Annual Bulletin is by Mrs. E. |
Davenport, on the ‘Birds of Windha
and Bennington Counties.’ An_ int
duction conveys a clear impression of #
leading physiographic and botanic fe
tures of the region, and is followed by
briefly annotated list of 176 species. T
™
Book News and Reviews
list is based on long-continued observa-
tion, and has evidently been prepared
with a thoroughness which will make it a
guide for future workers as well as of
unusual reference value.
Mr. Carlton D. Howe’s ‘Problems of
_the Vermont Bird Club’ may be profit-
ably read by others who have similar
_ problems at heart. G. H. Ross describes
_ the ‘Nesting of the Winter Wren.’ An
excellent paper by Miss Isabel M. Pad-
_ dock, in whose untimely death not only
the Vermont Club but the science of
_ ornithology has suffered a severe loss, is en-
titled ‘Our Thrushes and Their Songs,’
and is accompanied by musical: notations.
Abstracts of other papers are ‘Notes
from a Bird Table,’ by Marion Boll; ‘A
Warbler Guest,’ by Emily L. and Susan
PE. Clark; ‘Some Bird Acquaintances,’
a y Emma E. Drew. There is 2 report of
‘the New England Federation of Natural
‘History Clubs, by Miss Delia I. Griffin,
_of the Club’s Field Meetings, and there
are Bird Notes from various sources.
_—F. M.C.
4 BE cet osierrs AUDUBON SOCIETY’S
CALENDAR FOR 1908.—The Massachu-
‘setts Audubon Society has reissued the
ITE Te rE
Be
|
1906 and 1907 in two Calendars for
1908. Each contains six plates; one illus-
‘tra tes the Pine Grosbeak, Saw-whet Owl,
|Catbird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, King-
fi sher, and Blue Jay, the other, the
Bi ick-throated Blue Warbler, Canadian
dir , Blackpoll and Myrtle Warbler.
_ The plates were printed in Japan from
blocks made expressly for this purpose, and
are tastefully mounted on cards 9% x 14}
inches, with descriptive text on the back.
_ The price of each Calendar is $1.50,
and orders should be sent to the Society
, ene Boston Society of Natural History.
‘The Ornithological Magazines
Tue AuK.—A great bird catastrophe
is recorded in the opening pages of the
October ‘Auk’ by Dr. Thos. S. Roberts.
JA et of Lapland Longspurs overtaken,
273
while migrating, by a wet snowstorm on
the night of March 13-14, 1904, perished
in countless thousands in Minnesota and
Iowa over an area approximating 1,500
square miles. The accompanying photo-
graphs of lake and lawn surfaces attest
the magnitude of the tragedy, and yet,
in spite of the destruction in a single
night of a million or so birds of a single
species, and this just before the breeding
season, no preceptible diminution in their
numbers has been observed, Truly, the
bad man who collects birds may take
heart!
A continuation of E. S. Cameron’s
paper on ‘The Birds of Custer and Daw-
son Counties, Montana,’ is accompanied
as usual by several fine photographs; J. F.
Ferry has ‘Further Notes from Extreme
Southern Illinois’; and A. T. Wayne offers
“Observations on Some Birds Procured
near Charleston, S. C.’ Mr. H. E. Bige-
low describes in detail the plumage of four
hybrid Mallards and Dr. W. Faxon and
Mr. H. G. Higbee have each a word to
say about recent specimens of the supposed
hybrid, Brewster’s Warbler.
The ‘Summer Birds of Southwestern
Saskatchewan’ is an illustrated tale of
the plains, by A. C. Bent,—and one well
worth the telling; for the day may not be
far distant when man, his cat, and the
House Sparrow will have ousted from this
region all species save those that can
adapt themselves to the new conditions
of civilization. With a minimum of shelter
and concentrated breeding areas, it is not
surprising that the bird population moves
out when human population moves in.
The progress of Ridgway’s, ‘Birds of
North and Middle America’ is shown by
a review of the fourth volume, and there
is an obituary of Dr. Wm. L. Ralph,
curator of the egg collection in the United
States National Museum, who died July
8, 1907.
The latest rules in the game of names,
as adopted at the Seventh International
Zoological Congress, will be found at
page 464. Everybody has always in-
sisted on playing the game according to
his own rules, and now a loud howl of
274
opposition may be expected from the esti-
mated ro per cent of dissenters who can-
not square their scientific consciences
with the heresies proposed in the new
‘Article 30.’—J.D,, Jr.
Book News
To the evergrowing list of defunct
nature magazines must be added the
name of ‘Birds and Nature,’ one of the
best known and oldest publications of
this class. In May last, the first number
of a new series was issued in a form show-
ing a marked improvement over earlier
volumes, but evidently sufficient support
was not received to warrant the issue of
further numbers.
The ‘Bleating’ or ‘Drumming’ of
Snipe (Gallinago) is the subject of an
exhaustive paper by P. H. Bahr, in the
Proceedings of the Zodlogical Society
(1907, pp. 12-35). Mr. Bahr’s experi-
ments appear to prove that the sound is
produced by the passage through the air
of the outer feather on each side of the tail
which, his observations of Gallinago
c@lestis show, are spread forward beyond
the remaining tail-feathers when the bird
is bleating. —The paper should be read by
those who propose to investigate this
subject.
Dr. T. S. Roberts contributes to ‘A
Pioneer History of Becker County, Minne-
sota’ (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.) a
compiled list of the birds of the county,
numbering 262 species. Its annotations
make it of value to the student of the
birds of the region in question. An article
on the ‘Disappearing Birds and Game-
birds of Becker County,’ by D. W.
Meeker, is included in the same volume.
Magazines which are taking an active
part in the ‘nature-fakir’ campaign
should make doubly sure that their own
columns are free from errors of statement,
the result of carelessness or inexcusable
ignorance For example, the magazine
in which President Roosevelt has, with
characteristic force, denounced those na-
ture-writers who present fiction for fact,
contains an article entitled ‘The Mystery
Bird -
Lore
of Bird-flight’ in which we are informed
with due authoritativeness that the Emu
“flies, when at all, with the greatest
difficulty ’’!
In the September issue of the Massa-
chusetts ‘Crop Report,’ Mr. E. H. For-
bush, under the title ‘Statutory Bird Pro-
tection in Massachusetts,’ reviews the
history of bird laws in Massachusetts
from 1632 to the present time, and- adds
suggestions for ‘‘needed legislation,” in
which he urges the abolition of spring and
summer shooting, the issuance of a resident
hunting license, the prohibition of the sale -
of game birds, the granting to wardens of
the right of search, and the establishment
of sanctuaries or reservations.
In the October, 1907, issue of ‘The
Museum News,’ published by the Brook-
lyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Mr.
George Cherrie, of the Museum, gives an
account of his visit to the caves of the
Guacharo (Steatornis caripensis) in the
mountains of Trinidad, which is not only
a capital story of field experience, but
adds considerably to our knowledge of
the habits of this remarkable bird.
In addition to articles of local inital
‘British Birds’ contains papers of a gen-
eral character which may be read with
profit by all ornithologists. In the Novem-—
ber issue, for example, we find the third
part of W. P. Pycraft’s suggestive study
of ‘Nestling Birds, and Some of the Pro
blems They Present’ and also the third
part of F. W. Headley’s article on ‘Wind
and Flight.’ 4
Witherby & Co., 326 High Holborn,
London, W. C., have issued a prospectu
of ‘A Monograph of the Petrels’ by F. Dt
Cane Godman. The work will be a large
quarto, issued in five parts, the first of
which will be ready in December, 1907
It will contain 105 hand-colored plates b}
Keulemans and is offered at the sub
scription price of £2, 5s per part, or £10
10s for the complete work. a
The Bulletin of the Charleston Museun
(Vol. III, No. 6, Oct. 1907) contains ;
section devoted to the local fauna, 1
which are various ornithological notes ¢
interest.
—— - Hird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
_ Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
IX Published December 1, 1907 No. 6
_. SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
nty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
__ COPYRIGHTED, 1907, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto:
Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand
HE twenty-fifth Annual Congress of
American Ornithologists’ Union will
held at the Academy of Natural Sci-
sin Philadelphia, on December 10-12.
se of us who remember the first meet-
of the Union realize with difficulty
its life extends over a quarter of the
tury in which distinctively American
_the Historical Preface to his ‘Key
forth American Birds’ (1884), Coues
the portion of this century which
then elapsed into Wilsonian, Audu-
n, and Bairdian epochs. Assuredly,
eetne epoch should be known as
Epoch of the American i a a
’ Union.
‘he present widespread interest in the
‘ly attributed to the influence exerted
Union, and every bird student
d consider it a privilege to be con-
ciate class is open to every American
ologist, and applicants for admission
Pisa all needful details from Dr. J.
Wight, Jr., treasurer of the Union, 134
st Seventy-first Street, New York City.
R. FIELD’s article on the Heath Hen,
lished in this number of Brrp-Lorg,
asizes the largely haphazard manner
lich the habits of North American
have been studied. In spite of the
Editorials
‘coos may be said to have existed.’
of birds in this country may be ©
275
fact that the Heath Hen is a species of
unusual interest and is on the verge of
extinction, no one appears to have at-
tempted to make a special study of its
life-history until Dr. Field visited it in its
home, which, by the way, is not a thou-
sand miles from one of the centers of
greatest ornithological activity in this
country. Dr. Field’s description of the
notes of the strutting Heath Hen appar-
ently shows that this eastern bird differs
from the western Prairie Hen more in
voice than in plumage. In the western bird
the ‘boom’ is a strongly accentuated boom-
ah-boom given with much apparent mus-
cular effort, the head being jerked violently
as the syllables are uttered.
WitTH this issue we publish the first of
a series of colored plates of North Ameri-
can Flycatchers. The series will doubt-
less be completed in the next volume of
Birp-Lore, and it is essential that we
decide at an early date on the next family
to be figured. A call for an expression of
opinion on this subject issued in the last
number of BirpD-LoRE leaves the matter
in doubt, and we shall be glad to receive
additional suggestions.
No ONE can glance through the annual
report of the National Association of
Audubon Societies and its allied Socie-
ties without being impressed by the scope
and importance of its work. In addition
to its legislative, protective and educa-
tional activities, the Association has
inaugurated investigations of purely orni-
thological interest. We call attention,
for example, to the report on the birds
of Bird Key in the Dry Tortugas by Dr.
Watson. The Association is to be con-
gratulated that, while acting as its warden,
Dr. Watson made the first adequate
study of the life of a bird community,
from the opening to the close of the nest-
ing season. For three months he lived
day and night with the subjects of his
researches, and we are assured that the
results of his labors, which will be pub-
lished by the Carnegie Institution, will
add much to our knowledge of bird-life.
The Audubon Societies
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
FOR DECEMBER—SIX REMINDERS
(1) Be sure that there is a heap of brush or corn-stalks somewhere about the
place. If you live near cedar woods, cut half a dozen small trees and fasten Chem
securely against a fence or shed on the south side.
If you have a pile of logs or kettle-wood at hand, thatch it loosely with either
corn-stalks, hemlock or cedar boughs,—then you will have the Winter Wren
and half a dozen other birds as permanent lodgers. Many perching birds in
winter prefer to roost upon something broad and flat, where they can hiesaets and
squat rather than perch.
(2) Be sure that your trays or tree-boxes for holding bird-food are per-
forated at the bottom, so that moisture can get through and not freeze. The
boarders will find their meals chilly enough’ without having them literally put
in cold storage.
(3) Be sure to vary the food, and when possible grind up some meat scraps —
in your meat-chopper and mix it with the cracked corn and dog-biscuit on very —
cold days and after a storm. At these times of peril, some freshly boiled pota-_
toes or rice (the usual salt being omitted) will be much appreciated. (
(4) Be sure to set a pan of water in a sunny spot every day, no matter how —
cold the weather is; there will be at least an hour when the birds will be able to”
drink.
(5) If you have undertaken to feed game birds either in natural or arti-
ficial cover that is at some distance from your house; be sure that it is done regu-
larly. A little experience will tell you how long the rations will last. If, as I hope,
you have a feeding-box for the smaller birds near the school-house, always
remember to provide an extra supply of food there on Friday, so that Sunday
need not be a fast, instead of a feast day.
(6) Be sure to begin the New Year by keeping an outdoor diary if you have
never done it before,—the best memory is treacherous. A simple book with
three days to a page will suffice. Do not write long descriptions, as these are
awkward for reference. Jot down the names of birds or other objects s
the kind of weather and any other incidents as briefly as possible. Then, wh
you open the book later on, the details will group themselves about this fram -
work of accuracy.—M. O. W.
(276)
eee
_ The Gull’s
Plumage
The Value of
Gulls to Man
THE HERRING OR HARBOR GULL
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che MPational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL. LEAFLET NO. 29.
The Sandpipers have ended their pretty courtesyings, and no longer patter
to and fro upon the beaches and river edges. The flocking Swallows have fin-
ished their fall manceuvers and left the marshes, and the Wild Goose arrows
- no more fleck the sky. But white wings are bending over the crested waves,
and the clamor of call-notes comes from bar and shore,—the high-pitched cry
of the Harbor Gull.
If there is any one kind that deserves the title of our National
_ Water Bird it is this Harbor Gull, for it is to be found in the
Northern Hemisphere wherever there is a. sufficient body of
The Gull’s
Season
4 water to yield it food. For the three or four months of the year that are its breed-
_ ing season, it may be seen only northward from Maine, the Great Lakes, Minne-
' sota and British Columbia, and in the northern parts of the Old World; but
for the rest of the year the Harbor Gulls travel southward as far
" His Journeys as Cuba on the east, and lower California on the west; and,
in Europe, southward to the Mediterranean; in great flocks
or only small groups stopping to winter as regularly in certain haunts as the
_ migrant song-birds return in spring to their old nesting-places.
The Harbor Gull, like some of its land brothers, has two changes of plumage
_ in the year. The full-grown bird in summer wears a beautiful pearl-gray cloak,
with black and white markings on the wings, all the under plumage being of
the purest silver white, of dazzling brilliancy. The bill runs straight out from
the head and is strongly hooked at the end, while the four-toed feet are webbed,
and fit the bird for resting on the water and swimming with all
the ‘ease of a Duck, though without its swiftness. In winter
plumage, the old bird’s head is streaked with gray and brown,
while the young bird of the year is generally grayish brown, streaked and spotted
on the upper parts, the breast and belly being marked with rusty brown and
gray, in the combination seen in some of our Hawks.
‘The name Herring Gull was given to this bird beforetime, because, as they
‘were originally fishermen by trade, their presence flying ve the water told
where schools of herring were to be found.
Today the schools of herring are less plentiful aha our shores, and the
value of this Gull, though greater than ever, is due to a different
source. Coming familiarly about the harbors of great cities,
frequenting the beaches after the summer throngs of pleasure-
seekers have left, the Gulls become the health-officers of the coast, gleaning not
(277)
TINO WOANVH AO ODNIVUAH
The Herring or Harbor Gull 279
only the refuse of shore and vessel but of cities as well, when the sea-going gar-
bage scows disgorge their loads
Nature never creates a useless type, and even so wise a man as our scientific
and far-seeing Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes was mistaken when he wrote of this
bird,
‘Such is our Gull; a gentleman of leisure,
Less fleshed than feathered ;—bagged you’ll find him such;
His virtue, silence; his employment, pleasure ;
Not bad to look at, and not good for much.”
This verse is doubly surprising when you realize that our medical poet must
have daily seen the Gulls at work as scavengers in the nearby Charles river.
Iti is another warning about careful seeing, for to overlook an important point
_ is as misleading as to get the habit of seeing what you would like to see in nature,
Sadie than what is there.
Of the thousands of people that see this Gull as a winter bird, compara-
_ tively few know of its home life during the season when it has left us and the
; ais breath of warm weather drives the Gulls northward.
As a Gull’s chief food is gleaned from the sea, it must nest as close as pos-
“sible to its source of supply. You can easily see that so large a bird could never
ie ‘be free from annoyance on our bathing beaches or off-shore islands that are
used as summer resorts; so, as people flocked to the shore, more
and more, the places where Gulls might nest in comfort grew
fewer and fewer, and they were driven to i remote islands like
r. 2 a oS at a oa ees at sans Fae
made into feather iia Perhaps, on one side of these, a decile: cousin of
‘the Gull, the Tern, or Sea Swallow, with its coral-red beak, would be perched
. by way of finish. Or else, soft bands made of the breast, and some of the hand-
_ somest wing-quills were used for trimming.
3 Not only were these feathers sold wholesale to the plume aches and
| ‘milliners, but people who went to the coast resorts would buy-them of the sail-
ors simply because they were pretty, without giving a thought to the lives they
. oa or of how desolate and lonely the shores would be when there were no more
_ They are very fortable birds at all times of the year, keeping in colonies
even in the breeding season, a time when song- and other land-birds pair,
and prefer to be alone. Trees are sometimes used for nesting but the ground
is the usual place. The nests, when on the ground or upon flat rocks, are built
280 | . Bird- Lore
of grass, mosses, seaweed, and bits of soft driftwood formed into a shallow
bowl. If the edges of this crumble or flatten while the birds are sitting,
they use bunches of fresh grass or seaweed to keep it in repair, with the
result that the nest is not only a very tasteful object, but=it blends perfectly
with its surroundings.
The eggs are very interesting because no two are of the same color,
being of every shade of blue and gray, from the color of summer sky and sand
to the tint of the many-colored, water-soaked rocks themselves. The markings
vary also in shape and size, and are in every shade of brown,
appl tan dig through lilac and purple, to black. The parents are very devoted
nee to their nests, and take turns in sitting. When the young are first
hatched, though covered with down, they are very weak in the neck and help-
less; but in the course of a few hours the little Gulls are strong enough to walk,
and the instinct to hide at the approach of anything strange comes to them
very suddenly, so that a Gull only three or four hours old will slip out of the
nest, and either hide beneath a few grass blades or flatten itself in the sand,
where, owing to its spotted, color-protective down, it is almost
ae ae invisible, so well does Nature care for her children—provided
that man does not interfere. When a Gull nests in a tree, how-
ever, the little birds, not feeling the same necessity for hiding, do not = to leave
the nest until the growth of their wings will let them fly. j
On the sea beaches, squids and marine refuse are fed to the young Gulls,
but where they have nested near fresh, instead of salt, water many insects gleape d
from the fields are eaten. 3
It was in the Gulls’ nesting season that the plunderers chose to go to their
island haunts, steal the eggs, and kill the parent birds, whose devotion, lik
that of the White Heron, left old the birds at the mercy of the plume hunters.
GULLS FOLLOWING GARBAGE SCOW IN NEW YORK HARBOR
The Herring or Harbor Gull 281
At the end of summer, the young, wearing their speckled suits, are able to
oin the old in flocks, and it is then that they scatter along the coast, some going
from the northern borders down to the Great Lakes. In and
about New York City, they are one of the features of the winter
: scenery; as they fly to and fro under the arches of the great
ve, and follow the ships the entire length of the harbor, and out to sea. At
they bed down so close together that in places they make a continuous
line of feathers on the waters of the reservoirs and in the sheltered coves of
he Hudson. From the banks of Riverside Park, any autumn or winter after-
so long as the channel is free from ice, they may be seen flying about
arless asa flock of domestic Pigeons.
ear what Mr. Forbush has to say of these birds of the sea-mist and spray:
he true Gull of the sea, the spirit of the salt, is a sort of feathered bell-buoy
us is of use to the sailors, as there is ample testimony to prove.
"The Gull in
the Winter
rr the sound of their clamorous voices, give warning to the mariner that he
the rocks on which they breed. Shore fishermen, enshrouded in fog,
can tell the direction of the islands on which the birds live by
watching their undeviating flight homeward with food for their
young. The keen senses of sea-birds enable them to head direct
eir nests, even in dense mist.
Navigators, approaching, their home ports during the seasons of bird
tion, welcome the appearance of familiar birds from the land.
}ea-birds must be reckoned among the chief agencies which have made
rocky or sandy islands fit for human habitation. The service performed
ds in fertilizing, soil-building, and seed-sowing on many barren islands,
s our feathered friends to the gratitude of many a shipwrecked sailor,
ho must else have lost his life on barren, storm-beaten shores.”
nd
Questions for Teachers and Students
t what season do Gulls visit your vicinity? What kind of Gulls do you find?
net > do they pass the summer? What is the difference in color between the adult
arb or Gull and that of the young, born the preceding summer? What is the range
the Harbor Gull? How are Gulls of value to man? Why were Gulls destroyed ?
‘do Gulls nest? Describe the appearance and actions of young Gulls. Of what
> are Gulls to sailors ?
The Audubon Docieties
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
.
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER 4
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City Es
“A
DIRECTORY OF THE STATE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
With names and addresses of their Secretaries
California. .....
Colorado ...
shivan denen Nee aay W. Scott Way, Box 62, Glendora.
Mrs. aicge be A. SHUTE, Capitol Building, Denver.
Mrs. WILLIAM BROWN Gover, Fairfield. |
Mrs. Wo. S. HILLEs, Delamore Place, Wilmington. 7
District t of COMBS F555 colds Wa cin Ae haute # CON eR ERY Miss HELEN P, CuiLps, Chevy Chase, Md. —
Toh lcs (Fa De NOR rate elie ae Dertcovey Uber i) ak UN wine ae Oe) OL cbse ony Irs RS. I. VANDERPOOL, Maitland. —
CQOOTBIR oo oie Sivek gp Fine Ra caw Sa slee Rew eee eee ES es haba elk Set GHIe a ee MARTIN VY. CALVIN, Augusta.
Illinois ..... diva taisisiiecivw¥omaic an smdie sation sew ae.de Cosi’: Miss Mary DRUMMOND, 208 West street, Wheaton 4
Veahiane sc lacie cy raze s ees SAR ees ORR RE ODES FLORENCE A. HowgE, 2043 Hillside Ave., Indianapolis.
WO WG TS. Gentine oo hee oe ae URE rE VCH EA Ce Doeles Mrs. WILLIAM F, PARROTT, 302 Franklin ’St., Waterloo —
Rentucky 00205 cence Sis cDe albert Be tomb se ols eens es ues Solas Miss ELLA KERR, Campbellsville.
Lainie eo os ssc scat h ao exe ee Geteeceeminet aaas's Miss ANITA PRING, 1682 Peters Ave. , New Orlea
Maine (052.252 fis oasis nen Pies RS PEAR Trains Ue tenes ARTHUR, H. Norton, 22 Elm St., Portland.
Mary OG 3 oo sins os dank sk ee eleiateos eek eeaee Miss MINNA D. STARR, 2400 N. Charles St., baltimorad
Massachusetts ............. Miss JESSIE E. KIMBALL, care Boston Society of Natural History, Boston. —
Michigatt \o.24.555.; <sccaside Jee ee aes sabe ok aeee JEFFERSON BUTLER, 411 Moffat Block, Detroit.
Mitinesota (30). 6 eae edn ae os Miss JESSIE WHITMAN, 2356 Bayless Ave., St. Paul
WRISGOGH is 5 os ara ee ee es Saas AUGUST rag 1 2516 North Fourteenth street, St. Louis. —
Nebraeeme iiss. cosa Sais Sas coca oad Meek eae ree
ss Joy Hiccins, 544 South 3oth street, Omaha.
New FIQare ire 6 pi tiscs3n awh reese pay ed vein aels enh ube yeaa BATCHELDER, Manchester.
New Jersey........ .MIss cha S. SCRIBNER, 510 E. Front street, Plainfield. —
NOW Ot ee si ce ahs ccnp vies saad Th ocean as teen tees 1ss EMMA H. Lockwoop, Scarborough a
Nortli Carolinas). oii tosis cin eona sc seas esas nugmobine satachic’s sows cuieeene T. GILBERT PEARSON, Greensboro, ;
eka TRAM Ot oso oe cotnccns Us shale bao oe eaies Mrs. A, G. LEONARD, "897 Belmont Ave., Grand Forks.
Ue ee epee cee ety Le Poe Cs BA I Miss KATHERINE RATTERMANN, 510 York street, Cincinnati.
Guishtacs <paiaiete slashes bw Meer eee La pie wee cwe ad ha eile alg isa sou ahs gi an ath ea eee Miss ALMA CARSON, Guthrie. —
Oregon 2. a eae ea EG Sh ee ee Dr. EMMA J. WELTY, 321 Montgomery street, Portland. ;
Pennsylvania ................ Miss ELIZABETH WILSON FISHER, Room 22, 524 Walnut =F Philadelphia. _
Western Pennsylvania: 56205) 66s see ba eae os Cans 5 kvice x eins Caen . MASon, Edgewood Park. —
Rhode Island........5..4...5.. oes heave se metcobd Mrs. HENRY T. GRANT, 187 Bowen street, Provid om
Bouth Carolina). eg sap eric gee ste ene aen cbse drives veces «Peele ride cues ; Martin, Columb a.
BBs MMIC 5 0 Sie coe win bud oe ¢ detrind Raa NaS Ud ead cule ERE oe coer ve PETTIGREW, Sioux Falls.
"POBMCSREO 05 E) ORicA i So tic ake (a Mlcee de SRT on AAU pita Se ee . Mrs. C. C. Connor, Ripley.
OK AN ain5ic sy Bade dbieipae Wa eine aa ee oA Sa aiele Ed irc NOP ea B. Davis, Waco
WOTIONG oooh oan ket eae rae e ee ee Miss Deryia I. GRIFFIN, Museum Natural History, St. Johnsbu
VIIa 5. ie so oig cule a petd sass seep gh Sl oes petiole aad Co's duteiok cae DE OUGH, Falls Church.
WV GBD GRON c > i yisdca hve hive 2.0 eae eles Aca 3-56 OURO OL. bua ae laren H. RIEF, 48 Maynard Building, Seattle
WHat os oF a Ais aswlaaete gs eae 65 oa Mrs. REUBEN G. THWaITRS, 260 Langdon street, Madison.
Wey OMG bs, fr. Seaiecsds Pas was Fania Oni ats teks Sider pe Ramen Mrs. CorDELIA CHIVINGTON, Lovelar be
Annual Meeting of the National
Association
The third annual meeting of the Na-
tional Association of Audubon Societies
was held October 29, in the American
Museum of Natural History, New York
City. Members were present from Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey and North Carolina.
The treasurer’s report showed that the
income of the Society during the year had
been $17,978.53 and that the expendi-
tures were $26,843.43, making a deficit
of $8,864.90. This condition arose from
(282)
the fact that legislative expenses were
very heavy during the past year, and it
was also necessary to help several of the
State Societies to carry on their local wo ‘k 3
Further, the Society received only six
months’ interest on its endowment fund,
as none of the investments of the Society
were made early enough in the year to
permit it to receive a full year’s intere: te
The Society now holds mortgage
amounting to $316,000 on six pieces —
New York City property. Each title is
guaranteed by a Title Guarantee Com
pany. None of the loans exceeds two-
thirds of the appraised value; the
es being certified to by the most con-
tive and well-known appraisers in
York City. All of the loans pay 5
cent interest and are non-taxable.
e President gave a synopsis of what
id been accomplished during the year
and outlined some of the plans for
For details of his report, together
1e reports of the State Audubon
and other matters ‘of ‘interest,
are referred to the complete report
ows in this number of Brirp-
After December 15, members of
ation can receive separates of
report and financial statement
tion at the office, 141 Broadway,
City.
wing Directors were elected
for a period of five years, being
of 1912: Mr. F. M. Chapman,
+k; Mr. Witmer Stone, Pennsyl-
r. Hermon C. Bumpus, New
‘rederic A. Lucas, Brooklyn;
n D. Howe, Vermont.
approving the work of the
Bureau of Biological Sur-
1g upon Congress to amplify
the said Bureau, was unani-
and it was further resolved
e send a copy of the reso-
sry member of the next Con-
ly a meeting of the Directors
y was held, when the follow-
, were elected to serve for one
t, John E. Thayer; Second
t, Dr. T.S. Palmer; Secretary,
dent appointed the following
Committees: Executive Com-
—Dr. J. A. Allen, Dr. George Bird
; Mr. F. A. Lucas, Mr. F: M.
-Committee—Dr. Hermon C.
Mr. John E. Thayer, Mrs. C.
LaFarge, Mr. F. M. Chapman.—
ERT PEARSON, Secretary.
The Audubon Societies
ent, William Dutcher; First
283
The Protection of the Heath Hen
Dr. Field, whose article on the Heath
Hen in this number of Brrp-Lore will
be read with interest, reports that in addi-
tion to practical and most valuable assist-
_ance by, J. E. Howland, Captain B. C.
Cromwell, and many others, contribu-
tions for the purchase of land for a reser-
vation on Martha’s Vineyard have been
pledged as follows:
William Brewster......... $100
Bus. “Pearson 2245: 100
Ceo Clark’. Scgoueen et: 5 Kole)
Jorn Ee Phayet ng. oust 100
Pes Payers. is 100
ee WEN ol, aah a oe EO
Frank E. Peabody. Pomaietens 100
L. D. Baker... Sues LOO
Arthur F. Whitin......... 108
Judge F. C. Lowell...... BT TOO
Dr. John C. Phillips..... ee ole)
Ree Cs RODbINS eS Stes Pe 100
Gardner M. Lane......-. 100
Dri Be Hid depot, 100
Hon. Herbert Parker.... . 100
Annawan: Clubevsei oa. 2 isi 50
RR ot Li cosy ess we 50°
Hon. Ay Gardner:...02' 5: 25
Dr. Gorham Bacon....... 100
Harriet E. Freeman... ... 5
Middlesex Sportsman’s
ASSOcCIAHONS 3.3: <2 se 200
National Audubon Society . 100
For Making Fire Stops—
._ Town of Tisbury (at last
annual town meeting) . 250
Town of W. Tisbury (at
last annual town meet-
PDN aio ad atattare s atenGe 2 SO
$2,338
Inasmuch as under these conditions
every dollar contributed for the purchase
of land adds at least one acre, it is hoped
that sufficient funds may be raised to
secure extensive tracts as refuges for the
Heath Hen, Least Tern, Upland Plover
and other birds which still resort to this
island.
Contributions may be forwarded to the
Commissioners on Fisheries and Game,
State House, Boston.
ee
VNVISINOT NI 4H¥OM NOANGAV AO LIANASAA ANO ‘VI ‘GNVISI AYOGATLIVA ‘SNUAL IVAOU
~ = 5
. ad ‘or bs ' a s ~~ ; . é A
out PF ay Fae~ Pick n ae 4 . : y ¢ * at #58
es Pi * Wo T's obs AH, ts. :
cd av Pad mM4y
\nnual Report of the National Associa-
- tion of Audubon Societies for 1907
4 CONTENTS
‘RODUCTORY.
SULTS ACHIEVED IN 1907.
_ Special Agents; Reservations; Warden Work; Educational Work; State Socie-
es; Women’s Clubs; Big Game.
‘RAL REMARKS.
ING OF GAME Onis Kes,
>ORT OF EDWARD HOWE FoRBUSH.
RT OF H. H. KopMan.
EP a oF WitLiAM L. FINLEY.
PORT OF JOHN B. WATSON.
ORT OF A. C. BENT.
RT oF ArTHUR H. Norron.
TS OF STATE SOCIETIES.
ts from Alabama, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michi-
gan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
ork, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
“ae Island, South Carolina, ranth Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington,
nsin.
F MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS.
‘ OF THE TREASURER.
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
By WILLIAM DUTCHER
INTRODUCTORY
ERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION: Stevenson says: “It is a golden
cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of them-
Nor must the ear be forgotten; without birds, a garden is a prison-yard.”’
e it that the province of your President is to present to you annually
: statement of what the Association has done to prevent this country
scoming a vast prison-yard through lack of birds.
ociation is now in a strong and vigorous condition, and is well equip-
uct an aggressive and progressive campaign for wild-bird and animal
n through the several channels of work which it has followed since its
ation. This does not mean that it has reached the place that it intends
y in the world of economics and philanthropy, but it has made such
sndid beginning that those interested in this Society have every cause to con-
(285)
286 Bird - Lore ;
gratulate themselves on the position we now occupy. We are no longer an experi-_
ment, but are a dominating factor in good civics. With an endowment, safely
invested, of nearly one-third of a million dollars, we have no fear for the future.
I do not wish this train of thought to mislead our members or the public, for we
are not yet endowed sufficiently, and we have but a very small part of the mem-
bership that we should have in order to do our best work. We have the experi-
ence and the equipment, and could largely increase our results did our own
means allow expansion. The membership of the National Association still
remains under 1,000, notwithstanding the strong efforts that have been made
to increase it. The cause we advocate is so closely connected with the agricul-
tural and forestry interests of the country that it is one of the most important
now before the public. When we try to realize the enormous sum that is lost to
the country through insect and rodent pests, which the Government experts
tell us amounts to $800,000,000 annually, we are lost in wonder at the apathy of.
the public. If a million or more dollars are lost through the mismanagement of
a bank or other fiduciary institution, it creates a wave of protest throughe it
the entire country; yet a yearly loss equal to the entire capitalization of the
national banks of the country creates no comment whatever, simply because
the public do not realize what is going on. How to excite an interest in thi:
important matter is the function of this body, and to do it successfully we
need more money and a largely increased membership. In this connection, it
is proper to mention a misapprehension that has arisen in the minds of some
persons, notably among some of our oldest and heretofore most liberal con
utors. They evidently believe that, as the Association has an endowment,
is no need for further funds with which to carry on the work. There ce
cannot be a more mistaken idea than this. As a matter of fact, as the
grows older and more widely known, the demands upon it become dai
more exacting and its opportunities for doing good increase far more ra d
than its resources. Our outlay during the past year was some thousands «
dollars more than our income, but the demands upon us were of such vite
importance that they could not be overlooked. Had we not responded,
cause of bird protection would have suffered a setback which would take
to overcome.
Right here is the proper time to emphasize the need for a far larger field
many parts of the country that need educational work cannot be touched,
to the inability of this Association to set aside the necessary funds to «
additional expert aid.
We have reached the extreme limit possible until our income is largely |
creased. Here is an opportunity for some of the wealthy pia of 4
country to place some of their riches where it will be doing the greats
of good.
To what object could a person contribute where the results for good we
be ica
287
Introductory
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.
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____MAP SHOWING STATES (SHADED) HAVING AUDUBON SOCIETIES
ee We teach people to protect wild life, thus making men, women and children
inder and better citizens.
We teach the value of birds to the agricultural and forestry interests of the
untry, and thus instruct citizens in economics.
_ We teach of the live bird or animal in plain simple words, thus giving the
aI er
oar
al populace, especially, an interest in nature, which never fails to brighten
human lives.
\\
\
i <
H
woe
aoe Pee
~
a ae
°
4
AP SHOWING STATES (SHADED) IN WHICH THE MODEL LAW IS IN FORCE
288 Bird - Lore
We stand for the rights of our fellow citizens, the wild birds and animals,
and demand just and’ uniform laws for their protection, and also their rigid
enforcement.
We stand for the principle of non-political appointments in the office of Game
Commissioner, and recommend that such offices shall be filled by scientific
experts who alone are capable of securing the best and most lasting results.
We stand for civil service in the appointment of game wardens; they should |
pass a satisfactory examination showing fitness for the position, and should
be continued in office during good behavior. |
We emphatically stand for the abolition of spring shooting of any kind, on
the ground that the practice is wasteful and is the reason for the rapid decrease _
of many species of birds.
We recommend very short open seasons for hunting and a small bag
limit. We urge that, when satisfactory scientific evidence is presented that
any species of game bird is in danger of extermination, laws be enacted
making a close season for the said species, in order that recuperation may
take place. q
We urge the passage of laws providing for gun licenses, in order to curtail
as much as possible hunting by irresponsible persons, and also to provide ready
means of identification of hunters who violate Lird and game laws or commit
trespass on posted lands. ; e
We also urge such laws for the purpose of providing funds for protection.
and propagation of game, and to render unnecessary the levying of taxes fon
such objects.
We urge the passage of laws prohibiting the cold storage of game of any kind. —
We urge Federal protection for all migratory birds, for the reason that it is”
practically impossible to secure uniform State laws in time to prevent the disap-
pearance of several species of birds that are now known to be on the verge of
extinction. q
We urge the enlargement of the Biological ervey, on the ground that th
statistics and information relative to birds and animals furnished by this Bureat
of the Department of Agriculture is absolutely necessary for the farmers of he
country. The educational work of this Association would be seriously hand
capped were the scientific investigations of the Biological Survey to cease. Thi
Association has no criticism to offer regarding the amount of public fund
expended for the protection of the country against possible foreign attacks, b u
it believes that.a more liberal appropriation for the Biological Survey would b
a wise investment. The meager sum now appropriated annually, some $60,00
is exactly the amount which it costs to manufacture one 12-inch, 45 cal be
nickel-steel gun. The cost of firing this gun one time is $220 for powder and $1
for a battle shell. The $60,000 expended for the Biological Survey furnish
information regarding the economic value of birds which saves millions of dolla
annually to agriculture and forestry. We, therefore, respectfully but emphatic al
Results Achieved 280 -
urge an increased appropriation for the Survey, in order that it may more rapidly
_ continue its important work.
RESULTS ACHIEVED IN 1907
| Special Agents.—It is always a difficult matter to place in concrete form
_ successes achieved in a given time by a moral movement, as many of them are
_ in some degree intangible. However, so much actual progress has been made
- during the past year that it will be hard in the future to keep up the same ratio
of progress. The greatest gain of the year has been the enlargement of the field.
_ staff of the Association. Before the present year, our able and earnest Secretary,
. Mr. Pearson, did a large part of the organization work; in fact, almost his entire
_ time was occupied this way. It cannot be questioned that the very best results
_ are to be obtained by the employment of trained men and women to carry to
_ the public the propaganda of wild-bird and animal protection. It is absolutely
L necessary that the organizer should have a good knowledge of birds and animals,
| especially in respect to their economic relations to the human race; moreover,
he or she must be an enthusiast whose whole mind and powers are engrossed
“in devotion to the Society and its work. Such qualities are hard to find, but we
‘know that this Association has found them, or the results secured by the field
staff would not have been as great as they are. A brief review is in order:
Mr. Pearson, in addition to the valuable work he did in his home state,
North Carolina, where he is the moving spirit of the Audubon Society, con-
| ducted an exploration along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, securing
‘much needed information regarding the birds of that section. He secured the
“passage of an act in the legislature of South Carolina conferring upon the
Audubon Society the powers and duties of a Game Commission; he conducted
an investigation with a view of suppressing cage-bird traffic in its last stronghold;
‘he visited a number of Audubon Societies in the western states, giving them
_ encouragement and advice, while on a trip to the Yellowstone Park in Wyoming,
_where he attended one of the most important meetings held during the year—the
biennial session of the National Association of State Game Wardens and Com-
missioners. It is of vital importance that this Association have the closest affilia-
tion with all state game officials, as the objects sought by each are identical.
_ He did excellent and valuable service in behalf of the Biological Survey at the
last session of Congress, and, finally, was instrumental in securing the passage
of resolutions at the International Conference of Cotton Growers, in Atlanta,
Ga., demanding the protection of wild birds, and calling on Congress to continue
the Biological Survey with increased appropriations, in order that it may more
tapidly determine the economic relations of wild birds to agriculture.
_ Mr. Edward Howe Forbush, ornithologist of the Massachusetts Board
of Agriculture, and now in charge of Audubon interests in the New England
States for this Association, accomplished results of splendid proportions. He.
290 Bird - Lore
was instrumental in securing legislation in New Hampshire, Massachusetts
and Connecticut of the most advanced character; the legislative work in the
last-named state continuing over a period of five months. He gave a series
of educational lectures, reaching hundreds of people, many of them teachers.
He contributed to the literature of bird protection two of the most important
and valuable ornithological publications that have ever been presented to the
public, both of which will exert a great influence. He did yeoman service in
behalf of the Biological Survey, and has pushed Audubon work to the fore in
his territory by aggressive and progressive methods. _
Mr. Henry H. Kopman, one of the leading ornithologists of the Gulf states,
who commenced his services for-this Association May 15 last, has accomplished —
in a very short period results of great importance. He conducted a bird survey —
on the Louisiana coast, west of the Mississippi delta, with results already pre-
sented in Brrp-Lore, which paved the way for two additional reservations. —
He has lectured before hundreds of planters in Mississippi at farmers’ insti-
tutes, showing the importance of bird protection. He is now engaged in organizing
a Mississippi State Audubon Society, with every prospect of forming a strong
and influential body of the best citizens of the state. He has prepared and is —
widely circulating a large amount of valuable educational matter, among the
most important of which is a series of papers regarding the value of birds, which |
is appearing in the press of his section; and, finally, he is preparing an exhibit :
of Audubon methods and literature for the Mississippi State Fair, which will
be seen by thousands of citizens and cannot fail to exert a great and far-reaching
good. ;
Mr. William L. Finley, the well-known bird student and photographer —
of the Northwest, has given us a small portion of his time during which he has”
exerted a valuable influence in his section. He has contributed largely to the
press in Oregon and Washington, and has delivered many illustrated lectures
on bird subjects. He was instrumental in preventing the repeal of the Model
Law in Oregon. He aided very largely in the organization of the Washington
Audubon Society, and also gave a series of lectures under the auspices of the
Association before the Audubon Societies in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois,. Missouri,
and Minnesota. His illustrated magazine articles on bird life attract wide-
spread attention and lead to a greater interest in the live bird and its home life.
Miss Mary T. Moore, of North Carolina, who has lately joined the field
staff of this Association, has been conducting a series of farmers’ meetings ii n
her home state, which cannot help but raise the standard of intelligent apprecia~_
tion of the value of birds. The work she is doing is not merely economic, but
is of value in the homes of the-people, as it reaches the fireside and interests
the mothers and children, thus attracting them to nature and her beauties. Bg
The foregoing represents a part of what was accomplished by the field-stafi
during the past year, but there is no way to tell you in words of the beneficen
influence which is rapidly growing wherever the staff has worked. ae.
Results Achieved 291
THREE ARCH ROCKS RESERVATIONS
| For Protection of Native Birds
;
eee embracing all small islands off the Oregon coast segregated by broken
line and designated ‘Three Arch Rocks Reservation”
Department of the Interior, General Land Office, Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner
Diagram attached to and made a part of the Executive Order dated October 14, 1907
124
124
Executive Order
A
a
F
AG
‘ It is hereby ordered that the group of small unsurveyed islands known as
the “Three Arch Rocks,” located in the Pacific Ocean from one-half mile to
one mile off the coast of Oregon, approximately in latitude 45° 28’ north,
124° west from Greenwich, as shown upon the United States Coast Survey
Chart No. 6100, and located within the area segregated by a broken line and
- shown upon the diagram hereto attached and made a part of this order, is
hereby reserved and set aside for the use of the Department of Agriculture
as a preserve and breeding ground for native Lirds and animals. This _reser-
vation to be known as Three Arch Rocks Reservation.
ee THEODORE ROOSEVELT
rei Tar WHITE Hovse,
October 14, 1907
292 Bird - Lore
FLATTERY ROCKS RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
WASHINGTON—Enmbracing all small islands off the Washington coast segregated
by broken line and designated “ Flattery Rocks Reservation”
Department of the Interior, General Land Office, Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner
Diagram attached to and made a part of the Executive Order dated October 23, 1907
125°
i at
off the coast of the State of Washington in the Pacific Ocean, between lati-
tudes 48° 02’ North and 48° 23’ North, among which are those named and
commonly known as Spike Rock, Father and Son, Bodiel-teh Islets, Flatter)
Rocks, Ozette Island and White Rock, as the same are shown upon coast sur-_
vey chart No. 6400, or upon the General Land Office map of the State of Wash=—
and shown upon the diagram hereto attached and made a part of this order
are hereby reserved and set aside for the use of the Department of Agriculture
as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and animals. This re
vation to be known as Flattery Rocks Reservation. a
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
THE WHITE HovsE, a
October 23, 1907
Results Achieved 293
QUILLAYUTE NEEDLES RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
WASHINGTON—Enmbracing all small islands off the Washington coast segregated
by broken line and designated “ Quillayute Needles Reservation ”’
Department of the Interior, General Land Office, Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner
Diagram attached to and made a part of the Executive Order dated October 23, 1907
P Carroll slehiha
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Executive Order
| It is hereby ordered that all small, unsurveyed and unreserved islands lying
off the coast of the State of Washington in the Pacific Ocean, between latitude
47° 38’ North, and 48° 02’ North, among which are those named and commonly
known as Hand Rock, Carroll Islets, Bald Island, Jagged Islet, Cake Rock,
James Island, Huntington Rock, Quillayute Needles, Rounded Islet, Alex-
ander Island, Perkins Reef, North Rock, Middle Rock, Abbey Island and
South Rock, as the same are shown upon coast survey chart No. 6400, or upon
the General Land Office map of the State of Washington, dated 1887, and ~
located within the. area segregated by a broken line and shown upon the dia-
gram hereto attached and made a part of this order, are hereby reserved and
set aside for the use of the Department of Agriculture as a preserve and breed-
g ground for native birds and animals. This reservation to be known as
Juillayute Needles Reservation. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Tue Wuire Hovsts,
October 23, 1907
294 Bird - Lore
COPALIS ROCK RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
WASHINGTON—Enmbracing all small islands off the Washington coast segregated
_by broken line and designated “Copalis Rock Reservation”
Department of the Interior, General Land Office, Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner
Diagram attached to and made a part of the Executive Order dated October 27, 1907
124°
See Line a
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Willoug. vy bio
ee ee ee
124°
Executive Order
It is hereby ordered that all small, unsurveyed islands lying off the coast
of the State of Washington in the Pacific Ocean, between latitudes 47°.8’ North,
and 47° 29’ North, among which are those named and commonly known as.
Arch Island, Sea Lion Rock, Willoughby Rock, Split Rocks, Sonora Reef,
Greenville Arch and Copalis Rock, as the same are shown upon coast survey
chart No. 6400 or upon the General Land Office map of the State of Wash i
ington, dated 1887, and located within the area segregated by a broken ne
and shown upon the diagram hereto attached and made a part of this orde J
are hereby reserved and set aside for the use of the Department of Agric
ture as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and animals.
reservation to be known as Copalis Rock Reservation.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
THE WHITE House, ;
October 23, 1907
Results Achieved 295
| Reservations.—One of the most important results secured by this Association
: since its organization has been the large number of reservations set aside as bird
_ refuges and breeding homes by President Roosevelt. During the present year,
7 six have been added, all of which are the ancestral homes of birds, and they
_ will, in the future, be under the direct supervision of the United States Depart-
_ ment of Agriculture. It is our function to investigate and discover bird-breeding
- islands, rocks and keys; the locality and number and species of birds is reported to
' the Department of the Interior, at Washington, and, if the property still belongs
_ to the Federal Government, an order is prepared for the signature of the Chief
_ Executive. This Society then selects a suitable person to act as a guard, who
“is recommended for appointment as warden. He is then officially commissioned
,: by the Department of Agriculture at a nominal salary, which is supplemented
_ by additional compensation from this Association. Two of the new reservations,
_ now recorded. One is located on the Oregon coast and is known as ‘Three
| Arch Rocks Reservation,’ the order for which was signed October 14, 1907.
| ‘A detailed report of the bird inhabitants of this reservation may be found in
| Brep-Lore, Vol. VII, 1905, pp. 103-106.
Mr. W. Leon Dawson, the President of the Washington State Audubon
Society, who is a careful as well as enthusiastic bird student, spent the summers
0 of 1906 and 1907 in a survey of the bird life on the islands and rocky islets off
coast of Washington. These all lie close to the mainland, and are of no
“agai or commercial value. They are, however, the homes of thousands
a thousands of sea-birds-and a few small groups of sea-lions. On one island
‘alone Dr. Dawson estimated there were 40,000 Kaeding Petrels. This report
“was the basis for three new bird and animal refuges, to be known as ‘Copalis
Reservation,’ ‘Quillayute Needles Reservation,’ ‘Flattery Rocks Reser-
tion,’ the orders for which were signed October 23, 1907.
? _ The plan of bird and animal refuges is destined to be a great factor in the
ture in the preservation of the wild life of the country. However good the laws
“are and however well they way be enforced, killing will go on, and there should
therefore be refuges established in all parts of the country where shooting is abso-
lutely prohibited. It is astonishing how soon birds and animals learn to know
ere they are undisturbed, and how little fear of man they display within such
bo ands. The reservations we are securing are the beginning of the plan of refuges,
but the Federal Government owns no land in any of the thirteen original states,
“nor does it own any in Texas. In these fourteen states, the proposed system of
efug s can be secured only by purchase, or by a legislative act.
| Iti is very much to the credit of the authorities in Pennsylvania that the game-
refuge plan has been adopted. The authorities of New York should adopt the
plan at once, and establish a large number of bird and game refuges in the Adi-
ieee and Catskill Parks. The setting aside of land for a refuge does not
296 Bird - Lore
necessarily mean that it cannot be occupied by man, it simply means that when
a bird or animal reaches these sacred precincts its life is safe.
The refuge plan must necessarily in the future be largely by purchase or
lease or donation from individuals or societies. The Louisiana Audubon Society
has been very active in this work, and now owns or leases a large number of
islands.
During the past year, the North Carolina Audubon Society has acquired
some sandy islands on the coast, which are noted bird resorts. On one of them
is located the largest colony of Least Terns that exists in the United States. The
La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers’ League has raised a considerable sum of money
for the purpose of buying a large tract of suitable marsh land in New Jersey,
which is to be dedicated as a bird refuge. ‘The state of Massachusetts has, during
the present year, acquired a tract of 2,000 acres on Martha’s Vineyard for a
refuge, especially for the purpose of preventing the total extinction of the Heath —
Hen. Individuals are adopting the idea, and are making their estates bird and
animal refuges; this is specially the case in California and in Indiana.
Thousands of memorial dollars are contributed annually to educational.
or philanthropic institutions. We suggest that a beautiful and appropriate
memorial would be an island or tract of land dedicated in perpetuity as a bird
refuge in charge of this Association. It would be a lasting and fitting monument.
Warden Work.—The importance of this branch of effort of the National |
Association is hardly realized by the public. Had it not been for the faithful
guardians who have cared for the colonies of sea-birds on the coasts and inland
waters of the country, many of the species of birds that we now have strong
colonies of would have been exterminated. This is easily proven; take for instance
the Terns and Gulls. A habit implanted in all species of birds centuries since
impels them annually to journey to an ancestral breeding home for the purpose
of reproducing their kind. If they are undisturbed, enough young are raised
to offset the decrease, caused by old age, epidemics, cold storms, high tides, lack
of food and predatory birds and mammals, and a species is maintained at a high
degree of strength and efficiency. If, on the contrary, the birds are prevel ted
from breeding for one season alone, the species is weakened, and, if this is con
tinued, it will, necessarily, finally become exterminated, because not enoug
new birds are produced to keep up the stock. Our warden system is for the
purpose of allowing the birds to breed undisturbed, and the loyalty and effic
of the men in our employ is the reason why our coasts and inland water:
slowly but surely being repopulated with sea-birds, some species of which
dangerously near the point of disappearance. Even with all the care exer
in the past few years to prevent such a misfortune, there is grave doubt wht 1
it will be possible to restore at least two species that were formerly commo!
viz., the Least and Gull-billed Terns. Ag
Duting the breeding season of 1907, all of the colonies cared for did ve
and some of them had a specially favorable season. Each warden is re
Results Achieved 297
to make preliminary reports of the conditions at his station during the season,
and a final report or summary at the close of the breeding period, or when the
young birds are all awing. Very often we are fortunate enough to have some
_ member of the Association, who is a trained ornithologist, make a tour of in-
spection. This year the coast of Maine and a part of the Virginia coast were
visited, and the reports are appended. In addition, Professor Watson of
Chicago, a biologist, took charge of the bird colonies at the Dry Tortugas,
Florida, and his very interesting report is given in full.
There were the usual number of excessive tides, when thousands of eggs or
young birds were swept away; but such natural tragedies are to be expected. If
“we can prevent interference by man, the balance established by nature will be
' maintained. From every station, the wardens report that the birds are becoming
more tame and fearless of man, and this statement is often verified by letters
to the Association from members or persons who have noticed the change. Fur-
ther, when the birds are permitted to breed undisturbed, the first clutch of eggs
is hatched, and the young birds mature early in the season, and are much stronger
and more able to care for themselves when the migration period is reached than
birds that are hatched late in the season. To detail the reports of each warden
would take far more space than can be allowed, but from them it is safe to say
that during the past season many, many thousands of sea-birds were raised.
UNCLE MARK YOUNG, FAITHFUL WARDEN, NO-MAN’S-LAND ISLAND, MAINE
Largest colony of Herring Gulls in the United States. They are known as Uncle Mark’s pets
298 Bird - Lore
Educational Work.—This branch of the work of the Association has been —
very largely extended during the past twelve months, and is daily becoming a —
more important factor in the advancement of the cause of bird protection. Since —
our last report, the Association has issued six new Educational Leaflets, viz., —
‘The Killdeér,’ ‘The Bluebird,’ ‘The Red-winged Blackbird,’ ‘The Baltimore —
Oriole,’ ‘The Indigo Bunting,’ ‘The Purple Finch,’ and, in addition, the follow- —
ing special leaflets: ‘In February,’ ‘In April,’ ‘In June,’ ‘The Wood Duck,’ 3
‘August and the Flocking Time,’ ‘October and Preparations for Winter.’ — 3
In the past year, we have printed 608,050 leaflets of the various issues, —
which have been circulated in all parts of the country. This means that 2,320,450 _
pages of accurate information regarding the life-histories and food-habits of birds —
and their economic relations to mankind have been spread broadcast among —
the people, especially the school children. In addition, we have circulated 1 5,440 i
reports, 266,047 colored plates of birds, and 244,000 outlines of birds for hi
to color. i.
The good results of this distribution cannot be for a moment doubted. We: 4
see them on every hand in an increased interest in the live bird and the willing-
ness of the public press to advocate bird protection. The following quotation —
from a recent letter from Professor Minear of Texas very clearly shows the app:
ciation of an educator in the bird literature we supply: “In connection with the |
garden work of the public schools of this city, I am endeavoring to protect t e8
birds of this section. I believe I can save many hundreds, if not thousands, by —
the use of the leaflets which are being sent out by the Audubon Society. I hay
about 300 leaflets on the Robin, Meadowlark, Nighthawk or ‘Bull-bat,’ ar
Mourning Dove, which are being distributed, and I find the boys are astonish
as to the good birds do the farmers. I wish to continue this good work, and wou
appreciate any number of leaflets you could spare me. I have eleven hundr
boys in the garden and would like to reach - all if possible. This w
means much to the farming interest of our state.’
Our own short experience proves conclusively that children never fail t
respond to our teaching about birds, and therefore it is our duty to expand aj
rapidly as possible this branch of our work. This is not a new idea, for Co
eridge says:
“That strain again!
“Full fain it would delay me! My dear babe,
““Who, capable of no articulate sound,
“Mars all things with his imitative lisp,
‘“How he would place his hand beside his ear,
‘His little hand, the small fore-finger up,
“And bid us listen! And I deem it wise
“To make him nature’s playmate—
oe And, if that, Heaven
‘Should give me life, his childhood shall grow up
‘‘Familiar with these songs.”
Results Achieved 299
__ Among the many beautiful thoughts left us by Bishop Brooks, there is one
_ which is so pertinent in this connection that it is quoted for encouragement:
_ “Tt means something that, in the disorder of thought and feeling, so many
_ men are fleeing to the study of ordinary nature. And it is rest and comfort.
4 Whatever men are feeling, the seasons come and go. Whatever men are doubt-
_ ing, the rock is firm under their feet, and the steadfast stars pass in their certain
‘ courses overhead. Men who dare count on nothing else may still count on
“the tree’s blossoming and the grape’s coloring. It is good for a man perplexed
and lost among many thoughts to come into closer intercourse with Nature, and
t learn her ways and to catch her spirit. It is no fancy to believe that if the
hildren of this generation are taught a great deal more than we used to be
taught of nature, and the ways of God in nature, they will be provided with
e material for far healthier, happier, and less perplexed and anxious lives
most of us are living.”
_ State Societies—The reports of the thirty-three State Societies presented
ol speak for themselves, and, in this connection, your President cannot
iliar with local conditions, can act as circumstances require far more wie:
athetically and effectively than could a foreign body.
_ Women’s Clubs.—There are few. countries where nature has been more
prolific and generous with beautiful birds and interesting animals than in the
ed States. It is a sad fact that the citizens of the country have not all realized
sir blessings in this respect, and have wasted what nature has so generously
povided. Many of the wild birds of the country have been ruthlessly slaught-
ered to ornament the head-gear of women. Many organizations of women
a 1 the country are taking an active stand against the cruel practice of killing
t irds for millinery ornaments, arid I believe that it is the patriotic duty of every
“woman in the land to join in the great civic movement to preserve the wild
‘life of the country. Surely the love of country embraces within its meaning
a love for its natural beauties.
__ The following resolution is being circulated by the General Federation
of Women’s Clubs, and is exerting a powerful influence in the right direction.
This Association recommends its adoption by every woman, whether she is
a member of a club or is simply an individual:
_ -Wuereas: The beautiful white Herons are rapidly diminishing, with a likeli-
of their becoming extinct, and
i: WHEREAS: The demand for aigrettés for millinery purposes is responsible for
the 1 Biachter of these feathered innocents and the consequent death of the nestlings,
herefore
_ Resolved: That I pledge myself not to wear any such Badge of Cruelty as the
ie 1. rette, or the plumage of any wild bird, and that I will use all possible influence to
Testrain others from doing so.
_ ~Big Game.—This Association lately took its first step in big game preser-
by bearing a part of the expenses in the trial of two poachers for the
UB, ‘
¢ ig? 5
300 Bird - Lore
illegal killing of Elk. The defendants were convicted and sentenced to imprison-
ment for three months and to pay costs amounting to $933. When they have
served their terms, they will have been in jail fourteen months, besides having
all the elk hides, horns and teeth in their possession confiscated. This case will
have a very far-reaching effect, especially in the Jackson’s Hole region in Wyo-
ming, and, in fact, in the entire Northwest. Our Vice-president, Dr. Palmer,
is now perfecting plans for extending our work of big game protection.
Before closing this imperfect report of the activities of the year, it is my
duty as well as my pleasure to bear witness to the willing and loyal service ren-
~ dered by the officers and active workers in the state organizations. So long
as such a spirit is dominant, there can be no fear that the cause of wild birds and
animal protection will not go steadily forward.—WiLL1AM DuTCHER, President. —
REPORT OF T. GILBERT PEARSON, SECRETARY
General Remarks.—The past year has been a busy one in the southern office
of the National Association of Audubon Societies located in Greensboro, N. C. —
The correspondence in all parts of the southern states has greatly increased
and a large amount of literature, copies of game laws, and cloth warning
notices have been distributed. In addition to this, the secretary has done an
unusually large amount of field work. Early in June, a vessel was fitted out at
Morehead City, N. C., for an exploring expedition southward along the coast
as far as Florida. The object of the cruise was to locate the breeding colonies”
of sea-birds in this territory and secure wardens to guard them. The most inter-
esting discovery was that of a colony containing about five hundred birds o
that rare species, the Least Tern. This was located on the South Carolina coast
about ten miles from Cape Romain. More than two thousand Brown Pelicans
were also found on this coast. The vessel was out about thirty-one days.
Legislative work has claimed the secretary’s attention in North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia, and he appeared before legislative committees
in these three states. ;
Much time has been spent in travel and slew in South Carolina, to assist —
in getting that state’s Audubon Society on its feet. It is now fully organized
having been incorporated by the Legislature with all the power of a state ¢
commission, and with good officers at its head. Py
A number of cities in South Carolina and Georgia have been visited in
interest of the suppression of the traffic in song-birds, and, as a result, a numbel
of dealers have discontinued their work. Some other interesting disco al ie
were made, which will be published in due time. a
More than two dozen public lectures have been given by the secretary during
the year. He also represented the National Association at a number of gather
ings, particularly the meeting of the League of American Sportsmen in No ol :
Va.; the meeting of the International Conference of Cotton Manufacturers”
Report of T. Gilbert Pearson 301
and Growers, Atlanta, Ga.; and the biennial session of the National Associa-
ion of State Game Wardens and Commissioners, in the Yellowstone National
k, Wyoming.
At these meetings, he introduced and secured the passage of strong resolu-
ms endorsing the work of the United States Biological Survey, as follows:
_ Wuereas: The Bureau of Biological Survey, United States Department of Agri-
ture, has been engaged for many years in studying the habits and distribution of wild
ls and mammals for the purpose of determining their economic value to the agri-
ist, and
WHEREAS: It has been discovered by the said Bureau of Biological Survey that
iy of our non-game and song-birds and certain of our mammals are most valuable
tants in destroying worms and other insects injurious to growing crops, fruit and
st trees, and the bulletins of this subject issued from time to time by the Bureau
a practical and valuable aid to farmers and planters, and
HEREAS: The Bureau of Biological Survey has investigated the relations of birds
boll-weevil in Texas and other cotton-growing states, and has issued several
cations on the subject, naming the species that destroy the weevil and giving infor-
as to their habits, with practical suggestions for increasing their numbers, and
Waereas: The work of game preservation by this Bureau has resulted in a more
ral uniformity of state laws relating to open seasons, licenses and other details,
yhile the enforcement of the Federal statute known as the Lacy Law has resulted in
re general observance of state laws regulating the export of game-birds and animals,
Waereas: All of this work is of direct and positive benefit to the cotton-grower,
re ;—
Be it Resolved: That this Association recognizes fully the value of the work of
u of Biological Survey, and most respectfully petitions the national Congress
forthcoming session to make a sufficient appropriation for the support of this
eau to enable it to continue and broaden its work along the lines indicated; and
t further resolved:—That a copy of this resolution be furnished by our Secretary
y Senator and Representative in Congress from the cotton-growing states.
sits with the officers of the state Audubon Societies have been made, and
> or less work has been accomplished in Georgia, South Carolina, Ohio,
yuri and Colorado. A number of trips, in executing the preliminary work
islative enactment, have been made to Virginia.
ss Mary T. Moore has, during the year, been added to the office force as
secretary. During the summer months she lectured before twenty-four
s’ institutes, and since then has been busy with correspondence and
ing the school-teachers in North Carolina and Virginia with leaflets
eeting of Game Commissioners.—Your Secretary attended the fourth
meeting of the National Association of State Game and Fish Wardens and
ust 9 and 10. The members met at Mammoth Hot Spring Hotel on August
nd the same day called in a body to pay their respects to General S. B. Young,
ntendent of the Park, by whose invitation the Association was holding
302 | Bird-Lore
its meeting there. The sessions of the convention were presided over by President
W. F. Scott, State Game Warden of Montana; Chas. A. Voglesang, of Cali-
fornia, acting as secretary. In the course of General Young’s hearty address of
welcome, many exceedingly interesting statements were made regarding the
increase of game in the park. For instance, we learned that about sixty-five
head of Buffalo are still preserved. About one-half of these are kept in a corral
near Gardner. The remaining ones are still running in a wild state in the Pigeon
Creek country, near Yellowstone Lake. The increase of these herds is not
rapid, one reason being the fact that the males increase much more rapidly than
the females. About 25,000 Elk are now believed to be in the Park,and the number
is continually augmented by additional bands which come in from the surround-
ing states to escape prosecution of the hunters, many of whom desire to al
these fine game animals simply for the teeth. Antelopes are on the increase,
as are also Mountain Sheep. Mule Deer are today very abundant, and may be
seen almost everywhere while passing through the Park.
Following the remarks of General Young, Colonel Anderson, former acting
superintendent of the Park, was introduced. His address was one of the mos
valuable and interesting of the entire convention, His experience in endeayor
ing to preserve the game and repress poachers dated from the time of his appoint
ment in 1881, and his early struggles on behalf of the game of the park wer
listened to like tales of romance. 4
Dr. T. S. Palmer, of Washington, D. C., spoke on ‘ Novel Features of Re en
Game Legislation,’ giving, in connection with this, a most valuable summary
of all the game legislation in the United States in the past year, as well as th OM
ing out many valuable suggestions regarding needed laws in different states.
The commissioners from one state after another followed, and told of the bi
and game conditions in the territory over which their jurisdiction extender
It is interesting to note that many of these gentlemen gave the National Assoc
tion of Audubon Societies and the officers of the state organizations very decic
credit for battles which had been won in their states for bird and game protec.ic
The work of the Audubon Society in influencing legislation, particula'
the past year in saving the non-game bird law in Oregon; helping preserve
remnant of the Game Commission in Missouri; the splendid work done in C¢
necticut with the establishment of the license law and other important featur
the creating of the Game Commission in Alabama, and the securing of full
control of the game protection work in South Carolina, were some of the matt s
which were discussed in detail before the convention. The Audubon Soc
is today an enormous factor in game legislation in America, and the codp erat:
of the Audubon Societies and the State Game Commissioners throughout
union is a most fortunate and valuable combination, and these two forces sho
work hand in hand continually with tremendous and far-reaching results”
good. Among the most entertaining speakers of the convention were Dz
E. Farr of Colorado, L. T. Carleton of Maine, Dr. Geo. W. Field and
Reports of Special Agents 303
elano of Massachusetts, Geo. W. Clark of Illinois, Carlos Avery of Minnesota
and William N. Stephens of Idaho. An important feature of the convention
‘was the presence and addresses of seven National Forest Rangers. E. A. Sherman,
hief Inspector of the National Forest for the district of Montana, northern
daho and Wyoming, in a most interesting manner enlarged on. the work of
sst preservation and the relationship between this valuable subject and game
ection.
New officers were elected for the Association as follows: President, William
Scott, Helena, Montana; First Vice-president, T. G. Pearson, Greensboro,
.; Second Vice-president, L. T. Carleton, Augusta, Me.; Secretary, Chas.
oglesang, San Francisco, Cal.; Treasurer, Carlos Avery, St. Paul, Minn.;
ral Council, Joseph Acklen, Nashville, Tenn.; Directors, John W. Delano,
‘ion, Mass.; David E. Farr, Denver, Col.
_ After the adjournment of the convention, the commissioners proceeded on
five-day tour in the Yellowstone National Park, where many facilities were
fforded them for seeing not only the wild life but the natural phenomena of
tis wonderful, world-renowned region.—T. GILBERT PEARSON, Secretary.
REPORTS OF SPECIAL AGENTS
REPORT OF EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH
y work with the National Association began in January with the intro-
of two bills into the Massachusetts legislature. One of these was drawn
stect the larger Gulls at all times, and the other to prohibit all spring shoot-
ig of Wild Ducks. While these bills were pending, Congress refused the appro-
priation for the Bureau of Biological Survey of the United States Department
iculture, and it became necessary at once to concentrate all effort on the
ypt to make more widely known the importance of the work of the Survey.
rom January 15 to June 1, my time was given mainly to legislative work
onnecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This work was almost
rmly successful, as all the measures advocated were enacted, with the
tion of the anti-spring shooting bill in Massachusetts. All proposed bills
cal to bird protection were defeated. The bill to protect the Gulls was
largely through the efforts of Dr. Geo. W. Field, chairman of the Com-
mission on Fisheries and Game. I followed through all their stages a bill
to protect Loons and Eagles, and another, introduced by the Fall River Natural
I story Society, to protect the more useful Owls and Hawks. A bill requiring
residents hunting within the state to procure a $10 license was also advo-
| and supported through all its stages.
he bill to authorize the Commission on Fisheries and Game to take land
Island of Martha’s Vineyard, to be used in conserving and propagating
ly extinct Heath Hen, met with considerable opposition in the Ways
304 Bird - Lore
and Means Committee, and was delayed until late in the session; but the Chair-
man of the Fish and Game Commission, together with Mr. William Brewster,
president of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and many other friends of
the bill, came handsomely to its support, and a redraft was finally passed. The
commissioners have now taken, by gift or otherwise, about two thousand acres
of land, and are protecting this vanishing game-bird in its last stronghold, where
they intend if possible to propagate it, so that it may, in time, take the place it
formerly occupied in the Atlantic coast states.
The campaign in Connecticut was long and tedious, occupying more. than
five months, but was finally successful in every respect. The forces which for
so many years had been able to keep open a spring-shooting season for wild
fowl, snipe and shore birds, were defeated and demoralized for the time being, —
and all shooting of these birds is now prohibited in Connecticut from January —
1 to September 1. The enactment of this law was finally followed by that of —
another requiring the registration of all hunters. This is the greatest gain ever
made by the bird protectionists in Connecticut, for it provides money in the
shape of license fees to be used for the enforcement of the game and bird laws, © .
which were formerly little respected in many parts of the state. Another law,
which was strongly advocated and passed, prohibits the sale of upland game-
birds for .a period of years. The Connecticut legislation was upheld by the
Audubon Society, by many enlightened sportsmen and intelligent farmers,
and opposed mainly by market hunters and others who care nothing about |
the extermination of the birds provided they get their share of the birds or the
money which is expended in hunting them.
My work in New Hampshire was mainly devoted to the support of a 10-callal ,
omnibus bill for the protection of fish, birds and game, and bills for protecting
the Wood Duck, Upland Plover and Killdeer at all times for a series of years.
Mrs. Arthur E. Clarke, of Manchester, president of the New Hampshire Audu-
bon Society, exerted a most potent influence for the passage of this legislation,
and she was ably seconded by the secretary, Mrs. F. W. Batchelder. These —
ladies fully exemplify the power that officers of the Audubon Societies pos: ess. ,
Great credit is due to Chairman Nathaniel Wentworth of the Fish and Game —
Commission, for his work in shaping legislation. During this legislative work,
I have been impressed with the fact that each member of this Association anc
each member of the State Societies is capable of exerting a considerable influenei :
toward the enactment of good laws, and a large part of my work has consisted
of getting acquainted with those who are interested in bird protection, ant
showing them how they can best use their influence. q
Twenty-two lectures were given from January to June before state normal —
school teachers, farmers’ associations and legislators in the three sta of
Most of these talks were illustrated by stereopticon, and recent reports s shov q
that they have led people, especially children, to feed birds, put up bird-houses
and otherwise care for birds and study them. From June to October, f 4a
Reports of Special Agents 305
half my time has been occupied with other duties than those connected with
_ the work of the Association. The time given to its work has been utilized largely
in organizing people interested in the protection of birds in New England, and
in soliciting members for the National and State Associations. In August,
: a series of five illustrated lectures on birds in their relation to the farmer was
=given at the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst before students
in the large and successful summer school of agriculture. This course proved
‘one of the most popular of the year. The students were mainly teachers and
others connected with school or college instruction, and the attendance at these
| es included nearly the entire school.
_ The bird laws enacted in Massachusetts since the first settlement of the
colony have been studied, and a bulletin entitled ‘Statutory Bird Protection
ir Massachusetts’ has been prepared and printed by the Massachusetts State
Board of Agriculture for free distribution among farmers and others, in antici-
‘pe ‘ion of a movement for better legislation. Copies may be had by application
to Secretary, J. Lewis Ellsworth, State Board of Agriculture, State House,
As the first edition of ‘Useful Birds and their Protection’ was practically
‘exhausted within three weeks of its issue, a bill authorizing a second edition
was introduced into the legislature and passed. The second edition is now in
) ; press, and copies may be obtained of Secretary Ellsworth when issued. I have
prepared also an illustrated article on the relations of birds to agriculture for
of. L. H. Bailey’s Cyclopedia of Agriculture, now in press.—Epwarp Howe
REPORT OF H. H. KOPMAN
ie The work undertaken by your present special agent since his first connection
v vith your Association last May has included three principal lines of activities,
vii ., a cruise along the Louisiana coast west of the Mississippi river, cover-
the period from May 15 to June 21, attendance on farmers’ institutes
in Mississippi, for the purpose of addressing farmers on the importance of bird
tection, and covering the period from July 15, to September 6; and pub-
ie work in Mississippi, with Jackson as a base of operations, having as its
) yject the organization of a Mississippi State Audubon Society. As this report
48 being drafted, preliminary steps are under way for making an Audubon
exhibit at the Mississippi State Fair, at Jackson, November 5~16.
| The cruise along the Louisiana coast was made in the schooner ‘Sea-bird,’
of Pass Christian, Miss., owned by Captain William Sprinkle and sailed by
in Frank Couvillier and Mate O. C. Colson, of Morgan City, La. The
eding colonies found on this trip were: Shell Keys, off Marsh island, at the
ce to Vermilion Bay, the nesting-home of about two thousand Royal
bi s, and the resting-place of Brown Pelicans and Man-o’-War birds; that
portion of Last island west of ‘Caroline’s Cut,’ where about 6,000 Black Skim-
:
es
a
a te
306 Bird- Lore
mers were found breeding; East Timbalier, the breeding-place of about 4,500
Black Skimmers, 5,500 Laughing Gulls and 1,750 Louisiana Herons, as well
as about six pairs of Snowy Herons; the ‘Mud Lumps’ islands off North Pass,
Pass & L’Outre, Northeast Pass and Southwest Pass, Mississippi river. These
‘mud lumps,’ together with the Shell Keys, have since been set aside as national
reservations. Important feeding stations were found also at Calcasieu Pass,
at Trinity Bay, Last island, at Wine island, on the Shell islands in Barataria
Bay, at Barataria Light (Ft. Livingston), and at Shell island, Bastian Bay.
The principal species observed were Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, Black
Skimmers and Brown Pelicans. Caspian Terns and the greatest number of
Forster’s Terns were seen on the mud lumps off Northeast Pass. Least Terns
were seen at several points, but none were found breeding; similarly with White
Pelicans. The number of brown Pelicans breeding and reared on the mud)
lumps off Southwest Pass was estimated at 7,500.
Your agent made talks to farmers at twenty-five points in Mississippi, in
the counties of Lincoln, Copiah, Amite, Pike, Newton, Scott, Leake, Neshoba,
Kemper, Yalobusha, Grenada and Tallahatchie. The number of farmers reached
in this way was probably about five hundred. In addition, a talk was made
before about two hundred farmers at the ‘Round-Up’ Institute at Agricultural
College(Starkville), September 4-6. The subject of this, as well as of the other
talks, was ‘The Necessity of Feathered Help in Agriculture.’ Actual speci-
mens were shown in all cases, and much interest was manifested at the ‘ Round-
Up’ and at a number of other institutes.
About one thousand copies of the poster, ‘Save the Birds,’ have been sent
out to Mississippi post-offices; and this work will be continued until all the post-
offices in the state are supplied, and the circulation will probably be extendec
to railway stations, hotels, etc. Two hundred copies of a circular letter calling on
the people to help in the organization of a Mississippi Audubon Society hay
been sent to Mississippi newspapers, while some of the circulars have been posted
Your agent wishes to express his appreciation of courtesies extended him
by state officials in Mississippi, and especially by Prof. E. R. Lloyd, Directo |
of Farmers’ Institutes, and Hon. H. E. Blakeslee, Commissioner of Agricultur
The latter has kindly invited your agent to make his headquarters in the Cor
missioner’s office, and, in consequence, our literature is on file at this offic 4
while your agent spends a considerable part of his time there. Our literature |
is also to be had from the Secretary of State, and the Superintendent of Educa-
tion.—H. H. KopMan.
REPORT OF WILLIAM L. FINLEY
During the past few years, there has been considerable change in econom
conditions in Oregon and Washington. Great stretches of land have been cleat
and settled, and fruit-raising has grown to be the leading industry. Nat
trees and bushes have given place to grain-fields and orchards. The birds tl i
j
Reports of Special Agents 307
“formerly lived on wild fruits and berries have taken to a civilized diet, and this
_ naturally caused complaint from farmers and horticulturists. Birds that
"were unknown to the ordinary fruit-raiser, such as the Varied Thrush and
Lewis Woodpecker, have suddenly been discovered, and have aroused com-
‘paint —e former because it eats grapes, and the latter is known as the ‘ Apple
Bird,’ because it frequents apple orchards.
_ The complaint has come from certain quarters that birds are doing more
yarm than benefit, and, at the last session of the Oregon Legislature, a bill was
troduced which permitted farmers, orchardists and gardeners to kill ‘any
d they thought harmful. Such a sentiment was aroused against the birds
few fruit-growers that the bill passed both Houses, and would have become
w had the members of the Audubon Society not made a strong appeal to
Governor, who vetoed the bill.
In order to forestall evil bird-legislation, we have begun a systematic work
ducation throughout this part of the country. A series of Bird Leaflets are
prepared, and will be published under the authority of the University
gon. These are to be used at teachers’ institutes, and, in connection with
Leaflets of the National Association, will spread the interest among the school
en. During the past year, a series of lectures have been delivered in eight differ-
towns and cities throughout the state, in order to arouse greater interest in the
dy of bird life. These lectures are also to be given before the various granges
other societies. Considerable publicity work has been done by articles in
ws apers and magazines, such as ‘School and Home,’ and ‘ The State Grange
. 9 ;
.
past year has marked the beginning of systematic work in bird protec-
the state of Washington. Several bird lectures have been given, and on
20, at the conclusion of a lecture in the assembly hall of the Seattle High
, the Washington Audubon Society was organized. This has since grown
a thriving organization, and will undoubtedly have a wide influence in
‘ing the birds of the state. Your agent has also given public illustrated
Jectures on the subject of bird study and bird protection in Illinois, Michigan,
Minnesota and Indiana.—WiL11Am L. FINLEY.
E ORT OF JOHN B. WATSON ON THE CONDITION OF THE NODDY
_ AND SOOTY TERN COLONY ON BIRD KEY, TORTUGAS, FLORIDA
eae
a
During May, June and July of the present year (1907), which are the import-
ant months in the nesting season of the above-mentioned Terns, I acted as
ward en of Bird Key. While serving in this capacity for the National Associa-
lion, I was at the same time engaged in a scientific study of the habits of these
bir ds for the Marine Biological Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution. The
£
+
zy
308 Bird- Lore
to President Dutcher and to the Audubon Society, for kind permission to carry
on scientific studies on a protected bird colony, and for the complete control
of the colony during the period of study.
The writer has nothing but favorable statements to make upon the con-
dition of the colony. A few years ago, Dr. Thompson (Brrp-LoreE, Vol. V,
1903, pp. 77-86), made a detailed report upon the condition of this colony.
Apparently, since that report was made, the birds have increased largely in
nl Wi 4s ‘(eee
OLD HOSPITAL BUILDING, BIRD KEY, DRY TORTUGAS, FLORIDA
Used by wardens as a residence
numbers. By methods which are described below, some notion of the number
of birds nesting upon the island was obtained.
Approximate Number of Sooty Terns.—As was shown by Dr. Thompson,
some of the Sooties lay their eggs in holes inthe sand, either under the bay
cedar bushes, or out in the open spaces, while others lay directly upon the sand,
or upon the matted grass. Apparently, the Sooties come to the island in groups.
This is evidenced by the fact that laying begins at slightly different dates upon
different portions of the island, Roughly speaking, the southwestern portion
of the island was first ‘taken,’ for the eggs first appeared in that section; then,
in order, the central and northeastern portions. The natural subdivisions of
the surface of the island, the sandy places, wooded portions, etc., made it pos
Reports of Special Agents 309
sible to subdivide these large nesting-places into given areas, for the purpose
of enumerating the eggs.
The three large areas were accordingly subdivided into ten smaller areas.
The number of square feet in each was next determined. Likewise, in each
of the ten areas, several smaller areas containing ten square feet were marked
off at random, and the number of eggs in each of these was actually counted.
These separate counts were then averaged, thus giving a fairly representative
on ‘
NODDY TERN ON NEST, DRY TORTUGAS, FLORIDA
figure for the number of eggs per square toot. Knowing the number of square
feet in the area as a whole, the estimate of the total number of eggs contained
: in it could easily be made. When this same procedure had been followed with
respect to each of the ten areas, the total number of eggs was found to be 9,420.
Since the birds usually lay but one egg and there are two adults attached to each
nest, the total number of Sooties reaches 18,852. This, certainly, is not an
| &xcessive valuation. The group photographs (reproduced by permission of the
| Carnegie Institution) taken upon one of the areas. most numerously supplied
with eggs, give a fairly correct notion of how thickly the birds are packed
together.
GqNNOU¥DS AHL NO LSAN ADTHL—SAATASWAHL DNINN
ro)
LD Gee ag ee ee ‘eige
NS ‘SHHSNA NO SNUAL ALOOS
=<. > 34
-.. =:
Reports of Special Agents 311
Approximate Number of Noddy Terns.—Since the Noddies build their
nests of twigs, moss and sea-shells in accessible places, it is easily possible, with
the help of a mechanical counting device, actually to count the number of nests.
In some places, where the bay cedar is exceedingly dense, and the area has to
be gone over dog fashion (or at times even more primitively), and in others,
where the cactus growth is very dense, error in counting is possible. Six hundred
and three nests were actually counted. Probably 70o nests (inhabited) would
be a safer estimate. Doubling this
count to get the number of birds as
_ before, we have approximately 1,400
_Noddies on the island. For reasons
which I will admit are not scientific-
ally based, I feel that the above
_ figure does not give a-sufficient num-
ber of Noddies. In the first place,
‘from the general impression one
gets, one feels that there is a vastly
greater number present. In the
| second place, there are always hun-
dreds of Noddies ‘sunning,’ either
on the beach or in the trees. Now
‘my studies show that, during the
brooding season at least, the Noddy
has no leisure. Consequently, I feel
‘sure that there are many cases where
the birds live on the island without
nesting. I venture the suggestion,
merely as a suggestion, that the
Noddy does not breed until at least
two years of age.
A Running Account of ‘ Nesting | V hie Ne
Events.’—The birds landed upon the 4% * Ik
island (April 27) five days before I ee ag ee Pee ELS
reached it. On May 2, the beginning of my three months’ continuous resi-
dence there, the birds (both species) were present in large numbers. As Dr.
Thompson suggests, mating, apparently, had already taken place before the
arrival of the birds upon the island. The Noddies were busily engaged, some
in rehabilitating old nests, others in constructing new ones. (The Noddy is
never satisfied with its nest, no matter how large it is. A suitable twig, piece
of shell, or bunch of moss, is an irresistible stimulus, which sets free the collect-
ing movements, regardless of the stage of advancement of the nesting period.)
| The Sooties, at this time, were choosing and ‘holding’ appropriate nesting-
sites. This was done only by dint of persistent fighting. The building of the
312 Bird- Lore
Scoty nest is an affair consuming very little time, even when an ‘elaborate’
nest is constructed,—a little ‘back shoveling’ with the webbed foot, a little
‘breasting’:—a term I have chosen to designate the operation of sitting flat in
the nest and turning round and round and using the breast as a ‘shaper’—and
the deed is -done.
On May 5, two Noddy eggs were found. On May 7, several Sooty eggs
were laid. From this time on, the eggs were rapidly laid by both species. Three
weeks from these dates, most of the eggs had been laid. On June 3, the first
ms Be i aa htt mabe “sy a > Seg ze ie ft
SOOTY TERNS NEST ON THE GROUND, NODDY TERNS NEST IN THE TREES,
DRY TORTUGAS, FLORIDA
Sooty young was found. Marked eggs showed the incubation period to be slightly
variable but averaging about twenty-nine days. On June 9, the first of the Noddy
young appeared. Marked eggs showed the incubation to be very variable, from
thirty-three to thirty-eight days..
In most cases, only one egg was laid. This is strictly true for the Noddy.
I have never seen two eggs in a’ Noddy nest except in cases where the first egg
had been displaced, and hence no longer gave the proper contact sensations.
I counted in the neighborhood of fifty Sooty nests where two eggs were present.
In one case, I actually saw the parent bird with two young, and, in another
case, one young bird and one unhatched egg. Since no unhatched eggs were
Reports of Special Agents 313
found later, I am
inclined to believe
that, in these ex-
ceptional cases
where two eggs
are laid, both are
hatched and the
young reared.
The weather
during the past
nesting season was
calm. Only - one
storm occurred, S==Gtecu wns gait
eee aid little SOOTY TERN EIGHT DAYS OLD
damage. The island is so small and so little above sea-level that the birds
are always in danger from this source. It is well that they have favorable
years, when thousands are born and reared without mishap, as was the case
during the past year. In addition to adverse climatic conditions, the young
of these birds are subject to the following vicissitudes: (1) The adult Sooties
kill the young belonging to adjacent Sooty nests. This occurs, however,
only when the colony is disturbed and the young seek cover. The old
id Le hy 13 Py, ba
SOOTY TERN TWENTY-FIVE DAYS OLD, DRY TORTUGAS, FLORIDA
NODDY TERN EIGHTEEN DAYS OLD
NODDY TERN THIRTY DAYS OLD, DRY TORTUGAS, FLORIDA
(314)
Reports of Special Agents 315
birds return to the nest first. When the very young birds shortly begin to return
to their respective nests.(as they always do after every interruption until they
are ready to fly), they have to run the gauntlet of the sharp beaks between them
and their goal. The young which are thus slain are, approximately, from one
to five days of age. After they attain the fifth day, they are quick to avoid the
neighboring nests. (2) On account of the carelessly constructed nest, the Noddy
young often falls to the ground and perishes. Just what percentage of the young
of the two species are lost in these ways is not known.
Relation of Frigate Bird to Tern.—After the young Terns appeared, possibly
five hundred Frigate Birds were present on the island. Even during the lay-
ing season of the Terns, one
hundred to one hundred and
fifty Frigate Birds are always
present. In order to verify the
statements of Dr. Thompson
and others to the effect that
the Frigate Bird chases the fish-
laden Tern until it disgorges,
a tower was constructed which
gave an adequate view of the
island as a whole. The above
statement of Dr. Thompson
could not be verified, nor could
a -further statement which is
sometimes made, to the effect
that the Frigate Bird eats the J
young Terns. On the other
hand. hundreds of times ONLY LEAST TERN FOUND ON LOGGER-
; I have HEAD KEY, FLORIDA
seen the Noddy (rarely the Rats and dogs destroy the eggs. This species of Tern
Sooty) chase the Frigate Bird has been nearly exterminated by plume hunters
when the latter attempted to alight (roost) in the vicinity of the Noddy nest. In
justice to the above writers, it must be said, however, that the number of
Frigate Birds rapidly increases as soon as the young Terns appear, and that all
during the day they continually rest on the low bushes which are nearest the
open nesting-places of the Sooties.
A Few Words About the Least Tern (Sterna antillarum).—The Least Tern,
so far as the Tortugas group of islands is concerned, is nearing extinction. Early
in the season, it was thought that a moderate-sized colony was going to thrive
on Loggerhead Key. When this colony was first visited, in the neighborhood
of fifty nests were found, a large percentage of which contained two eggs. About
two weeks. later, the colony was again visited. Only one nest containing eggs
remained. A visiting dog (from the lighthouse) and a large colony of wild rats
which infest this island probably destroyed the eggs. One Least Tern was
316 Bird - Lore
hatched in the above nest. The photograph of this bird is given below. (This
photograph was taken by Mr. Keller of .the Marine Biological Laboratory
Staff.) Still another attempt was made by these birds to colonize Sand Key, but
there their nests were systematically robbed. Sand Key is about two miles dis-
tant from Bird Key. It is very small, and is so constantly washed over by waves
at flood-tide that it is extremely improbable that it can ever form a suitable nest-
ing-place for these Terns.
Dr. Mayer who is extremely interested in the bird life at Tortugas has prom-
ised to afford the Least Tern adequate protection if it again attempts to colonize
Loggerhead Key. Colonization of Loggerhead Key will give them their only
chance to survive. There is no room for them on Bird Key, and the other Keys -
can probably never be adequately protected.—Joun B. Watson.
REPORT OF A. C., BENT, ON CONDITION OF BIRD COLONIES ON
COBB’S ISLAND, VIRGINIA, IN 1907
We landed on Cobb’s Island Sunday afternoon, June 23, and left the follow-
ing Sunday, June 39, at noon. We made our headquarters at the Cobb’s Island —
Club House with Mr. George Isdell, who was then in charge of it; we consulted —
Captain Andrews frequently, at the life-saving station, but could not stay with
him, as he had no room fort us. We explored Cobb’s Island quite thoroughly,
and several of the surrounding islands and marshes, as they are called, includin
Wreck, Moon and Pig Islands, Big Eastward, Little Eastward, Rapesan and
Presses ‘marshes. ’ 2
Pig Island is a large, low and sandy island, practically devoid of vegetation, —
really nothing more than a large sand-bar raised sufficiently to be above the
reach of the highest tides. Cobb’s, Wreck and Moon Islands consist mainly
of extensive salt-marshes, partially flooded at high tide, protected on the oce
sides by high sandy or stony beaches, frequently covered with great piles of
oyster-shells, washed up from the sea. The so-called ‘marshes’ are inside islands
consisting mainly of salt-marshes, flooded at high tide, but generally contain
ing some dry lands. ,
We did not visit Smith’s Island, for lack of time and because we heard tha {
birds were not as plentiful there as on the islands we explored. “
Laughing Gulls were abundant everywhere, perhaps nearly as abundant
as they have ever been within recent years. We found two or three large breeding —
colonies on Cobb’s Island, and many smaller colonies or scattering pairs nesting
on the salt-marshes, where their nests were conspicious in the short marsh gi as
The largest colony of all was on Big Eastward, and there were other large b ce
ing colonies on Little Eastward, Rapesan and Wreck Islands. ral
The birds do not seem to be molested, but, as egging is allowed up to Jul ri
the eggs are persistently and thoroughly collected almost daily by the oyste
men until that date, after which they are allowed to raise their birds. Out
Reports of Special Agents 317
hundreds of nests examined, we were able to find only two complete sets of three
eggs. It was surprising to see the thoroughness with which the nests were robbed.
Oystermen and fishermen are very numerous kere, and, as they are busy on
their fishing-grounds at this season they live in small shanties on the marshes
_and derive an important part of their food supply from the eggs of the sea-birds,
principally the Gulls. As the birds do not seem to be materially reduced in
‘numbers by their depredations, laying their eggs persistently like domestic
jfow's, perhaps it would be hardly fair to deprive the men of this convenient
source of supply where provisions are so hard to obtain; but it does seem as if
3 egging season might be shortened somewhat. The wardens, of course, are
“powerless to stop egging until laws can be passed prohibiting it.
_ Gull-billed Terns are rapidly disappearing from this region, where only
e , few years ago they were common. Only two pairs were seen on Cobb’s Island.
bi] saw a few Terns, not over two or three pairs, at Pig Island, which I thought
‘were this species. At Wreck Island we found a few Gull-billed Terns,—perhaps
| ‘ight or ten pairs,— breeding in the Black Skimmer colony. We found, in all,
01 ly four nests, one on Cobb’s Island and three on Wreck Island.
F A few Common Terns were seen almost everywhere, and a number of their
ts were found, but no large breeding colonies were noted.
_ Forster’s Terns were occasionally seen at various points, and a few frequented
1 marsh on Cobb’s Island almost constantly, but no nests were found there.
In June 28, we discovered a large breeding colony on Wreck Island. Probably
yver one hundred pairs, and possibly nearly two hundred pairs, were breeding
on a salt-marsh, where their nests were thickly congregated on windrows. of
\™ twood along the edge of a creek. The birds can be easily recognized by their
and their nests are characteristic, being very neat, well-built structures
\ n large piles of driftweed. These and the other Terns’ eggs are apparently
ot regularly taken by the fishermen, perhaps because they are too small, for
we found full sets of eggs in all stages of incubation and some young
t The Royal and Least Terns have now become practically extinct in this
region; we saw none of either species, but were told that a few Royal Terns
are seen occasionally. The Least Terns have been thoroughly annihilated for
millinery purposes. Our guides told us most appalling stories of the immense
numbers of these birds that were slaughtered here within the past few years;
he figures were almost incredible; he and nearly all of the gunners and fisher-
men on the coast took a hand in the game, and they kept at it until the last one
Was gone, though at first the supply seemed inexhaustible. Probably this species
will never be reéstablished on this coast, but I am happy to say that protection
las come in time to save the Forster’s and Common Terns.
‘ed understand that shooting for the millinery trade has been entirely and
effectually stopped, as it is known to be illegal and the wardens are seeing that
the laws are enforced.
318 Bird - Lore
Clapper Rails are still abundant on the meadows, where they are almost
constantly heard, though less often seen. We found a great many nests, but
saw practically no young birds.
The eggs we found were probably second sets, but we were unable to decide
whether the earlier sets had been destroyed by high tides or whether they had
hatched and the young were keeping out of sight. The eggs are taken to some
extent by the fishermen, but not so regularly as the Gulls’ eggs, which are larger
and more easily collected.
There were two very large colonies of Black Skimmers nesting on Pig Island,
a small colony on Cobb’s Island and a large colony on Wreck Island. They
were only just beginning to lay, and hardly any of the sets were complete before
we left. I doubt if many of the eggs are taken by the fishermen, though they
are considered good eating; they do not begin laying much before the egging
season closes. The birds are not shot or disturbed in any way, and I do not see
why they should not hold their own for many years to come. :
Of the Willets, there were not over three pairs, and I am inclined to think
that there were only two pairs, as we never saw more than four birds at onel
time. They frequented the north end of Cobb’s Island and had apparently
finished breeding. About three or four pairs of Wilson’s Plovers also frequented -
the same locality and had evidently been breeding here; they acted as if they
had young in the vicinity, but we could not find them. Both of these species
are, in my opinion, doomed to speedy extermination in this locality, as they
are far from wary and will sooner or later be killed by some of the numero s
shore-bird hunters, who come here to shoot the migrant birds in the spring as.
well as in the fall.
Less than half a dozen pairs of American Oyster-catchers were seen,
Island. The latter pair evidently had young, but the others were apparenth
through breeding. 4
These birds are exceedingly wary and better able to survive; moreover they
are not considered good eating and therefore are not sought for by the gunner,
but it hardly seems likely that they can last many years more. a
To sum up my conclusions—I should say that the Royal and Least Ter ns
are hopelessly gone; the Gull-billed Tern, Willet, Wilson’s Plover and American
Oyster-catcher are doomed, and nothing can be done to save them; but the Laugh:
ing Gull, Forster’s and Common Terns, Black Skimmers and Clapper. Rail
are now being adequately protected, and should survive. ,
The wardens seem to be doing their work effectively and the laws are respec e
But the egging season might be shortened and spring shooting ought to b
stopped entirely. The only possible way to save the three shore birds whic
now breed on Cobb’s Island would be to make it a reservation and stop 2
shooting there at all times. As the eastern Willet is rapidly approaching exterm
nation, it would seem worth while to protect it—A. C. BENT.
Reports of Special Agents 319
REPORT OF ARTHUR H. NORTON ON COLONIES OF BIRDS IN MAINE
RECEIVING SPECIAL PROTECTION IN 1907
The birds receiving special protection in Maine by wardens employed by
the National Association are Puffin, Black Guillemot, Leach’s Petrel, Double-
‘crested Cormorant, Common and Arctic Terns, Herring, Great Black-backed
and Laughing Gulls, American Eider Duck, Spotted Sandpiper, Great Blue,
Black-crowned Night Herons and Fish Hawk,—a total of fourteen species.
With the exception of the Cormorant and Black-backed Gull, all breed in greater
or less numbers. By the timely effort of the Association, three species, the Puffin,
Laughing Gull and Eider Duck are being rescued from the very verge of extir-
pation in Maine.
The colonies were last inspected during the period from July 12, to August
16, 1904, and the results given in summary in Brrp-LoRE (January-February,
1905, VII, pp. 90-93).
c The present inspection covers the period from July 24, to August 7, a much
shorter period. On August 9g, a trip was made to Bluff Island in Saco Bay, and
st 16, one was made to Muscongus Bay, completing the work. The ground
ered extends from Eastport to Saco Bay, Maine, approximately two hundred
‘miles in an air-line. The number of islands and ledges on which I found colonies
(a birds breeding this year is twenty-eight. This includes all of the important
© now known on the coast. The significance of these facts will be considered
\. treating of the Herring Gull. In order to reach all of the various islands in
limited time at my command, it was necessary at each center to employ
a competent boatman with a motor craft; this brought me in direct contact
\a lobster fishers, sailing-masters, scallop dredgers and general shore-fishermen.
ett may be here remarked that the invention of the motor-boat marks the
inning of a new period in the history of the shore fisheries of all classes, an
| <i which has had a potent influence on the history of our sea-birds. It
Seems to me that this new period is one for the better, and it is to be believed
that the darkest days have been passed.
_ It is also a fact that the birds used as food are now much less numerous than
they were a dozen years ago, and the generation of gunners among the fisher-
men are becoming superannuated. In those days it was usual for many to carry
4 gun in their boats, but the practice seems to have ceased, and all are aware
that there ‘is a fine’ on the game birds.
__ Purrin.—I saw no Puffins this year, though, on landing on Matinicus Rock,
I hastened to their resort. This was during the middle of a clear day when the
birds were away fishing, even the Black Guillemots, which are so numerous here,
being absent from the vicinity. I was told by Captain Hall’s young son that
1¢ had seen five Puffins at one time this summer, and other observers assured
ne that they had seen one or more. The Puffin is one of the most picturesque
features of our bird-life and its preservation is much to be desired.
| Brack GUILLEMOT OR SEA PiGEoN.—These most attractive birds are still
ee
|
ig
|
kc
\-
rt a
320 | Bird- Lore
- common on the coast of Maine. They are very local in their choice of haunts,
and, though they are undoubtedly holding their own, do not seem to be increas-
ing. Their habitat in Maine still embraces most of the outer islands from the
western entrance of Machias Bay to the west side of Muscongus Bay. They are
especially numerous about the Mt. Desert and Matinicus groups of islands.
They appeared tamer than on former visits, flying very near boats or allow-
ing a close approach. On August 16, but one was seen on the Western Egg
Rock (Muscongus Bay), where formerly about a half dozen were accustomed
to breed. At all of their other stations about the usual numbers were observed.
This absence so late in the season may have been due to their having left the
breeding grounds. |
The one seen was certainly not shy, but came to its nest with a rock eel,
while we were still near the shore. She hurriedly carried the fish into the rock
pile for her young, and quickly emerged and flew away. All of my observations
on this species convinces me that at this season, at least, its food consists almost
entirely of rock eels (Gunnellus gunnellus). Thus, so far as food is concerned,
it is of neutral value. Yet its beauty,. gracefulness and pathetic voice makes
it fill a peculiar place in the scenery of barren rugged coasts. Surely, to the increas-
ing throng who visit our shores for recreation and esthetic enjoyment, it is,
in the near future, to “awaken an interest they could not excite in a savage
breast.’’ :
It was a matter of much satisfaction to find that the nest shown ith the i inc “
bating parent (The Auk, Vol. XXI, Pl. XVII), contained, on August 6, this year,
two young ones nearly ready to leave. This nest was first observed in 1992,
since which time it has been occupied on each visit. 4
Great Black-backed Gulls were resting in small numbers—a dozen or tw
birds—at No-Man’s-Land, Wooden Ball and Metinic Green Islands. The}
are not now known to breed on the coast, but are evidently becoming res ula
summer residents, in increasing numbers, in the vicinity indicated, taking advan
tage of the security afforded their near relatives. Their breeding is to be expe
under such suitable conditions.
HERRING GULL.—Eight colonies of this Gulls were visited. They are locate
at Old Man, Brothers, Pulpit Rock, Cone Island, Little and Big Duck Islar
Heron Island and No-Man’s-Land. The distance, in an air-line from Old M
and twelve miles. The three western colonies are the largest, and contain ma n
more than half of the Maine Gulls. Each of these colonies commands an inder
tation or bay of the adjacent coast, which, with its peculiar currents, large ar z
of flats, bars, ledges and mussel beds, furnishes the greater part of the food
dependent colony.
It is well known, of course, that these Gulls radiate in some numbers in |
directions up to thirty miles, and it has been conjectured that they range mui
farther.
Reports of Special Agents 321
My estimate of the number of the smaller or eastern colonies is fifteen hun-
_ dred to two thousand at each, Old Man and Brothers, eight hundred at Pulpit
- Rock, and four thousand at Cone Island.
| The area occupied as breeding stations by the birds just enumerated has its
_ extremities thirty-two miles asunder, with a possible feeding range of sixty miles,
"east to west, without encroaching upon the feeding-grounds of any other colonies.
_ The colonies of Cone Island and the Brothers show the most remarkable increase
in the total number of adult birds; and it is certain that the breeding birds have
; ‘increased at both places, though much more at Cone Island. The number of
3 idult birds at Great Duck Island, one of the most securely vrotected colonies
on the coast, seemed noticeably less than on my last visit.
It is worthy of note, in this connection, that the number of Gulls spending
_ the summer west of Pemoquid this year is much smaller than at any correspond-
ing season for the past four years. On all of the breeding grounds the birds
e tame; nowhere did I see evidence of molestation by man.
_ At Old Man and Brothers the breeding season seemed much later than
everwhere, many young being just hatched, and some of the occupied nests
just hatching. At Cone Island the season seemed to correspond with the
| a colonies. With the exception of the Old Man, at all of the colonies
considerable mortality was noticed among the young, probably due to the causes
| which have affected the Terns.
_ The Gulls are tame and unsuspicous; their young hatch at a seasonable
‘time, and they are occupied with feeding them rather than with remating and
trying all summer to breed. While we now have several very large colonies of Gulls,
it should be borne in mind that, previous to 1900, many smaller ones existed.
There are now considerably fewer colonies than there were previous to the move-
| ca to preserve the birds. They now lead normal lives, and it seems certain
at they have reached the state of abundance where their competition with
‘natural checks is much more severe. With the increase of birds at any colony,
> supply of food must be sought at greater distances, causing greater exposure
of eggs and young to the elements and to predaceous animals. Several checks
_ are evident and operative, and the idea that the birds are about to overrun all
bounds, as claimed by a small party, is plainly fallacious. Crows are notorious
tobbers and destroyers of eggs and young birds, including Terns, and why not
of Gulls.
(ee Terns are much more agile in the defence of their nests and young, yet with
n the cunning of the Crow often prevails. Captain Stanley, of Duck Island
ation, told me that the day before my visit an Eagle had visited his colony
and oe seen to kill two old Gulls. At the Brothers a magnificent individual
of the Peregrine Falcon was seen, and evidences of several feasts on Petrel were
‘a
liscovered. Young Gulls must have been entirely at his mercy. Ravens are
numerous enough in all the section inhabited by Gulls in this state to serve as
ial in holding them in check.
Tae
322 Bird - Lore
The trip from Rockland to Matinicus on the little steam packet ‘W. G.
Butman,’ carrying in addition to her crew, passengers, freight and the United
States mail, was made through a dense fog, which obscured all objects fifty or
seventy-five yards away. It was a matter of especial satisfaction to me to witness
the fact that, after running by the compass for a specified time, the Captain
stopped the engine, and listened for the Gulls on No-Man’s-Land. This welcome
sound being distinctly heard, he noted carefully the direction and moved the
craft cautiously onward, until ‘Two-Bush’ eastern head was spied, directly in
his path. Another course was laid and the craft worked safely into the harbor.
It is also a fact that I have been assured of, that the pollock trawlers
are guided to the schools of fish on this coast by the Gulls. :
Many of the lobster and other shore fishermen now value the presence of
the Gulls as above indicated, in guiding them to schools of fish, andi in sailing ©
in fogs.
The uncomplimentary things said about the birds were confined to our |
extreme eastern border. |
Elsewhere, I witnessed an increased interest and growing admiration. An
elderly gentleman at Jonesport said, “I am glad to see the Gulls in the harbor. —
When they come in the fall, in large numbers, right up to the wharves, it
seems good to see them.”
Laucuine GuLi.—The colony of Laughing Gulls located at Western Egg
Rock, Muscongus Bay, was inspected on August 16 and found to be in good
condition. The birds allowed a close approach before taking wing, but, after |
having been alarmed, hung far above us. After a short time, I made a count
of thirty birds overhead, and now believe that our estimate of fifty that arose
from the island was very nearly correct. Unlike my former visit, many remained
flying over the island throughout the period of my presence. y
Immediate attention was given to the nesting-ground with the result of find-
ing a number of nests, all of which had hatched, and their vicinity was trample E
and whitened by the excrement of the young. Roads ran from the nests in
several directions into the dense mass of vegetation. q
At least two young birds were seen on the wing, and, after a diligent search,
another, a half-fledged one, was found. It tried to make its escape by skulking,
but became entangled in the weeds and was taken in hand. It was a beau ‘iful
and spirited young creature, and some difficulty was experienced in obtaining
a picture of it. It was returned to its road and the shelter of the weeds, and mad Bis
haste to run and hide. A little search was made a few minutes later, but it coul
not be found. I was convinced that they are expert at evading obse
fact. Two nests contained each an addled agg, but no other eggs were four :
The colony certainly looks flourishing, and the outlook for the species the mo
hopeful for many years.
It must be said that this single colony is all that remains of several
Reports of Special Agents 323
ones once in the western half of Maine. Without protection, this species would
soon have been blotted out of our state fauna. It is a species calculated to fill
__a place that no other bird can fill, to these generations who are to find enjoyment
in the wild life of our coast, such as their forefathers could not know. A pair
_ was seen swooping down over the Shark Rock, indicating that they have taken
_ to breeding there again.
: Common AND Arctic TERNS.—Terns are abundant and very tame on the
_ Maine coast, from Englishman’s to Saco Bay. Large numbers were still on the
5 pe preceding grounds and many young ones were observed. On August 31, the first
3 _ young ones were observed at sea, near the outer limits of Penobscot Bay. Sev-
_ eral of the old resorts have been reoccupied since our last trip of inspection.
_ These are Ship Island, Green Islands below Blue Hill Bay, and Shark Rock.
____ Large numbers of young Terns perished at Matinicus Rock at the time of
4 hatching, by reason of a heavy cold rain; and wherever I observed, a consider-
__ able number of dead young were seen, of all sizes, even well-fledged. Captain
_ James Hall, of Matinicus Rock, whose opportunities for observation are unrivaled,
lea expressed the belief that food is scarce and starvation is the cause of much
_ death, late in the season.
_ My visit to Libby Island: was on July 26, when I found the large colony of
: in the spring. No migratory movement was detected until August 16, certainly
| "none being in progress on August g. I was assured by several persons that they
__were abundant over the water far up Machias Bay. These probably belong
in 1901, and the Terns abandoned the place and their nO There I col-
=a pellets filled with feathers and bones of Terns and Petrels.
A new colony of Common Terns was visited at Ballast Island, Englishman’s
y. It was in good condition.
| At Freeman’s and Egg Rocks very large numbers were seen, both old
1a young, though the young had not left the shore. About a dozen had
BI. vidently bred successfully on Green Island, near the southwestern entrance
| to Blue Hill Bay. None were seen there on my former visit. About fifty old
ad young were also seen on Ship Island, also abandoned at the time of my
former visit, 1904. i
ms __ Throughout upper Penobscot Bay, Common Terns were abundant and tame,
belonging to the ledges northwest of Eagle Island. None were seen in Jericho
; jay, though a close approach was made to Saddleback Ledge and Southern
( k Island. At Matinicus Rock and Metinic Green Island the large colonies
ed undisturbed by man.
L, Very few (as usual) were at the Western Egg Rock, Muscongus Bay, but
me:
cad ——_—
sl Nyasa:
324 Bird - Lore
the colony at the eastern Rock was as large as in the early days of my experience
there. Here were several piles of a dozen or more eggs lying in exposed places,
showing that the hand of man had been molesting. A colony of one hundred
or less was also at the Shark Rock, none being there on my last visit.
I was told by Mr. Willis Snow that he had heard a report that a party of
boys went to Marblehead Rock on the Fourth of July and gathered all of the
Terns’ eggs and threw them at marks, showing that the need of protection has
not passed away. This is an isolated rock five miles below Rockland, where the —
services of a warden would be impracticable.
No Terns have bred in Casco Bay, so far as I can determine. The Bluff —
Island colony continues in its usual security and good condition. :
Leacn’s PEetTREL.—This bird is known to breed in Maine only on ‘the
outer tier of islands from the Brothers, a little west of the entrance to Machias —
Bay, to the west side of Muscongus Bay; yet it does not breed on all of the islands ~
of that tier.
As its habitat must always be limited and it is an easy prey for its enemies, —
having suffered considerably of late years, especial attention was given to its
present condition. 4
Who has not heard of the Petrel, from childhood? Who does not know of —
its walking upon the waves? How could we spare Mother Carey’s Chickens —
from our broad expanse of ocean, and the lore peculiar thereto? Within the
' past fourteen years its range has been reduced, and one of the largest colonies —
of the state has been seriously affected by permanent camping and the keeping
of dogs and cats.
At the Brothers, the colony is small, and the freshly torn wings of several, 4
with the particles of flesh still red, were seen, undoubtedly the work of the Pere- |
grine Falcon. In one instance, a ghastly pair of these wings had been taken by
a late-breeding Gull to repair its nest. The next colony west of this is at the Duck
Islands, fifty-eight miles distant. Here the colonies are large and in excellent
condition. q
A colony of considerable size is on the Green Islands, at the southwestern
extremity of the entrance to Blue Hill Bay. This is also in good condition, These
islands are very small, containing but three or four acres. . 4
At the Big Spoon Island a colony of considerable size existed with a m ch
smaller one at Little Spoon Island. The Big Spoon colony has suffered by camp-
ing and its associated evils. At the Matinicus Islands very large colonies have
always existed, the largest being located at Seal Island and Wooden Ball, with
much smaller ones at Matinicus Rock and No-Man’s-Land. At the Seal Islan
the colony is still very large, but at the eastern end many have been dug Ou
of their burrows by dogs, and several mangled birds were seen. With the pos sibl
exception of a few Guillemots, no other sea-birds breed here now, though a larg
colony of Terns was annihilated for the plume trade. It is said that the bird!
have been more conspicuous this season at Matinicus Rock than usual. At hi:
Reports of Special Agents 325
place and No-Man’s-Land no indications of disturbance were to be seen, and
the same is true of the small colony on Metinic Green Island.
Quite large numbers still breed at both Egg Rocks in Muscongus Bay, and
their burrows and peculiar odor were very conspicuous. Here they have been
killed and eaten, to a considerable extent, by some predaceous animal, perhaps
Crows or Ravens. A couple of these black marauders were seen at the Western
ag Rock, but too far away for identification. The Muscongus Bay colonies
re likely always to remain at the mercy of natural conditions.
_ The Duck Island colonies and the smaller ones at Matinicus are now fully
protected. By the timely exclusion of dogs and cats from the Seal Island, this
a portant colony can also be saved. The once large colony at Wocden Ball has
een sadly reduced by camping.
4 i copscep CoRMORANT.— This species continues to remain on our
oast in small numbers. The colony at Pulpit Rock was of its usual size, and
pirc s were very tame. Landing was not made, and no nests could be seen from
he boat. I caused one of my boatmen to run out to Black Rock, near Cone Island,
where, according to a report, Cormorants breed. Three of the birds were nest-
g there, but the ledges are entirely unfit for a breeding place, being so low that
nust be swept over during gales from the outside, and it is very small. The
- at No-Man’s-Land numbered thirty at the time of my visit, all males in
ossy plumage. A few brown birds were seen fishing about the island. No
ic ences of nests were found. It is to be expected that they will begin breeding
this point if the present excellent conditions continue. This place became
summer roost in 1903, when I saw but five.
AMERICAN Erper.—There are probably today no Eiders breeding on the
“east of Maine, except those at Old Man’s Island near our eastern boundary.
Whe island has been leased to the National Association by the Governor and
a yuncil of Maine, it being state property. Capt. Fred. E. Small, keeper of the
-ross island Life-Saving Station, warden for the Association, has erected a large
sign, informing all who approach the rugged shores that it is a reservation for
vile birds. This warning has been so well respected that the Ducks have become
re ma kably tame. Without this effort of the Association, we should now un-
doubtedly have to record this species among those extirpated from the state.
Ay]
it [he shores of the island rise nearly perpendicularly from forty to one hundred
*t (estimated), nearly all around, except at the southwest or outer part, which
Opes away gradually to low-water mark. Here, seventy-five yards off, several
cia ter-tide ledges lay, making, at low water or rough weather, a narrow, rocky
d treacherous passage between them and the shore. This part of the island
s expe ed to the full and ceaseless action of the surf.
‘He e the Ducks find a congenial resort, in the rough water and about the
edges. The top of the island, which is rent completely in two by means of a
vashe d-out dike, four to six feet wide, appears like an elevated plateau, clothed
> th bank with white spruce and fir, low, scrubby and dense. Many dead
‘
te
326 Bird - Lore
trunks stand, decaying and waiting the fury of some gale to hurl them to the
ground, to molder with innumerable fellows which have gone before them.
Mosses, ferns and coarse weeds, with an abundance of brambles, nearly
complete the vegetation, and so rank in growth are the latter that they have
made a most uninviting tangle. One’s way must be forced through these, over
and under the brush and logs, guided by the mooted ‘sense of direction,’ if a
stranger.
This tangle affords an obstacle to the Gulls, which must resort to the shelves
of the rocky cliffs, the sloping southwest shore, the adjacent picturesque needle
rocks, or the tops of the trees, to nest. Not so the Eiders, which prefer to walk
to and from their nests. To them the tangle affords a secure retreat. ‘
Responding quickly to the conditions extended to them by protection, they
have become so fearless of boats that I was taken just outside of the off-lying
ledges, hardly a hundred yards from two females which sat on the shores of the
island, without standing as we passed. Several others remained between the
shore and the ledge, considerably nearer, without flying. It was a sight sufficient
to stir the enthusiasm of any one who has known these magnificent creature
as the wildest of wild birds. It was enough to stir'the pride of any, but the heart
less, and it is gratifying to state that Captain Small’s associates share his pi
in the flock of Ducks. =
I saw seven females, and, outside ‘of the ledges, a young male, probably bu
a yearling. The latter, on being approached, rose and flew a short distance
then dived and skulked. I was unable to find a nest, in a second short visi
here. | {
On August 25, in the morning, as the Portland and Eastport steamer ra
up Grand Menan Channel, three old drakes flew from the Campobello sh ore ‘
southwest, or toward the west side of Grand Menan. I was told by Captai
Fred Berry, now a surfman of the Cross Island Station, that one or two of th e
Ducks have often been seen about the western end of the Western Shot, th
summer. : a
None were seen about their former resorts at Green Islands, below Blue Hill
nor at Spirit or Saddleback Ledges in Jericho Bay. At Metinic Green Island,
August 6, a young drake, a yearling, was flushed from the surf line; he flew abe
a hundred yards and alighted 4
Great BLUE Heron.—One of these birds was seen flying froth India Rin
toward the rookery at Great Wass Island. On August 2, the Bradbury Is!
Colony in Penobscot Bay was visited and found to be in excellent condi tic
The nests are now large from reoccupation, and all contained young near}
full-grown. A few had left the nest and were in the trees close by. This cok y
covers a considerable area, but the nests are scattered. It is extremely difhe {
of exploration, being on a very steep hillside, in spruce timber, consid ra
of which has died and fallen, lying with its brush on the ground. Wild currants,
raspberries and red-berried elder have penetrated the brush and flourish in pro-
Reports of Special Agents 327
on. Travel there is indeed laborious. The crash and rustle of my progress
fed more curiosity than alarm in the birds, both young and old.
BLACK-CROWNED Nicut Heron.—This bird seems to be increasing and
ning new colonies. A nest with newly-hatched young in a low spruce was
on Old Man Island, the first seen there. It was hardly ten feet above the
. At Heron Island the colony has become established, and the same is
the one at No-Man’s-Land. A colony of considerable extent has formed
\dbury’s Island since my visit there in 1993. At all of these places (except
) the young were out of the nests, but close by them.
ED SANDPIPER.—This species is abundant on all ‘of the islands and
affording suitable conditions. I am not aware that it is molested. The
were flying, though one rather young one was seen on Ballast Island,
man’s Bay.
EY OR Fish HAwKk.—This bird is still common in Penobscot Bay,
I believe, owing to an old superstition, which has afforded them protec-
et the early days of the granite industry reduced their numbers here
lly. On Bradbury Island there are several nests on trees, now occupied,
I was able to observe. On several ledges between this island and North
Island are nests built upon the rocks, perfectly accessible to man. The |
birds were about ready to leave the nests, and were now standing upon
21 tops. Some were already flapping their wings in anticipation of
at.—A. H. Norton.
REXG
328 Bird - Lore
REPORTS OF STATE SOCIETIES ‘a
The reports of the State Societies for the past year in most_cases show sub- —
stantial progtess, especially along educational lines; in fact, the greatest activity
and achievements of these Societies is in interesting the children. A careful —
perusal and study of the work of each Society by the officers of the other Socie- _
ties, will be of great advantage. Valuable suggestions are thus gained, for a —
method or idea that proves a success in one locality may prove such in —
another. The state reports will also prove interesting reading for the general —
public, and should be a source of inspiration to many persons with means and ~
time at their disposal. No greater civic work can be found.—W. D. 3
Alabama.—For some time I have been visiting the various sections of the
state, and I have been delighted to note the magic effect the new game law has |
had on the situation in Alabama. No law has ever been enacted that has been :
so universally respected. i
Convictions have been obtained which have had a most salutary effect; :
reports received by the department showing that during the month of September, —
there were thirty-nine convictions under the game law. Marengo coun 3
with seventeen convictions, leads all the rest, while Lauderdale comes secon
with six to its credit. The convictions, by counties, are as follows: Autauga,
Bibb, 3; Coffee, 1; Elmore, 3; Escambia, 2; Lauderdale, 6; Lee, 2; Madison,
Marengo, 17; Talladega, 1; Tallapoosa, 1. Millard Lipscomb, of Demop
heads the county game-warden list for having secured the most convicti
for any one month during the year, while Jesse A. Dowdy, of Florence, cc
and reckless men and wanton boys that erstwhile slaughtered them have ceased
to wage their war of extermination. ; |
I have distributed over 100,000 copies of the game law, and have given t
law wide advertisement through the papers. ea
There has been a large demand for hunters’ licenses, and every mail brings
in a letter from some probate judge asking for additional license blanks.
The game law has proven a success beyond my most halcyon expectations;
ail in all, I am much gratified with the result_of this legislation.—JOHN
WALLACE, JR., Game & ommissioner.
California.—Public interest in bird protection in California has made
most decided increase during the past year. This is in evidence in several we ys
and especially by the greatly increased demand for copies of the bird-law le fle
of the Audubon Society, which now comes from almost every part of the state
The value of birds to the farmer and fruit-grower is receiving much ¢ tel
State Reports 329
gh ee 3
: _ tion; women’s clubs are codéperating with the State Society in efforts to save the
‘ birds, and are declaring emphatically against the wearing of feathers other
than those of the Ostrich; the press, almost without an exception, is giving
_ splendid support to the cause. Heads of educational institutions, county and
city school boards; superintendents and teachers, are alive to the importance
of the movement, and are helping: on the good work in every possible way. The
evil of egg-collecting is greatly diminished, and a more healthy sentiment among
_ bird students, and better respect for the law, has practically put an end to the
advertising of eggs and skins for sale or exchange in periodicals published in
the state.
4 In the interest of the game and bird protection a great many thousand acres
of both wild and cultivated lands are now closed to hunters, and under the pro-
visions of the law providing for state game-preserves, enacted at the last session
of the legislature, many of these holdings, and thousands of additional acres,
of foot- hill land aggregating more than two thousand acres.
_ The Society has distributed more than 20,000 copies of circulars, leaflets,
ing-signs and digests of the bird laws, while several secretaries of affiliating
organizations have made large additional distribution of the Educational Leaf-
lets of the National Association. It is probable that we shall double this distri-
bution of printed matter during the present year. Five new Leaflets are already
| in preparation, including ‘The Western Mockingbird,’ ‘The Passing of the
Mourning Dove,’ a Leaflet on feather-wearing, and another on the care of avi-
ary birds.
tog The Society is adding to its series of slides, and will soon have about one
hundred pictures, many of them made from photographs of living birds. A
- goc d lantern is already assured, and within-a few weeks we shall be prepared
to. give increased impetus to the bird-protective movement by an illustrated
alk on western birds, for which there have been many requests during the
‘past year.
| a The work of the Audubon ‘Society of California during the next twelve
‘months will be largely along educational lines. Efforts will be made to push the
| a into counties that have as yet hardly been reached. The newspapers and
‘the school teachers are our great and usually faithful missionaries. When other
fri nds have sometimes failed us, the school teacher has always “made good.”
While we have accomplished only a little of the work that lay plainly before
Us at the organization of the State Society less than eighteen months ago, we
na good and sufficient reason to rejoice at that which has been done, as well
s in the growth of interest in nature-study and bird protection, and especially
in the steadily increasing number of splendid friends of the birds that this Society
has brought together in an effective organization for a worthy and humane pur-
‘pose. —W. Scott Way, Secretary.
ee a
330 Bird - Lore
Connecticut.—Our state work, this year, has been largely in the legislature.
We appointed a ‘ Watch-out-Committee’ to keep track of the proposed altera-
tions in the game laws, and Mr. Van Name did good work in Hartford in push-
ing through the Alien License Bill and the Gun License Bill. The Society gave $10
toward the- Bradley monument, and $15 towards the support of the Bradley
children. We spent over $25 repairing and renewing books for our traveling
libraries and $50 for five new libraries of twelve books each. |
We distributed about 6,000 Educational Leaflets sent us by the National
Association, and some Leaflets issued by the Department of Agriculture. We
have printed the new bird laws on muslin in the English, Italian and Hungarian
languages, to be posted throughout the state and among the granges.
We have got an excellent, fearless game warden in our county now, and the
Society was glad to give him a mileage book of 500 miles and $20 toward his
expenses, as the state does not give the wardens carfare or stationery and pays
little for their time. Warden Smith has created quite a sentiment for bird pro-—
tection, and aroused an interest in birds all over the county. We append a special
report from him. d
“Seen from a warden’s viewpoint, conditions in western Connecticut are
most encouraging. Public sentiment is responding to the educational work o
the Audubon Society and an understanding of the economic value of our birds
and the friends of protection can no longer be judged by names on the Auduboi
roll. Meadowlarks have done well and have been very little disturbed,
it is very rarely that a Gull is killed, and each species is on the increase. Th
foreign element is still the greatest menace to song-birds, but where perso al
work had been done in our Italian colony, explaining the laws and penalti 2s,
not one has been known to violate the laws this season,—a strong argument
for more educational work among them.
“Other places, however, have not been so fortunate, and since May fir st
seven arrests and convictions of Italians, and two convictions of Americans,
have been secured for violating the non-game laws,—one for the wanton kill
ing of a Great Blue Heron by an American, who should have known bettei et
.
A
:
;
¥
:
,
people from roaming the woods with a gun, and furnish a fund for better we
service.”
Our Executive Committee has held several meetings in the year (omittil
the three summer months) and there is much interest and enthusiasm sh«
in the work at these meetings.—Mrs. HELEN W. GLOVER, Secretary.
District of Columbia.—The work of our Society is planned by the
tive Committee, consisting of the officers of the Society and fourteen
members. %
One of the most unique meetings was held in the fall, when, under the a
State Reports 331
and interesting leadership of Dr. T. S. Palmer, we visited the bird-house of the
ational Zodlogical Park and saw many rare birds. That the privilege of this
p was fully appreciated was shown by the large attendance.
Soon after this, we held a public meeting in the lecture hall of the Washington
Public Library, whose trustees have, for several years, most courteously placed
ir hall at our disposal. The speaker on this occasion was Mr. Tylor, of Easton,
d., who gave us some charming glimpses of outdoor life through his camera.
Our tenth annual meeting was held in January, and at this time we met
ith two great losses in the resignations of Mr. Henry S. Oldys, from the chair-
anship of the Executive Committee, and Mrs. J. D. Patten from the secretary-
». Both have been actively engaged in the work of the Society from its incep-
tion, and it was with deep regret that we learned that after ten years of most
ithful service they felt that the pressure of other duties was too great, and that
ey must be relieved of active work.
Our most active work is done in the spring, and was inaugurated most aus-
y by the all-too-short lecture of our National Secretary, Mr. T. Gilbert
son, on ‘Some Results of Bird Protection in the South,’ which was most
thusiastically received.
This spring, instead of out usual Bird Class, we held four informal meet-
for the identification of bird-skins, under the direction of Prof. W. W.
ooke and several members of the Executive Committee, preparatory to our
ield-work, which later consisted of five Saturdays given to exploring the country
nd Washington. For an account of the walks this spring, let me quote from
. Wells W. Cooke’s most interesting article, published in the ‘Washington
ening Star’ of May 20.
The Society has the record that for six consecutive years no one of its five
ngs each year has been given up on account of the weather. ‘The five trips
907 were attended by 112 different persons, the larger part of whom were
ent at only one meeting. On each trip the members separated into three
four parties, for the better observation of the birds, each party being in charge
of some one familiar with the birds of the District. The best trip of the season,
fi o1 a the ornithological standpoint, was that of May 11, when seventy-two
Species were observed.
_ “This year the number of species seen was exceptionally 1arge, as compared
with other years, and the season was marked by the finding of some of the rarest
| bi ds known to this region. A Cerulean Warbler, the rarest Warbler of this dis-
rict, was seen at Great Falls on May 11, and among other rare birds observed
‘may be mentioned the Summer Tanager, the Golden-winged, Hooded, Kentucky
and Worm-eating Warblers, the Red Crossbill and the Black-crowned Night
Heron. During the entire season, 112 people saw 113 different kinds of birds,
as ompared with 96 kinds seen during the five trips of 1906.”
i pelt may not be generally known that the residents of the District of Columbia
are subject to ‘Taxation without Representation,’ so that if we want any laws
sa
a
eed
¥
*
a
“
3
bY
332 Bird - Lore
enacted we must present our cause before the District Committee of the United
States Congress. A year or more ago some of us did our first ‘lobbying,’ codéper-
ating with the Fish- and Game-Protective Association of the District, and were
successful in having a bill passed prohibiting all hunting-or shooting in is
District, except for a limited time, and then only on the marshes. |
Our Chief of Police, Major Sylvester (who is a member of both societies),
has coéperated most efficiently with us, and during the winter his mounted
police have been provided with food for the birds (toward which our Society
made an appropriation), which they have carried to outlying districts, and in
that way have furnished sustenance for many of the birds during the severe
weather. During the last three winters a few Mockingbirds have stayed with
us.
We have an adult membership of 240, and our junior members number 98.
The close of each year finds our Society farther advanced, both as to member-
ship and finances, and the outlook for the coming year is more encouraging
than ever before.—Muss HELEN P. Cui.ps, Secretary.
Florida.—The Florida Society cannot show any great gain numerically,
during the past year, yet, as the interest seems extending in educational lines,
it has the courage to continue in its efforts, even while realizing its failure to
prevent the illegal shooting and sale of plumage birds, or to secure more pro-
gressive legislation for bird protection, thereby hoping to save the existing rook or
ies from devastation. The following statistics give some indication of our activity:
Membership, including all grades, 950; leaflets, circulars, reports distributed,
14,730; summary of the state bird laws for posting, 130; warning-notices, 20
Audubon charts in use of schools, 75 (in Orange county, 40; Manatee county,
25; Duval county, 4; Franklin county, 2; and one each in Gadsen, Lee and F it
nam counties); teachers having free membership, 160. d
One Leaflet was published this year, making eighteen which have bee
published by the Florida Society. Two prizes were given for compositions, at
four for coloring outline drawings were awarded to children between the y at
at Orange county last year, will be continued, and this year the schools of Mi
tee county, will follow similar methods. We would especially urge that Di .
study be made a part of the course in normal schools, for one great difficulty
lies in the fact that no matter how ready teachers may be to instruct the pupil
it is only in exceptional cases they have knowledge of the subject. -
The Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School, Eastonville (colored)
continued its work in bird-study. At the commencement exercises in Ma ;
two prizes were given for compositions on ‘The Birds of Florida.’ In Novem
a book was given as a prize to a member of Mrs. Kirk Munroe’s ‘ Boys’ Clul
“The Rangers.’ This year a prize will be given them “for good ~— in se q
tecting nests.” During the winter they are to hold a ‘Bird Fair.’ esi
State Reports 333
W. F. Blackman, of Rollins College, writes: “I had the pleasure of speaking
at the conference, in St. Augustine, to some four or five hundred teachers and
others about the Audubon Society.” As a result, the secretary, Mrs. Vander-
pool reports “that requests for literature and instruction have come from five
new counties. ”’
The auxiliaries at Port Orange and San Mateo have greatly increased the
interest in their localities. ‘The Palmetto Club,’ at Daytona, ‘The Fortnightly,’
at Palm Beach, ‘The Winter Park Fortnightly,’ ‘The Housekeepers’ Club’ at
Cocoanut Grove, ‘The Friday Literary’ at Bradentown, have sustaining or
annual members, and are doing active work for bird protection. The Florida
Sunshine Society sends into many houses its rays of love and kindness to birds.
Mrs. Robert, of Palm Beach, made an especial feature of an afternoon féte,
the reading of the National Association’s report for Florida. Mrs. E. A. Graves,
GUY BRADLEY’S GRAVE
Photograph by Kirk Munroe
of Ormond. writes of the- interest in the ‘Village Improvement Club.’ Mr.
John Anderson, of Ormond, is an interested officer of the Society, while our
thanks are given most sincerely to Mrs. Haden, of Orlando, and Mrs. Belknap,
at Miami, for constant and efficient service. Mrs. E. K. Anderson, chairman
of the Bird Protection Committee of the State Federation of Women’s Clubs,
reports: “There are fourteen clubs that have special committees on bird pro-
tection, and the majority of these have, during the past year, observed Bird Day
With appropriate exercises. This year work among the schools will be more
generally taken up.”
Bird Day was observed by the Orange City Village Improvement Society.
The newspapers in the state have been most generous in aiding us, and we have
had, as always, the codperation of the Southern Express Company.
This year, for the second time, a bill to prevent the shooting of live Pigeons
334 Bird - Lore
from traps failed to pass the legislature. Letters are frequently received asking
if we are powerless to prevent this “cruel and debasing” amusement, but while
reading the protest, a morning paper tells us “that the event of the day was
a twenty-bird handicap for Mrs. ——-——’s trophy.” It was a close contest,
“the birds being fast and the sport fine,”’ for there was a tie between -two of the
braves,” “with 13 kills each, out of 20 birds,” and later “a beautiful dinner
was served by admiring friends,” in honor of one, “killing 14 birds out of 20.”
No new reservations have been made in Florida since October, 1906. The
reservations, or preserves, now are at Tortugas, Sand Key, Passage Key, Indian
Key and Pelican Island, where the launch ‘ Audubon’ is in use.
There have been reports from the South of the reappearance of Paroquets
?
| BRADLEY
1870 - 1905
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH
AS GAME WARDEN OF MONROE
COUNTY HE CAVE HIS LIFE FOR
THE CAUSE TO WHICH HE WAS.
PLEDCED
ERECTED BY THE FLORIDA AUDUBON SOCIETY
TABLET TO BE ERECTED OVER GUY BRADLEY’S GRAVE
and Nonpareils have been noted in certain localities, where for years they have
not been seen; while further north an increase has been reported of White Herons
Blue Herons, Cardinals, Robins and other birds.
In response to an article by Mr. Julian A. Dimock, in ‘Country Life in
America’ for February. entitled ‘Egret Murder,’ the sum of $58 was received
by the treasurer of the Florida Audubon Society, Mrs. L. P. Bronson, which
is reserved as the nucleus of an ‘Egret Fund.’ We here publicly thank Mr
Dimock for his interest, the publishers for their coéperation, and the com-
tributors.
In a letter written by Mr.. Kirk Munroe, April 15, 1906, he says: “I have
just returned from a cruise to Cape Sable, where on account of proximity and
association, I was roused to a great interest in the Bradley case. Last Monday
7
: : State Reports 335.
. Ingraham aid I visited his grave, in a cocoanut grove, on the point of East
ape Sable, overlooking the broad waters that he strove so faithfully to make
ife for the feathered life that beautified them. The grave is on a shell ridge
eyond reach of the highest tide, and itself a mound of pink and white sea-shells. ”
. Munroe then suggests that the Florida Audubon Society erect a memorial
et to mark this grave. Acting on this suggestion the Executive Committee
d to do so. While plans were being made, a request for contributions for the
me object was proposed by Mr. Dutcher in the National report for October,
. Through the kindness of Mr. Dutcher, $16 sent him by various contrib-
rs was given to the Florida Society to add to their funds and an appropriate
nze tablet affixed to a headstone will mark the spot where the body of Guy M.
ley lies. A letter from Mrs. E. R. Bradley reads: “The tablet in memory
ir dear son is received. We thank all the kind friends who have united in
it.” The tablet, which is of bronze and measures twelve inches by
inches, is reproduced herewith.
. Kirk Munroe and to ‘contributors especial thanks from the Florida
are due.— Mrs. KincsmiLt Marrs, Chairman of Executive Committee.
Of its present directors, five have been members of the board for the ten
of the Society’s existence. Two general meetings have been held this last
in December with Mr. W. L. Finley, as speaker, and the annual meet-
y, when Prof. Francis Herrick spoke on the ‘Nest Building and Life
fo Leaflets have been published but a Migration Record for Schools has
; Printed and is being sent to teachers. Several of the directors have done
work in some of the Chicago schools and migration records, charts and
ts have been given by the Society in some cases.
he excellent work done in many of the schools of the state is increasing,
s largely due to the interest in birds of many teachers and a few of the county
intendents. In some of the counties, every school in the county observed
and Bird Day.
n the annual letter of the secretary in the Arbor and Bird Day Annual,
the subject of Government Reservations for Bird Protection was treated and
the suggestion made that the children consider their school grounds as ‘reser-
vations’ and themselves as ‘ wardens.’
i‘ At the meeting of the Illinois Federation of Women’s Clubs last October,
ar ely through the efforts of Mrs. Frahe, the president, a resolution was adopted,
lacing the State Federation on record as against the wearing of feathers. Mrs.
Jecker, president of the General Federation, was at the meeting and through
ne kindly offices of herself and Mrs. Fletcher, chairman of the Outlook Com-
ittee of the General Federation, and after correspondence with Mr. Dutcher
and the secretary of the Illinois Audubon Society, the subject of Audubon work
336 Bird - Lore
was considered at the meeting of the directors of the General Federation held
last June; the results being that Audubon work was made part of the duties
of the Forestry Committee.
At our annual meeting, the president, Mr. Deane, stated*that some of the
largest wholesale and retail millinery dealers in Chicago had assured him that
there was a great decrease in the sale of feathers. Another encouraging state-
ment was that the local Millinery Association, under the leadership of Mr.
Bode (a warm friend of the birds) had practically agreed to conform to the main
principles of the Audubon Society.
At the session of the state legislature last winter, some improvements were —
made in the game laws. The open season for Woodcock and Mourning Doves —
is shortened a month and the day’s ‘bag’ for Ducks and water-fowl is reduced —
from thirty-five to twenty, and for Quail and other game-birds, from twenty- —
five to fifteen. A backward step is the passage of the bill offering a bounty on '
Crows and their eggs. This was passed in spite of the remonstrance of the State —
Game Commissioner and the Audubon Society. An effort will be made to repeal :
this bill.
The secretary of the Farmers’ Institute, Mr. H. A. McKeene, has recently
issued a valuable article on bird protection, which is being widely circulated in
the state. At the state meeting of the Institute last winter, a strong resolution —
was passed against the killing of Quail, Prairie Chickens, Pheasants or any —
common bird, and also asking the legislature to pass laws forbidding Sunday
hunting. One of our directors, Mrs. E. S. Adams, has recently assumed charge :
of a department on Audubon work in ‘School News,’ a paper that reaches many —
of our teachers. The ‘Prairie Farmer,’ Mr. C. P. Reynolds, editor, is also ~
giving part of its space to bird subjects. The Society has sent out during the
year, through its Senior and Junior Departments, 10,122 Leaflets. — Miss |
Mary Drummonn, Secretary-Treasurer.
=
bn
Indiana —For the past year the regular work of a State Audubon Socie! y
has been carried ¢ on in this state much as in others. Perhaps this report would ‘
ful, rather than of routine and general work. s
The school authorities, from the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the —
kindergarten practice teachers, are awake to the value of bird-study in the —
schools, and the Bird and Arbor Days are observed with real enthusiasm. The
teachers work directly with the materials in hand; during the heavy snows of ~
last winter, school children in various parts of the state were feeding the birds
and reporting on what they saw was an absorbing part of their school wor
Today, in many of the schools of this city, the pupils are carrying the infested”
branches of trees and nests of caterpillars to school with them, that the pests”
may be destroyed. They understand that the birds are gone, and so it become
necessary for some one else to do the birds’ work, and this unusual invasi
State Reports 337
’
of caterpillars is turning out to be an object-lesson on the value of birds that will
stay with these pupils a long time.
An Audubon worker was asked to write a bird letter, requiring an answer,
to certain grades of pupils in the city schools. The work was primarily an exer-
jen in letter-writing for the pupils. The bird letter was printed and put into
the hands of the pupils, resulting in thousands of replies telling of childish experi-
: “ences with the birds, and showing that even the smaller pupils have an intelli-
_ gent appreciation of bird-life.
__ The schools recognize the usefulness of the Audubon work to such an extent
‘that the annual meeting is eagerly desired by many of the cities of the state,
although four sessions are already held; two evening sessions, one afternoon
“session in one large assembly hall especially for the older pupils and the teachers,
a d these meetings are always crowded. However, the most interesting work
‘is that of the morning. All available bird speakers are pressed into service,
_and bird talks are given in every school in the place. Even the tiniest tots want
: 1eir bird talk as was shown last March, when a small room, used for the over-
flow of kindergarten pupils, was overlooked. The teacher was overheard to say
hat her babies were almost crying, so disappointed were they at missing their
“exp ected treat, and the tired visitors insisted on giving the little ones their talk,
_ We have been fortunate in having the opportunity of entering upon a field
0 -work which is peculiarly welcome to our members. Mr. William Watson
Woollen, one of our charter members, some years ago became impressed with
the fact that with the increase of population many of the native birds and flowers
re driven away because of the disappearance of their special haunts. Feeling
the necessity for a place where the native life might be fostered and preserved
4 for the pleasure and study of the present and future generations, he purchased
rt : tract of land, not far from Indianapolis,.comprising creek bottom, upland
woodland. This ‘Buzzard’s Roost’ affords an ideal place for many kinds
f birds that are fast disappearing from Indiana, as well as protection for those
that are abundant. It is preserved for the trees, birds and flowers, and will
‘eventually be given to Indianapolis to be held for this purpose. Mr. Woollen
desires members of the Audubon Society, and all nature-lovers and students,
to make use of this out-of-doors. The hope is that, through the influence of the
| img like refuges for wild life may be established in many parts of the state.-—
FLoRENCE A. Howe, Secretary
Towa.—The appeal made by the chairman of the Outlook Committee of
the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Mrs. J. T. Fletcher, of Marshall-
vn, to all club women to take action and sign a pledge in regard to the use of
@ aigrette and feathers of wild birds, was strongly endorsed, and the members
of the Audubon Society will present this pledge in connection with the Audubon
to many organizations of women’s clubs in the state. The Society will
bis
338 Bird - Lore
also take steps to post warning notices wherever and whenever necessary for
the enforcement of the Model Law.
During the year the following literature has been distributed: About 500
circulars on the ‘Value of Birds to Agriculture,’ at farmers’ institutes, 800
copies of the Model Law, as passed in Iowa in 1906, and 3,000 National Asso-
ciation Leaflets to teachers’ institutes, Chautauqua meetings, etc. Many circu-
lars and National Association Leaflets have been sent on request to members
of women’s clubs, superintendents of public schools, and teachers in general.
In spite of the fact that there seems to be a strong sentiment in favor of bird
protection in Iowa, there has been only a slight increase in membership during
the past year, and it is still difficult to secure local secretaries or active workers
who take more than a passing interest in the protection of bird life or the enforce-—
ment of the Model Law.
School children, in kindergarten ‘ind primary grades, are being well in-
structed concerning birds, and are encouraged to study the many phases of.
bird-life in their natural haunts by actual.observation, as well as from books
and charts which are quite liberally provided. 4
Prof. John E. Cameron, of Kansas City, Mo., recognizing the need of pre-
paring the teachers for this work, has given numerous lectures in Iowa, at teach-
ers’ institutes, on bird-life, illustrated by a series of stereopticon views. He
believes that there are enough strange things in nature to interest and surprise
the young without conjuring up a lot of things which are not true. About three
hundred pictures, many of which were finely colored, were flashed upon the
screen, showing the many varieties of song-birds and others found in the beau-
tiful fringe of woods along the banks of rivers and lakes of Iowa. Professor
Cameron’s discourse was helpful and full of practical information, and withal
inspiring a love for the feathered creatures of the air. The Agricultural Depart-
ment of Farmers’ Institutes has also been active in securing illustrated lectures”
along this line, and in this manner educating the farmers as to the value of birds”
in farm life. £
The members of the official board are constantly in receipt of invitations
to give talks on bird-life at public gatherings. Mrs. W. B. Small, president,
represented the Society and delivered an address at the meeting of the Iowa
Federation of Women’s Clubs, in Oskaloosa, in May. Dr. Margaret Cla
chairman of the Executive Committee, on several occasions has been calle
to give impromptu talks, and the secretary has received and accepted an iny
tation to read a paper at the meeting of the Iowa Park and Forestry Associat
to be held in Des Moines in December. ee
Mr. Enos A. Mills, of Estes Park, Col., who is sent out by the Government
in the interest of forestry, will speak of the value of birds to forests in
lectures which he will give this month in Des Moines, Marshalltown <
Waterloo.
We are greatly in need of workers in Iowa, who will act as local secretar
State Reports 339
secure members, distribute literature and pledges, post warning notices and
attend to legislative work. ;
__ Pledge adopted by the Iowa Audubon Society:
, “IT HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF, To refrain from wearing the plumage
L of birds other than game-birds, domesticated fowls or the Ostrich; To discourage
_ the destruction of wild birds and their eggs; To encourage the study of birds and
; nature in schools.””—Mrs. WILLIAM F. Parrott, Secretary.
oy
a :
ay
_ Louisiana.—As a direct result of the activity of the National Association
of Audubon Societies on the coast of Louisiana, fully 75,000 Royal Terns, Fors-
ters Terns, Black Skimmers and Laughing Gulls were, during the past season,
added to the stock of birds living on the Gulf coast.
_ This year has been a fatal one to the birds. Just at the height of the breed-
ing season on, May 30, an unprecedented high tide submerged almost all the
_ breeding islands. The consequence was that, instead of the 250,000 birds which
“we expected to show to the credit of the National Association, only a fourth
of that number were raised. If it had not been for the warden service main-
tained by the Association, the birds would also have suffered severely at the
| of the pirates and egg-stealers haunting these waters. Under the circum-
stances, and until our State Society is in a position to assume this responsibility,
sincerely trust that the National Association will maintain tl >~>sent warden
vice, and, if possible to do so, extend its limits and usefulne:s.
On the east side of the Mississippi river our State Society controls a bird-
ing area of land and water approximating 750 square miles. On the west
AUDUBON PATROL BOAT NO. 4, ROYAL TERN
Employed to protect birds on the Gulf Coast
340 Bird- Lore
side of the river there is a breeding area of probably the same extent which, up
to the present time, has never been patroled by a warden, with the result that
during the breeding season boat-load after boat-load of birds’ eggs are taken
from the islands without let or hindrance. This condition of affairs will con-
tinue until the National Association extends its activities to those regions by
appointing wardens who will see to it that the efficient provisions of our state
law are carried out to the letter, and the birds permitted to breed in peace.
At the request of the president of the National Association, our Society made
an investigation of the local quill trade. We found the retail millinery establish-
ments of New Orleans carrying large stocks of Pelican, Eagle, Hawk and Owl —
quills. Many arrests were made, and as all the cases were decided in the courts —
against the dealers and in our favor, the quill trade has been broken up.
By far the most important event which our Society has to chronicle during ©
the past year is practically two decisions of our state supreme court, affirming —
that the Model A. O. U. Law enacted ee our hoe legislature is within con:
stitutional limits.
From all this, it will be seen that the Louisiana Audubon Society is carrying —
out the aims and purposes of its organization, and in our state we not only have
laws which protect the birds, but we are also enforcing them so > effectually that
traffic in birds and birds’ plumage has almost ceased. 7
Recently © bought another breeding island (named Sundown Island),
making the rn -enth. With the seven islands of Breton reservation belonging -
to the Federal Government under our control, we lay claim to having the largest —
wild-sea-bird-breeding area in the world, and we expect in a few years, through ~
the aid of the National Association, to show the greatest sight in bird-breed—
ing that has ever been seen. ¥
Last year President Roosevelt sent us the following message: “Hearty con--
gratulations to the Audubon Society of Louisiana.” : g
This year, when Newton C. Blanchard, the Governor of our state, signed
the deed giving us title to an island (Battledore) sold by the state, he sent us th 2
following message: “Use sparingly of the game-birds, even within the permit”
of the law. Protect from destruction altogether the non-game birds,’”—in which ~
sentiment we all heartily concur.—F RANK M. MILLER, President. j
Maine.—The local secretaries remain the same as last year, and the mem-_
bership nearly the same, consequently the work of. the local societies has be
chiefly educational. On the other hand, the work of the state secretary has be
chiefly militant, dealing with legislation, attending to a few complaints, <
furnishing information and laws concerning birds. Much of. the latter wor
cannot be separated from that performed at the direct instance of the Natior
Association, yet the value of the state organization should not be overlook
Very gratifying relations have been developed between the Society and
‘Brotherhood of Sportsmen.’
State Reports | 341
Through the generosity of the National Association a set of fifty colored
lantern-slides, belonging to the equipment of.the Society, are to be made an
important feature of the coming winter’s work.—ARTHUR H. Norton, Secretary.
‘
’
.
: Maryland.—The Maryland Audubon Society is but an infant in age, hav-
_ ing celebrated only one anniversary. There had previously been an Audubon
Society in the state, and I am sure that much plowing and sowing must have
been accomplished by this senior society, for there is now manifested a great
' interest in bird-life, and a strong desire to protect and cherish these little crea-
_ tures which are truly living poems set to music; so, perhaps, the younger organi-
_ zation will reap an abundant harvest which will be the result of former pioneer
efforts.
The membership of the present Society is growing. The law of its growth
_is very simple,—each bird-lover interests his or her friends by talking to them of
__ the birds, their beautiful home life (so analagous to that of the human family),
' the pleasure they give by their songs, and their great assistance to agriculture.
Ee ‘Enthusiasm is contagious. Those who were formerly indifferent begin them-
P - selves to study, and find the subject so alluring that they soon become ardent
mi admirers and lovers of their “little brothers of the air.”
The president, Mrs. Charles W. Lord, has both by her pen and charming
talks shared, with others, the delight that her bird neighbors have contributed
as her own life. The vice-presidents were selected from men who are prominent
| The chief aim of the Society is to enlist the comeeedeon of the children. To
- this end, bird clubs are being organized in the public schools, and the eager
| Tesponse of the boys and girls is cause for the greatest encouragement. A debt
_ of gratitude is due Professor Van Sickle and the Nature Committee of the public
| schools The systematic study of birds is a_part of the curriculum. Children are
| _ also encouraged to make charts recording their observations. This has a great
practical value. That destructive tendency in the child which impels him to
| throw the stone is thus checked and diverted; more than that, it is converted
“into a constructive channel. We hope to see the day when the field-glass and
“camera will be considered satisfactory substitutes for the gun.—Miss M1nNA
_D. Starr, Secretary.
ae
_ Massachusetts.—During the past year rather more deaths and resig-
nations than usual were reported, but enough new members came in to more
_ than balance the loss. Our membership is now 6,549. Of these 1,934 are Juni-
“ors, and 116 local secretaries.
ios Our four traveling libraries have been in use where they were appreciated.
ucational and other Leaflets, including cloth warning-notices and copies
‘of the law, have been distributed freely. Our three traveling lectures, bird plates,
charts and calendars, have been in good demand.
a
342 Bird - Lore
We have decided not to issue new plates tor the 1908 calendar, but to
use the same plates we had for our 1906 and 1907 calendars, giving patrons
a chance to buy either set. These are the plates that were printed in Japan.
A Bird Class, under the leadership of Mr. C. J. Maynard, was substituted
Yor the usual lecture course. Besides the regular ‘monthly meeting of the Board
of Directors, a successful public meeting was held, with Mr. Ralph Hoffman,
Mr. Edward Howe Forbush and Dr. George W. Field as speakers.
Legislation at the State House was closely watched, as usual, by our Protec- —
tion Committee, and complaints of violations of law received were reported
to the state officers, the Fish and Game Commission. The Society works closely —
in touch with the State Board of Agriculture and the Fish and Game Commission.
An Italian gentleman, who has become interested in our work, has written —
us an excellent warning poster and leaflet in Italian, with which we hope to do —
some effective work. The poster is also used by the Fish and Game Commission. 4
A report of our work for the past five years is being prepared by the secre-
tary.—Miss Jesste E. KimBatt, Secretary.
Michigan.—The Michigan Audubon Society began the year with much ©
trepidation, not only fearing the meeting of the legislature, but also the sports-
men and farmers who had bills to offer, which if they became laws, would undo ~
much of the work of our Society. The legislature remained in session until q
June. During the session bills were introduced to pay bounties on Kingfishers, —
Great Blue Herons and English Sparrows. A bill for a bounty on ‘Chicken’
Hawks was urged by farmers. The Society opposed these measures vigorously. —
The-bill for a bounty on Kingfishers and Great Blue Herons passed the House, —
but the Senate Committee did not report it. The Audubon Society was respon- ~
sible for the defeat of the Hawk bounty by taking advantage of a dilemma. —
We insisted on knowing what was meant by ‘Chicken’ Hawks. Those urg-—
ing the bill asked many authorities, but were unable to ascertain with any cer-
tainty. During the time discussion was taking place, we sent all the literature’
concerning the value of Hawks we could secure. Dr. Merriam’s statement |
as quoted in Mr. Chapman’s preface to the ‘Birds of Eastern North America,”
concerning legislation on Hawks in Pennsylvania, did more to halt the legis
lature than any other literature presented. A number of sportsmen desired
Meadowlark to be put on the list of game-birds. Our Society aroused so muc
sentiment on this question as to have it passed over by the Game Committee. We
also strenuously opposed a proposal to lengthen the season for spring shooting =
We opposed a bounty on English Sparrows, but finally withdrew our oppositioi
with the understanding that bounties would be allowed during the winter month
only. The bill passed with such restriction.
We increased the prohibition of Sunday shooting to two more counties, am
found such a strong sentiment among the members of the legislature from th
agricultural districts against Sunday shooting that we felt if they had had :
State Reports 343
leader on this question, a bill would undoubtedly have passed prohibiting Sunday
shooting throughout the state.
The Michigan Association, composed of sportsmen, was organized for game
_ protection, including song and insectivorous birds. The Audubon Society
joined forces with the Association, and urged the Association to request the
_ legislature to let game matters rest until they had time to canvas the situation
in the state, and make recommendations, which could not be done before the
: meeting of the legislature in 1909. The officers of the Association made such
a request.
The work of protection has made favorable progress in the state, the educa-
tional institutions showing increasing interest in the subject. The secretary
. prepared a booklet of one hundred and fifty pages on Audubon work. One
_ thousand copies were printed, but the request from colleges, schools, libraries
and public officials for copies was sc extensive that it would have taken three
_ times as large an edition to supply the demand. This showed an interest that
_ surprised the Society, especially since requests came from all portions of the
State.
By reason of a contribution from the National Association we were able to
attend and aid in the formation of the Michigan Humane Society, composed
| of the various societies of the state that carry on humane work for the protec-
tion of children, animals, and of animate life generally. Our Society became a
constituent member of the State Humane Society. Also, with aid from the
National Society, the secretary was able to take advantage of invitations to
address educational meetings and academies in various points in the state.
The Society was, to some degree, instrumental in bringing about a change
in the game warden system. One of the state deputies, who blocked our efforts
' to prosecute violators of the game law, was removed, and another appointed
_ in his stead who has proven himself worthy. This new deputy, Mr. William
5 Daniel, has been in consultation with the secretary at various times, and has
_ been ready to hear complaints coming to our Society from various territorics
_ in his jurisdiction, and has acted on the same. We are expecting improved con-
ditions from the new State Garhe Warden, Mr. Charles Pierce. All things con-
sidered, we feel that the year has been one of advancement for Audubon work
from the moral and intellectual standpoint, though financially, we have made
little progress.
_ Our Society has offered a series of three prizes to the school or Society doing
the best work in bird protection. The prizes have been selected and we are now
‘Waiting for reports—JEFFERSON BUTLER, Secretary.
i
.
Minnesota.—As in former years, for want of sufficient funds our work has
been somewhat circumscribed. We have, through the kindness of the National
Association, been able to distribute severa! thousand Leaflets, which mostly
have gone to the border counties and schools of our state. We have also helped
344 . Bird - Lore
northern Iowa and western Wisconsin to a certain extent. We have heard of
the results of the distribution of this bird literature in many cases, with results
exceedingly satisfactory to this Society.
It has helped to get a number of branches organized in the smaller towns,
and has interested a large number of teachers in the public schools, who have
formed bands, and in this way started an education of the young people, which
ought to make good adult protectors for our wild birds later on.
We have taken up a work in our large towns, which seems to need attention, —
and which I have not heard mentioned before. We have found that the shipping
of small birds from abroad in small cages, four or five inches square, has become
a large industry in our principal cities. We have found that these birds, after
arriving here, were kept in these cages, which were filthy and too small for any
exercise of the inmates, and that the food given them was thrown into the dirty
cages. We have insisted that these birds all be changed into larger cages, giving
them more freedom, better air, and cleaner food and quarters, and also have
insisted that these cages be kept clean. We had a law passed in our legislature
two years ago which would enable us to enforce such a demand. I am some-
what curious to know whether like work has been taken up in any of the other
cities or states. .
We also arranged with the State Humane Society, and the local branches, —
to post the country with circulars, giving*information to the people that the kill-
ing of song-birds and the destruction of their nests is, under our law, a penal —
offence, and also, offered a reward for the detection and the conviction of any 7
one infringing this law. This, I believe, has done more good, and reached more —
people and protected more bird lives, than anything we have been able to do as ;
a Society. q
I think I may safely say, that although we have not made much noise, we a
have accomplished more work during the last year than any previous year, —
that our membership is steadily increasing, and that our work is having a decidedly
good effect, especially upon the young people. The almost total disappearance —
of birds worn as ornaments is one of the flattering results of our law, as is also —
the agreement of our millinery jobbers to discontinue the sale of mounted birds. - |
The last few years have certainly, through the influence and hard work of —
the National Society, accomplished wonders. We feel today as though we would — ;
like to be financially strong enough to establish a branch in every county, and
flood the whole state with bird literature. oy & :
The writer, upon a late occasion in conversation with a farmer, was told the —
following: “We were sowing a field not long ago, and my two boys noticed a
flock of birds following after the seeder. They made up their minds that the
birds were eating the grain, so they got out their shot-guns and killed quite a
number. I was curious to see how much grain one of these birds would eat, and
upon opening the crops of several, I was astonished to find that they were full
of fresh worms, but no grain. I told my boys that if I caught either one of them
Ta ere
| State Reports 345
; shooting birds on the farm, or allowing anybody else to do so, I should make
_ an example of them. I had learned a lesson.”—J. W. Taytor, President.
F Missouri.—I regret to say that the work of the Audubon Society in Missouri,
which for four years has been active, encouraging and full of practical results,
4 has met with a set-back, which may, for some years to come, prove in a manner,
disastrous. The Audubon bill for preservation of birds and game, which was
_ passed at a previous session of our legislature, has been attacked successfully
be by its enemies in the halls of legislation. Influenced by politico-commercial
reasons, the very life of the bill or law has been weakened by an amendment
abolishing the offices of game warden and deputies, and substituting therefore
_ the sheriffs and deputies of the different counties. No argument is necessary
_ to show that sheriffs and their deputies will not enforce this law among their
| friends and neighbors, and that without independent game wardenship the
_ law cannot be enforced at all. To the disappointment and astonishment of the
_ officers of the Audubon Society, and of the sporting clubs over the state, the
_ Governor approved the iniquitous amendment, despite protests from all sections.
The basic work of the Audubon Society, however, remains, but years will be
_ required to build again the structure thereon which this pernicious amendment
has destroyed. I regret that I cannot give a better report of the present condi-
tion of Audubon work in Missouri.—WaALTER J. BLAKELY, President.
| :
Ab Nebraska.—How I wish that the Nebraska Society might send a long and
_ interesting report to the National Committee this year, instead it must be but
| a word or so. Lack of funds and heavy personal cares have prevented the offi-
cers from carrying forward plans for a more thorough state organization.
The work done this year, as every year since our organization, has been with
4 _ the younger generation. The Audubon sentiment is strong in the public schools
of the state. The State Superintendent of Public Institution fosters it in every
: _ way. Increase in sentiment toward bird protection is noticeable, in a general
way, among educators, farmers.and school children.
'_ The work of the National Association among the farmers has wrought a
“marked change in this state, but the conscience of women in the matter of milli-
_nery is yet to be awakened.—Miss Joy Montcomery Hiccins, Secretary.
ER
oe New Hampshire.—The very full report for 1906 renders needless any
“special reference to our routine work. In the legislature a bill was passed
“making a closed season for five years on Wood Duck and Upland Plover.
‘This action places New Hampshire in the van, alongside with Massachusetts,
in the movement for the preservation of these fast-vanishing species.
With the codperation of Mr. William Dutcher and Mr. Abbott H. Thayer,
‘we have issued warning posters concerning protected birds in general, and Wood
Duck and Upland Plover in particular. Besides being distributed for use as
346 Bird - Lore
roadside posters, they have, with the consent of the Post Office Department,
been sent to all the postmasters in the state with requests for their display.
Through the influence of our Society, the following lectures have been given |
during the past season before the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences: —
‘Among the Island Water Birds,’ by William L. Finley; ‘Song Birds of New
Hampshire,’ by F. Schuyler Matthews; ‘Among the Egrets with Warden Bradley,”
by Herbert K. Job, and ‘Useful Birds and Their Protection,’ by Edward Howe
Forbush.—Mrs. F. W. BATCHELDER, Secretary.
New Jersey.—While the interest in the Audubon Society of New Jersey as
a Society may not have increased materially during the past year, the interest
in birds does not seem to be declining. New members come in slowly, but we ~
hear of bird-lovers in all directions, and this general interest as a result of more
wide-spread education is again in the right direction.
_ The legislative work done by the Society, and by the National Association,
in New Jersey has been an important one, as a vicious bill was killed which —
ordered the transfer of the Dove and Flicker to the game-bird list. Vigorous |
measures were taken by the Society to pass an important anti-spring shooting —
bill for the wild fowl and shore birds. Although the House passed this bill, it —
was held in committee by the Senate, and killed there by a vote of two to one. —
As usual, the friends of a bad cause were more active than those on the side of —
righteousness, for at the hearing in the Senate few presented themselves to urge —
the protection of the birds.
In this respect New Jersey is a stumbling-stone, and a rock of offense to all —
the neighboring states who send their sportsmen to destroy our shore and other ~
birds.—Miss Jui S. ScRIBNER, Secretary.
The La Rue Holmes Nature Lover’s League.—An aggressive move- _
ment in behalf of birds was recently organized at Summit, New Jersey, through —
the ardent love for nature of a young naturalist, whose brief career was closed
when but just entering upon this field of loving service. Organized in July, 1906,
an executive board, together with directors, chosen from various localities,
form a central organization with the power to create chapters in neighborhoods |
and schools. The present membership, which reaches about fifteen hundred,
chiefly among the young, will shortly be metenney increased by the addition 4
of chapters about to organize. a
Closely allied in interest to the Audubon Societies, whose Bluebird boda
is also the League emblem, the Audubon Leaflets have, during the past year, —
been distributed monthly for study in schools wherever organizations exist. ;
Additional advantage will arise, in the coming year, through the universal ~
writing of essays each month in connection with this study, and also through the
increased use of the colored and outlined Audubon Leaflets.
Nineteen of the forty lectures and addresses given during the recent pas
State Reports 347
‘in the interest of birds, forest and wild flowers, were presented through the
courtesy of the National Association, Mr. William Dutcher being the first speaker
after the first conception of the movement; and Mr. Beecher S. Bowdish, in his
“many lectures, quickening the interest in, and love for “our little brothers of
the air,” through his words and the presentation of his very beautiful lantern-
-slide-pictures.
The basis of the League is the sentiment of kindness,—a gentle considera-
tion for the weak—a sentiment which creates a co-partnership.among its mem-
_bers in defending each remnant of passing nature; which awakens to a conscious
y in the act of relieving suffering, or of creating content in behalf of even the
ost humble form of God-given life.
_ During the past year it has been the interest of the League to awaken energy
n conserving nature’s riches, accentuating its necessity through press notices,
uddresses, and the distribution of about four thousand Leaflets in the interest
of our passing birds, forests and flowers of the wilds.
_ While it is too true that nature must recede before the advancing step of
civilization, it is also true that a universal love and unselfish consideration for
e fair wings of the air, the blooms scattered under foot, may save for future
erations at least a remnant of the vanishing pageants of the year.
_ New York.—Less work of an initiative nature has been undertaken during
past year than heretofore. Slowly and quietly, however, the educational
. ies are asiae, the future alone can show. The teachers are interested through-
out the state. Many reports are received of successful boys’ clubs, and of these
is always a pleasure to hear and to help in every possible way. The distribu-
n of thousands of Leaflets and of wall charts, upon application, has been
‘continued. Our present membership is 8,770.
In regard to legislation, this has not been an idle year. Mr. Dutcher, as
esident of the National Association, was the instigator of two bills in behalf
' bird protection; one to prevent the sale of wild fowl after the commencement
ME the close season (allowing dealers ten days only in which to dispose of sur-
stock); the other bill was to forbid cold storage of any birds or game. In
spite of the fact that the aid of Audubon workers in all parts of the state was
solicited by means of appeals issued by Mr. Dutcher, and sent out by the New
k Society, and every effort made to secure the passage of the bills, they were
reported upon by the committees to which they were referred. On the ©
hand, the attempts to pass dangerous Foreign Game Sale bills were
ated by Mr. Dutcher’s vigorous action.
le matter of most concern to the Society, as is shown by the great number
nplaints received, is the shooting of small birds, especially Robins, by Ital-
The law posters may be distributed as widely as possible, but this does
deter the law-breakers. More stringent measures are needed; more game
348 Bird - Lore
wardens should be appointed. In some cases our local secretaries are very ener-
getic in having offenders brought to justice, and, possibly, in no way is the
change in public sentiment in regard to bird protection more clearly shown
than by the fines which are imposed upon such offenders.
Our local secretaries are, many of them, devoted to the cause, and either
by personal effort among the farmers, or by constant work with the children in
the schools, or by interesting editors of local newspapers, are continually extend-
ing the circle of the Society’s influence. The towns which give promise of future
activity, newly brought into the fold, are: Mount Vernon, Chappaqua, Bedford,
Orangeburg, Central Valley, Franklin, Berlin, Schuylersville, Fonda, Glovers-
ville, Waterville, Binghamton, Union, Homer, Auburn, Weedsport, S. Lans-
ing, Keuka Park, Canandaigua, Naples and Houghton. New fields of work
yield much fresh enthusiasm, and with the hope which ‘springs eternal’ in
Audubon work, we look forward to the coming year with new courage, and the
anticipation of important gains.—Miss Emma H. Lockwoop, Secretary.
North Carolina.—Audubon work in North Carolina has been moving
forward in a most satisfactory manner the past year. During the session of the
legislature about sixty game laws, chiefly of a local character, were enacted.
These, without exception, were of a restrictive character, usually making
4 tf
%
iiwiooolt
eet
THE ‘DUTCHER,’ PATROL BOAT OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
AUDUBON SOCIETY
State Reports 349
ROYAL TERNS ON AN ISLAND OWNED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA
\ AUDUBON, SOCIETY
inting season shorter, and in some instances protecting game in certain
ties absolutely for a term of years. A few bills of an adverse character to
and game protection were introduced, but these were all killed. The general
nent of the legislature seemed to be very friendly to the Audubon Society
ts work.
During the year, sixty-five game wardens have been employed. These men
sted thousands of cloth warning-notices and distributed a large number
ts of the National Association, and also those published by the State
We successfully conducted seventy-five prosecutions in the state courts
Brive arrests where evidence was not sufficient to convict. Gs
fined not only for killing game out of season, but also for killing Night-
coast has been conducted with great care the past summer, with the
Over 10,000 young sea-birds were reared on the rookery islands. This
one colonies are located on Royal Shoal and Legged ‘Lump. Dur
the year both of these islands have been purchased by the Audubon Society,
350 Bird - Lore
in order that we might be in better position to protect them and their feathered
inhabitants.
An addition has been made to the office force in the person of Miss Mary
T. Moore, who, as school secretary, divides her time between the work of the
State Society and the National Association. During the summer months she
lectured on the importance of bird preservation to the farmers’ institutes in
twenty-four counties, speaking to over four thousand six hundred people. When
the schools opened in the fall, she began her work with the school children and
teachers interested in nature study, and has been the means of greatly increas-
-ing the list of teachers who are using the Audubon literature in the schools. _
Interest in the protection of wild life in the state is growing rapidly, and one
of the evidences of the effectiveness of the Audubon Society work, as frequently —
quoted by sportsmen, is that there are more Quail in the state this year than
ever before, and, by general observers, to the effect that song-birds are by
far more numerous than a few years ago.—T GrLBERT PEARSON, Secretary.
North Dakota.—With the opening of the spring of 1907, the Audubon
Society of North Dakota adopted the following plans, with the hope of arousing
a general interest in birds and their protection. First, evening meetings were held
fortnightly, to which the public was invited, and at which papers on various
phases of the work were read and discussed. Among the subjects treated were
the previous work of the Society, methods of bird observation, birds of the Red |
_ river region, spring migration of 1997, etc. At each of these meetings members”
reported on migration, nesting, etc., and the results were tabulated for per-
manent record. :
Three weekly field excursions were undertaken, and consisted of a Monday
“morning class, especially designed to interest university students, but open to
all.adults. There was also a Thursday sunset class, to which all were welcon
and a Saturday morning class, intended primarily for children. Each excursion
was in charge of one of the more experienced members of the Society.
_ An attempt was made to organize local societies throughout the Red river
valley, that the birds of the locality might be more systematically observed.
The effort will be continued until such societies are formed. eg 4
The membership in this state is small, but contains a number of real bird
lovers, and we hope as the state increases in population to greatly enlarge thi
scope of our work.—Mrs. A. G. LEONARD, Secretary.
Ohio.—The meetings of the Audubon Society of Ohio are still the chi
ing gatherings they always were, and as we had no lack of interesting spea
and many exhibitions of choice specimens in the past year, we feel that, per
ally, we have gained much. Mr. Finley’s talk, with stereopticon pictures, wa
without doubt, the ‘piéce de resistance,” and we hope to have the pleasure «
another such treat.
State Reports 351
Mr. Charles Dury, our eminent naturalist, did much to make the last year’s
_ series of meetings a memorable one, and as he discovered a unique specimen
i in his collection of birds of this vicinity, he has added one more name to the fauna
of Ohio. He had taken the specimen at Ross Lake, April 5, 1880, and after
: having overlooked it for twenty-six years. discovered recently that it was a
: LeConte Sparrow.
3 Thanks to Mr. Hodges, Librarian of the Public Library of the City of Cin-
-cinnati, we had exhibitions of current literature at each meeting, with a short
talk by Mrs. Hermine Hansen, teacher of Zodlogy at Hughes High School, explan-
atory of each volume or pamphlet of such literature.
_ The president and secretary conferred with Dr. Dyer, the Superintendent
of the Public Schools-of Cincinnati, about the distribution of Educational Leaflets.
Dr. Dyer was very enthusiastic, and thought the Leaflets should not only be dis-
tributed to the various schools, but were worth permanently preserving. He
dyised our sending them to him in October, carefully arranged, so they may
We had a number of interesting field excursions this spring, and expect
to have many more next year, so we may have some personal experiences, as
"well as the reminiscences of others, to remember and to record. Our enroll-
“ment i is increasing, our members 2 are never lacking in enthusiasm, and we all
ite
|
Okishoma.—The work of the Society for the past year, though seemingly
ipo has been far-reaching in its results. About three thousand pages of litera-
ture have been distributed among the teachers, pupils and farmers of the terri-
| and while as yet but few auxiliary societies have been organized, the founda-
tion has been laid for more and better work in the future, and permanent organi-
ions throughout the new state. Bird-study has become a part of the common
IWehoot curriculum in some of our “schools, and public sentiment in favor of birds
and their protection has been created all over the territory, which will surely
| crystallize into stringent and effective laws at the next meeting of the legislature.
if Farmers’ unions have taken effective action for the prevention of pot-hunters
‘and others from killing or trapping the Quail, the Mourning Dove, the Meadow-
lark and other birds,
ie Guthrie, the capital of Oklahoma, has enacted strong and effective laws to
t the killing or trapping of birds, the robbing of their nests, or the exposure
or sale of bird eggs within the city limits.
__ Two years ago one might have traveled all over a county and heard little or
nothing said about birds, their value or protection; but today one can enter
eerely a farmhouse, a schoolhouse, or meet with any assembly of country
brat
aie
352 Bird - Lore
folk, that the subject of “our birds” is not at some stage of the conversation the
main topic, especially among the young people, who enquire eagerly for the
Audubon Leaflets, which are proving to be of much educative value, quicken-
ing the observation, and awakening an interest in all our feathered friends, and
creating a thirst for more knowledge of them.—Miss ALMA Carson. Secretary.
Oregon.—Our past year’s work in bird protection has shown that we need
to continue our efforts in educational work, especially through the country
districts. At the last session of the legislature a bill was introduced by some
fruit-growers which practically annulled our Model Bird Law, in that it allowed
farmers, gardeners and horticulturists to shoot any or all birds which they thought —
were doing damage to the crops. In spite of our efforts, the bill was passed,
but a strong appeal was made to Governor Chamberlain from various parts
of the state, and we succeeded in getting his veto, thus killing the bill.
In order to spread the knowledge as to the economic value of bird life, our
president, Mr. Finley, is writing a series of Leaflets on Oregon birds, to be ub
lished by the University of Oregon under the direction of the State Biologist. —
The first of these was issued in June. It was general in character, entitled ‘The 4
Study of Birds and Their Economic Value.’ The second, on some of the common 4
fall and winter birds, is soon to be published. | i
In addition to this, during the past summer Mr. Finley has given illustrated
lectures on the economic value of birds in eight different towns in various parts
of the state. He visited Forest Grove, McMinnville, Monmouth, Salem, Eu
gene, Albany, Grants Pass and Medford. q
The sea-bird colonies at Three Arch Rocks, off the Oregon coast, have been
doing well during the past year under the protection of Warden Phelps. During x
the breeding season he succeeded in keeping persons from visiting the rocks, —
so that the birds were undisturbed while nesting.
We are making the best effort possible for us in the direction of educational
work throughout the state. Our corresponding secretary has written personal 7
letters to every county school superintendent in Oregon, asking for his coép -
tion and good will in the distribution of our educational literature to the teach-
ers of their county; many have answered expressing their interest and vite
ness to help. We expect to hear from the greater number of them to the same
effect; to them we have sent packages of Leaflets tied in bundles ready for dis:
tribution.
Through our friend, Mrs. Clara H. Waldo, lecanhe of the renal ute
Grange, it has become possible for us to send our literature into every Grange
in the state; we have furnished her with one hundred full sets of Leaflets, secur |
tied into sets, ready and easy for economic distribution. We intend to mak
especial effort in the Granges by way of lectures, lantern-slides, literature, or i1
whatever way our ingenuity and means will allow, for it is here, we think, t
do our most needed work between now and the next legislative session. M
5
State Reports 353
_ Finley’s most excellent Leaflet is included among those of the National Audubon
4 Leaflets that we sent out; also into each package sent to county school superin-
- tendents, and others, when it is thought advisable, we put two or more ‘ warning-
_ notices,” with the request that they be properly placed. Every lady in Port-
land’s ‘Blue Book’ has been favored with a set of the Ostrich and Aigrette
Leaflets.
Our corresponding secretary has written, during the year, two hundred and
4 ninety letters on Audubon matters. We have sent out the greater part of the full
~ compliment of Leaflets furnished us by the National Society, and are waiting
ie for more of the subjects suited for this country. The manual training classes
_of ‘our city schools make bird-boxes as a part of their class work; next spring,
at the proper season, we expect to make a half-holiday and go forth to place them
for spring tenants.
_ Tam sure the sentiment in favor of bird protection is growing in our state,
| but the state is very large and hard to cover, in consequence there is great igno-
“rance as to the economic value of birds and their habits generally, also commer-
4 cialism i is the same here as in other states, but we are encouraged to believe that
we are making progress and we intend to keep working.—Dr. E. J. WELTY,
,. ee eee
—————
a ‘
ie Te ivariia.—The work of the Pennsylvania Audubon Society since
‘ ts last report has been principally that of re-organization. After the death of
h ‘its late secretary, Mrs. Edward Robins, the directors decided to re-organize the
| Society on the basis of three classes of membership—namely, active members,
who pay annual dues, vote at the annual election and have the other privileges
usual to such membership; associate members, who pay no dues, have no pri-
vileges, and are principally school children; and life members, who on the
‘4 ayment of $25 are exempt from further dues, and have all the privileges of
active membership.
| The directors then discovered that a previous Audubon Society had been
| =e in Pennsylvania and chartered in 1886, but had ceased to hold meet-
‘ings, so a combined board of directors was formed from this original society
and the later one, and the charter formally adopted, with such new by-laws
as seemed eee ory- The Society is now, therefore, in a regular and permanent
form, with a charter and an active and interested membership prepared to
| ania up the good beginning.
1 In May the reorganized Society was given a most interesting account of the
work accomplished by the National Society, by Mr. Dutcher,as a result of which
: k a number of names were added to the list of active members.
_ The business of reorganizing the Society on this permanent basis represented
t of the ‘new work’ done this spring, but the old activities were still kept
. Twelve circulating libraries were kept moving in the state, and a number
of school children and children in societies, such as ‘Bands of Mercy,’ etc.,
\ J
s
a
Be:
|
We
354 Bird - Lore
have signed the Audubon Pledge and received certificates of associate mem-
bership.
The increase of the public sentiment for bird protection has been quite marked —
during the past year in this state, largely due to the good work done by the State
Zologist, arid the Audubon literature distribution in schools. Indeed, it is to
the intelligent work of the public school teachers who take up the subject that
the Audubon Society owes some of its best results in the country districts.
The Society hopes to follow up its reorganization this winter with several
public meetings, where illustrated talks will be given by those prominent in bird
protection and ornithology (which seems still to be one of the most successful
ways of reaching the general public), and by special work among the schools.
In closing this report of the Pennsylvania Society, a word must be added —
in recognition of the splendid work done by its late secretary, Mrs. Edward —
Robins. Always an enthusiastic lover of animals, Mrs. Robins combined a —
scientific knowledge of ornithology with her sympathy for the birds, which raised —
the Society’s work above the mere sentiment of the moment to a permanent —
usefulness of both economic and humane value. The directors feel that the —
best tribute they can pay Mrs. Robins’ memory is to continue on her own lines
the work to which she was so devoted.—Miss E. W. FIsHER, Secretary.
Rhode Island.—This Society has now been in existence for ten years. If ’
the millinery question had been the only one to which our efforts had been ~
directed during that time, we should certainly feel discouraged. The majority
of Rhode Island women wear feathers, and even members of our Society are
beginning to follow the prevailing fashion, taking refuge behind the assumption —
that all ‘made-up-pieces’ are composed of ‘hen’ feathers. Even if such plumage —
could be positively identified, it would still seem, for various reasons, to be ill-
advised to wear it. A letter was sent by us in the spring to the Women’s Clubs
of the State Federation, asking them to sign resolutions binding them not to
wear feathers, and although no official action was taken, yet many individual”
signatures were received. The interest of such women will be of great value to”
the cause, and we hope that the coming year will show the effects of their influ--
ence. %
Our branch societies now number thirty, and our membership has increased
from 1,100 to 1,646. Most of the new accessions, however, have been children
who pay small fees, and we have only one hundred and twenty-five sustaining:
members. The chief interest shown in bird-study has been in the rural districts. _
Many teachers there are giving attention to the subject, and we have constant
requests for literature and charts. With the assistance of the National A
tion, and of our state officials, we have been able to place one hundred and fif
colored bird charts in the country schools. Leaflets to the number of 15,000
have been distributed, and twelve copies of Brrp-LoRE have been sent re
larly to branch societies. Five traveling libraries, which had seen much
. State Reports 355
e were renovated, and two new ones added to the number, and all are continu-
golly moving from school to school.
At our annual meeting in March, Prof. Herbert E. Walter, of Brown Uni-
BE cotsity, delivered an interesting lecture upon the plumage of birds, illustrated
by the epidiascope. By this instrument most vivid and beautiful effects are
obtained.
We have recently joined the Rhode Island League for rural progress and the
League of Improvement Societies, believing that these connections will increase
our usefulness.
_ Few newspapers in the country have taken so much interest in the subject
bird protection as the ‘Providence Journal’. During the past year it has
uublished a series of bird articles which have been valuable to students, and
ery interesting to the general reader. Such a department has long been needed,
1 all Rhode Island bird-lovers feel under obligations to the ‘Journal’ for
s educational work, as well as for frequent editorials upon all matters relat-
‘to the Audubon Societies.—Mrs. HENRY TYLER GRANT, Secretary.
South Carolina.—A short statement of the work of the South Carolina
dubon Society will be of some interest at this time. To begin with, the laws
| this state on bird, game and fish protection have heretofore been drawn with-
_ out system or regard to uniformity. Most of the laws that are now on the books
_coyer specific counties as regards the birds, and the northern and western part
‘of the state has no law protecting fish. I see no hope of straightening the
ter except by having new uniform laws passed at the next session of the
‘The Society has had a man in the field as often as there was money in the
to pay his expenses while soliciting memberships, but he has not met
h the success that we had hoped for, and-the condition of the treasury at this
e does not warrant further expenditure. The president has advanced a con-
erable sum of money which the Society has been unable so far to return,
we hope that when the shooting season commences the licenses from
n-resident hunters will enable us to prosecute the work with some we
d energy.
We have been unable, so far, to get out any printed matter of our own, but
ve distributed pamphlets contributed by the National Association and the
partment of Agriculture.
The newspapers of the state have given us material aid by notices of the
ty, and by publishing any articles sent in by us. Clippings covering this
utter have been sent from time to time to Mr. Pearson, secretary of the National
sociation. Our secretary seems to be doing all that is possible under the cir-
nstances, and has visited the different-sections of the state at different times,
d has secured a few memberships at all points. By direction he made cases
inst two parties for killing Great Blue Herons. In one case we secured a
356 Bird - Lore
conviction, and the other case comes up for trial, the party having demanded —
a jury; we feel reasonably sure of a conviction in this case. It has been extremely |
hard to get any information about violation .of fish laws, except in a general —
way. The laws have been violated, but we have been unable to get any specific —
information..
We find that by an omission in passing an amendment to the game las F
Doves are not protected at all, and may be shot at any time. We are glad
to state, however, that we have heard of no instance in which these birds were —
shot during the nesting season, and hunters have started killing them only —
recently. We have arranged for the appointment of all lighthouse keepers as
game wardens; quite a number of game wardens have been appointed, and
badges distributed. We are going a: little slow in the appointment of wardens, —
as we wish to secure reliable parties. The work of game wardens up to the
incorporation of this Society has been practically nothing. We have secured —
such reports as we could get from the old wardens, so as to make some com-_
parison with the work of this Society by the‘end of the year, and we feel sure
that the results will show a very material progress in game, bird and fish Pro
tection.—B. F. Taytor, President.
South Dakota,—The South Dakota Audubon Society is as yet only a few
months old, but to date we have organized a very satisfactory Society with
large membership, and we expect to number several hundred by January fir
received very favorable comment from nearly all periodicals of the state. V
have published a series of articles about individual birds in the leading sta
‘daily,’ and these articles have, in some cases, been entirely reproduced |
the state press. A series of public addresses has been given at various poin
the state, at which the attendance has been large and enthusiastic. .
About 100,000 circulars on bird-life have been distributed through the st
and school Audubon Societies have been formed in nearly every county.
have a very large and beautiful room in the new Masonic Temple at Sioux F
which is ours exclusively, and beautiful cases are being made for our collection
of mounted birds, nests and eggs. These are all specimens which have been
gathered in the past, as we do not sanction even the taking of an egg to increase
our collection. A feature of this collection is a large number of mounted
not one of which was killed for mounting, but they are birds picked up a
severe storms, or birds that ane lost their lives by flying against wires or
other causes. ia
We shall ‘have in this room a reading-room, well supplied with book ar
pamphlets on the subject of birds, and the room will always be open to th
public. -
The following is a page from a forthcoming book by President Hola :
is to go into every school in South Dakota. a
State Reports 357
ROLL OF HONOR
Tue Birps.—For service in the cause of humanity; for making the fields
_ to flash with color, the lakes to laugh with music, and for making the trees the
_yery ‘peaks of song’; for teaching the courage, for pioneering, the joy of honest
toil, the virtue of happy mating, the spirit of devoted parentage and the satis-
faction in an ‘ever so humble’ home; for the singing with their work and reveal-
: ing to us the life in nature that ‘lifts us to the skies.’
: Tue Rosins.—For labor upon our lawns; for stirring chitdhood’s fancies,
and awakening in old hearts the illusions of their childhood.
_ Tue Larxs.—For tireless hours of toil upon our farms, clearing them of
‘insects and the seeds of noxious weeds; for singing in every field and from every
_fence-post; for making morning the beginning of a day and evening the promise
Et another.
_ Tue Bivesrrps.—For picking up the berries of the ivy and the brier; for
clearing our gardens of grubs, our waysides of pests upon the wing and for giv-
‘ing a song to the early winds to tell us that we may rejoice at the bursting of the
Tue Cuckoos.—For stripping our trees of caterpillars, our gardens of
ers, our fields of beetles and for minding their own business.
7 Tue Hawxs.—For their restless hunting of rodents and reptiles and for hav-
eyes that see in a half-blind world. '
_ Tue Kitipeers.—For their fight against the boll-weevil and the Rocky
/ Mountain locust and for the love of their little fuzzy babies.
| THe Wooppeckers.—For destroying ants, moths, beetles and weed-seeds;
or their tremulous tattoos and awakening calls of springtime.
“THE KINGFISHERS.—For lessening the-swarms of beetles, crickets and
sra hoppers and reminding us that ours are ‘halcyon’ days, if we but make
_ Tue Grospeaks.—For destroying potato-bugs and caterpillars; for one
the sweetest sounds in nature that makes us glad to stop in our hurry that we
may look and listen.
ie Tue Swattows.—For killing the germ-bearing mosquitoes; for suffering
saved to the beasts of the field and for their cheerful ‘twittering from the straw-
built shed. *
THE NATIVE SpaRRows,—For using thousands of tons of weed-seed that
will never choke the grain or the flowers; for their infinite presence and their
nnumbered songs.
} a HE UNKNOWN Livinc.—For working without reward and singing without
applause :
_ Tue UNKNown Deap.—That have fallen on broken wing during the wild
nights; that by unhappy flight have been the prey of natural enemies and men.
358 } Bird - Lore
Our certificates of membership have just arrived, and we shall soon have
the honor of forwarding to you Certificate No. 2. with the best wishes of our
young Society.
In order to help do our share toward maintaining the mother institution,
we shall send you before long a large number of subscriptions to Brrp-Lore.
We have, in a direct way, checked the slaughter of Doves and of Robins,
and we believe that the organization of our Society has caused a better enforce-
ment of our game laws.—GEORGE A. PETTIGREW, Secretary.
Texas.—The energy of the Texas Audubon Society during the current year,
has been devoted mostly to the procuring of desirable legislation, and in the
latter months to assisting in the enforcement of the statutes enacted for the pre-
servation of wild birds and animals, codperating with the state warden and his
deputies to that end. The bill creating the warden system was made dependent
upon an annual license fee of $15, levied on non-resident gunners, the resident
gunners being permitted to shoot without license. From the license on the non-
resident gunners it is probable that a sufficient sum will accrue to support a
fairly efficient warden system, after the legal commencement of the gunning
season. a
In the meantime, in order to protect the birds and game from lawless gunners,
who commenced slaughtering Doves, Quail, Prairie Chickens, water-fowl, deer,
Wild Turkeys and everything else two months before the open season, devoted
friends of the cause notably, in the Houston district, raised funds and paid salaries
-of deputies from their private purses. aa
The growth of public sentiment in favor of preservation of birds has been
marked during the past four years, and particularly marked during the present
year. In the population of Texas of 3,800,000, it is probable thas so per cent
have had the arguments of the Audubon Society presented to them, in
played headlines, and often reénforcing our pleadings with able editorials. W
feel also greatly indebted to the Texas educators for the strong encouragen en}
they have given to Audubon Societies in the schools, academies, colleges ar
universities. ;
The secretary, assisted by half a dozen ladies, and about an equal numbe
of gentlemen, has succeeded in entertaining audiences over a large area of th
state with lantern lectures. In one sparsely settled county, particularly in’
interest of the antelope, the peccary and the armadillo, the secretary had in
audience about everybody within a radius of twenty-five miles. The chief dit
culty in lantern lecturing in Texas is transportation. Distances between p oin
are lengthy and roads are not good. Interurban electric railways are in pr
removed.
State Reports 359
With a heart brimming full of hope, the work will be pushed forward, and
the secretary trusts when winter comes, with its long nights, to be able to con-
duct a series of lantern lectures in the larger cities, such as Waco, Ft. Worth,
Dallas, Houston, Galveston, Austin, San Antonio and other of the more
prominent centers.—M. B. Davis, Secretary.
a ye ee
Vermont.—The membership of the Vermont State Audubon Society, and
: the work done by that body during the past year, shows no great increase over
_ other years, owing largely to the fact that the Vermont-Bird Club, an older society,
_is working along the same lines. The latter organization, started several years
ago in connection with another scientific club, includes most of the bird-lovers
in the state, has the same aims as the Audubon Society, and is very active in
- legislative matters. It has seemed wise, therefore, to make the work of our Society
- largely educational in its scope, and to bring into it as many junior members
as possible. In this way, the two societies do not conflict, but both together
a _ make a strong influence for the saving of the birds, and the instruction of the
g general public as to their value.
ie Several junior Societies, numbering from one to four hundred children, have
been started during the past year in various towns of the state. The description
of the one located in St. Johnsbury may perhaps answer for all. Meetings are
held by this Society, which for convenience is divided into two sections, once
‘a month from January to June. The children choose officers from among their
‘own number, and conduct their meetings with much ceremony. In June a con-
| test is held for determining those who are the best acquainted with the birds.
' The contestants are arranged in three divisions, according to age, the prizes
in each division being five-dollar gold pieces. These prizes are donated by the
president of the senior Society, Mr. C. H. Horton, and the interest created by
the contest is very great. As preparation for this, bird walks are taken very fre-
quently during the spring, these walks being lead by the secretary, or some
| other member of the state Society.
_ Several senior Societies have arranged for lectures by various ornithologists,
admission to these lectures being either free or a nominal price, so that they could
be largely attended by the people of the vicinity. Among other speakers has
been Mr. Henry Oldys, of the Biological Survey, Washington, who has lectured
in Burlington, St. Johnsbury, Johnson and other places in the state.
__ Some Societies have placed bird books and copies of ‘ Brrp-LoreE’ on the
| of the town libraries, and three traveling libraries, composed entirely of
‘bird books, have been circulated in the state —Muss Der1a I. GRIFFIN, ee
|
|
‘. Washington.—Modesty i is becoming in a debutante, and indeed we have
‘scarcely had time to take our bearings and get used to the lights since Mission-
ary Finley brought us out in April. At a meeting held in the Central High School
of ene: aay presided over by Superintendent Cooper, we organized the Wash-
360 Bird - Lore
ington State Audubon Society with a membership of forty, since increased to
over two hundred. |
We believe that we have a most promising field for the cultivation of bird-—
lovers, and we find that protective sentiment has been already developed, and
fostered to a gratifying degree by the efforts of the Washington State Game
and Fish Protective Association, of which our efficient secretary, Mr. H. Rief,
is the animating spirit. Our work has an assured welcome in public school
circles, and we await only the advent of the man with time enough to address
himself to the important task of guiding and informing an awakening interest.
There are in the interior of Washington a few Grebe colonies, which formerly
suffered at the hands of skin hunters, but we do not know of recent depredations.
Hawks and Owls suffer severely at the hands of unthinking farmers in eastern —
Washington, and we are reaping the expected harvest of ‘sage rats’ in conse- |
quence. Certain species of Grouse, notably the Columbian Sharp-tailed and —
the Sage Grouse, are possibly doomed to extinction; but, on the other hand, the
spread of introduced species, notably the Mongolian Pheasant, and the Bob-white, —
is quite reassuring. Although the English Sparrow has been long with us, it
is only recently that we have begun to notice the blighting influence of his mob — ,
tactics in our larger cities.
In the summer of 1906, and again in 1907, the president of the Society recon-—
noitered the islands lying off the west coast of Washington and located some —
thirty rookeries of sea-birds. This region is little frequented by white men, but
the birds have suffered in a diminishing ratio from the depredations of Indians.
An effort has been made to put a stop to this practice, ancient as it is, and the
agent in charge of the Makah Reservation, Dr. C. S. Woods, has promised hi his.
hearty codperation to this end.
Some idea of the extent of these island colonies may be obtained when | Tr
mention that probably 10,000 Rhinoceros Auklets nest on Destruction Island,
and 40,000 Kaeding Petrels on Dhuoyuatzachtahl, one of the Quillayute Need
group; while upon Carroll Islet eleven of the twelve species known to the en
coast were found in June, 1907. Doubtless the time will come when it will
desirable to make of the last named a government reservation.—W. Leon DAw-
son, President.
culation of our slides and lectures.
Our membership in the school branches continues to increase as the interest
amongst the school children is fostered by our little magazine ‘ By the Waysi
which is still published in connection with the Illinois Society. Our classes i
bird study conducted, in Madison during the spring months, were, as usu:
well attended.—Mrs. R. G. THwaireEs, Secretary.
State Reports 361
In regard to the work of our children’s Audubon Societies, the teachers say
_ they are doing good work. Many of the branches are in rural districts, miles
- from even a railroad, so I am not in close communication with them, but, going
_ through some letters, I find that during the snow-storms last April and May,
_ during the migration season, the children fed the birds at Mecedah, Rhine-
- lander, Merrill, Montello, Mauston, Antigo, Yellow Lake, Elkhart Lake, Ingram
and Elk Mound. In Appleton the birds were fed and boxes put out. There are
a also two drinking-places in private yards. We have never had to resort to the
_ law here, but there is a marked improvement in bird conditions.
3 Four years ago it was quite impossible to save a riest, but this year a brood
_of Catbirds were raised in a bush at the end of our bridge, so near to the side-
. walk that we could look down into the nest, and any child could have taken
them out. The grass all about was worn down where every man, woman and
4 child in the neighborhood stopped to look.
_ The spiders have been very bad about our houses, so six families put up
| Wren boxes, as many as there were places, and this year we thought there were
less spiders —Miss Epna S. Epwarps, Secretary, School Department, Wisconsin
_ Audubon Society.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
$5.00 paid annually constitutes a person a Sustaining Member.
$100.00 paid at one time constitutes a Life Membership.
$1,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Patron.
$5,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Founder.
ee $25,000.00 paid constitutes a person a Benefactor.
if FORM OF BEQUEST
_ I do hereby give and bequeath to THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON
‘SocreTIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF WiLD Birps AND ANIMALS, rane maicant
a the city of New York,
’
Deeper
362
Bird - Lore
LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
-OF AUDUBON SOCIETIES
BENEFACTOR
PAThert: Wille so cuiiie s ai-a's-9:s Sit aheed oe Se 1906
LIFE MEMBERS
Bancroft; Williaa: 2. ¢ a0.) seus ais 1906 | Huntington, Archer M.......:...... 1905
Beebe; Mrs, J. Arthur. 3.0 sscsasmes 1907 | Kidder, Nathaniel T.... 20%. jgeecs 1905
Bingham, Miss Harriet............. 1907 | Kilmer, Willis Sharpe. ..0. +.) .¢2yoa 1907
Bowman, Miss Sarah R............. Toos. | Lawrence, Samuel C.. . 3 e ee 1905
Brewster, William............-...- 1905 .| Marshall, Louis... 3...) cae 1900
Bridge, Mrs. Lidian En... hoes yin 1907 | Morton, Miss Mary.. ... 1906
Breoss A. Dire. exatiwaks ise tee 1906 | North Carolina Audubon Society. «++ IQO5
Brooks, Mrs. Everett W............ 1907 | Osborne, Mrs. Eliza W.... ...1906
Brooke Seeing Aes Ske RN es 1907 | Palmer, Gen. William Jee 1906
Brooks, Mrs. Shepherd............. 1906 | Pearson, Prof. T. Gilbert... ..gecpeos 1905
Browning, Ju Filles. ais is Deeawaees 1905 | Phillips, Mrs. John C.............. 1905
Catr, Gen: JuliansSigs. Snes T9077} Phillips, \Johnt€@..a03h.. ees 1905
Childs, John Lewisec <: 5. iio. Meas 1905 | Pickman, Mrs. Dudley L............ 1907 |
Clyde; William (Pixies pec vite ss tg05 | Pierrepont, Miss Anna J....... ekg .
Coolidge, T. Jefferson, 3rd.......... Too? 4';Pierrepont, Johnit]..'.:4 eee
Crosby, Matinsell-'S:.2..3.4s2-giea ee ct tg05 | Pinchot, Mrs. James W.............
Earle, Carlos*Y. Poiteyant...4;..... 1908 | Potts, Thomas: 0... 720 Jawa
Earle, Miss Eleanor Poitevant....... 1905 | Reed, Mrs. Wm. Howell...........:
Kastman; George: fo 30, fae Aad eee 1906. Sage, Mrs... Russell. :. 3. 22.y ieee
Fay, Mrs: Flora: Ward: ols 1ee as. 1905 |,Satterlee, Mrs. Herbert L...........
Foot, James Dis <.vie.sg% ok Muna on 1907 Shattuck, Mrs. Fi C.. esa the as Xo
*Frothingham, Howard P.. lévs LOO5 | out eS, Teonard.,:.°.. a ees re:
Havemeyer, Mrs. H. O., Jr... Ss ped aes 1907 | Van Name, Willard G...
Hemenway, Mrs. Augustus Weis eee T9088. | Vaux; George rs. <5 cc She wee
Hatiman,; Samuel: Vir eae 1907 | “Webster :P. Gils i io eee
Hostetter, Ds Herbert.c:. +o ..6 ce 1907 | Wharton, William P................
Hunnewell, Hes: acs al ss ae 1905
* Deceased
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS FOR 1907
Abbott, Clinton G.. $5
Achelis “Fritz. 0235" 5 00
Acklen, Col. J. H 5 00
Agar, Mrs. John e 5 00
Agassiz, Max....... 5 00
Agassiz? Ro Aa. eens 5 00
Aiken, John A...... 5 00
Aldrich, Spencer.... 5 00
Alexander, H. B.... 5 00
Allen, Calvin H..... 5 00
Allen; Chas, Ag. ou 5 00
Allen pCa. co hain 00°
Allen County Audu-
bon Society... 5 00
Allen, James ae sete OO
Allen, Miss M. C... 5 00
Almon, Mrs........ IO 00
Almon, Miss M. E.. 10 00
Amend, Bets 22).3.0 25 00
Ames, Miss M.5S.... 5 00
Ames, Mrs. W.H... 5 00
Carried forw’d ..$130 00
fete)
Brought forw’d . . $130
Anderson, Mrs. J. C.
Andrews, Mrs. H. E.
Andrews, Mrs. W. L.
Anthony, Mrs. S.R.. 1
Appleton, J. W.....
Archbold, John D..
Atkins, Mrs. E. F...
Atkinson, Mrs. E..
Atwater, C. B:.
Auchincloss, J. W..
Audubon Society of
Amann oOMmun
' °
°
Connecticut...... 20 oo] Barnum, Mrs. W.M.
Austin, F. B....2.. 5 oo | Barrows, Mrs. M...
Avery, Samuel P:.)° § 00;| Bass, J." .0 aac
Bacon, Mrs. F. E... 10 00} Bartlett, Mrs. C. T.
Bacon, Miss M. P.. 5 oo] Batten, George.....
Bahi Drs. Bs, ca 5 oc | Baxter, John L.....
Baird, Miss L. H..'. 15 00] Beach, Mrs. H. H.A.
Baker, George L.... 5 00] Beckwith, Mrs. D..
BakeriticD Jr 600
Carried forw’d ..$260 00
Baker, Mrs. W. Re
Ball, Miss H. A..
Balcom, He Tracy.. "
Balph, Mrs. J. M...
Bancroft, Mrs.W.P.
Bangs, Dr-iG; Beane
Banks, Miss M. B..
Barnes, Miss H. S..
Barnes, H.S
Barnes, Miss M...
Barnum, W. M.....
Beech, Mrs. H.....
List of Members
363
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, continued
Belais, David.......
_Belais, Mrs. David.
- Bell, Mrs. Gordon. .
Bemis, Mts oR 32)56.'.
Benedict, Theo. H..
Bean, Miss AE.
ee ee ee ee
Beth; Jr...
ie, “Ledyard. .
akely Walter J..
ss, Mrs. Walter P.
ry
ei les, Miss Be
olling, Stanhope. .
ond-Foote, Miss
yle, Edward J...
dford, Mrs. G.G.
_ Bradlee, Thomas S..
radley, Miss A. A..
31 dley, Miss L..
macy, Mrs. R..
randreth, Courtney
ier, Mrs. b FD : OE
ed, Stephen A..
se, Miss E. L..
nnecke, George.
ridgewater’’.....
eee eee
ahaa Charles E...
, David S..
ca, Edwin H..
rown, Elisha R..
wn, Hon. E. R..
ywn, Frank A..
5
5
HAaWmnMnMnNnAnNInrnIrnnninnnnwn nn ut AANA NY GEOL OnNnn COMMA n nn
OUnnnnnn
50
lole)
foto)
lore)
Lote)
fete)
loje)
fete)
Lele)
ed forw’d . $676 fore)
Brought forw’d . .$676
Brown, Harry W... 5
Brown, Dr. L.. a
Brown, Ronald Be 5
Brown, SamuelN... 5
Brownell, TORS. 5
Browning, W. H.. 5
Bulkley, Mrs. E. M. 5
Bullard, Mrs..E. P.. 5
Burgess, John K.... 5
Burke, Jos. 5
Burnett, John T.... 5
Burnett, Mrs. J..... 5
Burnham, Mrs.
Geerze, JR oo...
Burnham, Mrs.J.A.
Burnham, William.
Barr, Mrs. FT. oe.
Bush, Mrs. E. F....
Butler, Mrs. Paul.. 1
Butler, Miss V.....
Bye, Mrs:.C. Fo...
Cabanis, Winship..
Cabot, George E....
Cabot, Mrs. H. B...
Cabot,
Cabot, Mrs. W. C..
Cameron, Be oi.
Cammann,
Kate L
Carleton, Cyrus....
Carnegie, Frank M.
Carnegie, M. T....
Carpenter,- Csi Le...
Carr, Miss Eva A...
Carter, John E..
Carter, S.. T.,
Cary William “Ws
Case, Miss L. W..
OFS sper eink peptone
ChateesMrs.-Z, ow)
Chamberlain, Rev.L.
orem Mrs.
F.
Ann rnin own" un
Miss
=
AaAMmOIninn UMnaAnn”n omuw4vn 0
Pe Gare G.N..
Chapman, C. E..
Chapman, Mrs. J. +
Chase, Mrs. A. B...
Chase, Sidney......
Chase, Mrs.” 'T.33%.
Cheneys Mrs.) Au. 6°: 5
.Cheney,:-Louis R.... 5
Childe. Mrs:oC.-His 5
Chisoim, AS Re... 5
Christian, Miss E... 5
Christian, Miss S... 5
Christy, Bayard H.. 10
ChybaonH: 55 5
Chubbuck, Isaac Y. 5
Lore)
Lele)
Carried forw’d . .$986
fete)
Brought forw’d . .$986
Church, PF. Co ar..
Churchill, Miss A. P.
Churchill, W. W..
Clapp, Miss Helen. .
Clark, Miss A. B....
Clark, CUBE rah 2
Clark, Miss E. L...
Clark, Mrsi\p See;
Clark, Miss S. E....
Clarke, Miss H. E..
Clarkson, Mrs. T. S.
Clemens, Miss J. L.
Clemens, S.-i...
Clemson, G. N.....
Clinch, Edward S...
Clinch, Howard T..
Coates, Miss S. H...
Codman, Alfred..
Codman, Miss C. A.
Codman, J.
Coffin, George S...
Coker, David R...
Colburn; NiO AC
Colcord, Albert P...
Colgate, RvR. 2.3.
Collamore, Miss H..
Leal Ln el
inl
Land
Collins, Miss Ellen.
Collins, Miss G....
Collins, Miss M...
Comfort, Miss A...
Comfort, Miss A. E.
Converse, Mrs. C. C.
onl
OMAN AMNNnNUAUNnNNHNANOMInInouwmnnomino oUnMurnnnnnniwi 4H Yt
Cope; Albani s.c'
Cope, F. Rijn.
Corlies, Miss M. L..
Corning, Miss M. I. 5
Costello, W. Jw... .. 2
Cox, Mrs. James S..
Crehore, F. M. Area
Crockery: Wieck. si
Cromwell, James W.
Crosby, Mrs. E. H..
Crosby, Stephen M.
Crossman, a
Cudworth, Bec
Cummins, Miss E. I.
Cunningham, G. H.
Curtis, Mrs. C. B...
Curtis, Mrs. Louis. .
Curtiss, Misses.....
Curtiss,< Miss::Sy. 30s": §
Lal
Lal
OCOMAIANOMNnnnnin
lele]
Carried forw’d, $1,389
oQ
364
Bird - Lore
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, continued
Brought forw’d, $1,389 06
Cutting, Robert F...
Dana, Miss Ada...
Dana, Miss E. A....
Dane, Miss A. L....
Daveis, Edward H..
Davenport, Mrs.E.B
Davis, Mrs. W. R..
Davis, Walter R..
Day, Mrs. A. M... :
Day, Mrs. Frank A.
Day, Frank Miles. .
Day, Miss K.S.....
Dean, Charles A....
Deats, Mrs. E.S....
Anonnrninnnnnwinnnun
°
°
De Coppet, E. J.... 10 00
De Coppet, Tu... .... fofe)
De Forest, H. W.... fete)
Desenery 1s Be .. cos IO 00
Detroit Bird Pro-
tecting Club..... 5 00
Dewey, Dr. C..A..... 10. 00
Dexter, :George.... 5:00
Dick, Mrs. M. M... 5 00
Dickerman, W. B... 25 oo
Dietz, Mrs. €...Ni..-..5,:00
Dod, Miss H. M.... 5 00
Dodd, Henry W.... 10 00
Dodge, Miss G. H.. 5
Dommerich, L. F... 5
Dommick, Mrs.
Donaldson, John J... 5
Dorrance, Miss A... 5
Dorances Bats. 5
Draper; Eben &: oo. 25
Drew, Miss E. E... 1
Drew, Henry J. W.. 5
Drude, Miss L. F... 5
Drummond, Miss E. 1o
Drummond, MissM. 5
Duane, James May. 5
Dubois, Dr. M. B.., 5 00
Duncan, A. Butler.. 5
Dunham, A. hn Zicons
Duryee, Miss A. B.. 5
Duryee, GoV. Wi. as
Dutcher, Mrs. W... 5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Dutcher, Miss Mary fete)
Dutcher, William. . fefe)
Dwight, Dr. J., Jr.. fete)
Dyer, Edward T... oo
Eaton, E. Howard.. rele)
Eaton, Miss M. L.. . (ole)
Eddy, Miss S. J.... fete)
Edgar, Diss sk IO 0O
Elliot, Mrs. J. W... 15 00
Ells, George P...... 5 00
Carried forw’d, $1,782 00
Brought forw’d, $1,782 oo
Ely, Smith 5
Emerson, Miss J. T.- 3.00
Emery, Miss G.. 25 00
Emery, Miss G. H.. 10 00
Emery, Mrs. L. J... 20 00
Emmons, Mrs. R.
ta ee Reoceys aliel sp 5 00
Enders, John O 5 00
BNO, Dir Hie 8 25 00
Estabrook, A. F.. 5 00
Eustis, F. A... 6s. 5 00
Eustis, Misses..... 5 00
Evans, Mrs. R. D... 10 00
Fackler, David P... 5. 00
Fairbanks, Mrs.
1D 021 OR OEE en eras 2 00
Fairchild, S. W..... 5 00
Farnum, Henry W.. 5 00
Farwell, Mrs. John
V.; Jr ice aines Hiss cc's 5 00
Faulkner, Miss F.M_ 5. 00
1 OEY aD SS | Sera te 10 00
Fay, Mrs. H. H..... fore)
Benno, Ly. Ge isc S38 fore)
Fessenden, F. G... fofe)
Bela Ey Bae ees feJe)
Finley, William L... fete)
Rash? Mrs.€: Peden. fefe)
5
5
5
5
1 5
Fisher, Miss E. W.. 5
Fiske, Mrs. M.M.... 5
Flavell, Mrs. L.C... 5 00
Blower,\A Becca: 5
Fogg, Miss G. M... 5
Forbes, Alexander.. 5
°
5
5
5
box: Henry's Sarvs
Freeman, Miss C. L. 5
Freeman, Miss H.E. 5
Freeman, Mrs. Fi: Gi. 5
Freer, Charles L....100 00
French, Miss C. A.. 5
French, Miss E. A.. tro
Freudenstein, W. L. 5
Brissell; AwjS..22. .. 5 00
Fulenwider, J. J. B: 5
Fuller, Frank L.. 5
Garrett, Mrs. E. W. 5 00
Garrett, Miss M. E. 5
Gatter, Miss Es Asi. de
Gavitt, William 2 5.
Geer, Mrs. Walter.. 10 00
Gelpecke, Miss A.C. 10 00
Gifford, Dri Hs... 5:;00
Gilbert, Et, (Bice. 5 00
Gillett, Miss L. D.. 5 00
Gillingham, Mrs.
SPRACIG CEG ios, 5 00
Glessner, Mrs. J. J. 5 00
Carried forw’d, $2,287 oo
‘Greene, Miss M....
Brought forw’d, $2,287 00
Goddard, G. A
Siihic ove SRS fofe)
cae James D.. foe)
Goodrich, Miss J. = fof)
Goodwin, Mrs.H. M.
Graham, ‘Cee
Graham, Miss M. D..
Graves, Mrs. C. B..
Gray, Miss Emily..
Gray, Miss Isa E...
Gray, Mrs. Morris. .
Gray, Roland......
Greene,.G, Si) Je.
loro}
8
ANNAN nnwni nanan wn wt
888838888388 88888s83
Greene, Miss M. A..
Greenfield Audubon
Tubs \isceseaeaiete
Grew, Mrs. E. W... 1
Grew, Mrs. H.S....
Griffin, Mrs. S. B...
Guillaudeu, Emil...
Hadden, Dr. A.....
Hadley, Mrs. A. P..
Hagar, Eugene P...
Hanes, Miss J. R...
Hale, Rev. E. E....
Hall, Alfred B......
Hamill, Miss E. C..
Hamilton, Miss
Elizabeth S Pa deta I
AAMMANAANA OM
Harding, Dr. G. F..
Hardy, Mrs. R..
Harper, Francis. .
Harral, Mrs. E. W..
Harriman, Miss M..
Harris, Mrs. J. C...
Harrison, Chas. G..
Hartline, Da Se...
Hartness, Mrs. J....
Haskell, Miss H. P..
Hatch, Edward, Jr..
Hatch, Lyle Payson.
Havemeyer, J. C....
Haynes, Henry W...
Haynes, Miss L. de
mn a ce °
Hayward, Mrs. Mary _
Smith 5 00
Heaton, Mrs. R.C.. 5§ 00
Hecker, Frank at .. 25 00
Heinisch, R. :
Hendrickson, +. F..
Henshaw, H. W.... 5 @
Herrick, Harold.... 15
Herrmann, Mrs. E..
Hesse, Victor L.....
Heyward, D. C.....
a
i ee ee £
_ Frances B..
5
5
5
io e) < 5
- Hotchkiss, SS Aa
: E
5
5
5
4H unt, Dr. Emily G.. 6
List of Members |
365
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, continued
Brought forw’d, ~ 603
~ Hicks, Mrs. B. D.. 5
Meeks, John D..... 5
Higginson, Miss
esmuzabeth B...... 5
R pores inson, Mrs.
ens ee, L.;
| Higginson, J. Fs:
Hittinger, Jacob..
ene’, Theodore.
eee eee
a. ae
nbrooke, Mrs.
Chas. W..
_ Houghton, C. S..
aot: louston, J. A......
_ Howe, Mrs A......
Howe, Miss Edith.
Be BEG.
we, Mrs. J S 5
wells, Frank S 5
owland, Miss E... 15
lowland, Miss I 20
bbard, Miss A
Ms sss ss 5
dubbard, Miss M.E. 5
Bemirs. A, G..... 5
umphreys, Mrs.
waerold,..:...:.. 5
unnewell, Walter. 25
ssey, William H.. 5
i Ae Oe 5
Hyde, Mrs. E.F.... 5
alls, Chas. E.... 5
moam, ©. D...: 5
mate S... 5
memwrs, C,.O..: to
in, Mrs. W. E.. 5
nhuth, E. C. 5
ickson, Mrs. M. C. 25
mison, Chas. A 5
_ eC: a iintaas 5
Knight, Mrs. A. S.. a
Brought forw’d, $2,932
Jenckes, John..... 5
Jenks; Miss CE... 5
Jenks, Mrs. W. HH... 5
Jennings, Dr. G. H. 5
ACSW, | Mis Bese hs aise. 25
Johnson, F. E...... 5
Johnson, Mrs. F.S.. 5
Johnson, Mrs. F. W. 5
Johnson, W. H..... 5
Johnston, R. W.... 5
Jones, Boyd B...... 5
Bes Charles H 5
ones, Mrs. C. H... 5
Jones, Miss Esther. 5
Jones, Frederick... 5
i ig oes Oe OA ae
Jordan, Miss C. M.. 5
Joslyn, Mrs. G. A... 10
Kahn, Otto He...
Kempster, James...
Kendall, Miss G..
Kennedy, Mrs. ae =
Kerr, Mrs. J. C..
Kerr, Miss Lois.
Kimball, Miss H. F.
King, Miss E.......
Bang, Mi Koy cess
King, William B..
Kite, Mrs. M.......
Kittredge, S. D..:
al eS)
OUMUnInonounumunn
Kopman, Henry H..
Kuhn, Mrs. H..... 1
Kunhardt, W. B....
Kuser, Col. A. R...
Kuser, Mrs. A. R...
Kuser, John D.....
Kyle, William S.>..
LaFarge, Mrs. C. G.
Lancashire, Mrs
AaAanaannin own
Lang, Charles.....
Langeloth, Jacob. .
Langmann, Dr. G.
Lagowitz, Miss H. Ei
Law, J. Douglas. .
Lawrence, John B..
Lawrence, Mrs.
Be IVs seis, ceva «
TEA WRENCE:. Pct:
Lee, Frederic S.....
Leigh, B. Watkins. .
Leman, J. Howard.
Lemmon, Miss Isa-
bella McC a... 20.'. 5
Lemon, William H.. 5
Lester, Mrs. J. W... 5
Letchworth, Josiah. 5
Leverett, George V.. 5
Amann
Anni
lete)
Carried forw’d, $3,275
[ole)
Brought forw’d, $3,275
Levy, Mrs. J
Lichtenauer,
Alice
ee eer)
Lodge, Fis: Bi..434
Logue, Mrs. Ida L.. ;
Loines, Mrs. M. H.. 5
Long, Harry V..... 5
Longfellow, Miss
CO ME ene eres
Lord, Miss Cowper.
Lord, Franklin B...
Loring, The Misses.
Loring, Mrs. W. C..
Low, Hon. Seth....
Lowell, Miss C. R..
Lowell, James A....
Lowell, Miss L.....
Lowell, Sidney V...
Lowndes, James...
Lowry, Mrs. A. L...
Loyd, Miss S. A. C..
Luce, Matthew....
Lundy, Miss E. L...
Lydig, David......
Lyle, John'S......
Lyman, Henry
McCullough, Mrs.
Mar
WwW
Annan ninrin ds uUninmn oun
|
ar
McEwen, D. C..
McGowan, Mrs. i. E.
McHatton, Dr. H...
McKee, Mrs. W.L..
McKittrick, T. H. Jr.
MacDougall, G. R..
Mac Enroe, J. F....
Macy, V. Everit....
Macy, Mrs. V. E....
Madden, Miss A. T.
Mager, F. Robert. .
Maghee, John H....
Maitland, A.......
Malcom, Mrs. A...
Manning, F. H.....
Markham, Miss
Frances: Gi.) 33%
Markoe, Mrs. John.
Marling, Alfred E...
Marrs, Mrs. K.....
Marsh, Miss Ruth. .
Marshall, Charles C.
Marshall, T. A.....
Martin, Miss C. M..
Martin, Mrs. E..
Martin, Mrs. J. W..
Maryland Branch of
the National Au-
dubon Society... 5
Mason, Mrs. E.F... 5
iS)
AaAnAnnaiunrnninemncn Ov
H
oO
iS)
nAodoumunninn ow
Ln ion!
oo
oo
Carried forw’d, $3,627
fol)
366
Bird - Lore
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS. continued
Brought shah 1 $3,627
Mason, Mrs. E
Mason, Miss F. “e
Matheson, W. J...
Mauran, Mrs. J. Gs
Mayo, Miss Amy L.
Meads Fes. eos vas
Meisselbach, A. F...
Mellick, Mrs. G. P..
Mellor, George B...
Meredith, Mrs.
Merrill, Miss F. E..
Merriam, Mrs. D...
Merriam, The Misses
Metcalf, Manton B.
Metcalf, Stephen O.
Meyer, Miss H.....
Meyer, Thos. C....
Miles, Mrs. H.F....
Miles, Mrs. H. A...
Miller, Mrs. E. S...
Miller, Frank M....
Miller, Mrs. R. F...
Miller, Roswell....
Mills, Enos A......
Mitchell, Miss Mary
Mitchell, Mrs. M. B.
Montgomery, Miss
A
Moore, Miss F. R...
Morgan, Miss E. P..
Morris, Miss C. W..
Morris, Robert O...
Morrow, T.
Morse, pee:
eee eee
ee ee |
Mdsaley. | ec peet grees
Mott, A. Ww Se
Mott fh tagedec ans
Nash, Mrs. M. C. B.
Newton, Dr. E. D...
Nichols, J. W. T....
Nicholson, Rebecca
and) Sarabi.e wes,
Norcross, G. H.....
Norton; Cote. aa,
Noyes, Mrs. H. A...
Oldberg, Mrs. O....
*“*Ormonde”’
Osborn, Mrs. W. C. 1
Osborn, William R..
Otis, Charles R.....
Outerbridge, A. J...
Owen, Mrs. M. L...
Paddock, Royce....
Paine, Mrs. A. G...
AUninin COmnune8+8
AMMAN ouUnnt4t oun
aAannnininn wn
°
AMmowminino omunnninnun
Carried forw’d, $4,237 00
Brought forw’d, $4,237
Beda.
Paine, Miss
Paine, Mrs. R. Gas
and..
Palmer, Miss C. He
Palmer, Miss D..
Palmer, Miss Elsie.
Palmer, Miss L.S...
Palmer, Miss M....
Palmer; Dro'T: Se 3;
Parker, Mrs. B. W..
Parker, Edward L..
Parker, Thomas F..
Parlngiiecey IN Soest
Patten, Mrs. W.S,..
Patterson, W. F..
Peabody, G. A..
Peabody, Mrs. O.W.
Peck, Mrs. E. P..
Pell, William H.....
Penfield, Mrs. C. S..
Perkins, Miss E. G.
Peters, Francis A...
Pettigrew, G.A.....
Phillips, Mrs. Chas.
Phillips, Mrs. J. C..
Phillips, Hon. J. M.
Phipps, Henry.....
Pickering, Mrs. H..
Pierse: Hi Ce ov
Pierce, Miss K. C...
Pillsbury, A. N., Jr..
Piper, Mrs. F.E..:.
Hig. 912 Ru a! UALS peers
Planten, John R....
Platt, Mrs. Charles.
Pollock, George E.:
Pon, Comets,
Poor, James R..,..
Pope, Alexander...
Post; Abner ic 26-5:
‘Potter SMissiG oii
Potts, Jesse Walker.
Potts, Miss S. B....
Pratt, Augustus....
~I
on
al
°
w
wn Om AON nnninon ur
5
AWnwwn wv UL
25
Price, John S:,Jr...°
Prohaska, J.-F....°.
Pryer,: Charles: .- >.
Pyle, Howard......
Rathborne, R. C.:.
Read, Bartow......
Read, Miss C. H...
Read, Curtis S.....
Read, Duncan H...
Read, W. A. Jreoc4
Read, Miss S. E....
Rees, Norman I....
I
5
5
5
2
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
Carried forw’d, $4,636 50
Brought forw’d, $4,636 50
Reinhold, Dr. A. J... 5 00
Renwick, B.S: es 5 00
Reynolds; Dy | 14% 5 00
Rhoads, Miss B. M. 5 00
Rhoads, Miss L. W. 5 00
Rhoads, J. S....)29% 5 00
Rhoads, Miss S. W.. 5 00
Richards, Miss A. A. 5 00
Richardson, Dr.
Maurice H....04%
Richie, Miss Sarah.
Richmond, Walter. .
Ricketts, Miss J....
Ripley, E. Lisi
Robbins, R.C......
Robert, Samuel....
Roberts, Mrs. C....
Roberts, Miss E. C..
Roberts, Miss F. A..
Roberts, Thomas S.
Robertson, Mrs. F. P.
Robertson, Miss J..
Robey, Andrew A...
Robinson, Miss A.'H.
Robinson, Mrs.G. H.
Robotham, C......
Rodes, Joseph H...
Rodman, Alfred....
Rodman, Mrs. E...
Roth,. J: 5. ages
Saltonstall, John L..
Sanborn, Mrs. F. A.
Sankey, ‘William E..
Sargent, Mrs. F. W.
Saunders, W. E..
Savings of Carola
and her Brothers.
Scattergood, T...
Schieffelin, Mrs. H.
M
Schott, C7aMi ie
Schramm, Arnold..
Schroeder, Arthur..
Schwab, Rev. L. H..
Scrymser, Mrs. J. A.
Seabrook, Mrs.H. H.
Sears, William R...
Seaver, Benj. F.....
Sedgwick, Mrs. E...
See, Alonzo B..... i
Seligman, Isaac N..
Seligman, J... 22%
Nd
AAMAANnNnAAnNAnNA nn no
w
AUNMInNNn OMNnNnNnnnnnnninn
°
°
Leal
wn
ANAM OMMaAnn
°
°
i
:
a
Brought forw’d, $5,016
Seton, Ernest T.... 5
Bewail, J. B........ 5
Shannon, T., Jr.... 1
Sharpe, Miss E. D.. 55
mah G. Cx 5
a Ci a
_ Sherman, J. P. R..
-Shiras, George, 3rd.
Shortall, Mrs. J. L...
| skabaane B. F,:
eaves, Miss M. I
1, Mrs. R., Jr..
dmore, s..
f Slocum, William H..
ith, Miss A. oe
ith, PAYS. AJ...
HH
+ ‘Smith, Byron L..
Smith, Miss C. L...
_ Smith, Miss E. C...
Smith, Mrs. G. W...
‘Smith, Robert....
Smith’ Mrs. R. D..:
mith, Prof. Roy L..
“Smith, T.H........
_ Smith, Mrs. W. M..
- Smith, Walter M..
US mith, Wilbur F..
1 Smyth, Ellison A..
Snyder, Watson.
aren, George W..
5
5
5
5
5
°
°
5
5
5
5
5
5
°
5
5
5
5
. Somes]
a Smith, meveG. DB... §
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
afford, F. A...... 5
5
5
peyer, Mrs. J
pooner, Miss M.T. 5
Spofford, Paul N... 5
Sprague, Pickin... 5
Sprague, Mrs. I 5
bray, S.J......... 5
a a 2
inmetz, F. J 5
em. C...... 5
lS Ba a 6
Ste enson, Miss A.B. 5
stevenson, Miss F.G 5
' tillman, Miss B. W. 3
Stilman, William .
mm Dr.... 0.2... 2
50
fole)
foje)
Lote)
List of Members
Brought forw’d, $5
Stilwell, Miss M. C..
Stirling, Miss E. M..
Stone, Charles A... .
Stone, Herbert F....
Storrow, Mrs. J. J..
Stratton: Co Byes:
Sturgis, John H..
Sugden, Arthur W..
Swan, Mrs. R.T....
Swasey, By Roo...
Swenholt, Jonas....
Taber, Sydney R...
Taber, Mrs. S. R...
Tatt,Gyrus Ais... .
Talcott, James..
Tarbell, Miss K. L..
Taylor, Alex. R..
‘Paylor;.B-. Fae...
Tenney, Mrs. E. P..
Thayer, Mrs. E. R..
Thayer, Ezra R...
SS inggac Mrs. G.
1 ALIA Bae I
Thayer! John E..
Thayer, Mrs. J. E..
MB YeT ).Eey, Iles:
Thayer, Mrs. N....
Thebaud, Paul G...
Thomas, Mrs. L....
Thomas, Mrs. T...
Thompson, Geo....
Thorndike, Albert. .
Thorne, Samuel....
Thornton, L. M....
Tingley, :S: He. oe.
Tinkman, Julian R.
aitus- bs fries es
Todd, James......
Torrey, Miss J. M..
Trainer,
eee eee
Turner, Mrs. W. J.
Tuttle, Dr. A. H..
Tweedy, seas ni
Twombly, J. F..
Tyson, Mrs. G..
Unity Audubon So-
ciet
Van Huyck, J. M...
Van Order, Miss
Ls 0S Ea ENE Nate ie a
van Wickle, Miss
Marjorie Poi...
van Arnim, Miss A..
397
Io
5
5
noOMnnnninni
5
5
Carried forw’d, $5,956 oo
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, continued
367
Brought forw’d, os 956
Vermilye, Mrs.
AsePard). |e. ieee
von ity see Mrs.
G. H.
Wadsworth, fon Si.
In Memoriam, R.
C. W. Wadsworth
Wadsworth, Mrs.
W. Austin hE
WialdareG Site.)
Wales, E. H......%..
Walker, Master O..
Wallace, Mrs. A. H.
Walters, Frank.
Ward, Marcus i
Warner, Mrs. G. M.
Warner, Dr. H. S..
Warren, Bee Waa os
Warren, Mrs. E. W.
Warren, Mrs. C....
Warren, Samuel D..
Watson, J. H
Wehrhane, C.......
Weld, Rev. G. F....
Weld, Gen. S. M...
West, Charles C...
Weston, Miss H....
Wetmore, Mrs. C.W.
Wetmore,’ Bi .235 03:
Wharton, Mrs. E. R.
Wheelwright, Mrs.
E
M.
Whipple, Mrs. 3 B.
White, Mrs. C. 3
White, Miss H. it 2
White; Drs ftiCc...: .
Whiting, Miss G....
Whiting, Mrs. S. B..
Whitney, Miss Anne
Whitney, Milton B..
Whiton, S. G
Widmann, Otto...
Williams, Blair S...
ee eee
Williams, Mrs. I. T.
Williams, Miss M.E.
Willis, Mrs. A......
Wills, Charles T....-
Wilson, Miss A. E..
Wilsons Meo iW. pots
Wing, Asa S.......
Winsor, Mrs. A.....
Winsor, Miss M. P..
5
30
15
Lal
ODAMnnnAnnnnnninn ounnrnniniw
5
Carried forw’d, $6,337 00
368 Bird - Lore
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTIONS, continued
Brought forw’d, $6,337 00 | Brought forw’d, $6, 372 co | Brought forw’d, “ 417 00
Winterbotham, J... 5 00} Woolman, E....... 5 00} Wright, Mrs. M.O 5 00
’ Winzer, Emil J 5 00 Woolman, E. W.... 5 00| Wright, Mrs. W.. 5 00
Wolff, Mrs. L. S 5 00| Wray, Charles P.... 5 oo | Wyatt, W. S....... 5 00
Wood, Walter..... o0'|- Wright, <C..M.. c.. to 00 | Wylly, Albert...... 5 OO.
Woodcock, John... 5 00] Wright, Horace W.. 5 00} Yenni, Mrs. C.. 55:60" ams
Woods, Edward F.. 5 00} Wright, J. P....... ro oo |* Young, T. Sansom 5 00m
‘Woodward, Dr. L. F. rs oo |*Wright, M. F...... 5 00 Zollikoffer, Mrs.O.F 5 00 ‘
Cartied forw‘d, $6,37 372 00 Carried forw’d, $6,417 00 Total. 3. aa $6,452 00
Report of the Treasurer of the National
Audubon Societies
BALANCE SHEET
Exhibit “A”
ASSETS
Cash in Farmers Loan and Trust Company
Furniture anid Piet ureg ies Vests Oc tatee 6S oe eee ota
Boat ‘‘Laughing Gull” No. 4
Boat ‘‘Royal Tern” No. 3
Boat PODS ING. Tees hipaa: eevee apie ae ate ong olnn, digae tals’ stearate
Boat ‘‘Audubon Patrol” No. 6
Ce
Ce
2
Investments—
Bonds United States Mortgage and Trust Company...
Bonds and Mortgages on Real Estate in Manhattan
(New York City)
be wc 0, © fe » 0 60) o 8 6 6 0.0 6.0 66 bee 06.68 ale
Deficit. for the year ended October 19, 1907, per Exhibit ““B”’.
Add—General Fund deficit October 20, 1906
ry
Less—Balance on Special Fund, October 20, 1906. pear aah
Metals ks se
LIABILITIES
Endowment Fund—
Balance: Oclamee wa BOG se se agus sy dius 8 Ns wilele Sata we aie
Received from Estate Albert Wilcox............22e000+
Life’ Members, 40 At SLOO pica ie nk.s bso k oye bead
Life Members contributed to Endowment Fund. ore oe
Bradley Fund .. isn decade ia eh Sa Cee ea ai ha tN See ee
Less amount invested...... vieiskata eines Ae aE We eye $1,499 08
Taxes, Repainsy eteiiiae ve ace sce cua wellness go 58
Tote we er ees ae ne Se ee
. $3,000 00
316,000 00
— oe
Association of
October 19, 1907
$6,199 92
120 80
$224 65 a
2,426 81
200 00
57 °°
———— ~ 319,000 60
$8,864 go a
‘310 88
$337,237 4 4
$14,772 00
320,000 00
1,600 00
5559
—
$336,927 « > }
$1,900 40
1,589 66
$337,237 74
Report ef the Treasurer
Exhibit “B”
Pe epee isa ety eT Me Be ag $4,640 00
ema ae ame, tet ises WRU Ea Kas ace Pinis ein ee. kp OL SOO
Interest received from Investments..................5- II,I52 go
Meeueational Leaficts, Sales... .... 6. ck ee cee vee 373 63
_ Office MU EDOM EOI i Sauls se vin c's Cans aa> $692 54
Beier pe Sts Timea Eos Oss wise Liayeaate 1,178 85
paper SUMINEL 5 Cae ti. ee. sick sets 26 64
PMS dial Oth, Segre MRC Se REE Eds 6 og 98, Laks we AGL 147 46
ese ee RRM Sen eg GRA etre iyieis 2 oe, ls Semel 14 52
nch MMM Sita s eM mere. 6 dls ipl sve alys swale 129 79
SEIS SISA O08 oe Se Mie ee ea en 107 62
ducational hesfcis BoM lea Bea eug Waee sees eo ain War aaa s, hl 1,594 32
ats SARS Ry coy, SRR ge aA REA Se ge 503 10
stros aa IAM Chiat es eS earay vos wie loin die ere nora 171 78
are see VIG oe oc i ttl G74 AIS a's 6 ohm ders, piles d ole 39 66
ed plates and outlines of birds................... 2,025 58
EEE ERERT STS SEI to - .1,332 00
MEER ret oC gL Vn ye cist lhe s c's" aca 76 00
rode Bata ee Pn ge ac oss 0c i abe Gun 59 10
Ree tether ie ia "Sos craslineoaio solar wea Saintes aidin Wp onan Sane 146 gt
MES Cte Mes Glas via tis sis 8 ics yk eee MARS 532 35
‘ie Survey, Papenee SMUT Women ucig cide wea vechate “ee 349 44
POR trie Se A a bree aleghc 6 Staley. wile oe 82 41
SESS Ue ere ERE SIEGE 3 oP dae 116 84
UT Ra sel Gils is Gk 2 wun! Dial laches =!» 0,4 8 mee 8 107 25
2) Sp is Sapa sons: tS clatte's atgsc win « ainmieee gh Te Oe
Puro T Mus «vss eg wake eh! silks ane 177 43
Seueneous expenses...) 06.2... 6s sess ins oa V's 193 09
asi gue A Susd G vipat «638s a) winsome itivaca: eae
os isk Canee ed UN a ake wis do eo ahaa sistent SyRQOUOS
steve Biodegks, Wis tale'Gbekes sets ONG: + Saw BR 42 50
RRMEas cite Pes tha catats ak vce 368s B sceh br ATE awa ATO OF
ME ET OCECHION oo ios tp iss Kinvee sc sca eee » ‘ se ecoie I00 00
tran & Mead, Press Information, etc............. ee 1,500.00
_G. Pearson, Salary......... EOE Se Beane ae cleex 1,008
_ G. Pearson, traveling expense.... eeeeececes pi diaistale ois 884 88
H. Forbush, salary and traveling expense..........-. 15345 73
iss Moore, salary.......... Vaawa. ste. Pia DPS eda ssc BOERS
MG Se a bn W's fsbo aise Vasc aess sees caeees 337
lie Dent 5, Si i Tin
aN a caked ee
5°
Expenses carried forward....... Besse digs Bay ks $22,190 64
369
COME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDING OCTOBER 19, 1907
$17,978 53
370 Soh oo Be a ae
_ INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDING OCTOBER 19, 1907, continued ee
Income, bronght forward s+... .. vs. 4hadinas vivian ss coun FR
EXPENSES, brought forward ............0.+0: Pe URN NE 3
STATE APPROPRIATIONS
POLE OE a AE OPIN s TS Oe SE $1,582 98
PVODINODE (Gi rig hiel eee sell guste aurcra sia tors Sede ta he IO 00
Rhode Island....... ts Beihai oe ite 87 88
Bg CoS crs beg aden arnea Cue ane kOe ty ia ee ; 613 12
RPORMOR Shae an T hak MN UECeOr e+ «hee 110 80
PRORMSIEUG, . otek Css Coa ue te sk ve ee 7i''S2
PAPER isa s + sip so oo Widnes Slaps AE ae eer a 31 65
BNI OW. ORK oe Cale ask alate Sp ered eM MRE A ous ep 0.3-8 104 I5
Noth Carolina 5.00 2 one Resins. eae ine 130 32
poo ey SR CPE area por ds ier 11 wk Oa Be 242 52
DelAWAre ig Nets ees oa ee me ele aT alah 8 20
Ba Sra ok Sua SCG Nuc eRARDS or ne re ate a sae 182 68
TIO rs acta one ee rane Sl ety’ ya 418g 468 83
CaHbOia. seks cues cc anmene ste Baas waa k's sale 81 30
WiscOUsints a4. is ss cidicitea anes Pig Wiad a9 eee
Michigan... /...0 06's As asked Seas Sis lea ae 209 39
SlinOise. hoe wt Spee Were e Me eakis Bie tents 19 60
New Jersey...... PA SB yeh gf wit Oo ae eae tees 42 85
South @aroling. seep en cee aiecs oete Saoeee 199 88
WaSHINGIORs Foodies ba en Sed ties « BS Koibiipleie wcs:9 16 85
CSEOIRIAS Aas ve 8s otis ONE e Re anes 178 70
Misaisaiptl cis, . «6 Hae Lies Se 166 55
Alabama. cos tisk ue eekee sr oeaaeee se 2 2 25
Pennsvivania. .is sant es Gah tenes 20 45
ot Ey ye oe Pe ee Te ee 13 65°
Uriel Bisa vee Pe ip oan ae aa ermS 6 25
MIAN HESOERE's's'siain's 5; 0 wleinie ss bis oteqe Bee 0 6 UNE © 4 15
IO 00
Maryland. ......ccesececscssesecececeees
Total expeneGhs vos soe ches 2
Balance ;- Deficit, see Exhibit a a eooecereresen
$17,978 53
$22,190 64
4,652 79
—
+.
Report of the Treasurer 371
PEIRCE, GIMSON & CO., CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS,
_ 40 Cedar Street
Doctors J. A. ALLEN, AND G. B. GRNELEy NEw York, October 25, 1907.
‘Auditing Committee,
National Association of Audubon Societies,
141 Broadway, New York City.
_ Dear Sirs:—In accordance with your instructions under date of the 11th
_ inst., we have made an examination of the accounts of the National Associa-
é tion of Audubon Societies, for the year ending October 19, 1907.
The results of our examination are presented herewith in the following
shibits, viz :—
Exaursit ‘‘A’?—BALANCE SHEET, OCTOBER 19, 1907.
- Exarsit ‘‘B’’—INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDING OctTo-
BER 19, 1907.
We have examined all vouchers and paid cheques in connection with dis-
irsements and found same correct. We have also examined the securities in
Safe Deposit Company of New York. Yours very truly,
PEIRCE, GIMSON & CO.
Certified Public Accountants.
Be NEw YorK, 346 Broadway,
M. DuTCHER, President, October 28, 1907.
_ 141 Broadway, City.
_ Dear Sir:—We have examined the report submitted by Messrs. Béirée,
imson & Co., Certified Public Accountants, of the accounts of the National
ciation of Audubon Societies, for the year ending October 19, 1907, which
port shows balance sheet October 19, 1907, and income and expense account
yr the year ending on the same day.
__ Vouchers and paid checks have been examined in connection with the dis-
bursements, also securities in the Safe Deposit Company.
_ We find the account correct. Yours truly,
J. A. ALLEN,
Gero. Birp GRINNELL,
Auditing Committee.
372 ee Bird - Lore
Officers, Directors and Committees of the National Association of
Audubon Societies for the Year 1907
OFFICERS
President, WILLIAM DuTCHER, of New York.
First Vice-President, JOHN E. THAYER, of Massachusetts.
Second Vice-President, Tuo. S. PALMER, M. D., of District of Columbia.
Secretary, T. GILBERT PEARSON, of North Carolina.
Treasurer, FRANK M. CHAPMAN, of New York.
Attorney, SAMUEL T. CARTER, JR., of New York.
DIRECTORS
Class of 1908
Mr. Assott H. THAayer, New Hampshire Mr. FRANK M. MILLER, Louisiana
Mrs. C. Grant LA FArGE, New York Dr. THEO. S. PALMER, D.C. ~
Mr. JoHN E. THAYER, Massachusetts Mr. RUTHVEN DEANE, Illinois
Class of 1909
Mr, W. Scotr Way, California Mr. R. W. WILLIAMS, JR., Florida :
Mr. WititiAM DutcHER, New York GEORGE B. SEARS, New York 3
Mr. RALPH HOFFMANN, Massachusetts Wm. HuBBELL FISHER, Ohio ’
Class of 1910
Dr. Geo. Brrp GRINNELL, New York Mrs. KincsmILt Marrs, Florida j
Mr. ArtHuR H. Norton, Maine Mrs. MABEL O. WRIGHT, Connecticut a
Mr. H. P. ATTWATER, Texas Mr. WALTER J. BLAKELY. Missouri
Class of 1911
Mr. FRANK Bonp, Wyoming Dr. JoEL A. ALLEN, New York
Mr. T. GirBert PEARSON, N.C. Dr. Davip STARR JorDAN, California
Class of 1912
Mr. FRANK M. CHAPMAN, New York Mr. WILLIAM BREWSTER, Mass.
Mr. WITMER STONE, Pennsylvania Dr. FrEDERIcK A. Lucas, New York
Dr. Hermon C. Bumpus, New York Mr. CARLTON D. Howe, Vermont
Executive Committee
Dr. J. A. ALLEN Mr. F. M. CHAPMAN
Dr. Gro. BIRD GRINNELL Dr. FREDERICK A. LUCAS
Finance Committee
Dr. Hermon C. BumpPus - Mrs. C. Grant LA FARGE
Mr Joun E. THAYER Mr. F. M. CHAPMAN
1. CoucH’s KINGBIRD 2. Cassin’s KINGBIRD
3. ARKANSAS KINGBIRD
(One-half natural size)
r ope
ot Bird: Lore
AN ILLUSTRATED BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO
THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
EDITED BY
FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Mfficial Dragan of the Audubon Societies
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT EDITED By
MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
AND
WILLIAM DUTCHER
VOLUME X—1908
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
HARRISBURG, PA., AND NEW YORK CITY
INDEX TO ARTICLES IN VOLUME X
BY AUTHORS
“Abbott, Clarence, Christmas Census, 28.
Abbott, Clinton G., and Francis Harper,
is Christmas Census, 28.
and John B. Brainerd, Christmas Cen-
sus, 25.
n, Francis H., A Raven’s Nest, 195.
nn, Mary Pierson, Christmas Census,
; Hummingbird Eccentricities, 198.
is son, Andrew, Secretary, Report of, 306.
drews, Roy C., Sea Birds and Whalers,
m strong, Edward E., and Carl C. Law-
ned Christmas Census, 37.
nold, Clarence M., Christmas Census,
746; A Brown Creeper’s Mistake, 8r.
ers, M. A., Briars as Nest Protectors,
Barton, Ethel R., Christmas Census, 23.
helder, Mrs. F. ‘W. Secretary, Report
xter, Miss M., Mrs. J. G. Sutton, Mr.
. G. Sutton, and Mrs. P. B. Coffin,
hristmas Census, 36.
Beall, Laura F., A Southern Illinois Lunch
‘Ute ounter, 255.
sez cote Edwin, Photograph by, 11 3.
Herbert H., Christmas Census, 32.
‘with, Mabel EF, see Henderson, ein
ws M., Christmas Census, 33; A
ter Bird Resort, 260.
A. C., The Sea Bird’s Fortress, 237.
Pp; Louis B., The Most Southern
ling Records, 81.
chard, George G., see Wing, James A.
iss, ‘Lucy B., Christmas Census, 26.
oardman, Elizabeth D.;
dian E, Christmas Census, 24.
an,. H. T., Photographs by, 135, 136.
Nels., Futhjof Wace, and Charles
ips, Christmas Census, 38.
B. S., Photograph by, 46; Alien
Law, 97; When Doctors Disa-
ee, 171; A Flicker’s Home, 174.
, Barron, Christmas Census, 24;
ee Abercrombie, Dan.
srainerd, John B., see Abercrombie, Dan.
>: 2. “sue "and Lidian, Christmas
nSUS, 23, 24.
, Lidian E., Christmas Census, 24;
st of Birds Observed, 118
dhead, Mrs. Lucas, Christmas Census,
wn, C. D., A Winter Rose-breasted
rosbeak, 82
, Edwin C., Photograph by, 256.
and Bridge,’
bercrombie, Dan, and Barron Resinerdi.
Brown, Frank A.,.and C. Emerson Brown
Christmas Census, 26.
Bruen, Frank, Christmas Census, 27.
Butler, Jefferson, Christmas Census, 36;
Secretary’s Report, 306.
Butrick, P. L., Christmas Census, 27.
Calvert, E. Wellington, Christmas Census,
23. :
Carey, Henry R., Photograph by, ro2, 249.
Carpenter, Miss, Lucy V. Baxter Coffin,
and P. B. Coffin, Christmas Census, 36.
Carson, Alma, Secretary, Report of, 313.
Caskey, R. C., Christmas Census, 29.
Chace, Mrs. M. Emma, Christmas Cen-
sus, 20.
Chapman, Frank M., A Bird Friend, 14;
reviews by, 40, 41, 84,85, 86, 131,132,175,
176, 266, 267. Editorials by, 44, 87, 134,
178, 220, 269; The Home Life of the
American Egret, 59; Information wanted,
- 130; The Fish Hawks of Gardiner’s Is-
land, 153; Photograph by, 212; The Use
ofa Blind in the Study of Bird Life, 250.
Chatsey, Mrs. T. C., Christmas Census, 27.
Childs, Helen P., Secretary, Report of, 298.
.Clarke, William Cogswell, A Family of
Great Owls, 99.
Coffin, Lucy V. Baxter, see Carpenter,
Miss. © :
Coffin, Mrs. P. B., see Baxter, Miss M.
Coffin, Percival B., A Winter Robin, 83;
see Carpenter, Miss.
Conwell, John, Jr., see McConnell, Harry
B
Cooke, W. W, The Migration of Fly-
catchers, 16, 77, 114, 166, 210, 258.
Coolidge, J. T., 3rd., see Peters, James L.
Crane, Robert, Christmas Census, 28.
- Crolius, Anne A.; A Prothonotary Warbler
4 Charles E., Secretary, Report of,
in Central Park, 128; Tufted Titmouse
in Central Park, 129; A Correction, 174.
Davis, M. B., Secretary, Report of, 315.
Dawson, W. Leon, From a Westerner’s
Standpoint, 20; ‘Christmas Census, 38.
Dayton, Reddington, see Smith, Wilbur
F.
Dean, R. H., Christmas Census, 35-
Denniston, R. H., Christmas Census, 37.
DeVine, J. Es, Christmas Census, 37-
Dickerson, Mary OFF Chesthut-sided War-
bler—A Study, 207 7.
Dillon, F. N., see Whitney, Alvin G.
Dingle, Edward S., Notes on the Wood
Thrush, 217.
Dix, W. Ls Christmas Census, 30.
Drummond,. Mary, Secretary, Report of,
300
iv 3 Index
Dutcher, William, Editorials by, 51, 94,
142, 183, 225; Annual Meeting of the
National Association, 274; Address of
the President, 277.
Dwight, J. D., Jr., Reviews by, 86, 132,
218, 267.
Dykeman, Mrs. C. A., Christmas Cen-
sus, 27. 3
Earle, Carlos, Christmas Census, 33.
Earle, Eleanor P., Christmas Census, 33.
Eck, Rev. Walter I., Christmas Census, 33.
Elinger, C. E., see Schmucker, S. C.
Ellison, Emma, see McConnell, Harry B.
Evans, William B., Christmas Census, 30.
Fair, William W., Christmas Census, 30.
Ferguson, Mary Van E., Christmas Cen-
sus, 28.
Fife, }. A., and Jno. M. Schreck, Christ
mas Census, 38.
Finley, W. L., Annual Report of, 291.
Finley, W. L., and Bohlman, H. T., Photo-
graph by,. 290, 292, 293.
Fisher, Elizabeth W., Secretary, Report
' of, 314.
Fisher, M. L., Christmas Census, 36.
Fisher, Mr., and Mrs. G. Clyde, Christ-
mas Census, 34.
Flanagan, Wm. M., and Wm. Rochow,
Christmas Census, 32.
Fleischer, Edward, Rare Birds in Prospect
Park, Brooklyn, N. Y., 264.
Forbush, E. H., Massachusetts Notes, 227;
Annual Report, 288.
Fordyce, Geo. L., and Rev. S. F. Wood,
Christmas Census, 35.
Fowler, Harold M., Christmas Census, 27.
Frances, Sarah, see Henderson, Cora.
Fuertes, L. A., Plate by, facing, 1, 59, 99.
Gates, Frank C., Christmas Census, 36;
and Ralph P. Gates, Christmas Census,
36.
Gates, Ralph P., see Gates Frank C.
Gill, John B., Christmas Census, 32.
Gilluwe, Emma van, Christmas Census,
30; A Tragedy in Bird Life, 216.
Gilluwe, Frank van, Photograph by, 216.
Glover, Helen W., Secretary, Report of,
295.
Goodpasture, Albert V., A Mockingbird’s
June, 201.
Goodwin, S. H., What the Starling Does at
Home, 130.
Graves, Frances M., Christmas Census, 26.
Graves, Mr. and Mrs. E. W., Christmas
Census, 35.
Griffiths, B. W., and Chreswell J. Hunt,
Christmas Census, 32.
Griscom, Ludlow, Central Park Notes,
263.
Gurley, A. B., Christmas Census, 28.
Habbard, G. F., see Whitney, Alvin G.
Hankinson, Mr. and Mrs. T. C., Christ-
mas Census, 34.
Harper, Francis, see Abbott, Clinton, G.
Harriet Ornithological Society, Christmas
Census, 38.
Hartwick, G. E., Christmas Census, 23.
Hathorn, Glen M., Christmas Census, 37.
Heil, Charles E., Christmas Census, 25, 26;
The Brown Thrasher, 103.
Henderson, Cora, Mabel F. Beckwith, and
Sarah Frances, Christmas Census, 37.
Henderson, Junius, The American Dipper
in Colorado, 1
Hilles, Florence B., Secretary, Report of,
297.
Hill, J. Irving, Christmas Census, 26. _
Hill, Thomas R., A Southern Starling
Record, 130.
Hix, George E., Christmas Census, 28;
and C. H. Rogers, Christmas Census, 29.
Hodgman, Edith M., Christmas Census,
206.
Holmes, Georgianna K., Secretary, Report
of, 310
Honywill, Albert W., Jr., Christmas Census |
26.
Horsfall, Bruce, Plates by, facing, 47, i
138, 153, 179, 195, 221; A Robin No
_ 215.
Howe, Carlton D., Secretary, Report o
317.
Howe, Florence A., Secretary, Report
301.
Howe, F. E., Photographs by, 39, 209.
Hunt, Chandler Robbins, see Robbi
Samuel Dowse.
Hunt, Chreswell J., see Griffiths, B. V
Hunter Samuel, Christmas Census, 23.
Job, Herbert K., Photograph by, 188, 2
282. vom
Judd, Robert S., The Prairie Horned L
in Fairfield County, Connectiomigg
Keyser, Leander S., Over-prod ict
Robins, 83; Two Sparrow .Epis
174.
Kimball, Jessie E., Secretary, Rep
305.
Kittredge, J., and R. M. Marble,
mas Census, 2 :
Kohler, Louis S., Christmas Census. y
Kopman, H. H., Inspection of
Island Reservation, Louisiana,
Inspection of East Timbalier R¢
tion, Louisiana, August 3, 1908
Kruger, Helen M., Christmas Censi
Lacey, Lottie Alvord, Redpoll Linn«
Lampman, Archibald, Snowbirds, (1
50. ;
Larson, Adrian, Christmas Census
Latham, Harry, Frank and Roy. ©
mas Census, 29.
Index Vv
Lawson, Carl C., see Armstrong, Edward E.
Lear, George, Christmas Census, 31.
Learned, Agnes M., A Bittern Study, 106.
Lee, Robert M., Christmas Census, 35.
Lemmon, Isabel McC., Hummingbird
Notes, 126.
oop Mrs. A. G., Secretary, Report
as
of, 3
Peels “Pita M., Christmas Census, 39.
Lewis, Evan, Photograph by, 17.
ckwood, Emma H., Secriary, Report
of, 3it.
ddock, Emeline, A Thrasher Friend,
ble, R. M., see Peters, James L., see
Kittredge, J.
S, se Kingsmill, Secretary, Report
i on, J. F., Christmas Census,
30.
‘onnell, Harry B., Christmas Census,
Connell, Harry B., John Conwell, Jr.,
_ and Emma Ellison, Christmas Census, 35.
pic: -innon, Angus, A Pair of Blue-gray
_ Gnatcatchers That Moved Their Nest,
3 The Wit of a Florida Nighthawk,
Meister, H. D., Christmas Census, 39.
) Mille , Ansel -.: Christmas Census, 32.
i , Frank M., President, Report. of,
mr, James H., Photograph by, 13.
, Milo H.., Christmas Census, 32.
Richard i, Christmas Census, 30.
{ RNG Christmas Census, 37.
Lo ore, M. Harry, A Little Blue Heron
eR. feve ery, 163.
loxley, George L., A Hummingbird’s
‘oilet, 173.
Louise B., Song of Kirtland’s
‘bler, 264.
phy, Robért Cushman, see Washburn,
‘trude.
-
, H. W., Photograph by, 6.
rfo! sk, Bird Club Christmas Census, 24.
i William M., Jr., Christmas Census,
m, Arthur H., Secretary, cues of,
ie. F., Jr., Christmas Census, 38.
A W. B. and C. S, Van Deusen,
istmas Census, 36; Christmas Cen-
27-
5 L. S., Reviews by, 42, 132, 218,
sburn, D. B., Photograph by, 206; see
u ao é A.
sburn, D. B., Clifford H. Pangburn,
A. A. Saunders, Christmas Census,
Partridge, Newton L.,* Bird Notes from
Chicago, 173.
Patton, John S., and Leonard S. Pearson,
Christmas Census, 32.
Peabody, P. B., Familiar Bird Names, 122.
Pearson, Leonard S., see Patton, John S.
Pearson, L. S., Christmas Census, 31; see
Redfield, A.C.
Pearson, T. Gilbert, Mortality Among
Birds, 124; Notes from North Carolina,
228; Secretary’s Report, 284, 311.
Pennington, F. A., Arrival of Winter Birds
in da 264.
Pennock, C. J., Christmas Census, 31; and
Spencer Trotter, Christmas Census, aun
Pepoon, |. H...S., Christmas Census, 36,
37:
Perkins, Edward H., The Common Names
of North American Birds, 78.
Perry, George P., Nest of Wood Thrush
into which a Cowbird Had Deposited
Five eggs, 126.
Peters, James L., Christmas Census, 24;
and R. M. Marble, and J. T. Coolidge,
3rd., Christmas Census, 24; List of
Birds observed, 118.
Petry, Loren C., Albino Flickers, 127.
Phillips, Charles, see Borgen, Nels.
Pierce, Nettie Sellinger, Christmas Cen-
sus, 28.
Pitcairn, Wm. G., Christmas Census, 32.
Pope, Alexander, Nest-building in August,
214.
Putnam, Grace, see Putman, Mrs. E. H.
Putnam, Mrs. E. H., and Grace, Christ-
mas Census. 37.
Ratterman, M. Katherine, Secretary, Re-
port of, 312.
Redfield, A. C., Christmas Census, 31;
and C. H. Rogers, Christmas Census,
28; see Stackpole, R. E, and Pearson, L.
C., Christmas Census, 31.
Reed, Elizabeth A., Protecting Young
Birds from the Cats, 215.
_ Richards, George, Christmas Census, 38.
Rief, H., Secretary, Report of, 317.
Robbins, Samuel Dowse, Christmas Cen-
sus, 25; and Chandler Robbins Hunt,
Christmas Census, 25,
Rochow, Wm., see Flanagan, Wm.M,
Rogers, C. i, see Stackpole, R. E.,
Redfield, A. C., see Hix, George E
Rowley, i. Photograph by, 4
Sanford, F. E., see Sanford, L. R.
Sanford, James, Christmas Census, 38.
Sanford, L. R., and F. E., Christmas Cen-
sus, 36.
Sass, Herbert Ravenel, The Return of the
Snowy Heron, 160.
Saunders, A: A., The Growth of Young
Black-billed Cuckoos, 205; Photograph
by, 259.
vi eS Index
Saunders, A. A., and D. B. Pangburn,
Christmas Census, 26, 27.
Sawyer, Edmund, Jr., The Drumming of
the Ruffed Grouse, 246.
Schippang, A. H., A Strange Friendship,
79.
Schmucker, S. C., and C. E. Ehinger
Christmas “Census, 31.
Schreck, Jno. M., see Fife, J. A.
Scott, Alvin J., and E. W. Calvert, Christ-
mas Census, 33;
Scribner, Julia S., Secretary, Report of,
309.
Sharples, R. P., Trustful Birds, 80;
Nature’s Remedies, 83.
Shiras, George 3d., Photograph by, 76, 89,
IIo.
Sims, Robert, Drawing by, 14
Small, Mrs. W. BS President, " Report of,
302.
Smith, Chester, W., Christmas Census, 37.
Smithson, A. F., and B. M. Stigall, Christ-
mas Census, 34.
Smith, Wilbur F., The Value of the Star-
ling, 79 79.
Smith, Wilbur F., and Reddington Dayton
Christmas Census, bi
Squires, K. B., Christmas Census, 29.
Staat, W. C., Christmas Census, 37.
Stackpole, R.E. , A. C. Redfield, acd bs H.
. Rogers, Christmas Census, 28.
Stansell, Sidney S. S., The Bird that Nests
in the Snow, 7; Christmas Census, 38.
Starr, Minna D., Secretary, Report of, 305.
Steele, Frederic Dorr, Photograph by, 196.
Stephens, H. M., Photograph by, 15.
Stigall, B. M., see Smithson, A. F.
Stone, Witmer, Reviews by, 176.
Strong, R. M., A Bittern Photograph, r1o.
Strong, Russel W., Christmas Census, 29.
Sullivan, Richard H., President, Report
of, 303.
Sutton, Mr. J. G., see Baxter, Miss. M.
Sutton, Mrs. J. G., see Baxter, Miss M.
Thayer, Mrs. Stephen V., Notes on the
Varied Thrush at Everett, Washington,
213.
Thomas, Edith M., Entangled in the Bur-.
dock, mage 46; The Skylark Pro
Tem
Thorber, Me J. J., Secretary, Report of,
296.
Tinker, A. D., Notes on .Kirtland’s War-
bler at Ann Arbor, Michigan, 81;
Notes on the Mourning Dove, 82; Notes
on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, 217.
Towne, John R., President, Report of, 308.
Townsend, Charles H., Sea Birds as
Homing Pigeons, 123; Observations on
a Tame Loon, 171.
Trafton, Gilbert H., and Edward Uehling,
Christmas Census, 29; The Nest in the
Gutter, 72; Attracting Birds, 98; What
Birds Will Nest in Houses, 225.
Tricks, L. D., Migration in New Mexico,
262.
Trotter, Spencer, M. D., see Pennock, C.
J., The Background of Ornithology, 68.
Tudbury, Warren C., Photograph by, 105,
170.
Tullsen, H., The Dickcissel on Pine Ridge —
Indian Reservation, South Dakota, 262.
Uehling, Edward, see Trafton, Gilbert.
Valentine, Anna J., Christmas Census, 32.
Van Deusen, C. S., see Packard, W. fs Ba
Wace, Futhjof, see Borgen, Nels.
Wade, Jessie H., and Francis C., Christ
mas Census, 23.
Walmsley, H. R., Christmas Census, 35.
Washburn, Gertrude A., and Robert Cush
man Murphy, Christmas Census, 28.
Watrous, Mrs. F. E., Christmas Census.
34-
Way, W. Scott, Secretary, Report of, 2¢
Wellman, Gordon B., and Horace :
Wright, Christmas Census, 23, 25.
Welty, Emma J., Secretary, Report
313.
W istaes Alvin G., F. N. Dillon, and G.
Habbard, Christmas Census, 23.) 8
Wilcox, Alice W., Secretary, Report
315.
Wildman, Marian Warner, Identifica
Sketches, 128.-
Wiley, Farida, Christmas Census, 35
Wilson, Burtis H., Christmas Censu
Wing, James A., and George G. B
ard, Christmas Census, 23.
Wood, Rev. S. F., see Fordyce, Geo.
Woodruff, E. Seymour, Nesting Habits
the Henslow’s Sparrow, Ift.
Woodward, Magnolia, Christmas C
34-
Wright, Horace W., Christmas Cens
see Wellman, Gordon B.
Wright, Mabel Osgood, February
45; The Snowflake, 47; A Good
Bird Houses and School Children
The “Barn Swallow, 138; The
Swallow, 179; American Crea
' White-winged Crossbill, 270.
Index Vii
INDEX TO CONTENTS
Albatross, coanaahieaha 261.
Iberta, 7, 3
American ature-Study Society, notice of
organization of, 137.
\merican Ornithologists’ Union, Twenty-
fifth Annual Congress of, 17; Twenty-
sixth Congress of, 265.
» Razor-billed, 243.
’ The, reviewed, 86, 132, 218, 267.
*s ‘Birds as Conservators of the For-
est,’ reviewed, 41; ‘Birds of California in
Relation to the Fruit Industry’, reviewed
ebe’s, ‘List of Birds Living in the New
York Zodlogical Park,’ reviewed, 84;
eographical Variation in Birds With
cial Reference to the Effects of Hu-
dity,’ reviewed, 84; ‘Preliminary
port of an Investigation on the Sea-
fe omnees of color in Birds,’ re-
175-
‘Census, The Eighth Christmas, 22;
_ Ninth Christmas, noticed, 257.
4 d-houses, 225.
d Lists, The Massachusett’s Audubon
or s, 118.
or 237.
;, Mortality Rehan 124. >?
, American, 106; figured, 109, 110.
"The Use of in Studying Birds, 250.
Ree X33.
white, 79, 216.-
1 Columbia, 260.
a) 38, 39, 173-
al, figured, 39, 173.
reviewed, 175.
Protecting Young Birds from, 215.
man’s ‘Camps and Cruises of an
nithologist,’ noticed, 219.
idor, The, reviewed, 42, 132, 218, 268.
nne cticut, I1, 26, 27, 79, 81, III, 129, 205.
, Brrp-Lore’ s Advisory, 18.
, American, 270.
bil I White-winged, 270.
* *Black-billed, 205.
orn’s ‘Catalogue of a Collection of
from Guatemala,’ noticed, 177.
23°-nest
Egret, American, 59; figured, 245.
Farmington Mountain Reservation, 191.
Finley’s ‘American Birds Studied and
Photographed from life,’ reviewed, 4o.
Flicker, 127, 174.
Florida, 33, 34, 163, 173, 261.
Flycatcher, Alder, figured, facing 99; 115.
Beardless, figured, facing, 237; 258.
Buff- breasted, figured, facing 59; 77.
Coues’ figured, facing 237; 259. Derby,
figured, facing 237; 258. Gray, figured,
facing 59; 77. Green-crested, figured,
facing, 99; 114. Hammond’s, figured,
facing, 59; 77 Least, figured, facing 99;
116. Olive-sided, figured, facing 237;
258, 264. St. Lucas, 78. Traill’s, 115;
Western, figured, facing 59; 77.
Wright’s, figured, facing 59; 77. Yellow-
bellied, figured, facing 99; 114, 264.
Frigate Bird, 123.
Gannet, 240.
Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray, 173.
Goldfinch, American, 46.
Grackle, Purple, 263.
Grebe, Western, figured, 293.
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, 82; figured, 105,
209; 217.
Grosbeak, Evening, 264.
Grouse, Ruffed, 240; figured, 246.
Gull, Laughing, figured, 276.
Hawk, Fish, 153.
Hen, Prairie, 173.
Henshaw’s “The Pamenen of the Air,
reviewed, 131.
Heron, Black-crowned Night, figured, ro2;
264, Great Blue, 62. Green, figured,
110. Little Blue, 63, 66, 163. Louisiana,
63, 66. Snowy, 160, 226; figured, 282.
Yellow-crowned Night, 62.
-Homing Instinct of Birds, 134.
Howard’s “The British Warblers,’ re-
viewed, 178.
Howell’s ‘Destruction of the Cotton Boll-
Weevil by Birds in Winter,’ reviewed,
175; ‘Notes on the Winter Birds of
Northern Louisiana,’ reviewed, 268.
Hummingbird, Ruby-throated, 126,173,198.
Ibis, White-faced Glossy, figured, 292.
Identification Sketches, 128.
Illinois, 36, 37, 83, 110, 126, 173, 255.
Indiana, 35, 36.
lowa, 37.
Jay, Canada, 7; figured, 8.
Florida, Blue figured, 212.
Jones’s, ‘The Development of Nestling
Feathers,’ reviewed, 41.
Viii
Journal of the Maine: Ornithological So-
ciety, reviewed, 176.
Kansas, 35.
Kentucky, 34.
Keyser’s' Our Bird Comrades,’ reviewed, 86.
Kingbird, 72; figured, facing 153; 166.
Arkansas, -figured, facing 1; 16. Cas-
sin’s, figured, facing 1; 16. Couch’s,
figured, facing 1; 16. Gray, figured,
facing 153; figured, 162.
Kingfisher, Belted, figured, 13.
Kinglet, Golden-crowned, 221; figured, fac-
ing 221. Ruby- -crowned, 221; figured, fac-
ing 221.
Kirkham’s ‘In the Open,’ reviewed, 266.
Kittiwake, 240.
Knight’s‘The Birdsof Maine,’ reviewed, 266.
Lark, Prairie Horned, 129.
Law, Alien License, 97.
Loon, 171.
Lunch Counter, Birds’, 255.
MacSwain’s ‘A Catalogue of the Birds of
Prince ht Island,’ reviewed, 176.
Maine, 195, 2
Mallard, orren: 76.
Martin, Purple, 174.
Massachusetts, 23, 24, 25, 26, 103, 106, 234.
McAtee’s ‘Food Habits of Grosbeaks,’
reviewed, 132. -
Merriam’s ‘Report of the Chief of the
Bureau of Biological Survey for 1907,’
reviewed, 85.
Michigan, $2, 8357217.
Miller’s ‘The Bird Our Brother,’ reviewed,
Minnesota, 38, 264. [131.
Mississippi, 34."
Missouri, 34, 35, 40.
Mockingbird, 201.
Mullen’s ‘Gilbert White of Selborne,’
reviewed, 84.
Murre, 241.
Names, Vernacular, of Birds, 20, 78,122, 220.
New Hampshire, 23 ‘
New Haven Bird Clubs’ List of the Birds
of the New Haven Region, 176.
New Jersey, 29, 30, 72, 82, 99, 126, 174,
198, 216, 253.
New Mexico, 262.
New York, 27, 28, 29, 123, 128, 129, 153,
174, 246, 263, 264.
Nighthawk, 150; figured, 170.
Nighthawk, Florida, 261.
Noddy, 134.
North Carolina, 125.
‘Nutcracker, Clarke’s, figured, 17.
Ohio, 35> 83, 174.
Ontario, 23.
Ornithology, The Background of, 68.
Owl, Barred, 14, 99. Florida Screech,
vy figured, 89. Screech, 83.
‘Thrasher, Brown, 103, 253.
“Willow Island,Connecticut, bird ref:
Index
Palmer’s ‘Notes on the Summer Birds’ of
the Yellowtsone Park,’ noticed, 177.
Pelican, White, figured, 290.
Pewee, Western Wood, figured, facing 153;
170. Wood, figured, facing 153; 168.
Pennsylvania, 30, 31, 32, 79, 83, 127, 130.
Plume Trade, The, 97, 98, 151, 192,
Phoebe, figured, facing 195; 210. Black,
figured, facing 195; 210. Say’s, figured,
facing 195; 210.
Protection of Young Birds from ee 215.
Puffin, figured, 113.
Quail, 79, 216.
Quebec, 237.
Raven, Northern 195.
Redpoll, ro; figured, 12.
Refuges, Bird, 145. |
Reservations, Bird, 56, 94, 142, 186, 229.
Rhode Island, 81. f
Robin, American, 83, 173, 174, 214, 215.
Sharp’s‘The Layofthe Land,’ reviewed, 266.
Shaw’s ‘The China or Denny Pheasant.
in. Oregon,’ reviewed, 266.
Siskin, Pine, 264.
Snowflake, figured, facing 47; 47-
South Carolina, 33, 2E7
South Dakota, 38, 362. ie
Sparrow, English, 83, 174, 178. Her
slow’s, 111. House, 83, 174, 178. Song,
90; figured, facing 90; 173; figured, 25¢
Sparrows, Song, distribution of, ie.
Sparrow, Tree, 83.
Starling, 79, 81, 130. -
Swallow, Barn, 138; figured, facing 1
Tree, 179, figured, facing 179.
Tennessee, 34, 201. ;
Tern, Least, 227. Royal figured, 188. _
Thayer’s ‘The Concealing Coloration
Animals,’ noticed, 177. ie
Thrush, Varied, 213. Wood, 80,
Titmouse, Tufted, 129, 173.
Vulture, Turkey, 264.
Warbler, Cape May, 263, 264. Ch
sided, 207. Connecticut, 264. Ki
31, 264. Macgillivray’s, 263. Mourn
263. Myrtle, 264. Prothonotary, e:
174. Tennessee, 263. The, reviev
Washington, 38, 213.
Widmann’s ‘A Preliminary Cata
the Birds of Missouri,’ review
Wilson Bulletin, reviewed, 177.
Wisconsin, 37.
Woodpecker, Red-headed, 264.
Wren, Carolina, 264.
Wright’s ‘Gray Lady and the —
reviewed, 41.
PBird=- Lore
’ A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SociETies
;
‘Vol. X JANUARY — FEBRUARY, 1908 No. 1
The American Dipper in Colorado
By JUNIUS HENDERSON
Curator of Museum, University of Colorado
WT HAVE long been convinced that the most remarkable and interesting
bird inhabiting Colorado is Cinclus mexicanus unicolor, commonly called
~~ the Water Ouzel or Dipper—‘Dipper’ because of the dipping motion of
he body as it courtesies on the rocks, according to the one who first applied
he name to the species, not because of its dipping the body into the water,
is some have supposed. True, many birds are much larger, more highly col-
red or in other ways more striking. Indeed, so dull and common-place is the
s e-fitting brown and slate-colored garb, and so well does the noise of the
shing torrent drown his clear, ringing:song, that the majority of visitors to
our canons are not aware of his existence. Yet, whoever is permitted to watch
him for a few moments feels that it is time well spent. Of the species known
to science the writer is familiar only with the one of this region, but doubtless
the habits of the others are much the same. Mr. Ridgway gives the following
brief summary of the habits of the family:
\| “They are found only in mountainous or hilly districts, where they frequent
i d the spawn of fishes. They are at home in the water, under which they
p topel themselves by motion of their wings; in short, they fly through the water
s readily as through the air. Their nest is a domed structure, usually placed
behind or near a waterfall, covered with moss, and kept green by the spray
; The bird student of thé ‘prairie states’ who is “unfamiliar with the family,
ipon reading the foregoing sentences, may turn to his books and learn that
ie Dippers are allied to the Thrushes, Wrens and other members of the well-
well exclaim: ‘Who ever heard of a perching bird flying through the water
md rearing its young where the spray constantly moistens the nest! Next thing
we will be asked to believe that this bird which has developed the ability to fly
rough the water with the agility of a Penguin, has retained the ability to fly-
2 | Bird - Lore
through the air with the agility of a Flycatcher, leaving the water as neat and
dry as a Duck, instead.of bedraggled as a well-behaved perching bird should
be under similar circumstances!’’ Well, that is just what he can do. To be
convinced, come and see. Come winter or summer, for they are with us the
year round. Driven from the higher altitudes in the winter by the freezing
of the streams, for they must have open water, they seldom come out to the open
plains, though I have heard their songs and seen them scurrying along the
creek in Boulder, just at the edge of the plains, in mid-winter. In the spring
some follow the melting of the ice almost to the tops of the mountains, wherever
there are dashing brooks and open lakes of clear, cold water. No water is too
cold, provided it is clear and not laden with glacial ‘flour’ or polluted with mud
or mill tailings. No snowstorm can stop their merry whistling in the late winter
and early spring.
They nest from 5,000 to 11,000 feet or more above sea-level in Colorado,
almost always within reach of the flying spray from swift brooks. The collec-
tions and notes of Mr. Gale indicate that in this locality their nesting dates
vary from the first of May to the middle of June, the variation doubtless in part
but not altogether due to differences in altitude. With nests made so snug and
dry inside, why constantly sprayed moss on the outside should be essential
to their happiness or welfare has not, so far as we are aware, been satisfactorily
explained, but that it is a fact seems hardly to admit of a doubt. Mr. Stevenson,
of the Hayden Survey of the western territories, reported that in one case where |
the nest was built beyond reach of spray the birds daily sprinkled it by flying
swiftly from the water to the nest and shaking off the few drops remaining
on their plumage. :
These birds seem to have no gregarious instincts. I have never seen mo
than three or four together and seldom more than two, and when more th
a pair are seen it is usually a young brood soon after leaving the nest. Water
beetles and the larve of caddisflies, dragonflies and other aquatic insects ¢
stitute a large part of their food, with fish spawn perhaps as a minor item in
the bill-of-fare. The food is gleaned from the beds of the streams. Their dex-
terity in the swiftest currents is almost unbelievable. The fisherman who has
been almost swept from his feet by the torrent in which the bird makes its way
with the utmost ease and speed, is filled with admiration. Though emphatt
cally aquatic, they are not web-footed and do not usually make their way upon”
the surface of the water after the manner of Ducks, but both walk and fly be:
neath the water, sometimes diving to great depths. In aérial flight they a
rapid, and closely follow the meanders of the streams, seldom taking shor
cuts even when the bends are rather sharp. Their nests are not only interes
ing examples of bird architecture, but even more interesting in the mé rhe
of their construction. 4
Many accounts have been written concerning the habits of these vind
observant naturalists, but all has not yet been told. Mr. Denis Gale st idi
The American Dipper in Colorado 3
_ the species for many years in the mountains of Colorado and left in his note-
_ books several unpublished accounts which should not remain buried in manu-
script. I have woven these accounts into one, in order to eliminate repetition,
P and present the facts in an orderly and logical way without changing the phrase-
_ ology or doing violence to the meaning by wresting sentences from their proper
my
_ connection, with the following result:
FROM THE MANUSCRIPT OF DENIS GALE
“Sites for nest—upon a.rocky ledge over deep and lively water, behind a
waterfall, under a bridge supported by crossbeams. Sometimes a rock in mid-
_ stream is selected for a site. A pair of these birds have their nest behind Boulder
Falls, in a kind of a ‘Cave of the Winds,’ having to fly in and out through a very
‘wetting, dense spray. The same locality is chosen for nesting year after year
unless some physical change renders it unfit.
__ “However sly and shy this bird may be, if looking for its nest or in its neigh-
borhood, when the bird is satisfied that you have discovered it, all shyness and
y ness ends, for then a more confiding, fearless little fellow is not to be met
ith, going in and out of the nest when you have your hands upon it and with
laintive appeal both in speech (almost) and actions seeks to gain your sympathy
implores your forbearance. Robbed of her treasures, with the joint labor
her mate another nest is made, generally on the same site, and in three
*ks she sits covering a second clutch of eggs, and that taken, a third will
gage her cares. This fruitful industry no doubt is often exercised independ-
of the interference of man, from the fact of the sudden rise of streams, when
m their situations many nests must be swept away. I do not believe she
es two broods in one season. While most exercised and while watching
t is searching for food in the creek bed, it courtesies continually, and at each
urtesy gives a little sharp ‘wit, keeping time to every fourth or fifth twit by
a sudden working of the eyelid, causing the eye to sparkle brilliantly with the
sht. The nest is seldom betrayed by the bird itself, unless when the young
re hatched. Then the journeys to and from the nest, with food, are easily noted.
Previous to having hatched the young, the bird will drop from the opening in
the nest like a stone into the fierce, rushing waters, and under the surface, allow-
x itself to be carried quite a distance before taking flight, its exit unperceived
n when looking at the spot. Its aquatic feats are remarkable, going into and
nst the strongest current with perfect ease, and, like a fish, seeming not to
ch the water, coming out of it perfectly dry, without a shake or flutter, to
; : sink or dive and even walk or run under water in search of the food it
toves to hunt for. In all clear and unpolluted streams running from the melt-
ing snowbanks near the mountain peaks it is equally proficient, nor in flight
‘it wanting in grace or power, darting down a stream with the rapidity of a
hh and again flying from the water up to and about its nest-site, when in
er, with the ease and grace of a Hummingbird and noiselessly as an Owl.
4 Bird - Lore
This bird with its aquatic agility and other characteristics offers a subject for
your notebook of much interest and instruction. Our little friend is no mean
songster, either, in early spring. On sunshiny mornings in March and April,
when the noisy creeks are less obtrusive, his beautiful, clear, liquid notes are
%
s
DIPPER AT ENTRANCE TO NEST &
Photographed by J. Rowley, in Monterey county, California a
heard with rapture. Singularly sweet and enchanting is this early choral of the | !
vernal year. is
“Below Jimtown, on the creek, about half a mile is a ledge of rock twenty —
feet high overhanging the creek. In a crevice of this ledge about three feet”
above the running water, a pair of these interesting little birds construct their
nest year after year. On May 20 they have their complement of eggs, four | ‘
or five in number, pure white, pointed at one end and blunt at the other—in this
case like the eggs of the sandpiper. Other sets do not discover this peculiarity.
The season for having their eggs differs also according to locality. The nest
proper is enclosed in an outside covering not at all void of interest. Set upon
a flat, even base, it is oven-shaped, a little longer than broad. The nests of
The American Dipper in Colorado 5
bird differ in shape to suit the cavities in which they are placed, but the front
is always oven-shaped. The one before me partakes of the shape of the crevice
in which it was placed and measures exteriorly seven inches high, eight inches
_ long and seven inches broad. The outside covering is about one and one-fourth
inches thick above the rim of the inside nest and about two inches thick below
_ the rim and beneath the nest. This covering is composed chiefly of moss, with
some decayed leaves and other rubbish, evidently taken from the water, with
bark and grass fiber securing it together, and is always dense, dank and wet
from the spray of the dashing water. The entrance is a small aperture, about
one and one-half inches in diameter, placed about four inches from the bottom
and cleverly hidden by the ragged material of the outer construction hanging
over it. The direction of entrance by the bird is upward and its exit downward,
as with the Cliff Swallow. The nest proper, concealed by the outer structure
and about two inches from the outside edge thereof, is a beautiful structure,
| perfect circle, saucer-shaped, about an inch and a half deep and three and
one-half inches wide inside the cup. This is composed of a peculiar, non-absor-
bent, coarse, wiry grass, lined with a few willow leaves, flat and intact, all per-
fectly dry. All materials being used wet, after they are worked into position and
ded by the bird’s body being twirled around, the nest proper remains a fixture.
‘This nest-wall of grasses is about one inch thick. The nest inside in shape and
‘material seems always to be the same. The material entering into the construc-
tion of the covering is chosen to match the site it is intended to occupy. Moss
.. $ sometimes ignored, and decayed and: other debris and rubbish substituted
to keep the outside in harmony with its surroundings. The whole structure
n place is scarcely distinguishable from the surroundings, all being of the same
lor and having the appearance of a bunch of debris placed there by high
Water—nothing new-looking about it. It is very compact and strong, so little
d ymaged as a rule by a season’s occupation and the wear and tear of the winter’s
storms that very little repair is needed for a second year’s occupancy. Decay
the materials after a time causes the dome to sink down, thereby rendering
bui t on the same site. I have Laces of a pair of the birds, no doubt the same
air, building in the period of eight years several nests as occasion required
May 11, 1893. Both birds at work on the nest, probably five days’ work
me. In shape like a horseshoe, open end back by an upright rock ledge.
_ “May 19, 1893. Nest noted on the eleventh instant, in a period of two weeks
ery little done on it, not more than two fair days’ work as I saw the female
ing this morning for an hour while the sun was bright and warm. In every
minute or two she brought material and incorporated it into the walls of the
0 est ‘dome in the most ingenious manner, by forcing, with much exertion of
her bill, the fresh wet material into the interstices in the already constructed
partially dry walls, from the inside, as a shoemaker uses his awl, picking
6 Bird - Lore
up any small portions from the bare floor that may have been broken or detached,
and in the manner as described caulking it into any little space offering, work-
ing from the bottom up, always below the top rim, upon which nothing is laid
after the walls are raised to a level with the floor of the nest proper and the
threshhold of the opening. The walls are then raised on all sides by forcing
the building material into the wall from below in such a way as to act as a wedge.
The mouthful of material is pushed awl-like into the wall, raising its upper
edge, until its proper place is attained and it is released from the mandible.
Then the ends and loose parts are tucked in in like manner, not as a pellet,
i 4
*
Aine et “a 2h as -. aie
DIPPER’S NEST WITH YOUNG
Photographed by H. W. Nash, at Sweetwater lake, Colo., July 20, 1897
\
but rather suggesting a plug resembling a spider. The sprays and fibers on the
outside are allowed to lie loose, plush-like, to lead the water from the dome roof
as from a hay-cock. As this work on the walls dries the insertion of other plugs
with their outrigging, so to speak, knits the whole densely. These insertions
necessarily act forcibly on all sides, the limit of the little worker’s strength,
fully sufficient for the work in hand, seeming to be used. I noticed that the part
of the wall she was working upon was about three and one-third inches high}
and while she was working in the material about one and one-half or two inches”
from the floor (which was on an incline of one and one-half inches in seven
inches, the lowest part being in front and to one side, upon which side she was
; en
a. »
The American Dipper in Colorado 7
working), after delivering home her quota of material she would take a turn
‘at wedging in the bottom caulking where the material rested on the rock floor.
Her object I understood to be two-fold, to fasten the foundation well to the rock
and at the same time render that part below her insertions as compact and dense
as possible, in order that her work should raise the upper part, which from its lesser
‘density was more easily affected or sensible to the wedge. The top edge showed
- slightest inclination to arch, which form is obtained by the deft manipu-
Bee of the builder. Thus by working from below the lips or edges of the walls
rom all sides are closed up and the keywedges put in at the last complete the
side covering.” I noticed when caulking the nest to the rock while work-
on the lower side the bird lay flat on the floor, spread her wings for a pur-
se and seemed to push with all her strength to insure a well-caulked seam.
ut the same period of time taken to gather the material was taken’ in its
istment, with, the oft-recurring: heavy work at the bottom-seam caulking .
like’ period : for a rest. About every third journey she scratched her cheek
crown with her foot, sometimes on one side and then on’the other, and
ten rumpled her feathers, looked somewhat glumpy, possibly fatigued,
yet while appearing thus the constant courtesying was kept up, as often
while resting on the nest-site, and just before the journey for fresh material |
ould raise her wings, probably to feel if they were clear of the material
osing the upper part of the structure which might be easily disarranged.
ile observing her, once only did her mate put in an appearance, took a posi-
close to the nest, gave two or three chirps and then a trill like an English
bird—a very agreeable musical performance which his mate scarcely
ed to appreciate, being occupied with her plans of construction. She snubbed
unce he was about to offer her and took a position near the nest on the
e, while he fussed around the nest, seemed to do a little caulking and
en flew away. It was evident to me that he was not wanted. It also occurred
me that this species is not the exception; that when the female takes upon
the whole labor of construction she prefers to do so, that her plans may
e interfered with.”’
The Bird that Nests in the Snow
By SIDNEY S. S. STANSELL, Edmonton, Alberta
SHE ¢ Canada Jay has almost as many local names as the Flicker. Those
_ who do not know him by the name of Canada Jay, recognize him at
once when you call him ‘Moose Bird,’ ‘Camp Robber,’ ‘Whiskey John,’
ey Jack,’ or ‘Lumber Jack.’
en you are traveling through the woods he is almost always your constant
bipanion, and when you light a camp-fire or discharge a gun, he is always
CANADA JAY
Photographed by Sidney S. S. Stansell, April 8, 1907
(8)
The Bird that Nests in the Snow 9
there, should he be within hearing or seeing distance, chirping contentedly
ri
:
nd looking for what he may devour.
I was traveling through the woods one day in early spring and fired a small
le, the report of which was not very loud, but almost immediately a Jay came
lit on a small tree near by and chirped as though asking for his share of
game. I soon threw him a morsel and he immediately took it and flew away,
ably to his nest to feed his mate—a fact which I know he does.
certain pair of Canada Jays lived all winter long in the immediate vicinity
small cabins in a clearing. Whenever a crumb or scrap of meat was
n from either door they would pounce down upon it and devour it at
hide it in a cavity of some tree, or stow it snugly away between two branches
ten later when food became scarce.
se birds became quite tame. I have had them come and take food from
and; at other times they have entered the cabin through an open window
helped themselves to food placed purposely on the table for them.
pout the first of March these birds began to show signs of wanting to nest
h the mercury registered more than forty degrees below zero; never-
a nesting-site was chosen in a clump of ‘diamond’ willows within two
| yards of one of the cabins, and house-building began. On March 31,
was deposited. I visited the nest daily afterwards until April 8, then
no other egg had been laid I proceeded to photograph the bird and her home.
‘h e snow around the nesting-site was about three feet deep and shows in the
ograph.
first the bird seemed quite shy, sae flew away several times while I was
preparations for the picture. Each time when she returned she would
n the edge of the nest, look around for a second or two, then place her
gently on the single egg, as if to make sure it had not been disturbed, all
ime uttering a low not unmusical chirp; then quietly settle down on the
- Once only did her mate return with her, then they both carefully examined
after which they gently and lovingly rubbed their beaks together, then
ay and she took her place on the nest again. 3
nest was situated eight feet from the ground, the lower portion was
sd of twigs, the upper very closely woven with grasses, shredded bark.
e twigs. The cup-like interior was neatly and warmly lined with rabbit
and fine feathers.
this beautiful home is and warm it should be, for nesting as they
ter, it would take but a moment’s exposure of the very severe winters
chill the tiny birds to death or freeze the unhatched eggs.
Redpoll Linnets
By LOTTIE ALVORD LACEY, Southport, Conn,
Illustrated by the author
(1906-7) after the first heavy snowstorm a lunch-table was provided for
them. It consisted of a board eight feet long and eighteen inches wide,
which was placed a tod or two from the house and spread with millet serena
times a day. This was done through February and March and we were repaid
a hundred fold.
At first the table was patronized almost exclusively by English Sparrows
and Tree Sparrows, but others kept arriving daily until our guests aia
at least twenty-five English Sparrows, twelve or fifteen Tree Sparrows, thr
Song Sparrows and six Juncos. These came regularly, and one day early in March
eight aristocratic little strangers appeared. They resembled Chipping Sparrows
but were of an ashier hue with, upon the top of the head, a patch of crim
glistening like satin in the sunlight. They were immediately looked up 4 n
identified as Redpoll Linnets, and it was about these birds that all interest cen-
tered from this time on. They made themselves at home from the first. :
As soon as the table was spread each day the numerous guests, who ha
been intently watching and eagerly chirping in the surrounding trees and shrub
bery, began to take their places. It was generally an English Sparrow thé
came first; then,‘the ice being broken’, there was a general advance from a
sides.
It was interesting to watch the different modes of approach. The E
. Sparrows hopped from limb to limb, coming nearer by degrees; the Tree S
flew directly to the board; the Song Sparrows always alighted a rod or
and crept along the ground to the table. But the Linnets were the mos
ful; they dropped from their perch above and fluttered down in wavering
precisely like falling leaves. They moved about the lunch-table with
air of superiority, and the other birds instinctively gave place to them, w
exception of the Tree Sparrows, who were very impudent and be
at every meal. As the table filled there was more or less scurrying for
positions, but the English Sparrows, to our surprise, were models of good
ing. If a Linnet approached a portion of millet appropriated by one ¢
the English Sparrow very rarely made any objection to sharing, and q
quently moved away immediately, seeming to'say, “Pardon me, I did no
that this was your place at table.”
Outside one of the windows, close to the sill and on a level with i
was a flower-box three feet long and one and one-half feet wide. In
millet was placed each day, and the Linnets found it the same afternoon
they discovered the lunch-table. We heard a great chattering at the w in
and going to it found five Redpolls conversing vigorously over their f east.
(10)
I: has been our custom for years to feed the winter birds. Last winter
Redpoll Linnets II
they were feeding they constantly moved about the box keeping up a pleasing
“Cher, cher, cher, cher, Cher, cher, cher, cher,” accenting the first syllable
_ quite noticeably.
As they seemed fearless, allowing us to come close to the window to watch
them, it occurred to me that perhaps I could induce them to feed from my hand.
Accordingly the next morning, wrapping up well and putting on a glove, I
seated myself by the open mindow holding a handful of millet on the sill close
by the box. Nearly an hour passed before the Linnets ventured down. They
had been moving about a nearby tree closely watching me and presently a ven-
turesome one alighted in the
box. Soon five others came,
one of which hopped into my
hand and ate a hearty meal.
I felt fully repaid for the long
time spent in waiting.
The next day, about noon,
I took my place at the open
window again with millet in
the box on the window-sill,
in my lap and a generous
supply in my hand (gloveless
this time). In a few seconds
the Linnets were flying all
about me seeming now to have
perfect confidence. One came
almost immediately into my
hand and held possession,
allowing no one else to come
SORA es ieee +
there, but another little fellow ox REDPOLL IN THE HAND AND NINE IN
Grept along the window-sill THE BOX BELOW
and reaching up helped himself when the first one was not looking. A third
one after eating a while on the window-sill hopped into my lap and_ had his
lunch there while fourteen others made a charming sight feeding happily in
the box under my hand. They kept up the pretty little conversational “Cher,
Cher, cher, cher” constantly while feeding, the first syllable being accented
vigorously and sharply if one felt that another was trespassing on his claim.
After this they came several times every day and when a handful of seed
Was presented they flew into the hand without hesitation and had pitched battles
for the privilege of eating there, seeming to appreciate the warm perch and
unlimited supply of food. Two flew into the room and as they were fluttering
about some plants at a closed window I caught them and brought them to the
open window. One was badly frightened but the other seemed to have little
fear and did not make haste to leave my hand.
12 Bird - Lore
One morning I heard an unfamiliar song and discovered a flock of Linnets
on an arborvite near the porch singing a delightful little song something like
this: ; ”
“Sweet, sweet, sweet;
Such a dee-ahr, such a dear,
Sweet, sweet.”
The tone Was shrill and sweet quite like that of the Yellow Warbler. Their
call note was a questioning ‘‘Suee-’eet.”’
Oe ae ee Ten ere
REDPOLLS WAITING FOR LUNCHEON
From a painting by L. A. Lacey
One day when they were feeding in and about my hand, a sudden
startled the flock and all flew off excepting the one in my hand. He stayed
eating with perfect content as though he knew he was protected. The othet
soon came fluttering back seeing nothing to fear. Alarms were very freque
given during the days they were with us but the bird standing in my hand alm
invariably stayed while all the others flew to,the surrounding trees to reconnol
The flock steadily increased. They evidently had some method of commut
cating with other scattered flocks, passing the news along concerning the abum
ance of food they had found. About a week after the arrival of the first é
there was a snowfall of several inches, and the following morning we coun
thirty-five of them. As they were very hungry and the out-of-doors lunch-ta
was uncomfortably crowded, we spread millet over a table in the room (to
window. of which they were accustomed to come) and they literally crow
in, showing no fear although two of us were standing within four or five feet”
Redpoll Linnets 13
of the table. There were twenty-seven Linnets and a number of Tree Sparrows
feeding at one time. It was a fascinating sight. :
Later in the day I took my seat by the window, after having spread millet
on the table and in the box. In a few moments the Linnets appeared and soon
there were three eating from my hand while the table six inches from me was
swarming with them; twenty-seven at least being there at one time. While one
was eating in my hand I slowly raised my thumb to encircle him and when
it was so high that he could not bite the one who was trying to seize a seed occa-
sionally from the other side of my hand he hopped up on my thumb and down
the other side to nip the poacher, then back again to his first. position. This
- was done repeatedly but, finding he was losing time that way he took up a posi-
tion midway, one foot on my palm and the other stretched up on my thumb
so that he could eat on one side and bite the intruder on the other, without the
_ wear and tear of jumping over and back.
Three of these birds had rosy breasts, the color seeming to deepen as the
warmer weather came on until two of them had breasts as crimson as their
crowns, and these were the only ones, with one exception, that had rosy rumps.
. They stayed with us several weeks, the flock diminishing as the snow disap-
peared and the weather grew warmer and on March 25, four of them, three
with rose-tinted breasts, made their parting call. We fully expect to see them
again during the coming winter, for their wings are long and strong and what
do a few hundred miles longer flight signify to them when there is a certainty
| of abundance of food at the end of the journey?
YOUNG KINGFISHERS
Photographed by James H. Miller, Lowville, N. Y.
A Bird Friend
By FRANK M, CHAPMAN
E doubtless all have our fav-
\) \) orites among the birds, and
in most cases, it would prob-
». ably be found that our especial fondness
for a particular species has resulted from
some response on its part to our advances,
The Chickadee has won a place for itself
in the heart of every one who knows it,
not through its charm of song or beauty
of dress, but through the quaint little
personality its familiarity has permitted —
us to have a glimpse of. The bird actu-
ally seems to notice us; we are some-
thing more than objects to be afraid of,
and a glance from its shining, intelligent
eye suggests possibilities of companion-
ship which we grasp at eagerly. The
death of a bird with which we have estab-_
lished delightful relations of this kind
passes the bounds of abstract bird de-
struction and becomes a murder which —
we would gladly avenge.
tho ooh ae Se ae So I feel, at least, toward the mundane
ers, unfortunately unknown, of the Barr
Owls, which, as long as I can remember, have inhabited a certain woods near ‘ y
home. Rarely did they fail to answer my call, and even when there was no respon
I felt assured of their presence, and found pleasure in the mere knowledge of
If there had been any real reason for killing them, any crime justifying he
death warrant, I should feel their loss less keenly, but they were shot as a r
of markmanship and as wantonly, perhaps even more wantonly, than if I were
to shoot at the automobilists whirring by, simply to see if I could hit them. |
There is a certain rarely uttered scream of the Barred Owl which rais
the hair and stops the heart-beat for a moment of those who, even with a cle
conscience, hear it, and if from time to time it could echo in the dreams of - fl
murderer of my Barred Owls, I should feel that in a small measure, at leas
he was reaping as he had sowed. a
An appeal to sentiment alone will doubtless not win for other Barred Oy
that right to live which is the privilege of all law-abiding citizens, but that su
a privilege is their due may be gathered from the appended photographic sta’
ment of their value to mankind.
(14)
or pellets disgorged by the Barred Owl. The skulls and other bones of meadow mice may
be plainly seen. A coin has been introduced into_the picture to show comparative size
¥ t >, oat (hee
a yf po a Pe woes Aah “ey >
View beneath a tree frequented by a Barred Owl. Showing disgorged casts which contained
only the remains of mice
THE FOOD OF. THE BARRED OWL
Two photographs made by H. M. Stephens, at Carlisle, Pa.
{15)
The Migration of Flycatchers
<q ¢
SECOND PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey :
- With drawings by Lovurs AcaAssiz FuERTES and BRUCE HorsFAL
COUCH’S KINGBIRD ‘ae
This is a species of wide distribution in Mexico, but it ranges north in summer
barely to the United States, near the mouth of the Rio Grande in southe
Texas. It was first seen May 8, 1877 and April 30, 1878; the earliest reco
for eggs are May 20, 1891, May 16, 1893 and May 13, 1894. *
ARKANSAS FLYCATCHER
This is the commonest and best known of the large Flycatchers of the West.
It deserts the United States in winter and is found at that season in deans a
Guatemala.
; SPRING MIGRATION
| No. of years’ Average date of Earliest date
PLACE ; record | spring arrival batt arri
Kerrville, Tex...... Pt aa 6 April 28 April 24, 1905
Rothpott Pers.) 5 iti.) acres ee oe. aie April 18,
Centtal Kansas waco puree carte aa 3 May 2 April 24,
Certral Nebraska wav ks Sete tias ote Le: May 5 April 23,
Northern North Dakota. .... : 5 May 16 May 12, 190
Old Wives Créek, Sask. sir ay May 26, 189
Fort Webster, New Mex. ....... March 25,
Carlisle; New. Mex. 05 g26 25 ne OK April 8, 1
Oracea, Ariz. ie Sith SEE Re February
Catalina Dita, Arig se toa ae chiar eo March 28
Yuma, Colo. Be eau cs me silat lg 2B May 2 April 30,
Cheyenner WYO. siaure oe ayn es es 2 | May 12 May to,
Rathdruim,-Idaeleo 5) 5, fers ~ es anes 2 | May to May 8,
Perey Mont oe i a ee Lege 8 | May 17 May 8, 1894
SoutherasCaltorhiay oe ae 4 | March 18 March 17, 18
Central Calilomia. <1 o00 5 te: 3 5 March 23 March 16,
Southern British Columbia... . . 4
April 25 April 22, 16
of the last seen are: Okanagon, B. C., August 31, 1905; Chilliwack, B.
teraber 2, 1889; Cashmere, Wash., September 22, 1904; Yuma, Colo., Se
23, 1904; Lawrence, Kans., October 4, 1906..
CASSIN’S KINGBIRD
This species winters principally in Mexico, but a few go as far
Guatemala and a still smaller number remain in southern California.
The usual time of migration is indicated by the following dates of the
seen: Tucson, Ariz., March 24, 1902; Catalina mountains, Ariz., Ma
1885; Pueblo, Colo., April 29, 1894; Cheyenne, Wyo., May 9, 1889;
(16)
Annual Congress of the American Ornithologists’ Union 17
ville, Idaho, April 28, 1887; Paicines, Calif., March 7, 1899, March 15, 1901.
In the fall the last birds were seen at Beulah, Colo., September 5, 1905, and
in the Catalina Mountains, Ariz., October 9, 1884.
The Twenty-fifth Annual Congress of the American
Ornithologists’ Union
r NHANKS to the efforts of the local Committee, the Twenty-fifth Annual
Congress of the American Ornithologists’ Union (Philadelphia, December
10-12) will be remembered by those who were fortunate enough to
‘attend it as one of the most successful and enjoyable in the history of the Union.
_ The plan of having but one hotel as headquarters, the annual dinner, the
‘Smoker’ and the daily luncheons at the Academy all offered those opportunities
for social intercourse which are so important a part of gatherings of this kind,
while the program contained papers of much interest.
| Charles F. Batchelder, President; E. W. Nelson and Frank M. Chapman,
Vice-Presidents; John H. Sage, Secretary; J. Dwight, Jr., Treasurer were
all re-elected. Richard C. McGregor, Dnnila: Philippine islands was elected
‘a Fellow; Dr. Carl H. Hennicke of Germany and Dr. Sergius A. Buturlin, of
‘Russia were elected Corresponding Fellows; Ned Dearborn, Chicago, E. Howard
‘Eaton, Rochester, N. Y., W. L. Finley, Portland, Oregon and O. W. Knight,
Bangor, Me., were elected Members. One hundred and twenty-three Associates
were elected, some forty more than were elected last year, an indication of the
growing interest in bird study.
The next Congress of the Union will be held in Cambridge, Mass., November
17-19, 1908.
CLARKE’S NUTCRACKER
Wists niphed by Evan Lewis, at Idaho Springs, Colo.
Bird-Lore’s Advisory Council
' N YITH some slight alterations and additions, we reprint below the
names and addresses of the ornithologists forming Brrp-LorReE’s
‘Advisory Council,’ which were first published in Brrp-Lore for
February, fgoo.
To those of our readers who are not fainter with the objects of the Council,
we may state that it was formed for the purpose of placing students in direct
communication with an authority on the bird-life of the region in which they
live, to whom they might appeal for information and advice in the many diffi-
culties which beset the isolated worker.
The success of the plan during the seven years that it has been in operation
fully equals our expectations; and from both students and members of the Council
we have had very gratifying assurances of the happy results attending our efforts
to bring the specialist in touch with those who appreciate the opportunity to
avail themselves of his wider experience.
It is requested that all letters of inquiry sent to members of the Counce
be accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope for use in replying. -
NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY COUN! cIL
. UNITED STATES AND TERRITORIES
ALASKA.—Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C
ARIZONA.—Herbert Brown, Tucson, Ariz.
CALIFORNIA.—Charles A. Keeler, Cal. Acad. Sciences, San Francisco, Cal.
CALIFORNIA.— Walter K. Fisher, Palo Alto, Cal.
CoLtorapo.—Dr. W. H. Bergtold, 1460 Clayton Ave., Denver, Col.
CONNEcTICUT.—J. H. Sage, Portland, Conn.
DELAWARE.—C. J. Pennock, Kennett Square, Pa. ;
District oF CoLuMBIA.—Dr. C. W. Richmond, U. S. Nat’l Mus., Washington, D.
FLoripA.—Frank M. Chapman, American Museum Natural History, New York City
FLORIDA, Western.—R. W. Williams, Jr., Tallahassee, Fla. ;
GEoRGIA.—Dr. Eugene Murphy, Augusta, Ga.
ILit1no1s, Northern.—B, T. Gault, Glen Ellyn, Hl.
uncina —A, W. Butler, State House, PadGkinctis. Ind. . ag
INDIAN TERRITORY.—Prof. W. W. Cooke, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., a
Iowa.—C. R. Keyes, Mt. Vernon, Ia. [ington, 4
Kansas.—Prof. F. H. Snow, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan. 2
Lovis1ana.—Prof. George E. Beyer, Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
Matine.—O. W. Knight, Bangor, Me.
MASSACHUSETTS.— William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass.
MicHicAn.—Prof. W. B. Barrows, Agricultural College, Mich. A
MINNESOTA.—Dr. T. S. Roberts, 1603 Fourth Avenue South, Minneapolis, Ming) r
MIssiIssipP1.—Andrew Allison, Ellisville, Miss.
Missouri.—O. Widmann, 5105 Morgan St., St. Louis, Mo.
MontTana.—Prof. J. M. Elrod, University of Montana, Missoula, Mont.
NEBRASKA.—Prof. E. H. Barbour, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
(18)
ae ' _Bird-Lore’s Advisory Council 19
_ NrEvapa.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C.
New HaAmpsHire.—Dr. G. M. Allen, Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., Boston.
_ New Jersey, Northern.—Frank M. Chapman, Am. Mus. Nat. History, New York City.
e NEw JeRsEy, Southern.—Witmer Stone, Academy Natural Science, Philadelphia, Pa.
_ New Mexico.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C.
New York, Eastern.—Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington,
New York, Northern.—Egbert Bagg, 191 Genesee Street, Utica, N. Y. [D. C.
New York, Western.—E. H. Eaton, Canandaigua, N. Y.
New York, Long Island.—William Dutcher, 141 Broadway, New York City.
Norta Daxota.—Prof. O. G. Libby, University, N. D.
Nortu Carorma.—Prof. T. G. Pearson, Greensboro, N. C.
H10.—Prof. Lynds Jones, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.
OKLAHOMA. —Dr. A. K. Fisher, Biological Survey, Dept. of Agr., Washington, DanC,
REGON.—A. W. Anthony, 761} Savier St., Portland, Ore.
NNSYLVANIA, Eastern.—Witmer Stone, Acad. Nat. Science, Philadelphia, Pa.
NNSYLVANIA, Western.—W. Clyde Todd, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburg, Pa.
. ODE IsLanD.—C. Abbott Davis, Museum Natural History, Roger Williams Park,
UTH CAROLINA.—Dr. Eugene Murphy, Augusta, Ga. [Providence, R. I.
x s.—H. P. Attwater, Houston, Tex.
-—Prof. Marcus E. Jones, Salt Lake City, Utah.
‘MONT.—Prof. G. H. Perkins, Burlington, Vt.
GINIA.—Dr. W. C. Rives, 1723 I Street, Washington, D. C.
WASHINGTON. —Samuel F. Rathburn, Seattle, Wash.
WEST VIRGINIA.—Dr. W. C. Rives, 1723 I Street, Washington, D. C.
ISCONSIN. —H. L. Ward, Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis.
Ree Gore
BERTA. —G. F. Dippie, Calgary, Alta.
‘tTisH CoLuMBIA, Western.—Francis Kermode, Provincial Museum, Victoria, B SC.
3 Britis CotumsiA, Eastern.—Allan Brooks, Okanagan Landing, B. C.
NITOBA.—Ernest Thompson Seton, Cos Cob, Conn.
Brunswick.—Montague Chamberlain, 45 Milk Street, Boston, Mass.
‘A Scotia.—Harry Piers, Provincial Museum, Halifax, N. S.
ARIO, Eastern.—James H. Fleming, 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Ont.
ARIO, Western.—E. W. Saunders, London, Ont.
EBEC.—E. D. Wintle, 189 St. James Street, Montreal, Can.
: MEXICO
LW. Nelson, Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
WEST INDIES
. Cory, Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.
* GREAT BRITAIN
ton G. Abbott, 153 West 73d St., New York City, N. Y.
From a Westerner’s Standpoint
HE Editor of Brrb-Lore is quite right in saying that the American
- Ornithologists’ Union Committee has in the past shown excellent judg-
ment in the selection of English names for our birds. Such changes
as appear desirable have become so through a slightly altered point of view,
or through greater familiarity with the birds themselves, rather than any dis-
crediting of previous decisions.
We of the West find ourselves handicapped in a measure by the constant —
recurrence of the adjective Western, but so long as we are in the minority we
must make the best of it; and precisely because the vernacular names are more
stable than the scientific, we recognize the necessity of making them geographi-
cally definitive. All we ask is that they shall be accurate in this regard. In
general there should be a freer use of the word ‘Pacific’ in designating species —
common to the three sister states, California, Oregon and Washington, unless —
it can be clearly shown, as in the case of the California Cuckoo, that the bird —
has its center of abundance in one of them, The ‘Oregon’ Vesper Sparrow 4
(Po@cetes gramineus affinis) is just as truly a Washington bird. Moreover, —
the Western Vesper Sparrow (P. g. confinis) probably outnumbers affinis two
to one in Oregon. Would it not be better, therefore, to call affinis the Pacific
Vesper Sparrow ?
We stand in need of an accepted faunal name to designate that homogensl
area which includes eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho west of the Rockie
and southern British Columbia. Commercially we refer to this region as
‘inland empire’; and there has been talk of a political coalition under the ne
Lincoln or Lincolnia, but for geographico-zodlogical purposes the word Colu
bian is perhaps the most suitable. It has been applied successfully in the c
of the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. It should be extended to such bi
as the ‘San Diego’ Redwing (Agelaius pheniceus neutralis) and the ‘Dus
Horned Lark (Otocoris alpestris merrilli). The name Columbian is also m
consistently applicable to the western ‘colony’ of Parus atricapillus than to
Parus hudsonicus columbianus, as at present. 4
Of course all distinctive geographical names must tend to fall away in local
use. The Western Robin is simply the Robin to us in Washington; the Puget
Sound Bush-Tit is the Bush-Tit, etc. We ought perhaps, to give this abbreviat
ing tendency a little larger recognition in our check-list. Or, if we do considei
it necessary to repeat the word American some thirty-three times in the text
for the sake of distinctness,,we should feel free to dispense with it in comme
use, as in the columns of Brrp-LorE; and we ought not to allow oursel res ti
be cheated out of the use of such fitting titles as Widgeon or Peregrine Fale
in the mere effort to be different. ‘Baldpate’ is simply a book name for th
Widgeon, in the West, at least; while ‘Duck Hawk’ degrades our noblest Falco
Personally, I think the custom of naming our Warblers after their fa
(20)
ie
From a Westerner’s Standpoint 21
trees a very pretty one, and I should dislike to see changes made, save for the
gravest reasons. ;
___ As the most impossible name (either to accept or alter) I submit the ‘Louis-
_iana Water Thrush.’ It is inconsistent and misleading, but what are we going
to do about it? Here are a few attempts: Glade-sprite, Glade-thrush, Glade-
_water-thrush, Glade Accentor, Dingle-thrush, Dingle-warbler, Dingle-witch,
_Cock-o-the-run, Water-fay, Dell Nixie, Alleghany Water-thrush.
___ A few specific suggestions follow: Change
‘Northwest Coast’ to Fannin’s Heron.
‘Partridge’ to Quail in genus Oreortyx and Lophortyx.
‘Duck Hawk’ to American Peregrine Falcon.
__ ‘California’ to Pacific Pygmy Owl.
‘Northern Red-breasted’ to Northwest Sapsucker.
‘Arkansas’ to Western Kingbird.
_ ‘Green-crested’ to Acadian Flycatcher. (Acadian, like Arcadian, through
poetical use, no longer recalls a place but a condition; and its use cannot
____ possibly be misleading.)
Ee. ‘Streaked’ to Pacific Horned Lark.
" _ ‘Dusky’ to Columbian Horned Lark.
‘American’ to Mexican Raven.
San Diego’ to Columbian Redwing.
_ ‘California’ to Pacific Purple Finch.
‘Oregon’ to Pacific Vesper Sparrow.. eg”
‘Louisiana’ to Crimson-headed Tanager.
- ‘Macgillivray’s to Tolmie’s Warbler.
‘Long-tailed’ to Western Chat.
- ‘American Dipper’ to American Water Ousel. _
‘California’ to Sierra Creeper.
is
a4
e: a
a seattle, Dec. 28, 1907. W. Leon DAwsoNn
saa
The Eighth Christmas Bird Census
IRD students are not easily influenced by weather conditions, but birds
are, and one might think that as the weather of Christmas week was
exceptionally favorable for birds and for the recording of them, the
returns for Brrp-Lore’s Eighth Census would be of exceptional interest. It
is true, a greater number of observers were heard from than on any previous
occasion, but from most quarters comes the report “very few birds this winter.”
Such true northern birds as Crossbills, Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks and the Shrike
are almost wholly absent, while the commoner winter birds are said to be present
in smaller numbers than usual.
The Censuses, however, are made to record the results obtained and one
containing a small number of birds or none at all, is just as important as the -
one with forty or more species, provided that it truly represents existing condi-
tions. It is data of the kind we are accumulating which will permit us to say —
with some definiteness just how abundant or scarce winter birds are, for com- :
parative statements of this kind are of value only when they are based on
actual records. di
We regret to say that a number of Censuses were received too late for inet
tion, while the demands the Census makes on Brrp-Lore’s space has prevented
30 25° 120 15! "0 os 100° os” 80" es* 80° 7° 70" os 60° ;
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MAP SHOWING NUMBER AND DISTRIBUTION OF CHRISTMAS a
BIRD CENSUSES : Bs
(22) 4
a Eighth Christmas Bird Census 23
us from accepting more than one Census by the same person from the same
oe
Ottawa, Ontario.—Dec. 27; 1 to 4.30 P.M. Cloudy and damp; foot of snow on
und; wind south, light; temp., 40°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 1; Blue Jay, 2;
‘White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 6. Total, 5 species, 13 individuals. Snow-
and a Meadowlark were seen a few days ago.—G. E. HARTWICK.
Reaboro, Ontario.—Dec. 26; 2 to 4 p.m. About thirteen inches of snow; temp.,
bout 30°; wind west, light. Ruffed Grouse, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 4. Total, 4 species, 9 individuals. A Screech Owl was seen
m Christmas. The Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay and Snowflake are all here this
inter.—E. WELLINGTON CALVERT.
_ Orangeville, Ontario.—Dec. 19; 7.50 A.M. to 5.05 P.M. Boawing most of day; about
iteen inches of snow; wind west, very strong; temp., 22°. American Goshawk, 1;
ny Woodpecker, 5; Brown Creeper, 1; Wihite breasted! Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee,
iktd-crowned Kinglet, 2; Total, 6 species, 31 individuals.—Atvin J. ScottT
id E. W. CALverr.
__ Millbrook, Ontario.—Dec. 25; 9 A.m. to 1.30 P.M. Snowing, a foot of snow on ground;
vind south; temp., 30°. Ruffed Grouse, 2; Blue Jays, 5; Chickadees, 16; White-bellied
uthatch, 2. Total, 4 species, 25 individuals.—Sam. HUNTER.
_ Wilton, N. H.—Dec. 25; 9 to 11 A.M. and 2.30 to 4.30 P.M. Fair in a.m.; cloudy
Nn P.M.; snow four inches with crust; light, southeast wind; temp., 38° to 40°. Downy
eo in, t; Blue Jay, 5; Tree Sparrow, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Red-
reasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 15. Total, 6 species, 29 individuals. A very decided
peny of all kinds of birds has been noticed in this vicinity since last summer.—
wes A. Winc and Grorcre G. BLANCHARD.
Cornish, N. H.—Dec. 25; 9 to 11.25 A.M.; 3.40 to 4.45 P.M. Sunshine in A.M.;
rour nd covered with several inches of snow; light breeze; temp., 34°. Hairy Wood-
cker, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Chickadee, 24; White-breasted Nuthatch, 5. Total,
cies, 32 individuals. ETHEL R. BARTON.
_ Fitchburg, Mass.—Dec. 28; 10.30 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. Clear, four to six inches ice
d snow; occasional bare ground; wind west, light; temp., 34°. Ruffed Grouse, 1;
en-crested Kinglet, 8; Chickadee, 20. Total, 3 species, 29 individuals.—ALVIN
Watney, F. N. Ditton and G. F. HasBarp.
Swampscott Shore and Marblehead Neck, Mass.—Dec. 26; 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. Fair;
west, fresh; ground bare; temp., 41° to 45°. Holboell’s Grebe, 3; Horned Grebe,
Loon, 4; Red-throated Loon, 1; Black Guillemot, 4; Great Black-backed Gull, 1;
tring Gull, 44; Red-breasted Merganser, 25; American Golden-eye, 43; Bufflehead,
d Squaw, 17; White-winged Scoter, 1; Surf Scoter, 5; Northern Flicker, 7; Amer-
ur an Crow, 2; Snowflake, 2; Tree Sparrow, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 1; Chickadee, 11. Total,
ecies, 184 individuals. —-Gorpon B. WELLMAN and Horace W. WRIGHT.
h, Mass.—Dec. 25; 11 A.M. to 12 M. Clear, ground bare; temp., 50°. Her-
, 80; Crow, 16; Sparrow, 3; Flicker, 1. Total, 4 species, roo individuals.—
; 7” © H. ape and Francis C. WADE.
_ Ipswich, Mass.—Castle Hill to Big Dune, return through the Dunes. Dec. 21;
A.M. to 2.30 P.M. Clear; snow on ground, heavy in Dunes; wind west, light;
i ap., 40°. Loon, 2; Kittiwake, 45; Great Black-backed Gull, 4; Herring Gull, 86;
breasted Merganser, 400; American Golden-eye, 77; Surf Scoter, 8; Horned
» 19; Crow, 154; Snowflake, 105; Lapland Longspur, 2; Ipswich Sparrow, 1;
Sparrow, 65; Junco, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 33; Chickadee, 20. Total, 16 species,
22 individuals. —Epmunp and LipiAn E. BRIDGE.
Nahant, Mass.—Dec. 26; 11.30 A.M. to 2 p.m. Clear; ground tie wind west,
Bask Bird - Lore
light; temp., 42°. Loon, 1; Herring Gull, 200; Leach Petrel, 1 (dead on beach); Buffle-
head, 14; Old Squaw, 20; White-winged Scoter, 6; Horned Lark, 18; Crow, 3. Total,
8 species, 263 individuals,—E1izABETH D. BOARDMAN and Lip1ANn E. BRIDGE. i
Nahant, Mass., Eastern Point to Lynn.—Dec. 20; 9.30 A.M. to 12. ae p.m. Clear;
snow on ground; wind west, light; temp., 22°. Brunnich’s Murre, 1; Great Black-_
backed Gull, 3; Herring Gull, 250; Red- brensted Merganser, 4; Scaup ‘Deck. 6; Amer-
ican Golden-eye, 30; Bufflehead, 16; Old Squaw, 22; White-winged Scoter, 1; Sparro
Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Horned Lark, 13; Crow, 20; Song Sparrow, 2;
Chickadee, 2. Total, 15 species, 372 individuals.—Lip1an E. BrIpGE.
West Medford, Mass., through Middlesex Fells to Wyoming.—Dec. 22; 8.30 A.M.
to :11.30 A.M. Clear; snow on ground; wind west, light; temp., 32°. Herring Gull, 1;
American Merganser, 10; Mallard, 1; Red-legged Black Duck, 200; Pintail, 1; Crow,
8; Blue Jay, 1; Pine Siskin, 2; Tree Sparrow, 4; Brown Creeper, 7; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 4. Total, 12 species, 240 individuals. (December 25, in th
same field, Northern Shrike, 1; Mockingbird, 1.—EpMuND and LipIAn E. BRIDGE.
Squantum, Mass.—Dec. 25; 12 M. to 2 P.M. Clear; ground bare; west wind, stro.
temp., 34°. Herring Gull, 100; American Merganser, 15; Scaup Duck, 30; America
Golden-eye, 5; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 1; Crow, 50; Goldfinch, 5; Red-breast
Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 12. Total, 10 species, 222 individuals.—BARRON BRAINE! D
Brookline, Fenway, Mass.—Dec. 27; 12 M. to 12.30 P.M. Clear; ground b
west wind, light; temp., 40°. Herring Gull, 3; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Flicker, 1; Crow, § §
Goldfinch, 1; Chickadee, 6; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3. Total, 7 species, 23 by
duals.—BARRON BRAINERD.
Franklin Park, Arnold Arboretum, Boston Parkway and Charles River.—Dec. 2:
9.30 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; four inches of snow on ground; temp., 38°. Herring Gul
125; Red-legged Black Duck, 15; American Golden-eye, 20; American Coot, 5; Sparr
Hawk, 1; Northern Flicker, 10; Blue Jay, 4; Crow, 7; American Goldfinch, 2; Ww
throated Sparrow, 2; Trees Sparrow, 1; Song Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 2;
‘breasted ‘Nuthatch 2; Golden-crowned ‘Kier. 7; Chickadee, 19. Total, 16 sp
224 individuals.—JameEs L. PETERS.
Franklin Park, Morton Meadows (8 to 9.15 A.M.); Arnold Arboretum,
Woods, Jamaica Pond.—Dec 22; 9.45 A.M. to 1.20 P.M. Four inches of snow
southwest, light; temp., 40°. Red-legged Black Duck, 37; American Coot, 2; Bob
8; Ring-necked Pheasant, 4; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Northern Flicker, 10; Blue
9; Crow, 20; Bronzed Grackle, 1; American Goldfinch, 7; Tree Sparrow, 6; J
2; Song Sparrow, 3; Brown Creeper, 1; Golden-crowned speci 10; Chickad
Total, 16 species, 133 individuals. ee Ree L. PETERS.
Marblehead, Swampscott, Nahant, Mass.—Dec. 24; 9.30 A.M. to 4.15 P.M. ©
ground bare; wind light, temp., 45°. Holboell’s Grebe, 1; Horned Grebe, 2;
Black Guillemot, 3; Black-backed Gull, 3; Herring Gull, 400; Red-breastéd
ganser, 1; Greater Scaup, 15; American Golden-eye, 10; Bufflehead, 31; Old
16; White-winged Scoter, 14; Northern Flicker, 1; Horned Lark, 14; Crow, 1
Sparrow, 3; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3; Chickadee, 8; Robin, 1; Total, 19 s
522 individuals. —NoRFOLK BrirD CLUB.
Squantum, (9.45 A.M. to 12 M.); Middlesex Fells.—Dec. 26; 2 to 4.30 P.M.
ground bare; patches of snow in woods; wind northwest, light; temp., 40°. He
Gull, 278; American Merganser, 61; Red-breasted Merganser, 13; Red-legged I
Duck, 71; Greater Scaup, 50; American Golden-eye, 1; Old Squaw, 33; White-wi
Scoter, 1; ‘Pigeon’ Hawk, 1; Crow 59; Song Sparrow, 1; Brown Creeper, 2.
12 species, 571 individuals.—JAmeEs L. PETERS, R.M. Mars te and J. T. Coort
Charles River, Boston Fens, Jamaica Pond, Mass.—Dec. 22; clear; wind
inches snow; temp., 40°. Black-backed Gull, 1; Herring Gull, 450; Red-legg
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 25
.
Duck, 68; American Golden-eye, 38; American Coot, 2; Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Flicker,
3; Blue Jay, 4; Crow, 9; Goldfinch, 1; Song Sparrow, 4; Junco, 1; Brown Creeper, 1;
Chickadee, 3. Total, 14 species, 586 individuals.—J. KITTREDGE sind R. M. MARBLE.
. Belmont, Mass.—Dec. 25; 11 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Clear; light west breeze; patches
of snow on the ground; temp., 40°. Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Crow, 1; Downy Wood-
scker, 2; Blue Jay, 4; heard a flock of Chickadees; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 8. Total,
“species, over 16 individuals.—SamMuEL DowsrE RoBBINS and CHANDLER ROBBINS
).Bamont, Waverley, Waltham and Lexington (Waverley Oaks Reservation and
ocked Meadow), Mass.—Dec. 26; 10 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Clear; light west breeze; patches
of snow on the ground; temp., about 40°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker,
Northern Flicker, 1; Crow, 4; Tree Sparrow, 8; Chickadee, 12. Total, 6 species,
individuals. —SamurL DowsE Rossins. i
Belmont and Arlington Heights, Mass.—Dec. 27; 9.45 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Clear;
- south breeze; patches of snow on the ground; temp., 38° to 50°. Crow, 6; Downy
Woodpecker, 2; Goldfinch, 1; Chickadee, 14; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 10, besides
heard. Total, 5 species, over 33 individuals —SamuEL D. ROBBINS.
_ Arlington Heights and Belmont, Mass.—Dec. 28; 9 A. M. to 1.30 P.M. Fair; iia
southwest, fresh; ground bare; temp., 45° to 56°. Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Northern,
licke , 3; American Crow, 10; Tree Sparrow, 1; Junco, 2; Northern Shrike, 1;:Brown
er, 1; Chickadee, 17; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 13. Total, 9 species, 49 indivi-
als.—Gorpon B. WELLMAN and Horace W. WricHr. t
- Boston, Mass. (The Arnold Arboretum, Olmsted and Riverway Parks, the Penis,
n bt Charles River, from the Harvard Bridge).—Dec. 23; 9 to 10.30 A.M. Cloudy, fol-
ed by copious rain; wind southeast, light; three inches of snow on the ground; temp.,
2° to 54°. Dec. 24; 9.45 A.M. to 2.30 P. M. Fair; wind west, fresh; ground bare; temp.,
an 47°. Great Black-backed Gull, 2; Herring Gull, 135; Black Duck and Red-
zed Black Duck, 64; American Golden-eye, 40; American Coot, 2; Ruffed Grouse,
pwrtiy Woodpecker, 1; Northern Flicker, 19; Blue Jay, 20; American Crow, 31;
ican Goldfinch, 2; White- throated Sparrow, 3; Tree Sparrow, 15; Junco, 6; Song
row, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 18; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 18.
fal, 19 species, 381 individuals—Horacre W. WRIGHT.
_ Cambridge, Mass.(Fresh Pond Reservation and Pout Pond Swamp).—Dec. 25; 10
1. to 12.30 P.M. Fair; wind southwest, light; ground bare; temp., 34° to 44°. Great
ick-backed Gull, 3; Herring Gull, 650; American Merganser, 25; Black Duck, and
“ egged Black Duck, 48; American Coot, 1; Ring-necked Pheasant, 1; American
row Hawk, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Northern Flicker, 5; Blue Jay, ; American
07 w, 6; Red-winged Blackbird, 1; iRaaebican Goldfinch, 14; Tree Sparrow, 2; Song
: 8 6; Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 5. Total, 18 species, 772 individuals.—
e W. WricHT.
Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, The Fenway, Charles River Basin.—Dec. 28;
A.M. to 1 P. M. Weather fine; ground bare; wind southwest; temp., 50°. Great
backed Gull, 2; Herring Gull, 100; Black Duck, 50; Golden-eye 10; American
3; Flicker, 3; Crow, 50; Blue Jay, 10; Red-poll, 8; Goldfinch, 2; White-throated
yw, 1; Northern Shrike, 2; Brown Creeper, 12; White-breasted Nuthatch, 6;
adee, 50; Golden-crowned Knight, 20; Total, 16 species, 329 individuals.—
ABERCROMBIE, BARRON BRAINERD and JOHN B. BRAINERD.
dham, Mass.—Dec. 21; 8 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. Clear; ground covered with snow;
est, light; temp., 31°. Downy Woodpecker, 2; Crow, 8; Goldfinch, 19; Tree
, 26; Junco, 7; Brown Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 29;
rowned Kinglet, 8. Total, 9 species, 102 individuals.—CHartrs E. Het.
| West Roxbury, Mass.—Dec. 24; 9 A.M. to 12 M. Fair, becoming cloudy; ground
183
a!
26 Bird - Lore
partly covered with snow; wind west, strong; temp., 44°. Downy Woodpecker, 1;
Flicker, 4; Blue Jay, 2; Crow, 19; Brown Creeper, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3;
Chickadee, 11; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 6. Total, 8 species, 49 individuals.—CHARLES
E. HEIL.
Beverley, Mass.—Dec. 25; 9.15 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Fair; ground bare; temp., 30°
to 40°. Great Black-backed Gull, 12; American Herring Gull, (estimated) 125; Amer-
' ican Golden-eye, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 3; Purple Finch, 1; Goldfinch, 13;
Tree Sparrow, 12; Chickadee, 8; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2. Total, 10 species, 178
individuals. —-FRANK A. Brown and C. EMERSON BROWN.
Taunton, Mass.—Dec. 22; 9 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. Ground covered with snow; wind
southwest, light; temp., 32°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 2; Blue Jay, 4; Gold-
finch, 3; Tree Sparrow, 8; Junco, 82; Song Sparrow, 3; Myrtle Warbler, 4; Chickadee,
10; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2; Bluebird, 1; Total, 11 species, 120 individuals.—
EpitH M. HopcMan. |
Taunton (Rocky Woods), Mass.—Dec. 28; 2.20 to 4.10 p.m. Cloudy; ground bare;
wind southwest, mild; temp., 60°. Flicker, 2; Crow, 9; Tree Sparrow, 6; Song Sparrow,
1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 4; at home (city)), Downy Woodpecker,
1; Flicker, 1; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 1. Total,
7 species, 29 individuals—Mrs. M. Emma CHACE. r
Taunton, Mass.—Dec. 25; 9.30 to 11.45 A.M. Clear; ground bare; wind southwest,
light; temp., 36°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 6; Blue Jay, 7; Crow, 7; Goldfinch,
1; Tree Sparrow, 22; Junco, 16; Song Sparrow, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 4; Chickadee, 13.
Total, 10 species, 78 individuals.—Lucy B. Buss.
Glocester, R. I.—Dec. 25; 8 a.m. to 12 M. Clear; ground partly bare; wind wes
light; temp., 25°. Downy Aeon seas 1; Chickadee, 4. Total, 2 species, 5 indiv
duals.—J. Irvine HILt.
Woonsocket, R. I.—Dec. 25; 9.30 to 11.45 A.M. Clear; ground bare except in woo
wind southwest, light; temp., 34° to 42°. Blue Jay, 8; Crow 14; Goldfinch, 25;
Sparrow, 5; Junco, 20; Total, 5 species, 72 individuals—CLARENCE M. ARNOLD. |
New London, Conn.—Dec. 26; 10.30 A.M. to 12.45 P.M. Clear; ground bare; wit
southwest, light; temp., 40°. Loon, 1; Herring Gull, 6; Crow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 4; Son
Sparrow, 6; Myrtle Warbler, 3; hisses: 7; Chickadee, 15; White-breasted Nuthate
2; Brown Creeper, 1; Total, 10 species, 46 individuals. —FRANcES M. GRAVES.
New Haven, Conn.—Dec. 24; 8.30 to 11 A.M.; 2.45 to 4.30 P.M. Clear; g
partly snow-covered; wind west, brisk; temp., 42° to 48°. Loon, 3; Great Black-be
Gull, 1; Herring Gull, 75; Old Squaw, 3; White-winged Scoter, 1; Ducks, spec
about 250;. Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Blue Jay, 3; :
about 30; Starling, 25; Purple Finch, 1; Goldfinch, 4; Tree Sparrow, about 25; Jur
5; Song Sparrow, 9; Myrtle Warbler, 2; Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthate
3; Chickadee, 22; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2. Total, 20 species, 469 individuals.-
ALBERT W. Honywitt, JR. oe
Hartford Conn.—Dec. 25; 10.45 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Cloudy; ground snow-coveret
wind south, light; temp., 40°. Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Flic
Blue Jay, 3; Crow, 29; Goldfinch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 2; Brown Creeper, 1;
breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 3. Total, 10 species, 48 individuals—ALBERT
Honywitt, Jr.
Momauguin to South End, East Haven, Conn.— Dec. 26; 3.00 to 4.30 P
Clear; wind light, west; temp., 44°. Loon, 1; Herring Gull, 31; Red-breasted }
ganser, 1; Black Duck, 3; Golden-eye, 14; Old Squaw, 3; White-winged Sco 3
Crow, 2; Starling, 30. Total, 9 species, 95 individuals. —A. A. SAUNDERS an
B. PANGBURN. r
Lake Saltonstall, New Haven, Conn.—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 1.15 P.M. Clear; g
eect.
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 27
_ nearly bare; wind light, southwest. Herring Gull, 131; Black Duck, 9; Golden-eye, 26;
_ Barred Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 43 Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 1; Crow, 28; Starling, 16;
_ Tree Sparrow, 27; Field Sparrow, 1; Junco, 12; Song Sparrow, 4; Brown Creeper,
3; Chickadee, 52; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5; Robin, 2. Total, 17 species, 323 in-
_ dividuals.—A. A. SAUNDERS and Crirrorp H. PANGBURN.
: Westville, Conn.—Dec. 25; 9 A.m. Clear; wind light, southwest; temp., 34°. Downy
_ Woodpecker, 1; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow, 5; Chickadee, 3. 1.30
to 4 P.M. Red-tailed Hawk, 1; Screech Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 7;
Crow, 4; Starling, 30; Purple Finch, 9; Goldfinch, 7; Tree Sparrow, 3; Junco, 8; Fox
Sparrow, 1; Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 12; White-breasted Nuthatch, 5; Red-
breasted Nuthatch, 1; Bluebird, 1. Total, 17 species, 75 individuals—Mrs. C. A.
DYKEMAN.
_ New Haven, Conn., along west shore from harbor to Woodmont.—Dec. 25; 9 to
A.M. Clear; wind south to southwest; temp., 32°. Herring Gull, too-200; Old Squaw,
White-winged Scoter, 1; Ruddy Duck, (?), 1; Great Blue Heron, 1; Blue Jay, 2;
ow, 27; Starling, 100; Meadowlark, 7; Goldfinch, 3. Total, 10 species, about 300
individuals.—P. L. Burricx.
_ Sand Spit to Colonial Inn Cove, Orange, Conn.—Dec. 24; 9.15 A.M. to 12.30 P.M.
; ground nearly bare; wind strong, southwest; temp., 42°. Herring Gull, 393;
ican Golden-eye, 3; Old Squaw, 12; White-winged Scoter, 1; Horned Lark, 2;
row, 6; Starling, 10; Tree Sparrow, 1; Song Sparrow, 1; Fox Sparrow, 1; Chickadee;
2. Total, 11 species, 432 individuals—D. B. PANGBURN, CLIFFORD H. PANGBURN
and A. A. SAUNDERS.
Edgewood Park and Mitchell’s Hill, New Haven, Conn.—Dec. 25; 9.05 A.M. to
to P.M. Clear till noon; ground nearly bare; wind light, southwest; temp., 30°. Sharp-
inned Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 4; Blue Jay, 10; Crow,
; Starling, 12; Purple Finch, 8; Goldfinch, 5; Pine Siskin, 2; Tree Sparrow, 18;
ld Sparrow, 10; Junco, 3; Song Sparrow, 5; Fox Sparrow, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 1;
te-breasted Huthatch, 7; Chickadee, 42; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2; Robin, 1;
bird, 1; Total, 20 species, 163 individuals.—D. B. PANGBURN.
New Haven, Conn., (Pine Rock).—Dec. 25; 11.15 A.M. to 12.15 P.M. Partly cloudy;
ound patched with snow; wind southwest, light; temp., 40°. Downy Woodpecker,
Crow, 7; English Starling, 2; Junco, 8; Chickadee, 5. Total, 5 species, 24 indivi-
s.—HAROLD M. FowLer.
_ Bristol, Conn.—Dec. 25; 8.30 A.M. to12 M. Clear; calm, then cloudy; 43°; northwest
t breeze at noon; ground covered, old crusty snow nearly bear one’s weight; temp.,
Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 5; Crow, 3; Goldfinch, 1;
Sparrow, 7; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 15. Total, 8 species, 35
viduals. —FRANK BRUEN.
South Norwalk, Conn.—Dec. 25; 8 A.M. to 3 P.M. Weather clear; warm; ground
, no frost. Herring Gull, 40; Downy Woodpecker, 4; Blue Jay, 11; Crow, 12;
ling, 40; Goldfinch, 2; Purple Finch, 2; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow,
Junco, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 26; Brown Creeper, 2; Robin,
luebird, 3. Total, 15 species, 171 individuals.—WILBuR F. SMITH and REDDING-
Dayton.
Fredonia, Chaut. Co., N. Y.—Dec. 25; 2 to 4.30 P.M. sky cloudy; ground bare;
10derate east wind; temp., 55°. A tramp of nearly six miles and the only living crea-
ures ; seen were two English Sparrows down by Willowbrook Golf Club, showing how
Chautauqua has been cleared of winter birds. I met eight small boys with
is.—Mrs. T. C. Cuartsey. :
Rochester, N. Y., to Dugway.—Dec. 25; 9.30 A.M. to 12 M. Cloudy; ground covered
W h snow; wind southeast, light; temp., 32°. Herring Gull, 7; Downy Woodpecker,
28 Bird - Lore
; Crow, 21; Tree Sparrow, 30; Song Sparrow, 4; Swamp Sparrow, 1; White-breasted
Nuthatch, 1. Total, 7 species, 65 individuals.—NEtTTIE SELLINGER PIERCE. iy
Central Valley, Orange Co., N. Y.—Dec. 25; 9 to 11.30 A.M. Cloudy; wind south,
light; considerable snow; temp., 30°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 1, others heard;
Crow, 6; Tree Sparrow, 1; Shrike, 1; White-breasted N ufeatok: 2; Chickadee, 2. Total, —
7 species, 14 individuals.—Mary VAN E. FERGUSON.
Bronxville, N. Y.—Dec. 25; 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. Clear in morning, partly cloudy.
afternoon; wind west, light and increasing; temp., 45°. Crow, 1; Starling, 7. To
2 species, 8 individuals.—A. B. GURLEY.
Pelham MANS N. Y.—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; no wind; ground bai
temp., at 7.30, 31°. Herring Gull, 80; Bob-white, 10; Downy Woodpecker, 1; B
Jay, 2; American Crow, 20; Starling, 1; Junco, 25; Song Sparrow, 2; Brown Cree
2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 6; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5. To
12 species, 158 individuals.—ROBERT CRANE. é
Central Park, New York City.—Dec. 25; 12.15 to 1.20 P.M. Slightly cloudy; li
southwesterly breeze; temp., 50°., Herring Gull, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Starlin
7; White-throated Sparrow, 3; Junco, 4; Cardinal, 1; Chickadee, 3. Total, ‘Ry specie
21 individuals.—CLARENCE C. ABBOTT.
Central Park, New York City.—Dec. 25; 8.25 to 10.40 A.M. Ramble, 1 to 1.
p.M.,North End. Clear; ground bare; wind weet, light; temp., 37° at start. Herrir
Gull, 300; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 1; Starling, 100; Junco, 3; Song Spa
1; Cardinal, 5; Brown Thrasher, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickad@, Ou
IO species, 421 individuals.—GEORGE E. Hrx.
Battery, New York City, to 17 Fathoms (10 miles off Seabright, N. J.) and ba
Dec. 25; 8.25 A.M. to 4.15 P.M. Clear; wind southwest, light; temp., 44° at noon.
1; Kittiwake, 1; Glaucous Gull, 2; Black-backed Gull, 6; Herring Gull, 10,000; /
billed Gull, 2; Bonaparte Gull, 25; Old Squaw, 21. Total, 8 species, about Ir
individuals.—R. E. STACKPOLE, A. C. REDFIELD and C. H. ROGERS.
Rockaway Park to Point and back, New York City.—Dec. 27; 10.20 A.M. to
p.M. Partly cloudy; ground bare; wind southwest, brisk; temp., 45° at start,
return Black-backed Gull, 5; Herring Gull, 300; Ring-billed Gull, 1; Double.
Cormorant, 1; Old Squaw, 7; Crow, 1; Horned Lark, 20; Snowflake, 75; Tree
1; Myrtle Warbler, 8; American Pipit, 2. Total, 11 species, about 420 individ
A. C. REDFIELD and C. H. ROGERS.
College Point to Long Beach, Long Island.—Dec. 29; 7.15 A.M. to 5 P.M
ground bare; practically no wind; temp., 31° at start, 44° at 4 P.M. Herring Gu
Marsh Hawk, 3; Red-shouldered Hawk, 2; Broad-winged Hawk, 1; Sparrow
Hawk, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Horned Lark, 75; Prairie Horned Lark, 50
Jay, 4; Crow, 50; Starling, 500; Meadowlark, 14; White-throated Sparrow, 2
Sparrow, 50; Junco, 2; Song Sparrow, 10; Chickadee, 4; Hermit Thrush, 1; Ro
Total, 19 species, 1,773 individuals.—CLinTon G. ABBotT and FRANCIS HARPE:
Mt. Sinai, Long Island, N. Y.—9.30 A.M. until dark. Ground DaRSE sky sor
overclouded; moderate west by southwest wind; temp., 45° to 57°. Horned
3; Loon, 5; Red-throated ees 2; Great Black-backed Gull, 3; Herring Gu
Red-breasted Merganser, 2; Black Duck, 6; Old- Squaw, 41; White-winged —
18; Surf Scoter, 8; Fiedwionldened Hawk, 1; Horned Lark, 30; Blue Jay,
go; Starling, 6; Meadowlark, 1; Goldfinch, 2; Snow Bunting, 25; Tree Sp
Junco, 30; Song Sparrow, 2; Winter Wren, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 7; White
Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 45. Country visited:—Sound Beach, salt meadows,
growth deciduous woods, upland fields and red cedar woods. Total, 25 spe
individuals. -GERTRUDE A. WASHBURN and ROBERT CUSHMAN MURPHY. —
Setauket, Long Island, N. Y.—Dec. 25; All day. Weather fair; wind sout
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 29
Gull, 300; Old Squaw, 52; Shell Drake, 1; Coot, 79; Horned Lark, 29; Crow, 16;
kadee, 8. Total, 7 species, 485 individuals.—RussEL W. STRONG.
Greenport, L. I.—Dec. 25; 2 to 4.45 P.M. Partly cloudy; light, west wind; Horned
be, 4; Loon, 2; Herring Gull, 75; Black Duck, 200; Scaup Duck, 4; Old Squaw,
American Scoter, 7; White-winged Scoter, 8; American Golden-eye, 26; Bob-
fe, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Horned Lark, 50; Meadowlark, 2; Goldfinch, 6;
throated Sparrow, 3; Tree Sparrow, 1; Song Sparrow, 20; Junco, 2; Myrtle War-
100; Winter Wren, 1; Chickadee, 20; Robin, ro. Total, 23 species, 644 indi-
als.—K. B. SQUIRES.
Orient Point, Long Island.—Dec. 22; 6.30 A.M. to 5 p.m. Clear; fresh, southwest
ground bare, slightly frozen in morning; temp., 30° to 40°. Horned Grebe, 34;
ell’s Grebe, 1; Loon, 28; Red-throated Loon; 4; Kittiwake Gull, 300; Great
-backed Gull, 5; Herring Gull, 538; Ring-billed Gull, 2; Bonaparte’s Gull, 7;
reasted Merganser, 18; Black Duck, 3; Redhead, 1; American Scaup Duck,
Lesser Scaup Duck, 2; American Golden-eye, 3; Bufflehead, 11; Old Squaw, 595;
n Scoter, 7; White-winged Scoter, 51; Surf Scoter, 108; Bob-white, 10; Turkey
e, 1; Marsh Hawk, 2; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Cooper’s Hawk, 1; Red-shouldered
» 1; Screech Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 6; Flicker, 26; Horned Lark, 500;
Horned Lark, 5; Blue Jay, 3; American Crow, 362; Fish Crow, 2; Starling,
eadowlark, 154, (two singing); Crossbill, 1; Goldfinch, 2; Pine Siskin, 5; Snow-
553 Lapland Longspur, 1; Tree Sparrow, 82; Junco, 2; Song Sparrow, 33; Fox
yw, 1; Northern Shrike, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 155; Chickadee, 126; Golden-crowned
et, 39; Robin, 8. Total, 50 species, 2,708 individuals. Country visited:—Shores
ng Island Sound, Orient and Gardiner’s Bay, hills, orchards, hardwood forests,
groves, swamp, salt marshes, ploughed fields and pastures. The Turkey Vulture
captured on the ground in a choking condition: Large bones were wedged firmly
: he throat, these were released and the bird offered stale fish which it ate greedily;
yu parities the stomach was weak from fasting and the food was immediately dis-
orged. The following morning the bird was dead. —Harry, Frank and Roy
ote
‘One Hundred and Thirtieth Street Ferry, New York, to Coytesville, South Engle-
d, Leonia and Palisades Park, N. J.—Dec. 22; 9.45 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. Clear; ground
o y bare; wind southwest, light; temp., 35° at start. Herring Gull, 500; Red-tailed
awk, 4 Sparrow Hawk, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 1; Crow, 7; Starling,
eadowlark, 1; Purple Finch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 10; Junco, 42; Song Sparrow
nter Wren, 2; Chickadee, several. Total, 14 species, about 620 individuals.—
Hix and C. H. RocGers. |
_ Bloomfield and Newark, N. J.—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 2 P.M. Clear; ground bare; wind
utl west, light; temp., 30° to 46°» Herring Gull, 2; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Crow,
Starling, 92; White-throated Sparrow, 6: Tree Sparrow, 7; Song Sparrow, 3; Gold-
2. Total, 8 species, 116 individuals.—Lovuis S. KoHLer.
Passaic, N. J.—Dec. 25; 9.30 A.M. to 12 M.; 2 to 4.30 P.M. Clear; ground bare;
ind south, light; temp., 36°. Downy Woodpecker, 3; Blue Jay, 7; Crow, 5; Purple
, 200; Starling, 107; Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 15; Junco, 12; Song Sparrow,
le Warbler, 6; Brown Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee,
otal, 13 species, 380 individuals.—Gi1LBERT H. TRAFTON and EDWARD UEBLING.
ss of snow; wind west, light; temp., 45°. Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Hairy Wood-
r, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 13; Crow, 25; Starling, 1; Purple Finch,
[ singing); Goldfinch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 12; Song Sparrow, 2; Junco, 2; Brown
eeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Chickadee, 19; Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Total, 15 species, 106 individuals.—R. C. CASKEY.
o.
30 Bird - Lore
Trenton, N. J.—Dec. 25; 10 A.M. to 12 M. Fair; wind southwest; temp., 40°. Hairy
Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 20; Crow, 9; Goldfinch, 10; Tree
Sparrow, 2; Junco, 10; Song Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 3; Brown Creeper, 8; Chickadee,
12; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 20. Total, 12 species, 83 individuals.—W. L. Dix. .
Moorestown, N. J.—Dec. 25; 6.37 A.M. to 12.45 P.M. and 2 to 6.15 P.M. Clear;
ground bare; wind west, southwest, becoming fresh; temp., 32°. Herring Gull, 5;
Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Hairy. Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 3; Meadowlark, 33; Tree
Sparrow, 17; Towhee, 1; Winter Wren, 2; Tufted Titmouse, 5; Turkey Vulture, 7;
Sparrow Hawk, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 5; Blue Jay, 19; Goldfinch, 4; Junco, 29;
Cardinal, 4; Brown Creeper, 1; Chickadee, 8; Red-tailed Hawk, 3; Screech Owl, 1;
Red-headed Woodpecker, 2; Crow, about 500; White-throated Sparrow, 2; Song Spar-
row, 16; Carolina Wren, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3. Total, 26 species, ahout
678 individuals.—WILLIAM B. EvANs.
Newfield, N. J.—Dec. 25; 10 A.M. to 3.30 P.M. Clear; wind south, ight at starting
out becoming brisk later; ground bare; temp., at start 40° at return, 47°. Crow, 3;
Blue Jay, 3; Meadowlark, 1; Tree Sparrow, 10; Junco, 7; Chickadee, 6; Golden- —
crowned Kinglet, 4. Total, 7 species, 34 individuals—Wwmo. W. Farr.
Hackettstown, N. J.—Dec. 25; 8.15 to 11.35 A.M. and 2.20 to 4.50 P.M. Foggy
in morning; mostly clear in afternoon; light, southeast wind; temp., 38° at 8.15 A.M
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; Crow, 116; Purple Finch, 6; Tr
Sparrow, 12; Junco, 2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 2
Kingfisher, 1; Total, rz species, 146 individuals—Mary PIERSON ALLEN.
Ocean Grove, N. J.—Dec. 27; 9 A.M. to 12 M. Clear; ground bare; wind south
brisk; temp., 45° to 50°. Herring Gull, 20; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Song Sparrow
2; Junco, 7; Myrtle Warbler, 15. Total, 5 species, 45 individuals.—EMMA VAN GI
LUWE.
Pensauken Township, Camden County, N. J.—Dec. 25; 10.45 A.M. to 4 P.M. Clear. -
ground bare; wind southwest, strong; temp., 48°. Herring Gull, 57; Dove, flock of
Red-tailed Hawk, 2; Sparrow Hawk, 3; Crow, 400; Fish Crow, 1; White-throa
Sparrow, 16; Tree Sparrow, 14; Junco, 8; Song Sparrow, 8; Fox Sparrow, 1; Cardin
4; Winter Wren, x; Tufted Titmouse, 2; Chickadee, 1; Robin, 1; Golden-cro
Kinglet, 4. Total, 17 species, 559 individuals.—RICHARD F. MILLER.
Easton, Pa.—Dec. 25; 7.20 to 11 A.M. To 9.40 cloudy, then clear; wind northw:
light, ground bare; temp., 32°. at start, 57° at return. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Nor
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 5; Purple Finch, (heard); Tree Sparrow, 7; Jun
27; Song Sparrow (heard); Winter Wren, 1; Chickadee, 2; Golden-crowned Kin,
2. Total, 10 species, 46 individuals—Epwarp J. F. Marx. ;
Frankford, Philadelphia County, Pa.—Dec. 24; 8.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. Clear; gro
bare; wind west, strong;-temp., 44°. Herring Gull, 12; Sparrow Hawk, 2; Hairy W:
pecker, 1; Flicker, 1; Crow, 13; Fish Crow, 2; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree
row, If; Junco, 30; Song Sparrow, 6; Cardinal, pair; White-breasted Nuthatc
Tufted Titmouse, 1. Total, 13 species, 84 individuals —RicHARD F. MILLER.
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa.—Dec. 26; 11 A.M. to 3.45 P.M. Clear;
April day in December’; ground bare and unfrozen; wind northwest, calm,
perceptible; temp., 45°. Herring Gull, 3; American Merganser, 86; Red-bre:
Merganser, 10; Greater Scaup Duck, 26; American Golden-eye, 12; Dove, 3;
shouldered Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Flicker, 1, (¢
Crow, 36; White-throated Sparrow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 1; Junco, 3; Song Sparrow,
Fox Sparrow, 1; Cardinal, 7; Winter Wren, 2; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breas'
Nuthatch, 7; Chickadee, 11; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 10. Total, 22 species, :
individuals.—RiIcHARD F, MILLER.
Chestnut Hill, Pa.—Dec. 25; 9.15 to 11 A.M. Clear; ground bare; wind southes
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 31
light; temp., 33°. Herring Gull, 1; American Merganser, 5; Sharp-shinned Hawk,
a 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 9; Junco, 100; Goldfinch, 5; Tree Sparrow, 3; White-
_ throated Sparrow, 1; Cardinal, 8; Winter Wren, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch. Total,
12 species, 140 individuals.—HELEN M. KRUGER.
_ Kennett Square, Pa.—Dec. 25; 10.30 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Wind fresh, southwest;
few clouds; temp., 44°. Dove, 1; Turkey Buzzard, 3; Red-tail Hawk, 1; Red-shouldered
Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Flicker, 2; Crow, 21; White-throated Sparrow, 4; Tree
Sparrow, 45; Junco, 8; Song Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 1. Total, 12 species, 92 individuals.
—C. J. PENNOcK.
‘g Chestnut Hill, Pa.,(along the Cresheim Creek).—2.20 to 5 p.m. Cloudy; ground
patched with melting snow; wind west, quite still; temp., 40°. Downy Woodpecker,
; Crow, 3, ~ardinal, 7; Junco, (some in song) 40; White-throated Sparrow, 2; Song
_ Sparrow, 4; Field Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow, (in song), 20; Myrtle Warbler, 1; Caro-
lina Wren, 1; Winter Wren, 1; Chickadee, 3. Total, 12 species, 94 individuals.—
E LEAR.
Doylestown, Pa.—12 M. to 2.15 p.m. Clear; ground patched with melting snow;
wind southwest, very light; temp., 45°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker,
Blue Jay, 1; Purple Finch, (one in half-song), 4; Junco, 10; White-throated Sparrow,
Song Sparrow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 35; Brown Creeper, 2; White-bellied Nuthatch,
‘Tufted Titmouse, 5; Chickadee, (one in song), 3; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1. Total,
species, 70 individuals.—GroRGE LEAR.
_ Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa.—Dec. 21; 9.15 A.M. to 4.45 P.M. Weather fine;
ht snow in patches; wind light, changing to moderate northwest; temp., 35° at start,
on return. American Merganser, about 100; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Sparrow
wk, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 7; Flicker, 1; American Crow, about 25; Fish Crow,
; White-throated Sparrow, 1o (singing); Junco, 15; Song Sparrow, 1o (singing);
Cardinal, 15; Carolina Wren, 1 (singing); Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nut-
ch, 5; Chickadee, 5. Total, 15 species, about 200 individuals.—A. C. REDFIELD
d L. S. PEARSON.
‘Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pa.—Dec. 24; 8.30 A.M. to 5 P.M. Weather
‘ground bare; wind high, northwest; temp., 45° at start, 50° on return. Red-tailed
wk; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 4; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy
vodpecker, 3; Crow, 108; Purple Finch, 3; Goldfineh, 1; White-throated Sparrow,
Tree Sparrow, about 25; Junco, 21; Song Sparrow, 7; Cardinal, 7; Carolina Wren,
inter Wren, 3; Brown Creeper, 3; Chickadee, 3. Total, 17 species, about 190
lividuals.—LEONARD S. PEARSON.
Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pa.—Dec. 22; 8.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. Clear;
d bare, except for féw small patches of snow; wind west, moderate; temp., 32°
start. Red-tailed Hawk, 3; Belted Kingfisher, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 5; Flicker,
d); Crow, 50; White-throated Sparrow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 60; Junco, 30; Song
row, 4; Cardinal, 4;-Carolina Wren, 1; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nut-
ich, 1; Tufted Titmouse, 2 (singing); Chickadee, 16; Bluebird, 1. Total, 16 species,
2 individuals.—ALFRED C. REDFIELD.
_ West Chester, Pa.—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Clear; ground bare; light, south-
t wind; temp., about freezing, on return about 40°. Goshawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk,
Downy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 33; Tree Sparrow, 15; Junco, 26; Song Sparrow,
Titlark, 1; Chickadee, 9; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2. Total, ro species, 99 in-
iduals.—S. C. ScomMUCKER and C. E. EHINGER.
' Delaware County, Pa.—Dec. 25; walk of some ten miles through Marple and
ord Townships; 9.30 A.M. to 3.30 P.M. Clear; ground bare; wind southwest,
20st none at start but springing into a good breeze toward noon; temp., 34°. Red-
led Hawk, 1; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 6; Crow, 37; Goldfinch, 1;
32 Bird - Lore MS
White-throated Sparrow, 3; Tree Sparrow, 44; Junco, 17; Song Sparrow, 16; Cardinal,
2. Total, ro species, 128 individuals. Many sunny hillsides and alder thickets were _
visited but birds were unusually scarce.—B. W. GRIFFITHS and CHRESWELL J. Hunt. ;
. Bellefonte, Pa.—Dec. 25; 10 to 10.30 A.M. Cloudy; light snow on ground; wind
west, light; temp., 40°. Feeding upon suet fastened to a tree and seen from my window .
were Downy Woodpeckers, 2; Tufted Titmouse, 2; White-breasted. Nuthatch, 2. I
saw Chickadees and Kinglets feeding there also a few days before.—ANNA J. VALEN-
TINE. ; i
Lititz, Pa. (Upper waters of Hammer Creek, Northern Lancaster County.)— —
Dec. 22; 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Clear; ground covered with snow; wind, none; temp., 35°. —
Turkey Buzzard, 27; Sparrow Hawk, 3; Red-tailed Hawk, 4; Screech Owl, 1;Downy
Woodpecker, 3; Crow, 1,100; Junco, 65; Tree Sparrow, 70; Song Sparrow, 6; Cardinal,
9; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3. (The absence of Chickadees and Titmice is remark-
able). Total, 13 species, 1,300 individuals.—HERBERT H. BEcK. ar
Berwyn, Pa.—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 12.15 P.M. and 1.30 to 3.45 P.M. Clear in the morn-
ing, but cloudy in the afternoon; ground bare; wind west at start, southwest at return,
light in morning but strong in afternoon; temp., 40°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy —
Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 30; Purple Grackle, 1; Junco, 45; Treé Sparrow, 40; Song
Sparrow, 2; White-throated Sparrow, 6; Cardinal, 2; Winter Wren, 1; Chickadee,
8; .White-breasted Nuthatch, 1. Total, 12 species, 138 individuals.—JoHn B. GILL.
Columbia, Lancaster Co., Pa.—Dec. 25; 8.30 to 11.30 A.M. Clear; fair; temp
45°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 2; American Crow, 100; Tree Spar-
row, 10; Chipping Sparrow, 8; Junco, 23; Song Sparrow, 2. Total, 7 species, 1 indi-
viduals.—Wmn. M. FLANAGAN and Wm: RocHow.
Springs, Somerset Co., Pa.—Dec. 25; 9.45 A.M. to 12.10 P.M. Clear; ground snow-
covered; wind southwest to west; temp., 31° to 42°. Downy Woodpecker, 2; Crow,
6; American Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 2; Junco, 6; Song Sparrow, 2; White-breas
Nuthatch, 2; Chickadee, 3; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3. Total, 9 SpE: 27 ind
duals.—ANSEL L. MILLER.
From Paoli to Wayne, Pa.,including parts of+Willistown and Easttown Town
in Chester County and parts of Newtown and Radnor Townships in Delaware Coun
—Dec. 28; 8.45 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. Weather fair; ground bare; wind moderate, soutl
west; temp., 46° at start, 55° on return. Turkey Vulture, 3: Red-tailed Hawk, 2; RB
shouldered Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Crow, about 1
Goldfinch, 10; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow, about 65; Junco, 7;_
Sparrow, 7; Cardinal, 6; Winter Wren, 1; Brown Creeper, 10; White-breasted
hatch, 10; Tufted Titmouse, 6; Chickadee, 15; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3. ‘Fe
18 species, about 280 individuals—JoHN S. Patron and LEONARD S. PEARSON
Allegheny, Pa., West View.—Dec. 21; 9 A.M. to r P.M. Cloudy; wind nort!
to southwest, variable; about three inches of snow; temp., 30° to 36°. Sparrow
1; Screech Owl, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Northern Downy Woodpecker, 7;
(heard calling); Goldfinch, 1; Tree Sparrow, 35; Chipping Sparrow, 1; Junco,
Song Sparrow, 8 (singing); Cardinal, 2 (singing); Carolina Wren, 2; Winter
4; Brown Creeper, 11; White-breasted Nuthatch, 15; Tufted Titmouse, 12; Chick
15; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 6. Total, 18 species, 153 individuals.—Wm. G
CAIRN. :
Pittsburg, Pa.,(McKinley Park).—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 12 mM. Cloudy; ne
soft; wind southwest, strong; temp., 38°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Song Spar
Carolina Wren, 1. Total, 3 species, 3 individuals—MiLro H. MILLER.
Lewes, Del.—Dec. 28; 7.30 A.M. to 5 P.M. Weather fair; wind southwest; t
50° to 60°. Herring Gull, 8; Hooded Merganser, 4; Black Duck, 130; White-wi
Scoter, 5; Turkey Buzzard, 89; Marsh Hawk, 1; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1; Sp
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 33
‘Hawk, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Flicker, 3; Crow, 406; Red-winged Blackbird, 65;
Cowbird, 14; Purple Grackle, 6; Meadowlark, 44; Snow Bunting, 29; Purple Finch,
4; Goldfinch, 22; Pine Finch, 2; Savanna Sparrow, 5; Ipswich Sparrow, 2; Song Spar-
row, 12; Swamp Sparrow, 5; Junco, 34; Tree Sparrow, 15; Field Sparrow, 1; White-
oated Sparrow, 8; Cardinal, 2; Towhee, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 50; American Pipit,
; Carolina Wren, 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Carolina Chickadee, 12; Brown
Creeper, 1; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 19; Robin, 26. Total, 37 species, 1,051 indivi-
duals.—C. J. PENNocK and SPENCER TROTTER, M.D.
_ Summerville, S. C.—Dec. 25; 7.15 to 8.30 A.M., 9.30 A.M. to 2.20 P.M. and 3.20 to
6 p.M. Clear; ground bare; wind northwest, very light; temp., 40°. Bob-white, 2;
Mourning Dove, 4; Turkey Vulture, 30; Black Vulture, 1; Marsh Hawk, 1; Red-tailed
Hawk, 1; Southern Hairy Woodpecker, 7; Southern Downy Woodpecker, 10; Red-
ckaded Woodpecker, 10; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1; Red-bellied Woodpecker,
8; “Flicker, 40; Phoebe, 9; Blue Jay, 18; American Crow, 50; Fish Crow, 4; Cowbird,
3; Red-winged Blackbird, 4; Meadowlark, 60; Rusty Blackbird, 60; Purple Finch, 2;
srican Goldfinch, 14; Vesper Sparrow, 120; Grasshopper Sparrow, 2; White-throated
rrow, 80; Field Sparrow, 30; Junco, 30; Song Sparrow, 56; Fox Sparrow, 1; Tow-
22; Cardinal, 32; Pine Warbler, 7; Myrtle Warbler, 80; American Pipit, 40;
-kingbird, 19; Catbird, 1; Brown Thrasher, 2; Carolina Wren, 20; Winter Wren,
Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 12; Brown-headed Nuthatch, 29;
ted Titmouse, 42; Carolina Chickadee, 30; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 16; Robin, 60;
ue-bird, 34. Total, 47 species, 1,107 individuals.—Wrm11am M. Norris, JR.
Melrose, Florida.—Dec. 25; 7 to 11 A.M. Clear; ground bare; wind southwest,
; temp., 58°. Pied-billed Grebe, 85; Mallard, 22; Pintail, 65; Ring-necked Duck,
American Bittern, 2; Great Blue Heron, 8; Little Blue Heron, 3; American Coot,
; Florida Bob-white, 20; Ground Dove, 27; Turkey Vulture, 18; Southern Hairy
dpecker, 3; Southern Downy Woodpecker, 8; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 12; Red-
ed Woodpecker, 19; Flicker, 10; Phoebe, 7; Blue Jay, 120; Meadowlark, 6; Gold-
, 4; Vesper Sparrow, 65; Savanna Sparrow, 20; Chipping Sparrow, 17; Towhee,
Cardinal, 50; Loggerhead Shrike, 3; White-eyed Vireo, 26; Myrtle Warbler,
Mockingbird, 30; Catbird, 7; Brown Thrasher, 15; House Wren, 2; Hermit Thrush,
Robin, 40; Bluebird, 75. Total, 35 species, 1,145 individuals— Rev. WALTER
Eck.
Warrington, Florida.—Dec. 25; 7.30 to 11 a.m. Clear; ground bare; light, north-
breeze; temp., 56°. Horned Grebe, 4; Herring Gull, 9; Turkey Buzzard, 2;
joebe, 3; Florida Blue Jay, 2; White-throated Sparrow, 1; Cardinal, 2; Myrtle Warb-
a1; Water Thrush, 5; Mockingbird, 2; Short-billed Marsh Wren, 4; Ruby-crowned
glet, 5; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 9. Total, 13 species, 59 individuals.—F. M. BENNETT.
Palma Sola, Fla.—Dec. 25; all day. Clear; wind northeast to northwest. Pied-
id Grebe, 2; Loon, 2; Herring Gull, 200; Laughing Gull, 150; Royal Tern, 175;
Black Skimmer, 20; Florida Cormorant, 200; Brown Pelican, 250; Great Blue Heron,
‘Louisiana Heron, 14; Little Blue Heron, 6; Black-bellied Plover, 3; Killdeer, 4;
: lipalmated Plover, 12; Florida Bob-white, 24; Turkey Vulture, 20; Marsh Hawk,
Osprey, 2; Bald Eagle, 3; Barn Owl, 1; Great Horned Owl, 2; Belted Kingfisher,
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 4; Southern Flicker, 6; Phoebe, 3; Blue Jay, 10; Meadow-
ark, 5; White-eyed Towhee, 8; Cardinal, 4; Loggerhead Shrike, 1; Blue-headed Vireo,
Myrtle Warbler, 100; Oven-bird, 2; Southern Yellow-throat, 5; Mockingbird, 6;
ird, 4; Marian’s Marsh Wren, 2; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
nerican Robin, 160; (on the 21st. about 4,000 Robins passed overhead). Total,
cies, 1,475 individuals.—ELEANOR P. EARLE.
Palma Sola, Fla.—Dec. 25; all day. Pied-billed Grebe, 1; Loon, 3; Herring Gull,
‘Laughing Gull, 10; Royal Tern, 5; Black Skimmer, 4; Florida Cormorant, 30;
34 Bird - Lore
Brown Pelican, 40; Great Blue Heron, 2; Louisiana Heron, 16; Black-bellied Plover,
3; Killdeer, 2; Semipalmated Plover, 8; Bob-white, 25; Mourning Dove, 100; Marsh
Hawk, 1; Turkey Vulture, 30; Black Vulture, 6; American Osprey, 2; Bald Eagle,
1; Barn Owl, 1; Great Horned Owl, 2; Belted Kingfisher, 2; Southern Flicker, 2;
Phoebe, 2; Blue Jay, 10; Cardinal 1; White-eyed Towhee, 3; Meadowlark, 1; Mary-
land Yellow-throat, 2; Myrtle Warbler, 60; Yellow-throated Warbler, 2; Blue-head
Vireo, 2; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 12; Catbird, 14; Mockingbird, 8; Ruby-crowned
Kinglet, 1; American Robin, 200. Total, 38 species, 624 individuals—Cartos EARLE.
Apalachicola, Florida.—Dec. 25; Near Apalachicola Bay; 6.40 to 8 A.M. Clear; —
very light, north wind; temp., 45°. On Apalachicola Bay; 10.30 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; —
northeast wind; temp., about 60°. Herring Gull, 24; Florida Cormorant (?), 12; Wil- —
son’s Snipe, 1; Killdeer, 11; Pelican, 32; Great Blue Heron, 1; Turkey Vulture, 1; _
Ground Dove, 1; Phoebe, 2; Prairie Horned Lark, 30; Fish Crow, 39; Red-winged
Black-bird, 17; Boat-tailed Grackle, 3; Goldfinch, 50; Myrtle Warbler, 3; Palm Warb-
ler, 18; Mockingbird, 6; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 5. Total, 18 species, 256 indivi-
duals.—Mr. and Mrs. G. CLYDE FISHER. 3
Deemer, Miss.—Dec. 25; 9.30 to 12 M. Clear; sunny; ground bare; no wind; temp., ;
48° in morning, 68° at noon. Killdeer, 4; Bob-white, 9; Turkey Buzzard, 5; Sparrow ~
Hawk, 1; Barn Owl, 1; Kingfisher, 1; Southern Downy Woodpecker, 2; Southern Hairy —
Woodpecker, 1; Red-headed Woodpecker, 20;' Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3; Yellow- —
bellied Sapsucker, 2; Flicker, 3; Phoebe, 2; Florida Blue Jay, 9; Crow, 2; Purple —
Grackle; 500, Rusty Blackbird, 13; Meadowlark, 7; Goldfinch, 14; Pine Siskin, 3; Field
Sparrow, 13; Junco, 13; White-throated Sparrow, 26; Song Sparrow, 1; Towhee, 12;
Cardinal, 5; Loggerhead Shrike, 1; Myrtle Warbler, 8; Pine Warbler, 6; Louisiana Water
Thrush, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Brown-headed Nuthatch, 1; Tufted Tit-
mouse, 30; Chickadee, 10; Brown Thrasher, 2; Mockingbird, 1; Winter Wren, 11; Caro-
lina Wren, 4; Bewick’s Wren, 1; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3; Ruby-crowned Kingle
2; Brown Creeper, 1; Hermit Thrush, 1; Bluebird, 7. Total, 44 species, 753
dividuals.—Mrs. F. E. Watrous.
Knoxville, Tenn.—Dec. 26; 8 A.M. to 3.30 P.M. Clear; ground bare; winks
west, very light; temp., 34° to 47°. Turkey Buzzard, 1; Flicker, 4; Phoebe, 1; Cr
30; Blue Jay, 3; Junco, 12; Song Sparrow, 1; Wren, 4; Titmouse, 3; Bluebird, 6. To
Io species, 67 individuals MAGNOLIA WooDWARD. i“
Versailles, Kentucky.—Dec. 24; 10 A.M. to 12 M. Sun shining part of time; ground
bare and soft; wind west, light; temp., 42°. Black Vulture, 1; Hairy Woodpec
3; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 3; Crow, 400; Mead
lark, 1; Goldfinch, 4; Junco, 11; Song Sparrow, 1; Mockingbird, 4; Carolina W
3; Bewick’s Wren, 3; Tufted Titmouse, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Chicke
5; Bluebird, 4; Sparrow Hawk, 1; Total, 18 species, 450 individuals.—MRs.
BRODHEAD.
Louisville, Kentucky.—Dec. 25; 10 A.M. to 12 M. Sky clear; ground bare; wing
southwest and rather strong; temp., about 50°. Red-bellied Woodpecker, about ¢
Downy Woodpecker, 3; Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 50; Crow, 100; Junco, 30; Tree Spa
10; Cardinal, 1; Brown Creeper, 2; Chickadee, 2; Tufted Titmouse, about 40; Me
ingbird, 1; Bewick’s Wren, 1. Total, 13 species, 250 individuals.—Mr. and
T. L. HANKINSON.
Kansas City, Mo.—Dec. 25; 9.30 to 11.30 A.M. Clear; ground bare; wind
light; temp., 35°. Screech Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Prairie Horned Lé
Crow, 10; Blue Jay, 6; Purple Finch, 40; Goldfinch, 6; Song Sparrow, 1; Tree Sp
400; Junco, 50; Cardinal, 6; White-breasted Nuthatch, 10; Chickadee, 20; Titm
15; Brown Creeper, 3; Mockingbird, 4. Total, 16 species, 576 individuals.—A.
SMITHSON and B. M. STIGALL. ae
a wee
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 35
St. Louis, Mo. (Forest Park.)—Dec. 25; 8.30 to 10 a.m. Clear; ground bare, except
hes of snow; wind brisk, southwest; temp. at starting, 42°. Sparrow Hawk, 1;
dairy Woodpecker, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 5; Horned Lark, 5; Blue Jay, 5; Ameri-
an Crow, 15; Junco, 35; Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2 ;Tufted Tit-
» 7; Chickadee, 4. Total, 11 species, 86 individuals.—R. H. DEan.
Kansas City, Mo. (Swope Park).—Dec. 25; 9.30 A.M. to 12 M.. Clear; ground bare;
northwest, twelve miles, temp., 39°. Mallard, 2; Bob-white, 20; Hairy Wood-
er, 5; Downy Woodpecker, 4; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 4; Flicker, 1; Belted
fisher, 1; Blue Jay. 11; Crow, 37; Tree Sparrow, hundreds; Junco, hundreds;
inal, 100; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 3; Tufted Titmouse,.
Chickadee, 17; Mockingbird, 1. Total, 17 species, 218 individuals, plus Tree
Sparrows and Juncos.—H. R. WALMSLEY.
_ Clay Center, Kans.—Dec. 25; 9 to 9.30 A.M., 11.25 to A.M. 3.30 P.M. Clear; ground
rtly covered with snow; wind south, light. American Rough-legged Hawk, 1; Downy
dpecker, 2; Prairie Horned Lark, 9; Crow, 14; Harris Sparrow, 17; Tree Sparrow,
; Junco, 3; Cardinal, 4; Northern Shrike, 1; Chickadee, 4. Total, ro species, 98.
idividuals.—Mr. and Mrs. E. W. GRAVEs.
%% Youngstown, Ohio.—Dec. 25; 7 A.M. to 4 p.m. Cloudy; no snow; brisk, southwest
; temp., 35° to 40°. Distance walked twenty miles. Ruffed Grouse, 4; Red-tailed
k, 2; Barred Owl, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 7; Downy Woodpecker, 15; Pileated
dpecker, 1; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 2; Flicker, 2; Blue Jay, 13; Tree Sparrow,
8; ‘Song Sparrow, 6; Towhee, 1 (female); Cardinal, 5; Carolina Wren, 1; White-breasted.
tch, 17; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Tufted Titmouse, 1; Black-capped Chicka-
17. Total, 18 species,-114 individuals. Dec. 20, 1907 we saw about twenty male
hees in same locality that we observed the female on Christmas day.—GEo. L.
ORDYCE and Rev. S. F. Woop.
_ Cadiz, Ohio.—Dec. 22; 2 to 4 p.m. Cloudy; ground partly snow covered; wind
east, light; temp., 40°. Hairy Woodpecker, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 12; Red-
ed Woodpecker, 3; Crow, 2; Tree Sparrow, 20; Junco, 1; Song Sparrow, 12; Car-
_ 24; Carolina Wren, 2, (sings); White-breasted Nuthatch, 15; Chickadee, 6;.
-crowned Kinglet, 3. Total, 12 species, 103 individuals. A Yellow-bellied
japsucker has been a regular visitor this winter at a bird lunch-counter kept by Miss.
llison. It relishes unpicked grapes.—Harry B. McConnett, JoHN CONWELL, JR.
1d Exma Exxison.
Cadiz, Ohio.—Dec. 22; 9 A.M. to 1 p.m. Clouds, sunshine, snow, rain and a strong,
wind, all struggled for supremacy; temp., 36° to 45°. Sparrow Hawk, 1; Hairy
dpecker, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 12; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 6; Flicker, 2; Tree
wrow, 12; Junco, 8; Song Sparrow, 2; Cardinal, 4; Carolina Wren, 5, (sings); White-
ast d Nuthatch, 16; Tufted Titmouse, 13 (sings); Chickadee, 19. Total, 13 species,
93 individuals.—Harry B. McConneE Lt.
_ Rinards Mills, Ohio.—Dec. 18; 9 to 10 a.m. Clear; light snow; wind northwest;
, 28°. Bob-white, 25; Rufied Grouse, 4; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Pileated Wood-
, 3; Red-headed Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 30; Goldfinch, 6; Snowflake, 5; Junco,
Song Sparrow, 4; Cardinal, 9; Wren, 2; Tufted Titmouse, 30; Robin, 3. Total,
spe all in or near an old apple orchard.—RoBeErt M. LEE.
Sidney, Ohio.— Dec. 25; 7 to 8 a.m. Cloudy; ground bare; wind south, very strong;
@a-.. Crow, 5; Junco, 6; Song Sparrow, 2; Cardinal, 2. Total, 4 species, 15,
uals.—FARIDA WILEY.
hmond, Ind.—Dec. 25; 8 A.M. to 12 Mm. Clear; slightly overcast; ground bare;.
d south, light; temp., 30° to 42°. Sparrow Hawk, 1; Kingfisher, 1; Downy Wood-
er, 7; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1; Flickers, 4; Blue Jay,
W, 14; Cowbird, 1; Towhee, 2; Goldfinch, 20; Cardinal, 20; Junco, 50; Tree
36 Bird- Lore
Sparrow, 60; White-throated Sparrow, (singing), 1; Song Sparrow, (singing), 16;
Carolina Wren, 1; Brown Creeper, 3; Titmouse, 4; Chickadee, 10; Golden-crownec
Kinglet, 4. Total, 21 species, 229 individuals.—Miss CARPENTER, Lucy V. BAXTEI
CorFrin and P. B. Corrin. é
Richmond, Ind.—Dec. 25; 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. Cloudy; wind west, strong; temp.
26°. Downy Woodpecker, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Crow, 8; Blue Jay, 3; Song Sparrow
2; White-throated Sparrow, 1 (singing); Tree Sparrow, abundant; Juncos, abund
Goldfinch, 6; Purple Finch, 3; Towhee, 1; Cardinal, 2; Chickadee, 7; Tufted Titmo
1; Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2. Total, 15 species.— Miss M. BAxTEerR, Mrs. J.
Sutton, Mr. J. G. Sutton and Mrs. P. B. CorrFins.
Lafayette, Ind.—Dec. 27; 10 A.M. to 12 M. Sunshiny until 10, when high wes
wind came up and became cloudy; temp. thawing, but rough wind; snow two inc
deep. Distance traversed two miles. Sparrow Hawk, 2; Downy Woodpecker,
Flicker, 2; Crow, 10; Blue Jay, 8; Junco, 2; Tree Sparrow, 25; Song Sparrow,-2; Car
nal, 2; Titmouse, 2. Total, ro species, 57 individuals.—M. L. FISHER. <3
Detroit (Belle Isle).—Dec. 25; 8.15 to 11 A.M. Cloudy and hazy; no snow on groun
but covered with heavy frost; wind very light and from northeast; temp., 34°. Herring
Gull, 3; Hairy Woodpecker, 8; Crow, 9; White-breasted Nuthatch, 26; Chick
12; Brown Creeper, 1. Total, 6 species, 59 individuals.—JEFFERSON BUTLER.
Peoria, Ill.—Dec. 25; 10 a.m. to 2 P.M. Cloudy but clearing; three inches of s
wind strong, northwest; temp., 33°. Herring Gull, 14; Downy Woodpecker, 5; H
Woodpecker, 1; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 6; Crow, 5; Purple F:
4; Goldfinch, 2; Tree Sparrow, 150; Junco, 125; Cardinal, 15; Brown Creeper,
White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; Tufted Titmouse, 4; Chickadee, 36. Total, 15 sp
374 individuals.—W. H. Packarp and C. S. VANDEUSEN.
Rock Island, Ill.—Dec. 25; 9.30 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Partly cloudy; ground
and frozen; light, northwest wind; temp., 39°. Bob-white, 17; Hairy Woodpe
2; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 8; Tree Spa
60; Junco, 12; Brown Creeper, 2; White-bellied Nuthatch, 3; Chickadee, 4;
crowned Kinglet, 1. Total, 11 species, 116 individuals.—Burtis H. WILSson.
LaGrange, Ill. (Salt Creek Valley).—Dec. 25; 8.30 A.M. to 12.30 P.M.
four inches of snow; wind northwest, strong; temp., 33°. Herring Gull, three to
miles from the lake (Michigan); Prairie Hen, 5; Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy |
pecker, 1; Blue Jay, 4; Crow, 22; Red-poll, 12; Cardinal, 2; Brown Creeper, 1
9 species, 51 individuals.—L. R. SANForD and F. E. SANFORD.
Desplains River Region, Cook County, Ill.—Dec. 24; 7.40 A.M. to 3.30 P.M. Cle
eight inches of crunching, becoming slushy snow; wind southwest to west, light; ter
1° to 4°. Herring Gull, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 3; Northern Downy Woodpec
Northern Flicker, 1; Blue Jay, 5; Crow, 24; Tree Sparrow, 30; Junco, 2; Toy
Brown Creeper, 8; Chickadee, 3; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1. Total, 12 sp
individuals. —FRANK C. GATES and RALPH P. GATEs. iiss
Graceland Cemetery, Chicago; Evanston; Glenco; Northfield; Skokie §
Evanston, Cook County, Ill.—Dec, 25; 7.10 A.M. to 3.20 P.M. Cloudy; four to
snow; wind northwest, strong in the open; temp., 0° to 5°. Loon, 1; Herri
6; American Merganser, 15; Lesser Scaup, 160; American Golden-eye, 8; Whi
Scoter, 1; American Rough-legged Hawk, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Downy Woo
1; Blue Jay, 15; Crow, 22; Tree Sparrow, 18; Junco, 3; Towhee, 1; Brown
13; Chickadee, 3; Robin, 1. Total, 17 species, 271 individuals.—FRANK C.
Chicago.— Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. Cloudy; wind west, veering to na
temp., 34°; ground with four inches of snow. Herring Gull, 15; Ring-bi
Downy Woodpecker, 3; Horned Lark, 2; Blue Jay, 10; Crow, 23; Ci
Sparrow, 12; Total, 8 species, 78 individitels: —H. S. PEPoon.
Eighth Christmas Bird Census Ss
7 Warren, Ill.—Dec. 26; 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; ground bare; wind southwest, light;
1 ip-, 48°. Distance walked five miles. Canada Goose, 8; Prairie Hen, 14; Mourn-
ng Doye, 1; Red-tailed Hawk, 3; Red-shouldered Hawk, 1; Rough-legged Hawk, 3;
par ow Hawk, 2; Screech Owl, 2; Hairy Woodpecker, 3; Downy Woodpecker, 3;
wned Lark (Prairie), .5; Blue Jay, 15; Crow, 128; Red-winged Blackbird, 1; Tree
parrow, 30; Brown Creeper, 2; White-bellied Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, 14. Total,
3 species, 236 individuals.—H. S. PEPoon.
Jackson Park, Chicago, Ill.—Dec. 25; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clear to cloudy; ground
with snow; wind west to northwest; twenty to twenty-five miles an hour; temp.,
i Herring Gull, 50; Ring-billed Gull, 30; Bonaparte’s Gull, 1; American
ser, 2; Red-breasted Merganser, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 4; Blue Jay, 2; Total,
s, go individuals.—Epwarp E. ARMSTRONG and Cart C. Lawson.
‘ , Chicago, Ill.—Dec. 25; 12 m. to 3 P.M. Cloudy; ground covered with
wind northwest, twenty miles an hour; temp., 40°. Ring-billed Gull, 8; Crow,
and Longspur, 2. Total, 3 species, 13 individuals.—J. L! DEVINE.
oli Iil.—Dec. 27; 10 A.M. to 12 M., on Arsenal Island in Mississippi River.
clear; ground bare; wind southwest, light, temp., 52°. Bob-white, 20; Hairy
yecker, 5; Downy Woodpecker, 7; Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 3;
Tree Sparrow, 8; Cardinal, 3; Junco, flock of 30; White-breasted Nuthatch,
: adee, 9g. Total, 11 species, 95 individuals.—Mrs, E. H. Putnam and GRACE
anell, lowa.—Dec. 22; 2 to 5 p.m. Cloudy; misty; little snow on ground; wind
ust, light; temp., 23°. Hairy. Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 3; Flicker,
, Jay, 3; Crow, 5; Junco, 2; Tree Sparrow, 40; Brown Creeper, 1; White-breasted
ch, 1; Chickadee, 7. Total, 10 species, 64 individuals—W. C. Sraat.
dar Rapids, Iowa.—Dec. 29; 11 A.M. to 12.20 P.M. Pasture land, meadow, mixed
and cemetery; cloudy; one inch of snow on ground; wind southeast, strong;
32°; began to snow at 11.25.. Downy Woodpecker, 2; Red-shafted Flicker, 1;
ay, 4; Crow, 1; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2. Total, 5 species, to individuals.—
. HaTHorRN.
ee, Wis.—Dec. 22; 9.30 A.M. to 1.30 P.M. Cloudy; snow and rain, ground
feind southwest, light; temp., 32° to 30°. Herring Gull, 7; Blue Jay, 2. Total,
, 9 individuals. Dec. 27; 8.45 to 10.45 A.M. Cloudy; light fog; ground covered;
id outhwest, light; temp., 47°. Herring Gull, 61; Lesser Scaup, 227; Barrow’s
en-eye, 26; Bufilehead, 7; Downy Woodpecker, 1. Total, 5 species, gaa indivi-
. N. MitcH ELL.
idison, Wis.—Dec. 27; II A.M. to 12 M. Day clear; slight covering of snow,
northwest, light; temp., 46°. Herring Gull, 1; Blue Jay, 4; Golden-crowned
t, 7; Brown Creeper, 2; Chickadee, 2. Total, 5 species, 16 individuals.—R. H.
ME AOI ME ee ea ee
GD Bras
oot’ Owl, 1; Biniens Wabdpecker, 2; Juncos, 50; Blue Jay, 33 Goldfinch, ns
, 1; Chickadee, 6. Total, 7 species, 70 individuals—CHESTER W. SMITH.
khorn, Wis.—Dec. 26; 9.30 A.M. to 12 M. Clear, clouding before 12 M.; ground
‘with snow; wind southeast, strong; temp., 30°. Dec. 27; 9.30 A.M. “a 12 M.
ground nearly bare; wind southwest, strong; temp., 40°. Canada Goose,
ny Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 17; Crow, 17; Song Sparrow, 1; Tree Sparrow,
Creeper, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Golden-
eeielet, 2. Total, 10 species, 76 individuals—Cora HENDERSON, MABEL
vITH and SARAH FRANCIS.
leboygan Falls, Wis.—Dec. 25; 9 A.M. to 12 M. Ground covered with about one
snow; wind west, strong; partly cloudy, toward end of trip it started to snow;
38 | Bird - Lore
temp., 30°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 5; Blue Jay, 6; Crow, 200;
Red-poll, 6; Snowflake, 12; Junco, 8; White-breasted Nuthatch, 1; Chickadee, &
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 3. Total, 10 species, 245 individuals—JAMES SANFORD.
Minneapolis, Minn.—Dec. 24; 7.30 A.M. to 12 M. Light snow; weather cloudy
wind southeast; temp., 9° to 30°. Downy Woodpecker, 2; Blue Jay, 5; Tree ae
40; Goldfinch, 2; Nuthatch, 8. Total, 5 species, 57 individuals.—HARRIET hee
THOLOGICAL SOCIETY. j
Zumbra Heights to Excelsior, Minn. Eight miles forest and country roads —
Dec. 25; 10 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; two inches snow; light, northwest wind; temp., 8°
above zero. Downy Woodpecker, 2; Brown Creeper, 4; White-breasted Nuthatch, r.
Total, 3 species, 7 individuals. Je FF PABODY, JR.
Red Wing, Minn.—Dec. 25; 8.15 A.M. to 12.30 P.M. Cloudy most of the morning;
ground lightly covered with snow; wind northwest, very strong, almost a gale at time
temp., 18°. Hairy Woodpecker, 1; Blue Jay, 2; Goldfinch, 1; Purple Finch, 15; Chick
adee, 12; White-breasted Nuthatch, 4; Robin, 1. Total, 7 species, 36 individuaaag
NEts. BoRGEN, FuTHJOF WACE and CHARLES PHILLIPS.
Sioux Falls, S. D.—Dec. 29; 1.30 to 5.30 p.m. Cloudy, snowing all day; “ n
covered with about half a foot of snow in evening; wind northeast, medium. Pra
Chicken, 2; Long-eared Owl, 1; Downy Woodpecker, 1; Tree Sparrow, 20. Tota
4 species, 24 individuals.—ADRIAN LARSON. ie
Littleton, Colo.—Dec. 25; 8 A.M. to 2.30 P.M. Clear; ground partly covered y
snow, melting; wind northeast, light; temp., 26° at time of starting, 56° when rett nec
Blue-winged Teal, 1; American Coot, 1; Ring-necked Pheasant, 5; Ferruginous Rougl
legged Hawk, 3; Sed-uhufted Flicker, 10; Desert Horned Lark, 100; Black-bill
Magpie 50; Long-crested Jay, 10; Red-winged Blackbird, 20; Western Meadowlar rh
; Purple Finch, 50; House Finch, 10; Pine Finch, 10; Western Tree Sparrow, 1 0
Siecle Junco, 10; Pink-sided Junco, 40; Mountain Song Sparrow, 60;
billed Marsh Wren, 2; Long-tailed Chickadee, 10. Total, 19 species, 493 indivi
—GEo. RICHARDS.
Edmonton, Alta, Canada.—Dec, 23; 10 A.M. to 3.45 P.M. Clear; four ii
snow during garry night; wind south; two to three miles; temp., 30°. Can:
Ruffed Grouse, 1; Hairy Woodpecker, 2; Downy Woodpecker, 2; Western
Owl, 1; Pine aan 2; Chickadee, 8. Total, 6 species, 16 individuals.
Fire and Jno. M. ScHRECK.
Stoney Plain, Alberta.—Dec. 17; 8 A.M. to 1 P.M. Clear; about two inches of
light, south wind; temp., o°. Snowflake, 200; Raven, 2; Rough-legged Hawk, 1
Grosbeak, 10; Canada ety 4; Chickadee, to. Total, 6 species, 227 individel
Sripney S. S. STANSELL.
Seattle to Bremerton, Wash. (eighteen miles by steamer and return.)—
9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Morning cloudy, afternoon clearing; light wind from southwest;
at 8 A.M. 38°. Holboell’s Grebe, 7; Horned Grebe, 31; Pacific Loon, 3; Marb
relet, 40; Pigeon Guillemot, 100; California Murre, 1; Glaucous-winged Gull
Herring Gull, 200; Short-billed Gull, 1,200; Bonaparte’s Gull, 2; American M
60; Red-breasted Merganser, 30; Hooded Merganser, 2; American Wirgeon (
Lesser Scaup Duck, 8; Bufflehead, 1; White-winged Scoter, 400; Surf Scoter, 50;
Duck, 1; Kingfisher, 1; Harris’ Woodpecker, 1; Northwest Crow, 88; Pine
60; Oregon Junco, 31; Rusty Song Sparrow, 26; Yakutat (?) Fox Sparrow, 1}
‘Towhee, 9; Cedar Waxwing, 1; Seattle Wren, 2; Western Winter Wren, 9;
backed Chickadee, 22; Western Golden-crowned Kinglet, 17; Western Robin, |
Thrush, 1. Total, 35 species, 7,000 individuals—W. LEon DAwson.
Annandale (near Los Angeles), Cal.—Dec. 25; 9 to 10.20 A.M. and 3.30 |
Clear; wind westerly, very light; temp., 68°. Around ranch house. Valley F
Eighth Christmas Bird Census 39
t (several heard); Mourning Dove, 5; Turkey Vulture, 3; Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1;
Desert Sparrow Hawk, 2; Red-shafted Flicker, 3; Anna’s Hummer, 2; Ash-throated
Flycatcher, 1; Black Phoebe, 2; California Jay, 4; Western Meadowlark, 7; Brewer’s
Blackbird, 30; House Finch, 21; Arkansas Goldfinch, 6; Western Lark Sparrow,
2; Gambel’s Sparrow, 27; Song Sparrow, 2; California (or Anthony) Towhee, 13;
California Shrike, 5; Audubon’s Warbler, 19; Western Mockingbird, 7; Dotted Cafion
Wren, 2; Plain Titmouse, 8; California Bush-Tit, 13; Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 3; Western
Robin, 18. Total, 26 species, about 207 individuals—Etta M. LEwis.
San Diego, Calif.—Dec. 25; 7.15 to 8.15 A.M., hills of City Park; 2 to 4.15 P.M.,
‘Cafion one mile out; elevation 50 to 350 feet. Ground partially covered with sage,
alder and willow, and some pepper and eucalyptus trees. Sky clear; temp., 45° to
80°. Wind northwest but very light. Valley Partridge, 300; Western Red-tailed Hawk,
t; Road Runner, 1; Red-shafted Flicker, 1; Black-chinned Hummingbird, 7; Costa’s
_ Hummingbird, 8; Couch’s Kingbird, 1; Black Phoebe, 2; Horned Lark, 11; California
| Blue Jay, 1; Raven, 3; Meadowlark, about 75; California Purple Finch, about 100;
Arkansas Goldfinch, 2; Western Vesper Sparrow, 7; White-crowned Sparrow, 35;
‘Tree Sparrow, 7; California Towhee, 42; California Shrike, 3; Bell’s Vireo, about 35;
| Audubon’s Warbler, about 100; Long-tailed Chat, 4; Mockingbird, 2; Curve-billed
| Thrasher, 18; Dwarf Hermit Thrush, 2; Bluebird, 16. Total, 26 species, 784 indivi-
| duals.—H. D. MEIsTER.
CARDINAL ON NEST
Photographed by F. E. Howe, Sterling, Ill.
Book Mews and Reviews
A PRELIMINARY CATALOG OF THE BIRDS
or Missouri. By Otto WIDMANN. St.
Louis, Mo., 1907. [Trans. Acad. Sci-
ence, St. Louis, Vol. XVII, No. 1, 288
pages. ]
A state bird-list presenting authorita-
tively and adequately what is known of
the distribution and manner of occurrence
of the birds of the area under considera-
tion is one of the most valuable contri-
butions to the foundation of ornithologi-
cal knowledge. It is a stable starting
point for all subsequent investigation
and done well it has not to be done again
in a generation.
The preparation of such a list requires
long-continued experience in the field to
which it relates, not alone that the author
may gain much information at first-hand,
but that through personal observation
he may weigh critically all data contributed
by others.
These conditions and many others are
admirably filled by the author of this
volume and the result is of that high order
which his previous contributions to orni-
thological literature have led us to expect
from his pen. sas
Introductory sections treat of the sources
of information which have been drawn
on,—bibliography, explanation of terms |
used, faunal areas, climate, topography,
decrease of birds, and bird protection.
The twenty pages devoted to these sub-
jects are followed by the list proper, in
which 383 species and subspecies are
treated. Of this number 353 have been
duly accredited to the state and of these
162 are known to nest.
The annotations contain a pier
statement of the birds’ range, followed by
a detailed statement of its status in Mis-
souri, of interest to students of distri-
bution at large and of special value to
the local student. We congratulate Dr.
Widmann on the appearance of this book
in both meanings of the word. It should
do much to stimulate the study of birds
in Missouri.—F. M. C.
(40)
‘evidently prepared with a popular
forms.
AMERICAN Birps STUDIED AND PHOTO- —
GRAPHED From Lire. By WILLIAM ~
Lovett FINLEY. Illustrated from Pho- —
tographs by Herman T. Bohlman and ~
the Author. Charles Scribner’s Sons. ©
New York, 1907. 12mo. xvi + 256 —
pages, 48 full-page half-tones. oY
Mr. Finley has here brought together —
some of his earlier studies of bird-life —
which, originally published in ‘The
Condor’ and other magazines, we are
glad to have in book form. His skill and
patience, together with that of his asso-—
ciate, Mr. Bohlman, are too well knoy
to call for comment here, but due empl
sis should be made of the fact that althou;
the text of these stories of bird-life w.
dience in mind, it contains a large amo
of original and novel information in reg
to the birds treated, resulting from t
intimate, personal relation which ©
bird photographer establishes betw
himself and his subject. y
_ The formal bird biographer will a
fore find here much material worth
quotation, and for this reason we
wish for fuller data in regard to the p
and time where these studies were mad
We must express our regret that
Finley has marred his book by in
racies in nomenclature which has
him to give the common names of eastet
birds to western species which are ne
even their representatives. Neither t
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) no
Bluebird (Sialia sialis), for exam
are found west of the Rockies, nor
they represented there by subs
As Mr. Finley very truly re
(prefatory note) “the naturalist who
the camera in the field often has
vantage of backing his observations ¥
proof,” but when he labels a photograj
of a California Jay ‘Blue Jay’ (see fi
facing pages 165 and 168) he is not m
proper use of his evidence.
Mr. Finley’s work is good er
stand on ‘its merits and we bel:
Book N ews
will find eastern readers just as much
terested in his attractive stories of
estern bird-life if he calls his’ subjects
heir right names.—F. M. C.
DEVELOPMENT OF NESTLING FEATH-
By Lynps Jones. Laboratory
Bulletin No. 13, Oberlin College, Ober-
, Ohio, 1907. 8vo. 18 pages, VIII
es. :
the purpose of giving ‘‘a more com-
= account of the development of the
or neossoptile, than has been given
ious writers, and to show the true
ion of this structure to the first
tive feathers.”
r explaining the methods employed
preparation of material, the develop-
th aie to the first Bekins feather
‘discussed, the conclusion: being reached
“the first down and its succeeding
det nitive feather are produced by one con-
uous growth, and therefore cannot be
ed as two distinct feathers.”
essor Jones’ paper is an important
ution to the histology of feather
and we trust he will follow it
one on the taxonomic value of the
s shown by the neossoptile.—
c. |
LADY AND THE Brirps; STORIES OF
Brrp YEAR FOR HOME AND SCHOOL.
Mabel Osgood Wright. New York.
Macmillan Co., 1907. 12mo. xx +
pages; 48 full-page plates, 12 colored.
. Wright has succeeded in weaving
narrative of a story well designed
the attention of juvenile readers a
ng amount of information in
to birds, much of which, it may be
lec is not to be found in the popular
‘books. The following chapter or
ect headings will give an indication
e book’s contents: The bird—what
>; Migrations; Molting; What the
do for us and what we should do for
ird protection; Housing; Feeding;
s and Hats; The Procession Passes;
and Reviews 41
The Flight of theBirds; Hawks and Owls;
Tree-Trunk Birds; Game Birds; Winter
Birds; Spring Birds; May Birds.
In the arrangement of matter and the
method of treatment the author has had
the needs of teachers in mind; indeed it
was the success of a pamphlet written
for distribution by the Connecticut Au-
dubon Society to the teachers of Con-
necticut that induced Mrs. Wright to
prepare this volume.
Most of the illustrations, including
the twelve colored ones, have appeared
in the Educational Leaflets of the National
Association of Audubon Societies; some
are from ‘Citizen Bird;’ others are from
Brirp-Lore and four of the most inter-
esting are by Dr. C. F. Hodge.
Mrs. Wright also acknowledges her
indebtedness to various writers for quo-
tations from their works, while the Gray
Lady herself presents the subject of bird
study in so attractive a way that she will
be sure to win the attention and interest
of many children who might be repelled
by exactly the same matter less skilfully
chandled.—F. M. C.
Brirps AS CONSERVATORS OF THE FOREST.
By F. E. L. Beat. Rep. N. Y. Forest,
Fish and Game Commission. 1902-3;
pp. 236-274; 14 full-page colored plates.
Mr. Beal quotes Dr. A. D. Hopkins,
who is in charge of Forest Insect Investi-
gations in the Bureau of Entomology of
the United States Department of Agri-
culture, to the effect that the “‘annual loss
_ from insect work on forest trees, and their
crude and finished products, amounts to
at least one hundred million dollars.”
As a complementary statement, Mr.
Beal adds ‘‘One very important means
which Nature has provided for the
restriction of these pests within reasonable
bounds is found in the insect-eating birds,
many species of which spend most of their
lives upon trees, and subsist upon the
insects found thereon.” The memoir is
devoted to the birds of this class, the
food habits and economic value of Wood-
peckers, Titmice, Nuthatches, the Brown
Creeper, the Warblers, Kinglets, Cuckoos
and Vireos being discussed at length.
42
The value of birds. as the distributors
of seeds is also described, the Robin, Cedar
Waxwing, Blue Jay, Crow; Pine Grosbeak,
and Crossbills rendering good service in
this connection.
The part that the birds of prey play in
forest preservation is shown in their de-
struction of the rodents so injurious to
young trees.
The life-like, colored portraits by Fuer-
tes of many of the species mentioned
add greatly to the attractiveness of Pro-
fessor Beal’s paper and increase the effec-
tiveness of the information it contains.—
PyM<G;
The Ornithological Magazines
THE WARBLER.—The third volume of
‘The Warbler,’ which appears as an
annual bulletin of the museum of its
editor, John Lewis Childs, is,a pamphlet
of 56 pages, illustrated with a number of
half-tones and a colored frontispiece of
the eggs of the Santa Catalina Partridge.
Among other articles this publication
contains ‘The. Breeding of the Arctic
Towhee’ and the ‘Rock Wren a Cliff
Dweller,’ by P. B. Peabody; ‘Field Notes
from the. Upper Penobscot,’ by J. W.
Clayton; ‘Breeding of Harlan’s Hawk in
Iowa,’ by Charles R. Keyes, and ‘Long
Island Bird Notes,’ by John Lewis Childs.
There are also two papers by John
Bachman; the first,
Some Experiments Made on the Buzzard
of Carolina—Calthartes aura and C.,
atratus’, contains a record of the experi-
ments on which Bachman’s paper on
the ‘Sense of Smell in Buzzards,’ published
in Loudon’s Magazine of Natural History
for 1834, was based. It is here stated to
be “from original undated manuscript,”
but further details as to its history would
be of interest.
The second paper is’ Bachman’s well-
_ known ‘Essay on the Migration of Birds
in North America,’ which appeared in
‘Silliman’s ‘American Journal of Science’
(1836, pages 81 to 100), but is well worth
republishing, though a reference to the
original place of publication would have
been desirable.—F. M. C.
Bird -
entitled ‘Notes on
“Rosy Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is
Lore
THE Conpor.—‘ The Condor’ for No-—
vember, 1907, contains several notes of
unusual interest on the habits and dis-—
tribution of Western birds. In the opening —
article, which is illustrated by two half-—
tones, Florence Merriam Bailey describes -
the nesting of the White-throated Swifts —
at Capistrano, California, where seven ‘
nests were located in cracks in the walls
of the ruins of the old Spanish mission.
The White-throated Swift usually nests _
high up in the most inaccessible cliffs and
the finding of its nest only a few feet from —
the ground in the walls of a building is a
remarkable, if not a unique discovery.
Of almost equal interest is the record
of the breeding of the Cassin Sparrow
(Peucea cassini) in eastern Colorado.
Under the title ‘A New Breeding Bird
for Colorado,’ L. J. Hershey and R. |
Rockwell describe the finding of the n
in July, 1907, at Barr, about twe:
miles northeast of Denver. The species
common in central and western Kans
and in Texas, New Mexico and Arizo
but has been found only once before
Colorado—a single specimen taken
E. R. Warren, in May two or three
ago, near Springfield, Baca county,
the southeastern part of the state.
present record not only fills in a su
gap in the range, but carries the
distribution of the species 150 miles
of the Kansas boundary. Still
article to which special attention mé
called is that by John E. Thayer on
of the Rosy Gull.’ Mr. Thayer
an adult male, a young bird in the ¢
and four eggs of the Rosy Gull ob
from M.S. A. Bauturlin, a Russia
thologist, who collected them in _
1905, in the delta of the Kolyma :
in northeastern Siberia. The
the rarest of the Gulls. Until r
very little was known of its distr
or habits, as it is an arctic speci
range extends into high latitudes.
Brief notes on the birds observed
a trip through the Redwoods of
Cruz county, California, ‘From
to the Sea’ are given by Milton
Book News
cription of a Piece breeding ‘Colony
icolored Blackbirds’ near Fresno,
alifornia, is presented by John G. Tyler;
G i interesting account is contributed
‘Rev, P. B. Peabody of ‘The Prairie
of Saddleback Butte’ in Sioux
Nebraska, and of repeated at-
_ finally successful, to locate the
site. In ‘A Collecting Trip by
to Eagle Lake, Sierra Nevada
ins,’ Harry H. Sheldon includes
biked: list of 91 species of birds
among other interesting notes,
the nesting of the Cinnamon Teal
e Lake and of the Northern Pileated
ecker near Big Meadows. The
record apparently gives the most
locality at which the Cinnamon
been found breeding in the
articles on Southwestern birds
the list of papers. M. French
concludes his list of ‘Some Birds
west Colorado,’ and Austin Paul
yntributes some brief ‘Summer
m an Arizona Camp.’ The
sting point in the latter article
d of the presence in the Whet-
ntains of three species each
Shers, Orioles, Tanagers and
s, and no less than four repre-
; of the family of Nighthawks
p-poor-wills.
number of ‘The Condor’ ends
> 211 and completes Volume IX—
larger than most of its predeces-
yt the largest in the series.—
Book News
Century’ for January contains
’s remarkable study ‘The Home-
California Condor,’ which those
fortunate enough to hear it will
as one of the most stirring accounts
ld-work ever presented before the
in Ornithologists’ Union.
A. and C. Black (Soho Square,
announce the publication
ls of Britain’ by J. Lewis Bon-
book will be illustrated by 100
and Reviews 43
full-page ‘plates reproduced by colortype
from the originals of Dresser’s ‘Birds of
Europe’ in a manner which, if we may
judge from the specimen plates examined,
will be wholly satisfactory both to orni-
thologist and artist.
In ‘The Nature Study Review’ for
December, Bina Seymour has some ‘Ob-
servations on Barn Swallows’ in which it
appears that two young birds which left
the following day were fed on August 7,
332 times. Feeding began at 6.03 A.M. and
ended at 6.51 p.M. The birds were fed
“almost without exception,” alternately
and the average number of insects for each
young bird is said to be 166, but does
it follow that only one insect was given
each feeding ?
We have received a prospectus of “The
Birds of Maine’ by Ora W. Knight (84’
Forest Ave., Bangor, Me.), which it is
expected will be ready for delivery not
later than April 15. The work will contain
descriptions of plumages .as well as biog-
raphies.
Witherby & Co., 326 High Holborn,
London, announce the publication of a
special photographic number of ‘British
-Birds’ on ‘The Home-Life of Some Marsh
Birds’ by Emma L. Turner and P. H.
Bahr. It is illustrated with thirty-two full-
page plates and many text illustrations.
The price, postpaid, is seventy cents.
The- December, 1907, number of ‘For
California’ (Vol. X, No. 1), issued by the
California Promotion Committee, at San
Francisco, is a ‘Bird Number’ and con-
tains the following articles: ‘Birds in
California’, F. W. D. Evelyn; ‘Birds of the
California Desert,’ F. W. Koch; ‘Birds of
My Winter Garden,’ Bertha Chapman;
‘The Greatest Bird Rookery in the West,’
M. S. Ray; ‘Some Birds the Stranger
Sees,’ Elizabeth Grinnell; ‘Bird Beauty
and Perfection,’ W. E. Ritter; ‘A Bird
with a Language,’ Joseph Grinnell; ‘Birds
of the Mountains,’ W. W. Price; ‘Pasa-
dena Tourists,’ W. P. Taylor; ‘Gulls of
San Francisco Bay,’ C. E. Edwords;
‘The Audubon Society of California,’ W.
Scott Way.
~
44
Hird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
No. 1
Vol. X Published January 1, 1908
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1908, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto: :
A Bird in the Bush is Worth Tao in the Hand
W1TH this issue BrrpD-LORE reaches its
tenth birthday and the Editor knows of no,
better way to celebrate the occasion than
to acknowledge his indebtedness to those
whose codperation has niade these ten
years what we believe to have been a period
of steady progress in the development of
the magazine and in the widening of its
sphere of influence.
Birp-Lore’s defects are apparent
enough and no one regrets them more
strongly than its Editor who ever deplores
that many other demands on his time
prevent him from making the magazine
wholly worthy of the support it has re-
ceived; but let it be said to the credit of
humanity that among the thousands of
letters received from subscribers not one
but has had some word of praise unmarred
by the thorn of fault-finding. :
Surely this is a cause for thanksgiving,
if for no other than purely altruistic
reasons, and very heartily do we express
our gratitude to the correspondents, one
and all, who have so materially lightened
the editorial burden and brightened the
editorial way. :
In response to our request numerous.
suggestions have been received in regard
to the family of birds which shall be figured |
when the Flycatchers are completed.
Some correspondents ask for colored plates
of the Shore Birds some select the Vireos,
some the Wrens, while the greater num-
Bird -
Lore
ber have chosen the Sparrows. On
writer makes the excellent suggestion thai
as much time would be required to com
plete the series of Sparrow pictures
might be advisable to figure the species 0
a smaller family first and names the Wre}
as his preference if such a plan be adopte¢
and we see no reason why it should not b
In the meantime, the processes of repre
duction in color are being improved, an
any delay should be accompanied b
better results. The Sparrows are a far mo)
difficult group to figure than the Warbler
In the latter, large masses of simple cole
prevail. In the former, there is grea
variety both of color and of pattern whi
only the best process can reproduce sat
factorily.
‘Is it due to the greatly increased |
terest in birds that the Eagles on t
ten- and twenty-dollar gold-pieces
met with so much criticism? Twenty
ago, we imagine, these coins might
appeared without occasioning more
ment than has been aroused by other
born birds, whereas now the correctr
or inaccuracy of the Eagles depicted u
them is one of the questions of the +
and the professional ornithologist
to decide controversies in regard t
point or that.
From a purely ornithological
view both birds are incorrect in p
in numerous details of structure
Gaudens was not illustrating a te:
and although he permitted hir
come nearer a real Eagle than,
we are aware, any other design
American coin, he took those
which art warrants and the resu
no more be subjected to techn
cism than should the so-called ‘w
an-angel. It is a question of art,
ornithology. 3
Mr. Henry Oldys, of the Bur
logical Survey, reports the capture at
ahawkin Bay, New Jersey, of a Cany
Duck with a band on its leg mar
O. D. 48.” He would be glad tol
any one who knows of this bird’s |
——— Lhe Audubon Docieties
E, SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
FEBRUARY HINTS
-F the ground is snow-covered in February, you will probably be troubled
a your walks and watching of birds for the glare and reflection of light,
‘ for not without cause did the Red Men call February the “month of snow-
ex ness.” A very simple device may be added to the field- or opera-glass that
I give both relief from the glare and added keenness to the vision, thus:
01 n strong, yet flexible cardboard make a pair of tubes of a size that will fit
sely over the large end of the glasses and project about three inches beyond
e frames; line these tubes smoothly with unglazed black paper,—that which
mes wrapped about photograph plates will do nicely. These tubes cut off
a de light and prevent cross reflection upon the lenses, and have somewhat
‘same effect upon the eye as the ‘stopping down’ of a photographic lens has
ake sensitive plate—greater clearness and accuracy of detail. Nor is the
e of the contrivance confined to winter alone, for it is equally useful when
g at birds across water or against the light, as one must do sometimes,
) = the view of a rare species. Those who find these tubes satisfactory may
hav them duplicated in leather so that they will form part of the permanent
ng equipment. !
his last calendar month of the winter that never really ends until the spring
ox of March 21, is an excellent time for doing a little technical bird study.
me ‘student only knows half a dozen birds, such as the Robin, Barn Swallow,
w, English Sparrow, domestic Pigeon and one of the common Woodpeckers,
as the framework for studying the differences of the six families to which they
by the aid of books and pictures, even if mounted museum specimens
ot within reach, and in this way he will be less puzzled in naming new-
Plumage varies more or less in many species according to season,
sneral build, the shape of beak and claws and the conformation of the
ains the same the year through.
Tf you have not already put up nesting-boxes do it now or your labor is likely
be in vain, except in the case of the Wrens who ask no questions and will cheer-
adapt to their needs a home large enough for an Owl by cramming it full
igs and then squeezing their nest into one corner. The Wren is a most
ble bird in spite of its restlessness and quick temper, for it has no tra-
(45)
46 7 Bird-Lore
dition in the matter of architecture. An old shoe, a mitten, a torn hat, a sh
or a neat house with piazza and overhanging eaves are all the same to it. W
other birds the case is different and the imitation fence-post or hollow limk
must be in place before the first Bluebird, Tree Swallow or Chickadee think
of mating, while I firmly believe that the Woodpeckers and Screech Owls engag
their quarters the fall before and occupy them on winter nights.—M. O. W.
Entangled in the Burdock
The following verses, by one of America’s best-known poets, were inspired by t
photograph of a Goldfinch which lost its life by becoming entangled in a burdo
which appeared in Brrp-Lore for December, 1906.
How could’st thou, O my Mother,
To whom we all belong,
Betray our little brother
Who had the wings and soni is
For Nature’s self betrayed him,
And did with food entice; ae
And none there was to aid him
To slip the thorny vise.
The golden wild Canary—
The child of light and air—
Blithe-hearted, sank, unwary,
Upon the burdock’s snare!
And there he strove and flutter
Through all the long, bright ¢
And many a wild cry uttered
Ere Life took flight away! —
At last (oh, piteous thing!—_
It is for this I weep), F
With head beneath his wing, —
He tried to go to sleep! _
How could’st thou, Nature—
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH ENTANGLED To whom we all belong ~
IN BURDOCK Betray our little brother
Photograph by B. S. Bowdish } Who had the wings and so
—EpitH M., TE
a, EOS a, SE
any
Ane
ene
he
faa:
eh
BRuc
°F
SNOWFLAKE
Family—FRINGILLIDA
Species--NivALIs
Order—PAassERES
Genus—PAassERINA
i ele dee a Gl hese Re,
| eS
: ' }
THE SNOWFLAKE r]
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
— Che Mational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 30
) matter what the weather may have been in December and January,
) sy sure to be a month wherein winter rings all the changes from
in, sleet storms to deep, trackless, obliterating snows. If the winter
ement and open at the beginning, the insect-eating, resident birds—
; , Woodpeckers, Chickadees, etc.,—will be numerous, but if February
to bo reputation of
“When the alake begin to lengthen,
The cold begins to strengthen,”
- rely upon the brave seed-eating birds to be our companions until
‘courageous ‘spring migrants appear.
All winter we have had with us members of the family of
| Fringillide or Finches and Sparrows that have either come
in lingering flocks or merely as birds of passage: the Goldfinch
ber winter dress, the stocky Purple Finch, the handsome White-throated
, the sociable Tree Sparrow or Winter Chippy, chiefly distinguishable
yer size from the gentle little summer resident of the hair-lined nest;
olored Junco, trim of figure, dressed in clear gray, with sleek white
d identifying light beak. In addition to these have come perhaps,
ng trees are near, a mixed flock of American and White-winged
ose strange birds of varied red plumage, beaks crossed at the
d clear metallic call notes.
spring we may predict with reasonable accuracy the coming of the birds
summer residents, as well as the time of passage of the migrants that
ther north, but the comings and goings of the winter birds are fraught
@ uncertainty. Several days will pass when my lunch-counter in the
tree, with its sloping roof of old wood that keeps off wet, will be without
sitor; then, without rhyme or reason, the birds will swarm about it like
: buckwheat,—birds of all sizes, from the Blue Jay to the merry little
Weather, rather than individual will, seems to be the guide and motive
f the winter birds, and this. weather influence works in a wholly dif-
y in winter than in spring. Fair weather draws the birds of spring
it is to the storm-clouds and fierce winds of north and east that we
mpse of the rarer winter birds that make their summer homes in
ee a
eS. cg
_— SS
A «x. en Pe” ~~
——_-
et einb t pean aakdealiad STRAPS
38
4 < Se eet
—_—sS
(47)
48 Bird- Lore
Five birds of the north there are that I never expect to see
His Season during an open winter—the Snow Owl, Pine Grosbeak, Red-
poll, the rare Lapland Longspur who leaves the print of his
long hind toe in the snow to tell of his coming, and the Snowflake,—all but the
Owl belonging to the great family of Finches and Sparrows. When these birds
appear we may know that even if we have had but a light snowfall, there have
been great Arctic storms that have passed off perhaps seaward, scattering the
birds before their fury.
Of all these birds of the wind, the Snowflake is the most winning, allowing
us to come near him as he feeds, and venturing close to our houses, barnyards
and hayricks in search of food, sometimes to the very doorstep itself where,
a few years ago, I saw a small flock of seven feasting upon the waste seeds that
had been thrown out from the Canary’s cage.
Few birds have more appropriate and descriptive names than this, who was
beforetimes called the Snow Bunting, and in the minds of poets and many others
‘confused with the Gray Snow Bunting, now called the Slate-colored Junco by
the Wise Men to stop confusion, as the a has kindred in the West and
South. af
After the snowfall has ceased and we look across the open toward the wooded
strips to see the fanciful shapes the trees have taken, a slight motion draws
eye toward a protected hollow where the bent and broken stalks of mullein,
weed and wild sunflowers still hold their own above the snow.
What is it,—brown leaves drifting about? Impossible! The only uncoverec
leaves are those few that cling dry and rustling to the young beeches and 0a
refusing to let go until the swelling buds of March actually break their x1
Work your way carefully toward the nearest shelter, field- or opera-
in hand, and you will see not leaves, but a flock of plump, compactly built b
a little larger than the familiar English Sparrow. At first you will have diff
culty in separating them from the snow for they are all white underneath an
have much white on the neck, head, wings and tail. Such colors as the Snowf al
wears, is, when seen close, a deep rust-color, but it isso mixed with the wh t
that at a short distance the plumage takes on all the dead-leaf hues of faw
and russet, as if the birds were themselves animated leaves frolicking with 1
blowing snow. When they take to wing they give a sharp call note sor
like the second syllable of the call of the Scarlet Tanager. This is the
flake’s winter dress; in summer he wears clear black and white.
The Snowflake is a summer resident of the Arctic Circle from which,
winter travels, it visits Europe and eastern Asia as well as the Unit
and may therefore be classed with the small group of ¢
His Country polar birds. They therefore nest in the extreme north wi
the tree growth is so stunted that the region is called “the “a
of Little Sticks.” In winter it is to be found jek a New England
irregularly in the middle states. ;
The Snowflake 49
The Snowflake belongs to the ground-loving portion of its
His Nest tribe, if such a distinction is allowable. Not only does it nest
‘ on the ground, but as far as we may judge from its winter habits,
‘spends most of its time there when not in flight. I doubt if it even roosts in trees,
for those that I have seen hereabouts took shelter after feeding, either in a brush-
heap or in the edges of a corn-stack which always affords shelter for birds that
t preter to squat rather than perch, at least in winter.
_ The Longspur clings to the ground in this same way, and the Horned Lark
also, and we can easily see that it would be a matter of heredity in species that
are natives of countries offering such poor perching accommodations in the
‘ m: tter of trees.
Dr. Coues thus describes the nest: “The few nests of the Snowflake that
I have seen were built with a great quantity of a kind of short curly grass which
grows in the Arctic regions, mixed with moss, the whole forming a very sub-
stantial structure, with walls an inch or more thick, and a small, deep cavity.
[his is warmly lined with a quantity of large feathers from some water-fowl.
They are built on the ground, often covered and hidden by tussocks of grass
r even slabs of rock. The eggs are exceedingly variable in color as well as size.
: The ground is white or whitish, sometimes flecked all over with
_ The Eggs __ neutral tint shell-markings overlaid by deep brown spots.
Eo: In other cases, we have a heavy wreath of dull brown blotches
ound the larger end. Those who have seen the Snowflake at home in summer
ak highly of its vocal ability, and have also a good word for the fidelity of the
right bird to its mate and its young.”
To us who may only see the Snowflake in its wanderings, its chief interest
importance is that its coming brings a bit of novelty to the winter landscape,
that it is one of the most furtive of the great tribe of Weed Warriors that,
ugh the very necessities of its existence, consumes vast numbers of
seeds before the growing seasons quickens them to life. The careless land-
‘Owner for the lack of a few days or even hours spent with a scythe in his pasture
and old fields, invites the company of weeds that will not only choke his crops
but rob the very soil of its fertility. Then comes winter, and while the man
withdraws inta his house, and in storms goes out only to feed the cattle, the
and of feathered workers that are a great part of Nature’s scheme of economics,
sil tly, appear, and without confusion fall to their allotted tasks: The Cross-
bi is and Pine Grosbeaks, through their feeding, to plant evergreen forests;
1¢ Waxwings to establish the pointed cedars on bare hillsides, drape the by-
; with bittersweet and mesh the thickets with catbriar; the Myrtle Warblers
to spread the persistent greenery of the bayberry, together with
many other berry-bearing bushes; while the gentle Snowflakes
. in the hollows, always keeping close to the ground, glean from
ie broken weed-stalks that have been overlooked by their kinsmen in the earlier
season of plenty.
;
bia
50 So on Bird - Lore
In addition to this seed food, the Snowflake is known to eat the larve of
small insects and minute shell-fish that attach themselves to the leaves of water
plants and rushes (upon the seeds of which they also feed), so that there is reason
in this varied diet for the usual plump appearance of the bird. 4
Surely, if any bird could be expected to receive hospitable treatment at human
hands, one would think it would be given to these brave children of frost and
snow, the Snowflake and Slate-colored Junco, yet myriads of these have fall
into the snares of the trappers for the sake of the mere mouth-
Destruction of £4) of meat they furnish. Nuttall tells of the way in which they
Snowflakes ; Sones: ‘ s i
were shot every winter on their return to the Scottish Highland
their compact manner of flight making them easy marks for the fowler; while in
other countries of Europe they were systematically caught in traps, when,
being kept and fed upon millet until they had recovered from the fatigue
their long flight, they became in flesh and flavor the rivals of the famous O
A man from our own hill country who, was a boy twenty years ago, told
a few days since, as we stood watching the Juncos picking up mill-sweep
from under my feeding-tree, that “‘at home we always used to catch lots of
Gray Snowbirds every winter, in a box-trap. Good eating they were too—’b
as sweet and tasty as Reed-birds (Bobolink). T’would be a poor winter we be ‘
didn’t get a couple o’ hundred on em. Since the blizzard year (1888) they $0
o’ shied off, and now that the law has set plump down on every sort 0’ sni
the country fellers either has to take bad risks or do with pork meat in wint
No more Partridge runs and rabbit falls, and gray squirrels can sas yer
fire acorns at yer all they like after December and yer can’t shoot back!
It was a new idea to me, this recent snaring of the welcome winter bir
so many of us labor to protect. Alack! behind them the sweep of the blast to
so many succumb from exhaustion, with the haven of food and promised
sometimes leading to a trap, how much greater must be the vital power of
than all the inventions of man, or else there would be no more Juncos or Snx
flakes to fall from the very storm-clouds themselves and beg our hospital
=
SNOWBIRDS
Along the narrow, sandy height Nearer and nearer still they s
I watch them swiftly come and go, And scatter in a circled sweep,
Or round the leafless wood, Rush down without a soun:
Like flurries of wind-driven snow, And now I see them peer and
Revolving in perpetual flight,— Across yon level bleak and gr:
A changing multitude. ~~ Searching the frozen grou
Until a little wind upheaves
And makes a sudden rustling there,
And then they drop their play,
Flash up into the sunless air,
And, like a flight of silver leaves,
Swirl round and sweep away.
—ARCHIBALD LAMPMAN, —
; | Columbia ...
i 2 eS
Bee eee eens Pee ewe ewe ewe wee eee ee ee ee
oa ccneteceeeneetececcescrseeicers ss MRS, Ws. S. HILLEs, Delamore Place, Wilmington.
3. beiN Miss HELEN P. CHILDs, Chevy Chase, Md.
i ee ee
CC i i i i i a ae ir iy
—— The Audubon Hocieties
es EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies; 141 Broadway, New York City
DIRECTORY OF THE STATE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
With names and addresses of their Secretaries
SeaaGisk Med hess danced nai H. L. Smiru, eee:
SAE y Swi at a Ww. Scott Way, Box 62, G
Bess Mere tov eninge See4s ee Mrs. pag A. Suute, Capitol Building, Denver.
ndora.
Mrs. WILLIAM BROWN GLOVER, Fairfield.
RS. I. VANDERPOOL, Maitland.
RE Sn aaa. x ie oo)p's Seinicideawhw sass (dudadecieceeticnancse MARTIN V. CALVIN, Augusta,
es alias 6 o's \5.'s's:0\0 nibs 4h heather Aa hs Miss MARY DRUMMOND, 208 West street, Wheaton.
eek oo | RG AE Oia eas Bis FLORENCE A. Howe, 2043 Hillside Ave., Indianapolis.
Gate s.as Daley .Mrs. WILLIAM F, PARROTT, 302 Franklin St Waterloo,
WR e ae a's eso 5 ad db ding tiecos's wend bo pacess code Miss Ei La KERR, Campbellsville.
eee eee eee eee eee ee ee ee ees
Pee eee wenn
Miss MINNA D. STARR, 2400 N. Charles St.,
Ll eaiedle's:'« MISS JESSIE E. KIMBALL, care Boston Society of Natural History, Boston.
el Rion a biscueieseecevevesse+JEFFERSON BUTLER, 411 Moffat Block, Detroit.
Miss JESSIE WHITMAN, 2356 Bayless Ave., ‘St. Paul.
}ot ess RASS tates eee Miss Juria S: “ScRIBNER, 510 E. Front street, Plainfield,
SP Men aan a CZ T. GILBERT PEARSON, Greensboro.
Mrs. A. G. LEONARD, 897 Belmont Ave., Grand Forks.
ee ee
Miss ANITA PRING, 1682 Peters Ave., New Orleans,
ARTHUR H. Norton, 22 Elm St., Portland,
Baltimore.
ANDREW ALLISON, Ellisville.
MNMRE SD ran ve $s 0s cav vee als et erat AUGUST P caemiea 2516 North Fourteenth street, St. Louis.
Miss Joy HIGGINS, 544 South zoth street, Omaha.
Mrs. F. Ww. BATCHELDER, Manchester.
Miss EMMA H. Lockwoop, Scarborough,
Rae Sed Geis 6 viv ain <a. Uaiee cies Miss KATHERINE RATTERMANN, 510 York street, Cincinnati.
Tee ee ee eee eee eee eee eee es
eee ee ee
ete w ewe tees
s
Te =
ator
hip in the National Association
——
Ye paid annually constitutes a person a Sustaining
_ Member
id at one time constitutes a Life Membership
90 paid constitutes a person a Patron
-00 paid constitutes a person a Founder
© paid constitutes a person a Benefactor
_FORM OF BEQUEST
) hereby give and bequeath to THE
AL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON So-
FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD
yD ANIMALS (Incorporated), of
I New York.
ages FF |
ee ee a er
esha
REE porn Miss ELIZABETH WILSON FISHER, Room 22, 524 Walnut St.,
pieinayivacia Sea ae CER A ae eh
n¢ ...Mrs. HENRY T. GRANT, 187 Bowen street, Providence,
pe seceesceescnseveed AMES
preps Mesed GEORGE A, PETTIGREW, Sioux Falls.
Ce ee)
sees
wate
Se
Ce ee ee ee ee ee es
PORE RES Ait spar Miss DeviA I. GRIFFIN, Museum Natural History, St. Johnsbury.
Ce
i a i Oe ae eed
be iD ie Se a Miss ALMA CARSON, Guthrie.
Dr. EMMA J. WELTY, 321 Montgomery street, Portland.
Philadelphia.
B. MAson, Edgewood Park.
ENRY RICE, Columbia.
Mrs. C. C. Connor, Ripley.
M. B. Davis, Waco.
.C. HouGu, Falls Church,
H. Rrer, 48 Maynard Building, Seattle.
MEE Baga asic baicth sj.0.¢s be'oe ssc Mrs. REUBEN G. THWAITES, 260 Langdon street, Madison,
Mrs. CorDELIA CHIVINGTON, Loveland.
‘Proposed Legislative Work in 1908
MassAcuHuseEtts.—A bill has already
been prepared to make the closed season
for Ducks, Geese, Brant and Swan and the
Shore Birds to commence January first. It
will be introduced in the name of the Mas-
sachusetts Audubon Society. A similar bill
will be introduced in the Rhode Island
Legislature by the Audubon Society of
that state. The field agent and lecturer
of the National Association, Mr. Edward
- Howe Forbush, has these important bills
' in charge and he has already done a large
amount of preliminary work by lectures,
interviews and through the press. He
(51)
52 ane Bird - Lore
reports a healthy and growing sentiment
in favor of this important movement. All
citizens of Massachusetts and Rhode
Island, irrespective of whether they are
members of the Audubon Societies or not,
should give all their influence and support
to these bills. The time has arrived when
prompt and drastic action must be taken
to preserve the water-fowl and shore birds,
else they are doomed to a sure and rapid
extermination. The true sportsmen of
these two states should work for the pas-
sage of the bills in the most aggressive
. Manner in order to counteract the efforts
of those shooters who still selfishly desire
to kill water-fowl and shore birds when
they are on the northward migration to
the breeding grounds. One of the basic
principles of the National Association is
“No Spring Shooting.’’ Let this be the
rallying cry and success for the bills is
assured.
NEw Yorx.—Among the many admir-
able recommendations in Governor
Hughes’ message to the 1908 Legislature,
none was of greater importance than that
referring to game laws. “I recommend
that the Forest, Fish and Game law be care-
fully revised,’’ and ‘1 recommend the
enactment of a License Law.” The present
game law of the state is a mass of contra-
dictory sections and this Association has
strongly advised their revision. This, how-
ever, cannot be done in a satisfactory
manner unless the advice and scientific
knowledge of an ornithologist and mamma-
logist is secured. The executive officers
of the National Association will watch with
interest the results of the important sug-
gestions of Governor Hughes and will be
prepared to use all of its influence to fur-
ther the passage of a revised game law
and also a license law. The New York
Audubon Society will likewise take active
measures to procure such. desirable im-
provements for bird and animal protec-
tion.
NEw JERSEY.—A number of important
conferences have already been held in
this state for the purpose of formulating
plans for the passage of an anti-sp “in
shooting law. Readers of Brirp-
will recall the unsuccessful attempt m
in the Legislature of 1907. This year th
organization backing the proposed bill i
much stronger than it was last ye
further, there is a growing public se
ment in favor of the abolition of sprir
shooting. The Affiliated Sportsmen
Clubs, the Audubon Society and the
Rue Holmes Nature Lovers League
all do yeoman’s service to secure
to-date game laws in New Jersey
place the farcical statutes now in f
\ MaRYLAND.—There is a proba
that some necessary changes in the
laws of this state will be attempted
present session of the Legislature,
plans are not yet advanced far en
report on.
OxLAHOMA.—In this new s
model law has been introduced
Legislature, which is now holding
session. It is House Bill No. 93. It
pushed in the most energetic ma
will undoubtedly become a law,
is a strong sentiment in the state
protection of birds. Bills to
state warden-system, hunting —
close seasons, etc., have also
duced and are receiving deserved :
The citizens of the youngest of
hood of states evidently propose
out right in the matter of bird ;
protection.
Across the Border
The Prince Edward Island
Game Protection Association
excellent work and is rapidly
size. Their last quarterly report
that the Ruffed Grouse which
extinct” is becoming quite n
result of special protection f
“Posters were put up through
cautioning people against
ridge and offering a reward
tion leading to the conviction of an
violating the Game Act.” The f
is of special interest. fin.
iation is accomplishing has attracted
attention of protectionists in the United
s and is being watched with keen
rest. The National Association of
Societies in the United States
presented the secretary with forty-four
able colored lantern-slides, illustrative
d life, to assist him in his work of edu-
1g the people as to the economic value
» birds, and in showing the import-
hg strictly protecting these tireless
f the farmer.
e whole country is Sockintad to
importance of this branch of the
tion’s work. Four districts have
ady asked us to send down the secre-
to lecture on this subject, offering to
the hall and do all the advertising
lubon
:
Game Protection in Texas
Game Warden Lorance recently
ested for killing antelope three per-
tho plead guilty and were fined.
the first case ever recorded in the
r killing Rielone, although it has
_ unlawful for the past fifteen years
1 them. This is one of the results of
long and expensive campaign con-
by the Texas Audubon Society,
s financed by the National Asso-
a, in the Legislature in 1907 for the
i shment of the state game-warden
m. When this new Commission gets
ly organized, it is confidently ex-
ae the illegal shipment of water
rom Texas to northern and eastern
ts will be aaa
> New Metin Societies
tin the past three months Audubon
lave been organized in Mississ-
abama. The former through
rts of our field agent, Mr. Kop-
d the latter by the joint work of
sommissioner Wallace and Mr. E.
> who was elected its first presi-
ssive work is proposed by both
Bee seications, especially along
lines. Mr. Andrew Allison,
The Audubon Societies 53
secretary of the Mississippi Society writes
concerning its organization as follows:
“The Mississippi Audubon Society was
organized in Jackson, Mississippi, on
November 9g, 1907, as a result of faithful
work on the part of the National Associa-
tion’s special agent, Mr. H. H. Kopman.
The attendance at this initial meeting was
not large, but the important classes in
bird-protection work were all represented
—women, farmers, sportsmen, teachers
and lovers of birds just because they are
birds. Addresses were made by Prof. T.
Gilbert Pearson, Secretary of the National
Association; Prof. Geo. E. Beyer, of Tu-
lane University, New Orleans; Mr. H. H.
Kopman, and others. The officers elected
are: Col. T. M. Henry, President; Dr. W.
H. La Prade, Vice-President; Andrew
Allison, Secretary, and Miss Frances Park,
Treasurer. ‘“‘Being delayed beyond the
proper number of Brrp-Lore for reports,
this brief sketch is somewhat unofficial,
and statistics are not in order; but I must
not omit to mention the excellent showing
made by the public school of Ellisville,
which turned in a membership roll of over
one hundred children and nine teachers;
very far surpassing any other school sys-
tem in the state, and proudly carrying off
the highest award donated for the purpose
by the National Association; two recent
and excellent bird books. The State Super-
intendent of Education, Mr. J. N. Powers,
is a charter member, and promises his
hearty codperation in pushing the work
in the schools.
“There is much to be done, for a promi-
nent ornithologist has called our state ‘one
of the best neglected’; but progress is
visible, and we hope to report fair results
at the conclusion of our first year.”
Another Audubon Patrol Boat
In the annual report for 1906, BiIRD-
Lore, volume VII, page 336, our field
agent and lecturer, Mr. Finley, gave a
graphic account of the wonderful bird life
on Klamath lake, Oregon. Such large
numbers of Grebes, Gulls, Terns, Cormo-
rants and Pelicans breed, and the lake is
54
such a resort for Ducks and other species
of birds, that, in order to give the most
efficient protection, it was found necessary
to furnish the warden, Mont. E. Hutchi-
son, with a power boat, to enable him to
patrol the lake and thus prevent the slaugh-
ter of the non-game birds at any time
and the Ducks and other game birds dur-
ing the closed season. The man behind
the gun and his companion ‘‘ Towser” are
always on duty when the lake is free from
ice and they are the means of saving thou-
sands of birds that would otherwise be
sacrificed, some for millinery ornaments
and others from market shooters.
Valuable Club Work
The first annual report of the Committee
on Bird Protection of the Forest and Field
Club of Belmont, Massacliusetts, is given
below. The results secured are so very
excellent that the plan is recommended
highly for adoption by field clubs and
village improvement societies in all parts
of the country. It is astonishing how
many valuable birds can be saved by the
Bird-
Lore
work of a few unselfish and public
spirited persons who will devote a fey
moments of their spare time to this move
ment: .
“‘A new step in bird protection has beer
adopted by the Forest and Field Club o
Belmont. A committee of three wer
appointed, who were empowered to
any money they might raise, as well g
one-half of the surplus money in the club’;
treasury, toward the protection of bir
in Belmont. Every person who owne
any land in the shooting district was
quested to sign the following paper: ‘T, the
undersigned, will allow the Forest ane
Field Club of Belmont to post notices pro-
hibiting shooting and trapping upon mj
grounds, and will allow their game war
dens to enforce these orders, on the col
dition that I thereby incur no expe
As every paper was cheerfully signed, tf
club was empowered to post upwards
two square miles of woodland and pastv
An Italian, interested in bird protecti
translated the following notice into —
proper dialect of his native language: ‘
shooting or trapping allowed within
‘GREBE’ AUDUBON PATROL BOAT
es hia i ee sels
Lene
NO.°5
NO SHOOTING
OR TRAPPING
~ ALLOWED WITHIN THESE GROUNDS
The penalty for each violation of this
order is a fine of not more than $20.00.
Defacing these notices is prohibited by
law, penalty not more than $25.00.
5 00 REWARD will be paid for in-
formation to the Chief
Warden of the Forest and Field Club of
Belmont, which will lead to the arrest of
any person violating these orders.
AVVISO
La Caccia* Trappolare
IN QUESTO LUOGO
E ASSOLUTAMENTE PROIBITO
Per ogni caso di violazione di questo
ordine la massima multa sara di venti
dollari.
Distruggere o scancellare questo ordine
Sara punito con massima multa di venti
cinque dollari.
La Ricompensa di Cinque Dollari
e offerta alla persona che dara informa-
zione al Capo Custode del Forest and Field
Ciub di Belmont, che garantira l’arresto di
chiinfringe questo ordine.
(55)
56
grounds. The penalty for each violation
of this order is a fine of not more than
twenty dollars. Defacing these notices
is prohibited by law, penalty not more
than twenty-five dollars. Five dollars
reward will be paid for information to the
Chief Warden of the Forest and Field
Club of Belmont, which will lead to the
arrest of any person violating these orders.’
One thousand cloth copies of this, printed
in both English and Italian were pur-
chased with money which was raised by
subscription. These were posted over
the entire shooting district and ten volun-
teer wardens were appointed to enforce
them.
“This method has proved very success-
ful, so it is hoped other towns will adopt a
similar plan. Two or three energetic
persons could post their town likewise in
two months. This Committee will send
a sample poster to any person who will
volunteer to start a similar movement in
his town. Address all communications
to Samuel Dowse Robbins, Chairman,
Lock Box 25, Belmont, Massachusetts.”
A New Bird Reservation
The explorations made for the National
Association of Audubon Societies last
summer by Mr. H. H. Kopman, on the
coast of Louisiana ((See BirD-LorE IX,
1907, pages 223-240) having shown that
East Timbalier Island was the seat of
large colonies of birds the United States
government, in response to the request of
the Association has declared this island
to be a “Reservation for the protection
of native birds” as will be seen by the
‘map on the following page.
A Weil-protected Public Reservation
The following letter from Dr. James A.
Carroll, Superintendent of the Indian
Reservation at Mescalero, New Mexico,
shows such an intelligent appreciation of
the necessity for bird and animal pro-
tection and such an active enforcement
of his ideas that it is a pleasure to present
an outline of his work as he reports it:
Bird -
Lore
“T am indeed, quite interested in tk
‘great work now being conducted by
National Association. My interest e
tends even beyond the protection of wil
birds and animals—to the protection ¢
fish as well. And I’ll try to show you th;
this interest is more than a fleeting senti
ment or a pretty theory; that I’ve demor
strated it in a practical manner.
“This reservation embraces an are
of very nearly 475,000 acres of lar
‘Tis a mountainous country, heavi
timbered, fairly well watered, and is
natural retreat for the wild life of tl
section. Bear, deer, lions, wolves, ca
coyotes, badgers, skunks, squirrels, t
keys, pigeons, ravens, doves, quails a
innumerable small birds are found he
There are two beautiful streams on t
reservation and these are teeming
trout. The edible game.I found it
sary to protect, and I did it in this y
I limited the hunting season to two n
and a half—from November 15 to
ruary 1—and kept the Indians’ firea
under lock and key the balance of
year, and I required employees and of
to observe this regulation. In i
does with young fawns have
killed; nor have turkeys hens b
leaving broods of young to die. |
exercised much care in issuing
permits to outsiders. As a protectio
the fish, guards are employed, who j
the streams and admit no one 1
he presents a permit. These
have been operative for four ye:
the increase in game and fish i
wonderful. No effort is made to
those wild animals ‘that are a r
flocks and herds; and, as for suc
are not edible, they are never dist
5.
~ Qualifications Necessary for.
Warden
One of the recommendations
by this Association in its last annua
was ‘‘Civil Service in the app
game wardens; they should p
factory examination showing
the position.”” What constitu
The Audubon Societies
57
EAST TIMBALIER ISLAND RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
LOUISIANA
Embracing the Island segregated by broken lines and designated
“East Timbalier Island Reservation ”
Bae 9020 9015
\a
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
zi
‘|
9020 9015
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner
Diagram attached to and made part of the order dated
December 7, 1907
58 Bird- Lore
The warden should not only be strong
and in perfect health but must be possessed
of bravery, for he is frequently in danger,
especially when trying to arrest aliens.
Moreover, he should have such an interest
in nature that he will be lifted above the
plane of a hired servant and will get some
of his compensation in the pure enjoyment
of time spent in the field and woods,
Political service or affiliations should have
no weight in the appointment of wardens,
in fact, when a selection is being made,
this question should not be asked or con-
sidered. To be properly qualified, a
warden should be able to identify all of
the common birds of his section—the game
birds as well as the non-game birds. A
carpenter or bricklayer who knew no
more of his craft than the ordinary game.
warden of today knows of birds would
never be able to get work. They must be
skilled workmen or they are relegated
to the class of laborers. Why should it be
otherwise with a game warden? In these
days of bird books and leaflets, many of
them profusely and correctly illustrated,
it should be easy for a warden of ordinary
intelligence to qualify by passing an exami-
nation showing that he had a knowledge
of birds as well as their babits and could
make correct identifications in the field
and especially when called upon to give
expert testimony in courts when the identity
of birds was in question. Recently, some
aliens were arrested near Jamaica, New
York, and a warden was called in to testify
in the case. He gave the following testi-
testimony, which shows how well qualified
he was for the place occupied. Six Hermit
Thrushes and a couple of Song Sparrows
had been shot. A police officer testified
they were ‘Brown Thrushes’. The game
protector was called as an expert on birds
and testified that the larger birds were
“Brown Thrushes”, sometimes just called
“Thrushes” and that the other birds were
“Song Sparrows”
finches.””. There ‘was an amusing cross
examination; ‘‘What is the difference
or ‘“‘American Gold-~
between a Sparkling (probably Sta
ling was meant) and a Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch.” The warden
plied “that a Goldfinch went teet-teet-tes
while a Sparkling had a different i
One of the judges said they wished to kn
the difference in appearance, to whic
the expert replied, “ Well, ah, ah, ahei
the Goldfinch is like these birds h
(pointing to the smaller ones) while 1
Sparkling is a little larger and browne
Such a case as the above makes Pr
protection a farce and the work of
Audubon Societies doubly hard. erf
service will not be attained until the m
employed as state game wardens can
inform the inquiring citizen of the nam
a bird and also what its relations toa
culture and forestry are, and can talk
telligently and interestingly on the
Such men can be found; one has
been appointed in Connecticut.
A Wild Turkey Case ©
Our field agent, Mr. Kopm:
only educating the public about
of birds, but is demonstrating that
sale law in Mississippi must not
lated. He recently preferred ©
against a prominent firm of
teurs in Jackson for exposing for sal
advertising that Wild Turkey
served. At the trial it was imp
prove that the portion served
Kopman was from a wild bird
Thompson in acquitting the firm
the following charge to the
“While the evidence is unsuf
warrant a conviction, the phase
case that perplexes me is that a
reputation of cou
to advertise the selling , a an.
were not prepared to furnish or 1
having furnished.” Judge T
further added “‘that the restaura
comply with the game laws, and
should not under any circums
themselves liable to another ¢
1. HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER. 2. WRriGHT’s FLYCATCHER. 3. Gray FLYCATCHER. —
4. BuFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER. 5. WESTERN FLYCATCHER.
PBird= Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
ol. X MARCH — APRIL, 1908 No. 2
The Home-Life of the American Egret
By FRANK M,. CHAPMAN
With photographs by the author *
WENTY years have passed
since I saw in Flor da my first
Egret, but I retain a clear-cut
mental picture of the scene in which
the bird’s snowy plumage shone against
a darkly wooded background with
surprising whiteness. It seemed an
ethereal creature, too pure for earthly
existence, a veritable Bird of Paradise.
Nor has subsequent familiarity in any
way decreased this impression of a
certain angelic quality,—due no doubt
to the dazzling purity of the bird’s
plumage as well as to the charm of
its haunts.
It was the large Egret (Herodias
egretta) I saw. The Snowy Egret
(Egretta candidissima) is a daintier,
more exquisite bird, but, in nature,
GRAVELY THE PARENT STOOD cannot always be satisfactorily distin-
REGARDING ITS YOUNG” guished from the young of the abundant
ttle Blue Heron, while its much smaller size makes it a far less impressive
ure in the landscape than its stately relative. Furthermore, the Snowy
evs recurved plumes are more highly prized than the long, straight ‘Aigret-
Of the larger species, and even twenty years ago, it was a comparatively
€ bird in Florida. Today it is on the verge of extinction.
1) My experiences, therefore, have been with the larger Egret. Long have
ought to find it at home under conditions suitable for reproduction in the
*See, also, Photographs in Brrp-LoreE for December, 1907.
60 ai Bird- Lore
series of ‘Habitat-Bird Groups,’ in the American Museum of Natural History.
A few nests were discovered here and there, but always, when a rookery (‘heronry’
is not used in the South) of promising size was reported, the plume-hunters arrived
first and word came that the “long whites have all been shot out.”
Thus year by year the Egrets have decreased in number. I miss the white
gleam of their plumage in the dark cypresses and over the brown marshes. With
them has gone one of the most distinguished figures of the Florida wilds. The
state, learning. the value of the treasure of which she has been robbed, has passed
COLLECTING A CYPRESS TREE FOR THE EGRET GROUP IN THE
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
|
stringent laws prohibiting the killing of Egrets. So, too, she has passed .
against pick-pockets, but just so long as there are pockets worth picking there)
will be some one to pick them, and just so long as Egrets’ plumes are worth their’
weight in gold there will be some one to supply them, until, a passing fancy!
gratified, the last plume has found its way from the bonnet to the ash- barrel.
Without one promising lead to follow, I had virtually abandoned the Egret
hunt, when from an unexpected quarter word came of an Egret rookery cred "
table to the days of Audubon. It appears that, when a vast territory was acquiret
as a game preserve by a club of sportsmen, it contained a few Egrets, ae
of a once flourishing colony. After seven years of rigid protection, they and Be
;
= — ——
The Home-Life of the American Egret 61
progeny form so conspicuous an element of local bird-life that, on the evening
of May 7, 1907, as I reached the region in which they lived, I saw them in dozens
flying toward the still distant rookery.
The return at nightfall of birds to their nests, or to a certain roosting-place,
is possessed for us of that interest which is attached to all the intelligible actions
of animals. The knowledge that the creature has a definite plan or purpose
seems to emphasize our kinship with it. So we mark the homeward flight of
Heron or of Crow, and, knowing whither they are bound, travel with them in
fancy to the journey’send. This has been
a fatal habit for the Herons. It mattered
little how secluded was the rookery; the
hunter found it simply by following
their line of flight.
My way to the home of the white-
plumed birds was less direct. For hours
a little home-made tug, with a swelling
wave at her bow, took me through a
succession of bays, canals, cut-offs and
serpentine creeks, frightening the Galli-
‘ules and Blackbirds in the reeds, and
surprising an occasional alligator on his
favorite mud bank.
_ A night’s rest, and in the morning
the journey was resumed through park-
like pine forests and under the moss-
hung live-oaks, with every tree and
plant by leaf and blossom, and every
bird by plumage and voice, proclaim-
ing the sweetness, beauty and joy of
May. Ten miles of spring’s’ pageant
jbrought me to the moat of the Egrets’
jstronghold. Here I entered a boat, to
Ipass through an apparently endless
| There are delights of the water and
Melights of the wood, but when both are LOUISIANA HERON’ ON JTS:NEST
‘combined and one’s canoe-path leads through a forest, and that of cypress clad
‘)n new lace-like foliage and draped with swaying gray moss, one’s exultation
pf spirit passes all measurable bounds. No snapping of twigs or rustling of
Njeaves betrays one. We paddled so easily, so noiselessly, that we seemed as
auch inhabitants of the place as the great alligators that sank at our approach.
The Fish Hawks whistled plaintively, but settled on their nests as we passed
below them; the Wood Ducks led their broods to the deeper woods; Pileated
62 Bird - Lore
and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Crested Flycatchers, Tufted Tits and glowing
Prothonotary Warblers, at home in holes in the cypress; Parula Warblers weay-
ing their cradles in the Spanish moss,—all accepted us as part of the fauna,
and it was not until we reached the first dwellings of the rookery that our pres-
ence caused alarm.
Here, at the tops of the tallest cypresses, seventy to one hundred feet from
the water, the Great Blue Herons had built their broad platforms. With pro-
testing squawks, they stretched their legs, folded their necks and took to the air,
leaving their nearly fledged young to peer over the edge of the nest at the dis-
turbing object below. With no less concern, I looked at the disturbing object
above. If the Egrets had chosen similar nesting sites they could be photog-
raphed only from a balloon.
“ THEY CAME CAUTIOUSLY TO THE MORE DISTANT BRANCHES” 2
Beyond the Great Blue Herons, was a settlement of the singularly marked
Yellow-crowned Night Herons. Their nests were within fifteen feet of the water,
but they slipped away, so quietly that only close watching showed them dis-
appearing through the trees beyond. For two miles we paddled thus in@
bewildering maze of sunlit, buttressed cypress trunks with shiny, round-headed -
‘knees’ protruding from the water, and with every branch heavily moss-draped.
The dark waters showed no track, the brown trunks no blaze. We seemed t0
be voyaging into the unknown.
Finally, the environs were passed and we now approached the most densely
populated part of the rookery. Thousands of Louisiana and Little Blue Herons |
left their nests in the lower branches and bushes, their croaking chorus of alarm
punctuated by the louder more raucous squawks of hundreds of Egrets, as they
ew from their nests
n the upper branches.
t was a confusing and
inating scene, an
dmirable climax to
weird forest.
For a time, I was
ontent to sit quietly
n the boat and revel in
the place, my en-
yment unmarred by
e thought that at any
oment Satan, in the
lise of a plume-
ter, might enter
Eden.
The Little Blue
Louisiana Herons
sted at an average
it of six to eight
- One bush held
s than thirty-two
all of which con-
l eggs, few young
‘'s there were
fledged young.
before found
the birds were
undantly wary,
to advantage
n concealment.
me search, a
nests was dis-
The Home-Life of the American Egret
TO AND FRO WITH CURVED NECK AND
STREAMING PLUMES”
A SUDDEN TURN
63
64 Bird - Lore
covered which it -was believed could be studied and photographed from a
neighboring tree, distant some thirty feet. An umbrella blind of pale green
cloth was therefore placed in the tree at a height of forty-five feet, and liberally
draped with Spanish moss. It was arranged to fall over a limb which, for
vit
A.
RY
EGRET APPROACHING ITS NEST
The train of closed plumes reaches.several inches beyond the tail. Bill retouched by Bruce Horsfalt
several hours during each of the three succeeding days, served as the perch |
from which my notes and photographs were made. I have had more comfort
able seats, but few that were so enjoyable. From the concealment of the same |
blind, it had been my fortune to watch Flamingoes, Pelicans and many other
ss]
}
}
~
cs
—
r=
o
-
e
ry
o
s
Zum
0°?
4 bo
Ha
<6
Ho
ee
oer)
as
2a
nae
‘S
B
&
a
o
Le
oO
fy
to
q
3
°
>
66 Bird - Lore
ground-nesting birds at close range; but never before had I attempted to entet
a bird colony in the tree tops, and the experience was as exhilarating as it was
novel. The Little Blue and Louisiana Herons soon returned to their nests below,
the former noisy and quarrelsome, calling at each other notes which sounded
strangely like ¢ell you what, tell you what, the latter less demonstrative and more
quiet. The Egrets did not accept the situation so readily. Seven pairs were
nesting in the trees near me. Some had eggs, others young birds in various
stages of development. Flying to and fro, with curved neck and streaming
SRG a
REALIZATION—EGRET FEEDING YOUNG
|
|
|
|
plumes, the parents inspected the blind for some time before they ventured to
alight in the home tree. Then they came cautiously to the more distant)
branches, there to remain indefinitely, while uttering a protesting, rapid cuk-"
cuk-cuk with the regularity and persistance of a metronome. Their strong de- |
sire to return to their nest was expressed in an alertness which led them t)
make frequent changes of attitude. In a large series of pictures of waiting birds
no two have that wonderfully expressive neck in the same position. It ™ .
remarkable how the pose of this member affects a Heron’s appearance.
Doubtless, the young birds were not a little puzzled by the unusual reluctance)
of their parents to administer to their wants. In vain they uttered their frog
ae
The Home-Life of the American Egret 67
like kek-kek-kek, and stretched their necks hopefully. The old birds were not
assured. So the young resorted to their customary occupations of leg- or wing-
stretching, or yawning, or preening a brother’s or sister’s feathers, picking at
imaginary objects here and there, all good exercises for growing birds. The
larger ones made little journeys to the limbs near the nests, the neck taking a
different curve with every movement, and expressing every emotion from extreme
dejection to alert and eager expectancy. Finally, as the old birds were convinced
that the blind was harmless, their reward came. With harsh, rattling notes
and raised crest one of the parents alit near the nest. Its superbly threatening
EGRETS ‘DISPLAYING THEIR PLUMES
From the Habitat group in the American Museum of Natural History
Htitude was clearly: not alarming to the young birds, who welcomed it by voice
d upstretched, extended neck. Gravely the parent stood regarding its young,
ile its crest dropped and its pose relaxed. Then, as it stepped to the edge of
€ nest, it lowered its head, when its bill was immediately seized by one of the
ungsters. The young bird did not thrust its bill down the parental throat,
Tt was the parent’s bill introduced into that of its offspring. The hold of the
ung bird was such as one would take with a pair of shears, if one were to attempt
: cut off the adult’s bill at the base. In this manner the old bird’s head was
#awn down into the nest, where the more or less digested fish was disgorged,
¥ at once devoured by the young. :
Three days passed before pictures were secured of this singular operation,
‘|
i
68 . Bird - Lore
which, so far as I‘am aware, has not been before described or photograph od.
Doubtless, it is more pleasing to the young Herons than to others less materialh
concerned, and I confess that I prefer to recall the Egrets flashing white agai nsi
the dark water, gleaming like snow on the sky, or raising their plumes in dainty
coquetry, as the bird on the nest greets the approach of her partner.
spring returns, thanks to the vigilance of their guardians, I can so recall them
and with the assurance that new homes have been added to the settlement i
the cypresses. .
The Background of Ornithology
Read before the twenty-fifth Congress of the American Ornithologists’ Union
By SPENCER TROTTER, Swarthmore College
se | ‘HAT strange mystical sense of a life in natural things, and of 1
life as a part of nature, drawing strength and color and character
local influences, from hills and streams and natural sights and so
Such are Walter Pater’s words in an attempt to analyze the genius of W
worth and his poetry. But these influences are not peculiar to the poet
the artist. Every one who has come under the charm of nature knows full
what Walter Pater means by “that strange mystical sense of a life in natu
things,” that “drawing strength and color and character from local infh
To the scientific mind, this may not have the same subtle significance, t
sense of close relationship that marks the poetic mind; for the scientific ¢
toward nature is less subjective than that of the poet. And yet, in a wa
all poets, and much of the joy of our work in the field of science spri
that subconscious self that lies deep in the world of natural things. |
It is the happy province of ornithology to have in its subject matter
_of beings at once engaging, appealing to the imagination, and varied in’
evoked. No matter how far we may pursue the attractive though devi
of nomenclature, of generic, specific and varietal distinctions, there v
be some bird that hovers in the background of memory,—some song, so:
some flock of elusive migrants, each blending with some never-to-be-
scene. Perchance an old garden, a windy autumn sky, a delectable
spot, a wide stretch of shore. In some such scene we come under the spt
bird-life, with an abounding zeal to know more and yet more of its fascim
problems.
How many birds are associated in our memory with a particular lz
and how often a bird’s voice embodies the spirit of a place. The cool
of the northland are blent with the mellow flute notes of Thrushes; the
spirit of summer woodlands finds voice in the untiring chant of the
Vireo; the tide-rip is in the scream of the Tern, as it follows the shiftin
How much of shade and solitude there is in the Cuckoo’s gut
of mystery, like the “wandering voice” of its European congener.
The Background of Ornithology 69
| _ And, again, in the names of birds, how much of the real life is embodied
mn these. The vernacular is often the expression of subconscious genius, a genius
r naming things as old as the race itself. I have traced in old vocabularies,
far back as that of A’lfric (955-1020 A. D.), the vernacular of a number of
ar bird names. Thus ‘gull,’ as the word stands in our modern dictionaries,
have been derived from several sources; either from the voracious feeding
of the bird, or from some notion of foolishness or stupidity connected with it,
r even from the yellow color of its beak. Skeat would derive it from the second
ove noted, which is Celtic in origin—“so called,” he says, “from an untrue
Otion that the Gull was a stupid bird.” But the name of this bird in the Anglo-
1 con tongue is true to the life—haefen blaete—literally a “haven screamer.”
over,” again, is close to its old French and Low Latin origin—meaning
rain, or belonging to rain—probably, as Skeat suggests, from being
seen and caught in a rainy season.” Its German name, regenpjeifer—
n piper’—suggests a similar idea.
jong our own birds, this same genius for names has been at work. What
) “appropriate title than ‘Bobolink’ for the gay jingler of our meadows, or
licker’ or ‘Phoebe,’ ‘Veery’ or ‘Hermit,’ ‘Chewink’ or ‘Chickadee,’ or that
ay of Warbler names so rich in color suggestion ? What other Sparrow could
een the Song Sparrow —or what other one the Chipping Sparrow? Names
ive of haunts call up a background picture of sea beaches in ‘Sandpiper’
id ‘Sanderling’; of bosky glades in ‘Woodcock’ and ‘Wood Thrush,’ and of
homestead in ‘Barn Swallow’ and ‘House Wren.’ Even scientific nomen-
has been touched by this genius for names. What more appropriate
group of Woodpeckers than Dryobates, a treader of oaks; or the name
1 to one of its varietal forms—hyloscopus, watching over woodland;
, a dweller in meadow grass, is a poem in itself, and Hesperiphona, the
yoice—is the golden glow of the West.
‘That dual personality that haunts most of-us is strangely alive in the orni-
ist. Even in the most rigidly scientific devotee, in whom the pleasure
ns altogether to be in the pursuit of the determining character or the qualify-
, there is still joy in the living bird and its background. And often this
er scientific knowledge brings a deeper and more real appreciation of the
ret quality of bird life. Bliss Perry has somewhere remarked on two con-
led points of view regarding the Skylark—two definitions that stand for
poetic and the scientific type of mind. “In the Century Dictionary,” says
ry, “the Skylark is described as a small oscine, passerine bird of the
PP Alaudide . . . insectivofous and migratory; in your Shelley the same
is pictured as an unbodied joy.” Now these two definitions are both admir-
and both may be entertained by the same mind, and I hold that to the
Lic spirit the first—the scientific definition—is rich in poetic suggestion.
t more delightful conception than that of oscine—the ancient name for a
ing bird, one whose notes were augural, whose syrinx—a reed pipe borrowed
——
s en r "i . >
NTI FG EE ee
es ee ee ee ee
— Dp
ff oe
Lae vas
POR SE A Sa
— a
70 Bird - Lore | | .
from the great god ‘Pan—charms us to thisday. Curiously enough, too, the Lark
is apparently connected in the old Celtic mythology with a notion that its song
was of ill omen, and ‘laverock’ has the same significance. Alaudide, fr
Alauda, a supposedly Celtic word meaning the high song. “ Insectivorous”
calls up a picture of the bird foraging over arable land in quest of its choice food,
and “migratory’’ has in it all of the mystery and fascination of that marvelou
instinct of bird life. Scientific knowledge, aside from its recognized utility,
is thus an added power for appreciation.
Ornithology has a literary background, as well as the larger —
of nature. Who has not some richly stored memories of Wilson or of Audubon?
To have come upon these books in the formative period of one’s life was inde “
a happy circumstance. I remember one spring, many years ago, poring ov t
the second volume of The Birds of America. Each plate and its accompanying
text became a part of my mental life. And that May I saw my first Warbler r—
a Chestnut-sided—an atom of the migratory wave, of which I then knew nothing
swept, as I thought, by some miracle, into a solitary tree in the back yard of a
city residence. Audubon’s account of this species was to the effect that he hi le
shot five of these birds one cold May morning in the year 1808, at Pottsgrove,
Pennsylvania. Whatever else he had written was for the moment forgo i
I had seen the sixth individual of its kind, and I went to school that day in as al
of mind which only those who have had a like experience will understand. An
Wilson was a delight. An early edition of the ‘American anys: wa
an heirloom in my family. It was deliciously musty, and the plates had n
copper-colored impressions on the opposite pages of the text. In the distributi ic
of things, these volumes drifted to me, and a turn of their old leaves still unlock
a gate that opens on ‘The Road to Yesterday.’ ik
Those of us who acquired a taste for ornithology in the seventies can ei
forget the ‘Key to North American Birds,’ ‘Birds of the Northwest,’ and F
Ornithology’, nor Samuels’ ‘Birds of New England’, nor Baird, Brewer a
Ridgways’ work, nor even the old Smithsonian ‘Check-list.’
This reminiscence suggests another background—that of history
change of habit and of habitat of many birds, as the forests were cleared and t
land became domesticated. I have elsewhere dwelt on this aspect of our |
life in a paper published some years ago in the ‘Popular Science Monthly.”
that paper, entitled ‘Birds of the Grasslands’, I thought to show that cert
of our eastern field birds—those that are peculiar to the open tracts of co inti
like the Vesper, the Grasshopper and Savanna Sparrows, the Meado wie
and the Dickcissel—might be a surplus population from the prairie region. .
history of the Dickcissel in the east gave a strong color to this view. It was eit
this or a radical change of habit in the several species concerned. T oda J
not feel as sure of the solution as I did at the time of writing that paper. —
problem to me, however, is one of very great interest—this effect of the s
ment of a country on its bird life. If I may be allowed to quote a pz
The Background of Ornithology 71
that article:—“ We can picture to ourselves a few prairie stragglers finding
way into the newly cleared lands of the settlers and gradually establishing
elves in the eastern fields. By what route they came is a matter of con-
—probably from the southwest in the northward-setting tide of the
‘migration, or possibly by way of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
.” Still, as I said before, I do not feel quite so sure of the actual facts as
fifteen years ago. One acquires a habit of enjoying the idea—the broad
with its hazy outlines—without bothering about the finished picture.
ttlement of the land has, as we know, greatly altered the status of bird
d has added a background of domesticity quite as charming in its way_as
erness.
other background which some of us—not all of us—love—the orni-
’s own collection. That collection made in the days of one’s youth,
ecimen, ill-shapen though it may be, forever potent to conjure the scene
hour of its eventful capture. And the smell of those old boxes and chests
ers—what fragrant memories are evoked!
backgrounds seem to me to be the very soul of ornithology. What
of science comes nearer to satisfying that primitive instinct in a man—
finct that takes him into the woods to hunt and fish or for the mere sake
ing the senses in the fresh, rank life of things, and at the same time
atly satisfying the acquisitive and classifying habit of mind?
h one of us holds some secret key—some open sesame—into the delight-
sround, and in the words of Keats in his “Ode to a Nightingale” so
apostrophize the bird of our imagination—
“Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown;
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seds, in faery lands forlorn.”
;
The Nest in the Gutter
By GILBERT H. TRAFTON, Passaic, N. J. 4
Photographs by the author © i
E
a bird’s nest on the roof of the house. I went out to investigate, think-
ing that an English Sparrow had probably chosen the gutter for its
nesting site; but I was much surprised to see the white-tipped tail and black
bill of a Kingbird projecting from the sides of a nest which was closely fitted
into one end of the gutter. This suggested one of the first steps in the proces
of evolution by which the Kingbird may change its nesting habits to adapt ther
to the advent of man, as its cousin the Phoebe, and other birds have already
done. I had seen a Kingbird keeping watch in a neighboring orchard, but I
had not supposed its nest was so near. As I was watching, one of the birds flew
to the edge of the nest, and, after waiting till its mate had come and settled or
the eggs, flew away. 4
Lest the birds might be frightened away, I decided to make no examinati:
of the nest till the young had hatched. During the following week a bird ‘
almost constantly on the nest. Several times I observed the bird on the n
being fed by its mate, and from my observations I judged this to be the wa
in which the bird usually obtained its food. On one occasion, the birds cha a
places on the nest. 3 a
On July 6, I first saw the yellow bills of the young appear over the ed
of the nest, while the parent was standing by with outspread wings to shie
the young from the intense rays of the midday sun. I then ventured for the fi
time to look into the nest, using a long ladder reaching to the eaves. As I ascen 1
the ladder and came near the nest, both birds flew furiously around me, utt
ing loud cries and dashing at my head with a whir of wings and snap of th ,
which suggested an unpleasant experience in case the birds came nearer. 4
nest contained four little ones, covered with a soft white coating of long 1
down, looking like so many balls of freshly combed cotton. Be
During the first part of the day, my presence near the corner of the 101
even while on the ground, was sufficient cause for the birds to fly around, ut
ing cries of alarm, but later in the day they became quiet, so that 1 was abl
remain near without disturbing them. That the birds might become acc a
to the ladder, I left it near the nest for the first day; on the following for
a tripod was attached to the ladder, and in the afternoon the camera was § e'
and the first picture taken, using a long piece of linen thread to snap the sh a
Although the birds flew at me fiercely while working at the camera, yet no $ 30%
had I reached the ground than one of them was at the nest. =
The day was an exceedingly hot one, and the parents spent most of.
during the middle of the day standing over the nest with wings outsp
shield the young from the hot sun, themselves panting, meanwhile, wi
(72)
(): the morning of June 30, my little girl informed me that she had seen
The Nest in the Gutter 73
opened bill. After I had taken the first picture, the bird remained standing
q ietly over the nest while I changed the plates, focused the camera and snapped
he shutter for another exposure.
Pictures were taken every two or three days, but the longer I worked with
the birds the more fierce became their attacks upon me, quite in contrast with
ag of Chickadees with which I had been working a few days before, which
e and fed their young without paying any attention to me while I was stand-
a near, arranging the camera. After the second day, whenever I approached
r enough the nest to set up the camera, the Kingbirds flew at me furiously,
poising themselves above me and then darting quickly at my head, now com-
ng y near enough to strike me with their bill. In no case was blood drawn, but, as
r usually struck about the same spot each time, I was glad of an excuse
| 4 poover my head with a cloth
While focusing the camera. Their
wwe seemed to grow from day
) day, and on the morning of
e fifth day my appearance out-
oors was the signal for both
tds to hover over my head and
itte loud cries, while waiting for
pepportunity to dart down at
In the afternoon of the same
14 while I was watching the
birds from a distance of about
fifty feet, one of them, which had | ea
e n standing on the gutter near KINGBIRD SHIELDING YOUNG FROM
he nest, suddenly made a dash wejscgammmmas Oy CAIN lt
ight for my head with such speed and quickness that I barely had time to
y up my arm to ward off the attack. They never attacked me unless both
were present, and even then only one came near enough to strike me.
An occurrence on the fourth day, which might have resulted in a tragedy,
! ous tended to, strengthen the feeling of antagonism which the birds dis-
. It was an extremely hot day, and, as there were no trees near the house,
r Bened a bough of a tree to the ladder in such a way as to shade the nest.
Ithough the birds attacked me vigorously as usual, I thought that the shade
nt prove just as grateful even if furnished against their will. During the
te noon a terrific thunderstorm arose, in which the rain fell in torrents and was
mpanied by a gale of wind which blew the bough and ladder past the nest,
off one of the shingles near. After the storm I looked at the nesting site,
ng to find that the torrents had washed the nest and young from the
, but fortunately everything was as usual, and apparently both nest and
i ‘were in as good condition as ever.
he food given the young seemed to consist chiefly of small insects, too
74 Bird - Lore
small to be identified, even with a powerful field glass. Occasionally a mul
berry was brought from a neighboring tree. During the second day the parent
spent most of their time standing over the nest with outstretched wings, to prote¢
the young from the sun’s rays. During the middle of the day the young were fe
only occasionally, but later in the day they were fed oftener; but still they wel
shielded by the parents, who changed their position a little to one side, as
sun sank nearer the horizon. Likewise, on the forenoon of the fourth day, # t
morning being very hot, the attention of the parents was given to hove
the young rather than to feeding them. Later in the forenoon when the sk
became clouded, they stopped hove
ing and fed the young oftener. TI
was the last day that the birds we
observed to shield the young from
the heat of the sun. 4
The work of feeding the young
was about equally shared by bo
birds, who showed themselves © 7
this, as in other ways, a loyal a
devoted couple. After feeding ~
young birds, the parents would —
quently remain standing on J
gutter shielding the nest, or at so
point near, till its mate return:
The frequency of feeding seet
to depend on the age of the
the kind of day and the
day. The older the young g
oftener they were fed. D
first few days they were fed
on a cloudy day and less ©
KINGBIRD PREPARING TO ing the middle of the hot days
ee NG attention of the parents bein g
gaged in protecting the young from the sun’s rays. ‘a
Observations were made every few days on the feeding habits for pet
ranging from thirty minutes to two hours, with the following results.
Day Kind of day Time of day Times fed in| a
Second <6 ..6k: rarest Very hot....... ->{Noon .... 5.4.3 05 of
Pout eine eats Very bote. uueiod Middle of forenoon......---- ;
Sixth eoeeio: ch ae Medium. 2: 12 Last of forenoon ......-.----10.
Myo hth: Gris ais oan Medium iri. os 320 Middle of afternoon .......--
Ninth Ge ee a Medium cos 3 Middle of forenoon ......----
Frequently food was brought so oiten by the parents that one was obli
wait near the nest till its mate had finished disposing of the provisions W
was parceling out to four hungry mouths.
sture. One of the Doves was on the
when discovered, but no eggs were
nt. This nest was afterward aband-
, for some unknown reason.
her nest of this species was noted
y 28, in the same general locality,
placed on the ground. The nest,
imple affair of dried grasses and a very
twigs, was situated at the foot of a
about half-way up the side of the
and contained two fresh eggs with
bird sitting. Three days later the
as revisited but the eggs were gone
d the nest apparently abandoned.
similar nest was located by another
- earlier in the season. This one was
id at the base of an apple tree in
‘an extensive orchard, and also
ed eggs.—A. D. TINKER, Ann
Mich. —
A Winter Robin
us occured to me that the readers
D-LORE might be interested to
that, on January ro, the writer
Robin in the city of Chicago. The
very much alive, although appar-
puzzled and disturbed. It was in a
the side of a bricked street, within
s of Lake Michigan. The mean
ire for that day was 36°; the
was bare, and the wind from the
‘The first dates on which a Robin
| by the writer for the past three
are February 24, 1905, February
5, February 16, 1907.—PERCIVAL
IN, Chicago, Ill.
a ilatnce’s Remedies
does not run this world on
arian principles. If any forms of
yme too numerous, she finds a
check them. And while it may be
on the individual, and may cause
inking people to call it cruel, yet it is
e law of the universe and is for
of the community. There ‘have
eral exemplifications of this law
sylvania recently. For years the
Sparrows have been an ever-
Notes from Field and Study 83
increasing nuisance to both farmers and
town-dwellers, but there is a measure of
relief in sight. In West Chester, a town
of 11,000 people, there are dozens of little
red and gray Screech Owls hiding in the
old dead trees in daytime, and at night
sallying forth to make a meal on the
English Sparrows. They are making their
mark, too, for the Sparrows are becoming
less abundant to a considerable extent,
and the people have come to a realization
of the good the Owls do, and are giving
them protection. Along this same line
might be noted the entire absence, during
the past season, of the potato bugs. Some
disease seems to have attacked them,
and last summer they were absolutely
wiped off the face of the earth so far as
this part of the country is concerned.— -
ROBERT P. SHARPLES, West Chester, Pa.
Over-productive Robins
A friend of mine, a physician and a
thoroughly reliable man, tells me of a pair
of Robins which rather overdid the matter
of brood-rearing last summer, in the town
of Strasburg, this county. They built
their nest on some vines trailing about a
veranda, so that they could be easily
watched. Instead of laying the usual
Robin clutch of eggs, the female laid
eight. My informant declares that they
were all Robin’s eggs, and none of them
the eggs of the Cowbird. He says he has
known the Robin’s eggs since his boyhood
. days, and cannot be mistaken in this
instance.
In due time all the eggs were hatched.
As the bantlings grew, the nest began to
overflow, and, one by one, at least three,
perhaps four, of them were crowded over
the edge, fell to the ground, and were
found lying there dead, still too young to
be taken care of outside the nest. Four
of the birds remained in the nest till they
were able to fly, when they were brought
off safely. I do not believe such over-cal-
culations are frequent in Robindom, or in
any other part of the bird domain. Do
other observers know of such instances ?p—
LEANDER S. KerysER, Canal Dover, O.
Book Mews and Reviews
GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE. A lecture
by W. H. Mutiens. London. Witherby
& Co., 326 High Holborn. 1907.. 8vo.
32 pages, 7 plates. Price 2s. 6d., net.
Every American nature-lover who visits
England without making a pilgrimage to
Selborne fails in his duty to Gilbert
White’s memory and to himself. The
reasons why one should gladly pay his
tribute to White are obvious; but, if this
father of local naturalists had not made
his own little world famous, it would still
be well worth seeing for its own sake, and
particularly for the opportunities it offers
to the stranger to become acquainted
with the commoner English birds. But,
whether or not one can enjoy the charm
of Selborne’s pastoral beauty and _ its
vivifying influence on his impressions of
White, Mr. Mullens’ treatise is well worth
having for the information it contains of
White, of Selborne, and of the classic
‘Natural History and Antiquities.’—F.
MC.
BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA IN RELATION TO
THE Fruit INpustRy. Part I. By F
E. L. Beat. Bulletin No. 30, Biologi-
cal Survey. 8vo. roo pages, 5 plates. 4
Professor Beal has passed three fruit
seasons in California, gathering the
material on which this important paper
is based. The comparative scarcity of
wild fruits in the regions devoted to
orchards, together with the fact that
orchards developed by irrigation prove
attractive oases for many species of
frugivorous birds, has made the destruc-
tion of fruit by birds a more serious
question in the West than it is in the
East.
Professor Beal presents at length the
evidence he has secured by observation
in the field, and by analyses of stomach
contents, and concludes that only the
House Finch or Linnet is_ sufficiently
destructive to fruit to warrant a reduction
in its numbers. Other species may appear
to be harmful, but a record of their food, at
all seasons, shows a balance in their favor.
(84)
_ the publication of lengthy lists of names
York Zodlogical Society. As Mr.
‘remarks, “It has long been kno’
None of those, he says, most directiyl
concerned ‘‘advocated measures for the
extermination, or even the material de-
crease, of birds.” ‘We can’t get along
without the birds” was a sentiment voiced
by many and endorsed by all.
List OF BIRDS LIVING IN THE NEW YORK
ZOOLOGICAL PARK, December 31, 1906.
Reprinted from the Eleventh Annual
Report of the New York Zoological
Society. 20 pages.
In an editorial footnote to this publi-
cation, we are informed that “‘in the great
majority of cases the Society holds tha
is uninteresting to the public and therefore
undesirable.”” An exception, newer nas
been made in the present case, “partly on
account of the universal interest in living
birds, and also because of our need of.
printed check-list of our bird collection.”
Without pausing to inquire why lists
of the mammals and reptiles living in the
park would not also be both interesting
and useful, we are sure that avicultu ists
artists and bird students in general wil
welcome this statement of the splendi
collection of birds which Mr. Beebe, th
Society’s Curator, has brought toget
Fo Me.
GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN BIRDS
EspECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EFFEC
or Humipity. By C. Witt1aAM BEI EE
Curator of Birds. Zoologica, Vol. 1, N
1. 8vo., 41 pages, 5 half-tone pla
Published by the New York Zoolog
Society.
Zodlogical parks are so often ¢
sidered mere menageries for the e
tion of living animals that we
think with satisfaction of Mr.
admirable work with the birds of th
many mammals, birds and rep
habiting a moist, humid region sl
much darker or increased pigment!
of the hair, feathers or scales th
viduals from drier localities.”” Mr.
Book News
° ver, is, we believe, the first naturalist
) demonstrate by actual experimentation
e relation between humidity and inten-
ty in birds’ colors.
He presents a historical review of the
and discusses dichromatism and
melanism, but the chief interest
paper centers in the results of his
ction of a White-throated Sparrow,
Wood Thrush and Inca Doves to an
osphere with a humidity of 84 per cent,
ng .I1 greater than the mean annual
y of New York City. In each
, after a period of between two
ze years for the Thrush and
vy, and as many as six years for
f the Doves, the plumage showed
eat increase in pigment, the Sparrow
ng nearly black, the Thrush and Dove
e black areas largely increased.
no case, it should be noted, was there
ha ‘e without molt.
iscussing the philospohic aspects
Mr. Beebe concludes that
OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICUL-
JRE ON THE WoRK OF THE BIOLOGICAL
VEY. Senate Document No. 132.
907. 8vo. 29 pages, 6 maps.
imagine that even those who are
ar with the admirable work
Biological Survey will be surprised
summary of what it has accom-
ed since its formation. The results
S investigations of the food habits of
_ have formed the very backbone of
ection throughout this country,
cited as models wherever the sub-
onomic ornithology is considered.
anal and systematic work, aside
+ its importance in_ establishing
s, is of the highest scientific
, its activity in game protection
t the provisions of the Lacey act,
strengthened the game laws of every
ad territory by unifying the interests
and Reviews 85
involved, and arousing a spirit of codpera-
tion among those whose ag it is to pro-
tect our wild life.
The Survey has published over 7,000
pages of printed matter. Most of this
is unique in character, or, in other words,
if it had not been prepared by the Sur-
vey it would not be in existence; which
is only another way of saying that if it
were not for the researches of the Survey
we should not know much more about
the general food habits and economic
value of our birds and animals than we did
twenty-five years ago.
On the merits of this summary, the
Survey clearly deserves to be ranked
among those branches of the government
service which are making returns of the
most practical value to the people.—
F. M. C.
REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU
OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY FOR 1907. By C.
Hart Merriam. From Annual Reports,
Department of Agriculture, Washington,
1908. 8vo. 23 pages.
The wide and varied field covered by
the Biological Survey is evidenced by
this summary of its activities during 1907.
In economic mammalogy, the Bureau has
investigated the relations of coyotes,
wolves, rabbits and other destructive
native species, of house rats and bacterial
diseases. In economic ornithology, work
has been done on birds in relation to scale
insects, to fruits and to the cotton-boll
weevil. The food of wild Ducks is: being
investigated and a report on the food of
Grosbeaks has been concluded. A report
on means of attracting birds is promised,
but, in the meantime, information in regard
to this subject may be obtained on appli-
cation to the Survey. A bulletin is also
in preparation on the distribution and
migration of shore birds.
Other phases of the Bureau’s work, to
which attention is here called, are the
distribution of trees, the establishment
of life and crop zones, the supervision of
the importation of foreign birds and mam-
mals and of bird reservations, the protec-
tion of game in Alaska, the publication
of the game laws of the United States and
86
Canada, and other bulletins in connection
with the enforcement of the law.
The publications of the Survey during
the year include one ‘North American
Fauna,’ two ‘Bulletins,’ four ‘Grosbeak’
articles, two ‘Farmers’ Bulletins,’ eight
circulars, the Report of the Acting Chief
for 1906, and nine reprints of former
publications. This is a record entitling
the Survey to the thanks of every one
interested theoretically or practically in
the increasingly complicated economic
relations of our birds and mammals.—
F. M. C.
Our Birp ComRADES. By LEANDER S.
Keyser. Rand, McNally & Company.
12mo. 197 pages, 16 colored plates.
Mr. Keyser here brings together in a
well-printed volume a number of the
studies from nature for which he is so well
known. The character of these essays is
indicated by the following titles: ‘Begin-
ning the Study,’ ‘Making New Friends,’
‘Wildwood Minstrels,’ ‘Chickadee Ways,’
‘An Alpine Rosy Finch,’ ‘A Bird’s Educa-
tion,’ ‘Bird Flight,’ ‘A Bird’s Foot.’
Mr. Keyser bases his writings on origi-
nal observation, and they thus have
an ornithological as well as a popular
value.
The colored plates from mounted birds
are far from satisfactory.—F. M. C.
The Ornithological Magazines ©
THE AuK.—The pages of the January
number are monopolized by local lists and
migration data of more or less general in-
terest. Several contributors lay emphasis
on the unusual coldness and. backward-
ness of the spring migration season of
1907, together with the resultant destruc-
tion of bird life. The Rev. G. Eifrig
furnishes observations made at Ottawa,
Canada, Mr. N. A. Wood records the.
unseasonable conditions that prevailed,
even in June, at Ann Arbor, Michigan,
and Mr. L. H. Porter reports a number of
species nesting about two weeks later
than usual at Stanford, Conn. In contrast
is the extremely early autumn nesting of
Bird - Lore
if the price of ink has gone up.
the Barn Owl, Mr. A. T. Wayne recoré in,
a nest found in South Carolina in Sep
tember. “a
Mr. A. C. Bent’s ‘Summer Birds ¢
southwestern Saskatchewan’ and Mr.
S. Cameron’s ‘Birds of Custer and Day
son Counties, Montana,’ are conclude
in the present issue. There is also a oc
list by F. H. Allen of ‘Summer Birds o
the Green Mountain Region of souther
Vermont,’ and an important contri
by Mr. E. T. Seton, entitled ‘Bird Re
from Great Slave Lake region.’
sidering the interest that attaches t
latter little-known region, it is a
of regret that we find neither an introd
tion nor even an itinerary of what was e1
dently a very interesting trip. A
other things, Mr. Seton found
authentic nest of Harris’s Sparrow (.
trichia querula) that has been
In passing, we would say that ab
tions such as we find in Mr. All
should be avoided. It is bad eno
be obliged to interpret with a ke
isks and other marks that have a d
meaning in every local list one refers
but to read that a species is ‘comme
L.; less so at W. B.’ makes one
Mr. S. Buturlin, writing of
spotted Bluethroat of Alaska,’ cons
it identical with the Siberian form }
bears the name Cyanecula suecica
and Dr. J. A. Allen, in discuss’
Generic names Mycteria and
decides that our Wood Ibis
known. as Mycteria americana.
Dr. C. W. Townsend, in
the Status of Brewster’s War
minthopila leucobronchialis), :
T. Nichols, in discussing ‘Lav
Brewster’s Warblers and Mer
heritance,’ revive an old problem ¥
adducing new facts, and leave it,
in theory, just where it was tw
or more ago. ‘ase
Mr. J. H. Sage’s account of |
fifth meeting of the Am
thologists’ Union is instructive,
reviews and notes that close t
are numerous and varied.—J.
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
d to the Study and Protection of Birds
; ICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
d by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Published April 1, 1908 No. 2
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
in the United States, Canada and Mexico
nts a number, one dollar a year, post-
PYRIGHTED, 1908, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
‘ie Bird-Lore’s Motto:
re i in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand
PRIL 1 is the New Year of the Middle
‘s bird students’ calendar. March,
1 s brought evidences of return-
kat it is not until the end of that
h that we are thrilled by the spirit
ig. Where, before, we would hasten
Is of time, now we would check
1; stretching the succeeding two
ths into four. :
ation and realization. Greeting
ravelled migrants with the joy of
st meeting or with the deeper pleas-
of association. Surely, in all nature
nothing to compare with this
the birds!
field-glass student the question
ation is now a living one in every
the world. But he may be as-
t the best substitute for the bird
adetailed description of it, written while
is in sight. Put down everything you
in se ee, and, if you cannot identify the
er yourself, send the description
1¢ number of Brrp-Lore’s Advisory
il. If the bird is very rare or acci-
ite a detailed description whether
gnize it or not. The description
far more convincing than your
sment that you saw this rare bird
better than a description, but
possible to get, is an identi-
Editorials
87
fiable photograph of the bird. Few observ-
ers are as fortunate in this respect as our
correspondent Mr. Brown, who reported
the presence of a Rose-breasted Gros-
beak in northern New “Jersey in Janu-
ary and February. No bird of this species
should have been in the United States
at this season, and our request for a photo-
graph on which to base the record was
replied to, as will be seen, in the most
satisfactory manner.
AN Index is not generally considered
interesting reading, nor is it customary
to buy an Index without the matter to
which it refers, but the Index to the
eight volumes of the ‘Bulletin of the Nut-
tall Ornithological Club’ and seventeen
volumes of “The Auk’ is an exception to
the first rule, and warrants a violation
of the second. It is virtually a summary
of what has been done in ornithology
during the most important twenty-five
years in the history of that science, the
150,000 entries being arranged by authors,
subjects, common and scientific bird’s
names and localities.
The Index might be supposed to relate
only to the papers contained in the publi-
cations mentioned, but as a matter of fact
it has a much wider scope. Under the
editorship of Dr. J. A. Allen, the ‘Bulletin’
and ‘Auk’ have acquired the well-deserved '
reputation of publishing the most ex-
tended, satisfactory and authoritative
reviews of ornithological literature which
appear in any journal. These reviews
being as carefuily treated as the original
contributions to the ‘Bulletin’ and ‘The
Auk,’ their subject matter also becomes a
part of the Index, adding greatly to its
value.
_ The Index was prepared under the
editorship of Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr.,
who is to be unreservedly congratulated
on the completion of his labors and on the
admirable manner in which they have
been performed.
Durinc March and April the Editor
who will be in the field, asks the indul-
gence of correspondents.
The Audubon Docieties
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
A GOOD EXAMPLE
‘ \HE honorable President of the National Association of Audubon
cieties had a birthday in January—his sixty-second—more power to him
In some way the fact leaked out in spite of the very quiet celebration 0
the event, and some of the members of the La Rue Holmes Nature League whi
are pupils of the public schools of Chatham, Orange, and Summit, New Je sey
were moved to write their congratulations to Mr. Dutcher. J
As it is impossible to print all of the letters, the two below printed are give
as showing two opposite styles—the imaginative and the directly practical. |
for congratulations and the best wishes for many years ahead, for our President, a
filled with the work that is his greatest joy, all those who have worked with hir
and know his singleness of purpose, will heartily join with the children.—M. O. V
Summit Pustic ScHoor, No. 1, Sumit, N. J., January 17, Sn
Dear Mr. Dutcher:—I am a boy in the Summit Public School. I know t ;
you cannot be thanked by the birds you have saved. I do not think I
thank you very much, but as I grow. up I am going to save all the wild
and flowers that I can. This will be the way I can thank you.
I also wish you a Happy Birthday and many of them.
Your unknown friend, OscaR HELLQU!
Summit, N. J., January 17,
' My dear Mr. Dutcher:—You probably do not know me, but I do kn
I am a Partridge. I live in the woods in New Jersey. One of my childr
this morning, “Oh, mother! What a beautiful day it is.”
I said to him, “Well, I think you had better thank Mr. Dutcher for
if it were not for Mr. Dutcher you would probably be dead by now, kil
naughty hunter.”
He then said, “Mother, I want you to write Mr. Dutcher and tha
for telling those naughty hunters not to kill us.” |
So I am writing to thank you for passing laws so that “ those naughty
cannot kill us. Your bird friend, E. N. Par
This is the letter Mrs. Partridge gave me this morning. I feel the
toward you, myself, for protecting our pretty birds, and wish you
Birthday and many of them. Yours truly, SADIE C
(88)
The Audubon Societies 89
_ The Audubon Society of Connecticut is about to try a new plan for stimulating
‘the work in schools and keeping the local secretaries in touch also.
As all the work in this state, as in many others, is done by those who work
the love of it, and who are not able to devote more than a small portion of
ir time to it, a new office has been created, that of School Secretary.
e This position will be filled by a young lady who has not only been a teacher
of teachers, and therefore knows the limitations as well as the requirements for
bird work in the public schools, but has had success in speaking to children
and teachers as well in the interest of the Audubon work. +
_ There are often people who would be willing to become local secretaries and
rganize branch work if they knew exactly how to proceed, but it is not always
to impart this information by either printed directions or letter. To meet
e prospective workers half way, the School Secretary is prepared during the
ng to visit central places in each county of the state, where a sufficient group
of those interested desire to talk over the various branches of the work, and
‘receive directions by word of mouth, with the added inspiration that comes from
personal contact with one fitted to explain, as well as fired by enthusiasm.
Any one living in the state, interested either in introducing protective bird
idy into a school, or of forming a local circle of the Audubon Society, may
¢ dress Miss Hurd, 43 West avenue, South Norwalk, Connecticut.
FLORIDA SCREECH OWL
Photographed by George Shiras, 3d
THE SONG SPARROWS
The Sweet Singers
a i ia ee se
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che Mational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 31
All birds have some-sort of claim upon the attention, through knowledg
of individual habits or economic worth, even when beauty of plumage or song
does not hold our attention. There are birds that we should miss if they disap:
peared from the places where we have been accustomed to find them, but th er
are others that we simply could not get on without, and the Song Sparrow i
one of them. Song Sparrow? It would be better to say Song Sparrows, as’ i
shy, yet friendly, bird in its adaptation to the various conditions that enabl
it to live in so many parts of North America, has developed a score of speci
that vary more or less in size, color and markings, yet every one of these h ni
the attributes for which we love our own little Eastern Song Sparrow (Melospi
cinerea melodia) so well that we forget that he is not the only one. a
In alarge family like that of the Sparrows and Finches, to which our Sw
Singer belongs, one would expect to lose sight of the streaked brownish |
with the large spot in the center of his breast, as if Natu e
His Kindred blended two or three of the smaller specks, in order to aid
identity and help us out. But no, the Grosbeaks and Cross
may compel the eye as they flash in and out of the trees; the Juncos, Sno
and Red-polls cheer us in winter; but, when the March sun releases the
brooks, what voice is it that first rejoices at the sound and tells us of i
Song Sparrow! Up floats his cheerful ditty from the alders—‘*W
sweet, sweet and very merry cheer!” before his cousin the Gold
donned his yellow spring jacket with black sleeves and cap, or the tr
the gentle soft-eyed Chipping Sparrow is heard from the grass before
Our Song Sparrow is one of the little group of birds that may
winter residents in the middle New England states. This does not 1
all of these Sparrows remain the entire season in their
nesting haunts, for even the hardiest birds shift abo
winter season. The Song Sparrows we see from No
March are apt to be those that have summered considerably farther n
thus, some of the birds that bred in the region of Quebec would be likely
in Massachusetts, while the Massachusetts birds would come on to-
cut, New York, Pennsylvania, and so on. Neither will the Sparrows
so plentiful even in the middle parts of their range as in summer, as by ur
Season and
Range
(go)
SPARROW
Order — PASSERES_ Family — FRINGILLIDA
Genus — MELOsPIZA Subspecies — CINEXEA MELODIA
The Song Sparrows : QI
ater number will go to the southerly limit, lured by. mild weather and the
nore generous food supply. |
The range of our Eastern Song Sparrow is through the whole of eastern
forth America westward to the plains. It nests from Virginia and northern
mois up to Manitoba and Quebec, and winters from Massachusetts and
outhern Illinois down to the Gulf of Mexico. When you realize what different
sonditions obtain in the various parts of this great range, you will at once see
w very adaptable this Sweet Singer is to all sorts of climate and food con-
tions. For though we may not think them plentiful birds, from their rather
r ive ways, habit of spending much time in river brush, and never gathering
great autumnal flocks, like some of their kin, yet they are one of the few species
t have everywhere increased rather than diminished.
he difference in the time when nesting is begun by different species of birds
_ will have taken wing, and from that time until well into April
J the summer residents will come along, not in flocks, but one or
two at a time, appearing near the old nesting places. April is
obably the best time to hear the most voluble and unguarded song of the
Sweet Singers, for, as they do not begin to nest until early May, there is no
es ity of secrecy of movement or choice of singing perch.
T is a fact to be noted, that the hardiest birds, or those first to arrive, are by
neans those that nest first. The large birds, Owls, Hawks, etc., take the lead
ne smaller birds; the Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch and Robin only
a April. The Song Sparrow and Phcebe (who returns in March) wait
y; and the Goldfinch and Cedar Birds, both sturdy winter residents,
t until almost the end of June.
Th Song Sparrow conceals its nest with the greatest care, either in the mazes
L w bush, in the division of the branches of a shrub just above ground,
re bits of bark and dry leaves have colletced, or on the ground itself between
. tussocks that not only conceal the nest, but are sometimes woven in with
rootlets, plant fibers and shredded bark of which the nest is formed. Like
ipping Sparrow or Hair Bird, it sometimes uses horsehair for an inner
z, and the four or five bluish white eggs, profusely marked with reddish
yn, are always softly bedded by fine grasses.
The Sweet Singer does not always use the best of judgment in choosing
e that is to hold its nest, though this I have found applies strictly
> second nest built in middle or late June, when, being attracted to the
rt garden by the bird-bath in the corner, a pair of Sparrows built a nest
1g the flower-heads of a bunch of feverfews, that faded and left the nest
ed at the very time that the youngsters needed the most protection.
fuch as they resent the company of humans near their homes, they made ~
) ection to the strawberry basket that was secured under their nest, to keep
2 n tipping sidewise and dumping its load on the bare earth; neither did they
92 | Bird - Lore
take fright at an old palm-leaf fan that was turned into an umbrella to suppl
‘the shelter that the fading flowers had promised. q
If you wish to have Song Sparrows about the house, remember that ther
is no greater lure for them than water. It may be that constant bathing is or
of the secrets of their good health, for certain it is that they-are free from man
of the epidemics that destroy so many birds. I have seen the pair of birc
belonging to the fan-covered nest bathing when the June twilight was so dee
that I could not distinguish their markings, and identified them by the sh ut
alarm note of “dick, dick!’’ and the fact that while they were splashing in
bath the nest, in which the young were then well-feathered, was left ungue
for the moment; but as soon as my motions attracted their suspicions they
peared close by and tried to. scold me away and preen their soaking fe:
at the same time.
All through the long nesting season the Sweet Singer
Its Food an insect eater, both in the feeding of its young and la
its own diet, while for the rest of the year it may be co
the front ranks of the Weed Warriors, and at all times it may be included
the birds who do no harm to the fruits of farm and garden,—such h
it takes usually being of small wild varieties.
The chief dangers that threaten this wholly lovable bird are from egg-
boys, the domestic “relapsed” cats, and the sort of civilization that r
cuts down woodlands for the evolution of the land to building lots, but f
scarifies the field edges and roadsides, in a foolish craze for cleaning up,
the wild hedges that mean so much to one’s inner sense of beauty and the
of the eye.
I have spoken of the adaptability to the many climates of its re
species, the Eastern Song Sparrow. The changes wrought by the neces
have developed many species in more widely separated parts of our
are very interesting and worthy to be remembered. Our Eastern bird
in reddish brown and with black streaks; tail with a decided reddish tin
parts streaked with black, edged with rusty brown, these streaks
close in the middle of the breast as to form a large spot. Our bi
than 64 inches long and has a good-sized bill. It has an unmistaka
and yet, though its notes vary indefinitely even in a single bird, its
typical of the whole tribe.
The size and plumage of the other Song Sparrows nearly a score
ber, vary with the climate and rainfall of the locality in which
found,* and it is interesting to follow these variations on the map.
Our Sweet Singer lives altogether east of the Rockies. At the extreme
portion of Alaska is found the largest bird of the — the Aleut
Sparrow.
*See Climatic Variation in Color and Size ‘of Song Sparrows, F. M. Chea in
Vol. VI, p. 164.
E
e
é Coming down to the coast of British Columbia and southern Alaska, where
he rainfall is 125 inches a year, we find the Sooty Song Sparrow, the darkest
f all in color.
When we reach the arid regions of Nevada and Arizona, with a rainfall of
ynly six inches, we find the palest of all, the Desert Song Sparrow; and, finally,
n the Mexican—Central America border lives the Mexican Song Sparrow,
he least of all. So, whether we live north, south, east or west, we shall have this
veet singer with us, who will surely reveal himself; and if we do not, at first,
“cognize his plumage, will sing his way straight into our hearts.
a ve
The Song Sparrows 93
DISTRIBUTION OF SONG SPARROWS ey
Photographed from an exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History.
Published by permission from the American Museum Journal.
The Audubon Hocieties
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
WE NEED
More members in the Association, in
order to increase our influence and our
working fund. The question has often
been asked by members, ‘‘What can I
do to heip?” The reply is always, ‘‘ Get
some friend to join the Association.’”
If every one of our thousand members
will do this, it will so enlarge and strengthen
the Society that it will not be necessary
in the future to reluctantly refuse to con-
‘sider propositions for additional lines of
bird-protection work. With the financial
‘support of two or three thousand addi-
tional members, the Association will be in
‘such a position that it can commence at
once to carry out several important plans
that we are now compelled to ignore.
We wish to stop Robin-shooting in
the South during the winter and spring.
We wish to stop Dove-shooting in all
of the states where it is now legal to kill
these valuable birds.
We wish to remove the small shore
birds from the list of game birds.
We wish to agitate for a close season
of five or ten years on the Wood Duck
and Bartramian Sandpiper.
We wish to prepare the way in all
parts of the country for a uniform law,
‘stopping shooting of every kind of game
birds from January first to a reasonable
‘open season in the fall of the year.
We wish to increase the educational
work through the public press.
Above all, we wish to increase our out-
put of educational literature to the school
children of the continent.
The importance of all of the above
suggestions must be manifest to every
(94)
thinking mind, and we commend th
to the thoughtful consideration «
members of this Association espe
and to the public generally.—W. D
A New Bird Reservation
There should be no limitation
activities of the members of this A
ciation in seeking new tracts that ca
set aside as bird refuges. All isla
the coast or in any of the interior la!
especially in the great West, shoul
investigated, to ascertain whether
fowl or other birds nest there in an
bers. If such is. the case, a report
be sent at once to the headquai
the Association in New York Cit
is an important work that can be
on by any member, and, in view <
fact that the nesting localities of
and shore birds in all parts of the
are being rapidly restricted, it is it
that refuges should be made wh
can still breed, in order to p
termination. Islands or ma
cannot be used for agriculture
steading will make admirable
ing reserves. A report of the
the place, and the approxima
and kinds of birds breeding th
that is necessary in the first
its receipt, inquiry will at once
in Washington as to whether th
still belongs to the Federal Ge
and, if such proves to be the «
plication will be made to haye |
as a reservation.
One of our interested me
siding in Illinois, but who
winters south, discovered just st
;
be
~ MOSQUITO INLET RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
FLORIDA
Embracing all mangrove and salt grass islets, shoals, sand bars
sand sand spits in Townships /6 and 17 South, Range 34 East, Florida.
segregated by broken lines and designated “Mosquito Inlet Reservation”
a ——<—
Bag)
T.1/6 8S. .
~~ RS
TI7S.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Richard A. Ballinger, Commissioner.
[DIAGRAM ATTACHED TO AND MADE A PART OF THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER DATED FEBRUARY 24, 1908.)
(95)
96
last fall in Florida, which he reported, and
we now have the pleasure of announcing
that by Executive order the tract was set
aside, and is now known as ‘‘ Mosquito
Inlet. Reservation.”—W. D.
Executive Order
It is hereby ordered that all small
mangrove and salt grass islets, shoals,
sand bars and sand spits, situated in
Mosquito Inlet, and in and near the
mouths of the Halifax and Hillsboro
rivers, in townships sixteen and seventeen
south, range thirty-four east of the Talla-
hassee meridian, Florida, and _ located
within the area segregated by a broken
line, and shown upon the diagram hereto
attached and made a part of this order,
are hereby reserved and set aside for the
use of the Department of Agriculture as
a preserve and breeding ground for native
birds. This reservation to be known as
the Mosquito Inlet Reservation.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House,
February 24, 1908.
An Ideal Game Commission
A state may have excellent game laws,
but they are never self-enforcing. Ala-
bama, however, is fortunate in ‘having a
commissioner who is especially active,
and the result is that the deputy wardens
have a like activity. It could not be other-
wise when they periodically receive letters —
like the following:
“Your attention is directed to the fact
that many will attempt to hunt this month
who have not secured a license for the
year 1908. This violation of the license
law, or any other, will not be tolerated by
this department. The true sportsmen of
the state have gladly bought hunter’s
licenses, and all others who hunt must do
likewise.
“Tt will be well to inform the people
of your county that this requirement will
be rigidly enforced. You can best give
publicity to this fact through the medium
of the press, and it will be largely in the
Bird -
interest of game preservation for you
Lore
converse freely with the editors of the
papers in your county, that they
publish all the news relating to convicti
and the enforcement of the law. Exami
and have your deputy ask to see the licens
of every one going hunting, found huntin ng
or coming from hunting. If a hunter ;
required by law to have a license and ha
not procured the same, arrest should ,
made on the spot and prosecution inst
gated. It is unlawful for any person t
carry game on a train without a h
license (see Section 42). Remember
all non-game birds are protected exc
those especially exempted in Section 5.
the game law. The time is at hand
Robins will be passing through Al
and those who kill these harmless
ters should be prosecuted. Enfor
law to the very letter, for only by |
course can the conduct of a public of!
be endorsed and upheld by the p
he serves. Have your next grand jur'
vestigate fully all infractions of the ¢
and fish laws.” 3
The instructions to the wardens
give particular attention to the pro
of the Robin is especially pleasing
Association, in view of the fact t
many other parts of the South.
ported that Robins are being |
the thousands.
Stories of this character are not
absolutely reliable, but so much
mation has lately been received
subject that it is undoubtedly
Robins are being slaughtered
numbers. A valued correspon
Florida writes: Robin-shooting is n
done by negroes, boys and unedu
persons, but also by those who . i
on a higher plane. One woma
a barrel of Robins’ feathers last
Education is needed in that
the finances of this Association
at the present time permit of :
work along this line. Is there
person in the North, where the R¢
one of the most cherished of the
birds, who will establish a spec
be used in a campaign of ed
winter home of Robins, that they may
ve there the same care that is given
in other parts of the country ?—W.D.
Alien License Law
opos of the discussion now going on
eral states in regard to license laws,
y be noted that, as might be expected,
trongest reason for a high alien
is furnished by the actions of
themselves. The most important
of the license is not revenue
ough that has its importance and is
able), but the fact that it restricts
aliens (largely Italians) from hunt-
t all, and enables wardens to more
investigate the hunting done by
e who continue to go gunning.
ng from a country devoid of ap-
ition of the economic value of birds,
where the smallest of feathered
ures are considered legitimate prey
lf ood for man, Italians are strongly
lined to shoot the song birds of this
intry, as the most easily secured dainty
idd to a none too varied larder. Despite
that has been made for them by
of the newspapers, viciousness,
much as ignorance of the law, is
| by these aliens, as evinced by fre-
assaults on wardens who are en-
g the laws. The case of game war-
Daniel Edwards, of Beacon Falls,
, whose face was filled with shot
Italian violator of the game law,
fresh in mind. This is. perhaps, the
atrocious case, but the news items
into the National Association
contain very many accounts of lesser
fs and threatened assaults on war-
¢ months since, one of our special
, an enthusiastic bird student
nest protectionist, was trying to
yme of the violations he had fre-
witnessed on his outing trips near
York. On September 14, last, he
id an Italian, at Rockaway Beach,
one and one-half miles from the
Da station, using two wounded Semi-
Sandpipers as decoys. I told
The Audubon Societies
97
him that he was violating the law, but he
pretended not to understand me. I
picked up one of the struggling birds,.
when he said, in fairly good English,
‘let go, or I shoot!’ I walked toward him
holding the bird behind me, intending to-
explain the case to him. We were then
about ten or fifteen yards apart. He dis-
charged one barrel of his gun, intending,.
I believe, to scare me. Although most of
the shot went wild, four pellets lodged in.
my right leg, below the knee. Seeing that.
he had hit me, he turned and ran, with
his bag, in the direction of Jamaica Bay,
where there are numerous small houses..
I tried to follow him, but my leg incon-
‘venienced me and I was soon out-dis-
tanced. Returning to the beach, I killed
the remaining bird, having killed the
other while talking to the Italian. I then
removed two of the pellets, being unable
to dislodge the other two, as the calf of
my leg was already inflamed. I hurried
home and dressed my leg, removing the
other two shot next morning.
I have been to Rockaway twice since rit
but I pare not encountered my assailant
again.”
An alien license, high enough to be al-
most prohibitive, in all states where aliens.
are found in numbers (which means.
almost every state in the Union), is one
of the most important measures of game
legislation, not only in the interests of
the preservation of game, but also for the
better safe-guarding of life and limb of
the wardens.—B. S. BowpisH.
The Plume Trade*
The official report of the feather sale of
August 2d states that there was a small
quantity of “‘Osprey” feathers offered,
and only a small attendance of buyers.
The quantity catalogued was 315 packages.
The Birds-of-Paradise offered numbered
3,831, besides seven packages; all sold at
a decline in prices. Albatross wing quills
fetched $d. to 34d. each. Bustard wing.
quills 4d. to 44d. a bundle, the pro-
vision of quills being very large. Emu ,
skins were 10s. each, and Crested Pi-
98
geons 6s. each. A’ peculiarly deplorable
feature of the sale was the offer of four
packages of Lyre-bird tails; this beautiful
bird is found only in Australia, and is
being driven deeper and deeper into the
bush in ever-decreasing numbers, on
account of the persecution it meets with
in the interests of the plume-trade.
Birds-of-Paradise continues to be a
leading feature of the plume sales in
London, and will apparently continue to
be so until the last of these exquisite birds
has found its sepulchre in a Houndsditch
~warehouse, unless measures are taken
for its absolute protection throughout
New Guinea. At the sale on October r5th,
over 7,000 were offered, and nearly all
“sold with good competition;” for that
of December 17th, 4,667 were catalogued.
‘The packages of ‘‘Osprey”’ feathers num-
bered 548 and 200 respectively, a large
proportion being advertised as ‘East
Indian.”’ Other features of the two sales
were 100 Lyre-bird tails from Australia,
.96 Impeyan Pheasants (presumably from
India, whence their exportation is illegal),
and a large number of Coronata Pigeons
and of Albatross quill feathers.
Plume-Hunters in the Soudan*
The French government has, it is an-
nounced, decided to supply funds for a
thorough test of the question whether the
Ostrich can be successfully domesticated
in the French Soudan. Anxiety on the
‘subject has arisen from the fact that the
natives of Upper Senegal and Niger are,
at the instigation of the plume-hunters,
rapidly exterminating both Ostrich and
Heron. Dr. Decorse, who has_ been
investigating the matter for the Govern-
ment, accordingly recommends an effort
to farm the former bird, as is done so
commonly in South Africa, by the estab-
lishment of large ranches where the birds
may be kept as much as possible in the
natural state. With regard to the Herons,
only one course is possible if the birds are
* From “Bird Notes and News,” organ of the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, London,
“England. Autumn and winter numbers, 1907.
Bird-
Lore
to be preserved. The hunting of them is
to. be entirely prohibited for two years,
and reservations are to be set apart in
which the natives are never to be permitted
to hunt the species.
Attracting Birds
The writer is preparing for the National
Association of Audubon Societies a mono-
graph on “Methods of Attracting Birds
Around Our Homes.”’ The purpose is to
make this a comprehensive summary of
what has been done by bird students
along this line, and to collect in one pam-
phlet the results of these experiences.
This is intended especially to be helpful
to teachers and children. To accomplish
the desired end, the writer will need
the codperation of the readers of Brrp-
LorE, and, accordingly, he would make
the request that those who have taken
means to attract birds around their
homes would kindly send him a brief
summary of their experiences. Due credit
will be given for all contributions. The
following outline suggests some
the topics on which information
desired:
1. Feeding Winter Birds.*—Kinds of
feed tried; kinds preferred by birds.
Description of feeding trough; its location.
List of birds that feed; birds tamed te
feed from hand. Experiences with English
Sparrows; devices tried to prevent them
from. feeding. is
2. Providing Nesting Houses.*—Most
successful kinds of houses; best location,
and height from ground. Kind of birds
using houses. Special adaptations to par-
ticular kinds of birds. Open boxes an
shelves for Robin, Phoebe, Swallow, et
Experiences with English Sparrows;
devices to keep them from usin
houses.
3. Drinking and Bathing Fountains.*-
Method of construction; size; locatio
List of birds using it. How protected frot
cats. “a
—GILBERT H. TRAFTON, Passaic, N.
* Photographs desired in addition to tht
which have already appearedjin}Birp-LoreE,
" i * “
Abe ieee Wipe
LEAsT FLYCATCHER. 2. ALDER FLYCATCHER, FALL. 3. ALDER FLYCATCHER, SPRING.
4. YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 5. GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER.
Bird= Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OrFFictaAlL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
MAY— JUNE, 1908 No. 3
A Family of Great Owls
By WILLIAM COGSWELL CLARKE
HE Hoo! hoo! hoo! of the Barred Owl, issuing
aa from the depths of the wood on a cloudy summer’s
day, or at eventime, usually attracts attention
and passing comment. To some it is a mournful sound,
while to those who have a taste for the fields, it is most
pleasing and effective in giving a touch of the wild woods
to the surroundings. For the sake of those who have re-
ar for the big bird, I venture to publish the following short sketch.
"| One Sunday, late in April, 1902, we were driving through a well-grown
|patch of hard wood in Schraalenburgh, New Jersey, and, as we passed along,
a companion had the good luck to spy a fluffy, grayish white object at the foot
fa large white oak. This tree stood among others only twenty feet back from
e roadside. Hastening to the spot, we found a partially grown Barred Owl,
rhich had fallen out of its nest, either through some accident or because the
st was naturally insecure. Judging from_the mentality later displayed by
lis baby owl, I rather hesitate to criticize the wisdom of its parents in selecting
ch a location, and in building only a mere suggestion of a nest in an open
ork made by three limbs projecting from the main trunk of the tree. The little
ne, not at all hurt by the fall, was at once adopted and taken home.
' Because of many past experiences with several varieties of young Hawks,
as most agreeably surprised at the extreme gentleness and friendliness dis-
ved from the first by this little Owl. He was still in his downy coat, and, as
t, too young to stand on his legs. We fed him on fresh meat, supplemented,
n possible, by mice and deceased young chickens and ducks. The importance
feeding growing Hawks, Crows, and Owls on these little animals is well
own. If these carnivorous birds do not receive small, readily digested bones,
supply of lime salts will be so meager that rickets will result; that is, the
oping bones in the young bird will be structurally so weak that they will
er break or bend and become deformed, as the increasing weight of the grow-
in bird is thrown upon them. I remember well a young Red-shouldered Hawk
16000. Bird - Lore
that came to grief from a too liberal ae of butcher’s meat without sufficient
bone to provide lime.
Our Owl thrived from the first, and, until he was old enough to go about
out-of-doors, he slept at night in a large basket in the house. Since he insisted
on being fed at daybreak, I kept him near my bed, and, when he woke me.
calling, I would satisfy him. After that he would promptly go to sleep again.
Most of his days were spent taking short naps, fixing his feathers, stretching his
wings, and trying to fly. q
As he grew, we all obtained considerable amusement from watching hi
various antics. One interesting performance was to place him on the back o
a gentle horse quietly eating grass on the lawn. The Owl would look abou
and feel very much at home, except that every time “ Winnie’’ turned to driv
the flies away, he would scold her head with great energy, as if it were a strang
animal attacking the one on which he was perched.
He also furnished no end of entertainment for the hens, who died to fon
an admiring circle and stare at him. I am sure that what the hens said y
have been interesting if we could have known it. Judging from his arioul th
amusement obtained on the part of the hens was reciprocated. He would lo *
from hen to hen, continually bobbing his head up and down, always movi
his neck from side to side. His head thus moved in a perpendicular line e
time, parallel to the line just described. This motion was employed whieisa E
he wished to inspect critically any object at a distance. }
Our Owl, apparently, could see quite well even in bright sunshine; an
when sitting quietly on the piazza, he would follow, with the motion of his head,
some one who might be passing along the road, which was about one hunc¢ "
yards distant. |
“As he grew and learned to fly, he went at large while people were abo
At other times we shut him up, because we feared that a stranger might sho
him. He certainly surprised me by his friendliness, gentleness and intelligen¢
although, it must be confessed, that as regards the latter quality, he never equaled
any of my Crows, Bluejays, or Purple Grackles. 4
Our Owl, to my knowledge, never caught any birds, or obtained food f
himself in any way, but depended exclusively for his living upon us. a
He reached his full growth in about three months, and, from that time on,
simply perfected himself in the art of flying. While he lived with us, he mai
use of only two sounds: one, resembling a hissing noise, he rahe
frightened or when he wished to protest; the other, a high-pitched, short wh
rapidly repeated, he used when he was S.plessed or hungry, or when he wis
to attract attention. E
In the fall, realizing that he might be shot if he were feos about the grou
and yet hating to shut him up, we decided to put him back in the woods y wh
his family had lived. So, early in September, after giving him a square m
we released him near the place where he was hatched. He flew to a tree
A Family of Barred Owls 101
began to bob his head up and down, becoming at once interested in his new
surroundings, while we drove rapidly away. We have always hoped that he met
with a friendly Owl who gave him all the necessary lessons in woodcraft.
The following spring, early in April, I went to the same spot. Knocking,
from custom, on the trunk of a large, partially dead maple nearby, to see who
“might be at home, at once a
Barred Owl flew out from the
top.
This tree was situated ideally
for its purpose, on the edge of a
dense swamp, surrounded by
a growth of small maples and
other hard wood. Climbing to
the top, I found an extensive
hollow, at the bottom of which
were two newly hatched Owls
and one egg. The old Owl re-
turned during my investigation
and watched me with consider-
able interest. I went back the
following week and removed the
unhatched egg, which promptly
exploded in my pocket, proving
to my satisfaction that it would
not have hatched. After that we
visited the nest each week until
the young birds flew away.
The remnants of food found
in the nest consisted of many
feathers and one large sucker. er pee me
Among Meteiithars which could Photographed by William Cogswell Clarke
be identified with certainty, there were, I am sorry to say, those of Robins and
Flickers. We could not find the remains of any quadruped in the nest, and,
because of the water which partly surrounded the foot of the tree, there was no
other evidence preserved as to the nature of the Owls’ food.
On our visits to the nest, we always saw one old bird, and, occasionally, both.
They each kept. a.respectful distance from us and never made any effort to de-
fend their home. Because of a gang of Crows, who had one or two nests nearby,
the Owls were very chary of showing themselves. On two or three of our visits,
they were seen, and what a hazing they received from their black neighbors!
This certainly is one good reason that Owls have for keeping so shady in the
daytime.
The third spring following our introduction, the Owls were back at the
102 Bird - Lore
same stand in the broken maple. I well remember with what acute interest we
ranged ourselves about the tree for a good view of our friends, if by chance they
might be at home. True enough, at the first knock, out the old lady came, with
little, if any, hurry, just as if only a week had passed since we last saw her, while
really a year had gone by since we had shooed her away from her crop of owlets.
This year, the third since we had found the Owl family, two eggs were laid and
two Owls were successfully raised.
The fourth year, back we went to the same spot, but the Owls had not re-
turned; nor, much to my regret, have they done so since that time.
The question might be asked, why do we speak of these Owls as if they
were one family, returning year after year? In reply, it must be admitted that
this fact can not be proven, though it seems reasonable to suppose that it was
the same family. On. the other hand, it can not be disproven. Doubtless, most —
observers have known particular spots where, in the proper season, the hoo! hoo!
of the Barred Owl is heard year after year; and, even if the nesting-site is not
known, the locality is looked upon as the home of a single pair of birds.
Our own Owl family has either moved away or else has fallen victim to
the many people always willing to “try a shot,” as they say, at almost any bird,
but, particularly, at one as large as a Barred Owl. The old maple, which had
stood so many years, and, apparently, had furnished shelter to many birds and
animals long before I found it, is now gone; succumbing, as many another home
tree has done, to the so-called improvements, commended by so many and,
unfortunately, regretted by only a few.
IMMATURE NIGHT HERON
Flashlight by Henry R. Carey, Portsmouth, N. H.
The Brown Thrasher
By CHARLES E. HEIL, Needham, Mass.
\HE Brown Thrasher is a common, every-day bird, from May to Septem-
_ ber, in West Roxbury, Roslinda'e, and Needham, Massachusetts. It
arrives in this vicinity about the first week in May; a few may sometimes
en during the last week of April, but so far as I have observed, this is
al. They generally arrive in pairs, and, when first seen among the under-
vth of pasture and roadside, are very shy and suspicious, and show no
n of that bravery which some of them later display in defense of their young.
et hey flit across the road, from thicket to thicket, at this time of the year,
e) ecusently make me think of a reddish wind-blown leaf.
> of the birds begin housekeeping a few days after their arrival, as I have
und a bird sitting on four eggs on May 10. Nests are composed of coarse twigs,
wk and dead leaves, and, at times, dry grass is used; the lining is generally
ine roots; rarely, it is a combination of fine roots and fine twigs, and one nest
mined was lined with bark and dry grass. As a rule, the structures are
ll made, but some of the ground nests, when taken up, do not retain their
pe. The favorite nesting localities are neglected, overgrown pastures and the
of woods. Most of the nests I have found were placed on the ground,
y are frequently built in bushes and tangles of vines, and, on rare occa-
‘a nest may be found in a tree. Nests in bushes are not difficult to find,
se placed on the ground are very well concealed. A good way to find the
is to pick out a likely looking pasture, beat over it, and, in this way, flush
, which is a close sitter, from the nest.
eggs are whitish, with profuse and even specks of reddish brown; but,
from a distance, strongly resemble ovoids of some plain brown wood.
e never found more than five eggs in a nest; four are usually laid and de-
occurs daily. Incubation usually commences before the last egg is laid,
each of three instances under my observation, lasted about thirteen
localities where enemies abound, the young leave the nest at the end
twelve days, and conceal themselves in the underbrush until able to
is period, they are much like the parents in color, but do not have the
this coming about the time of the August molt. Usually, two broods
during the season, which, beginning in early May, continues until
July. While the young are in the nest, the parents generally are very
ying at and, sometimes, hitting the intruder, and they look fierce enough
ir staring yellow eyes and sharp curving bills, to frighten away many small
10 would, otherwise, rob their homes. Nuttall says: “One of the parents,
lly the male, seems almost continually occupied in guarding against any
ingerous intruder.”” The appearance of the human intruder is heralded by
bi istled Wheeu, which is followed by the loud kissing note if the person
on, inues to advance. If an enemy gets close to some nests, the owners seem
(103)
1. Nest and eggs of Brown Thrasher. 4. Brown Thrasher, twelve days old.
2. Brown Thrasher on nest. 5. A tame Brown Thrasher.
3. Brown Thrasher, nine days old. 6. Brown Thrasher on nest.
7. Young (seven days old) and parent
Photographed by Christina J. Heil
(104)
The Brown Thrasher 105
‘to lose all timidity, and, uttering their peculiar, hoarse cry, which sounds to me
“more like the sharp tearing of a piece of stout cloth than anything else, fly fiercely
‘at him. I have had the skin of my hand broken by their sharp bills when exam-
‘ining nests containing young. This attack is conducted with such pathetic des-
peration and is so touching that it makes me feel heartily ashamed of myself
(when I am its object) and I oftimes beat a hasty retreat.
|) Much has been said and written in praise of the Brown Thrasher’s song.
"Perched in some tree—tall or short, it matters not to him so long as he can
stand among its topmost branches—he pours forth his medley. .I must, to be
“entirely candid, confess that I do not like it. To my ear it is a confused and queer
mixture of rapidly repeated notes. As Mr. Torrey says: “High notes and low
notes, smooth notes and rough notes, all jumbled together in the craziest fashion.”
“Wevertheless, it has the quality of sincerity, and I go away feeling that the singer
has earnestly tried to do his best.
| The food of this species consists of caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and
fruit of various kinds. In late August I have watched them among the rum-
‘cherry trees, gulping down cherries—pulp and stone together.
_| Cats and blacksnakes undoubtedly destroy some of the young in my neigh-
‘borhood. On one of my rambles I found a nest with the bird sitting on three
“@ggs, at the foot of a white birch sapling in a pasture near some houses. —Two
‘days later the young came from the shells; the next day I found an empty nest
‘and scattered about it were the long tail-feathers and many small brown ones
ofa Thrasher. I suspect the author of this tragedy was a cat which sometimes
prowled about the pasture. This species begins to leave during September. By
the end of October, all Thrashers (with the possible exception of some abnormal
fellow) have departed for the South.
; ie j o = |
r af ft: i Ha. *; * |
; ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
This bird was benumbed by the cold and went to sleep while I was focusing it To get this picture
>) had to touch the bird to wake him up. After a sun-bath of half an hour he flew up into a near-by
ree and became quite lively. Golden’s Bridge, N. Y., May 12, 1907. By Warren C. Tudbury.
A Bittern Study | FE:
~ By AGNES M. LEARNED, Boston, Mass. g
HE first time that we saw the Bittern at Pleasant Valley Farm was ate
in the summer of 1906—too late to study his habits—so we resolver
that we would see him as early in the spring as possible. We began t
watch for him so early in the season that it seemed as though he would neve
come; but at last we were rewarded, when, on May 8, about 5 o’clock in th
afternoon, he made his appearance in the cranberry bog quite near the house
We did not see him fly down, but heard the booming. The whole family had beer
listening for him, and at the first sound, the news went round that the Bittert
had come! The younger members of the family hurried out, down to the ed ‘
of the bog, where we could see him very plainly. At our approach he becami
immovable, and we found that his ability to keep perfectly still was much greate
than ours. As we were very anxious to see him at short range when he was boom
ing, we decided that all but one of the party should leave the vantage poi
behind a big apple tree (which ever after we called the Bittern tree), and tl thus
test the Bittern’s ability to count! ‘
The experiment was a success, and it was only a few moments before |
began to grow less rigid (he had been standing all this time with his long ne
thrust straight in the air, and, at a distance, looked more like a stick than he d
like a bird); then, growing more confident, walked about a little, then stan
perfectly still, he gazed at the water and seemed to meditate.
All at once, the feathers on his neck quivered, he looked as though
taking one or two long, gulping breaths, his bill snapped loudly and q
and, with contortions which seemed ludicrous, he said pump-a-lunk, p
lunk, pump-a-lunk. 'This was the beginning of our acquaintance with the
and we never tired of his company.
For many days he arrived about five in the afternoon; for quite a wl
wondered how long he stayed, then a wakeful member of the family heard }
in the wee sma’ hours, and, later, the early riser of the family saw him at
brook that drains the bog. As the season advanced, he boomed with great) vi
and many times at each performance; for instance, one evening he boon
seven times in succession; he also became less shy, and one afternoon we |
pleasure of seeing him mount a tussock of grass and perform. Sometir
booming would sound like an old wooden pump, and sometimes like the
of a stake. After “the Whippoorwill arrived, the night was vocal with th
alternate performanceéss and when, on rare occasions, they performed togeth
the effect was weird beyond description. a
Although the Bittern came regularly about five o’clock every afterna
neither saw nor heard him come or go, for there was no “hurrying sound
wings”? to announce his arrival or departure, and it was a marvel to us oa
large a bird could fly so silently. One afternoon two of us decided that, if pos
(106) ; a
A Bittern Study 107
tk e, we would see him alight in the bog; so about half an hour before we thought
he would arrive from the lower meadow (where we could hear him, but not see
him), we took our places under the Bittern tree and waited nearly an hour for
him; then, duties calling us, we left, only to hear, before we were hardly up to
Race, the familiar pump-a-lunk from the bog.
_ We had seen only one Bittern, and, as in our bird books there was no differ-
4 ce in the description of the male and female, we could not tell which it was,
but supposed it was the male.
y The cranberry bog lies northwest of the house, and southeast of the house
ee e is a pretty little pond, made by damming up the trout brook that crosses
e farm. “At one point this brook runs within one hundred feet of the house,
d here we saw, one perfect Sunday morning in June (the gth), the Bittern;
; 4 not as we had seen him before, for on his back he wore two clusters of beau-
. white plumes that fluttered softly in the morning air.
_ How proud he was! He stood perfectly still; he waded in the brook; he walked
owly on its bank, all the time as conscious of his adorning as any beau, and
iscety willing that the entire family should admire him—from the piazza.
onan under the old apple tree beside the brook; the combination of grasses,
garled tree trunk and Bittern making a veritable Japanese scene.
_ We were surprised and delighted, and went at once to our bird books to see
ts W iat the beautiful white feathers were called; but, alas, not a book mentioned
i oa and later research at the library failed to reveal any information. Only
me spoke of them and said that Bitterns did not wear nuptial plumes. After
much thought, we decided that the Bittern must be like its relatives, the Egrets,
and wear nuptial plumes. We thought that the white feathers, or plumes, grew
fro rom the region of the scapulars; there were several on each side, they were not
er five inches long and not less than three, and were soft and downy, and with
th \ » aid of a glass we could see them flutter in the light wind.
_ Many questions filled our minds: Had this beautiful creature just arrived?
: Vould it stay awhile? Where was the solitary bird that had been with us so long ?
s it still here, or had it shyly hidden itself away ?
: At least two of these questions were answered, for the next morning we saw
e Bittern of the Decoration stalking majestically through the cranberry bog,
lis id a few days later flushed from the side of the pond a Bittern with no white
oh imes, so we felt sure there must be two.
__ After this we neither heard nor saw the Bitterns for a long time, but we , hoped
tl hey nested in the cranberry bog. Our hopes were realized, for when the grass
“around the bog was cut, the 3oth of July, the men saw two small Bitterns in
the grass. One of them, sad to relate, was caught by the mowing machine and
\ illed before the driver knew of its presence, and, in order to save the life of
¢ other, who courted a like fate, he caught it, tied its legs and laid it in a safe
pl a e, and, later, brought them both to the house. A Bittern on the lawn! In
ou t wildest dreams we had never thought of that!
108 / Bird- Lore
He was a most ungainly looking creature as he squatted on the lawn, wi ngs
outspread and bill snapping, ready to defend himself against any foe. Hii
feathers were all quite buffy and were fluffy about the shoulders; his legs anc
feet were bright green sh yellow or yellowish green, and very, very clean. FE lis
bill was yellow and he had a yellow ring about the eye. an
We meant to take him back-to his home, but he escaped and went down to
the brook. The next day we saw the old bird fly up toward the pond and we
supposed she had found him. a
One day shortly after the capture of the young Bittern, we went out to th
pond to see the water-lilies, and tried to get some that grew near the hb an
(the pond was so low that there was a muddy margin of a foot or more all aroun¢
_ it). Stooping to get a perfect flower, we were startled by a peculiar so o
k-r-r-r-r-r. We could not imagine what it could be; nothing was to be seen, s
we moved along the side cautiously, when k-r-r-r-r-r came the sound aj
This time we decided that it came from a clump of water-grasses; so, very
tiously, we advanced and, for the third time, heard k-r-r-r-r-r, and looking
the clump saw the young Bittern squatting on the mud, wings os
alert ‘for the enemy.
The second time we saw one of the old birds fly up the:brook to the
we hurried along to get another glimpse; but not a bird could we see, so tu
away reluctantly, giving one last backward look. That moment of turning ay
was the old bird’s opportunity (although how she knew we were walking aw.
will always be a mystery), for, as we gave that last backward look, we saw | h
make a long arm of her bill and place some dainty tidbit far down the throa
her offspring, looking for all the word, as she did so, like Mrs. Squeers &
tering sulphur and molasses to the little boys.
The charm of the Bittern drew us often to the pond, and one day w
was no wind to ruffle the water and no clouds to dull the reflections, :
ourselves to admire the natural beauties of the place. The trees, shrubs
on the opposite side of the pond were perfectly reflected in its mirror-lik
and we were lost in admiration of the scene, and almost forgot the Bittern, y
suddenly we realized that she was part of the landscape. How daintily she
picking her way in and out between the rocks, at times so perfectly re
the water that we could see the markings on the feathers. She was in no h
and would lift her foot out of the water in such a way that there was not ari
made. When she reached’ a point exactly opposite us, she seemed to re
that she was being watched and flew slowly back to the head of the pond, wh
with its muddy margin, made an excellent feeding ground, cr it
that we flushed the Bittern for the last’ time ‘that season.
Bsu0ns "Wy Aq peydeis0j0yg
LSAN NO NYALLIA NVOIAANV
A Bittern Photograph
(See preceding page)
SEND you by this mail a print from a negative made by myself at Nipper-
sink Lake, Ill., on June 8, 1907, of an American Bittern on its nest. While
pushing a boat through some marsh vegetation in this: lake, I discovered
the bird as seen in the picture. I was accompanied by students in bird-study
from the University of Chicago. We approached the nest carefully, taking pic-
tures at two or three intervals and constantly expecting the bird to fly. Finally,
we drew our boats up within a few feet of the nest.
I had, unfortunately, used my last plate, but was able to borrow a camera
from a student. The camera being of strange model, several minutes were re-
quired in getting ready for a picture. This one was finally obtained, to the great
relief of the students and myself. Still the Bittern sat motionless on its nest,
except for a very slight shifting of the head in following my movements. At
length, in order to see the eggs, it seemed necessary to lift the bird. When my
hand was*within less than eighteen inches of the nest, fear overcame the brood-
ing instinct and the four eggs were abruptly exposed to view. A week later I
visited the nest again. This time the bird permitted a picture at a boat’s length,
approximately, but flew when we approached within eight feet of the nest.
R. M. STRONG.
GREEN HERON AND NEST
Photographed by George Shiras, 3d.
(110)
Nesting Habits of the Henslow’s Sparrow
By E. SEYMOUR WOODRUFF
ENSLOW’S SPARROW (Ammodramus henslowi), though generally
considered a rare bird in New England, is a regular and not uncom-
mon summer resident in the vicinity of Litchfield, Conn. Because
extremely shy and retiring habits, these birds are easily overlooked,
in a locality where they are not uncommon; but, if their song be once identi-
it is surprising to find how often and in how many different places it is
—places where their presence had never been previously suspected. The
mg is unique, and, once known, can never be mistaken for that of any other
td. To my ear it sounds exactly like the syllables cheer-r-r-up, with an upward
sction on the last syllable.
is almost impossible to see them. If one should be flushed, it will take,
but a very short flight, keeping close to the ground with a somewhat
g and rapid flight, and then, dropping suddenly behind a tussock or
disappear completely.
ugh I have located many pairs of breeding birds during the past fifteen
id have searched for their nests most patiently, my search had always
wewarded until one day in the latter part of June, 1906. The way in
ound this nest taught me an interesting habit of this bird, and, at the
afforded me a probable explanation of why my previous searches
ys been in vain.
and again I have flushed a Henslow’s Sparrow from under my feet,
time, thought that at last I had found its nest; but, careful search
| nothing. So I would give it up for the time being, but on return-
times in the same day, or even on several different days, I would
ariably flush the bird again from either the same spot or from one
feet of it. The fact that the bird would not always flush up from
same spot made me believe that it ran a few feet from its nest each
e flushing; but a most careful search of every square inch of the ground
circle of twenty or thirty feet in diameter would always result in failure
e, 1906, I located a pair of Henslow’s Sparrows in a narrow marsh
e near the top of a high ridge. The marsh was covered with a growth
um moss, fine sedge grasses, and clumps of fern, spirea and sheep-
| the drier spots. For two days in succession (June 21 and 22, 1906),
1 the same experience in regard to flushing the bird as that described above,
finally came to the conclusion that it was the male that I was continually
(111)
112 Bird - Lore
flushing, for whenever I heard the familiar cheer-r-r-up, it seemed to invariably —
come from that very same spot. So I gave up all hope of finding his nest there
and wandered on up through the marsh. When I had reached a spot fully sixty —
yards from where I had always seen the male Henslow’s Sparrow, I heard a bird —
chipping close to me down in the thick marsh grass and small ferns. I suspected !
HENSLOW’S SPARROW, FROM A MOUNTED SPECIMEN
at once that this might be the female objecting to my presence in the neighbor-
hood, though it was impossible to see her and I could not flush her, for when
I walked toward the sound, she would run a few feet to one side and start chip-
ping again. So I crossed over to the other side of the marsh and hid mysel
behind a small bush in hopes that she might then show herself, and, at the sa
time, disclose the location of her nest. After waiting some time, my attent
was attracted to a bird flying up the marsh which lit on the tip of a sprig
spirea for a minute and then dove down into the grass near where I had he:
the female chipping. In a minute or two it reappeared and flew rapidly
to the clump of ferns and shrubs where I had previously flushed the male
slow’s Sparrow. I recrossed the marsh in order to be nearer to the spot w
he had visited, and watched again. In about fifteen minutes I saw him flyi
the marsh from the same direction; and this time I perceived that he had a
in his bill, which confirmed my suspicion that he was visiting his nest. He re
the same performance as before,—perching on the tip of a spring of spi
looked about for a minute, evidently in order to see whether the coast was ‘
and then darted down into the grass about ten feet away. In order to be céi
that I had marked the location of his nest exactly, I remained where I
until after the male had visited the nest for the third time. Each time, on lea
ne
-
Nesting Habits of the Henslow’s Sparrow 113
| the nest, he flew rapidly back to the same place, and, alighting on the tip of
-| some shrub, sang lustily half a dozen times before popping down to the ground
»| to search for more food.
During the whole of this time, which covered about an hour altogether,
| the female did not show herself once, but kept up a constant chipping down in
_ the grass. The nest, which I now found without any trouble, was a slight, flimsy
structure, composed of dead grass imbedded in the damp moss under a thick
patch of small ferns and grass, and contained four young birds about one week
old. |
‘ The fact which interested me, even more than. that I had at last found the
| long-sought-for nest of a Henslow’s Sparrow, was this probable habit of the
"male, restricting himself to some small, favorite feeding-ground at a considerable
‘distance from the site of his nest, to which he invariably returned after feeding
his young. I believe that this is probably always the case and, therefore, a reason-
able explanation of why my previous searches had always been so fruitless.
Another interesting habit of the male was that he sang only immediately after
_ returning from feeding his young and before beginning to search for more food,
and during the rest of the time remained absolutely silent.
Whether the female always remains close to the nest, as she did in this case,
I am unable to say, but the probabilities are that I had merely frightened her
off the nest while she was brooding her yonee and that she was too shy to return
to it.
This experience taught me the folly of wasting time looking for a nest of a
‘Henslow’s Sparrow close to where the male establishes himself, for the chances
are that the nest is from fifty to one hundred yards away.
PUFFINS ON BIRD ROCK, GULF ST. LAWRENCE
Photographed by Edwin Beaupré
The Migration of Flycatchers
FOURTH PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey
With Drawings by Louris AcAssiz FUERTES and Bruce HorsFALL
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER
This species winters south of the United States and is one of the t
spring migrants. It is scarcely known in the southeastern United States sow
of Virginia and east of the Allegheny mountains.
SPRING MIGRATION
Number
PLACE of years’ | “Sttiog arcival | | spe
Washington) D: Got cea 2. Gee 16 May 14
Central Massachusetts.........2..-- 3 May 19
Monatnotn,: Ni acs: Semen ee 3 May 20
Norther Vermont) oes ks cine 5 May 20
Southera, Maine. ea sey st 6 May 26
Stat Johan, ANA ees wee a a aa 8 May 25
Lake: Mistassini,; Que. J.c22 55255 22. i Sap fea ie elena
Bayou: sata asa.S sot tee neces iene Brand an Rett es
Biloxi; Miss: Shee suk eg ea ag Sees Rt oS ye
Athens: Penne occ ses a0 at ms hee PONE a RU eh ol
Lexington Sy in dtin 2 a Oes Seige Ae S's HEE ape dees
Sb. AMONG INO utc) rack ge Ose ks wales 5 May 16
Chicas, TH. O55 ais eas Sa eae eee 9 May 15
Oberlin, (OBI 2233. 6 he PA Se a ee eee
Mita wasnt. joi beter sane ee ete 6 May 23
Grinnell: Tasos oe tuts Sie evict ate 4 May 18
Lanesboro; Minn eee ae ee ee ee 4 May 23
Athabaska Lake, Alberta ..........: Mey, Cone pees eee
The average date of the last seen in spring at Washington, D Cpe
latest, May 30, 1891; Chicago, IIl., average May 24, latest May 28, 1906. _
FALL MIGRATION
A very early fall migrant was seen July 28, 1859, at Washington, D.
the average of arrival date in the fall is August 17; the average of the las
at St. John, N. B., is September 2, latest September 4, 1892; aver
Washington, D. C., September 16, latest October 6, 1881; last at Biloxi
October 16, 1903. Some unusually late birds were noted November 29,
Reading, Mass., and December 1, 1876, at Newton, Mass.
GREEN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER
This is the only one of the small Flycatchers that breeds in the s or
United States. It winters south of the United States, and the following
(114)
The Migration of Flycatchers 115
arrival show that it reaches Louisiana earlier than it appears in either Florida
exas. No proof could be stronger that the Louisiana birds arrive by a direct
t across the Gulf of Mexico.
SPRING MIGRATION
PLACE bpd Average date of Earliest date of
recon, spring arrival spring arrival
EN se ote elie oS 9a Sn Ge econ April 6, 1903
Mita el etad aX wo stars 4 3 April 17 April 3, 1904
Ee aiaicl a See are conse es 12 April 26 April 20, 1894
ngt BEER reg ss wale si au tee 22 May 7 May 1, 1892
DEN Sp0 3 9/2 6 ee myn Cale ny 3 May 5 April 25, 1891
PG sein y's ola aiapedie~.5 s 5 May 9 May 6, 1902
MR eos on ns on we ss 4 May 7 May 2, 1888
RIG a0 aig) a ot e's, ang amc ae 4 May 16 May 5, 1897
- ¥...------------+---- PEST ibe, erases May 13, 1888
NT eee 9 April 11 March 30, 1904
ONS SES RRR oe ee se) April 25 April 20, 1902
BRS eichhis sins 2k cine) aise a. April 28 April 24, 1904
PRM fs ciaicky's hn aso = oo 6 April 23 April 18, 1890
SE alee a ae 5 April 28 April 27, 1882
Beeraamear). 06002 Sel... 8 May 7 May 1, 1896
DU ss o's cess + oe be) May 9 May 4, 1899
beeen ee ee ee ee ee eee eee 5 May ro May 6, 1899
sh... +--+ -- eee ee eee 8 May 15 May 10, 1892
ES RE ae a Pee 6 May 15 May 8, 1889
BT hain 6 ine sendin si s+ 5 May ro May 5, 1897
SA BRA ie ree Ps eee May 28, 1884
eekly Sere os 4 April 16 April 14, 1890
Me PW iin cig o's S's we 6 April 24 April 20, 1885 ©
Pig ee cee et 4 May 6 May 2, 1906
FALL MIGRATION
e dates of departure in the fall are: Oberlin, Ohio., September 21, 1906;
, lll., September 27, 1906; Hillsboro, Ia., September 19, 1898; Law-
‘Kans., September 10, 1905; Beaver, Pa., average September 25, latest
aber 29, 1899; Washington, D.C., September 15, 1907; Raleigh, N. C.,
September 7, latest September 11, 1893; Tallahassee, Fla., October
4; Athens, Tenn., October 11, 1904; Ariel, Miss., October 20, 1897; Cov-
, La., October 27, 1899.
TRAILL’S AND ALDER FLYCATCHERS
lis species has been separated into two forms,—an eastern, called the
Flycatcher, and a western, known as the Traill’s, or the Little Flycatcher.
forms come together in the middle of the Mississippi Valley. The species
s south of the United States and in its migration it shuns the southeastern
d States, south of North Carolina.
116 | Bird - Lore
SPRING MIGRATION
Number | ay . E
PLACE of year’ | “Sorin arivel |: .. sagen
MANE NAGS. ca :cd oc oa pan ee ‘ain a ey ea
Washington, Ds Codi. oc cage ei ees ite) May 15
Reddolph, Vtcrrs cs eee ee aneaeae se 6 May 25
ot. Johnsbury, Vt. 2. deiwedanwee.a 3 May 23
Monadnock) NN. Hie ee Pee ere 3 May 23
Southern Maine .4). 5.0. 05 bv win een os 7 May 26
Quebec, (Cais. 5 isis'ss ak atst eee ines ed 5 June 2
Scotch ‘Ligke, Bes. ns peed a'4 oct 3 May 27
North ‘Ravers Poh Sige rete Pale 3 June 3
Godbout, Que... sa settee ee oe Airgas Bae ee
St Owis, Maa ss ns cee meet 5 May 5,
OBE say siete 2a perce eta pine ee ake 4 May 6
Oherin : Ohio 554 £5 Soe ee eee II May 14
Plymouth, sah soc a ee aes 7 May 16
Oitawa ONE Seeks a oc 9 May 24
Southern Towa gcse oe we an pe 4 May 10
Central Tawa ss: simian be ign ace ap earean 5 May 19
Lanesboro, Minn. ...-. Pees ans lativars 4 May 24
Central Riansae 0.5) les ct seme erie 4 May 6
Aweme, Manitoba: osc. By erg ae bel Wine she
Ft. Resolution, Mackenzie ..-....... Sette Mek yar
Carlisle, aN cities ce hoses ag ce oe er ae MR eke
Bre yon Con sae ere on ose 3 May 12
Yuma, (oto. gare ee eee cr pe ea ¥ 3 May 21
LOS ANgGles Cal sce co ek pwede ale u's So eri aces Meets 7.
Southern British Columbia ....... ee 3 May 22
‘ FALL MIGRATION
On the return migration in the fall, the first was at Washingte
August 16, 1886; the average date of arrival in southern Mississippi, Aug
earliest August 27, 1896. Some dates of the last seen are: Yuma, Colo., |
ber 10, 1906; Lawrence, Kans., September 10, 1905; Grinnell, Ia.
September 5, latest September 10, 1889; Ottawa, Ont., September
Beaver, Pa., average September 2, latest September 7, 1887; Washing
September 17, 1890, and Raleigh, N.C., September 21, 1893. .
LEAST FLYCATCHER
This species spends the winter farther north probably than any ot
eastern members of its genus. It is found at this season in Yucatan and in
Mexico. Indeed, it may possibly winter occasionally in southern Te:
one was taken February 7, 1880, near the mouth of the Rio Grande. It
its movements.
The Migration of Flycatchers 117
SPRING MIGRATION
- PLACE be pewnscr Average date of Earliest date of
ve AS spring arrival spring arrival
oe: Springs, W. Va. ..... 7 April 24 April 19, 1896
ie EE Ee eas ie Sue ue April 25, 1904
bine ae ees > ytteemse- 16 May 2 April 20, 1881
MS ete bee k sip sean ds. + 5 7 April 20 April 22, 1891
Beles hing bX, «vals tale s-< II May 2 April 30, 1905
LIE 6 o:Ks ios 'Sie wn = « 19 May 3 April 29, 1902
| Spa, N. Y. ...-...-..--.-- 13 May 3 April 30, 1905
IY. Se Sy ea Oe 9 May 1 ‘April 26, 1899
Gd, Conn. ................--. 15 May Ir April 27, 1902
DME Wing «62 = oh we ss ws 9 May 1 April 27, 1905
sR FS Sa acts Eee 6 April 29 April 26, 1889
NES 5 os ie He a's » v0 9 April 30 April 25, 1897
Mens PARSS, = 7 ay I April 25, 1897
BC Sls he otis Se 8 May 5 April 30, 1899
Mi aiecansia! atararia seas: 20 April 30 April 25, 1897
plat cep eiera' tps prs swiatin 6 May 3 May 1, 1896
ee ee 9 May 4 April 29, 1902
New Hampshire........... 2I May 3 April 29, 1898
ICO Sc fo osc ne eg at 18 May 4 - April 29, 1902
mroome, Quebec .. 22.2.5. ites ce Groans ee May 6, 1905
geo sn 5 6 « pais 6»: 0 5 May 9 May 8, 1905
Mesa sso os oa a Sch eps Saal a Pes ats co March 30, 1902
Rieteene-+s+------ ENG ee eae BS tee Oe eas a (Mer April 9, 1904
SSS re eee 3 April 16 April 14, 1885
CSS ES ees 4 May 2 May 1, 1906
I Bec bah, laeha< r0od.e<a's' 5 6 ee 30 April 26, 1888
“WAL Bee bs aaa ee 9 ay I April 27, 18
gece’ Se eee pr be 8 May 2 April ae ath
0 SG eae Gee Io May 2 April 29, 1892
ern Ontario ....... Mae a 14 May 3 April 28, 1900
i UES Ee a ee 5 May 11 May 9, 1901
Peri eS 17 May 13 May 5, 1905
espera tals) nda. wan 5 May 2 April 24, 1897
OAS aE a eS 15 May 4 April 28, 1888
“2 CE a Ga i SDE te 6 May 4 April 30, 1888
LEA: STS SRG aeS eee ate) May 7 May 2, 1905
Be hake a aes ee 9 May 16 May 11, 1906
Bia + a)ieiiee aes ki as Se May 12, 1906
(OES es SS Ms Sat 9 ep et Sn aaa tek foe ee May 13, 1905
EAS SEA BSR 298 ah) tS a (ele esd aoa May 13, 1886
Mepetetta oi. oe ek eS bas eeieaes AP May 16, 1893
n Brecon, Mackenzie ........... PIs gee! Fok et SR May 24, 1904
FALL MIGRATION
view of the fact that it is to winter but a short distance south of the United
starts early on its fall migration. The average of the last seen at Ottawa,
August 22, latest August 30, 1888; Scotch Lake, N. B., average Septem-
latest September 10, 1906; Chicago, ‘TL, average September 17, latest
aber 30, 1895.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird Lists
r HE Massachusetts Audubon Society continues to develop in its mem
a practical interest in birds by supplying them with blanks on which
record the species observed during the year in Massachusetts. T )
best ten lists received by the secretary of the Society for the year ending Decem eC
31, 1907, were made by the following members: Lidian E. Bridge, West Medfor
201 species; James L. Peters, Jamaica Plain, 191 species; William L. Bar
Jamaica Plain, 153 species; Barron Brainerd, Brookline, 134 species;
Langmaid, Boston, 128 species; Louise Howe, Brookline, 122 species; 1u
Dowse Robbins, Belmont, 120 species; Frank Seymour, Waverly, 83 s ecie:
Edith Seymour, Waverly, 79 species; W. Brooks Brown, Melrose, 43 s
Elizabeth K. Brown, Melrose, 32 species.
published herewith:
The two lists first mentioned ;
List of Birds observed bv
Lidian E. Bridge, West Med-
ford, Mass., from January 1,
1907, to January 1, 1908.
List of Birds oe
James
Plain,
1907, to January 1,
191
Name of Species Locality Date Locality 7
HolbeellsGrebe.. 5.2 see Wahants. 2600s. Feb. 16 || Ipswich ....... Nov.
Horned Greve rn 23. ee Nahant... Feb. 16 || Watertown ....} Jan.
Pied-billed Grebe.......... Middlesex Fells Oct. 8 Franklin Park . | April
Logna sitet seewas eee nos Wabant>. 26s Jan. 11 || Nahant ....... Oct. :
Red-throated Loon ......-.. Nahant Oct. 10 | Nahant ...-... Oct.
Black Guillemot.........-. Nahant. . 20.2%: Oct. 10 || Nahant ....... ec.
Briinnich’s Murre .......-. Nahant Dec. 20 || Nahant ....... No
Razor-billed Auk .......... Nahant Jan. 11 | Nahant ....... Lov
Ritiwakes ies sabes as Nahant Oct. 28 | Ipswich ....... ov
Great Black-backed Gull... | Nahant ....... Jan. 5 Boston *. 3865 Jan
Herting Gully, os ane oS Medford ...... Jan. 4 Boston hae Jan.
Ring-billed Gull ........-. Nahant). 5.20" Oct. 18 || Nahant .......] Jet,
Laughing Gull ...........- Nantucket © July 28 Lys
Bonaparte’s Gull... ss oe. Ipswich: 222.2. ug: 17 | Ipswich tease No
GomaponTerner eri cere Nantucket ....| July 28 | Boston ........
ArctierD etn) ni06 os se gs Wood’s Hole... | July 27 eg
Roseate Terman, cous Nantucket ....| July 28 hoa
Leastcl @rns. ic soe npn as Nantucket ....| July 29 ae
Wilsot’s Petsel . cao eos Fate atelier ete at ae Mass. Bay..... ept.
Gaennet.ic- cs ce eee whe Ipswich ....... Oct. 12 | Ipswich ......- Oct.
Double-crested Cormorant .. | Ipswich .....-.. Oct. 12 || Ipswich ....... ct.
American Merganser ...... Middlesex Fells | April 14 | Middlesex Fells
Red-breasted Merganser....| Nahant ....... Feb. 1 Nahant ....... I;
Hooded Merganser ........ Middlesex Fells | Oct. 20 || Middlesex Fells | O
Mallard oi.) oc saeeees Middlesex Fells | Oct. 27 | Middlesex Fells | Api
Black: Duck... heeies ay cows Middlesex Fells | April 3 | West Roxbury .
Red-legged Black Duck .... | Middlesex Fells | April 3 Cambridge ...-
Green-winged Teal ........ Middlesex Fells | Nov. 23 | Middlesex Fells”
Pintals. . «5 sae Seas Middlesex Fells | Oct. 19 || Middlesex Fells
Wood. Duck ©. 5. Goes eal es ee ee ee ne Brookline .....
Redheaee ics iki pee hetetae Jamaica Pond .| Oct. 25 || Jamaica Plain .
NCAUP PAMCK 9.55 c eae wanes Nahant ....... Mar. 16 || Nahant .......
Lesser, Staup Dicks. tt Cambridge .... | Nov. 14 | Jamaica Plain . -
(118)
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird-Lists
119
List of Birds observed by
Lidian E. Bridge, West Med-
List of Birds observed by
James L. Peters, Jamaica
BRIS EIT en
ford, Mass., from January 1, Plain, from January 1,
1907, to January 1, 1908. 1907, to January 1, 1908.
_ Name of Species Locality Date Locality Date
Sea es = Pompant 20 s¢.5, Jam § Boston ice Jos) Jan. §
ee ae Nahant ....... | Mar. 9 Nahant ....... | Mar. 16
SS Se eee Manant s...... | Jan, "s Nahant ....... | Mar. 16
Meese niet Peony tions wins 3's! fs ada wee Vineyard Sound | Nov. 30
“RE ER ae Nahant ....... | Nov. 2 Nahant ....... | Mar. 16
whee ibs Nahant .......| Jan. 11 | Nahant ....... | Mar. 16
Bie pour at n wie ise Nahant ....... | Nov. 2 Ipswich ........| Nov. 16
ASS ee a Nantucket July 29 | Jamaica Plain .}| Oct. 19
OO RS ae Ses Medford ...... | Nov. 18 | West Tisbury Nov. 29
Rimetern.. 5... eS NEDSWICR a... ec April 1g || Wayland .....: June 15
i Ne IEE FS Cambridge .... | June irr
"te Ce aa Medford ...... | April 28 | Ipswich .......' Oct. 19
eT eae Cohasset ...... | May 30 || Franklin Park . | May 11
cergyned Night Heron. | Middlesex Fells | April 28 | Cambridge .... | April 12
Be ete nisl's. =. 50>» Cambridge .... | June 8 Cambridge .... | June 8
RD at aiin s <\> <2 - Cambridge ....| June 11 | Cambridge ....| June 8
PMR alos wo 0:58 Middlesex Fells | Nov. 24 || Jamaica Plain . | Oct. 6
RS seen an o's Cambridge .... | April1s5 || Cambridge .... | April 12
EERIE Cis. oie .0.3 < Ipswich ....... | Aug. 24
ONS eee Ipswich :...... | Aug. 17
ES Ipswich ....... | Aug. 24
arg ai Sandpiper ‘ Ppawich 5). . 23.) May 24
| SORE EE es Ipswich ....... | May 24 || Ipswich ....... | May 25
ie Ipswich ....... | Oct. 30 || Nahant ....... | Sept. 28
m ated rae see . Epswich .... ...,.. May 28 || Ipswich....... May 25
Duis bye.6 «5» Ipswich ....... | Aug. 17 || Nahant ........ | Sept. 28
pee th « Medford ...... | May 10 || Ipswich ....... | May 25
Seen oc ore) ois, 3 Ipswich ....... | Aug. 17
ae ae Concord ...... | May 18
Bata pie! Waverly.......| May 18 || Newton ....... | April 25
Ipswich ....... May 24 || Ipswich....... May 25
Middlesex Fells | Oct. 20
ee Eee Ipswich ....... | May 28 || Nahant ....... | Sept. 28
Ree ete s.6\%-> i. - Nantucket July 29
Ipswich ......- Aug. 17
(od Oe See *Arboretum ../| June 22 | Arboretum .... | April 21
eh ae Middlesex Fells | April 12 || Arboretum .... | Jan. 1
Baas tan io(3 » Ipswich ....... | Mar. 23 || Bedford ....... | May 18
Da eid es wa as - Ipswich ....... | Mar. 23 || Wayland ......| June 15
tele 5:2 Medford ...... | April 26 | Arboretum ....| May 5
OS Ae Middlesex Fells ; April 12 || Franklin Park.. May 12
Deir lar «as, = Cambridge .... | April15 | Natick ........ | Mar. 30
gic" 5 Middlesex Fells | April 12 | West Roxbury - | Jan. 5
Pit eM sla: 3 cimma te tain: = ah enn, pon Mean teete as West Roxbury .| Mar. 24
Hue Hawk . Middlesex Fells | Jan. 20 || West Tisbury .. | Nov. 28
Eee Re Meteor tig bo elais «op oreo [oes wieas Braintree *:.... | June 17
Meabictekecn hice wis + > Squantum .....| Nov.g | Waltham...... | Mar. 23
a Rapetrow Hawk Medford ...... Mar. 30 | Franklin Park . | Feb. 8
AS Sia Middlesex Fells | April 14 | Jamaica Plain . | April 17
Re Sas oft i cin nie mion's t5e,3. fi, 5 Kina be Nahant .....-- | Oct. 26
a BAe Medford ...... | May 1o
De eee Crate abated wi5)3.¢-5)) |2)a0.8, diy cate Concord ..-..--. | Dec. 28
Pasa a Middlesex Fells | May 26 | Arboretum .... | June 16
Re acah tS Middlesex Fells | May 23 || Arboretum .... | May 18
ed Kingfisher ......... Middlesex Fells | April 25 | Franklin Park .| April 14
EE
*Wherever the word Arboretum occurs, it refers to Arnold Arboretum
120
Bird - Lore
DT
List of Birds observed by
Lidian E Bridge, West Med-
ford, Mass., from January 1,
1907, to January 1, 1908.
=
Janua 1,
1907, to January 1, 1 8%
Name of Species ’ Locality Date
Hairy Woodpecker. ........ Middlesex Fells | April 7
Downy Woodpecker ...... Medford ...... Feb. 17
yehow: bellied Sapsucker. 3 bis O she eee dearer
Worthern’ Flicker [2 o> os 7a Medford ...... Feb. 13
WRippoor will (2.55.00 1 Sis peat Bus sa te oh Se ees
SUNtNAME: ol. eee ea Medford -..... Aug. 31
Chimney Swit 22 oo ea Medford ...... May 16
Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Medford ...... May 17
IRQ DIED ce eee ae ee eret Middlesex Fells | May 15
Crested Flycatcher ........ Cohasset ..-.... May 30
EHEC. ck Sele eine Ee Middlesex Fells | Mar. 24
Otive-sided Flycatcher ..... Greylock....2... June 15
Wood Pewee si Gy Sai oe. Middlesex Fells | May 12
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ...| Greylock ...... June 15
Alder FlycatcherS2.03 oS. Greylock 22: - 2 June 15
Least ‘Flycatcher O57 22. 2 o~ Middlesex Fells | May 12
Horned park i aes ee Nahant... 25s Jan 5
Prairie Horned Lark ...... Ipswich .....-. Aug. 24
Blue fay oe suc oo eee Medford ...... an.. 2
American Crow .....-..-.. Medford ...... Jan. 2
Bobolink 3:35) ca ee Medford ...... May 13
Cownbltd ic Boose rs ee oe Medford 02.2255. April 5
Red-winged Blackbird ..... Medford ...... Mar. 24
Meéadowlarkiys eeclacc ec oe Medford -..-.-. Mar. 27
Orchard Oriole....:.2-..... Ipswich .-..... May 28
Baltimore Oriole .......-... MeGtOrd: 2 i235 May 13
Rusty Blackbird........-..- Medtord) 2.5.5: April 8
Bronzed Grackle -......... Medford ...... Mar. 17
Canadian Pine Grosbeak.... | Medford .....-. Jan. 6
Purple Pinehe eee tee es Mediord’ 125%: April 19
American Crossbill ........ Ipswich .-....- Mar. 23
White-winged Crossbill ....| Middlesex Fells | Jan. 6
| re 9) | RO eR es te og he Medford ...... Feb. 17
American Goldfinch ....... Medford ...... Feb. 10
Pinte Siskin oi, eins oes oe Middlesex Fells | April 5
SUNN hohe ols oe ee NGBANE Jc. 55 Mar. 16
Lapland Longspur.......-. Lpswiel secs} Mar. 23
Vesper Sparrow 22.03 ...2..- Medford ...... Mar. 30
Ipswich Sparrow .......... Ipswich ......- Mar. 23
Savanna Sparrow ......... Medford .....- April 26
Grasshopper Sparrow ...... Concord 20 os a June 7
Henslow’s Sparrow .......- Norwood ...... June 1
Sharp-tailed Sparrow. ...... Ipswich 3 2.5 ts May 24
White-crowned Sparrow ....| Concord ...:.. May 16
White-throated Sparrow .... | Medford ...... April 26
TEEG SPatTrOw. 2 easieie = pees 9 Medford»... Feb. 17
Chipping Sparrow .....-.... Medford ...... Mar. 30
Pield sparrows 7.46.2. 6 sie. Medford: 2240- April 12
Slate-colored Junco........ Middlesex Fells | Feb. 17
Song Sparrow ...0..5....-. Medford (i Mar. 17
Lincoln’s Sparrow .....-.-- Boston ....- May 20
Swamp Sparrow .......... Middlesex Fells | Mar. 30
Fox Sparrow ..... degehpts Sone Medford ...... Mar. 24
FF OWRGG's - 75 os kd sets este es Medford ...... April 26
Rose-breasted Grosbeak .... | Medford .....- May 10
> Boston, .t3:05 ut
Locality Date | i
ee
Weston ....... Mar. 2.
Franklin Park.. | Jan. 1
Franklin Park . | Oct. 5 —
Franklin Park .| Jan. 1
Jamaica Plain . | May
Marlboro...... May
Jamaica Plain . | May
Jamaica Plain . | May
Jamaica Plain . | May
Jamaica Plain . | May
Weston: <s2asqa Mar.
Concord::..3208 May
Beye
Marlboro...... fay
Franklin Park a)
Nahant .:2ss4% | Jan.
Ipswich... 3ase Pog ss
Franklin Park . | Jai
Franklin Park .| Jan.
West Roxbary a - | Ma
Franklin Park . ; Ma
Franklin Park .
West Roxbury .
Ipswich: 332s. <2
Franklin Park .
Waltham’ ...2:2.
Waltham -S3ke
Franklin Park .
Jamaica Plain . |
Franklin Park .
Waltham ...... i
Arboretum ~... | —
West Roxbury . —
Nahant ...>. +} Oe
Ipswich ....-.- 1
Cambridge ..-.
Concord sss
Ipswich .....-- Mi
Franklin Park . | Oc
West Roxbury . | Ja
Franklin Park .
ae
Dover: =. teeees
Franklin Park .
Arboretum .... | _
West Roxbury . _
Franklin Park .
Franklin Park . |
Jamaica Plain . ||
Se, a het ts = ec a Ea al
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Bird-Lists
I2I
List of Birds observed by
Lidian E. Bridge, West Med-
ford, Mass., from January 1,
1907, to January 1, 1908
List of Birds observed by
James L. Peters, Jamaica
Plain, from January 1,
1907, to January 1, 1908.
<P SET EE
7
Name of Species Locality Date Locality Date
SCOR ee Medford ...... | May 19 || Franklin Park . | May 14
Bite stay e, Medford ...... | May 19 | Franklin Park .| May 14
oe eee Concord... ..—1 June:7 Concord ......| May 18
Deeg hls o's. Concord ...... | May 16 | Concord ......| May 18
SNS ALCH <<. 078 5% Middlesex Fells | May 1 || Franklin Park . | April 27
eats tess wat 2 Medford ...... | April 25 || Franklin Park . | April 14
Be os aia < 3 Concord ...... | May 18 || Jamaica Plain . |} May r2
BRT satan bask Medford ...... | Mar. 19 | Roxbury ...... | Jan. 25
pets. sce Medford ......| Jan. 8 Franklin Park . | Jan. 20
| Middlesex Fells | May 15 || Franklin Park . | May 14
Meee oe alice oan Medford ...... | May 14 | Concord ......| May 18
oated Vireo ..... Medford ...... May 14 | Franklin Park . | May 16
eaded Vireo ......... Middlesex Fells | May 12 || Concord ...... May 18
eyed Vireo........--. Middlesex Fells | May 12 | Braintree ..... June 17 -
and White Warbler .. | Middlesex Fells | April 28 | Franklin Park . | April 27
-winged Warbler .... | Middlesex Fells | May 15 || Franklin Park . | May 18
ile Warbler ... -. ..--| Middlesex Fells | May 15 | West Roxbury .| May 12
ern Parula Warbler. Middlesex Fells | May 12 || Franklin Park . | May 18
OS. S Ca Medford ...--- May 1o | Franklin Park . | May 5
-throated Blue Warbler | Middlesex Fells | May 19
Eide ites: coe x Middlesex Fells | Mar. 30 | Arboretum .... | Jan. 6
Wrarpler..-..---. Middlesex Fells | May 19 | Franklin Park . | May 16°
t-sided Warbler... .. Middlesex Fells | May 12 | Franklin Park .| May 16
asted Warbler .... -- Middlesex Fells | June 2 Arboretum .... | May 26
-poll Warbler ........ Medford ..:.-.. May 18 | Franklin Park .| May 18
burnian Warbler ..... .Medford ...... May 21 | Franklin Park . | May 18
-throated Green Warb’r | Middlesex Fells | May 8 | West Roxbury . | May r2
ere eae ane Siar Fells | April5 || West Medford . | April 19
Pe era sik, 3 acs Ipswich ......- | Oct. 12 | Franklin Park - | Oct. 5
Palm Warbler ....-- Middlesex Fells | Mar. 30 || Natick ........ Mar. 30
ee ee Arboretum ....| June 8 South Sudbury | May 30
Riis. .- . Middlesex Fells | May 12 | West Roxbury . | May 12
ew aslo. 2 Medford ...... [May ro | Franklin Park . | May ar
MO SEDIOr 32.55... Greylock -......... June 15
ern Yellow-throat Medford ...... May 17 || Franklin Park . | May 14
-breasted Chat... .... Newton ....... June 28 | Braintree ..... June 17
A RES: Middlesex Fells | May 1g || Franklin Park . | May 18
OS ee Middlesex Fells | May 23 |. Jamaica Plain . | May 26
EY Care Medford ...-.-.- May 14 | Belmont ...... May 17
i a Middlesex Fells | April 12 || Ipswich ....... Oct. 19
Be atertin So gs so Middlesex Fells | May 15 | Franklin Park . | May 5
+ SS Middlesex Fells | May 12 || Franklin Park .| May 5
Beret! sia je. 3% Medford ...... | May 5 Belmont ......| May 1
Wa, ey ere Greylock .....- | Jume 15 | Franklin Park . | April 28
billed Marsh Wren...- | Norwood ...... July 4 Wayland ...-... June 15
billed Marsh Wren . Cambridge .- June 8 | Cambridge ....| May 24
eerste 6-1-4. Middlesex Fells Jan. 3 Waltham ...... | Jan. 5
breasted Nuthatch Middlesex Fells | Jan. 8 Franklin Park .| Jan.
asted Nuthatch. .... Middlesex Fells | Jan. 6 Arboretum ....| Jan. 1
RS eee Medford ....-.. | Jan. Franklin Park .| Jan. 1
n-crowned Kinglet.... | Middlesex Fells | April 3 Arboretum ...- | Jan. 1
by-crowned Kinglet ... .. Middlesex Fells | April 7 Franklin Park . | April 27
oe acer apart Medford ...... | May 17 || Concord ...... | May 18
Wson’s Thrush........-.- Middlesex Fells | May 1 Belmont ...... .- May 17
ay-cheeked Thrush ...... | Waverly.-...---. May 25 || Franklin Park . | Sept. 28
122
Bird - Lore
List of Birds observed by
Lidian E. Bridge, West Med-
ford, Mass., from January 1,
1907, to January 1, 1908.
Di
List of Birds observed by
James L. Peters, Jamaica —
Plain, from Januai 1S
1907, to January 1,1908.
Re
Name of Species Locality Date Locality Date zt
Olive-backed Thrush ...... Waverly... .... May 18 | Franklin Park .
Berit Thrush. 5-2: ee oe Middlesex Fells | April 7 | Franklin Park .
American Robin. 222202. S5cu Medtord 25.5% Mar. 17 || Franklin Park .
PAGODITO s. secs Stes wee ol Medford ....«. Mar. 18 || West Roxbury .
Ring-necked Pheasant.....- Medford ...... Feb. 17 | Franklin Park .| Jan.
Kumlein’s Galles ore oss Boston 2.5.2 Dec. 7 Boston ........ | Dec
Mockingbird’. 2.02072 2055° Medford .....- Nov. 20 || West Medford . | Nov
Brewster’s Warbler .....-.-. Arboretum June 4 | Arboretum .... | May
Hoary “Redpoll sp.) ss ABET. EL Mar. 16 4
Migrant Shrike............ Medford ...... April 14 .
SMOVEHER Os so ueet ds oa od Middlesex Fells | Nov. 30
American Widgeon ........ Middlesex Fells | Dec. 8
Phitadeipita: Virees ta) 292) cod pte ak Cl ie epee Marlboro......
“Northern ‘Phalitope so. wh cock a es cen eel eee Wayland ......
Feeland’ Gralirc ot ete certs es Mr a ie eee ee cae Swampscott ...
FL CHEI ET OE as SS Re as BETAS Ca eee aa West Tisbury .
Familiar Bird Names
The current discussion in BrrD-LORE ought to bear satisfying fruit for eve r
bird-naming. The writer offers a few criticisms as regards the suggestions of both
Dawson and Mr. Perkins (as given in late
titles in question, one might make a composite, and call the ‘Louisiana Water Th
Mr. Dawson’s ‘Western’ Tanager is too
clusive : there are other western Tanagers than that so misleadingly called the ‘T
isiana’ Tanager. How would ‘Red-headed Tanager’ do?
Now, as to the titles suggested by Mr. Perkins: Can we not let ‘Tree’ Sparrow
The term ‘Canadian’ adds nothing; and is not distinctively definitive. Let Field §
stand. The name is good; and ought to stand by right of prescription. Why c!
‘Nashville’ Warbler to ‘Birch’? The latter title can have but a merely local ap
ateness. The other suggestions by Mr. Perkins, in March-April Brrp-Lorg, are
As a promoter of discussion, merely, the writer cites a number of possibly
henceforth the Southern Water Thrush.
changes in our popular bird-nomenclature:
The indigenous Rough-legged Hawks:
Northern and Southern Rough-legs.
Kamchatkan Cuckoo: Siberian Cuckoo.
Arkansas King-bird: Western King-bird.
Restore Acadian Flycatcher.
Eastern Meadowlark (as a matter of pure
distinction).
Mexican Cross-bill: Sierra Cross-bill (or,
Bendire Cross-bill, or Mountain Cross-
bill).
Tree Sparrow: Winter Sparrow.
Arctic Towhee: Spotted Towhee.
Pyrrhuloxia: Bull-finch.
Bohemian Waxwing: Greater Waxwing.
Prothonotary Warbler: River Warbler.
Nashville Warbler: Brown-capped War-
bler.
Tennessee Warbler: Gray Warbler; (or,
Green-gray Warbler).
Blackburnian Warbler: Orange Warbler.
A number of the above suggestions are in no sense original. They are coll
here, to provoke discussion.—P. B. PEaBopy, Blue Rapids, Kansas.
issues of Brrp-LoreE). As for one
5
Sycamore Warbler: White-browed
bler. i
Connecticut Warbler: White-eyed —
bler.
MacGillivray Warbler: Tolmie
Canadian Warbler: Vested Warbler. —
Sprague Pipit: Prairie Pipit,
American Robin: Eastern Robin. —
Holboell Grebe: Red-necked Grebe. —
Ani: Tick-Bird. bes
Leucosticte: Rosy Finch. :
Junco: (let it stand, please, and
the hyper-sentimentally nick-ni
. ‘Snow-flake’ into plain, ‘Snow.
Grass-hopper Sparrow: Sibilant 5
Cinereous Sparrow: Ashy Sparrow
Hepatic Tanager: Ruddy Tanager.
Verdin: Golden Tit. ;
Siberian Yellow Wagtail: Alaskan
tail. :
The Skylark, Pro Tem.
_ The “Skylark, pro tem.” So, I named
le Bobolink, one day, when my memories
re still vivid of the Skylarks I had heard
they were sailing the air and singing
Chorley Woods, a broad, sunny
not so many miles from old London
Yes, without prejudice to either
ter, I still adhere te the inspiration
> moment, which recorded this im-
on of spiritual kinship between the
sh and the American feathered ser-
each aiming at Heaven’s gate, in a
day transport). Each was an em-
| lyric. The former contained more
s, it is true; but the requisite of
ple, sensuous and passionate” could
plied equally te each of these poets-
wings. While the rapture and ascent
he sky lasted, my Bobolink could con-
, at every point, faverably with the
st, I thought.
Skylark, pro tem, sailed the air, and
ed earthward his astonishing and
barcarolle. Sometimes he traversed
inet circle,—a circle which, probably,
ed the previous spot of earth, where
and nestlings were basking in the
m June sun. Again, he sailed about
little field, taking a lower range than
re—seemingly with a rapturous un-
inty as to where his airy gyrations
‘would ‘“‘bring up.” Sometimes he alighted
or an instant on a stone wall, and once,
upon the telegraph wire, where he told
in all his heart-full of joys; or, rather,
as as though joy told itself through a
s bill. A memory,—launched on an
nant mental protest came to me just
“spink,spank,spink!” The wonder-
ee ance to which I was listening,
s no more like this syllabic burlesquery
Pisina, than a Nightingale’s song would
De attempted to be expressed by any like
ous combination of vowels and con-
ts in a hyman mouth. Up into the
g of Shelley’s adoring muse. Orso, a .
Hotes from Field and Stuvyp
sky again the little lyrist flew, his voice
yielding a pure, harp-like quality, with
a flute at intervals miraculously interrupt-
ing the harp strain. As he made his ascent,
he became, as it were, a whole faint, fine
orchestra of delicious bird-music, com-
bining, in delighted confusion, whistling,
warbling, trilling, with a tender call-note
running through the whole. But he had
reached the top of his invisible, lofty
Piranesi staircase, and must reel back to
earth, somehow. His flight of celestial
music had seemed to be too much for him.
Having scattered it all, he came fluttering
down, and sank for a moment’s silent
recollection of himself. With loosened
wings (I could see the heave of his breast),
he lighted and rested on the stone wall
near where I watched. And another Bobo-
link close by, as if to improve the oppor-
tunity of such silence, rose to occupy the
aérial auditorium, sailing and singing as
his brother before him had done.—EpitH
M. Tuomas, New Brighton, S. I.
Sea Birds as Homing ‘Pigeons’
American ornithologists and bird-lovers
will probably be surprised to learn that
the Frigate Bird (Fregata aquila) is fre-
quently employed by the natives of. va-
rious parts of Polynesia as a carrier “ Pig-
eon.”
I have recently called attention to this
fact in the Bulletin of the New York Zoé-
logical Society, and it seems desirable to
make it known also to the readers of Brrp-
Lore. During the pastsummer, Prof. John
B. Watson made observations on the hom-
ing instincts of Terns, and Noddies during
their nesting periods.
According to the report of Director A.
G. Mayer, of the marine laboratory at the
Dry Tortugas, Florida, where Prof. Wat-
son studied the birds, ‘‘he demonstrated
that if the Sooty Terns and Noddies were
taken to Cape Hatteras and liberated,
they would return to their nests on Bird
{ 123)
124
Key, Tortugas, a distance of 850 statute
miles.’
In the course of a winter’s voyage on
the U.S. S. “Albatross” in the South Seas,
the writer found among the natives of the
Low Archipelago many tame Frigate
Birds. The latter were observed on hori-
zontal perches near the houses, and were
supposed to be merely the pets of the chil-
dren who fed them.
They were -entirely tame, having been
reared in captivity from the nest. As our
acquaintance with the people developed,
we discovered that the birds were used by
them after the manner of homing “‘ Pig-
eons”’ to carry messages among the islands.
The numerous islands of Low Archi-
pelago extend for more than a thousand
miles in a northwest and southeast direc-
tion, and it appears that the birds return
promptly when liberated from quite distant
islands. They are distributed by being
put aboard small vessels trading among
the islands. The birds are liberated when-
ever there is news to be carried, returning
to their perches sometimes in an hour or
less, from islands just below the horizon
and out of sight of the home base: Gener-
ally they are in no great hurry. As the
food of the Frigate Bird may be picked
up almost anywhere at sea, there is no
means of ascertaining how much time the
bird loses in feeding or trying to feed en
route. It may also linger to enjoy its liberty .
with other Frigate Birds. —
I did not observe tame Frigate Birds
elsewhere in Polynesia, but Mr. Louis
Becke, who is familiar with most of the
South Sea islands, says they were used as
letter carriers on the Samoan _ islands
when he was there in 1882, carrying mes-
sages between islands sixty to eighty miles
apart. When he lived on Nanomaga, one
of these islands, he exchanged two tame
Frigate Birds with a trader living on Nui-
tao, sixty miles distant, for a pair tame
reared on that island.
The four birds, at liberty, frequently
passed from one island to the other on
their own account, all going together on
visits to each other’s homes, where they
were fed by the natives on their old perches.
Bird - Lore
Mr. Becke’s pair usually returned to him
within twenty-four to thirty-six hou
He tested the speed of the ‘Frigate’ |
sending one of his birds by vessel to Ni
tao, where it was liberated with a mess
at half-past four in the afternoon. B
six o’clock of the same day the bird was b
on its own perch at Nanomaga, accompa
ied by two of the Nuitao birds, whic
being at their perch on that island
it was liberated, it had evidently p
up en route. Sixty miles in an hour
half is probably easy enough for the
gate Bird, as in Malayo-Polynesia i
said to have frequently returned a «
tance of sixty miles in one hour.
It becomes entirely tame and |
when raised from the nest, and if
liberty returns regularly to its home
at night.
The largest rookery of Frigate _
have seen is at Tekokoto, in
Archipelago.
Frigate Birds inhabit tropical a:
tropical seas. The spread of wing
nomenal for the size of the bird
about eight feet, giving a wing p
haps unequaled; although Walt
has somewhat exaggerated its
flight in the lines:
“Thou who has slept all night
storm,
Waking renewed on thy prodig
ions,
Thou born to match the storm
all wings), *
At dusk nots look’st on Senegal at
America.’
Judging from my South Sea exp
the ‘Frigate’ goes to roost at nig
many other sea-fowls. — CHARLES
TOWNSEND, New York City. pe
Mortality Among Birds
Any observer who has visited |
breeding colonies of birds is aware
there is a heavy death rate among
young birds, and that many eggs 2
destroyed by causes over which m
but small control. For example, in
Notes from Field and Study
colonies, the young frequently fall from
the nests and are either drowned or become
entangled in the twigs of the trees or on
the edge of the nest and are hung. Crows
in many instances destroy large numbers
of eggs. In colonies of Terns, the writer
has seen young which have become en-
tangled in bunches of sand spurs and died,
and still others which have been killed
by crabs before they could free them-
selves of their shells.
Few, however, I suspect are aware of
e
-
SHOWING WINDROW OF ROYAL TERN’S EGGS
125
The wardens of the Audubon Society
frequently report similar disasters to the
breeding birds. In their annual reports,
statements are made showing the number
of eggs laid and also the number of young
believed to have been raised. While their
statements cannot be expected to be abso-
lutely accurate, they are probably not very
far wrong, as in some instances at least the
figures are based on careful observations
and a daily counting of the eggs and
young.
‘The beach on the left has been swept by the waves. On the right are seen young and eggs in the nests
which were undisturbed. Photographed by T. Gilbert Pearson
| the great loss of life which annually occurs
}from the destructiveness of storms and
high tides. On Royal Shoal island, North
Carolina, in June, 1907, a hail storm killed
| Over one hundred and sixty young Laugh-
ing Gulls; barely a dozen were left alive
"}on the island. A few days later a high
¥ storm tide swept one end of the island,
jcatrying with it into the Sound about
))15,000 eggs, mostly of the Royal Tern.
On another portion of the island, 1,000
\eggs were carried by the water from their
nests and left in a great windrow along
_ |the beach.
Below are given the combined estimates
of the Audubon wardens, showing the num-
ber of eggs deposited and the number of
young raised by four species in the chief
breeding colonies protected on the Atlantic
and Gulf coasts, for the season of 1907:
Eggs Young
Laughing Gull...59,670 37,300
Herring Gull ....71,018 46,600
Black Skimmer..28,350 21,050
Common Tern ..32,300 19,025
Brown Pelican .. 3,500 750
Thus of 194,838 eggs laid, 70,103 were
destroyed, chiefly through storms. In
126
other words, only about 64 per cent of the
eggs laid produced young which matured
-sufficiently to leave the rookeries.
Much of this destruction of bird-life
-could probably be prevented, especially
-on the low-lying islands of the southern
coasts, by the construction of sea walls,
either of stone or low piling, to check the
‘force of the waves and prevent them from,
running far up the sloping shores. This
experiment is now being tried on one of
the North Carolina islands.—T. Gtt-
‘BERT PEARSON, Greensboro, N.C.
Hummingbird Notes
On June 4, 1907, a female Humming-
‘bird had been seen often around a larch
‘near the house, and on this day the nest
was started—a tuft of yellowish down on
a twig about fourteen feet from the
ground. At 9.30 the next morning, after
-an hour or more of feeding and playing
with her mate around the weigela bushes,
-she was hard at work again. When it was
possible to follow her flight, the particles
of down, cobweb, etc., forming the body
-of the nest, seemed to be collected from
among the young leaves of near-by trees,
especially the elms; when after the scraps
of lichen and moss she was more easily
watched, for, darting over to an elm or
chestnut, she flew up and down and around
the trunk, here and there standing still in
the air as she picked off some tiny. bit,
then back to-the larch, alighting directly
‘in the nest. It was most interesting to
watch the bird at work; she paid no atten-
tion to me, though I stood so near that
no opera glass was necessary save when
trying to name some piece of building
material. Flying directly on to the nest,
-she would reach over, place her scrap of
‘lichen and give a touch here and there, or
if it were down, fix that on the upper edge,
pressing and shaping the nest with that
tiny body; then in another instant she
was off like a winged bullet. She lost but
little time during working hours; in one-
half hour she made thirty-one trips, the
“the busiest five minutes of that period
-including ten trips. Usually she brought
Bird-
- and one young Thrush was found
Lore
ag
down for several trips, then several piec
of lichen to bring the outer cover! in
nearly to the top of the down. Yet sev
times she returned with nothing vis
in her bill, but, after sitting in place
ment, reached overand worked a little
the lichens: is saliva used to aid in f:
ing these? During afternoon, the
seemed to do little if any work, t
sometimes seen perching near.
out, the male showed no interest in
work, and I seldom saw him near tl
_ By the 8th the nest looked c
but the bird was still adding dow
upper edge and constantly sha’
June 13, sitting had begun, bu
was dead, the wind high, and
later nest and a broken egg lay 1
tree.—IsABEL McC. aon
wood. N. J.
Nest of Wood Thrush into
bird Had Deposited |
The nest which is the
accompanying photograp
in the crotch of a leaning
ling, seven or eight feet u
covered it contained one
Thrush and one of the
The following day it \
Wood Thrush had laid a
that there were three Cowbird
instead of one there, which “ove
that there were at least two C
using the nest instead of one, fo.
bird’s eggs had been deposited in
twenty-four hours. a
I removed the Cowbird’s \
photographing the nest. This was
June 5. On the r3th another C
egg was found in the nest, but tf!
been no change in the number
Thrush’s eggs.
On the 2oth the nest was agai
ently two days old, but no trace $0
other two eggs were seen. On the
the nest was again visited and ano’
Cowbird’s egg was removed. |
1, both mother and nestling left |
permanently. .
In all probability, if the Cowbi
Notes from Field and Study
fivein all—had not been removed, the Wood
‘Thrush would not have been able to hatch
a single nestling, and, if she had, the lusty
young Cowbirds would have smothered
or crowded it out of its rightful home.—
‘GEO. P. PERRY, Sterling, Ill.
Albino Flickers
These Flicker photographs were taken
June 15, 1907, in the southwestern part
of Ohio, near New Paris. The nest was
127
the nape. The shafts of the tail feathers
were yellow, as in the normal, and the eyes
were pink, as is usual with albinos. The
white birds were fully as large as the
others, and quite as lively.
One week after the photographs were
made, all the birds had left the nest, but
one of the albinos was found on a small
tree nearby.
It was secured, and is now
in the collection of the Biological Depart-
ment of Earlham College, at Richmond,
Indiana.
a
NEST OF WOOD THRUSH WITH THREE COWBIRDS’ EGGS
Photographed by George P. Perry
discovered about May 30, by Miss Ruth
Petry, at which time the birds had been
} hatched some days. The nest was-in a
large basswood fence-post, with the open-
} ing only two feet from the ground. The
) Mestlings were six in number, but only two
)0f them showed any departure from the
| normal.
These two were creamy white in color,
With the exception of the red crescent on
The other bird remained in the neigh-
borhood of the nest for about a month.
From its behavior in flight, especially its
tendency to circle about, it seemed prob-
able that the light blinded it more or less.
After some weeks, nothing more was seen
of it. It is likely that it paid the penalty
of uniqueness, and fell a victim to some
predatory Hawk.—LorEN C. PETRY.
Haverford, Penna.
po ee A e Ra Doe ce,
|... TWO ALBINO AND ONE NORMA
L FLICKER FROM THE SAME NEST
Bird - Lore
%
Photographed by Loren C. Petry
Identification Sketches
I wonder if any of your readers has ever
tried the following method of taking notes
on birds. I pass it on in the hope that it
may, perhaps, help some ambitious be-
ginner, especially in the task of bringing
order out of the delightful chaos of his
first Wood Warbler observations.
On a dozen slips of paper sketch the
rough outline of a bird. With these slips in
your note-book, and a box of colored cray-
ons in your pocket, seek a favorable spot,
sit down and wait. Then, when the Warb-
ler flock begins to gather about, take notes
by filling in your outline sketches. For
example, Chestnut-sided Warbler
appears, you can, with a bit of black
crayon, record in half a second the peculiar
af ey
V-shaped mark on the face that would |
have taken a number of seconds to de-
scribe in writing. And after your next
glimpse of him, a blur of yellow on his
head, a smear of chestnut along his side—
and lo! already you have a sketch that
may not be an artistic triumph, but which
will surely serve later to identify your
bird. Not alone in the recording of obser-
vations is time saved by this method.
Often it is necessary to refer hastily to
some one of your incomplete records. It
would take some time to read and form
written words from the mental image
required; whereas it takes but a glance at
the crayon sketch. And when there are
Warblers about one, appearing and dis-
appearing and reappearing, elusive as
fairy-folk, among the leaves, who does not
grudge every second’s attention that so
prosaic a thing as a note-book demands?
—MARIAN WARNER WILDMAN.
A Prothonotary Warbler in Central Park
While sitting by one of the inlets of the
lake in Central Park on May 8, 1908, I
was attracted by an unfamiliar song which
awakened my curiosity and put me on the
alert to watch for the singer. Very soon
I saw what looked like a little gold ball
flying toward me from the opposite bank,
and lighting in a bush not four feet from
me, it poured forth the song I so wanted to
hear. I looked, and looked, and my heart
gave a bound when I thought of a skin of
a Prothonotary Warbler I had cherished
> “Ve
| for years, every feather of which I knew.
“Ttis without doubt the bird,’’ I exclaimed,
but how did it get so far away from its
| range?” I remained some time watching
lA fly back and forth, then went to the
American Museum and reported it, and
' examined specimens to make sure I was
sme So far as I know it has never been
| seen in the park before.
| On May 5, Mr. Chubb and Dr. Wieg-
-'man both saw this bird.—ANNE A. CrRo-
_\xrus, New York City.
Tufted Titmouse in Central Park
A Tufted Titmouse spent nearly two
| weeks in May of this year in Central Park.
Tt was not shy but, on the contrary, rather
enjoyed getting near and surprising you
by a loud whistle continuing five minutes
or more. I think this is the only record
of this species for Central Park.—ANNE
|A. Crorius, New York City.
Briars as Nest Protectors
I have heard of a way of preventing
eats from climbing trees for birds that was
“new to me, and possibly may prove of
‘value. Take stalks of rose-bushes, or
others with briars—dead ones will do. Tie
them together strongly and put them
round the trunks of trees too high up, of
course, for a cat to jump above it. It is
Said that a cat will not cross them.—M.
A. Avers, Fitzwilliam, N. H.
| The Prairie Horned Lark in Fairfield
County, Connecticut.
On March 25, I heard of a nest con-
taining four eggs which had been found
‘tin Great Plain district, Danbury, by Miss
‘XeSands, a bright school-girl of fourteen
years, who is very much interested in
birds. I visited the nest on the next after-
Noon and was very much surprised to find
it a nest of the Prairie Horned Lark.
Ne ‘The nest, a neat and well-made struc-
ture of fine, soft dead grass, was placed
in a hollow, caused by the removal of a
small stone, on the gravelly western slope
Notes from Field and Study
129
of a large round-topped sandhill. To the
northwest from the foot of the hill stretches
a small valley with an old cornfield and
pasture lot. No houses can be seen from
the immendiate vicinity of the nest,
although there are several just over the
surrounding hills.
On the morning of March 27, Mr. H.
C. Judd, of Bethel, and Mr. Jesse C. A.
Meeker, of Danbury, went with me to the
nest in order to establish the identity of |
the birds beyond all possible doubt, but
were very much disappointed to find that
NEST OF PRAIRIE HORNED LARK
Photographed by Robert S. Judd
three of the eggs had hatched during the
night.
I was unable to visit the nest again until
April 6, and was very fortunate to find one
of the young still at home, although he
was perfectly able and willing to leave.
In fact, after I first took him from the nest,
he would make a break for liberty as fast
as his legs could carry him every time I
put him down. Once I let him run just to
see what would happen. He went about
a rod, then crouching close to the ground
remained perfectly still until I put my
hand over him, seeming to have great
faith in his protective coloration. It was
indeed remarkable how well the grayish
130
brown-tipped black feathers of his back
matched the general tone of the sidehill.
The old birds were «somewhat shy,
never coming nearer than thirty or forty
feet, excepting once when the young one
called while I was holding him; then the
female lit fer a moment on the ground
within a few feet and showed all the signs
of motherly anxiety which a bird can.
At other times she was flying back and
forth at some distance with a peculiar
jerky flight, seeming to punctuate each
wingbeat with a sharp whistled note, only
occasionally alighting on the ground, or
on a fence post for a few seconds. The
male kept himself for the most part in the
background.
Just before leaving I placed the young
one in the nest and started to look over
the sidehill, in the hope of finding another
of the family. In the meantime the female
lit on the top of the hill and commenced
to whistle. When I returned to the nest it
was empty, nor could I find the young
one after searching thoroughly. She had
evidently whistled to very good purpose.
The whole family had disappeared
completely, leaving only a trampled nest
to show where these hardy little birds had
reared their young in spite of the cold,
blustering March weather.—RoBeErt S.
Jupp, Bethel, Conn.
What the Starling Does at Home
In view of the reports concerning the
habits of the Starling which have appeared
in recent numbers of Brrp-Lorg, the notes
given below, which show what the bird
does when at home, may be of interest.
These notes are from an article entitled:
“Birds in Relation to the Farm, the Or-
chard, the Garden, and the Forest,’’ which
is to be found in the August (1907) num-
ber of the “Agricultural Students’ Ga-
zette,” a periodical published at Ciren-
cester, England.
“The Starling is a splendid bird on
grass land, foraging for leather jackets
(larve of craneflies), wire-worms, etc.,
rids the sheep of a few of their ticks, but
in a fruit district it comes in droves into
the strawberries and attacks the cherries
Bird -
Lore
wholesale (Hereford); peas, apples, plums,
as well as cherries (Kent), also raspberries. —
Very valuable insect-destroyers, but get-
ting too numerous (Nott). In my fruit-
fields (between Marden and Colchester),
I do not suffer very much from Blackbir«
and Thrushes, nor do I grudge them the
toll in return for their song. Only one bi
is dangerous to my crops—that is t!
Starling. He threatened the utter di
struction of our strawberry, raspbert
cherry, gooseberry, and currant, and sor
other crops. These birds are said to cc
to us from the marshes as soon as tl
young are hatched. And they come
millions; in flocks that darken the
Their flight is like the roar of the sea,
like the train going over the arches.
number increases rapidly each year. I
look back to the time when there were
and have watched their increase for f
years, till now it is intolerable (E
The Starling is a terror, and life a
here is hardly worth living; you must
a gun always in your hand, or woe be
the cherries—they come in thousar
(Sittingbourne, Kent).”
Such reports—though doubtless e:
gerated somewhat—coming from diffe:
localities, and from the people who
suffered loss, are certainly suggesti
what may happen in this country,
Starling increases in numbers. For
than twenty years after their introdu
English Sparrows had many staunc
fenders.—S. H. Goopwin, Prove, Ui
A Southern Starling Record
A pair of Starlings have wintered a
47th and Baltimore Avenue, West PI le
delphia, and I am told they nested at 4
and Baltimore, on the Twaddell
last summer.—TuHomMaAS R. Hitt, Ph
- Information Wanted
The undersigned desires to make st
of the home-life of the Hummingbi
Chickadee, and would be grateful
formation in regard to the whereabo
nests of these species situated within
miles of New York City.—F. M.
MAN, Englewood, N. J.
¢ Brrp Our BrotTHER; A CoNTRIBU-
“TION 70 THE STUDY OF THE BIRD AS
Is iN Lire By OLivE THORNE
(LLER. Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
o8. I2mo. ix + 331 pages.
is a very readable volume. There
t a word of padding, but from her
m extended experience with birds and
rd literature, Mrs. Miller has drawn only
ich material as is pertinent to her chap-
on the individuality, intelligence,
ge, education, affections, courtship,
ments and usefulness of birds. The
ity and place of publication for all
jotations are given in an appendix of 285
ences, a feature which in itself makes
much of what Mrs. Miller says of the
individuality and mental equipment
e are in accord, but Mrs. Miller, we fear,
wes birds too well to be an altogether
tial judge of their real place in
re, by which we mean their degree of
tal development and their relations
er forms of life. She presents, there-
e, only such facts as tend to confirm her
nt of view, ignoring those which show
t birds have the faults as well as the
es of man, Her subtitle, consequently,
id read ‘‘A Contribution to the Study
Bird as I Believe Him to Be in
fe,” and with this modification the book:
y be accepted as a fair presentation
Irs. Miller’s side of the case.
rs. Miller’s definition of a bird student
admirable that we quote it in full:
n I speak of bird-students or of ob-
ers, I do not mean the stroller who
o Tae leisurely through fields and
ds, pausing now and then to notice a
td more or less casually, while the bird
n his part is perfectly aware of the scrut-
, and fully on guard... . Bya bird
ident, or an observer, I mean one who
hours and days and weeks and
s to the closest observation of one
one species, watching to see how
» lives and moves and has his being.
.7—F. M.C.
Book Pews and Reviews
THE POLICEMEN OF THE AIR; AN ACC-
OUNT OF THE BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
By HENRY WETHERBEE HENSHAW,.
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE. XIX.
1908. pp. 79-118, numerous illustra--
tions.
We have here an authoritative state-
ment of the work of the Biological Survey
by its Administrative Assistant presented!
as an attractively written essay on Eco-
nomic Ornithology and Mammalogy,.
Faunal Geography, Game _ Protection,.
Bird Reservations and Wild Animal.
Refuges. In summing up the value of
birds to agriculture Mr. Henshaw re-
marks: “‘What would happen were birds-
exterminated no one can foretell with abso--
lute certainty, but it is more than likely
—nay, it is almost certain—that within.
a limited time not only would successful
agriculture become impossible, but the
destruction of the greater part of vegetation.
would follow.” This paper cannot have
too wide a circulation and to any one
desirous of materially aiding the cause of
bird protection we suggest the donation
of half a million copies of it to the National.
Association of Audubon Societies for free
distribution.—F. M. C.
CATALOGUE OF A COLLECTION OF BOOKS.
ON ORNITHOLOGY IN THE LIBRARY OF
FREDERIC GALLATIN, JR. New York.
Privately printed, 1908. 8vo. 178
pages, 3 photogravures.
Ornithological bibliographers who pur-
sue ‘first’ or ‘limited’ editions as keenly as
one would arare bird, will be interested in
this record of ‘specimens,’ so to speak, in
the collection of Mr. Frederic Gallatin, Jr.
It contains the complete works of Audu-
bon and Wilson, and the larger works of
Dresser, Elliot, Gould and others, as well
as many less elaborate but more useful
publications. Such, for example, as the
British Museum Catalogue of Birds. There
are also complete sets of ‘The Ibis’ and
‘The Auk,’ in short, the library is one
of the notable collection of bird books in
this country.—F. M. C.
(131)
132
Foop Hasits oF GrosBEAks. By W. L.
McATEE, Assistant Biological Survey,
Bulletin No 32; Bureau of Biological
Survey, United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington, 1908. 8vo.
92 pages, 4 plates, 3 colored, 4o text
figures.
The methods by which the vast amounts
of data givenin this paper were acquired,
the manner in which they are arranged,
and the judgment shown in their form of
presentation and illustration from the
book-makers -point of view, are above
criticism. We have space here only for
Mr. McAtee’s conclusion: “The five
Grosbeaks studied consume, on the aver-
age, nine times more weed seed than grain
and fruit. Moreover, they devour nineteen
times more injurious than useful insects.
Consequently, since their subsistence is
about half animal and half vegetable, their
food habits are about fourteen times more
beneficial than injurious.”—F. M. C.
The Ornithological Magazines
Tue Aux.—The April number of ‘The
Auk’ opens with a paper by Mr. C. C.
Adams on ‘The Ecological Succession of
Birds.’ It is a philosophical treatise of
considerably more volume than substance,
for old ideas concerning the struggle for
existence are here so tricked out in the
modern finery of biological language that
they fairly dazzle the eye and bewilder the
brain. We can agree with the writer that
“environmental evolution and biotic suc-
cession are of great value,” but we con-
fess to a feeling of doubt when he tells us
“It is quite probable that one of the main
conditions which prevents a more rapid
advance along evolutionary lines is in a
large measure due to the almost utter
failure to analyze dynamically environ-
mental complexes!”
Mr. Wm. L. Dawson has a paper on the
‘Bird Colonies of the Olympiades,’ rocky
islets off the coast of Washington which
are now set apart as bird preserves with
an estimated population of 100,000;
Messrs. Beyer, Allison and Kopman con-
tinue their list of the birds of Louisiana;
Mr. H. G. Smith has extensive notes on the
Bird - Lore
between Cape Flattery and Cop
birds of Colorado; and Mr. E. Seymow
Woodruff presents ‘A Preliminary Lisi
of the Birds of Shannon and Carter coun-
ties, Missouri’ with accompanying |
Mr. Woodruff is to be congratulated
concise an account of-the fauna of a
inaccessible part of the state. We
regret seeing new scientific names
some of our common birds for we
in the temporary stability attained
sticking to old names until the Amer
Ornithologists’ Union’s Nomenel:
Committee sanctions new ones.
More Auduboniana is furnished bh
R. Deane who has already bee:
source of much valuable historical m
ial gleaned from old letters and d
ments. He also contributes an acca
‘The Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistas
torius) in Confinement,’ which is a
obituary notice of the last survivor:
bird that in Audubon’s time, an
later, darkened the sky in countless
tudes. The passing of the Pigeon is
so far as we know, in the annals
thology, although other birds ha
or will meet its deplorable fate.
The general notes show active
work on the part of a large n
careful observers and the reviev
ornithological activity the world
J. D., Jr. .
THE Conpor.—Volume X_
Condor,’ which began in Januai
tains 56 pages in its initial number
cally a double number) replete wil
esting articles and notes. Am
papers most likely to attract the
of the general reader are Fin!
History of the California Condor
containing the most complete r
the history and range of the bir
published, and Dawson’s descrif
‘The New Reserves on the Was
Coast,’ Three groups of rocky
were set aside as bird refuges by
orders on Oct. 23, 1907 (See Bn
1X, pp. 292-294, 1907). For thes
designated as the Flattery Rocks,
ute Needles, and Copalis Rock 1
Book News
ons, Dr. Dawson proposes the collective
rm Olympiades from their proximity to
e Olympic Mountains. Here are the
as grounds of twelve species of sea-
s comprising, according to an estimate
de in June 1907, some 60,000 Gulls,
Cormorants, Puffins, Auklets and Murres,
nd 100,000 Kaeding Petrels.
Inder the title ‘Northwestern Colorado
‘ird Notes,’ Warren gives a list of ninty-
aree species of birds observed during the
3] ¢ and summer of 1907; and in ‘Notes
ym the Diary of a Naturalist in Northern
ali ornia,’ Ferry mentions about one
mndred species observed while engaged
wi 0 k for the Biological Survey, in 1905,
y ari ous points chiefly in Mendocino,
rinity, Siskiyou, Del Norte, and Hum-
ldt counties. The nesting habits of the
n Horned Owl in Colorado are
bed by Rockwell and those of the
y Creeper in Washington by Bowles.
. D’Evelyn contributes a popular
nt of the principal ‘Locust-destroy-
irds of the Transvaal’; Grinnell de-
s ‘The Southern California Chicka-
ch Mt. Wilson as a new subspecies
ws gambeli baileye); and Willard in
izona Nest Census’ gives a striking
tion of the manner in which birds
s breed in close proximity. At
esse, Ariz., in a space only 120 x
> feet twenty-eight pairs of birds, repre-
ng ten distinct species, nested and
one or more broods of young.—
Book News
rly every issue of ‘Country Life in
* contains one or more illustrated
on birds, but the lesson of the much-
ed ‘fake’ Grouse pictures, which
ed in that magazine some years ago,
ears not to have born fruit, and on page
2 of the May number there are some
notable examples of stuffed-bird photog-
aphy. Here also we find a Yellow-billed
<00 labelled ‘‘Seaside Finch!”
1 ‘Some Records of Fall Migration of
(Ninth Annual Report Michigan
‘my Science, pp. 166-171) Mr. Nor-
A. Wood gives a synopsis of daily
and Reviews 133
observations made at Portage Lake, Wash-
tenaw county, Michigan, from September
g to October 21.
The birds of probably no portion of
South America are better known than
those of the island of Trinidad, but in
spite of the long-continued work of col-
lectors in this comparatively restricted
area, Mr. George K. Cherrie (Vol. I, No.
13, Science Bulletin Museum Brooklyn
Institute Arts and Science), adds four
species to the list of Trinidad birds as a
result of field work there during March,
1907. Of these, however, two were pre-
viously known from Monos island, adjoin-
ing northwest Trididad, while Chetura
cinereicauda, given by Cherrie as a first
record for Trinidad, had already been
recorded as ‘‘Common”’ at Caparo in the
central part of the island by Chapman
(Bulletin American Museum Natural
History, vii, 1895, 324), on whose speci-
mens Hellmayr (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club,
XIX, 1907, 62) has since based his Che-
tura «inereicauda chapmani.
-The name of Denis Gale appears so
frequently in Bendire’s ‘Life Histories of
North American Birds’ that bird students
will read with interest an account of the
work of this ‘‘early Colorado naturalist’’
published by Junius Henderson in the
‘University of Colorado Studies’ (Vol. V,
No. ¥, Dec. 1907.
In the ‘Museum News’ of the Brooklyn
Institute (Vol. 3, No. 7, April 1908)
George K. Cherrie makes an important
addition to our knowledge of the habits of
the Giant Stork or Jabiru based on his
study of this bird in Venzuela, where he
tells us the bird’s wings and tail feathers
are in demand ‘‘as ornaments for ladies’
hats.”
The ‘Nature-Study Review’ for April
(pp. 133-137) contains an article by C. F.
Hodge entitled ‘Nature-Study and the
Preservation of American Game Birds’ in
which the author offers to codperate in the
artificial propagation of the Wild Turkey,
Bob-White, Ruffed Grouse, Passenger
Pigeon, and Prairie Hen. Professor
Hodge’s address is Clark University, Wor-
cester, Mass.
134
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Vol. X Published June 1, 1908 No. 3
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1908, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Bird-Lere’s Motto:
A Bird in the Bush its Worth Two in the Hand
WE have before referred to the studies
of Noddies and Sooty Terns by Prof. John
B. Watson on Bird Key, Tortuags, during
the nesting season of 1908, and in the
annual report of Dr. Alfred G. Mayer,
Director of the Department of Marine
Biology of the Carnegie Institution, under
the auspices of which Professor Watson’s
researches were made, there appears a
preliminary report of this work. The final
report will appear during the year, and we
will call attention here, therefore, only to
Professor Watson’s supremely interesting
tests of the homing instincts of Noddies
and Sooty Terns. Fifteen marked birds
were taken from the Key and released
at distances varying from about 20 to
850 statute miles, thirteen of them re-
turning to the Key. Among these thirteen
were several birds which were taken by
steamer as far north as Cape Hatteras
before being freed.
This experiment is by far the most im-
portant in its bearing on bird migration
of any with which we are familiar. It was
made under ideal conditions. Neither the
Noddy nor Sooty Tern range, as a rule,
north of the Florida Keys. There is no .
probability, therefore, that the individuals
released had ever been over the route be-
fore, and, for the same reason, they could
not have availed themselves of the ex-
perience or example of migrating indi-
viduals of their own species; nor, since
the birds were doubtless released in June
| Bird - Lore
or July, was there any marked southwar
movement in the line of which they migt
follow. Even had there been such a moye-
ment, it is not probable that it would hay
taken the birds southwest to the Flo
Keys, and thence west to the Tortu
This marked change in direction,
sioned by the water course, which
birds’ feeding habits forced them to t
removes the direction of the wind ¢
guiding agency, while the absence of lan
marks over the greater portion of
journey, makes it improbable that
was of service in finding the way.
fessor Watson presents, as yet, no
clusions, but, while awaiting with in
his final report, we cannot but f
his experiments with these birds co
the strongest argument for the e:
of a sense of direction as yet deri
the study of birds. With this estal
the so-called mystery of mig
comes no more a mystery
other instinctive functional
‘The Guide to Nature Study,”
Bigelow, presents an editorial in‘
quote at length: ‘The most
that has thus far come to me
tablishing of ‘The Guide to
been the returning of manu:
have had to do, even to
magazine’s best friends. The
ment that this is to be a maga
fulness, to inspire and increase
in nature, has brought forth
number of essays on what, fo
better term, I must call ‘glitterir
alities’ about the beauty and
ness of nature. This is to be ¢
not of preaching on ‘The
Interest to be Observed in Inse
Fascinations of Ornithology,’ ‘W
of the Plant World,’ or similar g
essays; but each article is to have a $
statement of what has been actuall
or done, not what the author’s
view may be. 2? If Mr. B
produce a magazine which will
standard (and he makes an excell
ing in his first two numbers), he »
fit his contributors as well as his
The Audubon Docieties
SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
Edited by MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Address all communications to the Editor of the School Department, National
Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
Bird Houses and School Children
UR Northwest field agent, Mr. Finley, writes: “We have a great deal
of interest in bird study worked up in various schools about the state.
Wherever there is a manual training department, they are making many
hird-houses. Superintendent Alderman at Eugene writes that they are making
Eugene a bird city. The school children are arranging for a bird day a little
|} MANUAL TRAINING CLASS AT WORK ON BIRD HOUSES, PORTLAND, OREGON
PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Photograph by H. T. Bohlman
Water and they have bird-houses up in every tree and back yard in the town. At
‘he recent annual exhibit of school work, they had 443 bird-houses on display.
' € have an exhibition of bird-houses now in Portland that were made by the
phildren of the manual training department here. It is attracting much attention.
“We are doing considerable bird work in the schools by getting the children
10 Make observations in the field and write compositions on the various phases
(135)
136 Bird - Lore
BIRD-HOUSES—SCHOOLBOY AT WORK
Photograph by H. T. Bohlman
of bird life. —Two contests for prizes are being carried on now in this county
and Yamhill County for the best written accounts of the observations made.”
Good Work in a Pennsylvania School
HE annual public meeting of the Audubon Society of the Darlington
Seminary was held Saturday evening. Mrs. Bye opened the program
with an account of the objects of this Society, and read a letter received
from Wm. Dutcher, President of the National Association, New York, acknow-
ledging the receipt of the fee, which entitles the school to sustaining member
ship, also $5 for a subscription to Brrp-Lore, a delightful work on ornithology.
Mrs. Ball read an instructive paper on ‘The Background of Ornithology.’
Mrs. Bye then made an earnest appeal to every woman especially to con-
' The Audubon Societies 137
der this subject and realize the destruction of bird life that their love for finery
ns. Every year large numbers of birds are killed to supply milliners.
hall was appropriately decorated with greens and great quantities of
Birds were in evidence everywhere, a number having been painted by
tudents. The birds were sold by auction at the close of the meeting,
used much merriment and netted a neat little sum for the benefit of
, which will swell the annual contribution that the Seminary branch
nnually to the National Association.
American Nature-Study Society
American Nature-Study Society was organized at Chicago, Jan. 2, 1908,
the advancement of all studies of nature in elementary schools. The Council
onsists of: President, L. H. Bailey (N. Y,); Vice-Presidents, C. F.
ass.), F. L. Stevens (N. C.), V. L. Kellogg (Cal.), W. Lochhead
F. L. Charles (Ill.); Directors, D. J. Crosby (D. C.), C. R. Mann
oulter (Ind.), H. W. Fairbanks (Cal.), M. F. Guyer (O.), O. W.
(al. ), G. H. Trafton (N. J.), F. L. Clements (Minn.), Ruth Marshall
>, R. Downing (Mich.); Secretary, M. A. Bigelow (N. Y.). The Council
sh The N ature-Study Review as the official organ, and send it free to
whose annual dues ($1.00) are paid in advance. Teachers and others
in any phase of studies of nature in schools, are invited to send appli-
or membership; simply write, (1) name, (2) official position or occupa-
directory to be printed), (3) permanent address; and mail to Secretary,
in Nature-Study Society, Teachers College, New York. For full infor-
ee the official journal for January, 1908.
A Course In Bird Study
Cold Spring, Long Island, Biological Laboratory of the Brooklyn
fe of Arts and Sciences announces a course in bird study by Mrs. Alice
Iter, which will treat of classification, with particular reference to the
of eastern North America; ancestry; anatomy; adaptation of structure
vironment; plumage and moults; nesting habits, geographical distribution;
gration; economic value and bird protection; methods of study in the field,
er or restricted areas, together with practical suggestions for bird study
SPN RT EE TE
THE BARN SWALLOW
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT _
Che Pational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 32 by:
Once upon a time, all country children knew a Barn Swallow as
they knew the chickens they fed or the cattle they drove to pasture; while.
could only call a half dozen birds by name, this Swallow was sure to be
them. : a
Now, one may live in a small town, on the outskirts of a village, or
the real open farming country, without having the Barn Swallow as a n
and only know it as it perches on the telegraph wires by the roadside, or
great flocks, in company with others of its tribe, to its roosts in marsh
ows in the fall migration.
Why should this be when the Barn Swallow is not widely distribil
our continent, but, being a bird of the air and feeding upon the wing,
fewer risks in getting its living than do the birds of the trees or ground?
You cannot tell, doubtless, and yet you may also have noticed their
so let us spend a-few minutes with the bird itself, as well as the condi
surround it.
The Barn Swallow belongs to the family of Hi
His Family (equivalent of Swallow). There are over eighty specie
birds, quite generally distributed throughout the wo:
nine are to be found at some time of the year within the borders of
States. The Purple Martin, of the glistening purple-black coat, is t
of our Swallows, being a trifle larger than either Wood Thrush or
while the dust-colored Bank Swallow, whose coat blends well with the
clay or loam in which he burrows his nest tunnel, is the smallest, bein
size than our Chipping Sparrow. <<
Though there is considerable variety in the plumage of these
all but the Bank Swallow show more or less metallic luster in the f
the back, all have pleasing mellow voices that are heard in the sim
of a song, which (if we except the Martin’s rather plaintive notes) sc
like rippling bird laughter than an attempt at singing. In addition,
all strong and swift of wing and weak of feet; going to prove, as one of
Men puts it, that their wings have been developed at the expense of th
and for this reason when they are forced to perch they must choose s
slender perch, such as the telegraph wires. )
In a family noted for its beauty and grace, our Barn Swallow is
to hold his own; and his chief mark of identity, the deeply forked, whi
tail, tells his name, whether on the wing or at rest, so that there sho
difficulty in naming him. Then, again, as seen in the accompanyin
(138)
t
i
i
rll Se em: AE
EERE KOBE IONE rs
BARN SWALLOW
Family — HiruNDINID&
Species— ERYTHROGASTRA
Order — PASSERES
Genus — HirunbDoO
West
J
iv
we
rr
tae Fe
The Barn Swallow 139
are always upon the wing, now following some insect high in air, now skim-
low over the meadows, with a motion peculiar to themselves,—a flight
at resembles swimming or rowing in the air—so swiftly does the rudder-like
1 keep the balance in the rapid gyrations of the body propelled by the long
-like wings. —
: The Barn Swallow is found not only in all parts of North
America, but in Alaska and Greenland as well, and it breeds.
in the greater part of its range where suitable sites are to be found.
this question of nesting-sites is of great importance when we are trying to
yunt for, at least, a local decrease in the number of these birds, and for the
Bs and its remedy. What is necessary in order to make this Swallow feel
yme ?
We associate him with the comfortable old-fashioned barns, with open
doors that could not be tightly shut, and windows with many panes.
. Here the birds nested, either in single pairs or more often in colonies,
g their cup-shaped clay nests, made of mud balls well reinforced with
after the fashion of human brick-makers, to the side of the hay-loft tim-
other convenient places. This nest is usually so well lined with the var-
thers picked up in the barnyard below that before use has worn it down
s very much like some sort of furry cap turned inside out.
( 9w-a-days, the new farming demands that barns and other outbuildings.
id be tight and neat with paint, instead of covered with mossed and weath-
d shingles; so that, as the new replaces the old in their haunts, many a pair
Swallows drop from their sky-high wooing to find closed doors and tight
staring them in the face. So they move on,—Where? that is the question,—
re is no reason to suppose that there has been a greater mortality among
irds during the last ten years than in the decade that preceded it. That
wallows existed before there were barns, goes without saying; conse--
| tly, if this were all, a return to a barnless-condition should only be a matter
me. Caves are known to be used to a limited extent; but may it not be pos-
e that i in settled places the Barn Swallow may become even further domesti-
ec , form the habit of coming under the roofs of the porches and piazzas of
se who are not too particular about a little mud and litter, as does the Phebe,
) was originally a cliff-dweller? I have heard of several individual cases.
3 kind, and it would be very helpful if the readers of this leaflet would be
¢ lookout this summer for any unusual nesting-places of this bird, and
ke a report of them.
As the Barn Swallow covers a wide summer range, so does it travel far in
‘migrations, wintering as far south as Brazil; and, as it takes first rank among,
mily of birds famous for their power of flight, so is also this flight and the
aration for it a matter of great interest.
p. the middle states, the Barn Swallow appears after the first week in April,—
je when the flying insects, upon which it feeds, may be expected to be plenti--
J
is Home and
140 Bird - Lore
ful. Its first appearance, as well as its last in autumn, is usually in the vicini t
of water, and before pairing, the nightly roost of the birds is in the low bushe
of some marshy meadow. Two broods are reared in a season, the first nes
being built in early May and the second in June, and on two occasions we hav
had a third nest in our barn in the middle of August. ‘
The sets of eggs vary from four to half a dozen; the groun
The Eggs color is white, and they are thickly spotted with various sh ade
of brown. The young birds at first are dull and brownish look
ing, much like Bank Swallows, and even the forked tail is not well developed i
the very young.
During the nesting season the food flight of the Barn Sw
Food is incessant, and, as the birds are of a sociable nature, they
go out in groups when in search of food, their happy twit
song when on the wing being one of the sounds we should miss sadly. In add
tion to killing myriads of mosquitos and their kin, flies are taken, small beetle
and several species of winged ants. ,
Every one who, on a cloudy day or late in the afternoon, has stood by a
pond or other large body of forest water, must have noticed these Swe
skimming low over the water, taking the gnats that swarm there, upon
that never tire. It was often the habit of boys, idle and worse, to throw
and other missiles at these low-flying birds, to see how many they could
this game being played in the nesting as well as the flocking season.
of thing is, of course, mere wanton cruelty, as there can be no pretence of eat
the birds. Be the cause what it may, this Swallow is decreasing rapidly
southern Connecticut, and one day this spring, in a drive of twenty miles
the real farming country where there was a fair proportion of old-fa
weathered barns, I saw only three small colonies of the birds.
Barn Swallows were also one of the first ‘Bonnet Martyrs’ among our
birds that attracted the attention of bird lovers, more than twenty-five yee
to the necessity of bird protection. The breast and wings of these beauti
were used to such an extent for millinery that an editorial appeared in
and Stream’ entitled ‘Spare the Swallows.’ This agitation resulted in the
zation of the first Audubon Society, in 1886. pe
In the latter part of August, the family groups break up and the ge
flocking begins. From this time on until their final disappearance, the B
Swallow and his brothers, the Bank and the Tree Swallow, I
Fall Migration life and beauty to the autumn. landscape, whether they j DE
upon wayside wires, pluming themselves, or whether they fi
and wheel over sand dunes and meadows, as if preparing for the flight of
tion, which, according to my own observation, begins, at least, by day
The season of the Barn Swallows’ disappearance varies doubtless a
to season and locality. Mr. Chapman givés October 1-10 for its time
the vicinity of New York. Here in southern Connecticut we have a good
The Barn Swallow 14!
ng et them until the third week of October, both as individual and as parts
i the mixed flocks in which the Swallow family travels. Everything concern-
ing the life of a Barn Swallow is simple, innocent and suggestive of the dawn of
ir gs, before wild nature had learned to be wily to protect itself against the
iles of man, yet this Swallow is quick of wit as of wing, where the care of its
oung is concerned, and I well remember the expedient resorted to by a pair
f Swallows who could not coax their belated nestlings to leave, on a rafter in
ir hay-loft.
: The brood was ready to fly one warm day in the early part of August, or the
a rents at least thought so, but the nestlings were perfectly content where they
re; the table was good and the view unexceptional. Coaxing did not avail,
he’ next day the parents pushed them out on the hay, and there they stayed
Evo days more. But they either could not or would not fly.
The third day, the parents refused to come further in than the window-sill,
ere they uttered a lisping chirp, fluttered their wings and held out insects
mptingly. In this way the young were lured up, and finally spent the night
| the “sill, cuddled together.
Next morning the youngsters were coaxed to the limbs of a hemlock, the near-
tree to the window, but one. that offered perilous perching for their weak feet.
vo of the four went in the green of the most steady branches, but two grasped
ig B and swung overhead downward, having no strength of grip with which
Tetain an upright position. Under one bird were tiers of soft green branches,
le er the other, a stone wall.
4 he old birds gave a few sibilant twitters and darted almost invisibly high.
afew moments the sky was alive with Swallows, who fluttered about the bird
) was suspended above the wall. To and fro they wheeled, keeping always
ove the little one, as if to attract its attention. The parents stayed nearer,
with a small moth in its beak, and seemed to urge an effort to secure it.
| above the wall the little bird hung motionless, except that its head was
vly drooping backward more and more, and the circling birds became more
10 if serous. Suddenly the parent who held the butterfly lit on the branch at
“spot where the bird was clinging, while its mate darted swiftly close beneath.
the darting bird really pushed the little one up, or only made the rush
e it to sudden action, I could not discover, but in a flash the deed was ac- .
nplished and the bird righted. The visiting Swallows wheeled and lisped
"a minute, and then were engulfed by the sky, as mist in the air blends
pe the sun-light.
. Questions for Teachers and Students
What is the range of the Barn Swallow? Is it common in your vicinity? Is it in-
ing or decreasing? What are the causes of increase or decrease? How many spe-
of Swallows are there in the world? In North America? Wheredoes the Barn
low winter? When does he come in the spring? How late does he remain in the
» Describe a Barn Swallow’s nest. How is the mud gathered and carried? What
0€ th Barn Swallow feed upon? Is it injurious or beneficial ?
The Audubon Societies
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
TWO NEW BIRD RESERVATIONS
The Tortugas Reservation
Since the year the Thayer fund was
established, special protection has been
given to the large bird colony on Bird Key
in the Tortugas, with the result that, from
a very small colony of Sooty and Noddy
Terns, this island now supports very large
numbers of these interesting birds, as
shown by the report of Prof. John B. Wat-
son, published in December (1907) Brrp-
Lore. Recently, application was made to
President Roosevelt to have the entire
Tortugas group set aside as a bird reser-
vation, and, with his usual willingness to
help this Association in its bird protection,
he issued the following:
Executive Order
It is hereby ordered that all islands em-
braced within the group known as. the
Dry Tortugas, located in the Gulf of
Mexico, near the western extremity of
the Florida Keys, approximately in latitude
twenty-four degrees, thirty-eight minutes
north, longitude eighty-two degrees, fifty-
two minutes west from Greenwich, and
situated within the area segregated by a
broken line upon the diagram hereto at-
tached and made a part of this order, are
hereby reserved and set aside for the use
of the Department of Agriculture as a
preserve and breeding-ground for native
birds; but the reservation made by this
order is not intended to interfere with the
use of these islands for necessary military
purposes under the Executive Order of
September 17, 1845, creating the Dry
Tortugas Military Reservation, nor to,
in any manner, vacate such order, except
(142)
Roosevelt:
that such military use shall not extend 1
the occupation of the islet known as Bi
Key. This reservation to be known |
Tortugas Keys Reservation. rine
THEODORE ROOSE
The White House,
April 6, 1908.
(No. 779)
The Niobrara Reservation © .
In September, 1907, one of our y
correspondents wrote as follows:
Government has in the Fort N:
Military Reservation, Nebraska, a
55,000 acres of sand plains and sand h
the natural home of the Prairie Chi
and Sharp-tailed Grouse. The
not be used for farming purposes a:
part of it can be used for grazing.
is feed for these birds the entire y
in the last seven years, the sun flo)
taken hold in the bare places and
time, cover the entire reservatio
ing abundant feed when the g
covered with snow. The Niobrara r
runs through the reservation and ne
every four hundred yards on the
a cafion with a stream of water rum
its entire length, affording bird shel
in plum thickets, evergreen trees, wi
and sumac.” I suggest that this
aside as a bird refuge.
Pursuant to this suggestion, the
ing application was made to Pr
January
Hon. THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
President United States,
White House, Washingto:
Honored and respected sir:—1
you herewith for your information, ¢
| TORTUGAS KEYS RESERVATION
| For Protection of Native Birds
ay
| FLORIDA
i |
| _ Embracing all islands of the Dry Tortugas Group,
te Florida segregated by the broken line and
designated “Tortugas Keys Reservation”
e *
Rniddle|
§% Ground) ax e
lowa Rock «
24°38
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Fred Dennett, Commissioner.
(143)
144 Bird
of two letters regarding the Military
Reservation of Fort Niobrara, Nebraska,
showing the status of the birds there.
This Association was informed that the
Government was to abandon Fort Nio-
brara, and we were going to apply to have
it made into a bird refuge, but; subse-
quently, we were informed that it would
be retained by the War Department as a
Utilization Depot for the Remount System.
The object of this letter is to ask your
Excellency whether it would not be pos-
‘sible to issue an order to prevent all shoot-
ing of birds and game on this Military
Reservation, in order that it may become
a bird refuge in fact. If it is not within
the province of the Chief Executive to do
‘so, will you kindly refer me to the proper
officer of the War Department to whom
I may take this important matter ?
The 55,000 acres in question are ad-
mirably located for a breeding ground for
game birds that are now fast disappearing,
- Lore
and such an order will in no way confli
with the proposed use of the reservatio
It is vitally important that as man
reservations and harbors of refuge
game birds shall be made while we have
any of them left; a few years from nov
will be too late. ae
You are so heartily in sympathy wi
our work that I do not hesitate to apply
to you for help in this special case. ;
Very truly yours, —
Witi1am DuTcHER
Presid
ry
The application was promptly |
favorably acted upon by the Chief Ex
tive, as detailed in the following corre
spondence and official notice. Pp
The White House, Washing
April 1, 1
My dear Mr. Dutcher: ‘—Referring |
your letter of recent date, I beg to sei
you for your information the enclos
fi:
NOTICE!
OFFICE OF CHIEF QUARTERMASTER,
DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, U.S. ARMY,
Omaha, Nebraska, March 5,
By Order of the President of the United States.
All persons are hereby prohibited from Shooting, Trapping, at
ing, or taking, dead or alive, by any device, on the %
Fort Niobrara Military Reservation in Nebraska, _
any Sharp or Pintail Grouse, Prairie Chicken, Quail (Bob White), \
Ducks or Geese of any variety; any Woodcock, Snipe, Wilson-Snipe, Ja
snipe, Plover, Curlew, Virginia-rail, King-rail, Sora, Doves, Meadow-lar
Robins, or any birds of any species; any Beaver, Otter, Jack-rabbit, Co
tail- rabbit, Grey, Fox or Red squirrels, or any other game or wild a
or any Fish, of any species.
THE VIOLATION OF THIS, WILL SUBJECT OFFENDERS TO Al
AND PROSECUTION IN THE UNITED STATES COURTS.
D. E. McCARTHY,
wee
Major and Quartermaster, U. S.
Chief Quartermaster
sport from the War Department, with
ccompanying copy of a notice in regard
the killing of game on the Fort Niobrara
tary Reservation.
Sincerely yours,
Ws. Logs, Jr.,
Secretary to the President.
War Department, Office of the Chief
Clerk, Washington. March 30, 1908.
d a" Mr. Loeb:—In connection with
vious correspondence concerning the
mr Siication of Mr. William Dutcher,
‘ esic nt of the National Association of
Jubon Societies for the Protection of
d Birds and Animals, in regard to the
vation of game on the Fort Niobrara
Reservation, I transmit, here-
, copy of public notice prohibiting
. ‘shooting, trapping, or catching of
ild game, etc., on said reservation, with
e information that copies of the same
L % e been posted at various places on and
ind the reseryation.
Very respectfully,
Joun C. SCOFIELD,
& Chief Clerk.
1. William Loeb, Jr.,
* thine to the President.
Bird Refuges
he importance of bird refuges and
ervations is so great that every oppor-
lity is taken to secure them, and, to that
, a five years’ lease has just been taken
n island, containing thirty-six acres, in
Connecticut river, near Portland.
future number of Birp-LORE we
to present a good photographic view
this new bird refuge and a short ac-
it of it from Mr. John H. Sage, one of
members.
legotiations are now pending, looking
he purchase of a marsh island con-
ing some five hundred acres, on the
Jersey coast. This marsh contains
my colony of Laughing Gulls left in
ate. If negotiations are successfully
luded, a diagram and account of the
4 will be furnished. Funds are be-
raised by school children.
The Audubon Societies
145
Field Work
Our field agent, Mr. H. H. Kopman,
is now conducting a bird survey along the
west coast of Florida. He started from
Pensacola late in April, and will make a
critical examination of the Florida coast
as far south as the mouth of the Caloosa-
hatchee river, for the purpose of locating
all of the bird colonies in the territory
covered. It is hoped that.this survey will
enable us to make application for several
more bird reservations.
Our Northwest field agent, Mr. William
L. Finley, accompanied by Mr. H. T.
Bohlman, photographer, is now conduct-
ing a bird survey through northern Cali-
fornia and southern Oregon, which will
extend as far east as Klamath Lake, in
order to discover whether there are any
large colonies of birds that need special
protection. It is hoped that some new
reservations may be established in this
territory, based on the results of the ex-
pedition now going on. If the survey is
concluded in time, Messrs. Finley and
Bohlman will re-visit the Three Arch
Rocks Reservation on the Oregon coast,
to compare the present condition of the
colonies of birds there with the numbers
found when they visited the islands in
the summer of 1904, since which date
this reservation has received special
warden protection.
Mr. Herbert K. Job will make a visit,
extending over a period of three weeks,
to the Breton Island Reservation and the
Louisiana Audubon Islands, and, possibly,
to the Tern Islands Reservation, about the
first of June. His trip will be made on the
patrol boat, ‘Royal Tern,’ in charge of
Captain Sprinkle and his assistant.
In a future number of BrrD-LORE we
expect to have a comprehensive report
of the condition of the bird colonies at the
several places visited, together with some
good photographs of the birds.
Reservation News
Warden Kroegel, at Pelican Island,
Florida, reports that the Pelicans have had
a good season so far; about 1,500 young
146
Pelicans being raised, and there still being
400 occupied nests.
Warden Small, of Old Man Island,
Maine, reports the largest colony of Her-
ring Gulls on the island that he has ever
seen, and also twenty-five pairs of Eider
Ducks. Our colony of these birds bids
fair to become a very large one in time.
WARDEN SPRINKLE AND PATROL BOAT “ROYAL TERN”
Warden Eastgate, of Stump Lake Reser-
vation, reports: ‘‘We have not had so
many; Ducks in the sloughs on the prairie
as are\here now; Mallards and Pintails
have good-sized nests of eggs. Think
there will be a large number of local birds
breed this year. Pinnated and Sharp-
tailed Grouse are everywhere; the Pin-
nated much thicker than ever before.”’
The above reports show the very great
value, in actual results secured, of bird
refuges. More of them are needed.
Bird -
-Bobolinks and Doves, and amend d
Lore
Legislation
VircIntA.—The legislative results se
cured during the present season have been
in the main, rather_ disappointing; pr
cipally, however, because we were una!
to secure all of the improvements in hir
and game laws that were desired. In onl
one instance, however, was any 4
setback experienced. This was in V
where the legislature amended the
law by removing protection fron
Hawks, Eagles, Blackbirds,
game law by removing all protection
Wilson’s Snipe and Robin Snipe.
legislation is retrograde in charact
it is hard to understand how legislat
intelligence are willing to enac
statutes in view of the present
edge of the economic value of birds.
s is a case where prejudice seems
gely to have been a compelling force.
instance, why should the Ricebird
‘placed in the unprotected list in Vir-
ia, where no rice is now, nor has it ever
n grown. When the Bobolink becomes
2 Ricebird on its southward migration,
is found in the same territory where
are hunted, and it is likely that the
‘il shooters instigated the removal of
ection from the Ricebirds in order that
birds might be shot without restric-
ind, as there was little knowledge of
st in birds among the legislators,
legislation was enacted.
ssipp1.—The Legislature ad-
ed without the bill introduced by
s Association having come to a vote.
s favorably reported by both the
use and Senate Committees, and was
e calendar for final passage when the
ure adjourned. Field Agent Kop-
ports that the time he spent upon
ill was not wasted, as the Governor
| recommend its consideration at the
special session of the Legislature.
OU Carorina.—A bill to improve
gi ame law of this state was introduced
¢ Audubon Society, but, owing to the
rt session ot the Legislature —only
_ days—it was not. enacted before
ur wnment. The bill will be reintro-
d promptly at the next session of the
ature in January, 1909.
YLAND.—No changes of moment
de in the Maryland bird and game
. A large number of local bills were
ced, but failed of passage.
en a eta
W JERSEY.—A strenuous fight took
for the January first water-fowl and
ird law in this state, but it was only
lly successful. Every possible legiti-
oressure was brought to bear to have
ssary law adopted, but the large
of the citizens of the state who
to have this law adopted were
; ‘over-ruled by the small minority.
=
ap
ela
iE,
;
COREE ET SS
The Audubon Societies
147
There were several important gains
made, as follows: Summer Woodcock
shooting is prohibited. The open season
for Ducks, Geese, Brant, and Swan is
from October 15th to January 1st in ten
of the twenty-one counties in the state.
Unfortunately, these are the ten counties
where there is very little water-fowl shoot-
ing. In the other eleven counties, which
include the entire coast, the open season
for Ducks and Swan is from November
1st to March 15th, and for Geese and
Brant from November 1st to March 2sth.
While this shortens the seasons materially,
yet it still permits the killing of these fast-
disappearing birds after January rst.
There was no change in the shore-bird
law, and they may still be killed in May —
and June; which is, in view of their rapidly
decreasing numbers, an outrage.
A resolution was introduced and adopted
in the Senate, appointing a commission
with four members to consider the subject
of the game laws of the state, with orders
to report a proper law at the next session
of the Legislature. The commission con-
sists of William J. Harrison, Senator from
Ocean county; Everett Colby, Senator
from Essex county; Prof. Alexander
Hamilton Phillips, of Princeton Univer-
sity; George Batten, President of the
Association of New Jersey Sportsmen.
New Yorx.—The entire bird and game
law of the state was revised at the sugges-
tion of Governor Hughes. The revision
was made by the President of the Forest,
Fish and Game Commission, and the
bills known as the Cobb-Mills bills were
adopted by the’ Legislature almost unani-
mously.
While there were several amendments
to the revision bills which were strongly
urged by this Association, yet only one of
them was adopted, namely, ‘There shall
be no open season at any time for Wood
Duck.’”? This was an important and valu-
able amendment, and New York is the
third state to adopt a close season for this
species of wild fowl.
The hunting-license feature was adopted
by the state. This is a very decided gain
148
and goes far to allay the feeling of disap-
pointment among the members of the
Audubon Society and the New York
members of this Association. It will pro-
vide a large fund for the use of the game
commission in protection and education,
and will be a very potent factor in sup-
pressing illegal shooting and enabling
the game wardens to identify violators of
the law. Hereafter, any one found hunt-
ing must have his license upon his person
at the time, and must show it to any officer
or other person on demand. The fact that
a hunter has not a license on his person
constitutes a violation of the law.
The amendments that the Audubon
Society of New York and this Association
desired, were as follows: To: stop the
shooting of Brant on January first, making
the law for this species of wild fowl the
same as for Ducks, Geese and Swan, and
also to prohibit the possession of wild fowl,
except during the open season, instead
of for sixty days thereafter; to make uni-
form open seasons throughout the state
for shore birds; to give protection to the
valuable species of Hawks, and to prohibit
the sale of wild birds’ plumage, irrespec-
tive of whether said bird was captured or
killed within or without this state.
Commissioner Whipple was urged to
admit these suggested and _ necessary
amendments in the revision bill, but he
was unwilling to hazard the passage of the
bill as originally introduced, providing,
among other things, the license feature,
and he refused to have them made a part
of the revision. He, however, is in sym-
pathy with the proposed amendments,
and has promised to give his support at
the next session of the Legislature to a
further effort for their adoption.—W. D.
MAsSACHUSETTS.—Early in the legis-
lative session in Massachusetts, we were
put on the defensive by a bill, introduced -
by Senator Treadway, of Berkshire, to
abolish the commission on fisheries and
game. This bill was defeated in committee,
and the petitioners were given leave to
withdraw.
A bill was introduced by the mate Board
Bird - Lore
of Agriculture for the purpose of establis
ing the position of State Ornithologi
The Ornithologist of the Board of Agi
culture has been an unpaid official. TI
bill, establishes an official ornitho|
with a salary and an appropriation {
travelling expenses, apparatus, etc.
bill passed both Houses without oppos
and was approved by the Governor
March roth. ‘a
House Bill No. 1,321 (new draft), p
tecting gray squirrels at all times
October, 1910, passed and receiv
signature of the Executive on March 2:
A local statute (House, No. 510),
hibiting the use of boats in the pur:
wild fowl in certain Edgartown
was passed, and, on March 31,
proved by the Governor.
The attempt to secure a law
deputies or game wardens the
search without a warrant, which has
for so many years, was renewed t
This privilege is essential if the b
game laws are to be enforced.
was reported by the Committee «
eries and Game, but was defeat
whelmingly in the House. The
sioners on fisheries and game
with the legislative committee and
draft was framed and substitut
passed both Houses. This bill
No. 1,279) was signed by the
on April 2oth. It gives the office
to request those suspected of viola
law to exhibit any bird, fish, or
mals in their possession. Upon t
of the suspect to comply with the
the officer may arrest without a w
The passage of this Act was largel:
to the persistency of Dr. George W. -
chairman of the commissioners on
eries and game. ,
_The scarcity of upland game |
rise to a sentiment in favor of a
son of one year or more and sey
season bills were introduced.
a bill (House, No. 505), introd
the Massachusetts Fish and
tective Association, was passec
promise measure, and on .
received the signature of the
A bill repealing the open season on
troduced Pheasants, was championed
nator Treadway, and was finally
d in a new draft (Senate, No. 330),
gives land owners engaged in prop-
Pheasants the right to shoot a
1ited number of birds on their own prem-
ses. This received the Executive’s ap-
May 1.
‘wo bills to require and provide for the
r tion of hunters were introduced.
bills were rather hastily drawn,.and
tained some unnecessary provisions.
resentatives of the Commissioners on
ies and Game, the Patrons of Hus-
dry, the State Board of Agriculture,
Massachusetts Fish and Game Pro-
Association, and the National
tion of Audubon Societies, met
some interested members of the
and agreed upon a re-draft com-
gz the best features of the two bills.
Pin (House, No. 1,386), which had
active support of the Massachusetts
on Society, was reported after a
ble hearing by the legislative com-
e on fisheries and game, passed both
s and was signed by the Governor
fay 2. The bill passed the House of
“i sentatives by a large majority, largely
g to the good work of Representative
e K. Morse, of Haverhill; but it was
renuously opposed in the Senate by
‘or Treadway and others that the
t earnest efforts of the friends of the
a required to secure its passage.
pposition came largely from the
n part of the state. Senators Ab-
tevens, and Jenney were among the
ng friends of this bill.
ouse, No. 507, a bill intended to pro-
all killing of shore birds and wild
wl from January 1 to September 1, was
duced by Representative Gates, of
boro, and was supported by the
achusetts Audubon Society. No
the protection of birds has excited
much interest as this. The hearing
he largest held before the legislative
ee on fisheries and game, and
people appeared in favor of the bill
uld not be heard. Among those
The Audubon Societies
149
who spoke in its favor were many sports-
men and bird protectionists, including
Mr. Dutcher, President of the National
Association, and Honorable Herbert Par-
ker, former Attorney-General of Massa-
chusetts. But a strong opposition devel-
oped, coming mainly from market men,
Brant shooters and Duck shooters, and
as the majority of the members of the
legislative committee on fisheries and
game were residents of cities and towns
on or near the shore, the influence exerted
by gunners and market-men on these
members prevented favorable action on
the bill and the committee reported refer-
ence to the next Legislature. A fight
against this report may be made in the
Senate. The end is not yet.
The most important legislation secured
thus far this year, is the bill for the regis-
tration of hunters, which provides money
for the enforcement of the game laws and
bird laws, and makes possible the en-
forcement of the license laws against
non-resident and alien hunters.
RHODE IsLAND.—Much time was spent
by your agent in Rhode Island in the
attempt to induce various organizations
and individuals to support legislation for
the protection of birds. All interested
agreed that a bill for the registration or
licensing of hunters was the greatest im-
mediate need, for the state appropriates
only a few hundred dollars for the enforce-
ment of the game and bird laws. In con-
sequence, the enforcement of the law is
lax. A bill (Senate, No. 60), was introduced
bythe Senate committee on the Judiciary
after a large and favorable hearing, but
it was laid on the table in the Senate.
It appears that a wajority of the Senators
preferred, instead, a bill for a close season
of one year on upland game birds. It was
argued that it would be more effective
protection to stop all inland shooting for
one year than to restrict and regulate
shooting by registration and license. It
was also argued that, should a close season
be established, there would be little reve-
nue from hunting licenses, because there
could be no legal shooting of upland game.
150
The close-season bill (Senate No. 76)
passed the Senate and, at this writing, is
in the hands of the House Committee on
the Judiciary.
A bill was introduced in the Senate to
establish a close season on Ducks, Brant,
Geese and Swans, from January 1 to
September 1. Another was introduced to
protect shore birds from January 1 to
August 1. These bills have been favorably
reported in the Senate and have passed
that body. They are, at present, in the
House. Another Senate bill (No. 53), in-
tended to repeal the law establishing a
bounty on Hawks, Owls and Crows, is
still in committee. The adjournment of
the Legislature is expected soon. All these
bills, with the exception of the bill for the
protection of wild fowl, are in accord with
the recommendations of the Bird Com-
missioners of the State of Rhode Island.
EDWARD Howe ForsusH.
Another Reason for Wild Fowl Protec-
tion
The following is quoted from the Third
Report of the Provincial Game and Forest
Warden of the Province of British Colum-
bia: ‘‘Ducks have again been noticeable
by the smallness of their numbers, and
the quantity shot has not even compared
well with last year, which was a very poor
year. Weather conditions were certainly
unfavorable during the early part of the
season, but lately this cannot be the rea-
son. Year after year, the number of Ducks
visiting our coasts get less and less, and,
at the present rate of decrease, it simply
means that in a few years no Ducks will
come at all. There is little doubt that there
is too much shooting. Every year there
is a greater demand for ducks in the mar-
ket, and every year there is a larger in-
crease in the number of men out with
guns;
fusilade, and a Duck no sooner appears
on the scene than he is shot at, no matter
what distance he is away. Then, too,
shooting at night is still carried on in
places, and this does more harm than
anything else. ‘
Bird -
day after day it is one incessant .
' Washington, and in it were
Lore
The only solution of the questio
establishing sanctuaries for the bi
rest in and the adoption of the tag s
whereby the limit of Ducks Killed
market hunters conid be enforced.” — :
A Good Example and Good Aavie
“T enclose check for five dollars as 1
first annual fee to the National
tion, of which I would like to be
sustaining member. I am _ very
interested in the preservation of
species of our birds that are ne
extermination, and I wish to urge t
effort be spared to give such birds
Willet and Least Tern absolute p:
all the time, so far as it is within the
of the Society to do so. A species o ;
can never be restored, and we have
to spare.”
An Active Game Warden
W. L. Giddings, a deputy in Ob
“T have made a raid on the mill
Columbus, and have convicted fo
for having aigrettes in their pos
three of which were fined $25 ap
costs, and one $50, with costs.
they will not handle them any longer
have cancelled their orders with Ne’ i
firms for all bird plumage. I al
three cases in Cincinnati. I will
other cities a visit as soon as pc
the New York wholesalers are d:
trade out here at present. I a
all aigrettes found in the above
business, condemned them a
them over to the State.”
The Value of the Nighthz
Recently the stomach of a Night
that was shot in Texas was exa
the experts in the Biological
mosquitoes. Any bird that
such a large number of mosquit
meal is worth to any locality
a day, and any person who
to kill a Nighthawk should
nd confined in a county jail for at least
hit days. A recent case of vandalism
as been called to the attention of this
sociation: A salesman in one of the
stern states was traveling in a buck-
Da d and, to amuse himself, he carried
4 32-caliber rifle with him, with which
e shot Nighthawks from the fences at
roadside. One evening he boasted
t in a twenty-mile drive that day he
1 killed thirty-four Bull-bats, not one
lich had he taken the trouble to pick
but allowed them to lie where they
1 fallen. If each of the Nighthawks
1 eaten at one meal ‘300 mosquitoes,
ay y would have destroyed 10,200 of these
ious insects, and the least punishment
uld be wished for such a vandal is
the whole number of mosquitoes
d prey upon him at one time.
Destruction of Plume- Birds *
t is probable that a bill wil! shortly
ntroduced into Parliament with the
of preventing the destruction of
birds for their plumage. A confer-
on the subject, called by Lord Ave-
y, was held on March 13, when repre-
ves were present from the British
m (Natural History Department),
mage Linnean Society, Zoologi-
ciety, Selborne Society, and the
ul Society for the Protection of Birds.
general provisions of the proposed
were practically agreed upon.
Hiec
ild
|
a
[
E
_
| The Destruction of Lapwings
ie National Association of Audubon
es urgently calls the attention of the
rs of the Royal Society for the Pro-
on of Birds to the imperative necessity
some action to be taken to stop the
g of large numbers of Lapwings in
md and their export to the United
_be served in the hotels and res-
of the large cities. Recently, 18,000
3s were found in one cold-storage
Jersey City, N. J.; such an
| ‘Bird Notes and News’ organ of the
ciety for the Protection of Birds, Lon-
and. Spring number, 1908.
/The Audubon Societies
151
abnormal drain on a single species of
birds cannot be maintained for any great
length of time without the extinction of the
species.
What is needed as much as anything
at the present time is an International
Bird Protective Association, in order to
present to the proper authorities of all the
leading countries of the world the necessity
for the suppression of the inter-country
traffic in the wild birds of each country.
AN INTERESTING AND VALUABLE
COMPETITION
The President of the National Associa-
tion feels that he is barred from entering
into the competition proposed below by
The Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds from the fact that he spends a goodly
portion of his time in procuring legislation
for the protection of birds, and his know-
ledge of the subject would be a serious
handicap to other competitors. He, how-
ever, hopes that some of the bright young
Americans who are known to be interested
in.the legal aspect of bird protection will
enter the competition and will succeed in
bringing to America the gold medal of the
Royal Society.
Regulations for International Competi-
tion, 1908
The Gold Medal of The Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds (Great Britain)
and Twenty Guineas are offered for the
best Essay or Treatise on ‘‘Comparative
Legislation for the Protection of Birds.”
The essay should take the form of an
epitome of the legislation in force in the
various countries of Europe (Great
Britain excepted), together with a com-
parison of such legislation with: (a) The
law and regulations in force in Great
Britain.* (6) The proposals of the Inter-
national Convention for the Protection
of Birds Useful to Agriculture, signed at
*Acts of 1880 (43 & 44 viet. S 35), 1881 (44
& 4s Vict., c. 51), 1804 (57 8 Vict., c. 24),
1806, (so & 60 Ae c. 56), hot va Edw. Vit,
Gs 6), i904 (4 Edw. VII., c. 4), 1904 (4 Edw.
II., c. 10), copies of which may be obtained
from the Society, 3, Hanover Square, London.
152
Paris on March 19,-1902. (¢) The model
law of the Audubon Societies adopted by
certain of the United States of America.
(The comparisons to be made in the order
as set out above.)
In comparing enactments of Legis-
latures, the following points should be
dealt with in the order named, and may
be accompanied by suggestions and criti-
'cisms: 1. The close time appointed for
all wild birds, or its limitation to certain
species. 2. The protection afforded (a) to
birds throughout the whole or part of the
year; (b) to what birds; (c) to nests and
eggs; (d) to special areas or sanctuaries.
3. The prohibition of the sale or possession
of protected birds, eggs, or plumage.
4. The schedules of “useful” or “inju-
rious” birds published by any government
or under protective laws, and the basis
upon which such lists are and should be
drawn upand published. 5. The local option
allowed for the adoption or modification of
the law of a country within its several
states, provinces, districts, or munici-
palities. 6. The working of the existing
laws for the preservation of wild birds, and
their enforcement by the police and courts,
nature of penalties, forfeiture of nets,
guns, etc. 7. The permission to take
specimens for public museums. 8. The
injury caused by the wholesale destruction
of migratory birds when on migration.
g. The comparative economic value at-
tached to particular species of birds in
different countries.
Essays, which may be written in either
English, French, or German, should con-
sist of not less than 10,000 nor more than
25,000 words. They should be printed
or typed on one side only of foolscap paper
(22 x 32 meters), and be sent, postpaid,
not later than December 31, 1908 (with
the writer’s name and address in a sealed
envelope) to the Honorable Secretary the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, —
England. ©
3 Hanover Square, London,
Unsuccessful essays will be pruge after
the award has been made, but the Society
reserves the right of printing the whole
or part of any of the essays sent in.
Judges will be appointed by the Council
. Bird , Lore
of the Royal Society for the Protection
Birds, and their decision as to the. mer
of the essays must be regarded as fin
The writers of essays adjudged fir
second and third, may be recommende
the Judges for election as Honorary
Members of the Society. f
The Gold Medal will be present
the Annual General Meeting of the Sc
in March, 1909.
By order of the Council,
(Signed) Montacu SHA
ia
FRANK E, LEMON,
: Hon. a
3 Hanover Square, London, W.,
January 24, 1908
=: of
Helpful Audubon Work
A strong local Audubon Soc
been organized at Riverside, Cal., |
affiliated with the state Society.
Cuttle is president, A. N. Wheelock,
Evans and Dr. Louise Clarke, vi
dents, Leonard Coop, secretary an
Waite, treasurer. The board of dire
include the county and city school s1
intendents, the mayor of the
president of the board of edu
other leading men and women
Game- and song-bird protective
in Riverside county have greatly
and the strongly favorable pu
ment now made effective by org
promises to practically stop such
as have been too common in the
Among the first acts of the new §
will be an effort for a city ordin
hibiting sling-shots and air-guns,
appeal to the county supervi:
ordinance prohibiting all shooting —
public highways. A very efficient
active county game warden is |
larly employed, and the Co
Protective Association, of w
Correll is president, and which
along advanced protective lines
co-operated with the State Au
ety during the. past year, in
of both game- and non-gam
tection.
eas.
ey
mBRYCE. HORSFAL LL
-~/9908 -
3. WESTERN Woop PEWEE
1. KINGBIRD
2. Woop PEWEE 4. Gray KINGBIRD
(ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE)
Bird= Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OrriciaAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SociETIES
= JULY—AUGUST, 1908 ; No. 4
The Fish Hawks of Gardiner’s Island
By FRANK M. CHAPMAN
With photographs by the author
NINCE the publication of Alexander Wilson’s ‘American Ornithology’
ly the Fish Hawks of Gardiner’s Island have figured in the literature of or-
—" nithology, and it is characteristic of their delightful home, that, owing to
he preserving influences of insular life, the birds are apparently nearly as abund-
nt there today as they were a hundred years ago. _
| The volume (Vol. V) of Wilson’s work in which the Fish Hawk is treated ap-
eared in 1812. In it the Mr. Gardiner who was then proprietor of the island, is
‘ ! ted as saying that there were at “least three hundred nests of Fish Hawks that
we young. . . .” Today I estimate the number at between one hundred and
fifty and two hundred, but the difference between these figures and those of
1812 may be less real than due to errors in estimate. In any event, Gardiner’s
Isl d holds the largest Fish Hawk colony in this country—possibly the largest
in the world—and the conditions under which many of the birds nest offer
exceptional opportunities for a study of their habits.
ale In Brrv-Lore for December, 1903, I gave a brief account of some studies
ia on Gardiner’s Island early in June 1go1, and in July 1go2, and this is
now supplemented by the results of observations made on June 17-20 of the
ore: t year.
ay Mr. Gardiner tells me that the Fish Hawks arrive on the island March
20, and depart on September 20. That the same birds return year after year
to the same nest is commonly believed, and in at least one instance this belief
Vas proven true by Mr. Gardiner’s grandfather who placed a metal band on
he tarsus of a Fish’ Hawk which for many seasons occupied a certain nest.
“he birds gather sticks from the ground and, as I noticed in June last, they
30 break them from the trees by flying at or dropping on branches and grasp-
ig them with their talons. Eel grass is a favorite nest-lining and the birds
154 Bird-Lore
often fly about with four- or five-foot lengths of this grass streaming out bet
like a long tail.
While most of the Gardiner’s Island Fish Hawks select normal nestiail
sites in trees, about ten pairs of birds place their nests on the ground, and these
ground-nesting birds as a rule build on the beach. All the pictures here shown:
THE OBSERVATION BLIND IN POSITION
are of these beach nests. Some, it will be observed, are small while others hold
several cartloads of sticks. Such variation is in part individual and in part due
to the age of the nest. In the Brrp-Lore article before referred to I have ex
pressed the belief that these nests are built by birds which have not inherited
the tree-building instinct common to their species, but which, nevertheless,
succeed in rearing a family because of the absolute protection afforded by their
insular environment. I do not. observe that the number of beach nests has
increased since 1gor and the ground-nesting habit does not, therefore, appear
to be hereditary.
The love of Fish Hawks for their nest-site has often been commented on
and there are many illustrations of it on Gardiner’s Island. Nests built in cedars
in time often break the tree, when a new nest is constructed on the ruins of the
old one. In one instance, a tall tree standing alone in a field had held a Fish
Hawk’s nest for as many years as any one could remember. During a storm it
fell and the nest was scattered over the ground. The birds then attempted
The Fish Hawks of Gardiner’s Island 155
ar
Pe A
“to build a new nest on the
_ nearly horizontal trunk of the
‘|tree at its junction with the
‘\stump, to which it was. still
slightly attached; but as fast as
- the sticks were brought they fell
to the ground a few feet below
_\where a pile of them bore testi-
‘mony to the birds’ failure to
‘comprehend the new conditions
by which they were confronted.
' Eggs are not laid until seven
‘or eight weeks after the birds’
arrival from the south; a delay
which, in view of the abundant
(formerly, at least) food supply it
is difficult to explain. The pe-
tiod of incubation is said to be
four weeks, June 2, being the
earliest date on which I have
found young. :
The young are in the nest about six weeks. So far as I have observed,
if are under the immediate care of the female who is almost constantly with
them while the male occupies
a perch near by. While both
birds whistle shrilly when one
is near the nest, it is excep-
tional for them to make any
show of defending their young
by actual attack. I have
never been threatened by the
beach-nesting birds, but one
which occupied a tree dove
at me repeatedly when I
climbed to the nest, coming
uncomfortably near at each
swoop. .
The young are reared on
the restricted diet of their par-
ents, and so far as my obser-
vations go the fish is captured
and brought to the nest by
FISH HAWK RETURNING TO NEST
FISH HAWK RETURNING TO NEST the male, usually after he has
156 Bird - Lore
,
FISH HAWK RETURNING TO NEST
s
satisfied his own appetite by eating part of it. Incidentally it may be remaul
that the Gardiner’s Island birds secure most -of their fish from the numerous ~
fish traps which, during the sum-
mer, are set about the island. They
sit patiently on one of the poles to
which the net is attached until op-
portunity offers, when they jump
down to the water for their prey,—a
far less interesting method of feed-
ing than the thrilling plunge from
the air. ' |
Until the present year I had not
seen the Fish Hawk feed its young;
when, after several hours’ waiting,
the act was seen many times in two
different nests.. It is explained by
the accompanying photograph in
which the female, after tearing small
pieces from a fish in the nest, offers
it to her young, usually turning her
head on one side while the young
birds pick the food from her bill
Young Fish Hawks are models
Note the great length of the 'egs
4 behavior. Their obedience
is instant and enduring. At
|g complaining alarm whistle
| the parent, they squat flat
position, possibly for hours,
ls until the old bird is reas-
ured and permits them to
raise their heads. Unlike
young Terns, Gulls, or Skim-
ners, they make no effort ,to
| e when touched, doubt-
less because they have no
means of escape. They there-
e not only look, but act
like dead birds. One can turn
y
y movement being a rare
ink of the half-closed but
in the nest and hold their.
The Fish Hawks of Gardiner’s Island 157
FISH HAWK ALIGHTING
The nest held three young (compare picture of feeding scene),
which are squatting low and are not visible
aring yellow-brown eye. When, however, the parent’s suspicions are allayed,
d the young are permitted to move, they are often surprisingly alert and
_ Sea “ ey Fe ans £4
FISH HAWK FEEDING YOUNG
158 Bird - Lore
These were conducted from the umbrella blind which I find indispensable
to success in any effort to gain an insight into the home-life of birds. Both nests
and blind were conspicuous objects on the beach and, as in many other instances,
it proved to be important to have a codperator whose departure, after I had
entered the blind, apparently reassured the owners of the nest within thirty
J
:
a
ag"
Ft
EY
FISH HAWK LEAVING NEST
An Audubon Society Warning Notice at the left Sf C4
feet of which the blind was placed. To enter the blind alone, is to invest it with
your personality, when the bird will not return to its nest until the impression
created by your presence has become dimmed. At the best the blind itself is
regarded with much suspicion, and although the bird may return to her nest
before your companion is two hundred yards away, she regards the blind intently,
peering with a sinuous motion of the neck as though her gaze would penetrate
the cloth itself. Some birds are satisfied more easily than others and after half
an hour accept the blind without further question. Others keep it under close
surveillance for two hours and during this time the slightest sound or movement
of the cloth is greeted with the complaining alarm whistle, which, if the cause
be continued, arises to a shrill crescendo.
In studying the life of the second nest here figured, the blind was entered at
eleven o’clock, when the male was seen flying about with a bit of fish which
he was evidently about to bring to the nest. The female returned to the nest
within ten minutes after my companion left me, but it was not until 12:50 that
she ceased to regard the blind with more or less alarm. During this time the
male flew about rapidly with the bit of fish still grasped in his left foot, or perched
-
| The Fish Hawks of Gardiner’s Island 159
‘on the ground a hundred yards away. At 12:50 the female dropped all caution,
and the previously often repeated alarm note was replaced by a wholly different
‘tall, a high, rapidly uttered ¢weet-tweet-tweet, which proved to be a food call
fo the male. At one o’clock, in response to it, he came to the nest, but the blind
Was too near, and, taking wing almost as he alighted, returned to his perch
jon the beach. Again the female uttered her food call and the young were now
permitted to move about the nest. Finally the male came, but, as before, his fears
Qvercame him and he departed quickly, taking the fish with him. Three times
this performance was repeated, and on the fourth, the female, losing patience
or prompted by hunger, attempted to take the fish from his foot with her bill,
‘when, as the male arose, the fish was pulled from his grasp and dropped over
the edge of the nest to the sand at its base. This was a catastrophe with which
jeither bird was prepared to cope. The male made no move to get another
fish, but went back to his perch in the meadow. The female repeated her food
tall more loudly and the young apparently asked for food, but no experience
had fitted her to deal with this chain of events and the fish at the foot of the
nest was left where it fell.
The Return of the Snowy Heron
By HERBERT RAVENEL SASS
, \HAT the Snowy Heron (Egretta candidissima) would ever reéstabli
itself in its former breeding places on the South Atlantic coast ni
of Florida seemed, until very recently, a possibility so remote as
unworthy of serious consideration. Twenty-five years ago, it is true, this s
was common in the South, breeding in thousands on small islands or
mocks’ in the salt marshes—a race so strong in numbers, so beautiful, <
harmless to man that none could foresee the doom which was so shortly to
take it. Yet, when once Fashion had decreed that the Snowy Heron’s
nuptial plumes be used to ornament women’s hats, this loveliest of all our
land birds was in a very short time almost blotted out of existence. Al
coast—which for excellent reasons shall be nameless—where formerly it
in such multitudes, it was considered, up to a few Laie ago, pra at
not absolutely, extinct.
On May 15, 1908, while exploring certain marshes and sea-Beeial
of breeding colonies of birds, I was informed of a certain small island «
mock in the marsh which was a favorite resort of white and blue
Supposing that these ‘Cranes’ were merely Little Blue Herons—an
species—in the immature and adult phases, this information seemed
importance; but, as the hammock referred to lay close to the river de
our launch was proceeding, we decided to land and have a look at it.
which is here a broad tide-water stream, is bordered on either si
areas of salt marsh; and presently, when we were still some miles
skipper pointed out the island where he had seen the ‘Cranes.’ Wat
as the launch sped swiftly down the river, we could see a few Her
white, some dark in color—flying about above the dense bushes
island. At that distance, however, we could distinguish nothing to
suspicions that the birds were other than Little Blue Herons; and
until we had left the launch and were ploughing our way through —
‘pluff?’ mud toward the ‘hammock’—which was situated in the
one hundred and fifty yards from the river—that I suddenly rea
had discovered a strong breeding colony of the supposedly vanish
Heron, and that the dark birds which I had thought were Lite? B
in reality Louisiana Herons. ‘
To describe in detail my first visit to this heronry i is inadvisable f
reasons. In the first place, we discovered later another heronry vi
larger colony of Snowies is established; and moreover I made s
quent visits to the two hammocks which were in some respects more
than my first visit. It seems best, therefore, to describe collectively
of my various trips to these most interesting localities.
The two little islands or hammocks upon which we found the Snoy
(160)
The Return of the Snowy Heron 161
ceding resemble each other quite closely. Both are surrounded by marsh
r ‘pluff? mud and both are clothed with a dense cover of bushes or low trees,
w of them more than fifteen feet in height. The first hammock. discovered
s an area of about three acres, while the second is somewhat larger. The
hammock is completely covered by a thick growth of ‘sparkleberry’
ushes, yuccas, and palmettoes, while on the other island the yuccas and pal-
tettoes are absent or inconspicuous and the sparkleberries form almost impene-
le clumps or thickets surrounding a number of small inane’ open
The bird population of these two little marsh-land strompholde is remark-
p imee considering the small size of each hammock. The Herons observed
g to five species—Snowy, Louisiana, Little Blue, Green, and Black-crowned
t Heron; and in addition hundreds of Boat-tailed Grackles, a few Red-
‘d Blackbirds, a pair of Carolina Doves, and a few Nonpareils are rearing
Pecans in close proximity to the nests of their larger long-legged neighbors.
" Disregarding the smaller birds and considering only the Herons, we esti-
ated the population of the smaller hammock at between six hundred and seven
In ed, and of the larger at not less than a thousand. On each island the Louis-
a and Green Herons outnumber the other species, though, especially on the
r island, the Night Herons are well represented. We saw only a few Little
ues almost all of them immature birds whose white plumage was flecked
e and there with slate.
All these, however, are common species, mentioned only because we found
ete in close association with their rare kinsman, the subject of this
. The number of Snowies observed at the smaller heronry we estimated
ween one hundred and one hundred and fifty, while the number seen at
large island was hardly less than two hundred. These figures, however,
be either considerably too large or too small, for actual counting was an
possibility.
At each island, as we approached, the birds would rise from the bushes in
sive waves or clouds, so rapidly that, by the time we had counted forty
Snowies among their number, we would have to give up the attempt.
4 ne larger heronry, the Snowies were very wild, and after flying about in the
t for a few minutes, most of them betook themselves out into the marsh and
it about a quarter of a mile away. At the other island they are much tamer—
not nearly so tame as the graceful Louisianas which would pass and
ass close above our heads or alight on the tops of the bushes less than twenty
tf om us. The Night Herons also were rather shy, most of them raising high
the air and sailing about well out of range. The scene was always one of
it t animation. Hundreds of birds were continually wheeling about above
bushes, Louisianas and Greens for the most part, but with a good sprinkling
wies and Night Herons. Others fluttered from place to place, while others
Bipetched on the tops of the bushes around us, eyeing us with the greatest
162 - _Bird- Lore
curiosity. The Snowies, so far as I observed, remained absolutely al : , u
the Louisianas constantly uttered their queer calls, sounding like the quackii
of ducks, while the Green and Night Herons were especially noisy, and | tl
scores of young Grackles flitting from bush to bush were never silent for a mone]
Among the hundreds of nests on each island we found only one whi
could say positively belonged to a pair of Snowy Herons. The nests and e
of the Snowy, Louisiana and Little Blue are practically indistinguishable fro
one another; and I was not aware of any differences by which we could sep
the downy young of these three species, I was unable to form any estim:
the number of Snowy Heron nests on either island. Moreover, the parent
would not visit the nests while we were nearby, although they often )
on the tops of the bushes in which the nests were situated. On all three
visits—May 15, 22, and 29—I saw many nests which contained young
covered with yellowish white or cream-buff down; and some of these
undoubtedly have been young Snowies, though most of them were pi
Louisianas. Probably, also, some of the nests which contained eggs st
hatched belonged to the Snowies. It is surprising, however, that we fou
Snowies among the nestlings which had passed beyond the downy stage.
explain this only on the assumption that the Snowies laid their eggs la
the Louisianas and Little Blues and that none of their young had begun to
feathers at the time of my last visit on May 29. In only one instance did
evidence which clearly proved a nest to be the property of a pair of |
This nest was found on the smaller island on May 15 and upon it sprawled
Snowy Heron with one unbroken egg beneath the lifeless body.
Definite measures are being taken in codperation with the National /
tion of Audubon Societies, to ensure the protection of these colonies
plume-hunters. Owing to their situation, the problem of safeguardin,
little islands should not be a difficult one; and there seems to be go
to hope that the Snowy Heron will succeed in reéstablishing itself
coast.
GRAY KINGBIRD
Photographed on Ragged Island, Bahamas, April, 1907,
by George Shiras, 3d
A Little Blue Heron Rookery
By M. HARRY MOORE
BOUT nine miles northeast of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, is a beautiful
F& body of water called Lake Cassidy. It is fringed by magnificent cyp-
a ress trees draped in long “moss,”—a border necessarily narrow on
account of the abrupt sloping of the banks upward to the surrounding forest
‘ stately long-leaved pines. A small portion of the northern part of this
e is being filled up by nature and is now in the intermediate stage between
e and swamp. Many shrubs grow here in the shallow water, as well as an
abundance of white and yellow pond-lilies, and other water plants. In the shal-
: places among the bushes, sphagnum has transformed it into a bog. It
n this marshy part that the Little Blue Herons nest during the warm days
g and summer. Having visited the place three years before, and knowing
ie. was a favorite place for these Herons, we decided to visit the lake again
d make a fuller study of their early nesting habits, for it was late in July
bs n I was at the rookery before.
© On “May 1, 1908, we started and reached the lake a ibe time before sunset.
e saw several little Green Herons and a few Little Blues flying about. How-
er, it was too late to go to the rookery, for it was nearly a mile distant from the
is iding. We concluded to wait and take an early start next morning. So, we
ilt a camp-fire, and disregarding the “redbugs,” or “chiggers,” we lay down
sleep on the ground near the fire. As day was dawning over the lake we were
king ready, and by the time it was light we were on our way in a small boat.
e had not gone far when we observed a large flock of ducks near the center
Eth e lake, but they took flight before we got near enough to identify them.
After our effort to get near the ducks, we once more started for the rookery.
little farther on the way, our attention was-attracted by a large alligator float-
ng ahead, but it sank out of sight as we approached.
As we got near the rookery, we could see the Herons flying in every direc-
m,—some flying in toward their nests and others leaving for their feeding-
gunds. Seeing that it was almost impossible to reach the rookery by boat,
¢ landed and walked around to the point of the shore nearest it. From here
cided to wade to the rookery which was about one hundred yards distant.
nis Pe not easy, for-the water was about three and one-half feet deep, and
> bottom was not firm, and all the time we were half expecting to see an alli-
or rise to the surface. We reached the rookery in safety, however, and found
at more than repaid us for our trouble.
Here, in a dense thicket of shrubs of the Heath Family (Leucothoe race-
, less than a half-acre in extent, we found two or three hundred nests of
3 ittle Blue Heron. The bushes were standing in water about two feet deep,
d the nests were in the bushes about three or four feet above the water. The
nests were built of twigs, being little more than mere platforms of sticks. They
(163)
164 Bird - Lore
were very close together, being only a few feet apart. In the nests were found
both eggs and young... The eggs were blue, and four was the prevailing number
in each nest. A very few sets of five were noticed. May 2 seemed to be the very
height of the hatching period. Probably a third of the eggs were hatched, and
none of the young were more than a few days old on this date. The young have
* P , .y 7s onk 2 .
: 4 " Pas 7 a -
d . ‘ Yr m4 " ‘ .
Sa bak 769 a
YOUNG LITTLE BLUE HERONS
considerable white down on them when hatched. After examining the rookery
to our satisfaction, we made a few kodak pictures of the nests and their contents.
During our little stay, the young kept up an almost continuous noise which
reminded one of the squawks of the old birds, although not nearly so loud. On
our approach the parent birds had taken flight and had retreated to the cypress
trees in the edge of the lake. A few, however, kept flying over the rookery utter-
ing their alarm notes. A few white (immature) Herons were among the adults,
and a few that were changing from the immature plumage to that of the adult
A Little Blue Heron Rookery 165
I nost as soon as we left the place, the old birds returned and settled down
s though nothing had occurred.
ee ety 9 we again visited the rookery and found nearly all of the eggs
iched, and many of the young large enough to climb up the bushes, and this
y do by the use of their bills as well as their feet. Another visit on May r5
fou ind many of the young birds sitting up on top of the bushes..
In the vicinity surrounding the rookery, is an excellent place for marsh-
wing birds, and among its tenants were Red-winged Blackbirds, Least Bit-
, Purple Gallinules, Florida Gallinules, and a pair of Wood Ducks. Two
e species of Swallows were flying about. A Cormorant and several Anhin-
w over that part of the lake while we were there. We found several nests
Red-winged Blackbird, some containing eggs and some young. A Least
’s nest was also found in the bushes, and a nest of the Southern Parula
er in the long ‘moss’ (Tillandsia) on a cypress tree.
_ The Herons approach their nests by flying as much as possible over water.
hey come in flying rapidly, and alight near their nests,—then with a few
ir squawks they approach the nest and feed their young, and then fly
in search of food again. After a great deal of watching, we failed to see
iit Herons feeding in the lake. This, we thought, was strange because
the immediate vicinity seemed to afford good feeding grounds. We heard
frogs, and saw bream, or sunfish, swimming in the shallower parts of
e young Herons have one habit in common with the vultures,—although
well developed,—and that is, when handled or disturbed too much they
mes eject the contents of their stomachs. On account of this habit, we
that their food consisted of frogs, fish, and crayfish.
re are two birds which cause the Herons a great deal of annoyance.
‘is the Kingbird which will pursue a Heron every time one comes close
y his perch, and he gives him quite a chase, the Heron squawking and doing
best to get away. Another tormenter is the Red-winged Blackbird which
ill angrily chase a Heron if it gets near his nest, and this the Herons can hardly
1 doing in going from and coming to the rookery.
‘hese Herons are not nearly so plentiful at this place as they were three
s ago. Either some have changed their nesting places, or they are decreasing
: eel the latter.
The Migration of Flycatchers
FIFTH PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey
With Drawings by Louis AcaAssiz FUERTES and BrucE HoRsFALL
KINGBIRD
The Kingbird winters south of the United States and comes north in th
spring across the Gulf of Mexico, in a path much less than a thousand mile
wide, whence it ranges northeast, north and northwest, until it reaches the r
ern limit of the breeding range, which extends for nearly three thousand
in width from N ewfoundland to British Columbia. ‘
SPRING MIGRATION
Number bee
PLACE of years’ | “oorae acivel |. or
Atlantic Coast— :
Northern: Floridaie 2 0260-% oS II March 24 March 14,
Southeastern Georgia.......-...-- 8 March 29 March 27,
Southern South Carolina.........- 12 April 5 March 2
Raleigh; (Ni Cis ise cee ean etice 17 April 18 April 13,
Asheville, N.C, (iear).¢.2 20.4... 4 April 24 April 22,
Variety Mills, Va... ...2-..: Pdi 20 April 25 April 17,
New Market;"Wao’ 28oc0 2 ste 34 14 April 25 April 18,
White Sulphur Springs, W. Va... .. 8 April 24 April 18, 18¢
French Creeks WiVa. oo s0s5 ese 5 April 24 April 19, 1891
Washington, Li. Co rh ee 23 April 29 April 18, 189
Renovo, Pac 24oty eee eres me I2 May 2° April 26,
Caldwell, N. J....... Soca ss ae Io May 5- April 28,
Southeastern New York.........-- 13 May 5 April 29,
Alfred, N. Vis. vaiasw sentcic oe ee 17 May 9 May 2,1
Ballston Spi Ds Museonen cos weap e 12 May 8 May 1,
Jewett City, “Comm. ap) es c 17 May 3 April
Portland; Contes sosi0 oe See ee 7 May 5 ay 2,1
Hartford, Cégg.cw oo. sas Oe Pees IO May 7 May 3, 1
Hadlyme, Commicoy. 54050 tine 14 May 7 April 26,
Providence; Rites ion; or ack eae 8 May 8 May 3,
Eastern Massachusetts...........- 18 May 5 Bes
Randolph, Visipeee ists nies aces 7 May ro ay 5,
St.. Johnsbut¥; Ati (260s. Sop eee oe 12 May 10 May 5,.
Milford. No Fitouts: Soe ec 7 May 8 May 4,
Hanover Non .iecs sce sees saree 7 May 9 May 3,
Southwestern Maine.............- 25 May 9 May 3,
Sherbrooke: Oven ie so ae A May ee May 15, |
Scoreh hake Ve Dyt ca sale winters 3 May 17 May 13,
Chatham;-Ni Be ai Aes oe ae cx May 21 May 12,
Pictou; aN.cS: Sass wes eee ee 6 May 22 May 16, |
Prince Edward Island ........ ee tt May 23 May 19,
Godbout, Qutevuetienes ots teees May 27,
Mississippi Valley—
Southern Louisiana............--- 9 March 25 March 19, ©
Southern Mississippi.......--.-.-- II March 29 March 24, ff
(166)
The Migration of Flycatchers
SPRING MIGRATION, continued
167
PLACE Boal Average date of Earliest date of
record spring arrival spring arrival
ippi Valley—
Tenn...........-.... tte e Sale 19 ‘ee 17, 1899
BE ene pws = oo nieen oss pril 19 pril 12, 1889
+ Es es ela cree 6 April 19 April 15, 1888
DEAR Wars se ge es 2 on se 9 April 19 April 16, 1896
cee Slee ~ 's Shsre 2 7 April 25 April 18, 1889
BPN eis he dies « s!eimis 13 April 29 April 22, 1896
state : II poe 27 April 20, 1889
Be orriowa i's t's eS gost It pril 27 April 22, 1902
urg, is Coc 5. se ay a 5 12 April 30 April 23, 1885
festern Ontario......°...... 22 May 3 April 28, 1905
REN sa pg Pel ooew oss 19 May 9 May 3, 1896
Saree - gee 25 April 23, 1903
PURER. Was. Die 2 pril 2 April 22, 1897
BGs mse sci oi a!es ones - 16 ay I April 24, 1897
n Wisconsin. . 23 ead 2 April 20, 1896
ey ie avis ys ems ay April 24, 1891
BRE p we 2s Psi. +0 5 April 26 April 22, 1902
MRA yre tages steels 12 April 17 April ro, 1885
Ree ees ote oa das 8 April 24 April 21, 1891
REE as owe sponse ES) April 25 April 19, 1891
Sr 8 Ge 26 April 25, 1900
ERO ai Bas «Hing win» 3 ay 9 May 8, 1906
Rae ties F one os A May 17 May 10, 1904
Oba....---.----.:-- 14 May 15 May 10, 1904
Seale cos a repack 7 May 16 May 12, 1900
Head, Saskatchewan ...., 6° May 18 May 14, 1906
arava osc ase May 17, 1893
Sea ororada.. .. 22... 3 May 6 May 3, 1905
Colo. (near)..... 5 7 May 11 May 7, 1889
, Wyo....... 3 rd : my 9, 1889
Mont... .....2...---..-. 7 ay I ay 13, 1905
ia Falls, Se 4 May 21 May 15, 1896
MEE eka ako oy <3 7 May 27 May 20, 1g00
1, Alberta (near)......... 4 May 24 May 21, 1903
British Columbia ....... 4 May 24 May 16, 1906
June 1, 1904
FALL MIGRATION
Number
of years’
record
Average date of
last one seen
Latest date of the
last one seen ~
eee ee te ee
ee
ee es
ee ee ee
wee ee et eee eee
ee es
es
ee ee
ee
eee we te ee ee ee ee eee ee
ees
ee
H
HW OUNTINIO CO W
H Fe
September 6
September 5
August 26
September 2
September 9
September 16
September 6
September 8
September 7
September 8,
September 11,
September 17,
1889
1895
1907
August 29, 1897
September 9,
September 17,
September 28,
September 25,
September 30,
September 11,
1891
1906
1894
1895
1888
1905
October 17, 1885
October 20, 1905
168 Bird - Lore
‘ FALL MIGRATION, continued
ot era Average date of Latest date of |
PLACE peda 9 last one seen last one
Southern Louisiana..........-.- caret 4 October 3 October 23, _
Prince Edward Island ...........-.-- 7 August 31 September —
Scotch ‘Laken 7B anos ae ee ds as 3 September 6 September I
Southwestern Maine:..2..025.55 204: 14 September 5
Durham, Nihon es 3 September 7
Providence, Foie aS coor ee teen bie 2 vs September 4
Revowo. VE: lias 1 lancer ae as 6 September 6
Berwyns Pas .cek esse Oe eens Se 4 September 5
Washington, S046.) Sis ceca relies css 5 August 20
Freneh: Creeks W i) Vagv sence iy y 3 August 27
Raleigh, N.'Cs oo oh Use somes i 5 September 1
Frogmore, S. C.
Tallahassee, Fla
ee
South of the United States the arrival of the first Kingbird has b
in southern Mexico September 3, in southeastern Nicaragua
and in northern Colombia September 19.
WOOD PEWEE
SPRING MIGRATION
Prince Edward Island ... : 3 : Se Pyinass
Number
PLACE of years’ | “Soriee arrival
Atlantic Coast—
Wiitheld sc Fla. coos as ta
Coosaday Ala. se ty ae a eee
Southeastern Georgia............. 3 April 15
Southern South Carolina...... ae ee 3 April 15
Raleigh, (Nicer s. fet where Seek 13 April 23
Asheville, N. C. ideas) SS ere ae 6 April 29
Variety Mills, MGs ose es Oy aan 18 May 3
French: Creek;:\W: Vaz c-25 - 322 26 5 ‘May 4
Washington, C2022. i a be 21 May 5
Waynesburg Pan: (oy a ee oe 4 May 5
Beaver, Passiss 2h: odes veut 5 May 8
Renovo; “Pal. case siccs eae ee eee II May 9
Getmantown;joPa. sc 3 Pees een 4 May 14
Englewood; Ne }s.i fos SS eee 12 May 17
Southeastern New York..........- $e) _ May 16
Ballston Spa.7 WN. Vil Sores ria ir ~-{| May 18
Hartiord, Comttisi.c Gis se eee 14 May 18
THadiyme, Cony 3.0 pee eee 8 May 19
Providence, Wha ark uke eeueeee = Io May 21
Eastern Massachusetts......-.-...- 20 May 18
Randolph; Vite aia. e cee oe 8 May 24
Southwestern Maine...-.......... I2 May 22
Montreal; Canada: =\. Kose Oeics 6 May 23
Septeh Lake; Wy Bo. .sk oi ec esas 5 May 27
The Migration of Flycatchers
169
SPRING MIGRATION, continued
Number | average date of rli
PLACE of sears sane arrivals ree it
ppi Valley— ’
St. Louis, Miss............... March 25, 1906
thern Louisiana............... 9 April 10 March 27, 1897
ntonio, Texas (near) ........ 9 April 20 April 9, 1890
(a ee 7 April 26 April 18, 1885
ER St Sa 13 April 22 April 12, 1897
MCU ak ck fas ss sis 6 April 25 April 23, 1902
» Ky. ..------------------ 10 April 28 April 26, 1892
SEG Unda yo oe se vyeace 6 April 29 April 28, 1885
= SOS ee ae 6 May 7 ay 4, 1892
erloo, Ind. (near).......---.-- 8 May 8 May 5, 1905
Dhio..........-...---.-- fe) May 6 May 2, 1905
uth, Mich..............-..- 6 May 10 May 6, 1896
MPMREIIGI 62 S00 nse fe) May to May 6, 1887
western Ontario............. 15 May 14 May 8, 1884
be ea 10 May 9 May 4, 1902
6 20 May 10 May 3, 1905
Mews. ws ee see e eee eee 15 May 12 May 5, 1885
ge oe ee 6 May 15 May 10, 1887
OS ee ae I5 May 19 May 49g, 1902
FALL MIGRATION
Number | Average date of Late
PLACE 6 ee last one seen ‘last ae
ee August 30, Igor .
MME osc c css s wee ees 5 September 14 | September 23, 1888
ES Ee aera 17 September 19 | September 28, 1898
ee 6 September 21 | October 3, 1885
femrerm Ontario. ........-..... 8 September 20 | September 27, 1905
oe oA ES Se ae oe 7 September 19 | September 27, 1899
EO ae ee ee 9 September 26 | October 4, 1890
TRS Rene ie pee 9 September 24 | October 1, 1889
ae ee ri October 9 October 15, 1888
EMRE faaks ss ood <= 5 October 17. | October 22, 1902
ES 4 October 24 November 2, 1900
ES Se August 25, 1889
PURPA a Gaia s os wes 3 August 25 September 13, 1906
SS See a 4 September 6 | September 11, 1887
MMR ss i. bt ae ee 8 September 15 | September 27, 1898
Ra og 2 /e os wis es a ae > 6 September 22 | September 29, 1902
om A September 28, 1885
4 § October 4 October 12, 1906
3 October 9 October 13, 1891
7 October 9 October 13, 1891
November 23, 1885
ye
Wood Pewee begins its southward migration so early that it was seen
170 | | Bird - Lore
WESTERN WOOD PEWEE
SPRING MIGRATION
Number | Average date of Earlies
PLACE ged | Pier arrival pad Bee
Southern Califormia 6.) one oe 5 April 19 April 15, 1907
mouthern iATIZONG.*. seis a simse tie are Ni She April 27, 1885
Southern British Columbia ...-.....- 4 May 17 May 9g, 1889
Beulah; Colows y.0ck owien aw aetts apeesie ets 4 May 17 May 15, 1906
Columbia: Falls, Mont... 5 2553s. sie 5 May 27 May 20, 1897
Aweme, Manitoba:...........0..5..- 7 May 27 May 22, 1904
Red: Deer Albertasc.ue cc eeies 22 May 22, 1892
May 3, 1899
Skagway, Alaska........... Re Poe |
FALL MIGRATION
Some dates of the last seen are: Aweme, Man., September 13, 1902; Colum-
bia Falls, Mont., September 9, 1895; Beulah, Colo., September 5, 1903;
Southern California, September 30, 1894.
FEMALE ‘NIGHTHAWK
Photographed by Warren C. Tudbury, May 26, 1906, at Golden’s Bridge, N. Y
Observations on a Tame Loon
A Loon, or Great Northern Diver, was
received at the New York Aquarium in
ptember, 1907, where it was kept in
ne of the large salt-water pools for about
onth, when it was sent to the Zoé-
ogical Park. It came from the United
tates Fisheries Station at Woods Hole,
Mi: ss., where it had been kept all summer
n a large salt water basin adjoining the
harf piers.
The Aquarium pool, which is twenty-
ght feet long and three feet deep, con-
sd at the same time a collection of
(Squalus), skates and sculpins.
ough the Loon was supplied with an
ndance of live killifishes, its activity
it to strike frequently at the large
s, and it succeeded in swallowing one
sculpins with a head larger than its
. The other sculpins were too large to
ugh supplied with a dry platform
h to rest, it never left the water
a tendency ‘to become water
on the platform or in the box,
ng on its breast except when
when dressing its breast feath-
y over on. one side, with | one
d entirely clear of the water.
ploring the bottom of the pool, or
uit of killifishes, it swam under
ith the wings closely jolded—never
surface with the eyes” - submerged,
g the large fishes below. The Loon
ntly shook the water from its feath-
vy rising to a vertical position, as Ducks
OPIS EP PETIT TS ee
SRT Ae ee
accord, Its breast plumage
HPNotes from Field and Stuay
do, and flapping the wings, while its feet
beat a lively tattoo in maintaining the
position.
Although apparently full grown, the
characteristic black neck-ring had not
yet appeared.
Its only note was a low murmur when
the attendants approached. The bird
never made any attempt to fly and was
quite tame, not attempting to bite when
handled.
In referring to the bird’s ability to sit
erect or stand on its feet, Audubon writes
of a Loon wounded by his son, that ‘‘it
immediately rose erect on its feet and, in-
clining its body slightly forward, ran or
stumbled, rose again and getting along
in this manner, actually reached the water
before my son.” He says that the female,
frightened from her nest, “‘makes at once
for the water in a scrambling and sliding
manner, pushing herself along the ground.”
Audubon’s remark on the female Loon
corresponds with my own observation
on the wild bird leaving its nest.
~ Montagu says of Loons, “in swim-
ming and diving only the legs are used
and not the wings.” While Audubon
writes: “having myself seen Loons pass
and™repass under boats and pro-
pel themselves both with their feet and
their half-expanded wings, I am inclined
_to believe that when not wounded and
when pursuing their prey they usually
employ all the limbs.”—C. H. Town-
SEND, New York City.
When Doctors Disagree
Ornithologia Faceta
About May 12, 1908, I had the good
fortune to secure three Specimens of a
bird whose identity was unknown to me.
These specimens were taken on lower
Broadway, New York City, a locality
peculiarly rich in puzzling forms. To
establish the position of the species in our
avi-fauna, and to place the specimens
(171)
172
where they would be most available to
science, I sent one to each of the three
leading museums of the country, at the
same time requesting information from
three of our leading ornithological experts,
located at the respective institutions to
which the specimens were sent.
It may be of interest to here state that
the birds were at this time active and in
full song, the latter having a marked indi-
viduality.
I quote replies in the order in which they
were received: “‘The specimen presented
by you to the Museum arrived safely and
we are greatly indebted for same. As it is
undoubtedly a new species and genus, I
have named it Bowdishia americana. The
specific name being on account of the
striking red, white and blue coloration of
its wings. If you do not think the speci-
men will fade, we will be glad to put it on
exhibition provided you will present us
with a suitable case.”
“After serious consideration I do not
think that I care to hazard an identifi-
Bird - Lore
%
4
i
4
#
a
,
es
cation of your bird We have the song, it is
true, but species of this group are so in-
volved that sexual and seasonal plumages
are absolutely necessary for correct deter-
mination. It is obviously one of the —
Christmas volans group, probably of the —
genus Fakir iferus, but further than this —
I cannot go.”
“The bird you send for identification ;
proves to be an Umslophagus Angelicus,
in very fresh plumage. It is a very rare —
bird in these parts, and appears only at —
distant intervals. 3
“Some birds, as you know, portend —
rainy spells, or hard winters, or even fam-—
ines, but not so with the Umslophagus.
He is a sure sign of extraordinary upheay- ~
als in the American Ornithologist’s —
Union Check-list, with a special leaning —
toward ripping the nomenclature of the ~
Owls and Sparrows wide open. I judge —
from the date of the arrival of the Umslo-
phagus, that the upheaval will occur in
the month of July.”
In view of the variance of opinion indi-
itd the foregoing letters, I leave it
e learned reader to decide for himself
SD ieition which the discovery should
in our avi-fauna, also what its ad-
‘may portend to American ornitho-
—B. S. BownisH, New York.
Pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers That
Moved Their Nest
on sn 5, 1908, I found a pair of
‘ay Gnat-catchers building their
They had begun it upon a dead
ch of a mulberry tree about twelve
from the ground. Both male and
worked at the nest, always giving
» note while at work. In gathering
from the trees, the little bird would
piece with its bill and then flap
gs and pull until the lichen came
he work on the nest continued for
ys, at the end of which time there
to be a lull, and the nest was
ly abandoned.
| days later I heard them at the nest
and noticed that they seemed to be
it to pieces. I found that they were
z it to a nearby thicket—a distance
fifty yards. By watching them,
discovered that they were rebuild-
nest in a small oak, only about
and one-half feet from the ground.
completed it and covered it
1s, so that it was almost impos-
be noticed. The female began
s, but after she had laid three,
began to take the eggs one by
ough she continued to lay an
day for four days, she at last
discouraged, and the pair quit the
thood.—Ancus McKinnon, De-
Springs, Florida.
A Humming Bird’s Toilet
May 30, 1908, I was walking up
ock Canon, just north of this city,
ig botanical specimens. I had
near a small pool in the little
and, while standing there, a Hum-
darted down to the water.
lovement was so swift that I could
Notes from Field and Study
173.
not tell whether she entered the water or
not, but she flew up and perched on a
small twig, not more than six feet from
my face, and began preening herself.
First, with her bill, she would arrange
her back and tail feathers, and then,
standing on one foot, she would arrange.
the feathers of her neck and head, con-
tinuing clear down to the tip of her bill.
Then with the other foot she would do.
the other side. This continued some two.
or three minutes, when the male flew up
and they darted away together. I was so-
very close that I could distinctly see the
whole interesting performance.—Gro. L..
Moxtey, Los Angeles, Cal.
Bird Notes From Chicago
CARDINAL.—A pair of Cardinals in
Sheridan Park built a nest in the latter
part of May, but the young were killed
by our noted lake breeze soon after they
hatched. Last year, Cardinals were very
common in this vicinity. There was one-
pair in Sheridan Park and one in Argyle-
Park. On one day I also saw two more
pairs at the Desplaines River, west of
Dunning, while I think there were five-
or six at Riverside. There are still three
or four at Riverside, owing to the pro-
tection given them, but the others, I fear,
have been killed by boys and gunners.
-TturtED TitmousE.—On February 8-
I saw five Tufted Titmice at Riverside.
They were quite tame and we watched
-them for some time. On April rr, I again
saw three at the same place, the last record.
of them that I know of. They were seen
between these two dates several times by
other members of the E. W. Nelson
Society.
Ropin.—Frank C. Gates and William.
Gerberding, individually, saw a Robin in
Graceland Cemetery on January 1, and I
saw two at the same time on January 20.
Sonc SparRow.—On January 18, Dr.
H. S. Pepoon and I saw three Song Spar-
rows near Bowmanville. Song Sparrows.
never wintéred with us before, to our
knowledge.
Prarie Hen.—April 12, Dr. H. S..
*
174
Pepoon and I saw a flock of about twenty
within a mile of the city limits, where, I
dare not say, for fear some gunner will
get word of it. They seemed to be in a
wild state, but they may have been intro-
duced, for all I know.
CHICKADEES.—Chickadees have been
remarkably scarce here this year. Glen-
coe, Millers (Ind.), Willow Springs and
Half Day have been the only places I
have found them.—NeEwtTon L. Par-
TRIDGE, Chicago, Il.
A FLICKER’S NEST SITE
A Flicker’s Home
‘Shooting on these premises is strictly
prohibited under penalty of the law.”
A wise Demarest (N. J.) Flicker has
selected a home which is at this date (June
8)‘ occupied, and which bears the above
Bird -
Lore
legend in lieu of a name-plate on the door,
Such seeming sagacity should be rewarded
by success in the rearing of a large and
happy family.—B. S. BowpisH, Demar-
est, Ns J.
Two Sparrow Episodes
A friend in this town, who is a close
observer of birds and is thoroughly re-—
liable, has just told me the following
incidents. A Robin was gathering angle-
worms in the lawn, and had filled her bill
with a fine bunch of them for her little
ones in the nest near at hand. Several
English Sparrows were hopping about
close to her, evidently intent on trickery.
As the Robin lifted her head and was
getting ready to fly, one Sparrow at her
right, and another in front, were chirping
and threatening in a way to divert her
attention; then, just at the right moment,
a third Sparrow darted up to her from the
right side and a little in the rear and
nabbed the bunch of worms, pulling them
all from her beak. Poor Madam Robin
stood looking puzzled, as if she scarcely
knew what had happened.
My informant also says that the Purple
Martins, as a rule, seem to be quiet and
peaceably inclined just as long as the
English Sparrows keep their distance.
But more than once he has seen one of
the Martins turn like a flash on a Sparrow
that was getting too bold and coming too
near, seize it by the feathers of the nape,
give it a twist and a snap, and send it
whirling to the ground. This will help to
explain how the Martins manage to hold
their own against the Sparrow clans.—
LEANDER S. KEYSER, Canal Dover, Ohio.
A Correction
The notice of a Prothonotary Warbler
in Central Park, in the June number of
Brrp-LoRE gave, by my mistake, the
date of identification as May 8, instead
of May 4. The bird was not seen after
May 5.—ANNE A. Crotius, New York
City.
MINARY REPORT OF AN INVESTIGA-
Re < ON THE SEASONAL CHANGES OF
SOLOR IN Brirps. By C. WILLIAM
; BEEBE, American Naturalist, XLII,
06, PP. 34-38.
continuing his important and novel
es of the causes affecting the colors
s, Mr. Beebe gave himself this inter-
g problem, ‘‘What is the cause of,
t factors determine, the seasonal
> in the males of the Scarlet Tana-
nd the Bobolink ?”
give Mr. Beebe’s answer would be
int his paper, which, as a prelimi-
report, is largely an abstract of his
riments. Briefly, male Scarlet Tana-
d male Bobolinks in full plumage
in full song were confined in cages
e the supply of light was gradually
shed and the amount of food gradu-
creased. The birds began at once
in weight, and to lose in activity,
nortly to discontinue singing, and
the time for the fall molt arrived
feather was shed.
‘From time to time a bird’ was gradu-
rought into the light for a week or
and meal-worms were added to its
‘This invariably resulted in a full
tion of song. Even in the middle of
a Tanager or a Bobolink would
: the room ring with its spring notes,
h this phenomenon was correlated
t decrease in weight.”
Bobolinks which were gradually
ght under normal conditions molted
ild birds of the same species do, into
g breeding plumage. Wild Scarlet
gers, however, change at this season
live to scarlet, and male Bobolinks
ye a phimage resembling that of
ie female to the familiar black, white
1 buff. With Mr. Beebe’s birds, how-
r, the fall molt having been sup-
ed, the change in the Tanager was
scarlet and black to scarlet and black,
in the Bobolink from black, white
buff to black, white and buff.
tly the following spring Tanagers
Book Pews and Reviews
Mr. Beebe’s experiments are still in
progress and for the present he attempts
to make no attempt to explain the signifi-
cance of the results already achieved.—
F. M. C.
DESTRUCTION OF THE COTTON BOLL-WEE-
VIL BY BrrRDS IN WINTER. By ARTHUR
H. Howe tt. Circular No. 64, Bureau
of Biological Survey, United States De-
partment of Agriculture,
Mr Howell’s investigations have raised
the number of species of birds known to
feed on the cotton-boll weevil from twenty
to fifty-three. Of these, thirty species prey
upon the weevil during the winter, when,
Mr. Howell remarks, it is far more impor-
tant to kill them than in summer, since
their death at this season “prevents the
production of a very numerous progeny
during the early summer. Brewer’s,,Rusty
and Red-winged Blackbirds, Meadowlarks,
Savanna, Vesper, Field, Swamp, White-
. throated and Fox Sparrows, American Pip-
its, Carolina, Bewick and Winter Wrens,
Tufted Titmice and Carolina Chickadees
are among the more important winter-bird
enemies of the weevil.—F. M. C.
CASSINIA: PROCEEDS DELAWARE VALLEY
ORNITHOLOGIST’S CLUB, XI, 1907, 8vo.
98 pages, 4 half-tones.
‘Cassinia’ for 1907 opens with one of
Witmer Stone’s admirable biographical
sketches of America’s early ornithologists,
the subject being Adolphus L. Heermann,
whom we know chiefly through the two
birds which were named for him—Heer-
mann’s Song Sparrow and Heermann’s
Gull. Mr. Stone’s remark that the prac-
tice of naming animals and plants after
collectors and students is justified by the
perpetuation of the memory of men who
might otherwise be forgotten, meets with
our hearty approval. It is the naming of
species after men who are not even re-
motely connected with or interested in
scientific pursuits that has brought this
practice into disrepute.
(175)
176
Other papers in this number relate
more directly to the region to which the
club devotes its special aftention; Cornel-
ius Weygandt writing of ‘Some Birds of
Brown’s Mills, N. J., Spencer Trotter on
‘Type Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and
New Jersey,’ Charles J. Pennock on
‘Bird-life of the Indian River Country of
Delaware,’ and Chreswell J. Hunt, pre-
sents ‘A Pensauken Diary.’
Members of the club at forty-three dif-
ferent localities contribute data on the
spring migration of 1907, which are com-
piled by Mr. Stone in the usual valuable
annual report of this subject.
The abstract of the proceedings at Club
meetings shows that from January 3, to
December 19, 1907, sixteen meetings were
held with an average attendance of
twenty-three members; the number rang-
ing from fifteen to thirty-five. Judged by
this record the D. V. O. C. continues to
be the most active local ornithological
society in this country.—F. M. C.
LIsT OF THE BIRDS OF THE NEW HAVEN
REGION. Compiled by a Committee of
Freeman F. Burr, Chairman, Philip L.
Buttrick, Alfred W. Honywill, Jr.,
Dwight B. Pangburn, Aretas A. Saund-
ers, Clifford H. Pangburn. Advisory
Committee, Louis B. Bishop. Bulletin
No. t New Haven Bird Club, May,
1908. 8vo. 32 pages.
This list is a good example of the results
of codperative bird study. Various mem-
bers of the committee describe the more
favorable places for birds and bird stu-
dents about New Haven and then give
us a briefly annotated list of 217 species of
birds ‘‘that can be seen during any year
in the immediate vicinity of New Haven.”
This list is based mainly on the observa-
tions of the members of the committee,
and being designed to represent the pres-
ent status of the species treated, should
be of practical value to bird students in
the region covered. A nominal list of rare
or extirpated species is appended. Without
in any way reflecting on the accuracy of
the work of the members of the committee,
we congratulate them on their good judg-
ment in securing the coéperation of their
Bird -
Lore
fellow. townsmen as an AAvisorng Com-
mittee.—F. M. C. EB
A CATALOGUE OF THE BIRDS OF PE
Epwarp IsLanp. By JoHn MacSws
Proc. and Trans., Nova Scotian
tute, xi, pp. 570-592.
This list is based mainly on the
work of its author from 1895 to.
during which time he has identified ;
species of birds.
Under the head of ‘Species Rep
by Other Writers,” 13 species are ¢
from Macoun’s ‘Catalogue of Can
Birds,’ and four from Bain’s “Bir.
Prince Edward Island.” While it :
destroy the record of personal acl ie
ment, it would add greatly to the x
ence value of the list if these 17 addi
species had been included in it. M
Swain does not appear to be famili
Dwight’s ‘Summer Birds of Prince
ward Island’ (The Auk, X, 18
I-15), a list of 80 species, seven of
are not contained in the body of his pag
but are included in quotations from
authors.
It is hoped that the edition of 1
of Mr. MacSwain’s paper is large
to supply local students with this
check-list.—F. M. C.
ry,
The Ornithological Mag
JOURNAL OF THE MAINE ORN
ICAL SociEty.—The June, 1907
of this ‘Journal’ opens witha brief
the society, followed by an accou
Redstart from O. W. Knight’s,
Maine,’ the 1906 migration re
‘numerous local notes. In the
ber number W. H. Brownson
a visit to a colony of Laughing G
Bristol, Maine, and also reports
great Common Tern colony |
Island. The autumn migration
1906 and the usual local notes”
the number. For December —
‘Observations on the Nesting and
of the Loon,’ by Dr. W. C. Ken
Wood Duck and its Danger,’ by
Norton, ‘Scarcity of the Ruffed
Book News
Walter H. Rich, and some interesting
xtracts from the journals of Mr. Geo. A.
joardman.
¢ March, 1908, number is largely
ed _to Christmas bird lists and the
proceedings of the annual meeting of the
cle sty held at Portland, November 29-30,
907, marking the twelfth year of the
nce of this flourishing organiza-
, while there is also an account of a
Swallow colony, by H. H. Cleaves,
d by a plate. In the June number
. Knight discusses the Faunal Areas
ine,’ P. B. Rolfe writes of ‘Fish
Forty Years Ago,’ and W. H.
nson contributes extended migra-
notes from Cape Elizabeth, Maine,
wl 1908. There is also a portrait
bituary notice of Prof. Leslie A. Lee,
eesident of the society.—W. S.
SON BULLETIN.—In the September
of the ‘Bulletin,’ Taverner and
Swales continue their valuable ‘Birds
Pelee.’ F. L. Burns reprints the
se to the fourth volume of. Wilson’s
nithology, containing his list of birds
at Bartram’s Garden in 1811,
compares it with his own list at Ber-
not many miles away. Lynd Jones
sses the spring migration of 1907,
"presents some additional lists of
from a Car Window.’ A briefly
ated list of birds of western Lyman
y, South Dakota, by A. Larson, com-
the number.
December,
ated paper on ‘June Birds of the
hington Coast,’ while there is a large
ment of the Point Pelee list, and
pers by J. H. Fleming on ‘Birds of
iwkins County, Tennessee’ and by
Burns on ‘The Rufied Grouse in
lvania.’
March, 1908, number comes to
‘with a new cover representing Wil-
Warbler, while the main article is by
Burns, discussing at length the so-
Wilson-Audubon Controversy.
| Jones continues his ‘Birds of the
gton Coast,’ and John F. Ferry
3 a detailed study of the phenome-
al spring migration of 1907, as observed
OT)
ecding
ar 5
and Reviews
Lynd Jones has an |
177
in the vicinity of Chicago. Other papers
are on ‘A Migration Flight of Purple
Martins in Michigan in the Summer of
1905,’ by Frank Smith, ‘The Acquaint-
ance of Individual Birds,’ by W. E. Saud-
ers, and ‘Summer Birds of Lake Geneva,
Wis.,’ by B. H. Wilson.—W. S.
Book News
THE Annual Report of the Superintend-
ent of the Yellowstone Park for 1907 con-
tains (pages 15-23) ‘‘ Notes on the Summer
Birds” of the Park, by T. S. Palmer, in
which seventy-four species are listed,
largely as a result of observations made’
from August 7 to 21, and Sepiemnes g to
14, 1908. ‘
NuMBER three of Volume I of the
ornithological publications of the Field
Museum is a ‘Catalogue of a Collection
of Birds from Guatemala,’ by Ned Dear-
born. The paper is based mainly on Dr.
Dearborn’s work in Guatemala from Janu-
ary 4 to April 15, 1906, and contains notes
on 305 species of birds.
DEWoLFE & FISKE Co., of Boston,
announce the publication in two volumes,
the first of which is ready, of a work on
the Birds of Guiana, by Frederick Paul
Penard and Arthur Philip Penard. The
work, which is written in Dutch, treats
of about 1,000 species.
In ‘The Century’ for June, Gerald
H. Thayer presents an article entitled
‘The Concealing Coloration of Animals,’
in which we have a concise general state-
ment of the discoveries of Abbott H.
Thayer in regard to this subject. We
understand that the Macmillan Company
has in press a volume in which Mr.
Thayer’s work is fully elaborated, but,
while awaiting its appearance, the ‘Cen-
tury’ article should be read as an intro-
duction to a book which is certain.to arouse
much interest among students of animal
life. July ro, Mr. Thayer demonstrated
some of the results of his studies before
the Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole.
178
Hird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUPON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Vol. X Published August 1, 1908 No. 4
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1908, BY FRANK M, CHAPMAN
j Bird-Lore’s Motto: -
al Bird in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand
WHAT an overwhelming catastrophe
was the introduction into America of the
House Sparrow! Its harsh, insistent,
incessant chirp is now the dominant bird
voice about our homes, where we may
never again hope to hear a chorus of
native bird music unmarred by the dis-
cordant chatter of this pest. It is as though
some foul odor had forever defiled the
fragrance of our fields and woods.
THE contents of the June issue of the
National Geographic Magazine demon-
strates convincingly the value of the cam-
era to the sportsman as a substitute for
the rifle, and its importance to the natural-
ist as an aid in recording observations
in tangible form.
Virtually the entire number is given
to an article by the Hon. George Shiras,
3d, entitled ‘One Season’s Game-Bag with
the Camera.’ To be exact, for ‘‘Season’s”
we should substitute Year’s, since the
work of several seasons is here included;
but, even with this amendment, the con-
tents of the game bag is sufficiently re-
markable, especially when we learn that
it represents only the best specimens of
the hunter’s skill. Here are photographs
of the Booby, Man-o’-War Bird, Sap-
sucker, Florida Screech Owl, Canada Jay,
Brown Pelican, Florida Bob-white, Cat-
bird, and Thrasher, the moose, caribou,
Virginia deer, timber wolf, weasel, mink,
and gray squirrel,—all of which show the
animal in its haunts and tell more or less
Bird- Lore
of its habits, while the accompanying text,
which is far more interesting as a narra-
tive than the simpler story of the man
with the gun, contains also much valuable -
biographical matter.=
In New Brunswick Mr. Shiras employed |
a famous guide, who for over forty years —
had hunted with the rifle; but, after his
experience as an assistant in camera
hunting, he said: ‘In my varied experience
and with many scenes before me, I can —
only say in all sincerity that the hunt of
the past week has proved more interesting,
more exciting, and of more real value in-
the study of animal life than all that has”
gone before.” Such a tribute from a
naturalist would not be surprising, but that
a professional hunter should so quickly
yield to the fascination of camera hunting
is eloquent evidence of the camera’s inher-
ent superiority over the gun for the om
man as well as the scientist.
Mr. Shiras’s story is illustrated by
seventy photographs, selected from 250
taken between April 9, 1907, and April 1,
1908. It is perhaps needless to add that
among them one looks in vain for a pic-
ture of the author standing proudly
behind a string of dead birds, or beside a
hung deer carcass. |
A woRK now appearing in England
comes nearer to the ideal presentation of
a bird’s biography than any with w
we are familiar. It is entitled ‘Th
British Warblers,’ and is by H. Eliot
Howard (R. H. Porter, publisher, 7
Princes street, Cavendish Square, Lon
don). The author has devoted years t
the study in life of the subjects of hi
monograph and the results show wh
may be accomplished by speciali
and continuous, definitely directed —
servation.
WHEN this number of Brrp-Lor
reaches its readers, the southward migr
tion of birds will already be under wa)
but how many of us will know anythi
about it? Show us a bird student wi
a journal well filled with August x
and we will show you an ornithol
who was born, not made.
THE TREE SWALLOW
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
a Che Pational Association of Auvubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 33
“She is here, she is here, the Swallow!
Fair seasons bringing, fair years to follow!
Her belly is white,
Her back black as night.’
—Greek Swallow Song. J. A. Symonds, Trans.
bird, known also as the White-bellied Swallow, may be easily distin-
from his brethren by his dark back, lustrous with glints of metallic
d green, and his pure white under-parts that extend quite up to the bill;
W marking so precise that the dark head marking, at a short distance,
oks like a cap pulled low. The tail is bluntly forked, while the sharp-pointed
gs exceed it in length,—this being very noticeable when the bird is at rest
wayside telegraph wires—his favorite post of vantage.
1e sight of the Barn Swallow arranging his stucco-work home on the raft-
ne of the signs of coming summer in the real country, so the April return —
‘ee Swallow is one of the first authentic signs of spring; for, being an
er, it cannot live until winged insect life abounds. The Phebe, also
upon winged insects, comes in March, it is true, but locating as it does
yards and outbuildings, where manure is stored, it is more sure of its
ly than the Tree Swallow, who naturally belongs to the remoter region
d pond edges, where the frost lingers.
as when the Tree Swallow was evenly distributed through its range,
nds in the northeast as far as Alaska, and could be found nesting
or part of it, but now it has become much localized as a summer
1 account of the difficulty of finding suitable nesting places. Like
the Bluebirds and Woodpeckers, this Swallow’s natural home
is a tree-hole, and, as land comes under cultivation, the hollow
trees quickly disappear, except in swampy regions where the
ty as well as the half-rotten condition of the timber has saved it.
P y places, the Tree Swallow, like the Purple Martin, will adapt
to a bird-box, artificial hollow in a post, or even a hollow gourd, such as
e found in the south, suspended for the Martins. But, unlike this latter
the Barn Swallow, the Tree Swallow does not seem to be gregarious,
at extent, in the nesting season. The coming of the English Sparrow
as disastrous to the semi-domesticated Tree Swallow as to the Martins
uebirds; so that those who clung to their old haunts and adapted them-
(179)
180 | | Bird - Lore
selves to new conditions have been obliged to shift ground, and hereabe Ou
I have only known of one pair nesting during the past five years. a
The nest, or rather hole-lining, is made of dried grass and a few feather:
put together without the plaster used by the Barn Swallow, and the nal
‘dozen eggs are paper-white like those of the Woodpeckers. This total abs
of color in the eggs of some notable tree trunk nesters is one of the argument
used by the holders of the color-protection theory,—being in a hole the eggs d
not need the protection of color to conceal them.
The Tree Swallow is a notable insect-eater and has many attractive dona
habits; it is not in the nesting season, but in the long period of the fall migr.
that we are the most familiar with it. Indeed, this event, spread as it is
July to late October, is one of the great spectacular features of bird =
though the large flocks are made up of both Barn and Bank and Cliff Sw
the Tree Swallows are greatly in the majority. :
By day, these Swallows skim over the meadows and country at larg
a wide circling flight, easy to distinguish from the more angular course
Barn Swallow. Toward night, they gather either in the marsh reeds or |
low bushes of some region of ponds, or the back-water of rivers, whet
roost, coming forth again in clouds at dawn.
This fact, that during the migration Swallows invariably roost near
gave rise to the absurd old idea that they dive into the water and sp
winter in the muddy bottom in a state of hibernation. - From roo
the bushes on the sandy bars above marshes and along creeks vy
bayberry (Myrica cerijera) is common, the Tree Swallow, kept in
storms, was doubtless driven by necessity to feed upon the waxy ba
for certain it is that this berry is the one exception to its insectiyorous diet.
Lemmon has told in Brrp-Lore of one of these flockings at Englewood, N
“On October 3, 1899, my attention was called to a huge flock of
lows about a quarter of a mile from my home. These birds are abun
from July to October, but on this occasion at least 2,00o—estimating :
tographs and from the counting of the live birds—were collected on the
wires and in the adjoining fields, and not a single sp
Manoeuvres any other species could be found in the flock.
“On the wires were hundreds at a time, crowded
between three poles; they seemed to have lost their usual fear of man,
ing even when carriages went under them, and not always starting
the wires were struck by a stone—a temptation to throw which thes p
boys found it impossible to resist.
“Beside the road is a small brook with two or three exposed poo
was a great oval whirl of birds, all going in the same direction, each |
dipping for a drink, then rising to re-take its place in the line. Now ¢
some returned to the wires or others joined the drinkers, but the numb
so great that a collision seemed unavoidable. a
The Tree Swallow 181
_ “A large part of the flock had settled in a pasture some distance away, in so
se a group that they made a spot of blue on the short grass. Crossing over
these I found them quietly enjoying the sunlight, and, as I approached
ym the southwest, all had their backs toward me, showing to perfection the
autiful steel-blue of the feathers. Most of the time they were still, though now
. eg one undertook to walk a few inches, if, indeed, such a ridiculous hobble
d be called-a walk. But forty feet was near enough for a person—then those
“arest me rose, and, passing over the others, alighted in front of she and so
moved regularly on before me.
Some of this portion of the flock were on a wire fence near at hand; a very
II proportion, though over one hundred, were on a single wire between five
and these were so fearless that when the last one flew I was but two steps
ur or five times during an hour and a half the birds on the telegraph wires
a body, with those drinking at the brook, while the flock from the pasture
crossed the intervening fields to join them. For a moment the very
med full of Swallows; then, rising higher, they separated into smaller
‘ks, turning back and forth, meeting again, describing curious figures as
ily and easily as if going through a long-practiced drill. After a few min-
ey either returned, a few at a time, to their former perches or gradually
d over the fields and woods, and in a little while came streaming back,
river of Swallows, to alight once more.
“As the morning advanced their numbers gradually diminished, and at 3 P. M.
it thirty remained. For three or four days after that these Swallows were
‘in great numbers, continuing their drill, after which I noticed no more
usual.”
Tree Swallow not only comes earlier and stays longer with us than any
the clan, but it is the only one of the family to winter in the United States,
outh Carolina and southern California to the tropics. By its hardihood,
d to the danger of starvation when a sudden drop in the temperature
y impairs its vitality but cuts off its food supply. Of one of these tragic
ts Mrs, Slosson tells us,—for with these seeming careless birds of pas-
S$ with ourselves, it is not always either summer or good living.
> cold wave reached us at Miami, on Biscayne Bay, Florida, in the
it of February 12, 1899. It was preceded by severe thunder storms in the
ing. On the 13, Monday, it was very cold all over the state, with snow and
as far south as Ormond and Titusville. Our thermometers at Miami
ed from 36° to 40° during the day. As I sat in my room at the hotel, about
n the afternoon, I saw a bird outside my window, then another and another,
: 4 oon the air seemed full of wings.
Opening my window to see what the visitors could be, I found they were
i ‘Swallows. Several flew into my room, others clustered on the window-
huddling closely together for warmth. There were hundreds of them about
182 : “: Bird- Lore
the house seeking shelter and warmth. They crept in behind the window bli
came into open windows, huddled together by dozens on cornices and
They were quite fearless; once I held my hand outside and two of them li
on its palm and sat there quietly. As it grew dark and colder their number
increased. They flew about the halls and perched in corners, and the
house was alive with them. Few of the guests in the hotel knew what they y
some even called them ‘bats,’ and were afraid they might fly into their face
or become entangled in their hair. One man informed those about him thé
they were Humming Birds, ‘the large kind, you know,’ but all were fu
sympathy for the beautiful little creatures, out in the cold and darkness.
were taken indoors and sheltered through the night, but ‘what were these 2
so many?’
“The next morning the sun shone brightly though the weather w si
very cold—the mercury had fallen below 30° during the night. But as I ra ‘
the shade of one of my eastern windows I saw a half-dozen of the Swa'
sitting upon the ledge in the sunshine, while the air seemed again fill
flashing wings. I was so relieved and glad. Surely the tiny creatures, with th
tints of steely blue or shining green contrasting with the pure white of the .
parts, were more hardy than I had feared. But alas! it was but a remnant 1
escaped. Hundreds were found dead. Men were sent out with baskets to gat
the limp little bodies from piazzas, window ledges and copings. It was a
sight for St. Valentine Day, when, as the old song has it, ‘The birds
choosing their mates.’ ”
Questions for Students and Teachers
When does the Tree Swallow reach your vicinity in the spring? Does
during the summer? If not, when does it return in the fall. When is it |
What is the range of the Tree Swallow? On what does it feed? What is the
of.its nest? Describe its eggs. What other Swallows are found in North An
Important Notice
Many of the members of the National
ssociation write that they receive two
s of Birp-Lorre. The reason for
is that Brrp-Lorg, as the organ of
ie Association, i is mailed to all members
the: Association, and they probably
erlook this fact and subscribe to the
ugazine in addition to joining the Asso-
jon. Members will please bear in
d that so long as their annual dues of
re paid Brrp-Lork will be sent to them
ut any further payment: on their
If extra copies of Birp-LoreE are
d by members, they can be secured
publishers.
Legislation
MASSACHUSETTS.—This state has failed
shorten the open season for wild fowl
hore birds, as House Bill 507, which
drawn for the purpose, was finally
red to the next session of the legis-
‘Two additional acts were passed, how-
r, which will in time establish refuges
, SD tervations for forest birds. The first
is an act to provide for the purchase of
rest lands and reforestation. It was
troduced and ably championed by
lator Treadway. It was advocated
‘the agent of the National Association,
it its final passage was largely owing
earnest and efficient work of Rep-
ative Gates of Westboro, who has
Ractive i in all good bird and game legis-
on, It empowers the State Forester
pu chase land or accept donations of
d in any part of the state, appropriates
eo and carries an annual appropria-
f $10,000, beginning in 1909. This
ao re
SO STOTT
So
ETE I PNT
The Audubon Societies
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
bill will ensure a considerable number of
small forest reservations which will be
added to year by year.
A bill establishing a county reservation
on Mount Everett, in Berkshire, was fi-
nally passed through the efforts of Senator
Treadway. Thus far all forest reserva-
tions in Massachusetts have been so
managed as to furnish protection to all
desirable animals that inhabit them, and
this policy will undoubtedly be carried
out, eventually, in all reservations.—
RHODE IsLAND.—The net result of the
legislation of the year in Rhode Island,
so far as bird protection is concerned,
consisted in the passage of a bill prohibit-
ing the killing of shore birds from Janu-
ary 1 to August 1, and another making
an increased appropriation for the use
of the bird commissioners. This is a great
advance when it is considered that shore
birds previously had no protection what-
ever-in the state and that heretofore it
has been impossible to get an increased
appropriation.
The bill providing a close season for up-
land game passed both houses by a large
majority, but, on the last day of the ses-
sion, it was referred to a Senate Committee
for concurrence in a house amendment
and the committee failed to report it
back.
The Rhode Island Audubon Society
took an active part in legislative work.
Very effective assistance was rendered by
the former Secretary, Mrs. H. T. Grant,
as well as by the present Secretary, Miss
Alice W. Wilcox.—E. H. F.
LovuIstana.—The session of the legis-
lature in this state has just closed and it
(183)
184
was a particularly brisk one, so far. as the
Audubon interests were .concerned. Ow-
ing to the activity of the Louisiana Audu-
bon Society in preventing thé sale of the
plumage of wild birds, especially that of
White Herons, the New Orleans milliners
combined and introduced through Sena-
tor Louque, former attorney for one of the
millinery firms, Bill No. 1t10, which was
intended to repeal that part of the Model
Law which prohibited the sale of the
plumage of birds or parts thereof whether
taken within or without the state. The
hearing on this bill, at which five members
of New Orleans dry goods firms were
present, occupied nearly two hours, but
the milliners were unable to make out a
case and the committee having the bill iu
charge voted against its progressing any
further. The chief spokesman for the
milliners tried to cloud the issue by refer-
ring to the possibility of confusing exotic
plumage with that of species found in
Louisiana. On the other hand, President
Miller, of the State Audubon Society,
and Mr. Kopman, field agent of this Asso-
ciation, kept prominently before the com-
mittee that it was necessary to forbid the
sale of plumage of all birds whether exotic
or local, in order to protect local birds.
Preventing the repeal of the Model Law
was a great victory and cannot fail to
have its effect in other parts of the coun-
‘try. :
President Miller has been advocating
for many months, and by his educational
work had gradually prepared the way for
the passage of two bills, which, after a
strenuous fight, are now laws and place
the state of Louisiana among the leaders
so far as good bird and game legislation is
concerned. The bills were introduced in
the House by Representative Ventress and
were known as Numbers 82 and 83.
Bill No. 82 was to establish a Board
of Commissioners for the protection of
birds and game and fish, defining their
duties and empowering them to employ
game and fish wardens and to provide the
means to carry this into effect. The legis-
lature of Louisiana, through this bill, has
done a great deal to protect one of the
Bird - Lore
state’s most valuable assets, for no matte
how excellent the game laws of a common
wealth may be, if there is no one to sei
that the laws are enforced, they are pra
tically valueless. =
Bill No. 83 provides for hunters
censes, resident, non-resident, and
and also fixes the open seasons. This
one of the greatest advances ever mad
bird and game legislation in Loui
especially as it removes Robins and Ce
birds from the game list. At one tim
was not thought possible that this ce
be done, but, owing to the splendid
tional work referred to above, this ré
measure was passed, only by a
majority, however.
organized in 1904. Mr. Frank M.
was elected President and has rem
in that important position up to the
ent time. When he took charge
work, he found a commonwealth
practically no bird or game laws |
kind and, in consequence, song and
tiverous birds were commonly sold -
markets. The birds of the coast had k
almost exterminated, and, in add
the state of Louisiana, furnished a
large part of the Cardinals and Mo
birds that were exported from this
In contrast, it is but justice to Mr. 1
to call attention to the present co
in Louisiana which are almost
due to his splendid educational we
his activities in other lines. Louisia
has some of the best game laws
in the country, has a self-supporting |
Commission, has entirely prevente
export of live birds, has prohibited
the sale of wild birds’ plumage, i
tive of where the plumage comes fre
has a greater number of Federal
ervations than any other state in
try, and, in addition, owns or con
large number of bird-breeding isla
in this latter respect, it is the banner
in the country.—W. D.
OxraHoma.—At the close of
session of the legislature of the
of Oklahoma, the Audubon
ound that they had been defeated. Very
arly in the session of the legislature a
nbination bill was introduced contrary
© the advice of this Association, which
ery strongly urged that the Model Law
introduced as one bill and a game law
introduced as a second bill. Unfortu-
ely our advice was not taken and, as a
the Model Law was defeated, owing
fight over the fish and game portion
the bill. Probably there was a further
ason why the bill was not passed, in that
€ National Association did not*feel that
- could afford to send an expert repre-
entative to the legislature in order to pre-
ent to the legislators the importance of a
2 to protect the birds and game of
e state; but, owing to the condition of
e finances of the National Association, an
priation for this purpose could not
ye made. One of the contributory causes
1at prevented the enactment of a bird and
ae law was that the sportsmen’s organi-
rations were mistakenly opposed to that
or tion of the bill referring to open seas-
ns and, as they were organized, they
eg
ooded both the Senate and House with
ort and the bag limit too small.
second cause was the heavy penal-
provided in the bill against the oil pro-
ers for allowing oil from their wells to
A third
SI ated were so unlike those in the
r portions of the state that it was hard
rame a law satisfactory to the two
The eiiters in both houses, after the
two months of the session, saw, or
nded to see, the absolute necessity
bordinating all minor subjects, and
‘seemed to regard the matter of bird
me protection as one of these, to the
ent of laws necessary to put the
The Audubon Societies
homa, which was formerly Indian -
185
provisions of the new state constitution
in operation; and in this, again, the condi-
tions in the two territories forming the
state presented problems that called into
activity the wisest thought and judgment
of the legislature.
In the last four days of the session
repeated conferences were held by the
game committees of the two houses, but
every effort to get the senate committee
to agree to the house bill proved abortive,
and the friends of the birds finally in
sorrow and regret reluctantly gave up
the fight.
Notwithstanding the fact that all bird
and game legislation was finally defeated,
yet there were a large number of senators
and representatives who were very ar-
dently in favor of the bills, and in this con-
nection it is only proper to give the high-
est credit to General J. C. Jamison for
the splendid work he did in advocat-
ing the bills although he was not a
member of the legislature; much of the
work he did was at the cost of serious
physical discomfort.—W. D.
GEORGIA.—We now have before the
legislature of this state a bill, almost a
fac-simile of the Alabama law, which is one
of the best in the country. It has passed
one branch of the legislature already and
it is hoped that it will become a law before’
the end of the session.
Secretary Pearson has already spent
considerable time at Atlanta urging the
- passage of the bill, and early in July, by
invitation, Commissioner John H. Wal-
lace, Jr., of Alabama, addressed the legis-
lature on the subject of game preserva-
tion, confining his rémarks largely to the
economic value of birds. At the conclusion
of his remarks over half of the members
of the House and Senate came forward
and expressed themselves as being favor-
able to the bill. Commissioner Wallace
went as the accredited representative of
the National Association. The bill pro-
vides for the establishment of a game
commission and also for the hunter’s
license feature, both being necessary in
Georgia as elsewhere.
186
Reservation News
Mr. George N. Chamberlin writes
concerning the Mosquito Inlet Reserva-
tion, the establishment of which was
announced in Brrp-LorEe for March-
April, 1908 (p. 95), as follows:
Mosquito INLET RESERVATION.—
“Before leaving Florida I called on Mr.
D. D. Rogers, C. E., to ascertain the loca-
tion of Township line 16, being the north
line of the reservation, and was gratified
to know that it is about 1,600 feet north
of Port Orange Bridge, six miles north of
the Lighthouse, taking in a small island
Bird - Lore
close to the northern limit known as Peli-
can Island, Halifax River, the nestin
place for hundreds of Blue Herons.
approximate length of the reservatior
from north to south is nearly thirteer
miles. The south line crossing the Hills-
boro River about two miles south o
Hawke’s Park, Florida.” «
PassaGE Key, FLor1pA.—Miss
P. Earle, one of our life members,
as follows: a
““When we were at Passage Key las
Friday, there were four eggs in nearly a
of the Skimmer’s nests, and if not is:
ay
jauueys
\ Sig
Mid. Charme! .
Buay
Part of : : a
MOSQUITO INLET RESERVATION
For Protection of Birds
FLORIDA
5
North
Peninsula
Peninsula '
ed they will soon have four of the
test little pellow-gray puff balls that
uo ever saw.
é; good many young Gulls are flying
e aaa by next month they all will
igh nesting.
e Little Blue Herons are just about
ig to hatch now; we have found
late as July. The mangroves
the big pond must have become
too crowded for the Louisiana
for nearly half of them nested
the little pond, where the highest
is hardly twelve feet. I wonder
the Red-wings and Grackles liked
neighbors ?
n’t it fine the way Great Blue and
’s Herons have taken to Passage
‘The first year, 1906, there were
ut six, and we don’t know whether
ed or not; last year there were,
y had all hatched, about 130; this
rly 400 on the Key. Of course,
y may not all have nested but most of
em did; I counted 78 nests. You under-
d that all the young raised are in-
‘in that 4oo.
age Key is certainly beautiful
but there’s never a time when it is
| there is one thing that we all wish
+ time, and that is, for you to see it.
e put up the new reservation
s on Passage Key, but have not got-
er to Indian Key yet; we think we
there the last of next week.
States Bird Reservation’ seems
a great impression on everybody
reads it.”
RTUGAS, FLoripA.—Prof. Alfred G.
, who takes a deep interest in this
tion, writes as follows from the
rine Laboratory of the Carnegie In-
tion, on June at:
‘I am now happy | to say that we have
y ‘the upper hand’ in the rat
. The combination of azoa,
ine, barium carbonate, cyanide of
sium and guillotine traps have ren-
d them rare both on Bird Key and
gerhead, so that the nesting Terns
Ow not appreciably interfered with.
The Audubon Societies
187
“The actual number of rats on Bird
Key appears not to have been more than
100-200. You know they breed every
two months and often have ten young at
a time.
“The Least Terns are having an un-
usual immunity on Loggerhead Key this.
season, and I have effectually checked
the shooting and egg-eating propensities.
formerly indulged in By the lighthouse-
keepers.
“The Least Tern colony on Bush Key-
is larger than ever; there may be 1,000.
birds there.
“Since I abolished shooting here the-
Herons and other transient visitors have-
become so tame that one may with care-
approach within ten feet of them; we have:
several on the island now.
“The lighthouse keeper desired to con--
tinue the shooting of Sharp-shinned'
Hawks, but I told him that all birds were:
protected. Undoubtedly every stray shot
would have been at a ‘Sharp-shinnedi
Hawk.’
“Your man on Bird Key is an ardent
rat-trapper and is doing well as a warden.’”
BATTLEDORE ISLAND, LA.—Through.
the courtesy of the National Association.
and of Mr. Frank M. Miller, President
of the Louisiana Audubon Society, I was.
enabled to spend the first eleven days of
Juné, 1908, on the Association patrol
boat, ‘Royal Tern,’ on a cruise over the
entire Breton Island Reservation, off the:
-coast of Louisiana, and among all the
islands owned or controlled by the Louisi-
ana Audubon Society. In this brief
general statement preliminary to a full
report I have space only for some general
remarks.
My main impression is of a vast area.
of shallow waters, low-lying islands of salt
marsh, and outer sand-keys far to seaward,.
in all, hundreds of square miles, most of it.
teeming, sometimes swarming, with bird-
life. I was too late to see the immense
squadrons of wintering or migratory wild-
fowl, which; after enjoying this peacefuk
haven of refuge where guns are outlawed,
had departed for the far north. All but
A a ES dS :
LAE
© passed on, giving me only a few
s of lingering Dowitchers, Turn-
Sanderlings, Yellow-legs, and Red-
ced Sandpipers, and no sight of the
de ‘of Golden Plovers, the last flock
been seen by the warden the week
visit. A few southern-breeding
—Wilson’s Plovers, Oyster-
nd Willets—were all that re-
after my first week.
er hosts were there,—wonderful,
. Everywhere could be heard
2 of the ever-present. Laughing
ich bred by scores, hundreds, or
Is, as the case might be, on nearly
: of the numerous islands of the
yn, and on many others not yet
This species was the most
and widely-distributed of all.
m were occasional small colonies
sr’s pete perhaps a couple of
t-weed washed up on the marsh.
ny of the inner marshy islands had
s of low mangrove bushes or clumps
fey Black-rowne Night Herons,
wn as ‘Grosbecs.’ On just one
a pitiful remnant of former
onies of the superlative Snowy
Luckily I was able to secure a
series of intimate photographic
oa
e possessor of the damning
concerned) aigrette plumes. A
some two hundred of the larger
Egrets seen by Warden Sprinkle
did not return to breed.
ain of the outer sand keys are
- breeding areas of Royal and
erns, of the wonders of which
€ accompanying photograph can
an imperfect impression, as com-
the actual sights and sounds.
d high tides are now a worse
these birds than man. A few
eding my visit, a high tide, in
her at that, obliterated an area
sly from 1,500 to 2,000 nests.
CE, wr oY a
The Audubon Societies
g end of the shore-bird migration —
of the home life of this exquisite —
189
A few small colonies of the Caspian Tern
were noted. The largest of these, with
some 200 nests, had just lost all their eggs
by raccoons. Save for a few Least Terns
which one day flew by the vessel, I did
not find the species on the reservation.
No other Terns were noted than the above
kinds.
Another abundant bird is the curious
Black Skimmer, which lays in numerous
groups of from a few dozen to a couple of
hundred pairs just above high-water mark
on the dry beaches of these outer keys.
Brown Pelicans and Man-o’-war Birds
had finished nesting, and, when not feed-
ing, resorted to the outer keys and sand-
bars to rest, the latter by thousands, acres
and acres of them.
The abundance of bird- life here begins
to suggest what it must have been in these
waters in the palmy days before greedy
millinery interests and brainless fashion
started in unholy alliance to exterminate
the wild birds of America. Much of the
credit for the present encouraging con-
ditions on this part of the southern coast
is due to Frank M. Miller, as leader and
instigator, and to the backing of the mem-
bers of the Louisiana Audubon Society,
as well as to many of the members of
the Louisiana legislature, who have been
broad-minded enough to realize the value
of this great work and to close their ears
to the clamor of selfish interests. In Capt..
William M. Sprinkle, the warden, whom
I found a delightful companion, and whose
thorough acquaintance with every foot of
those five hundred square miles of shallows
- was my perpetual amazement, the Audu-
bon Societies and the National Govern-
ment have a most faithful and efficient
ally in guarding this great reservation.—
HERBERT K. Jos.
Wittow IsLanp, Conn.—Willow Is-
land, the new bird refuge recently leased
by the National Association of Audubon
Societies, is situated in the Connectiuct .
river between Middletown and Portland,
Connecticut, and contains a little more
than thirty-three acres. It is about three-
quarters of a mile long and an eighth of
190
a mile wide. Much of this island is heavily
wooded, willow, cotton-wood and elm trees
predominating. Many of the cotton woods
(poplars) are stately trees, being from
seventy to ninety feet high: The ‘open por-
tion of the island is covered with grass,
and a dense growth of underbrush contri-
butes to its picturesqueness.
Bird -
Lore
used to think that the now restricte
island was the best, and almost the onl
local place in which to study this interes
ing bird.
During the migrations the island is th
stopping place of innumerable Warbler
Sparrows and other birds that move nor
and south through the Connecticut va
— ay
SOUTH END OF WILLOW ISLAND, NEAR PORTLAND, CONN.
Photographed by Miss Harriet Sage
Willow Island is a favorite nesting place
for the Wilson’s Thrush, or Veery, the
Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-
breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Red-
start, Catbird, Maryland Yellow-throat,
Song and Swamp Sparrows, and Spotted
Sandpipers. In the early sixties, before
the Rose-breasted Grosbeak was as com-
on as at the present time, the writer
ley. The rare Mourning Warbler ha
been observed there in the spring, and it
the autumn it is not unusual to see th
Connecticut Warbler.
Woodcock find the island a retreat; ar
occasional Ruffed Grouse is started f
the thick undergrowth, and a bevy 0
Quail sometimes flies from the main
Li
land to seek protection desired. oe
Deer stop on the island but do not
jolate the state laws as there are no
wrdens to destroy.
Willow island is a ‘station’ for many
are plants, some of them no doubt being
posited there during the spring freshets.
‘This island is one of the most beautiful
nd attractive pieces of land in the Con-
cticut river, and with the present
esire for the wanton destruction of tim-
r it is a relief and comfort to know that
e spot is saved from devastation.—
HN H. SaGE.
[The National Association has leased
v illow Island for five years with the
privilege of purchasing it for $3,500.
| Plans are now being made to raise this
kmount through a popular subscription
| Connecticut, especially among the
cho ol children, in order to purchase this
sland and make it a bird refuge in per-
et ity. .
According to recent statistics, there are
n the state 227,547 children of school age,
ad a contribution of less than two cents
ch would more than provide the neces-
ary fund for the purchase of Willow
sland. What a grand thing it will be for
e children of the State of Connecticut
) purchase and make Willow Island a
erpetual home and refuge for birds].
A New Park Anp Birp REFUGE.—
fr. Walmsley, the president of the Miss-
uri Audubon Society, is also secretary
the Kansas City Zoological Society.
e sends the following brief description
the new park:
‘In reply to your request for infor-
ion as to our Zoological Park will say
it it is located in one of our city parks of
ft 1,300 acres and known as Swope
‘k. This park is full of wild life and
employees are already trapping
ves, foxes and other wild animals to be
din the new Zoo. We have set aside
y acres to be enclosed and on which
erect animal buildings for temporary
rters. The city has set aside $15,000
1 an additional $10,000 is available)
the purpose of erecting these build-
. They will be built of stone and cement
feo
;
The Audubon Societies
19F
quarried within the park. Through this.
sixty acres runs a little creek fed by several
springs. Along this creek on either side
rise minature rocky cliffs and it is the plan
to hollow out these cliffs into dens with
enclosures in front for such animals as.
live in rocky dens. A drive will pass over
the tops of these dens and on either side
of the creek in front of them so that all
kinds of views can be had of the animals.
“The creek will be built into a series of
cascades for about a thousand feet and’
in each basin will be placed aquatic
animals, also plants and fish. To the
west of this valley lies about 160 acres of
level ground in which I hope in time to
locate the Botanical Gardens. Through
Swope Park and immediately bordering.
the sixty acres at present laid out, flows.
the Blue river, a beautiful little stream.
Near the entrance at Swope Park, and
immediately to the southwest of the sixty
acres, is a stone building known as the
shelter house which we hope to convert
into a museum gathering therien all the
private collections of this section; and
here, the children can examine the mounted.
specimens and then go into the main park
and become familiar with them in life.
‘‘While we are only beginning in a smalh
way we expect to have a Zoological Gar-.
den of which we can all be proud. Nature
has certainly provided us with a location.
that could not be surpassed.”
THE FARMINGTON MOUNTAIN RESER-
VATION.—Perhaps your readers may be
interested to hear that the owners of the
Farmington (Conn.) Mountains have
agreed together to make the mountains a.
kind of Yellowstone Park reservation
for all the wild life of the state; there is to-
be no hunting of any kind for ten years.
And it is proposed to stock the reservation
with the three or four game birds which.
have been exterminated. The Pinnated:
Grouse, the Wild Turkey, and, we might.
add, the Ruffed Grouse. The Farmington
Mountains, which are really high trap
ledges, are a continuation of the Green
Mountains, and if the whole range of
mountains running through New England:
192
(with its outlying spurs) could be made
a complete reservation for wild life, we feel
sure that it would be of practical benefit
to this section of the country. Or, in other
words, the same intelligence used in keep-
ing a chicken-coop, applied to the moun-
tains and wild game birds, might surprise
us all.—ROBERT B. BRANDEGEE.
Bahama News
‘‘TLate in May I found that seabirds’
eggs were for sale all about the streets of
Nassau, cooked and uncooked for twelve
cents a dozen. I was assured by some of
the merchants that they were a great lux-
ury and to test the truth bought and ate
them. They are decidedly inferior to hens’
eggs and about two-thirds the size: I
suppose they are eaten on every habitable
island of the Bahamas. I do not think
there will be an opposition to an amend-
ment of the present bird law or the inser-
tion of a clause prohibiting the sale of or
taking of eggs. This will have some effect,
necessarily slight, however. When food-
stuffs are dearer, many of them at a pre-
mium, and the people who gather the eggs
can neither read nor write, you will pre-
ceive that improvement must be slow.
It will call for much missionary effort
among the eggers, literature for the better
class, etc., to make any impression on the
situation. The only way to better condi-
tions is to educate the people; this I am
trying to do single-handed. If I had a
little pecuniary assistance, I could accom-
plish a great deal more.
“By the most fatiguing labor I have
succeeded in starting a new and well
organized movement for industrial edu-
cation. Since March the Governor has
had the articles of Association under con-
sideration, and I hope to hear by next
mail that the Columbus Institute is incor-
porated. On this institute almost every-
thing depends, the lives of the birds in
particular. People who are ignorant and
suffering cannot be made to protect any-
thing. This school will be a sort of monu-
ment to the achievement of Columbus
and on this ground I appeal for aid.
Bird -
.- ants.
the last named having the trade na
Lore
“T am writing this letter hurriedly, that
you may know how matters stand. I will
give you any further information you may
wish. I hope the American people will
respond to this call.”—Atice M. Boyn-
TON. :
Government Aid
Prior to the present year thousands o:
Seabirds’ eggs were brought from the
Bahamas to the Key West market b:
spongers, turtlers and fishermen. This
matter was brought to the attention of
the Secretary of the Treasury who directe
the Customs Officials at Key West to stoj
the traffic, as explained by the following
letter:
‘Port of Key West, May 29, 1908 !
“Acknowledging the receipt of your
letter dated the 25th inst., I beg to say
that acting under the instructions of hi
Honorable Secretary of the Treasury
steps have been taken to prevent the bring
ing into this district eggs of Seabirds from
the Bahamas.—Very respectfully, RAMmo}
ALVAREZ, Special Deputy Collector.”
The Plume Trade
““The second and third of the y
feather sales were held at the Comme
Sale Rooms on April 14 and June 0 |
On both occasions there was a numerou
attendance of buyers, and ‘a good deman
is reported. At the former there were ;
packages of ‘Osprey,’ chiefly East In
and Rangoon, and 270 Impeyan Phe
Some 6,800 Birds-of-Paradise
catalogued. Among the notable feat
of the sale were the great number of E ‘
rots (8,299 entered by one firm), chi
Indian paroquets; the Kingfishers (8,92
the Victoria and Coronata Crowne
eons’ (1937 from one firm, 5,35!
another), and over 15,000 Sooty t¢
v as
‘Dominoes.’ At the June sale |
Sooty Terns were again catalogued.
no doubt means that some breeding
of the species have been raided and
birds killed. A number of other spe
Tern were also on sale. Kingfishers
ge supply, selling at 3$d. to 33d.
-Impeyan Pheasants were gs, 3d.
Trogons gd. to 2s. 7d., Orioles 13d.,
gers 4%d., Ruby Hummingbirds
Victoria and Coronata Pigeons were
nted by over 8,000 heads and
There were 205 packages of
y,’ mostly from Asia; and 6,190
of-Paradise.” (From Bird Notes
News,’ London).
above ghastly list of nature’s finest
was sufficient reason for the intro-
on May 5. The important pro-
: “Any person who, after January
, shall import or bring into the
‘Kingdom for the purpose of sale
ange the plumage, skin, or body,
part of the plumage, skin, or body
dead bird which is not included
the schedule of exemption to this Act
ull be guilty of an offence, and shall,
ummary conviction, be liable to a
nalty of not exceeding £5, and for
ery subsequent offence to a penalty of
xceeding £25, and in every case the
shall order the forfeiture and de-
tion of the articles in respect of which
offence has been committed.”
birds exempted in the schedule are
riches, Eider Ducks and wild birds
Jas an article of diet.”” Names of for-
ld birds may be added or removed
‘schedule by consent of the Privy
. Lord Avebury said the Bill was
ed at the request of the Zoological
-of London, the Linnzan Society
don, the Selborne Society and the
al Society for the Protection of Birds;
er the bill had the support of the
ists of the country, and especially
lovers of birds. The bill has been
cordially and sympathetically re-
by the press.
Manchester (Eng.) Guardian says:
wail of the wholesale feather trade,
is beginning to be heard since the
‘ome to Lord Avebury’s Importation
umage Bill, gives one unintentionally
ellent piece of news. For it is an
their gloom that nearly all the raw
The Audubon Societies
193
skins and plumage used throughout the
Continent come into the London market
in the first instance.
“Of course, it is possible that foreign
countries would obtain their supplies
direct, but at least if the Bill passes, the
_ deplorable trade would be so disorganized
that it might never return to the present
appalling statistics of slaughter.”
The millinery trade is evidently greatly
stirred up over Lord Avebury’s Bill or
they would not publish such a foolish
statement regarding aigrettes as follows:
“In regard to aigrettes, the people who
collect these are not so foolish as to kill
the goose that lays the golden egg, and in
Venezuela, which produces the biggest lot
of aigrettes, not one bird is killed, but the
feather is picked up at certain seasons of
the year when the bird casts its feathers.’
This ancient but untruthful story has
been shown up so often that it is fast
becoming a joke. Why won’t the milli-
nery trade frankly acknowledge what they
know to be true, that in order to obtain
the plumes known as ‘aigrettes’ White
Herons have to be killed while the plumes
dre in good condition. Why won’t the
milliners be honest and acknowledge that
when the parent birds are killed the help-
less nestlings must die of starvation. —
Will the milliners please explain why
there are no White Herons left in Florida
now, while a score of years ago they could
be found there in countless numbers?
If ‘‘the feather plume is picked up at cer-
tain seasons of the year when the bird
‘casts its feathers,”” why should the White
Herons have disappeared? The Paris
letter in The Millinery Trade Review
(New York) for July says: “Black and
white aigrette dyed in bright light shades
is very much in it too, the favorite tints
being rose-pink, maize, brown-yellow,
apricot, old rose and steel-gray. Birds
continue in considerable favor, Birds-of-
Paradise taking first rank, white and
brown Cockatoos and White Owls and
Macaws coming next.” It is evident that
the millinery trade do not intend to aban-
don the use of the plumage of wild birds
except so far as they are compelled to do
194
so by drastic laws, and it is therefore high
time that laws similar to the Avebury Bill
‘shall be enacted by all the civilized nations.
An international convention should be
held at an early date to urge such legisla-
tion or it will be too late to save many
‘species of valuable and interesting birds
from extermination.—W. D.
A Pleasant Letter
No letters ever reach the office of the
Association that give greater pleasure
than those received from young people,
who not only give their sympathy and
‘support to the work of bird protection
but show from their letters that they are
keen and intelligent observers of bird-
life. The following is one of the best
jetters of this character that has ever been
received.
“T wish to become a member of the
Audubon Society. Enclosed please find
five dollars dues. I am eleven years old
and am very interested in birds. I have
enjoyed Birp-LoRE very much for two
years. I was much interested in reading
about the Frigate Birds in the South
Seas. We have made two voyages to the
South Seas but I never heard of these
birds being used like the Homing Pigeon.
The story of the Petrel also gave me pleas-
ure, as I saw many Albatrosses when we
went around the Cape of Good Hope to
New Zealand. I have asked several friends
to join the Audubon Society.—Yours sin-
cerely, HELEN GORDON CAMPBELL.”
In Memoriam
Mrs. Emma F. Bush, a member of this
Association, died December 7, 1907.
Though a partial cripple she took up the
study of birds about six years since and
by her own unaided efforts made great
progress. She gave bird talks to the local
Audubon Society of which she was a
prominent member. Mr. Bush writes:
“Second to the work of forest preserva-
tion, comes to my mind the work of the
Audubon Society. I send you my check
for $10, and shall be pleased to send you
Bird -
Lore
at least this much each year as a contin
. . 5 Es
contribution from Mrs. Bush.”’
Announcement
The Rev. Herbert. K. Job, owing
the increasing public demands upon his
time, and at the advice of his associates
in the ministry, is shortly to try the experi
ment of devoting his time to writing ¢
lecturing. Concluding a ten-years’
istry in Kent, Connecticut, the last
next October, he will locate in the
urbs of New Haven. He has accept
position with The Outing Mags
and, beginning with the January nun
that periodical will publish his illus
articles, written from the standpoin
the popularizing of bird study and of
protection, thus making itself a
ally of the Audubon Societies. Mr.
is open to engagements for bird lec
during the coming season, and may
addressed for the present at Kent,
after Novemper 1, at 291 Main
West Haven, Conn.
Women’s Clubs 5
Mrs. May Riley Smith, of this city, «
tended the biennial meeting of the Ge
Federation of Women’s Clubs, whi
held at Symphony hall, in Boston
week of June 23, as the represent
the National Association of
Societies, to present a paper on bir
tection. :
“It was my desire to have the d
and representative members from t
ferent parts of the country take this
tion home with them, to interest
clubs and friends, and to tell th
facts as I gave them in my paper,
to impress upon the delegates th
importance of prompt effort.”
Mrs. Smith reports, ‘‘The audi
most attentive, giving me a hea
come and seeming to be em rap
me in all I said. I did not mince
ter, but I presented the facts co’
and kindly and have had many
astic congratulations since.”
1. Puase, Spring 3. Say’s PH@BE
2. PHGBE, Fall 4. Brack PH@BE
(ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE)
Bird=- Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Orricial ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SociETiIES
SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER, 1908 ; No. 5
A Raven’s Nest
By FRANCIS H., ALLEN
\HE accompanying picture shows a nest of the Northern Raven (Corvus
corax principalis), found on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine,
m June 2 of the present year. Though plainly to be seen from the sea
‘some points on the rocky headlands near it, the nesting-site was hidden
st of the neighboring shore, and it was only after a considerable search
succeeded in locating it. The nest was placed in a niche on the side of
st vertical cliff, perhaps forty feet in height, on a minor promontory
e of the highest headlands on the eastern coast of the island, the narrow
1 which it rested being about twenty feet from the base of the cliff. Though
out a rope it was impossible to reach the nest, it could be approached quite
om above, and I found there two young Ravens walking awkwardly
forth on the shelf and in and out of the nest and looking about ner-
They were apparently full-fledged, but I could not get them to fly.
ills appeared much heavier than Crows’ bills, and the throat feathers
the pointed ends characteristic of the species. They had the yellow
rners of young birds. As long as I remained in the neighborhood
silent, and nothing was seen of the parent birds.
I visited the nest again, on June 4, the young had flown. Mr. Frederic
teele, who, with a few others, accompanied me, let himself down by a
the shelf where the nest was situated, and snapped his camera on it
1e hand while he held on by the rope with the other. He then descended
| and photographed thé nesting-site from below. The nest was composed
ead spruce branches without the bark, gathered, doubtless, from the Aare
ing near by, and was lined with usnea and sheep’s wool. Wool is,
stand, as inevitably found in Ravens’ nests on the Maine coast as i
kin in the Crested Flycatcher’s nest. In this case it was perhaps a rem-
‘82 ved from the time when sheep were kept on the island, a number of years
or it may have been brought from a distance. |
Be ext day I spent some time watching the Ravens, both the old birds and
ing, which lingered in the locality, about the cliffs and in the woods behind
i
196 Bird - Lore
them. The notes: of the adults were chiefly a short and not very loud cur-ru
or cruk, with a roll to the 7, and a somewhat prolonged, loud, hollow-soundin
croak or cr-r-r-awk, pronounced with the guttural 7, like the sound produce
in gargling. This latter note can be heard a long way off and is very impressiv
The tone is entirely different from anything I have ever heard from the commo
— : ap Peas
s
>
4
q
ry
Fy
A RAVEN’S NEST
“In a niche on the side of an almost vertical -cliff, perhaps forty feet in height.”
Photographed by Frederic Dorr Steele
Crow. Sometimes this loud croak was given as three short notes instead of
single long one.
I watched one of the old Ravens sailing about above Black Head in compan:
with an Osprey, one bird frequently diving at the other. In these encounteél
the Osprey was commonly the aggressor. The Raven sailed almost as we
t A Raven’s Nest 197
he the Osprey, though there were intervals of flapping in his flight, while the
Osprey flapped little, if at all. After the Fish Hawk had departed, two Crows
appeared and pestered the Raven for a while by swooping at him. The difference
in size between the two species of Corvus was very apparent.
' While I was watching this bird, the two young came quite near me, one
alighting on the rocks not far from where I sat concealed behind a young spruce,
and the other settling in the tops of the woods behind me. The bird on the
rock walked awkwardly and once gave a hop. Before long he also rose and flew
to the trees. A short search disclosed first one and then the other. The second,
hen I came upon it, was sitting only five yards from me on a spruce stub. It
soon flew to the top of a tree near by, and then I had both birds under my eye,
ear each other and near me. They impressed me as being very considerably
Jarger than Crows, and, as before, seemed to be fully fledged, though they showed
he yellow chaps characteristic of young birds. They acted like young puppies,
moving their heads about aimlessly, and they frequently pecked at the dead
wigs of the spruces upon which they perched, or took a mouthful of usnea,
which, I think, was always soon discarded. Once, one of the old birds croaked
not very far away, whereupon the restless young immediately became quiet,
but after a time they began to move again, though not so freely as before. I
vaited, hoping that the parents would approach, but they were very wary, and
7 finally had to give it up. The young were absolutely silent, as when I found
them at the nest.
There i is something romantic - and i inspiring about the very name of “raven,’
and a Raven’ s nest, especially one built in a more or less inaccessible situation
n the side of a cliff looking out over the open sea, seemed a particularly inter-
esting discovery,—more so, indeed, than the nest of some rarer but less famous
bird would have seemed. So the Duck Hawk, though a fine bird in itself, and.
ra e enough to make the first meeting with it an event in a bird-lover’s life,
‘becomes still more interesting when we call it a Peregrine Falcon. With these
sentiments as to the poetic value of a visit to the Raven’s nest, I was somewhat
taken aback when it came out that one of the small party which accompanied
me at the time when the pictures were taken, a lady of literary attainments—a
vell-known author in fact—thought she had been to see a Crow’s nest, and that
a Raven was the same thing as a Crow! For her the name of “raven” had none
of the associations which had made its peculiar charm for me. I am bound to
say, nevertheless, that even in the depth of her ornithological ignorance she
appeared to enjoy the mildly adventurous element of the excursion, and to ap-
wreciate the rugged beauties of the scene about the Ravens’ home.
‘Hummingbird Eccentricities
By ‘MARY PIERSON ALLEN, Hackettstown, N. J.
N the last day of May, 1908, I began to watch a Hummingbird’s nest
() which had been discovered on a maple tree along the main street of our
town. The first egg was laid on June 3, and the other one on the second”
or third day after. I had understood that the period of incubation was about
two weeks, and did not look in the nest again until the 18th, when the second
egg was not yet two weeks old, and behold, no eggs appeared. I was told that
the nest had been looked at on the 14th, and no eggs were visible then. It would
appear, therefore, that the birds had hatched only a trifle over a week after the
second egg was laid. I could only guess at the presence of the little birds at first,
for the nest was rather inaccessible, but soon the tiny bills began to show when
the mother came with food. There seemed no danger that they would suffer
from indigestion or gout, for they were fed very, very seldom. The male, as usual,
gave no help to his mate, but she seemed equal to the increasing cares as her
little ones grew to lusty birds.
When about three weeks old, one bird left the nest, sitting for hours on
nearby twigs. For some time the mother fed both of her little ones, then deserted —
the one which was still in the nest. She may have come to grief, but I might be-
more inclined to be charitable had not the older bird left also.
From about two o’clock in the afternoon on the day when the first one left
the nest, they were never seen again, and, after the deserted baby had cried
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD’S NEST AND EGGS
for about twenty-four hours, he got out of the nest and soon fluttered to the ground,
We offered him sweetened water in a spoon and he drank greedily. He was
passed over to me and I took him home. His daytime cage was the parlor, where
he sat by the window on a bit of stick held by a monkey-wrench, or flew about
the room at will. At night I put his perch in a round food-screen and placed him
(198)
Hummingbird Eccentricities 199
by an upstairs open window. He was exquisitely fearless as he flew to my
finger to eat honey from a spoon, or fluttered before a petunia into which I
had poured sweetened water. He had his mother’s zip-zip, which meant flowers
or happiness, and a plaintive baby peet, peet, when he wanted food. I read up on
diet and tried various kinds of food. The varieties of bugs which he was sup-
“FLEW TO MY FINGER TO EAT HONEY FROM A SPOON”
posed to eat, he scorned, and I tried white of egg as a substitute, but think that
the sweets agreed with him rather better. The little sprite had over fifty visitors
from babyhood to old age, and from laboring men to the president of a univer-
sity, who christened him “ Hugo,” possibly with a view to following out the law
of contrast. He did well from Monday afternoon until Saturday morning,
when he seemed, for a time, quite poorly. I was frightened about him, and took
him out-of-doors on his tiny perch. He soon revived and ran his beak into the
petunias and even flew a little way.
But now comes the marvelous part of my story. Several days before, I had
heard of another nest a short distance out of town, and, on visiting it, had found
a beautiful nest about fifteen feet from the ground. Before I had watched long,
the dainty house-builder appeared with a bit of plant-down in her beak, and I
Supposed that the structure was not done. She alighted low in the tree and was
partly hidden by the foliage. When I investigated, I was much surprised to find
another nest partly built. It was a still greater surprise when I learned that the
one bird owned both nests: This I could hardly believe until I saw the tiny mother
go to the first nest and feed her one baby, and then go down and sit on her lower
pest, which had slender guy-ropes of cobweb, and was only about seven and a
half feet from the ground.
But to return to my worse-than-orphaned bird: I made up my mind, after
7 he had shown signs of weakening, that I would take him to the mother who
had but one baby, and, if a miracle came to pass, she might feed him. I flew
| for my horse and drove out of town to the other nesting-site. Little Hugo had
200 Bird - Lore .
quite returned to his old spirits, but I was afraid to try to keep him-longer, and
so set him free in the beautiful orchard where the little mother had the two nests.
Her baby had left its nest, but was keeping near home, and when the kind people
who owned the place, and who helped me in my study in so many Ways, cut down
the nest, it had one tiny, unhatched egg. '
Should any one doubt my veracity when I say that that mother adopted Hugo”
as her own, I could scarcely complain, for had I not been assured by an oculist
that my eyes are normal, I could scarcely believe it myself. Moreover, the wee
home-missionary has two eggs now in her lower nest, and, after feeding the
two babies, goes and sits for a while on those eggs. Think of it,—a mother four
inches long, with a growing baby, two eggs and a summer boarder to look after!
On Saturday afternoon I hurried back to Hugo, and spent hours watching the’
little family. It was then that I learned of his adoption. He was very tame, and
came down to-the handle of a spoon I held to drink sweetened water from the
bowl. I go to see him once or twice a day, and he comes down to eat from the
spoon each time and even allows me to stroke him. When good Mr. D., who owns
the orchard, went out this morning, Hugo lit on his hat, and, when his food was
ready, came again and ate from the spoon. When the eggs hatch, I am anxious
to see whether the big baby and Hugo, who is about four days older, will be
cast on ‘the world, or whether the almost human little mother will feed all four.
HUMMER TAKING SWEETENED WATER FROM A FLOWER tee.
Nora es a ee ree be i =
A Mocking Birds June
By ALBERT V. GOODPASTURE, Nashville, Tenn.
_ WENT down to Dudley June 4. When I arrived the pair of Mockingbirds
_ who had preémpted our lawn were looking out for a nesting place—no
oi B outs the second of the season, as I was assured the pair in the neighboring
ige had already taken off one brood. In the nesting season each pair of Mock-
bi irds have their own particular demesne; and, while they do not resent the
ence of other birds, any trespass by members of their own species is stoutly
esisted. I witnessed more than one battle between our Mockers and a pair
“who hailed from the direction of the orchard, before their title to the lawn was
cknowledged.
Being finally in peaceable possession, on June 6 they commenced building
nest in a solitary cedar, six or seven feet tall, that had grown up against
fence in the meadow; on the near side of the fence was the road that skirts
margin of the woodlawn. The nest was placed just at the height of the top
1k—four feet seven inches from the ground. As a rule the Mockingbird
juilds her nest in a solitary bush or small tree, preferably by the roadside, or
uear the house, only a few feet from the ground; rarely more than ten or twelve,
ind frequently not above four or five. Last summer a pair built and successfully
hatched and reared their young in some peach tree sprouts, only four feet from
the ground, and so close to the road that every carriage that passed brushed
nst the branches that supported the nest.
Both birds labored diligently in constructing the nest. The materials for
heir work were close at hand; they found most of them in the road by the fence.
was nice dry grass and straw in the meadow, but they preferred the with-
weeds and exposed roots along the roadside, some of which they detached
considerable difficulty. In gathering their materials they ran along the
d a short distance, halted, daintily elevated their wings, and leisurely
sd them; then off again until they had found what they wanted. Lighting
fence with their burdens, they entered the cedar from the left, and emerged
it, resting again on the fence before starting for fresh materials.
times as one entered the other came out, giving the appearance of the same
rd passing entirely through the bush; indeed, when I first observed them,
could not tell for a time whether only one or both birds were engaged. In this
they prosecuted their labor for two days, beginning before six o’clock,
liest hour at which I visited them, and continuing until sundown.
In the meantime they had many visits from other birds. If one of them
‘oached the nest too closely they courteously gave him to understand he was
trudi g; they were never violent or noisy, but always appeared firm, digni-
ed, and confident. They took no notice of a Meadowlark singing on the fence
] panels away; nor of a Brown Thrasher, which, next to the Mockingbird,
most brilliant songster we have at Dudley; though we never hear him
(201)
202 : Bird - Lore
except in the early spring. A Flicker quietly pluming himself on the adjoining
panel to the left of the nest, caused them little anxiety; though I observed they |
now began entering the cedar on the right instead of the left. The matter becam
really serious, however, when another Flicker appeared on the scene, and to
his position on the right. A Mocker mounted a post between the new com
and the nést, and mildly scolded him, The Flicker, who is a humorous pire
as well as a goodnatured one, seemed to enjoy his embarrassment. He
moved down to the post, and hopping round it until he faced the Mocker, play
fully bantered him. Apparently realizing his ridiculous position, after a mo-
ment the Mocker disappeared in the cedar, and the Flickers flew away to a nearby
telegraph post, where they had a nest just four feet above that of a Red-hea ded
Woodpecker. Once a Wood Pewee, who had her dainty little lichen-cove:
nest in a post-oak across the road, attacked a Blue Jay and drove him ove
to the neighborhood of the Mockingbirds, who, making him the single —
to their quiet bearing, furiously chased him back. ¢
Like all poetic natures the Mockingbird is a creature of intense emotio:
and the grace and enthusiasm with which he gives them expression is charmir
As I watched the nest on the afternoon of the seventh, I witnessed a beauti
scene. The female was standing very quietly on the fence by the nest, look
wistful and pensive. I could not guess the cause. Presently the male appea
Instantly she was all animation. As he came floating in, she flew out to nea
him—not far, perhaps three or four feet—and then, in a flutter of delight, she
moved backward with him to the fence. Perhaps she was telling him that she
had given the last finishing touches to their nest. ;
The next morning I heard him singing on the telegraph wire, and
I went to the nest I found she had laid in it a little greenish blue egg, speck
with brown; and each succeeding day she laid another, until there were
And how jealously they guarded them! One or the other was constantl
the lookout. The male spent much of his time in song, but he never sang
the nest, though it was seldom out of his sight. The female was its special g
ian. If one approached the nest, instantly she appeared and anxiously questi od
his movements with her bright, intelligent eyes. I do not think she regarded m
as an enemy, though I daily examined her eggs and young, as I have done in
other nests, to contradict in my own experience the old myth, which some peopl
still believe, that the Mockingbird will destroy her eggs, or poison her yo
if handled in the nest. Her nest was midway on the line of travel between | ne
telegraph pole of the Flicker and Red-headed’ Woodpecker and the woodlawt
by the house. In passing they often halted on the fence near it. In such cases
she promptly placed herself between the intruder and the nest. When a i
cat passed up the road, there was real cause for anxiety; but she did not ¢ Te
him, as we have been taught she would. She quietly followed him along the ie n
until he had passed the nest. By the time they had reached it, in some way a hu
and cry had been raised, and a multitude of birds, Bronzed Grackles, Engli
A Mocking Bird’s June 203
mere Blue Jays and our ever watchful little Wood Pewee, joined in the
ase, and, raised such a clamor that the cat stopped and looked up, but find-
ing none of them in his reach, moved leisurely on.
On June 12 the female began to sit. The male did not assist her in the incu-
on, and was not often near the nest. Once I saw him watching on the fence-
while she was away, but when she returned and entered the nest he flew
off to the telegraph wire and renewed his song. He now abandoned himself
to his art. He frequently shifted his position from one elevated perch to another,
such as the comb of the barn, the telegraph wire, the tops of isolated maples,
id, occasionally, the fence, making a wide circuit from the nest, but keeping
constantly in view. While his song may have been inspired by the poetic
pose of cheering his sitting mate, I am sure he did not lose sight
f the practical effect it might have in alluring his enemies away from her nesting
_ After an incubation of ten days, the young Mockers were hatched on the 22d.
The father then ceased his song; he was too busy to sing; he joined actively
with the mother in feeding the young. And how happy they were! I watched
- first rejoicings with the greatest interest. How he petted and praised her!
n she showed him the little pledges of their love. Preceding him to the
she hovered over the little fellows, and glided lightly and noiselessly out.
n he entered, remained but a moment, and rejoined her on the fence. Now
dropped from the top plank of the fence to the next lower, and the third;
glided in and out among the lower, branches of the small cedar that con-
their nest. :
nder the active ministrations of the parent birds, the young Mockers grew
y until they were five days old. The succeeding night, the moon
at its full, was bright and luminous almost as the day. In the stillness of
night—I do not know the hour—the old gray cat left her kittens under the
abin and prowled out in the moonlight to See what she could find. She passed
P= the woodlawn into the meadow. By some unhappy instinct or accident,
e found her way to the little cedar by the fence . Her feet were wet with dew.
e crossed back through the fence into the dusty road, and stopped directly
nde the nest. How she knew it was there I cannot guess, unless the black
at told her. At any rate she suspected the truth. She leaped to the second plank
r¢ m the bottom of the fence; the sharp claws of her front feet caught in the upper
dge of the plank, and the dew-wet dust left the full round mark of her hind
4 just under them on the side of the plank. At this moment the anxiety and
2 ‘m of the devoted mother must have been intense. But her suspense was
. The cat mounted straight up; the fence shows her claws on the upper
pana her feet on the side of the third and of the top plank. The mother still
4 fers her young. The cat now makes her spring. She was but twelve inches
om the nest and might have crept to it, but the gray fur left on the cedar twigs
ow the suddenness and violence of her movement. There was no possible
204 | Bird - Lore 4
escape for the young, but did the cat get the mother? I asked myself that qu es-
tion twenty times the next day. a
When I arose next morning the male was singing gloriously from the top-
most twig of the spruce pine by the garden. I had never heard him sing so
sweetly. The Mockingbird is a musical genius the brilliancy_of whose perfo: 4
ance is beyond my power of description. The most obvious charms of his song,
however, are the infinite variety and range of his round, full, distinct notes,
and the rapidity and enthusiasm with which he trills his marvelous medley,
composed of his own native notes, intermingled with the songs of all the oth
birds of his acquaintance. Four observations of his song, taken at different tin
will convey some idea of his performance: (1) In ten minutes he changed
song of from one to four notes, forty-six times, and repeated each from o
nine times—on an average 3.41 times. (2) In three minutes he changed
song twenty-eight times, repeated each from one to nine times—average
times. (3) In one minute he changed thirteen times, repeated from one to
times—average 6.3 times. (4) In ten minutes he changed 137 times, ref
from one to twelve times—average 3.18 times. His song, however, is little
remarkable than the grace and elegance of his form and movements. His »
rest lightly against his person, but do not hang, as the Catbird’s sor
do; his tail swings loose, but never droops. A light gust of wind will
carry wings and tail above his body, but he readjusts them with perfect
His buoyancy is quite astonishing. He is so light and airy that he ap
ethereal being—the spirit of song. When he mounts aloft in the ecstacy of
song, there is no perceptible movement in the small twig on which he st
he never uses it as a spring-board, like the Blue Jay, for instance, who h
the whole tree-top when he leaves. He mounts with his wings, makes gra
convolutions in his song-flight, returns to the place he left, poises himself in
air, reaches down his feet and takes hold of the slender twig without
est jar. He never misses his hold, nor loses his balance. I have seen him
aloft, float backward, downward, and inward to his original perch, ¢
a complete vertical circle, without changing the direction of his body. —
tinued his song at intervals all day, flitting restlessly from place to
greatly enlarging his range, but never going near the desolated nest.
His mate turned up on the 27th, and entered energetically on the build
of a new nest. She had suffered no other physical damage from the
-adventure than a broken feather—one of the beautiful white exterior
of the tail.
Concluding, I summarize the balsas of our - Mockingbirds for cg
records: :
Bribie es oy so at ie Pe ee June G—7..5 io kth ee 2 days
SAVINGS er aie, sw ichve vatenes June, 8-110. si, caw soenln we 4 days
PN CUDS MMs Sa IN ae eee June Test POL eee to days
Care of voutig: 2o350can esa June 22-260. atc eee 5 days“
Mating for new brood......... FUNC 2752s cities ts PA. 1 day —
SMUG e655 Ss imo wig eh eee FiMe 98-39 . Se sit ee 2 days (im
The Growth of Young Black - billed Cuckoos
By A. A. SAUNDERS, New Haven, Conn.
N June 12, 1907, a friend informed me that he had found the nest of a
6) Black-billed Cuckoo. I visited it a few days later. The nest was in an
elder bush, on the bank of a stream, and about five feet from the ground.
Tt contained only two eggs, but, as they had already been there several days,
I decided that this was the whole set. I was rather surprised at this, as a nest
T had found the previous season had contained four eggs. A few days later I
found another Black-bill’s nest, also with but two eggs. At both of these nests
T noticed that the bird often sat in a curious position, with her head thrown back
and her bill pointing almost vertically toward the sky.
At my first visit to the first of these nests, on June 25, I found that the eggs
had hatched. The egg-shells had not been removed, but were in the bottom
of the nest, broken into small pieces. The young Cuckoos were very curious-
looking. Their skin was dull black and their bills and feet bluish black. In
place of the patches of down
found on young passerine
birds, they were clothed with
coarse white hairs evenly dis-
tributed over the body. They
were evidently several days
old, as their eyes were already
beginning to open. They were
very sleepy in their actions
and resented handling with a
curious, grunting sound.
During the next few days I
visited them frequently. Their
YOUNG BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO,
JUNE 30, 7.30 A.M. eyes opened wider and the
Ph hed by A. A. Saund ; :
i vipagues white hairs grew longer, and
at the base of each one a closely sheathed feather appeared. Unlike most young
birds, they were very inactive during the morning, but became quite lively toward
evening. At such times, when I approached, they stretched their necks to the
utmost, opening and shutting their beaks and making hissing and grunting
sounds. At such times they exhibited another peculiar mark. The lining of the
mouth was bright red, and on the roof of it were one or two large, white spots.
On the morning of June 30, one of them was greatly changed in appearance.
The feathers of the back and breast had broken through the sheaths and only
those of the head and throat still remained unbroken. The other bird still had
all the feathers sheathed. I placed them on a nearby limb and took their picture.
They were much easier to handle than most young birds, but were very stiff and
awkward in their poses. When the picture was taken, I put them back in the
(205)
206 Bird - Lore
nest and they settled down as though nothing unusual had happened. I was
anxious to watch the sudden transformation which young Cuckoos undergo
just before leaving the*nest, so I visited them again that day at about 6 P. M.
The older bird had left the
nest and was nowhere to. be
found. The feathers were
beginning to unsheath on
the back and wings of the
younger bird. I took the
second picture of the bird in
this condition.
The next morning I
reached the nest by 6 o’clock,
certain that great changes
had taken place overnight.
As I approached the nest, the
young bird hopped out of his RES oe ih
: c YOUNG BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO,
own accord. I was much sur- JULY 1, 6a. w.
prised to see that there had Photographed by A. Ac Saaea
been no apparent change in the bird’s plumage. I took another picture never-
theless, and, as the young bird refused to go back to the nest, left it perching on
a convenient twig. At g o’clock that morning I visited the nest again, with two
friends, who wished to get pictures of the bird. We soon found him near where
I had placed him, though not on the same twig. The feathers of the back and
breast were nearly all un-
sheathed. Apparently the
process of the breaking of
the feathers, which had
begun the previous after-
noon had been arrested
over night and continued
again in the morning. This
suggests the thought that
perhaps light or heat is
necessary for this process.
The change in the be-
havior of the young Cuckoo
YOUNG BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, JULY 1, 9 4.™. was equal to that in his
Photogen pheH by DB. SanehGem appearance. Instead of
posing stiffly and awkwardly before the camera, he had no intention of posing at
all. Though unable to fly, he would edge rapidly along the branch on which we
placed him, till he neared another, to which he would jump. He was wonder-
fully acrobatic and, once in the bushes, jumped and climbed rapidly.
Chestnut-sided Warbler—A Study
By MARY C. DICKERSON
With photographs by the author
HE nest was two feet from the ground, in a viburnum bush, and was
owned by an atom of bird-life, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, who was in
possession at the moment. She made a charming picture on the nest,
her yellow cap, above her bright black eyes, shining like gold in the sun. This
Chestnut-sided Warbler was a trustful bird and did not move till the enemy
was fairly upon her, when she stretched up her head and was. gone so silently
and swiftly that it was impossible to tell how she went, or where.
Immediately she appeared on the branches above the nest, flying out for
an insect here, cleaning her bill yonder, inspecting this branch, then that, but
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER BROODING
all of the time keeping an eager eye on the doings of the enemy. Her behavior
had the effect of drawing attention to herself and thus away from the nest.
With sides shining blood-red, with the golden cap and a white throat, and with
a bright, quick grace of motion, she was inspiring enough to lure any eye from
a mere nest of speckled eggs—notwithstanding the fact that these eggs were
exquisite in their delicacy of shape and color, slightly tinted with cream, and
speckled with brown at the larger end (if it is possible to use that comparative
with anything so small).
Among birds all of the main acts connected with rearing the young are
instinctive, of course. But really how wonderful is this blind giving up of freedom
by a wild bird. She sits patiently and without nervousness minute after minute,
half hour after half hour, fully alert, hearing everything, seeing everything,
yet letting the insects fly past uncaught, and her mate chase and hunt and sing
(207)
208 , | Bird - Lore
without her. How strong must be the prompting that enables a bird to contro
her impulse to action, when she receives continually the sensations which ha
hitherto been inseparable from action. There is no vacillating in instinctive”
action. Nature holds to strict unquestioning obedience with a death penal
for disobedience.
The Warbler is back in her place. The nest is Believed peculiarly
by the low viburnums and the stone wall. There is not a breath of wind ther
when the trees and shrubs in the open are swaying vigorously. A Song Sparr
sings from the stone wall; a Black and White Warbler is continually seesaw
its notes at the edge of the woods; a White-eyed Vireo calls emphatically
a near tangle of green; Swifts circle and chatter above her; these are all plea
or indifferent sounds in her ears,—at least she does not stir. At the barki
a dog.in the woods she breathes faster and erects the feathers of her crown
but still sits close.
Her mate seldom goes far from the nest. He wanders among surro
trees and shrubs catching a fly or gnat here, a caterpillar yonder, on and b
this way and that, as a child might wander, attracted now by a ripe strawhe
now by a beautiful flower, shade or a convenient path. And he sings continua
even as he snaps up a passing insect and while balancing himself on a y
swept branch. To'human ears his song is much like that of the Redstart
is nesting near, but he puts the strong accent on the next to the last note
the Redstart makes the final note emphatic. | 4
When twilight comes a Chestnut-sided Warbler on the nest is rema
well protected. In fact, the nest looks empty to the most observing eyes.
of the surrounding vegetation may stand out with considerable clea
the nest is empty—one can see that the sides curve downward and the
quite destitute of eggs, shows distinctly. It is difficult to believe that
is there. The streaked feathers of the back and wings of the bird seem
the grasses at the bottom of the nest, while the bird’s gay-colored head i
under her wing for the night, or if not, it blends with the nest’s rim.
Later when the eggs are hatched (thirteen days after the laying of th
egg) and the Chestnut-sided Warbler is brooding the young, there comes
a struggle between the maternal instinct of the bird and her fear instinct. -
an enemy discovers the nest and she is forced to leave, she may flutt
ground and feign a broken wing, dragging her minute self about in a
fashion. Finding that this is not effective, she may return to the im
vicinity of the nest. Here she sits on a small branch beside the nest. Talk
and her fear increases, yet she will not leave. Twice she nearly falls fro
perch, toppling forward and regaining position again. She is ‘charmed’
same manner that a bird is said to be ‘charmed’ by a snake; that is, the
has done nothing, but the bird is a slave to its own fear. a
While she is thus occupied her mate comes to the nest three times, at ¢ eacl
visit bringing a bill full of tiny green caterpillars.
Chestnut-sided Warbler—A Study 209
Be warned to keep from a Chestnut-sided Warbler’s nest after the young
birds are a few days old, for they seem to possess an unusual nervous irritability
and gain the fear instinct at an unusually early period. They become frantic
at any disturbance, even when the feathers extend from their tubes so little that
the birds seem covered with minute camel’s hair brushes, at a time when most
nestlings have an undisturbed, dignified manner because knowing nothing of
fear. They leap from the nest and even if caught and returned are likely to refuse
to stay. Perhaps all Chestnut-sided Warblers do not gain the fear instinct as
early as did those of three broods observed (instead of only one to three days
before flight). But if they do, it would seem that here natural selection has a
handle by which to keep the ranks of this species well reduced.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK AND NEST
Photographed by F. E. Howe, Sterling, Ill.
‘The Migration of Flycatchers
<4
SIXTH PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey
With Drawings by Louis Acassitz FuERTES and Bruce HorsFALL
PHOEBE
The Phoebe winters in the Gulf States from Florida to Texas, and,
sionally, north to the Potomac and Ohio valleys. Hence, no dates of sj
migration are available until the northern part of the winter home is reach
SPRING MIGRATION
Number
PLACE of years’,| “Goring arrival
Variety Miallss Vas isue tole Se iis ts March 3
New. Market: Va. Seto pectic cou 16 March 16
Washington; Dy Gye iy ees 20 March 13 ©
Beaver. Par cee. oes ee eet be 7 March 23
Philadelphia, Pa. (mear)...........-- 12 March 23
RenovagP anniek de cee ee soon 12 March 26
New: Providence. Ni Jiskeeh oie. 35:5 8 March 19
Englewood: Nog) ota cm eins ce ssre it It March 21
Baliston: Spa; MeV. cS Swine 12 March 31
Paradox N,V aves eon ete run cee 5 April 4
Jewett: City “Connect 2 Pee tua 17 March 24
Harttord:: ‘Conger eae 16 March 25
Beverly, (Mase auucsc sete foe ae alas 5 March 23
Charlotte Vitis on ie een eas 12 April 1
St. Johnsbury, Vee eirss. ee eee eae 9 April 2
Hanover, Nw Tie ei Seen aes 9 April 2
Monadnock, Medi oie oss ous eae 3 March 26
Southwestern Maine........ ek aietiae 16 April 6
Montreal; Canadas. . 7 joeces oo ee 6 April 17
Scotchvbake:- Nie: Me en, ee ee 2 April 19
Bn bartk, yee. tes ea eee 6 Béb:27:.
St. Leule, Mei Gico sleek vse oe 5 March 16
Independente, Mo. 72. yc etees see 6 March 13
Odin, TUG cise Rae es eaten 2 8 March 16
Chicago, Ub oe, Sie 16 March 22
Rockford; Aisin se ee rs 7 March 21
Brookville; Indic’: a8 Loews A GN aS cA 5 March 11
Bloomington; Indss.u cosa a oe ees 8 March 15
Waterloo,-Ind. (ear) v.38 ee: ae 12 March 19
Oberlin? Ojo Rs eee U ieteees 2 aaies 8 March 20
Petersburg, Mich. ........... at tagidt 9 March 16 “March
Plymouth, Miches: > — a ae ne Ses 6 -—1’~ March a1 Ris
Southwestern Ontario..............- 18 March 30
Strathroy; Ontiac. - eee ies I2 April 1
Ottawa, Ont. eee een ererae 17 April 7
Manhattan, . Kanve aes ay 62 eens me) March 22
Onaga; Kan... ise ee oa 13 March 22
Keokuk* Tastes seo eben Se Gres ime) March 20
4srinnell: Ea. se eae Nes AP aeons 5 March 19
lowaxkity, [ak ge wie eo Se 13 March 23
The Migration of Flycatchers 211
SPRING MIGRATION, continued
PLACE be geo | Average date of Earliest date of
cateca spring arrival spring arrival
c MeICONSIN. <. oo s-. 2.255. 19 March 27 March 18, 1894
wanesboro, Minn. ..............-.. 10 March 27 March 22, 1889
er ra 13 April 5 March 22, 1907
onton, Alberta...............-- April 19, 1897
Simpson, BEOCRORTZIC. . 00.5... May 14, 1904
The Phoebe does not breed in Florida and the last birds left northern Florida
the average, March 17, latest April 1, 1887; Kirkwood, Ga., latest April 5,
eae N. C., average, April 7, latest: April 16, 1887; New Orleans, La.,
, March 30, latest, April 26. On the return in the fall, they first appeared,
eigh, N, C., average, September 29, earliest, September 26, 1889; northern
a, average, October 4; earliest, September 28, 1903; southern Mississippi,
re, October 7; earliest, September 1, 1903; New Orleans, La., average,
er Q; earliest, September 25, 1897.
FALL MIGRATION
Number
» | Average date of
PLACE of years’ | “Stone seen | last one seen
|
SEAS slot on ck Re ss re October 7 | October 13, 1891
ME a Se oS ot cee 5 October 7 October 17, 1906
0 Ep Sp ee are 9 October 2 October 10, 1905
rn Ontario .... 9 October 4 October 15, 1889
Denes oS eee 4 October 8 November t0, 1906
Pia Soop ws 50% 4 October = 5 October 19, 1906
6) aa 6 October 8 October 27, 1890
» Ind. (near) clap od i ace aca i 6 October 9 October 28, 1889
Pee ee oi a a st 12 | October 15 October 28, 1905
Wee heb ne nics + ie age | October 27, 1885
Eo MES ae 5 November 16 Rare, winter
eaete eS eg October 8, 1900
ES Se 3 September 26 | October 8, 1888
MRC's 5s oe ads. ss 16 October 9 October 19, 1895
Oo) SEE at Sen re 4 October 9 October 27, Igor
Pee oe a ake sae fo ne w- 4 October 11 October 30, 1900
MeO td 6.050, s'650-4 » |= 4 October 19 October 25, 1905
widence, N. J..... 6 October 21 November 5, 1892
ER ae lee eg 10 October 10 October 18, 1894
Bee niin. 5 ood. st 7 October 18 October 31, 1889
WU eames os Sas 22s 5 October 18 October 21, 1889
Dae Sr. a 8 October 17 December 31, 1883
Reem aWae Vaw- oss. ce es Se ee 4 October 15 October 21, 1890
SAY’S PHOEBE
Say’s Pheebe is resident throughout a large part of its range, including western
as, New Mexico, Arizona, and much of California. A few notes have been
z ributed on the migratory individuals.
212 Bird - Lore
SPRING MIGRATION
PLACE eae Average date of | Earliest date of
at eee spring arrival spring arrival
“
Chelans W ashy... oma tes, ie te ane Macrh 17, 1896
Okanagon Landing, B. C............ | March 29, 1906
Northern (Colorado: Js r.se eri ee Ss | 7 April 5 March 20, 1907
Gheyenne; WyO2se scare rep ie es | 2 April 9g April 7, 1889
POLLY: MLONE sh lara aes ot sc ata ete et eae so | 5 April 18 April 5, 1896
Edmonton, Alberta (near).......-...- | April 22, 1903
Athabaska Landing, Alberta......... | May 5, 1901
Fort Simpson, Mackenzie .........-.- May 4, 1904
BLACK PHOEBE
This Flycatcher is, for the most part, non-migratory, and ranges in western
North America from Mexico and lower California, north to southern Oregon
and east to central Texas.
FLORIDA BLUE JAY
Photographed by Frank M. Chapman, at Gainesville, Florida
_ Washington
_ The Varied Thrushes are among the
st characteristic birds of a Puget Sound
iter. Many a rainy day is made less
'y by their bright presence and their
uliar song, for these birds, unlike most
our winter residents, sing more or less
ly throughout their stay—a habit
+h, according to Mr. Lord’s book, is
shared by the Varied Thrushes win-
in Oregon.
These Thrushes arrive in Everett about
middle of September. Sometimes the
rst intimation we have of their arrival
s; the sound of their odd song, which sets
nerves thrilling and our hearts re-
ig in eager welcome. But more often
ve first come upon a flock of them scratch-
4g in a wood path, among the fallen
their handsome plumage harmon-
g so well with the fall landscape that
y seem the very spirit of September.
thus disturbed, they show little
‘They fly deliberately to the alder
overhead, alighting on the larger
Occasionally one shows his
by uttering a low, soft puk as we
ut usually the whole flock is silent,
atching the intruders with a calm dig-
- worthy of their family. If, however,
mpt a familiarity inconsistent with
cy of the tall fir trees which they love.
> Varied Thrushes eat alder and
seeds, and insects uncovered in
scratching; also crumbs and refuse
- the dooryards. Winter before last,
an unusually heavy snowfall of
nches, the Thrushes were regular
at our grain table and became
te tame, showing no alarm when we
ssed within a few feet of them. This
me snowstorm, which killed so many
in all the northern states, may have
used the death of many Varied Thrushes
s fortunate than our visitors, for last
tes on the Varied Thrush at Everett,
etiquette, they withdraw to the -
Potes from Field and Stunp
winter the birds were more scarce than
they have been for years. They disap-
peared from our neighborhood altogether
in November and did not return until
February 15, and since then they been
seen only singly, or in twos or threes.
In the southern part of Washington, the
Varied Thrushes mingle freely with the
Robins, which winter there in large num-
bers. In some parts of the state they are
summer residents. I have seen them in
July in the Cascade mountains, at an
elevation of about 600 feet, and have
heard their song in August at the snow-
line, 8,000 feet above sea-level. During
the summer of 1906, the song was often
heard in the fir forest near Everett at tide-
water, but we were unable to discover
whether or not the birds nested there.
Mr. Fuertes has described the song of
the Varied Thrush as he heard it in Alaska.
He says it is ‘‘ most unique and mysterious,
and may be heard in the deep, still spruce
‘forests for a great distance, being very
loud and wonderfully penetrating. It is
a single, long-drawn note, uttered in sev-
eral different keys, some of the high-
pitched ones with a strong, vibrant trill.
Each note grows out of nothing, swells to
a full tone, and then fades away to noth-
ing, until one is carried away by the mys-
terious song.”
We hear the song very frequently through
the fall and winter months, but it is not so
musical at that time as is the singing of
the spring season. The birds sing often
at sunset and occasionally through the
busy hours of daylight, but seem to love
-best the early morning hours, singing to
perfection in the first gray light of dawn.
It matters not to them whether the air
be clear and frosty, or heavy with rain and
fog. The call is repeated from one tall
fir top to another, sometimes clear and
high-pitched, sometimes low, but always
with that indescribable quality which
“makes one thrill with a strange feeling,”
to quote Mr. Fuertes. It seems to express
(213)
214
a strange mingling of the most profound
sadness with perfect triumph. The song
varies greatly in quality, €ven in the same
individual. When heard close at hand,
it is somewhat disappointing. It seems to
resolve itself into discordant elements and
to produce almost a grating sound. This
is especially true of the lower notes. One
bird, singing for half an hour from the top
of a tall, dead cedar, about 250 feet dis-
tant, gave the amusing impression of a
vocalist practising a difficult lesson. Some-
times the notes rang out high, clear and
thrilling; sometimes they were low and
guttural, with a strong vibration strangely
like the croak of a frog. Very often the
singer would cut the low notes short, as
if in disgust at his own performance; then,
after a pause, would follow with a note
much higher and clearer. Some of the
notes were held as long as two seconds,
but most of them about a second and a
half, some of the low notes: being broken
short off almost as soon as begun. The
intervals between the notes were occupied
by the singer mainly in preening his
feathers.— Mrs. STEPHEN V. THAYER,
Everett, Wash. ‘
Nest-Building in August
I witnessed a performance, week before
last, which seemed to me most unusual,
although, to many of your readers who
are more familiar with the habits of birds
than I am, it may not seem at all uncom-
mon. The fourth of this month (August)
a friend visiting at my summer home said
she had seen a pair of Robins building a
nest in a black-thorn bush near the house,
and that she had put some pieces of white
and colored worsted in the grass which
the birds had evidently found good build-
ing material, as they had carried it all off
during the day. Early the next morning
I went out to see if they were still pre-
paring for housekeeping, and there they
were, busily at work gathering bits of
straw, dried stems of nasturtiums, etc.,
and taking them up to their nest, which,
upon inspection, I found to be, apparently,
completed on the outside. Wishing to
Bird -
Lore
-help them along, I got several pieces of
cotton twine and put them in the gra ;
and almost before I could resume my s
on the piazza, the female gathered the
up all at once. I said they were building
I should have said the female was, as |
male sat about on a nearby tree, ill
trating the song that ‘everybody 0
but father,” and occasionally droppin;
to the ground to gather in an early wi
which he greedily devoured. He
having- been-out- all-night appeare
which I attributed to his probably un
going the process of molting. The female
was evidently in the same condition, a
though, like a much higher order ¢
animal kingdom, she had spruced
much as possible under the circums
and looked quite neat and trim, com
to her lazy husband. After giving h
long piece of twine (about ten feet), w
she gathered up without any diffi
I thought I would have a little fun
her, so I tied a nail to another pi
twine and watched her try to s
them. Finding she could not do t
took the twine, nail and all up to h
but afterward discarded it and it
from a lower branch. Knowing her
m ~* %
was valuable, and not wishing to ir
her domestic plans any further, I g
more worsted and spread it out
grass, but to my surprise she i
and when I looked again, two hour
the whole project of nest-building
to have been abandoned and t
I thought had gone for good. The
was in full view of the kitchen winc
and the servants, who had tak
interest in the nest, told me sever:
later they had not seen the birds
I began to think that I had mali
male bird and that while he had
jection to his wife’s amusing herself.
ing a nest, his indifference was due t
superior judgment in considering it f
to start a nest so late in the season. —
This morning (August 23), nine
since I saw the bird at work, I thought
nuld take down the nest and see what
ition she had made of the colored
ed. When I went to the black-thorn
I was much surprised to see a Robin’s
il protruding over the edge of the nest
id a few minutes later, when the female
ft, the male appeared with a bill full of
and proceeded to feed some young
whose heads I could see and who
red to be two or three days old. I
looked at the nest several times since
ight she had abandoned it, and have
- seen any sign of her, although I
seen the male bird often in other
of the garden; yet she slipped in
y and unobserved, finished her nest,
eggs and is now, the last of Au-
beginning to rear her little ones.—
<ANDER Pope, Hingham, Mass.
ting Young Birds from the Cats
s little use for bird-lovers to meet
pass resolutions if they are going to
an army of cats to eat up three-
s or more of the song birds that are
time when the domestic.cat accom-
; her most terribly effective work
the early summer when the young
are unable to fly more than a few
a time and are easily picked up,
night or day. Mr. O. A. Stemple,
arwater, Fla., has, however, evolved
me which promises to save many
young, if bird-lovers will only put
practice. It is simply this: Catch
oung birds and put them into a
flour barrel standing in the shade
near enough to the house to be
Teatched. Leave it open.at the top
d put in food and a shallow dish of
sh water with the young birds. The
nts will soon find and feed them,
n they are able to fly upward and
he barrel, they will take care of
es. Of course, they must be
by day and securely covered at
it until they are strong enough to fly
their place of refuge.
had an exciting episode here yes-
Bi
as,
a
Notes from Field and Study
215
terday with a family of young Cardinals.
The ambitious little things were out of
the nest and unable to fly more than a
few feet at a time. The frantic parents
were feeding them and trying to keep
track of their offspring.
We saw a Blue Jay make an attack
upon one of them, and hurried to the res-
cue. But two of the little ones went chirp-
ing into a neighbor’s yard. Being unable
to get through the wire fence I rushed
around the corner and into the yard,
but I was two minutes or more too late,—
only the cat was visible.
We caught the other two, however, and
put them under a sieve with a heavy
weight upon it for the night.
This morning we put the little ones.
into a clean barrel which stands in the
shade of an orange tree. I mixed a hard-
boiled egg finely with a teaspoonful of
corn meal and put it into the barrel;
also a shallow dish of fresh water. The
top is open and the old birds are today
taking care of them.
The brilliant male gallantly stands
guard to keep the Jays away, while the
loyal mother goes into the depths of the
barrel (which looks so much like a trap)
to feed her young. The little things are
eating and growing and once in a while
they are exercising their wings in flying
upward. The barrel will be closely watch-
ed__today and carefully covered with
the.sieve well fastened down before it
is quite dark. It will be uncovered very
éarly in the morning, and in three days
-time, or perhaps less, the birds will be
free and independent.—ELIzABETH A.
REED, Clearwater, Fla.
A Robin Note
My laboratory studio in Princeton is
on the second floor of North College, with
a window toward the campus, to the north.
This side of Old Nassau is completely
covered with ivy, in which dozens of
English Sparrows nest.
A few years ago Robins were very
numerous on the college campus, but of
late a few red squirrels have their abode
216
there, and, with but a few exceptions, the
One
Robin has built over the, arch of the cen-
Robins have been driven away.
ter window, and this spring a curious
bird note could be heard all day long.
This was an incessant sparrow-like chirp,
i
interspersed with snatches of Robin song—
the chirp predominating; this was made
by a fine full-plumaged male Robin. He
had probably been reared among the Spar-
rows and, by imitation, had acquired their
notes.—BRUCE HOoRSFALL, Princeton, N.J.
Bird -
A LOOTED BOB-WHITE’S NEST
Photographed by Frank van Gilluwe
Lore
A Tragedy in Bird Life
These early June mornings, so tempt-
ing to bird-lovers, have often found my
brother and I afield armed with field glass
and
camera. And always, as we have
reached a_ certain
favorite spot, the
familiar call, ‘‘Bob
White! Bob White!’
has been sure to
greet us. Often, too,
we flushed the
Quail from the un-
derbrush, but never
a trace of the nest
could we find.
Recently the
mystery was solved,
and a woodland tra-
gedy disclosed as
well.
So carefully was
the nest made, and
so well was it hid-
den, that had it not
the tra-
gedy, should
probably never have
found it. But five
or six of the white
eggs scattered about
in front of the nest
drew the eye and,
together with a
bunch of feathers
behind it, told the
sad story.
Perhaps a family
of young weasels
that I saw playing
in a thicket hard
by could have told
more of it. And had
we had time to
stay and watch we
might have caught the thief coming back
for the rest of his booty.
The nest is beautifully arched. One
might almost call it a blind tunnel. Per
haps that is why the too careful mother
was caught.
been for
we
‘It was built just in front of a thick clump
tall grass, some of which was bent
and mixed with other grass and
ds to form the top. Almost directly
ront of the nest was a thick bush
hich had to be held aside while my
er took the picture. It will always
yne of great interest to us both.—
A VAN GILLUWE, Ocean Grove, N. J.
tes on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak
n looking over some of my earlier notes
-Rose-breasted Grosbeak I found
following entries which seem, at the
time of writing, to be rather
and worthy of permanent record-
e year 1891 witnessed some of my
t attempts at field-work in ornithology.
[y home was at that time in Jackson,
ich., and my field of observation a
of semi-swampy ground on the
\western extremities of the city, known
y as the ‘Willows,’ a term which
clung to the district ever since.
it was that, in the fore-part of
1891, in company with a friend,
with a flock of about twelve male
beaks in such a state of exhaustion
t we were enabled to remove one or
from their perches in a low tree and
them in our hands without further
nstration of displeasure from the
than that of receiving a sharp nip
e fingers. We watched them for all
a half-hour and thought at the time
ess because of their apparent lack
ngth. When first noted, the birds
clambering over the limbs of the
jplars, in a languid and clumsy manner,
it soon appeared to regain their strength.
1e time of observation was about 8 a. M.
1 the morning a mild one, with some
s of mist in the air, as the result of
ious rains. Moreover, this was the
ecord of the species for that spring.
king back upon the occurrence now,
e only explanation at all satisfactory
that the Grosbeaks were recovering
Notes from Field and Study
they were suffering from some sort
217
from the extreme fatigue attendant upon
the migratory movement from the south.
This explanation is well sustained by
the fact that the birds were still in a body,
not having had time to disperse over the
surrounding territory in quest of food.
The morning being a mild one, the birds
could not have been suffering from cold
nor from lack of food supply, as the leaf
and flower buds were well advanced on
the majority of the shrubs for the season
of the year and must also have supported
some insect life.
If any of the readers of Brrp-LorE
have met with a similar experience re-
garding this or any other species of bird,
the writer would be glad to receive com-
munications from such observers regard-
ing this point.—A. D. TINKER, Ann Arbor,
Mich.
Notes on the Wood Thrush
About the beginning of May, 1908, a
nest of the Wood Thrush was found in a
pine woods not far from home. It was
built in a sapling, and, when found, con-
tained four eggs. Several days later I
- visited the nest, but the eggs were gone,
probably destroyed by a Blue Jay or
other enemy. I found another nest on
May 14, in the same locality, and this one
also contained eggs. I visited it several
times after this, and on every occasion the
bird was on the nest. On May 27 there
was no sign of eggs or bird. A little later
on I found another nest. It was not far
from the other two, and was built in a tall
sapling. When found, the nest contained
young birds. These were raised success-
fully. On June 2 I found another nest of
the same bird. It was also built in a sap-
ling. On June 6 a Thrush was on the nest.
For several days after this I did not see
the bird and secured the nest. It was a
usual Wood Thrush nest, being built of
pine needles, rootlets, leaves and a little
moss. Strange to say, a large piece of
snake-skin was also used. This is the only
nest of the Wood Thrush I have seen that
contained snake-skin.—EDWarRD S. DIN
GLE, Summerton, S. C.
Book News and Reviews
The Ornithological Magazines
THe Aux.—The July number of ‘The
Auk’ is a curious mixture of popular and
scientific ornithology, with some nomen-
clature besides, which is neither one nor
the other. Readable ‘Observations on
the Golden Eagle in Montana,’ by E. S.
Cameron, are accompanied by fine half-
tone plates of the country and of the birds.
Some of the prevailing ideas and stories
regarding the habits and accomplishments
of this~splendid species are overset by
Mr. Cameron.
One of the many dangers to which
migrating birds are exposed is related by
J. H. Fleming in an article on ‘The
Destruction of Whistling Swans (Olor
columbianus) at Niagara Falls,’ where,
last March, fully a hundred of these great
white creatures were swept over the falls
and killed or captured afterwards. On
page 317, R. Deane records a disaster to
Chimney Swifts, several hundred being
overcome by coal-gas in a chimney they
had unwisely attempted to descend; and
a third tragedy is noted by J: H. Bowles,
on page 312, who found Mallard Ducks
dead, apparently from lead-poisoning, due,
evidently, to bird-shot that they had
swallowed in quantity by mistake for
gravel.
R. C. Harlow has ‘Recent Notes on the
Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania,’ and C. J.
Pennock contributes ‘ Birds of Delaware—
Additional Notes.’ ‘Larus kumlieni, and
Other Northern Gulls in the Neighbor-
hood of Boston,’ is the title of a paper by
Bs. Allen:
J. H. Riley describes a new race of the
Broad-winged Hawk from Antigua, nam-
ing it insulicola, and E. J. Court separates
the Great Salt Lake Blue Heron under
the name treganzai. As each of these
new forms is based, primarily, on a single
breeding specimen, the need for new
names may well be doubted. Without
reflecting, in any way, on the good inten-
tions of these describers, it might be re-
(218)
marked that the modern tendency is to
name a difference first and explain
afterwards. > '
Fifty-seven pages are devoted to
Fourteenth Supplement to the A. O.
‘Check-List,’ now a thing of rags
tatters, ready for the nomenclatural ju
heap. This supplement is a ghastly f
years’ record of changes and errors. —
new additions are only thirty-four, t
them being full species, of which si
stragglers to Greenland. The la
priority is cited as the chief scape-goat
the havoc wrought, but there is somett
radically wrong with any laws or rules
nomenclature which permit of such
stant overturning of names as has
seen in the last decade. To the g
names no penalties are attached, and th
rules are so complicated that few p
can tell if one plays fair or not; |
unless this amusement is taken
out of the hands of experts, no per
stability is to be expected. Side-light
the game are furnished by Dr. J. A.
in ‘The Case of Strix vs. Aluco
‘Columbina vs. Chemepelia;’ bu
forbids comment on the briefs preset
except to note that they set forth a
plorable amount of error and o
If names could be minted like
at least, all run through the same
we should soon have a stable not
ture. The present exhibit is eno
disgust everybody who believes
something beyond mere names in §
tific progress.—J. D., Jr.
THe Conpor.—Since the last
of ‘The Condor,’ several numbers:
appeared, of which those for M:
May ‘still await notice. The o
article in the March number, for
third part of Finley’s ‘Life Histo
California Condor,’ treats of th
life of the bird, and is illustrated
plate and five text figures. Adam’s “Ns
on the Rhea, or South American Ostrict
illustrated with reproductions of
_ photographs, contains an account of the
habits of the bird, and the Indian methods
cooking the Rhea and its eggs. Con-
_ siderable attention is devoted to the birds
of the Santa Barbara Islands in ‘Spring
Notes from Santa Catalina Island,’ on
el venty-nine species, by C. H. Richardson,
_ Jr., and ‘ Notes from San Clemente Island,’
by C. B. Linton. The latter paper is an
notated list of fifty-eight species, based
nm Observations made in 1907, and con-
ins a record of the Harris Sparrow
otrichia querula), apparently the
cond for the state. A third formal paper
that by A. P. Smith, containing some
neral notes on the birds of the Whet-
stone mountains, Arizona.
Two articles devoted to nesting habits
certain birds also deserve mention,—
on the Phainopepla, by Harriet W.
ers, and the other on the Great Blue
on, by H. W. Carriger and J. R. Pem-
on. Three text figures in the latter
per illustrate the unusual nesting-site
of a colony of Herons near Redwood City,
. These birds, driven from their
mer breeding-place in the tops of some
yptus trees, constructed their nests
the ground far out in the marsh.
Some Hints on the Preparation of an
ogical Collection,’ by R. B. Rockwell,
y be read with profit by those interested
collecting eggs. In the editorial columns
ntion is called to the California Mu-
m of Vertebrate Zodlogy, recently
ablished at the University of California,
Berkeley, through the generosity of
resent status of the California Academy
Sciences in San Francisco. The col-
ion of birds belonging to the Academy
ow numbers more than 11,000 specimens.
_ The May number stands out in strong
contrast on account of its lack of illus-
utions. The only illustration is that of
nest of the Mexican Black Hawk in a
sf article by G. B. Thomas, based on
vations on this Hawk made in British
Honduras. An important paper by J.
. Thayer and Outram Bangs, on the
irds of Guadalupe island, indicates that
iree of the species peculiar to the island—
Book News and Reviews
Miss Annie M. Alexander; and to the
219
the Guadalupe Caracara, the Guadalupe
Wren, and the Guadalupe Towhee—are
now extinct. Swarth contributes ‘Some
Fall Migration Notes from [southern]
Arizona,’ on one hundred and nine species,
and Linton continues his papers on the
birds of the Santa Barbara islands, with
‘Notes from Santa Cruz Island,’ contain-
ing an annotated list of eighty-eight
species. Among the shorter articles are
those on ‘A Migration. Wave of Varied
Thrushes,’ by Joseph Mailliard, ‘The
Waltzing Instinct in Ostriches,’ by F. W.
D’Evelyn, and ‘Three Nests of Note from
Northern California,’ by Harry H. Shel-
don.—T. S. P.
Book News
WITHERBY & Co. request us to state
that ‘How to Attract and Protect Wild
Birds—A Full Description of Successful
Methods,’ may be obtained from the
National Association of Audubon Socie-
ties, 141 Broadway, New York City.
D. APPLETON & Co. announce for
_ publication in November, ‘Camps and
Cruises of an Ornithologist,’ by Frank
M. Chapman. The work is based on its
author’s eight-seasons’ field-work while
gathering material and making studies
for the “‘ Habitat Groups” in the American
Museum of Natural History, and will be
illustrated by upward of 250 photographs.
RECENT publications by the Bureau of
Biological Survey include ‘Directory of
Officials and Organizations Concerned
With the Protection of Birds and Game,
1908,’ by T. S. Palmer; a wall chart show-
ing the ‘Close Seasons for Game in the
United States and Canada, 1908, com-
piled by T. S. Palmer, and Henry Oldys;
and ‘Game Protection in 1g09’ by Henry
Oldys; ‘The Game Resources of Alaska,’
by Wilfred H. Osgood; ‘Does it Pay the
Farmer to Protect Birds’ (of which we
shall write later) by H. W. Henshaw. The
three last-named papers are from the
‘year-book’ for 1907. Copies of these
publications may be obtained from the
Bureau at Washington.
220
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
Devoted to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Edited by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
Published by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
Vol. X
Published October 1,1908 No. 5
SUBSCRIPTION RATES _
Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico
twenty cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
age paid.
COPYRIGHTED, 1908, BY FRANK M, CHAPMAN
Bird-Lore’s Motto:
A Bird in the Bush is Worth Tao in the Hand
Tre time is approaching when the
Committee of the American | Ornitholo-
gists’ Union will determine what changes,
if any, are required in the common names
of North American birds in the new
‘“Check-List.? We have invited and have
received some correspondence on this im-
portant subject, but our contributors have,
it seems to us, recommended more changes
than it is desirable to make.
Granted that it would be possible to
supply half our birds with more appro-
priate names than they now possess, if the
present ‘Check-List’ name has been gen-
erally accepted, and is in common use, it
should be retained. On the other hand,
if the ‘Check-List’ name is not the one
by which the species is generally known,
the Committee should adopt the one most
frequently applied to it. This rule, how-
ever, should be applied with discrimina-
tion, for it is not desirable to abandon
terms in standing with people of educa-
tion for the vernacular of the hunter.
For example, ‘Roseate Spoonbill’ should
not, in our opinion, give way to ‘Pink
Curlew,’ by which name this bird is
known in Florida. But ‘Anhinga,’ which
must be explained whenever it is used out-
side an ornithological audience, might
well be replaced by the commonly em-
ployed ‘Water Turkey,’ or ‘Snakebird.’
In preparing the first edition of the
“Check-List’ (1886), the Committee had
many cases of this kind to act upon, and
its decisions, on the whole, were made
with excellent judgment. Insome instances,
Bird - Lore
however, the public have not adopted tl
A. O. U. Committee’s name, and, in
forthcoming edition of their work,
might be good policy for them to
knowledge their failure by adopting t
current name of the species in questic
The ‘Snowy Heron’ (Egretta ca
dissima), as an aigrette-bearing bird,
just as much an Egret as the ‘Ame
Egret’ (Herodias egretta) and is cer
more deserving the term than the
dish Egret’ (Dichromanassa rufese
of the ‘Check-List.’’ In Florida it b
the name Egret, in common with
larger white bird (egretta), and there
to be abundant reason for che
‘Snowy Heron’ to ‘Snowy Egret’
new ‘Check-List.’’ ts
‘Bartramian Sandpiper’ is an
name which the public has done we
reject. The case is complicated,
adopt the vernacular ‘Upland Plo
would apparently place a Plover amo
the Sandpipers; but, if we are to _
book name, let us compromise on U;
Sandpiper and relieve the bird of
Bartramian handicap.
Personally, we should like to ‘se
name ‘Semi-palmated Plover,’ by w
no one but an ornithologist calls”
bird, abolished for the more g¢
known and more descriptive ‘ Ring
Plover.’ The fact that several
have ringed necks should not de
of the use of the name, while t.
Plover’ of our ‘List’ occupies t
an area in America to be consid
this connection. ;
All the various species of ‘Pa
which are invariably called ‘Qua
‘Green-crested Flycatcher’
given-its former name of ‘Aca
catcher,’ the ‘Leucostictes’ sh
known as ‘Snow Finches,’ L
Tanager should become ‘ Western
ger;’ for obvious reasons, the |
Thrush,’ ‘Northern Water-Thru
the formal ‘Wilson’s Thrush’
be abandoned for the more
suitable Phe siee
po ot
GOLDEN—AND RUBY—CROWNED KINGLETS
Order — PASSERES Family —Sy.viip#&
Genus—REGULUS Species—SATRAPA AND CALENDULA
THE GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET
THE RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
poe {ational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 34
When October comes, the fall migration is in full swing. The trees are full
ustle of comings and goings, and the morning sun, that now gives little
fore eight o’clock, draws many night-travelers from their seclusion to
and spread their feathers after a dew-bath in the grass. Aside from call-
more or less musical, there is an absence of real song, save in the case of
Meac owlark, White-throat or Song Sparrow, whose cheerfulness is uncon-
e, and the murmurs of the young of the year, who are often impelled
turn eagerly to those that may be with usin the cold season,
and are divided technically into two groups—the Winter Resi-
dents and the Winter Visitants. We might naturally think that
Pehcrow, Chickadee, Winter Wren and the Golden: sonnet Kinglet ?
_ This Kinglet is third in the list of our three “least” birds, the
‘measurements of the other two running thus: Ruby-throated
- Hummingbird, 3.75 inches in length, Winter Wren 4.06 inches,
Golden-crowned ge iS 4.07 inches. The Ruby- throat leaves with
. They have no conspicuous flight like the Kingbird, no azure cae
sluebird, or familiar call and ways like the Chickadee.
in early October, you see the shadow of a tiny bird of dusky olive plum-
ing industriously between you and the sky among the terminal twigs
pple tree, or maybe a spruce, then watch out! The bird that acts and looks
e of the tribe of Warblers, so hard to identify in autumn, and has a War-
e voice, not only may be, but most likely is, a Kinglet.
( —<? close as possible, and watch the restless head atop the fluffy ball of
. Does a heavy black band margin a yellow line that encloses a patch
(221)
222 ; Bird - Lore
of fiery orange on top of the bird’s head? Then it is the male Golden-crowned
Kinglet. If the patch is only black and yellow, then the bird is a female. If
the bird has two distinct white wing bars and a white eye ring, and does not
show the striped head markings, it is likely to be the Ruby-crowned, whose
flaming, plain red crest, being partly concealed by olive feathers, is conspicuous
only in certain lights. These two Kinglets, though so much alike in general
appearance, have very distinctive individualities. Both species breed north-
ward from the United States, and are, therefore, only with us as visitors, yet | iT ir
special attributes belong to different seasons. It is for the exquisite spring
of the Ruby-crowned that we prize him; for, like a wandering minstrel, he
his way from tree-top to tree-top along the northern route to his bree
haunts; while, though the call of the sprightly Golden-crowned is an almost
insect-like chirp, its value lies in its cheerful winter companionship. Ta
The Golden- them separately, this Kinglet must have right of way as h
crowned the most easy of identification, not only from its brilliant o
Kinglet but from its animated little song teezee—teezee—teezee, gi
an ascending key and ending in a sort of titter, half cry, half laugh. This
formance is given constantly as the bird searches the smallest twigs for
insect food upon which its high vitality depends, for, aside from all es
qualities, both Kinglets are great consumers of the insects of the terminal sl
of orchards and forest trees, that larger birds can not reach.
The range of this little bird extends over North
His Range from the Gulf states northward to the tree limit. Its
nesting haunts are from the “northern United States north
southward along the Rockies into Mexico, and in the Alleghanies to North
lina; winters from its southern breeding limit to Mexico and the Gulf S
The observations that give the most detailed account of its nesting
were made in Worcester county, Massachusetts, by Mr. William Bre
Three nests in all were found; the first on June 13, w
His Nest outside was practically finished and the birds were
at the lining. On June 2g it contained nine eggs. Mr. E
description, quoted freely, is as follows: “It was placed in a slender
on the south side, within two feet of the top of the tree, and at least six
above the ground, suspended among fine, pendent twigs about two inches
a short, horizontal branch, some twelve inches out from the main stem,
equal distance from the end of the branch. The tree stood near the upper
of a narrow strip of dry, rather open woods, bordered on one side by a.
and on the other by an extensive sphagnum swamp.
“The outside of the nest was composed chiefly of green mosses prettile
sified with grayish lichens, . . . . the general tone of the colorin
ever, matching that of the surrounding spruce foliage. The interior,
bottom, was lined with delicate strips of inner bark and rootlets. Ne
*See The Auk, Vol. v, 1888, pp. 337-344.
The Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglet 22
lop were feathers of the Ruffed Grouse, Hermit Thrush and Ovenbird, arranged
vith the points of the quills down, the tips rising slightly above the rim and curv-
ng inward, so as to form a screen for the eggs. The second nest was closely
anopied by the spruce foliage, under which it was suspended, leaving hardly
e nough room for the parents to enter.
_ “The ground-color of the eggs varies from cream-white to a deep muddy
cream-color. Over this are varied markings of pale wood-brown, these, in turn,
i being the background for sharper markings of lavender. In
Phe Eggs both nests the eggs were too numerous to find room on the bottom
7 of the nest, and were piled in two layers.” (Incidentally, it would
Y ‘interesting to know how the little birds manage to turn these nine or ten Bes
to secure equable heat.]
“These nests were found by watching the birds while building; a task of no
ittle : difficulty in dense spruce woods where the light was dim, even at noon-
. Moreover, the movements of this little architect were erratic and puzzling
pthc last degree. . . . We finally found that her almost invariable
us om was to approach the nest by short flights and devious courses, and,
pon reaching it, to dash in, deposit and arrange her load in from two to four
ec mds and at once dart off in search for more.”
_ You may expect to see the Golden-crown in numbers in the middle and eastern
states almost any time after September 20 until Christmas, then sparingly until
uiddle March, when the return of those who have roved farther south begins.
By the first of May, at the latest, they will all have passed northward in advance
have many times seen them about my feeding-tree, where they hang upside
own upon the lumps of suet with all the agility of Chickadees; while, upon
le occasion, a Winter Wren, a Brown Creeper and the Kinglet all occupied
acteristic positions upon the same lump of suet, feasting and chatting, as
ile suet in large lumps, securely fastened so that birds may perch on it and
eck at it as they would in quarrying insects and grubs from under bark, is the
od universal for all insect-eaters.
and as clever at nest-building in the mountain fastnesses, some-
times at a height of nearly 8,000 feet. In fact, this nesting of the
Ruby-crowned is conducted with such secrecy that we have but
v and meager descriptions of it. Unlike his brother, we see the Ruby-crowned
a brief interval between middle April and May, and again for a month between
e September and October. During both migrations, they are birds of the same
aa s of thickets that Warblers love.
FeO RY Pa LE OPTS
Pee a's
224 | Bird - Lore
The late Doctor Coues gives us one of the best descriptions of the ways
of this Kinglet. He says: “To observe the manner of the Ruby-crown one need
only repair at the right season to the nearest thicket, coppice or piece of sh
bery. These are its favorite resorts, especially in fall and winter; though so:
times, in the spring more particularly, it seems to be more ambitious, and
slight form may be almost lost among the branchlets of the taller trees,
the equally small Parula Warbler is most at home. We shall most likely
it not alone, but in straggling troops, which keep up a sort of companions
with each other. ; : They appear to be incessantly in motion,
know of no birds more active than these,—presenting the very picture of restl
puny energy, making much ado about nothing. :
“The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of our most wonderful songsters. D
April and early May, the attentive listener can frequently hear the bea
lay. The notes are clear, very loud and prolonged, full of variety and pi
‘This exquisite vocalization defies description; we can speak only in
terms of the power, purity and volume of the notes, their faultless modu
and long continuance.”’
Audubon says of it: “When I tell you that its song is fully as sonorot
that of the Canary-bird, and much richer, I do not come up to the truth, ;
is not only as powerful and clear, but much more varied and pleasing.” —
But of many like descriptions of this wonderful song, that of Mr. Cha
is by far the most expressive: ‘“‘The May morning when first I heard the ]
let’s song is among the most memorable days of my early ornithologice
periences. The bird was in the tree-tops in the most impassable bit of y
near my home. The longer and more eagerly I followed the unseen
the greater the mystery became. It seemed impossible that a bird which
posed was at least as large as a Bluebird could escape observation in ]
leaved trees.
“The song was mellow and flute- like, and loud enough to be heard
hundred yards: an intricate warble, past imitation or description, ar
dered so admirably that I never hear it now without feeling an impulse to a)
The bird is so small, the song so rich and full, that one is reminded of a ¢
with the voice of an adult soprano. To extend the comparison, one y
this gifted but unconscious musician flitting about the trees with somew
feeling that one observes the choir-boy doffing his surplice and joining |
rades for a game of tag.”’
Remember these tributes and, when the leaves grow yellow and fall
watch for the Golden-crown among the upper twigs in the orchard; an
the swamp maples redden and the beeches unfold their velvet paws, li
the copses for the voice of the matchless Ruby-crown. Like all the s
elusive birds, the Kinglets have been known under various names given by 1
older ornithologists, who were not exact in family groupings and nomencla
Golden-crested Wren and Golden-crested Tit are among these titles.
e of the Annual Meeting of the
al Association of Audubon Societies
annual meeting of the members of
National Association of Audubon
ties for the Protection of Wild Birds
Animals, for the election of six direc-
to take the place of the following di-
s, viz., Abbott H. Thayer, Mrs. C.
_La Farge, John E. Thayer, Frank
iller, Theodore S. Palmer and
wen Deane, Class of 1908, whose
rms of office will then expire, and for
» transaction of such other business as
ay properly come before the meeting,
ill be held at the American Museum of
' History, Columbus avenue and
y-seventh street, in the Borough of
an and City of New York, on
wenty-seventh day of October, nine-
hundred and eight, at two o’clock,
At the close of the business meeting,
Be william L. Finley, our northwest
d agent, the well-known explorer and
photographer, will give an illus-
ted lecture on the results of his summer
yr k, entitled ‘On the Trail of the Plume-
ters.’—T. GILBERT PEARSON, Sec-
A Valuable Book
‘The Association has received an ad-
ce copy of “How to Attract and Pro-
Wild Birds—A Full Description of
ssful Methods,” by Martin Hiese-
nn 1, translated by Emma S. Buchheim,
h an introduction by Her Grace the
s of Bedford, President of the Royal
v ior the Protection of Birds. This
abli ation is a translation into English
"the German work, which describes
methods devised by Baron von Ber-
The Audubon Docieties
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER
Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
lepsch, at the experimental station at
Seebach, in the district of Langensalza,
in Thuringia, the ancestral castle of the
Berlepsch family since the twelfth cen-
tury. The area used for experiments com-
prises about five hundred acres, of which
nineteen acres are park, sixty acres are
thickets (poplar and willow plantations),
and four hundred acres are wood.
The methods used by Baron von Ber-
lepsch for many years, and the successful
results attained, are of such great value
and of so great interest that the publica-
tion should be in the hands. of every bird-
lover in this country. The publication
contains many cuts of bird-boxes, feeding-
places, shelter-woods, and other hints
of value. ;
The Association has sent an order to
Germany for a complete outfit of nesting-
boxes of various sizes and shapes, and also
of food-sticks, food-houses and food-bells.
It is hoped that these will arrive in time
to be exhibited at the annual meeting of
the Society, in October. As soon as Messrs.
Witherby & Company, of London, the
publishers, have the book ready for de-
livery, it will be on sale at the office of
- the National Association in New York.
What Birds Will Nest in Houses
The undersigned takes this opportunity
to thank those who have responded to
his request, in a previous issue of BrrD-
Lore, for experience in attracting birds
around houses, for use in the preparation
of a pamphlet on this subject for the Au-
dubon Society. He makes one more re-
quest regarding a special point. In this
connection. He has found only one record
of each of the following species nesting
in bird-houses,—Screech Owl, Carolina
(225)
226
Chickadee, Tufted. Titmouse, Crested
Flycatcher, and no record of any of the
Woodpeckers or Nuthatches using arti-
ficial houses for nesting. The undersigned
will be very grateful to hear from any one
who has had any experiences with the
nesting of any of these birds around their
homes.—-GILBERT H. TRAFTON, Clifton,
IN Si.
Protection for Snowy Herons
The very important discovery made by
Mr. Herbert R. Sass, that the Snowy Heron
had reéstablished itself in South Carolina,
as reported on pages 160-162 of the cur-
GREAT BLUE HERON
Flashlight by Wetmore Hodges, on Conway Lake,
Mich.
rent volume of Brrp-LoreE, will entail
upon this Association a very considerable
expense, which will have to be provided
for before the breeding season of 1909.
While the problem of safeguarding these
two important colonies will not be a diffi-
cult one, yet it will necessitate a consider-
able expenditure of money, as it will be
necessary to either lease the breeding
grounds or purchase them. The Federal
Government does not own any land in
the thirteen original states, and, therefore,
cannot make reservations in any of them.
In addition to the amount necessary for
purchase or rental, it will also be necessary
Bird -
Lore
for us to employ two wardens, as the
colonies are so far apart that one warden
cannot give them proper protection. Is
there not some member of the Association
or some reader of Brrp-LoRE who will
be willing to furnish the funds needed
for purchase, rental and care? The num-
bers of Snowy Herons that are still left
in the United States is so small that it
is extremely important that each of the
few scattered colonies that remain shall
receive the most careful protection possible.
—W. D.
A New Audubon Society
On August 11, 1908, a meeting was held
at Wichita, Kansas, of representative
business and professional men and women,
for the purpose of organizing an Audubon
Society in the state of Kansas.
A committee on constitution and by-
laws was appointed, and Mr. Richard E..
Sullivan, of the United States Weather
Bureau, was elected president, and Mr.
Frank E. McMullen, secretary.
The organization of this society closes
up a gap in our map showing states hay-
ing Audubon Societies, and we trust that,
before the end of the next legislative ses
sion in Kansas, we shall be able to report
that this state also has adopted the model
law protecting non-game birds.
Progress in South Dakota
For the first time in years, the birds upon
the Federal reservations of South Dakota
have had a chance to rear their young:
At the request of Charles E. Holmes,
President of the South Dakota Audubon
Society, President Roosevelt issued, June
11, 1908, the following regulations goy-
erning the killing or taking of song- OF
game-birds on all of the reservations im
the state:
“Under the authority conferred by se¢-
tion 463 of the Revised Statutes of the
United States, the following regulations
to govern the killing or taking of song- OF
game-birds within the limits of the Lower
Brule, Crow Creek, Standing Rock and
weyenne River, Indian Reservations,
uth Dakota, are hereby promulgated:
Indians, including mixed bloods,
bidden to shoot or kill any Prairie
Pinnated Grouse, Sharp-tailed
, Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock, or
between the first day of January
the first day of September following,
song-bird or insect-eating bird at
time, excepting Crows, Blackbirds
parrows.
ll Indians, including mixed bloods,
bidden to shoot or kill any Wild
Wild Goose, Brant, or Wild Crane,
n the first day of May and the first
September following, or to shoot
any Plover or Curlew, between
nth day of May and the first day
mber following.
hereby forbidden to kill or shoot
time any Wild Duck, Goose,. or
such as is commonly shot from the
*r, or in hunting such birds to make
ny artificial light or battery.
s hereby forbidden to use or employ
, snare, net, or bird-lime, or medi-
rugged, or poisoned grain or food,
ire or kill any of the birds men-
also forbidden to wantonly destroy
ts or eggs of any song- or game-
ring the open season, only Indians
on the reservation will be per-
to shoot or kill game-birds there-
and then only for the purpose of sub-
Secretary of the Interior is here-
ted to cause to be issued such
or instructions to the United States
agents, or other persons in charge
jove-named reservations, as may
sary to carry out these regula-
olmes says: “Spring shooting
o go. We shall settle that at the
on of the legislature. Our game
being enforced better than ever,
are gaining in membership and
shment right along. A book upon
been placed in very many of the
The Audubon Societies
with any swivel gun, or other gun,
227
school libraries of the state, probably
5° per cent of them, and will go into most
of the others.”
Massachusetts Notes
On July ro, 1908, I visited the now well-
known colony of Least Terns at Katama
Bay, in company with the Rev. Albert
Hylan and Deputy Fish and Game Com-
missioner Savery. This. colony, which
was believed to be the last one remaining
in New England, has moved, this year,
toward the point where the beach is low,
and the tides sometimes sweep over it.
Mr. Savery tells me that there were be-
tween forty and fifty birds there in the
spring, and that most of the birds had
eggs; but, during a high June tide, the
sea swept the beach, and the birds were
obliged to nest again. We counted twenty-
four birds here at one time, and were satis-
fied that there were fully thirty, as others
were nesting further up the beach. Twelve
nests were found, with one to three eggs
each, and two young just hatched were
seen. Six eggs were found in each of two
nests, but possibly they were placed there
by some of the many visitors at the beach.
Cat tracks were seen, and evidently the
birds are much disturbed. Probably their
eggs and young are trodden upon by
people who visit the beach. A native
boatman informed me that city boys, who
go gunning on the beach in July and
August, shoot the mother Terns as they
hover over their helpless young. Ap-
parently this colony of Least Terns is
diminishing in numbers; it should be given
better protection. If the beach were pur-
chased and a warden kept there through
the summer to prevent shooting, and to
kill maurauding cats, no doubt the num-
ber of birds would increase.
I visited many islands and beaches dur-
ing the month of July, and, judging from
my experience, the Least Terns are now
slowly increasing in numbers in Massa-
chusetts. A few birds were breeding in
each of several localities, and two colonies
of about fifty birds each were seen. All
told, 173 birds were counted, and possibly
228
there are 200, as some were probably away
fishing during my brief visits. This esti-
mate does not include thé young this year,
as they are such adepts at hiding that it
was impossible to find them all during my
short stops.
Under protection, the Common Tern
and the Roseate Tern are increasing an-
nually in numbers, and are now breeding
again on coasts and islands whence they
were driven years ago by the feather-
hunters. Conservative estimates of the
number of birds seen at the principal
islands this year, give Muskeget 10,000;
Penikese, 7,000; the Weepeckets, 5,000;
Ram Island, 1,200; Gull Island, 700;
Skiff’s Island, 300. It is impossible to
estimate the number of Roseate Terns as
compared with the Common Tern, but
the largest numbers of Roseate Terns were
seen on Muskeget and Gull Island. The
Muskeget Terns are well protected by a
resident warden during the breeding sea-
son, but there are cats at the life-saving
station there. Dr. Parker, Superintendent
at the Massachusetts State Leper Hospital
at Penikese, protects the birds there;
although he considers them a great nui-
sance, as they nest in the mowing fields
and the corn fields, preventing seasonable
cutting of the grass and requiring an extra
man, while cultivating corn, to hold the
horse, which is continually frightened by
the angry birds. Common Terns are now
breeding along the coast of Martha’s
Vineyard, on islands in Buzzard’s Bay,
about Cape Cod, and even along the
North Shore.
The few Laughing Gulls that were
saved from the feather-hunters by the
protection afforded them on Muskeget have
so increased that there are now at least
one thousand birds in two colonies there.
A few were seen on Gull Island, Chappa-
quidick, Martha’s Vineyard and Monomoy,
but no eggs or young were found except
on Muskeget. A few Herring Gulls appear
to stay on Skiff’s and Gull Islands, but
do not breed.
There was considerable mortality
among the young of the Common Terns
everywhere; some had their heads torn
Bird -
_were washed ashore near Cape
Lore
off by cats; others died of diseas
Penikese, some were trampled by ¢
and sheep and a few had been shot, b:
nevertheless, the steady increase
birds is a great object lesson in t
cacy of bird-protection.
During my visit to Katama Bay
only ten adult Piping Plover
breeding, and the entire number sg
the Massachusetts coast in July did 1
exceed twenty birds. Very small your
birds were seen in July and
The laws of Massachusetts still all
shooting of these birds in these mo
and, while such laws are allowed to
on the statute books, the only |
hope for the salvation of the bi
in purchasing their breeding grour
protecting them there.—E. H.
Notes from North Carolina _ :
The storm which recently v
North Carolina coast, extendin;
period of five days, from July 28 to Aug
I, was more destructive to the breec
sea-birds than any storm of wh
have had previous experience it
territory. Coming, as it did, at t
height of the nesting season,
eggs and young birds newly h
truly appalling. The six, low,
islands occupied by the birds
pletely swept by the waves, ¢
eggs and young birds, as yet ur
were carried away. N. F. Ji
Cape Hatteras, who is the chi
of the territory, estimates the
less than 10,000 young birds a
Early in the season, the ca
been disturbed by a storm which
delayed them that only a few
young birds were able to fly
storm.of July 28 came. The —
more than one thousand yor
‘and Warden Jennette reports
days the old birds hovered over tl ot
of their offspring, alighting a
and bringing them food. Th
damaged the islands; for exa
one-third of Royal Shoal is
-level. Our patrol boat “The Dutcher,”
fas also severely damaged, and, as a
esult, has since been out of commission
t of the time. A careful estimate of
number of sea-birds actually raised
le past summer is as follows:
Royal Terns
Wilson’s Terns
B
3,091
—T. GILBERT PEARSON.
RESERVATION NOTES
Tortugas Reservation
last we have a good colony of nests
Least Tern on both the northern
southern ends of Loggerhead Key.
The rats are so reduced that I cannot
tch more than one or two each week.
“hey seem to be unable to resist a guillo-
me trap baited with smoked herring.
I doubt if the birds will lose any of
heir young, and, being now empowered
’ protect them, I hope to have a fine
olony here in a few years.—ALFRED G.
R, July 13, 1908.
ction of Breton Island Reservation,
Louisiana
bs july 22.—Visited Barrel Key, the eas-
rnmost point of a shell reef south of
reole Gap. About seventy-five Least
rns, flying over the Key, were observed
re, and two newly hatched birds of this
s were found on the broken shell.
ptain Sprinkle had previously visited
lis Key and estimated the number of
rds at about 200 adults, and had found
v ral young birds on the Key.
At noon we visited Martin Island Key,
_ found approximately 400 adult
ee eggs, or young, to each nest. The
Mportion of young to eggs was about
to three. Most of the young were
hatched, and the sun caused a
The Audubon Societies
_ 300 adults present.
229
heavy mortality among them; at least 25
per cent of these appeared to have died
in this way.
July 23.—Spent the day at Southwest
Harbor Key. Young Royal Terns, three
to four weeks old, and just learning to.
fly, were massed together on the beach.
There were about 2,500 of these. The
Cabot’s Terns were all on the wing, and
the majority of those present appeared to.
be adults. The adult strength of this colony
at the beginning of the season, according:
to Captain Sprinkle’s estimates, was about
2,500 each of Cabot’s and Royal Terns.
About 1,000 adult Royal Terns were
present at this time.
July 24.—Left anchorage at Southwest
Harbor Key at 7 A. mM. Laid out a diréct
course to Battledore Island, due south-
west., wind east; arrived at 1.30 P. M.
Of Black Skimmers, adults on the wing,
estimated the number at about 2,500.
There were probably 1,000 young Skim-
mers about ready to fly, and 300 Skimmer
nests averaging two eggs, young, or young
and eggs, to the nest.
About 1,000 adult Laughing Gulls.
present and 2,000 young, most of them.
able to fly. There was an equal number
of adult and young Royal Terns, most of
the latter about ready to fly.
The number of Caspian Terns was not
over twenty; several were guarding nests.
containing either eggs or newly hatched
young. Cabot’s Terns had nearly 500.
eggs and young. There were probably
Louisiana Herons.
had nearly completed incubation, while
many large nestlings were found. The
total number of adults and young was.
estimated at 500.
Forster’s Terns had practically finished
their nesting, and few were seen about.
the island.
After exploring Battledore Island, we
sailed to Hog Island, and landed on the:
easternmost of the three parts into which
it has been cut. There were few birds.
here, but. Captain Sprinkle had noted.
many at the beginning of the season, and.
this island, with protection, will doubtless.
prove a valuable nesting-place.
230
July 25.—After an, all-day sail through
squalls and light winds, we made Dutcher’s
Island an hour before sundown. An ex-
amination of this reservation showed that
all the Louisiana Herons had left their
nests. Of old and young there were fully
.4,000. There were about twenty Snowy
Herons on the island. There were about
‘1,500 Gulls about the island at the time
-of this visit.
July 26.—Stormy all day; fearing very
heavy weather outside, Captain Sprinkle
vadvised returning to Pass Christian, where
we arrived at 2.30 Pp. M., having left Dutch-
-er’s Island at 7 A.M., and being unable
‘to visit Little Deadman Islands, 10 to 55 in
Eloi Bay, Islands 4 to 9 in Morgan Har-
‘bor, Mitchell’s Key, Sam Holmes, Brush
-and Sundown Islands. Estimates made
by Captain Sprinkle of the number of
birds present on these various islands at
‘the time of his previous inspection are
:given below:
July 15.—Sundown Island: 500
Laughing Gulls’ nests, eggs all hatched;
roo Foster’s Terns’ nests, young birds
-all flown.
July 15.—Brush Island: 200 Laughing
“Gulls’ nests, eggs all hatched; 500 Skim-
mers’ nests, eggs all hatched.
July 16.—Sam Holmes Island: 1,000
Laughing Gulls’ nests, eggs all hatched.
July 16.—Mitchell’s Key: 200 Skim-
mers’ nests, eggs all hatched; too Laugh-
‘ing Gulls’ nests, eggs all hatched.
July 16.—Islands 4 and 5, Morgan Har-
bor: 300 Louisiana Herons’ nests, eggs
-all hatched, young commencing to fly;
2,000 Laughing Gulls’ nests, eggs all
hatched; 50 Grosbeaks’ nests (Black-
‘crowned Night Heron), eggs all hatched;
75 Forster’s Terns’ nests, young flying.
July 16.—Islands 6 to 9, Morgan Har-
-bor: 12,000 Laughing Gulls’ nests, eggs
all hatched; 1,300 Louisiana Herons’
nests, young flying; 300 Forster’s Terns,
young flying; 12 Snowy Herons’ nests,
young all grown.
July 17.—Islands 10 to 15, Eloi Bay:
4,700 Laughing Gulls’ nests, eggs all
shatched.
July 17.—Little Deadman’s Island:
Bird -
Lore
200 Laughing Gulls’ nests, eggs all ha he
25 Caspian Terns’ nests, eggs all hat
Summary of birds bred on island
Breton and Louisiana Audubon R
vations, 1908:
Black Skimmer— ‘
Martin’s Island Key ...... ue
Battledore*. 0... (<1: daggeee r,6
Mitchell’s: Key. s.o3/:2 edie Pi
Brush Island.........
Laughing Gull—
Battledore... 2)... 2.
Little Deadman’s Island ...
Islands 10 to 15, Eloi Bay....
Island 4 and 5, Morgan Harbor
Islands 6 to 9, Morgan Harbor..
Mitchell’s Key J... : soeae
Sam Holmes’ Island ....... ‘
Brush Island... /. 2 aaa
Sundown Island........ pak:
Royal Tern—
Southwest Harbor Key... .
Battledore ,
ee es
Cabot’s Tern— arte
Southwest Harbor Key......
Battledore 3.20. :2..cnee <6 ae
Caspian Tern—
Battledore ..... eeeget st WS,
Little Deadman
ee
Forster’s Tern—
Sundown Island. 2). ¢225
Islands 4 and 5, Morgan Ha
Islands 6 to 9, Morgan Harbor
wees, >
Least Tern—
Barrel Key's. .). 2 220 ga a -
Snowy Heron— a
Dutcher’s Island): peice ‘
Island No. 7.(Job’s Island
-crowned Night Heron—
_ Islands 4 and 5, Morgan Harbor 200
- Dutcher’s Island ............ 20
220
isiana Heron—
Sep 200
Pautcher’s Island ./.......... 2,500
Aslands 4 and 5, Morgan Harborr,200
Islands 6 to 9, Morgan Harbors,ooo
8,900
H. H. Kopman, Field Agent.
ection of East Timbalier Reservation,
-_ Louisiana, August 3, 1908
ick Skimmer.—Though adults of
species, numbering fully 7,500, were
tt on the island, not a single young
was found, and the nests during the
part of the season, at least, had
tly been disturbed.
ghing Gull.—At least 35,000 birds
his species were present, and a large
ortion of these were young, just
ning to fly. The crowding of the nests
the abundance of the young were
incredible.
Louisiana Heron.—Nearly all of this
ies. had left, but former warden,
. Oliver, told me that a very large
of this species had been bred on
and, probably as many as 10,000.
yal Tern.—About 1,000 adults and
y young on the beach almost ready
were noted.
st Tern.—A few were seen about
and, and Mr. Oliver was sure the
: had bred there.
Snowy Heron.—About ten were seen
‘the island, and Mr. Oliver reported
at about forty of this species, as well
some of the Black-crowned Night
_had been bred there.
Pelican——A large number—
0 to 1,800—were feeding on the spits
d bars. None had nested on the island.
1. H. Korman, Field Agent.
The Audubon Societies
231
Three New Reservations
During the month of August, President
Roosevelt, at the request of this Associa-
tion, issued orders establishing three new
reservations; one to be known as the Key
West Reservation, the application for which
was based upon a report made by Capt.
Charles G. Johnson, keeper of the Sand
Key Light Station, near Key West, Florida.
The applications for the Klamath Lake
and Lake Malheur Reservations were
based on the reports of our field agent,
Mr. William L. Finley, and~his associate,
Mr. Herman T. Bohlman, a portion of
which was published in Brrp-Lorg, vol.
viii, 1905, page 336 and the result of a
trip they made during the present season
as the representatives of this Association.
“Our start was made from Portland,
Oregon, and the entire trip between that
city and the Malheur Lake region was
made by automobile, over a thousand
miles being covered during the trip. This
' was necessary, as the lake is 135 miles
from the nearest railroad station. A can-
vas boat was used on the lake, as it is
very shallow, the average depth being
not over three feet. This region, beyond
question, is the most promising of the
known fields for the protection and preser-
vation of water-fowl and several other
birds, that exist in the United States. The
water surface in the proposed reservation
covers an area of about 120 square miles.
Many thousands of water- and shore-birds
breed annually, and countless other
thousands, including swans, use the lakes
as resting- and feeding-places during the
spring and fall migrations. Among the
breeding birds are Canada Geese, of
which over a thousand young birds were
counted within the distance of one mile
along the shore, many species of Wild
Ducks, Ring-billed, California and other
Gulls, White Pelican, Farallone Cor-
morant, Caspian, Black and Forster’s
Terns, Eared Grebe, White-faced Glossy
Ibis, Great Blue and Night Herons, Coot,
and many. smaller shore-birds. Many
large colonies of the species named were
discovered.
232
‘‘Until a few years ago, thousands of
Snowy Herons made this their summer
home, but we saw only one bird. The
plume-hunters are responsible for the
disappearance of this beautiful species;
they killed in the summer of 1886
enough birds to produce $8,000 worth
of plumes. The slaughter was continued
in 1887, 1888, and 1889, and as high
as $400 a day was realized. When
we visited Klamath county in 1905, we
thought that the Grebe-skin traffic had
been practically stopped; however, we
have facts now to show that plume-hunters
have been at work continually since, and
have been shipping plumage direct to
New York. We have questioned many of
the old settlers and others as to the abun-
dance of water-fowl, and we find them
plentiful yet. They count Ducks, Geese,
and Swans by acres here, not by numbers,
during the migratory period, but it is the
unanimous opinion that the numbers do
not compare with even six or eight years
ago.
no question about it. We must have a good,
big reserve down here. It will make the
most important reserve in the West, and,
with Klamath reserve, will equip Oregon
and the Pacific coast to preserve the
water-fowl.”
The three new reservations just set.
aside by President Roosevelt will necessi-
tate a very large increase in our outlay
for wardens’ service. For the Key West
reservation, it will only. be necessary to
employ a guard from three to four months,
covering the breeding period, unless fur-
ther investigation shows that the Keys are
used as a bird resort, when the warden
would have to be employed for a longer
period. At Klamath Lake Reservation, it
will be necessary to employ one good man
with a first-class power-boat, by the year.
To properly guard Malheur Lake Reser-
vation will take at least two good men,
and possibly three. Lakes Malheur and
Harney are so shallow that an ordinary
power-boat cannot be used, and the war-
dens must depend on row-boats. Mr.
Finley suggests that it might be possible
Bird -
The birds are going, and there is .
Lore
to use a small stern-wheel boat. One
cannot guard one hundred and t
square miles of territory, when he
depend on a row-boat for transpo
These two reservations have been sucl
a mine of wealth, in_the past, to plu
hunters and market-shooters that
are not going to abandon their ill
traffic without a desperate struggle.
will, therefore, be necessary for this
ciation to select not only men of th
highest character and_ intelligence
those who have the hardihood to f
position. Plume-hunters and
shooters in that section are law-b
and, when cornered, rarely hesit
shoot, even though a human life
sacrifice. This Association now k
opportunity. to’create an ideal w
breeding-place, probably the grea
the United States. To do it, ho
going to entail a large expen:
must be provided for. At the pre
the resources of the Association are
to the utmost limit, and, theref
money to properly guard the
greatest of our reservations must
nished by new people.
The sportsmen of the country
consider it a duty as well as a pi
furnish means to guard these g
ing and feeding grounds fro
hunters. The public ought to be
in the economic as well as the est
of the case, and should willingly fu
the financial support the Associati
Funds are wanted at once, as the
should be on the ground at this
order to prevent shooting during th
autumn and the early winter, °
birds are on the southward
The question is often asked, “E
I give wisely.” No wiser or grea
faction can be proposed than
this Association a large sum, to |
as the Warden Fund, the in
-which to be used in perpetuity t
salaries of the brave men
months in loneliness and hz
guard the birds of our land fron
men. —W. D. My
KEY WEST RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
FLORIDA
Embracing all Islands segregated
by. broken line and designated
“Key West Reservation
i]
'
!
!
ish KEY
!
i]
ry lon
on
<” GULF bsg
et er
a ee ——_
Coalbin Rock
—— — = = = oe — = ae ee oe ee ee ee ey ee ee ee ee ee ee oe ee ee oe oe ee ae oe oe oe
8200
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Fred Dennett, Commissioner
Erecutive Order
__ It is hereby ordered that all keys and islands of the Florida Keys group,
_ between latitude 24° 27’ and 24° 40’ north, and longitude 81° 49’ and 82° 10°
_ west from Greenwich, as the same are shown upon coast survey chart No. 170,
and located within the area segregated by the broken line shown upon the dia-
gram hereto attached and made a part of this order, are hereby reserved and set
ide for the use of the Department of Agriculture as a preserve and breeding
‘ound for native birds. This reservation is subject to, and is not intended to
interfere with, the use of “Marquesas Keys” for life-saving purposes, reserved
Executive "Order of March 12, 1884, nor with the use of “Man Key” and
“Woman Key,” reserved for naval purposes by Executive Order of June 8, 1908;
or is it intended in any manner to vacate such orders. This reservation to be
own as Key West Reservation.
[No. 923] THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House, August 8, 1908.
(233)
KLAMATH LAKE RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds 4
OREGON AND CALIFORNIA
Embracing all islands in Lower Klamath Lake and all Marsh and Swamp Lands
in Tps:39, 40 and 4l S.R¢s.8. and 9, and Tp.4/S.R.10 all East of Willamette Mer. &
Ore. and in Tps.47and 48 N. Rgs.1;2 and3 East of Mt Diablo Mer. Cal. segregated .
by broken line and- designated “K lamath Lake. Reservation”
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE ss
Fred Dennett, Commissioner
(234)
The Audubon Societies 235
Executive Order
- It is hereby ordered that all islands situated in Lower Klamath Lake, and
e marsh and swamp lands unsuitable for agricultural purposes in townships
nine, forty, and forty-one south, ranges eight and nine, and township
me south, range ten, all east of the Willamette Meridian, Oregon, and in
ips forty-seven and forty-eight north, ranges one, two and three east of
Diablo Meridian, California, and situated within the area segregated
broken line, as shown upon the diagram hereto attached and made a part
this order, are hereby reserved and set aside for the use of the Department
Agriculture as a preserve and breeding-ground for native birds. The taking
e destruction of birds’ eggs and nests, and the taking or killing of any species
native bird for any purpose whatever is prohibited, and warning is expressly
to all persons not to commit within the reserved territory any of the acts
eby enjoined. This order is made subject to and is not intended to interfere
h the use of any part of the reserved area by the Reclamation Service acting
the provisions of the act approved June 17, 1902, or any subsequent
ation. This reserve to be known as Klamath Lake Reservation.
2 : THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
White House, August 8, 1908.
[No. 924]
LAKE MALHEUR RESERVATION
For Protection of Native Birds
OREGON
Embracing all least subdivisions touching the shore lines
of Lakes Malheur and Harney and their connecting waters
in Ts. 25 S. Rs. 32, 322 and 33, Tps. 26S. R¥s. 29,30 31,32
and 33, and Tps. 27S. Rés. 29 293,30 and 32 all east of
Willamette Meridian, Oregon. segregated by brokenline
and designated “Lake Malheur Reservation”
i r
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z/7 Unsurveyed eis] e]3a]e2 sisal 2belele pepe ode ieee
1 “le 7), e@lolelala2ztr7yelol@ jl aniatri se) as l|e@lalatryp ee, aia
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
GENERAL LAND OFFICE
Fred Dennett, Commissioner
Executive Order
It is hereby ordered that all smallest legal subdivisions which touch the shore.
line of Lakes Malheur and Harney and the streams and waters connecting t
lakes in township twenty-five south, ranges thirty-two, thirty-two and one-hi
and thirty-three; township twenty- “six south, ranges twenty- -nine, thirty, t
one, thirty-two and thirty-three; township twenty- -seven south, ranges tw
nine, twenty-nine and one-half, thirty and thirty-two, all east of the Willan
Meridian, Oregon, together with all islands and unsurveyed lands situated withi
the meander lines of said lakes and connecting waters, as segregated by #l
broken line shown upon the diagram hereto attached and made a part of
Order, are hereby reserved, subject to valid existing rights, and set aside
the use of the Department of Agriculture as a preserve and breeding-ground foi
native birds. The taking or destruction of birds’ eggs and nests, and the t
or killing of any species of native bird for any purpose whatsoever, except unde
such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of Agricultur
is prohibited, and warning is expressly given to all persons not to commit wit
the reserved territory any of the acts hereby enjoined. This reserve to be a
as Lake Malheur Reservation.
[No. 929] THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
The White House, August 18, 1908.
(236)
~BRUCE
HORSEALL.
4208
1. Dersy FiycaTcHEer 3. OLIVE-sIDED FLYCATCHER
2. BEARDLESS FLYCATCHER 4. Cougs’s FLycATCHER
~—s Bird-Lore
A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS
OFriciAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
Jol. X NOVEMBER—DECEMBER, 1908 No. 6
The Sea Birds’ Fortress
By A. C. BENT
] AY off in the middle of the stormy, fog-bound Gulf of St. Lawrence
stands lonely Bird Rock, twenty-five miles north of the Magdalen
Islands and sixty miles from Cape Breton.
ms the northeastern end of a chain of dangerous ledges, lying in the
vessels passing in and out of the St. Lawrence River, and is important
gh to be protected by a first-class lighthouse. Its red sandstone cliffs rise
hundred feet or more straight up from the sea, and even on the smoothest
y ry the waves thunder against its base, as they rise and fall with the ocean swell.
| The only human inhabitants of this isolated rock are the lighthouse keeper
his family. They are visited twice a year by the government supply boat,
fing provisions, newspapers and mail, but, aside from this, they seldom have
any communication with the outside world unless some stray fisherman lands
ere from necessity, or some wandering bird student comes along to study the
§ a birds i in their summer home.
. _ During the long winter nights, when the gulf is closed to navigation, they
‘have nothing to do, no light to maintain and no fog whistle to manage. Yet
*y say they feel their loneliness even more in the summer when they longingly
atch every passing sail, hoping for visitors, but are generally doomed to disap-
pointment. No wonder that they welcome the return of their feathered friends
he spring, and no wonder they were glad to see us.
i We had engaged an experienced mariner, the owner of a staunch schooner
d the hero of many a successful smuggling trip, to take us from the Magdalen
sl hiss to Bird Rock on a certain date; but on our arrival at Grand Entry, the
orthernmost port, we found, to our disgust, that he had just gone off on a three
= cruise elsewhere, without the slightest consideration of his promise tous. The
ly other available craft, fit to make the trip, which is a dangerous one at best,
‘ $ a sea-going tug which, on investigation, we found was hopelessly disabled.
e were face to face with the two alternatives, to give up the main object of our
ip and go home beaten, or to make the trip in an open boat, a hitherto unac-
nplished feat, except by a few hardy fishermen. But we secured the services
. 2 eee
- _ = Se 3
¢ a = :
+
’
238 | Bird - Lore
of a daring, young lobster fisherman, strong, hardy and experienced, who had
weathered the storms of twenty-four hard northern winters, and who volunteered
to take us, as soon as a favorable opportunity arrived. After days of fog, rain,
storms and gales, all too frequent on that coast, the looked-for opportunity came
when a light westerly wind had smoothed down the sea after an easterly blow,
and we started in his seaworthy little boat, seventeen feet long, carrying two
small sprit-sails. Though we could plainly see Bird Rock, twenty-five miles
away, a red spot on the northern horizon, prudence suggested that we sail first
to Bryon Island, only twelve miles away, where we could find a safe harbor,
in case of necessity, and push on to Bird Rock the next day, if conditions Were
EAST END OF BIRD ROCK FROM THE SEA
favorable. But we were persuaded to change our minds by the “ King of Bryon
Island,” a venerable patriarch, the owner of the island, and a veritable monarch
of all he surveys, for he controls the most valuable lobster-fishing rights of that
region, as well as the destinies of the fishermen; he would like to have kept us
over night, with a view to interesting capitalists from the states in the purchase
of his profitable estates, but with true regard for our interests he advised our
pushing on that night, as he thought it would blow a gale in the morning, and
experience proved that he was right. So, laying in a stock of bread and a few
bottles of water, we started at 5:30 that night for the last leg of our journey.
It was well that the sea was smooth, for to land on that rugged Rock is bad enough
at any time, and when there is any sea running it is impossible.
It seemed a long twelve miles as we plied the oars to help us along in the
The Sea Birds’ Fortress 239
, ght breeze, and the sun was fast sinking to the horizon, illuminating the great
red cliffs of Bird Rock, lined with white rows of nesting Gannets; we were still
me distance from it at sunset, and we were not anxious to pick our way among
its dangerous rocks after dark. But our skipper was equal to the task when the
exciting moment came; as the great cliffs towered above us in the moonlight,
‘we saw a lantern coming down the ladder to show us where to land, and we ran
: among the thundering breakers; there was a crash which brought us to our
feet in terror, as we struck an unseen rock, but the next wave carried us over
t and landed us among the rocks and flying spray. We were overboard in an
instant, struggling in the surf, for the boat was rapidly filling, as wave after wave
e over us. A few moments of rapid work served to unload our baggage and
ittach a stout line to the boat, the signal was passed aloft, and the powerful
peegpach above hauled her up high and dry. We then had time to shake
ar tl h. our genial host, the keeper of the lighthouse, who had been watch-
ef since we left Bryon Island. Loading our baggage in the crate to be
up, we climbed up the long ladders, among clouds of screaming seabirds,
undred feet to the top of the rock, where we found a hearty welcome
us from Captain Bourque and his family. No doubt they were glad
;, for we were the only people who had landed on the rock since last
y lead, but they are brave and cheerful souls, and know how to make
st of the surroundings. They live well in spite of the fact that their market-
lls but twice a year. Of course, there were many questions to be asked
ich news to be discussed, for which their eager minds were hungry. After
upper the festivities began; a graphophone was brought out and a whole trunk
i f songs and other music reeled off; one of the girls could play the accordion,
ich did duty as an orchestra while the rest of us danced, sang and made merry
re ll into the night. It was a great event for them, and we almost forgot that we
ad come to photograph birds.
4 _~But the morning found us out bright and early, moments were golden and
t to be wasted in sleep, the wind was blowing a gale, as predicted, and clouds
: seabirds were drifting about the rock in a bewildering maze, ten thousand of
them in all. There were great white Gannets sailing on long, powerful wings
‘ipped with black, clouds of snowy Kittiwake Gulls hovering in the air, hundreds
of swift-winged Murres and-Razor-billed Auks darting out from the cliffs, and
‘quaint little parties of curious Puffins perched on the rocks. There was a con-
stant Babel of voices, the mingled cries of the varied throngs, deep, guttural
‘oaks and hoarse grunts from the Gannets, a variety of soft purring notes from
ou re Murres, and sharp piercing cries from the active Kittiwakes, distinctly pro-
4 n jouncing the three syllables for which they are named, as if beseeching us to
Keep away” from their precious nests.
Climbing down the ladders to one of the broader ledges, I fired away plate
ter plate, with a ‘Reflex’ camera, at the constant stream of Gannets floating
SN ae il i a a oe
240 Bird - Lore
by on broad and powerful wings, riding on the gale without an effort, one of
Nature’s triumphs in the balancing of forces. I surprised one old fellow fast
asleep on the ledge, with his head tucked under his wing; and carried him to
the top of the cliff where we could study him more closely. Nearly all the broader
ledges were white with nesting Gannets, sitting as close as they could sit on their
crude nests of kelp and rockweed, each bird covering one, large, dirty egg, origi-
GANNETS ON THEIR NESTS
nally white but now stained with the red mud from the sandstone rock. They
live peaceably enough among themselves, but their awkward movements result
in many broken eggs, and they are far from neat in their habits. Carelessness
and lack of neatness are characteristic of all the Pelican family, to which the
Gannet belongs, and must indicate a low order of intelligence, for birds as a rule
are very neat and keep their nests scrupulously clean.
The Gannets show their lack of intelligence in other ways; their brains are
very small in proportion to their size, and they are very stupid birds, gawking
at the intruder with a most helpless and idiotic expression, or stumbling over
each other in their efforts to escape, often rolling the eggs out of the nests in
their attempt. How different they are in this respect from the keen-witted Ruffed
Grouse, who springs suddenly into the air, covering her eggs as she leaves, and
dodging out of sight in an instant. No wonder the Gannets have been clubbed
to death on their nests by the fishermen in search of bait, until they are well
nigh exterminated from all but the most inaccessible cliffs!
The beautiful little Kittiwake Gulls are birds of another feather, and form
one of the most attractive features of Bird Rock. They are cliff-dwellers indeed,
The Sea Birds’ Fortress 241
for their nests are scattered all over the perpendicular face of the frowning
cliff; every available little ledge or shelf is appropriated by them, and it is remark-
able to see how narrow a shelf will serve to support their nests of seaweed; they
must be securely built to support the weight of parents and young on such an
apparently insecure foundation, and at such a dizzy height above the dangerous
rocks and thundering surf. But they seemed to be successful in hatching their
two, or sometimes three, speckled
eggs and raising the tiny gray balls
of down to maturity. A swing over
the cliff in the crate was necessary
‘| to see them at close quarters, and a
| most interesting hour was spent in
this way.
Standing securely in the stout
| box we were lifted from the ground,
the long arm of the derrick swung
outward into space, and we were
lowered gradually down the face of
_| the cliff, a novel and delightful way
| of calling on the birds that were
nesting on its ledges.
At first a startled cloud of Gulls
| flew out and circled about us, pro-
testing that we “keep away,” but.
| they soon settled down again on
their nests, where we photographed
them at our leisure. They were
confiding little fellows, and would sit
quietly on their little shelves within
_\a few feet of us, turning their beau-
| tiful snow-white heads to look at us,
but showing no signs of fear. They
were the daintiest birds of all with
their delicate pearl-gray backs and
bright yellow bills, making: the pret-
tiest of pictures as they sat upon their
eggs, or stood brooding over their
tender young protecting them from
the sun.
The crate was then lowered to
another ledge where a party of
Marres were sitting on their eggs.
These innocent sea birds build no KITTIWAKES ON THEIR NESTS
242 Bird - Lore
MURRES ON THEIR NEST-SITES
nests at all; their eggs are long and pointed, so shaped that they will roll
around in a circle instead of rolling off the narrow ledge, where they are laid
on the bare rocks; the eggs are subject to great variations in color, several
shades of blue, green and white, handsomely marked with dark brown and
black, in spots, stripes and irregular scrawls. We were soon on intimate terms
with them as they stood upright in dignified rows, like so many soldiers, or sat
MURRES’ EGGS
upon their eggs and watched us.
Most of the Murres were
nesting on the lower ledges,
which were generally quite in-
accessible, though if we had had
more time we might have found
some way to photograph them.
There were many other inter-
esting subjects for the camera
on the top of the rock where the
curious little Puffins or ‘Sea
Parrots’ could be seen sitting
in little groups on the edge of
the precipice, all ready to launch
out into space if we came too
The Sea Birds’ Fortress 243
near. They were guarding the entrance. to their homes—burrows in the soil
under the rocks or under the grassy turf. If we had dug them out we should
probably have found a bird in each burrow crouching over her single white
egg at the farthest end. She would not offer to fly away, and we could easily
stroke her back or pick her up, but we must look out for her sharp and
powerful beak, which could inflict quite a wound.
On the upper ledges, just below the top of the cliff, the Razor-billed Auks
were domiciled, where they had crawled into every available crevice or under
every overhanging rock to lay their single eggs on the bare ground. The eggs
were not quite so pointed as the Murres,’ and were usually white with spots
and markings of dark brown and black.
RAZOR-BILLED AUKS ON THEIR NEST-SITES
They were very tame and unsuspicious birds; if we sat still for a few mom-
ents near their nests they would fly up and alight within a few feet, eying us
curiously and grunting their expressions of satisfaction or disapproval. I should
have had some fine pictures of them but for an unfortunate accident by which
the plates were spoiled.
One of the features of the trip was our visit to North Bird Rock, three tall
pinnacles of red sandstone rock rising out of the sea, three-quarters of a mile
away. A dory was lowered in place of the crate and we rowed over, landing
with difficulty on a flat rock at the base. A cloud of Kittiwake Gulls flew from
their nests on the cliffs as we landed. We managed to scale the first cliff by
helping each other up from ledge to ledge, passing the cameras up as best we
could. As I raised my head over the top I found myself face to face with a Gannet,
in fact a whole colony of them; and a more surprised lot of Gannets I never saw.
244 2 Bird - Lore
The whole flat top of the rock was literally covered with their nests, from which
they were beating a hasty, if not graceful, retreat. A few of them held their”
ground and sat stolidly on their nests until we had photographed them at our
leisure. One of the pinnacles was absolutely inaccessible, a secure retreat, its”
flat top white with nesting Gannets.
But before we had used up all our plates a signal was fired from Bird Rock,
warning us to return; the barometer was falling and a blow was not far off;
a
our genial host was sorry to part with us, but prudence suggested that if we would —
reach the Magdalens in safety, with our frail craft, we must start that night.
The two days had been far too short to accomplish all we wanted, but we hurriedly ~
packed up our belongings, bade farewell to our kind friends and started. Part-~
ing salutes were fired, handkerchiefs, :weaters, and finally table cloths were
waved, as the light northeast wind carried us away from Bird Rock, and the
four lonely figures on top faded out of sight.
The wind soon died out to a dead calm, we were twenty-five miles from —
Grosse Isle, darkness coming on and every prospect of a dangerous gale ap-
proaching. But we were not helpless, there were two oars in the boat and four
of us to man them. It was a hard night’s work, with half hour shifts at the oars,
but we stuck to it and finally reached the welcome beach at Grosse Isle just
before sunrise. We were tired and sleepy, but we had made the first trip to Bird
Rock in an open boat.
_ GANNETS AND NESTS ON NORTH BIRD ROCK
Bury] ‘WH Aq pejunou spirq {]yeJs1oy eonag Aq poqured punosyorg
AMOLSIH IVYUNLVN JO WOAASAW NVOIMANV AHL NI dNOUD LAAOA NVOIMANV
The Drumming of the Ruffed Grouse
By EDMUND. J. SAWYER
Illustrated by the Author
ming.- I failed, but got several sketches of the birds from life, seeing scot
of performances at a distance of forty feet. This was-in Franklin county,
New York. My second attempt, made the following spring in Chenango county
was more successful, as the accompanying illustrations show.
My method was to go out early in the morning or just before sunset, and,
guided by the sound of the drumming, find the logs used by the Grouse. Loe:
ing a log well suited to my purpose, I would build a rough shack or “blind
just large enough to cover me while sitting on the ground. The blinds were ma
of spruce or cedar boughs or slabs of bark, according to the surroundings a \
material nearest at hand. Several of the shacks were used, all being pl
within about twenty feet of the Grouse while drumming. In one case some |
slabs of bark, placed against a convenient old board fence at the edge of a wi
formed a neat blind which allowed me to watch a Grouse drum repeat
and secure two of the photographs shown, from a distance of eighteen
Usually, in order not to frighten the birds, I made the blinds and arranged
camera in position about midday, when the Grouse were most likely to be
of sight and hearing.
In the morning the drumming is generally first heard at dayne
Grouse will often spend the night on or near his drumming log and drum »
time to time through the night. In order to witness the drumming in the early
morning, therefore, I spent the night in my blind. To watch the Grouse in
afternoon period I entered the blind about three o’clock. It was so
two or three hours later before the bird first appeared, and occasionally I
in vain till sundown.
After once seeing a Ruffed Grouse drum, even from a distance of sie
it was difficult for me to conceive how any one could be mistaken at that di:
as to the bird’s way of performing the act. For the beating of the wings ma
be easily followed at first,—though their exact outline, of course, is lost durin
each lightning stroke, and may be seen to remain essentially the same, on
faster, till the end. :
We will suppose now that we are in a blind, say twenty feet from a drumr
log. After being repeatedly deceived into expectation by chipmunks, red squi
mice and Chickadees, we hear another rustling in the dry leaves whi
strained attention does not mistake. It is a measured patter of running
or a slow tread just heavy enough to crunch the leaves at every step or
and occasionally snap a dry twig. The next instant a cock Grouse hops to th
top of the log; his head is erect; his feathers lie close to his sides and, for a creatut
as wild as any that haunts the woods, his whole manner shows only serenity,
(246)
| N the spring of 1907 I attempted to photograph a Grouse.in the act of d
By,
= a
mn shea nati tanta
The Drumming of the Ruffed Grouse 247
and a modest self-satisfaction. The next instant he turns crossways of the log,
the head is raised, the feathers of the neck and the black ruff expanded by the
Same act, the tail is spread, and at the same time the wings beat the air three
or four clearly distinct times with a muffled whir at each beat—such is the force
of the stroke—and then hang straight down for an instant, as also between the
strokes just described. Now begins the part of the drumming which is so familiar
to many as a distant rumble and characteristic wood sound. As the interval
between the strokes, which at first is about a second, gradually shortens the bird
assumes a more and more horizontal position until at the end, when the drumming
DRUMMING RUFFED GROUSE
Enlargement of the following photograph retouched by E. J. Sawyer
has become one prolonged whir of the constantly moving wings, the head sets.
down close to the shoulders. In the latter part of the drumming the outline
of the wings is entirely lost in a gray haze which, however, serves to show the
extent of their motion; they are held just free from the sides and fluttered rather
than flapped at the close of the act. In the first part of the drumming it may
easily be cbserved that the tips of the wings are brought as far forward as the
feet and backward about to a horizontal position. The tail lays flat on the log
if the latter is large. The only device I can think of which seems calculated
Closely to imitate the rapid drumming is a soft, yet solid, rubber ball dropped
on the top of a velvet-covered wooden vessel. I have often compared the tone-
248 : Bird- Lore
of the wing-beats with the sound made by striking my leg just above the knee ~
with the lower (little finger) side of my clenched hand.
One point which should have prevented the belief that the noise is made —
by the wings striking the bird’s perch is the characteristic uniformity of the
sound which is of the same nature as the well-known hum of this bird’s wings —
in flight. It does not vary, as would be
Most of the drumming logs are old
has quite disappeared from many, but
they are solid enough to afford the Grouse
a good foothold, though often consider-
ably worn away, when barkless and
somewhat soft, by long continued use of
the grasping feet. When a spot has
been used for drumming even a week
or two, it begins to have the appearance
of a chicken roost. If it is a log, as
A DRUMMING RUFFED GROUSE usual, the ground, especially on one side,
Untouched photograph from nature and perhaps the top will be fouled at the
points where the Grouse stands. There are sometimes half a dozen or more ©
of these drumming spots on one long log; by these “signs” together with —
a worn or chafed, appearance drumming logs may readily and infallibly «be —
known.
The log shown in the photographs was a section sawed from a large tree. —
It was hollow but otherwise sound. Two similar logs, one end to end with it, —
the other a rod away, were also used by the same Grouse as drumming-places. —
The first day I watched him the bird drummed only from the other two logs, —
while my blind was built nearest and camera focused on the one unused. The ~
next day before the bird appeared in the afternoon I placed sticks over the entire
length of two of the logs, leaving untouched the log nearest my blind and camera. —
After two hours’ waiting the Grouse first appeared on one of the brush-strewn .
logs. He tried his wings in a few places on this log, and then actually drummed, ~
though the tips of his wings brushed the sticks about him. He then walked along —
the log, gingerly picking his way among the sticks, looking evidently for a better
spot, and soon went to the other brush-covered log where he drummed several ~
times. Still hampered by the brush, he finally hopped to the log before my ~
camera where all seemed to his satisfaction, for he remained here a long while,
drumming repeatedly. That evening I added enough brush to the troublesome ~
logs to prevent drumming on them, and had no farther difficulty in that way,
the Grouse thereafter coming directly to the desired place.
The photograph made of the bird just mentioned, showing a side view,
the case in thumping against different —
kinds of wood in various stages of decay. —
and more or less moss-covered; the bark
The Drumming of the Ruffed Grouse 249
was taken about the middle of the drumming period and given one second’s
exposure. My camera, by the way, merely a regular 4x5, ten-inch bellows
machine, had to be placed with the lens only four or five feet from the subject.
Tt was covered loosely with a green hood and spruce boughs and operated by
means of a fifteen-foot tube with bulb, from my blind.
The drumming ended (the entire act lasts about ten seconds) the Grouse
immediately raises his head and raises and expands his tail by one motion,
which seems involuntary as if from the exhilaration of his late effort, the tail
slowly falling again to its usual position. The bird may now stand motionless,
apparently listening for several minutes until the drumming begins again as
pefore. I have heard or seen at close range at least a hundred of the performances.
ach of these could be described as above, excepting a very few times when,
after few preliminary wing beats, the bird suddenly stopped, being interrupted
lby some unusual sound such as the bark of a dog, scream of a Hawk, snapping
of a twig in my blind, or even a sight of me.
" ry . ie Te ‘ = a
CANADIAN RUFFED GROUSE
Photographed at Snoeshoe Lake Me., by Henry R. Carey
The Use of a Blind in the Study of Bird- Life
By FRANK M. CHAPMAN
F one would study the habits of birds under natural conditions it is of the
| first importance that they be unalarmed by one’s presence. While in some
comparatively rare instances a species may not have acquired fear of man
or may, fortunately, have learned to trust him, man’s presence is always a mo: e
or less disturbing element, if not to the bird in question, at least to other speci Ss.
with which it may chance to become associated. With bird as with man, the
consciousness of being under observation induces more or less artificialty of
manner, and if one would gain true insight into either bird life or human ue
ones subject should be unaware that they are the objects of scrutiny.
It sometimes happens that one finds, already existing, a place which affords s
effective concealment, but this is exceptional and, in the end, it will be found
necessary to employ an artificial blind. 4
I must confess that when writing ‘Bird Studies with a Camera’ I did not appre-
ciate the necessity for a hiding-place which not only permitted one to photogrilll a
but to see. But whether or not one uses a camera, a blind will be found to
of the greatest assistance in securing the proper point of view.
It is the first requisite of such a blind that it be easily transportable; it sho
also be inconspicuous, and so simple in construction that it may be qui
erected. The results of my first attempt (1900) to make a structure which wot
fulfil these requirements was a ridiculously complicated affair of upright sti
-and iron hoops around which was placed a ca
vas, painted in the somewhat distant semblan
of bark. This affair was supposed to be an ir
tation tree trunk, and it illustrates how far o
may be carried on the wrong road by a fal
premise. The fundamental error in this case vi
the belief that the blind must be like some ob
in nature. As a matter of fact, this is not ne
sary. It should be as unconspicuous as possi
By and it is often more quickly accepted if it
partly disguised with reeds, bushes or vines.
its chief virtue is its immovability. It may é¢
suspicion for a time, but its inanimateness fing
“wins and, to the birds, it becomes a part of #l
landscape to be perched on if convenient.
This at least has been my experience with
blind from the shelter of which most of my studi
of birds have been made. In brief, this blind is
umbrella opened within a bag long enough to fall 1
the ground. It may be described in detail as follow
THE UMBRELLA AND
SUPPORTING RODS
(250)
The Use of a Blind in the Study of Bird- Life 251
The Umbrella——The umbrella employed in making an observation blind,
issknown to the trade as a “sign” umbrella. It agrees with the normal variety
in size but differs from it in having a large hole in the center. This permits a
“current of air to pass through the blind—a matter of the first importance when
sone spends hours in the little structure on beach or marsh, where it is fully
UMBRELLA BLIND SET NEAR WARBLING VIREO’S NEST
In this blind an ordinary umbrella was employed, the covering being sewed to the edge
(Shoal Lake, Man., June, roor)
exposed to the sun. The “stick” of this umbrella is a metal tube without the
usual wooden handle.
The Supporting Rod.—The umbrella is supported by two brass tubes each
of the same length as the umbrella, or thirty-three inches. The larger is shod
With a steel point, by the insertion of a small cold chisel or nail punch, which
is brazed in position. It can then be readily driven into the ground. At the
upper end, a thumb-screw is placed. The smaller tube should enter the larger
snugly and should, in turn, be just large enough to receive the umbrella rod,
Which will enter it as far as the spring “catch”. The height of the umbrella
may therefore be governed by the play of the smaller tube in the larger, while
the thumb-screw will permit one to maintain any desired adjustment; as one
would fix the height of a music rack. |
The Covering.—lIf the blind is to be used about home, a light denim may
be employed; if it is to see the harder service of travel and camp-life, a heavier
grade of the same material will be found more serviceable. In the former case,
the denim may be sewed to the edge of the umbrella, which then has only to be
252 : Bird - Lore
opened and thrust. into the brass tube which has been set in position, when:
the blind is erected; an operation requiring less than half a minute. =
When traveling, it seems more desirable not to attach the walls of the blind ;
to the umbrella. The covering then consists of several strips of material sewed
together to make a piece measuring 64 x 114 feet wide. The two ends of this
piece are sewed together at what then becomes the top of the blind, for about
two feet. The unjoined portion below, becomes the door of the blind. Open-
ings should be cut in the opposite side, for the lens and for observation. A strong
draw cord is then run about the top edge of the cloth, so that, before inserting
and opening the umbrella, one can draw it up, as one would the neck of a bag,
until the opening corresponds in size to that in the top of the umbrella. The
draw cord should be long enough to serve as a guy or stay. This covering places
less strain on the umbrella and may be packed in smaller space than one which
is sewed to the umbrella and, when in camp, it may be used to sleep on, as :
covering, as a shelter tent or in a variety of ways. y
The color of the umbrella should be leaf-green. The covering should be sand-
or earth-colored and should be dyed leaf-green on its upper third, whence it
should gradually fade to the original cloth color at about the center. Such a co ol ,
scheme conforms to Abbott Thayer’s law that animals are darkest where they
receive the most light, and palest where they are most in shadow; and there or :
renders the blind much less conspicuous than if it were uniformly green or gray
It is not amiss to run belts of braid about the covering sewing them to it 1 i
intervals and thus forming loops in which, when desired, reeds or branches may
be thrust. . or
In erecting the blind, if circumstances permit, it is desirable to place the
“door”? toward the wind to insure better ventilation. Where the situation is
exposed, an additional stay or two may be required. If the camera box is 1
strong enough to sit on, a collapsible artist’s camp-stool should be added
the outfit. One cannot spend a half day in such close quarters and observe 4
record to advantage unless one is comfortably seated. This structure w
only a few pounds and when folded may easily be slung on one’s back, becoming
in fact, a quickly available “cloak of invisibility” from the shelter of which on
may see unseen. A blind of this type is shown in position in Brrp-Lore fo
August, 1908, in the article on Fish Hawks.
A Thrasher Friend
By EMELINE MADDOCK
T was during my daily pilgrimages to the wood at the edge of the pasture
at Spring Lake, New Jersey, where I went to study the birds, that I dis-
covered a Thrasher, among the many that frequented the spot, which seemed
peculiarly tame. He never hesitated an instant in coming over to the “lunch-
table” which I spread daily for the birds’ refreshment, to partake of its goodies.
There was something almost uncanny about this little Thrasher; in the gentle
fearlessness of his intent gaze, and the sweet intelligence shining in his amber
eyes. At first I mistook him for one of the Thrashers who had built a nest in
a sapling over my shoulder, but soon found out my mistake,—for, though all
Thrashers looked alike to me at the beginning of the season, I could defy any
Thrasher at the end of the summer to puzzle me into inability to identify him
frem any other of his species.
The pair of nesting Thrashers, of course, resented the presence of the birds
attracted to the spot by the food I brought for them, and especially disliked any
A THRASHER FRIEND
of their own species about, and they chased away my little tame Thrasher so often
that I wondered at the persistency of the latter in returning daily to the place.
At last, his gentle manner lead me to wonder if he could be induced to eat from
my hand; so one day, I began the taming process by placing a piece of cornbread
on the tip of my boot as I sat Turk fashion on the ground, and after a little
hesitancy and some pretty, sidling motions, he jumped up on my foot, and ate
the piece eagerly. This was the beginning of our friendship, and it needed little
persuasion after this to induce him to eat from my hand. Several times he came
up on my knee to eat the cornbread I held, even when there were some on the
(253)
254 Bird - Lore
ground which he could have taken. Two or three times, when his meal y
over, he would rest on the tip of my boot, and take a nap, and I would grow
tense with the strain of absolute quiet in every muscle, afraid to breathe f or
fear of frightening him. 3
He loved to bathe in the pan of water I kept filled for the birds to dri
from, and.sometimes he would go, afterwards, to the little earth-hollow whick
was the exclusive property of the female nesting Thrasher, and cuddle in there
for a sun-bath, which of course meant a fight, for she would oust him in a tiny
fury, and twice he came over to me for refuge, where she dared not follow him.
Another time, after taking his bath, he came over to a tiny hollow just at the
edge of my skirt, where he flattened himself into a round ball in the sunshine,
glancing up at me occasionally in the gentle, sweet way he had that was so in nf
nitely winning. One action of his was peculiarly winsome, and that was ne
strange, exquisite courtliness of his attitude when approaching to eat from m y
hand; as a rule he would lift his pretty wings till they met over his back,
though sometimes he merely extended them sideways slightly. “May I have
some, please ?”? he seemed to ask, by this gentle courtesy. ‘4
On July 20, he disappeared, and to say I missed the little fellow would h
to state it mildly. Day after day I hoped against hope that he would return.
but Thrashers were getting scarcer every day. It was August 14, when he fin lly
returned, and it took me three days to recognize him, for he looked ey and
was not so pretty, being in a bad state of molt. But the characteristic, pre’
motion of the uplifted wings was unmistakable, and he was soon eating 0 Ol
of my hand again as tame as ever. After September 5, he again disappea
and this’ time I feared I had seen him for the last time. But on “
13th when I entered the wood, he was there; he looked so different, howeve or
that I failed again to recognize him at first, for his molt was over, he was trim
and pretty, and his feather markings were unlike the old, frayed-out plum:
He roosted on a bough in front of me, and began to sing through his closed be: |
—a song as clear and sweet, though not so loud, as any Thrasher melody hee Z “
in May or June,—indeed he was full of song, his sides vibrating, and his Ic on
tail shaking with the energy of his vocal efforts. The following day he was ther
again, and this time I sat on the ground, holding out the cornbread, and hel
recognized the bird as he flitted close to my hand, raising his wings in his ow
dainty, graceful manner. This was the last time I saw him; and I have oftet
wondered since whether he knew how much I loved him? And he? He le
no shadow of doubt in my mind as to the depth of his love for cornbread! a
A Southern Illinois Lunch Counter
By LAURA F. BEALL
FT , YOR many winters we kept a lunch counter for the birds at our home
; 1 in southern Illinois, and found so much pleasure in watching our feathered
g = neighbors and saw so many quaint antics, that a little history of it may
not be without interest.
a The beginning of it was a box fastened on a limb of a cherry tree that grew
about twenty feet from the kitchen windows; in that we placed bread crumbs,
3 of suet, and scraps of almost every kind. Finding how enthusiastically
this was received, we hung loosely crocheted bags filled with nuts and suet in
he et ee, and tied gourds containing raw peanuts in the windows.
_ After a while we added a shallow tin pan full of different seeds; this was
on the window-sill, carefully fastened so it would not upset when our
boarders alighted on it . Often we popped corn and scattered it on the
d underneath the tree. This was largely for the delectation of the English
ws, who did not go to the box often if there was anything to be had on
he ground, and as they were numerous, and had good appetites, we preferred
0 keep them out. They gave no trouble aside from numbers, however, and
yppeared to be respectable, law-abiding citizens. ,
~ One of the bird authorities says the male Downy is anything but chivalrous
in n winter, but the one that patronized our counter was assuredly a cavalier
ah aout fear and without reproach.” At first we had but the pair, and we
‘oticed that they never came together, that the female invariably came first in
the morning, and that they both carried food away, and always flew in the
ame direction, with it. We wondered a good deal what it meant, and finally,
4 B day, we saw three Downies fly into the tree, our pair and another male.
*hey all came to the box and ate, and after that all three generally came together,
and what delightful hours we spent watching their gambols among the branches.
. y would frisk and play, and chase each other in and out with the greatest
ee imaginable.
aN Chickadee that came to the window one winter had lost one leg, and though
> was almost as agile, and quite as gay as the rest, his kinfolk were very unkind
n, pecking at him, and driving him away whenever theycould. He never
| us Faitiout a cheery song, and seemed so happy, and gentle, in spite of his
lictions, that we loved him more than any of the others. He seemed to care
e for water than food, and every little while through the day we put out
be m water for him. But one day we watched for him in vain. Whether he
s killed, or whether he died a natural death, of course we never knew.
The gourds at the windows were the especial property of the Chickadees
1 Titmice. After they tasted the raw peanuts they could not be persuaded
‘eat anything else, and one day a Titmouse actually stuffed himself so full
x could not fly. He sat in a heap on the sill for about an hour, blinking at us
(255)
256 | Bird - Lore
occasionally when we looked out at him, and then all at once darted off, and prob-
ably was back after more in a short time.
Gradually the counter came to be an all-year affair, and last summer a family
of young Tits were practically brought up on our sill, being taken there by
their parents before they possessed the faintest suggestion of a tail, and staying
there until that appendage was fully grown. And such a clatter! Their yellow-
lined mouths were open from morning till night, and noise entirely out of pro-
portion to the size of the birds was issuing from those caverns all the time, except
when their proud parents—and they, had reason to be proud of the satin-coated
little beauties—were putting food in them. We saw the following birds eating;
,% . god
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH AT A LUNCH COUNTER
Photographed by Edwin C. Brown, Minneapolis
the Downy, Hairy and Red-headed Woodpeckers, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
Fiicker, Wh te, and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Juncos, Titmice, Black-capped
and Carolina Chickadees, Song Sparrow, White-throated and White-crowned
Sparrows, English Sparrows galore, Brown Thrashers, Robin, Catbirds, Towhee,
Carolina, House, and Winter Wrens, Blue Jays, and last, but not least, the
lovely Cardinal. For several winters we had-seven Cardinals regularly, and
their glowing beauty, thrown into relief by the snow that was covering ground
and trees, was a sight never to be forgot en.
One of the most interesting things we noticed was the rapidity with which
the Nuthatches detected the presence of walnuts. We never saw them unless
we put out cracked walnuts; then in less than an hour we would hear a yank,
yank, and there were the Nuthatches. They would remain until the supply
A Southern Illinois Lunch Counter 257
4 walnuts was exhausted, and then depart toe be seen no more until more were
r mt out, then they smelled them afar off, and came hastily back.
_ These are only a few of the birds seen in the yard, and probably many others
d there. Very little time was taken to keep up the lunch counter (a good deal
$ spent watching the little boarders however), and we felt well repaid by their
dent appreciation, and cunning ways.
Our success—I had a list every year of nearly a hundred species, seen mostly
in our own yard—shows what can be done, and easily done, by producing food
nd water, and what protection is possible against their enemies, particularly
s, Screech Owls, and small boys. Any one will find it well worth doing.
Bird-Lore’s Ninth Christmas Bird Census
NHE plan of reporting one’s observations afield on Christmas Day has met
with such cordial and practical endorsement by bird students throughout
_the country that Brrp-Lore’s Christmas Bird Census may now be con-
ed a fixed event, which increases in interest as the accumulating records
give additional material for comparison. From a total of 25 lists received in 1900,
it has grown to 142 lists in 1907.
Reference to the February, 1901-1908 numbers of Brrp-Lore will acquaint
with the nature of the report of the day’s hunt which we desire; but to those
whom none of these issues is available, we may explain that such reports
yuld be headed by a brief statement of the character of the weather, whether
, cloudy, rainy, etc.; whether the ground is bare or snow-covered, the direc-
ind force of the wind, the temperature at the time of starting, the hour of
rting and of returning Then should be given, in the order of the A. O. U.
a: -List,’ a list of the species seen, with exactly, or approximately, the number
individuals of each species recorded. A record thould read, therefore, some-
at as follows:
Yonkers, N. Y. Time, 8 a.m. to 12M. Clear, ground bare; wind west, light; teme
perature 38°. Herring Gull, 75. Total,—species,—individuals.—JamEs GaTEs.
_ These records willbe published in the February issue of Brrp-Lore, and
is particularly requested that they be sent the editor (at the American Museum
Natural History, New York City) not later than December 28. It will save
the editor much clerical labor if the model here given and the order of the A.
C Ag Check-List be closely followed.
The Migration of Flycatchers
SEVENTH PAPER
Compiled by Professor W. W. Cooke, Chiefly from Data
in the Biological Survey
With Drawings by Louis Acassiz FUERTES and Bruce HORSFALL
DERBY FLYCATCHER
This is a non-migratory species ranging throughout most of Central America
and extending north to the valley of the lower Rio Grande, in Texas.
BEARDLESS FLYCATCHER
A species principally of Central America, from Nicaragua northward,
spends the winter at least as far north as central Mexico. A few have been note
in southern Texas, where the species arrives in March. The bird bree
near Tucson, Arizona; here the first one was noted April 28, 1881, fleds
young were seen May 29, 1881 and young in the wing, but still fed . the parse
June 11, 1903.
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
The Olive-sided Flycatcher occurs throughout the United States except ir
the southeastern part, where it is almost unknown outside of the mounta
Though it breeds in the mountains as far south as North Carolina, records of
its movements are rare south of New England.
SPRING MIGRATION
Number Average of li
PLACE ce Soring pd oui Beet {
Flushing (IN) Myci es a i oe May 24, 1872
Chepachet, "Ro Pau) tern om trier, bite ax ® “4 May 24, 1900
Eastern Massachusetts........:.... os 5 May 24 May 20, 1902 _—
Monadnock Niece eae a ets ees 2 May 20 May 18, 1903
St. Johnsbury; Wises «cugecvem es wees 4 May 23 May 19, 1907
Southwestern Maine................. 5 May 23 May 20, 1906
St. John Ni Bae ies oe ete a eee 4 May 24 May 23, 1891
Scotch Lake, N. B:......: Baas ae 5 May 26 May 22,1905 ~
Halifax Ny Seti cei Orcs Hate whan hia ae 2 May 28 May 26, 1903
Montreal, Que... (520s eee abies GR May 31, ad iF
Godbout, Ote cise ois aan a ee eae June 6, 188.
St. Loni MO. Fcc galas ee a ee ae May 8, 1886 _
Wheatland, Ind.is sss de es May 12, 188
Urbands: ih cir aien eee. a niki aaraa ee May 12, 1904
London, Ont.. May 13,
Chicagoptihicts i9 csi eee ateiiek wat . May 24 May 20, 18
Hillsboro; Tass. Boece. ers: 0 eae 5 _May 19 May 15, 1895
Lanesboro:; Minnie ans ts tae eal 4 May 25 May 23, 1891
Huachuca Mountains, Ariz........... April 20, 1902 _
Loveland, Colo.. ia vv tml ey ace May 11, 1887
Columbia Falls, Mont.. abaeh Mieteeg May 21, 1897
Pasadena, Califirs Oo 7 ota aes April 24, 1896
Corvallis, Oreg..:..:scescsicsse sane | May 4, 1906
"Tacomas Washi: 02 ca saketice awh cic eet, | May 15, 1904
Fort ‘Kemal, Alaska! p23 0035 3 bend | May 26, 1869
(258)
The Migration of Flycatchers 259
FALL MIGRATION
The earliest fall record on Long Island is August 19, 1888; the average date
‘of arrival for three years, at Lanesboro, Minn., is August 6, the earliest date
‘being August 3, 1890; the average of four years at Hillsboro, Iowa, is August
\25, the earliest, August 23, 1899; the earliest fall date in southern Louisiana
is August 16, 1903.
| FALL MIGRATION
| Number | Average date of
ELACE | ieee the last aaa ae yan eee
fe ee ee | 6 August, 29 September 4, 1907
iamesboro, Minn.................... 4 September 8 September 9g, 1888
‘Hillsboro, Vt se wns oes 9 wis a 4 September 7 September 10, 1899
Chicago, Iil.. et SR Oc ase 6 September 7 September 15, 1898
SIR es ee eee September 14, 1875
fe September 25, 1885
Scotch Lake, N. B.. Pea teeth 4 August ro August 12, 1903
fee 5 September ¢ | September 10, 1894
SMUD obs. ses eee ee September 3, 1902
SS September 14, 1897
Erie, 8 Se eae aera September 18, r900
Ee September 26, 1900
ROME se ee ts September 26, 1896
COUES’S FLYCATCHER
Southern Arizona and northern Mexico comprise the range of this species.
In Arizona it seems to be found only in summer and breeds in the mountains
‘from 6,000 to 10,000 feet. The earliest date for Arizona is March 29, 1903, in
the Huachuca Mountains, and the latest, September 4, 1884 in the Santa Cata-
fina Mountains. A straggler was taken at Fort Lyon, Colorado, April 20, 1884.
SONG SPARROW
Photographed by A. A. Saunders, New Haven, Conn.
Hotes from Field and Dtup
A Winter Bird Resort
The writer as an incident of his vaca-
tion, spent a considerable part of the past -
winter in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and
while there made it a practice to land fre-
quently to observe the manifold bird life
of the region. Originally expecting to see
only native Cuban birds, my delight may
be imagined when on the very first excur-
sion into the thorny tropical jungles I began
to see familiar faces and feathers and rea-
lized that I had found the winter quarters
of some of our well-known North American
birds.
The first home bird that I saw, the iden-
tification of which was complete and led
me to look for other friends from home,
was an Oven Bird. I saw this bird, or at least
an Oven Bird, on several subsequent
occasions always in the same locality and
always busily walking about the ground
picking up the morning meal. My favorite
landing place, on Caracoles Point, is unin-
habited; there is no shooting there, and
the birds are consequently remarkably
indifferent to men as well as remarkably
numerous. I could walk up so close to
the Oven Bird without alarming it. that
my field-glasses were of no use, and my
experience was the same with many other
species, both Cuban and North American.
Warblers were very numerous, and I
identified other of our birds whose plum-
age or characteristics are unmistakable,
even to an amateur, such as the Black and
White Warbler, the Black-throated Blue
Warbler (both male and female),
Tennessee Warbler, the Redstart, the
Phoebe, and the little Blue-gray Gnat-
catcher. The latter was especially numer-
ous, and properly so, for there are certainly
gnats enough for them in those briery
Cuban thickets. The sweet little song of
this Gnatcatcher is about all the bird
music one hears in this season and region,
the other birds that I have mentioned being
silent except for a short chip or cheep that
seems to be a sort of hunting cry with
(260)
them. Mockingbirds and Brown Pelican
are very plentiful, but I believe they ar
on their native heath-in these West India
Islands. 7 *
I had it in mind to observe the North
American. birds closely as spring aj
proached in order to fix the dates of th
departure on the northern migra
but naval duty prevented. The middl
March the whole fleet sailed from Gua
namo Bay to conduct the annual re
target practice, and I had to say far
to my birds, leaving them in their
homes.
It is difficult to close these notes
out mentioning some of the beautif
very numerous Cuban birds of land, sé
and shore that one sees about this
Some of these, as the Tody, a lovel
bright green bird with a red thr
gorgeous Woodpecker, a brilliantly m
Trogon, and black Orioles with ge
trimmings, are so strikingly han
that it is to be regretted they do not
in the United States where more
might see them. There are Hun
birds of several species, various |
and a curious black bird with a par:
beak that I take to be the Ani. T
Mangrove Cuckoo is often seen, and
other and much larger species of Cucke
(Saurothera) is even more numerous. Thi
latter is a rich brown-or bronze-co.
bird with a remarkably silent and st
manner of moving about in the tree
scarcely moving the leaves, and
flight is owl-like and gloomy witho
sound. A more uncanny object I
never seen in feathers.—F. M. BEN:
U.S. N.
Sea Birds and Whalers
~ Last summer, while on board the 1
ing steamers which “‘fish” along the
coast of Vancouver Island, I saw an
esting way in which sea birds make t ne!
selves of considerable use to the
The whales feed on a small shrimp ¢
“halt an inch in length which at times dur-
‘ing the day float at the surface, staining
the water a light pink. These minute
‘animals also furnish food for countless
schools of herring and great flocks of
Gulls, Petrels and Terns. The birds are a
» welcome sight to the men on the vessel for
‘when they are seen circling above the
water, ‘‘feed” is sure to be plentiful and
the whales easy of approach. It was here,
from the steamer Orion, that I had my
\first sight of the Black-footed Albatross.
| Although the ‘“ Gonies,” as the sailors call
them, never came in the bays or close to
a
Notes from Field and Study
261
ANDREWS, American Museum of Natural
History, New York City.
The Wit of a Florida Nighthawk
During the season of 1904, while plow-
- ing the last furrow for the evening in a potato
patch, I saw a Nighthawk flutter off in the
grass as if her wing were broken. After
carefully searching the place from which
it started, I found two eggs lying on the
bare ground, their dark color making them
very inconspicuous. This last furrow came
very near to the eggs, and it was evident
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES
Photographed by Roy C. Andrews
Shore, when the vessel was fifteen or
_ twenty miles at sea, she would be sur-
rounded by numbers of the great, brown
ine which followed her from dawn until
dark. Sometimes with slow, steady wing-
_ beats they would fly beside the harpoon-
. _ gun at the bow, or, skimming just above the
surface of the water, alight, daintily hold
4 heir wings on high and carefully fold them
“without wetting even the tips of the feathers.
t The birds showed no fear of the men on
4 the vessel, sometimes coming so close for
sa of food that one could almost touch
|} hem by leaning over the rail.
ae As I was hunting whales I made but few
; attempts to photograph this most northern
k presentative of the family, one picture
of which is presented herewith.—Roy C.
that they would come in the way when
we continued plowing the next day. Ow-
ing to the very dry weather, we planted
only a few rows each evening.
I left the eggs undisturbed, and forgot
all about them and the bird until the next
evening, after I had already plowed past
the place where the eggs were the first
evening, when suddenly the Nighthawk
flew off as it had done the evening before.
On the ground were the two eggs. Now,
if this was the same bird, it had moved its
eggs about fifteen feet farther from the
plowed ground than they’ were when first
found. By watching two or three succeed-
ing evenings, I became convinced that
it was the same bird and that it had moved
its eggs every day about the same distance
262
from the plowed ground, for just as we were
finishing for the evening the bird would
fly off of her eggs. :
The evening after the last plowing,—
after we had planted all we wanted,—I
went to the place, and after considerable
search found the eggs where they had been
moved a short distance from the last
furrow. I visited the place on several
succeeding days, and found that the eggs
were not moved after the potato planting
was finished.—ANGus McKinnon, De
Funiak Springs, Florida.
The Dickcissel on Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation, South Dakota
For a period of nearly three years I
closely observed the avifauna of Medicine
Root creek, a stream of Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation, in southwestern South Da-
kota. The period in mention extended
from October, 1go1, to July, 1904, when
during this time not a single Dickcissel was
seen by me. In July, 1907, when I paid
a visit to this creek, and rode nearly its
entire length of about twenty-five miles,
I saw and heard at one point, ‘on a broad
place in the valley, about twelve miles from
its confluence with Big White river, a
half-dozen or two of the birds in question,
among some plum trees and wolf-berry
bushes. I may here state that during the
period of approximately three years, men-
tioned above, I had observed, as oppor-
tunity permitted, the bird life of a large
portion of the reservation, a tract of land
about roo long by 60 miles wide; and during
this time I had seen none of these birds
anywhere in the region. Of course they
are to be looked for only along the creek
valleys. Among the semi-arid hills and
higher plains they are not to be found.
The Dickcissels seen by me on Medicine
Root, in July, 1907, however, were not the
first to be observed in the interval extend-
ing from the close of my first three years’
observation of the birds of the reservation
to that date. I left the reservation in July,
1904, and returned on April 22, 1905, tak-
ing up my station on Grass Creek, some
thirty or thirty-five miles west of my former
Bird -
_remained here until August, 1906. T.
Lore
location on Medicine Root creek.
creek, for the most part, has a broad pla
with many small trees and bushes an
wolfberry shrubs,—conditions favorab
one would think, for=the habitat of th
Dickcissel. I saw nothing of this speci
however, along Grass creek proper,
any time. But on July 9, 1905, I saw one ©
of these birds, a male, in a little valley that ;
opens upon the plain of Grass creek, and —
about a mile to the west of the point wh:
the two valleys join. The bird was se no
in a clump of bushes near a pool of stag- ;
nant water. It is to be suspected that the
female bird was near by, and that both
may have been in the vicinity for some
time.
The next summer (1906), on Wounded
Knee creek, some five miles to the east of —
Grass creek, I saw, on June 13, one Dick A
cissel, a male. Shortly afterwards I noted
several of these birds. They were seer
among some plum trees and wolfberry
shrubs, and were distributed at interve is
along atract about half a mile in length.
The next summer(1907) when passing
on horseback, I saw them along this tract
again, and, I estimate, in increased nun
bers. The year before, (August, 190
I had been transferred to Lake cre
about forty-five miles to the southeast
my former station on Medicine Ro
That summer I saw no Dickcissels at
new station, but the following year (19
they appeared suddenly, in large num
on June 13—mark the date!—and becam
immediately common. The quality of the
bird music of the valley was sudden
changed, and the notes of the Dickcissels
were heard above all others. About two
weeks after the above date I found a ne t
containing four eggs.
From the observations given above
must conclude that this erratic Bunti
has recently come to Pine Ridge Res
vation, and is increasing in numbers th
with each visit.—H. TULLSEN. ,
Migration in New Mexico —
The autumnal tide of Warblers
to flow down upon Fort Stanton,
Mexico, August 28, after ten days of,
r us, hard rains and somewhat cooler
Fort Stanton, an old army post, is now
IS d asa sanitarium for tuberculous sailors
of the United States Merchant Marine.
t has an elevation of 6,632 feet and is
jituated on the eastern side of the White
ns, an isolated peak which rises
height of 10,000 feet.
order to reach the well-wooded
ountain sides birds coming from the
jorth or northwest are compelled to cross
ly desert of quite seventy-five miles
er reaching this point, the small
appear to follow the water-courses
utheasterly direction; perhaps pre-
to trust themselves to the shelter
1e trees along the banks rather than
another dusty flight across the
plains. Then too, they reach a
climate sooner by dropping into
cos valley than they would were they
p due south at this elevation.
e first Warbler seen was on the after-
August 28, This was a “ Pileolated
ler.” On the 29th they were: more
s around the fort and on the Bonito
apse with them. On September 1,
y a very few were to be seen, but strag-
rs continued to drop in until the 22d.
On August 30, three Macgillivray
Warblers were seen in the underbrush along
river, or brook, as the Bonito would be
back East. They were extremely shy,
fi g greatly in this respect from their
Ousins, and it was much easier to hear
sir shrill peet peet of alarm than to see
e bird. They were more abundant dur-
the first week of September but were
ver numerous and were always more
ess shy.
ring the spring migration they were
te numerous and easily watched either
ground or in the bushes.
nm August 30, and again on September
me Western Water-Thrush was found.
i. Tricks, Post Adjutant Surgeon,
oes Public Health and Marine-
Service.
Notes from Field and Study
ous and on the 3oth all the cotton
263
Central Park Notes
A Grackle Incident
On the morning of May 9, while walk-
ing through the lower end of Central Park,
Miss Crolius, of this city, and I saw a
Grackle flying heavily over a field with a
bird, which was uttering cries of distress,
in its claws. The Grackle evidently did
not know enough to obtain a firm grip, for
its captive was able to struggle violently.
The interesting fact was that the bird was
evidently not a nestling, but an adult. It
is well known that Grackles often eat
young birds, but I have never heard of
their capturing and carrying off fully
grown ones.
Tennessee Warbler
I identified a fully adult female of this
species on the morning of August 20. It
was very nervous and restless, and, as it
fed, it uttered a sharp ¢sit. This same bird
was seen again that afternoon by Mr.
George E. Hix and myself. I also saw it
the next morning. An interesting fact was
that it was found in exactly the same place
all three times. This Warbler has always
been very rare here.
Cape May Warbler
This generally rare Warbler has turned
up several times in the Park this autumn.
Below I give the dates of occurrence:
September 22, one young male; Septem-
ber 24, one male; October 1, one young
female.
All three birds were seen in company
with Blackpoll Warblers which have been
exceedingly abundant this autumn.
Mourning Warbler
Miss Crolius and I watched a female of
this rare Warbler for over an hour on
August 6. It was very shy and spent its
time in thick clumps of rhododendrons,
occasionally walking on the ground and
stretching up to pick insects off the lower
leaves. While feeding, it gave a whispered
sip, as if it were talking to itself. When
alarmed, it uttered a sharp chuck, very
much like the call-note of the Water-
264
Thrush in quality. Once or twice it flew
up to a branch about fifteen feet from the
ground and sat perfectly still watching us.
After a time it would fly down again into
the bushes and resume its feeding. This is
the first fall record of this’ Warbler for
the Park, and, indeed, I believe it is very
rare at this season in the neighborhood of
New York City.
Connecticut Warbler
A young bird of this species was seen
by Miss Anne A. Crolius and Mr. Stanley
V. Ladow, September 22. I have also
seen it twice in the immediate vicinity of
the city.
Myrtle Warbler
I saw an individual of this species
in fall plumage August 28. This is three
weeks earlier than it is usually seen in this
neighborhood.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
This Flycatcher was almost common in
the August migrations. I have records of
six individuals, the first having been seen
on the 16.—LupDLow Griscom, New York
City.
Song of Kirtland’s Warbler
A Kirtland’s Warbler positively identi-
fied May 16, 1908, at La Grange, Illinois,
sang at intervals while busily feeding;
the songs seeming to vary slightly as fol-
lows: We-chee, we-chee, we-chee, chee-ree-
eee! or we-see, we-see, see-see-rrrrrr! or
we-see-see-see-rrrrrrrr! It was always
marked by the softness of the first notes
and prolonged accent of the last; the vol-
ume increasing, also, and the final sound
having the quality of a prolonged r or re.
The song is unusually loud and clear for
a Warbler’s song and possesses a peculiar
sweetness that, once heard, will not soon
be forgotten.—Lovuisr B. Mover, La
Grange, Illinois.
Rare Birds in Prospect Park,
Brooklyn, N. Y. :
It is not necessary to go ‘‘far tise the
madding crowd” in order to see birds.
Bird -
Lore
In Prospect Park, Brooklyn, I have ob-
served 98 species since January 1, 1907,
and my list will certainly pass the cen’
mark long before the year is over. Son
of the more noteworthy records are t!
following:
Black-crowned Night Heron, Feb:
2; Carolina Wren, February 22, Febr
28,—a rather common fall migrant; Pi
Siskin, March 12, March 21; Turkey Vi
ture, March 19; Olive-sided Flycatch
June 12; Red-headed Woodpecker, Se
tember 14; Cape May Warbler, Septembe r
17;, Pigeon Hawk, September 27
EDWARD FLEISCHER, Brooklyn, N. Yee
Arrival of Winter Birds in Chicago —
" Scarcity of food owing to dry weath
forest fires in the northern country,
other and perhaps more usual causes,
seems to be hastening the winter
southward, and the coming season p
ises to be a good one for winter obs
tions,
On November 7, I saw a pair of - enil
Grosbeaks on the Wooded Island in Jack
son Park, Chicago. They were perchin
quietly in a clump of small trees, were
at all wild or timid, and gave me an excel
lent opportunity to observe them.
ently they flew down to the edge
lagoon and drank, and I have never
a more pleasant sight in bird life than
two Grosbeaks made standing s!
side in the frosty morning sunlight d
up water.
On November 8, I found a floc
Pine Siskins in the south part of Ja
Park. They were making themselves
much at home about the trees and §
bery and in the grass, Some English Sp
rows took offense at their presence ar
assailed them time and again. T
kins yielded their ground very relu
and came back each time as soon
Sparrows had gone.
On the same day, just south ofthe ;
on some vacant land, part of which
under cultivation and part ove
weeds and wild grasses, I encoun
small flock of Snow Buntings. I hav
D1
customed to associating Snow Bunt-
with wintry storms and snow-blown
Is that the sight of these birds here in
bbage patch on a sunny mid-autumn
ning was a surprise to me.
“may add that the season here has been
usually mild and pleasant, and so the
arrival of these winter birds seems
| the more worthy of note.—F. A.
NGTON,
» Twenty- sixth Annual Congress of
American Ornithologists’ Union
The Twenty-sixth Annual Congress of
American Ornithologists’ Union was
tae: Cambridge, Mass., November
9; 1908.
t the business meeting held in William
ster’s Museum on the evening of
16th, the election of officers resulted
follows: President, E. W. Nelson; Vice-
dents, Frank M. Chapman, A. K.
‘isher; Secretary, John H. Sage; Trea-
er, J. Dwight, Jr.; Councilors, Ruth-
en Deane, William Dutcher; H. W.
lenshaw, F. A. Lucas, Chas. W. Rich-
nd, Thomas S. Roberts, Witmer Stone.
-F. DuCane Godman, of London, was
d an Honorary Fellow, and Otto
‘man of Hungary a corresponding
ow. Between eighty and ninety Asso-
Members were elected.
‘The public sessions of the Congress were
Id in the Museum of Comparative Zo-
ology, about one hundred members of var-
classes being in attendance.
PROGRAM
TUESDAY A.M.
xXperiences of an Ornithologist in Costa
_ Rica, M.A. Carriker, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
adian Bird Havens, Ernest T. Seton,
os. Cob, Conn.
ollow Tree, Ernest T. Seton, Cos. Cob,
ithological Miscellany from Audubon
_ Wardens, B.S. Bowdish, New York City.
arcity of the Ruffed Grouse in 1907, E
ymour Woodruff. ©
Notes from Field and Study
265
TUESDAY P.M.
A way to lighten the burden of Nomencla-
ture, Jonathan Dwight, Jr., New York.
Vernacular names of birds, Jonathan
Dwight, Jr., New York City.
Some Observations on the Gulls and Terns
of Massachusetts (illustrated by lantern
slides), E. H. Forbush, Wareham, Mass.
WEDNESDAY A.M.
Observations on the Black Mamo of
Hawaii, W. A. Bryan.
The tagging of wild birds as a means of
studying their movements, Leon J. Cole,
New Haven, Conn.
The part played by Birds in the recent
Field Mouse Plague in Nevada, C. Hart
Merriam, Washington, D. C.
The Position of the Birds’ feet in F light,
Chas. W. Townsend.
The First Bird Protective Society in Italy,
W. R. Lord.
WEDNESDAY P.M.
A study of a breeding colony of Yellow-
headed Blackbirds, with an account of
destruction of the progeny of the entire
colony by some unknown agency (illus-
trated by lantern slides), Thos. S. Rob-
erts, Minneapolis, Minn.
Propagation of Bob-white (illustrated by
lantern slides), C. F. Hodge, Worcester,
Mass.
Methods of study of the Nesting Habits of
Birds (illustrated by lantern slides and
moving pictures), Frank M.. Chapman,
New York City.
Pelican Island in rg08 with other Florida
notes (illustrated by lantern slides and
moving pictures), Frank M. Chapman,
New York City.
THURSDAY A.M.
Bird Studies in Northern Ontario, W. E.
Clyde Todd, Pittsburg, Pa.
Triumphs of Bird Protection in Louisiana
(illustrated by lantern slides), Herbert
K. Job, West Haven, Conn.
Through Eastern Oregon (illustrated by
lantern slides, by H. T. Bohlman and W.
L. Finley), William L. Finley, Portland,
Oregon.
Book Pews and Meviews
THE LAy oF THE LAND. By DALLAS
Lore SHARP. With drawings by Eliza-
beth Myers Snagg. Houghton, Mifflin
& Co. Boston and New York. 12mo.
214 pages, 15 decorative chapter head-
ings. $1.25 net.
As a writer of nature literature—we use
the term in an exact sense—Mr. Sharp
has unusual qualifications. Added to
natural gifts as an observer and describer
of objective and subjective nature, he has
been trained to realize both the importance
of accuracy as well as the value of an
attractive style of presentation. As might
be expected from this somewhat excep-
tional combination of natural gifts and
their proper development, his books take
high rank among those of their class.
They can be read as easily as they are,
evidently, written and we commend the
present volume to those who like to read
about out-of-door things without feeling
that they, as well as the author, are con-
tinually laboring under high pressure.—
F. M.C.
Tue Brrps oF Maine. By Ora WILLIS
Knicut. Bangor, Me., 1908. 8vo: 693
pages, 1 map, 30 half-tone plates.
The author tells us that ‘“‘since early
boyhood” it has been his hope to write a
book relating to the life histories of the
birds of his native state, and the present —
volume is therefore the realization of a life-
long ambition. “For years data regarding
the nesting and food” of Maine birds have
been gathered, and some years ago a ‘List
of Birds of Maine’ was published, which
“served as a beginning by bringing out
much information regarding bird distri-
bution in the state. . . .”
The book opens with a key to families,
and under each family we have a key to
the species which occur in Maine. Brief
descriptions of the plumage of each species
are given, followed by a statement of its
general geographical distribution and,
under the head of “‘County Records,’’
(266)
a statement of its status in various parts of —
Maine, with the name of the observer —
on whose authority the statement is made.
After this we have a biographical sketch,
usually based largely on the author’s
studies and containing, therefore, much
original matter. The work, consequently,
has a general as well as a local value and —
the author is to be congratulated on the
completion of his task.—F. M. C.
IN THE OPEN; INTIMATE SLUDIES AND
APPRECIATIONS OF NATURE. By STAN: ;
TON Davis KirKHAM. Paul Elder & —
Co., San Francisco and New York. ©
vii+ 223 pages, 6 full-page half-tones. -
Price, $1.75 net.
Mr. Kirkham’s beautifully made volume
is an invitation to the open. ‘ Nature is in
herself,” he writes, ‘“‘a perpetual invita-—
tion: The birds call, the trees beckon and
the winds whisper to us.” These essays —
treat of a wide variety of subjects, as may
be gathered from the following titles:
‘Signs of Spring,’ ‘Bird Life,’ ‘Weeds,’
‘Insect Lore,’ ‘The Winter Woods,’
‘Laughing Waters,’ “The Mountains
‘The Forest,’ ‘The Sea.’ ie
Most of these chapters appear to be.
based on observations made in New Eng- .
land (why are the authors of nature essays
so chary of dates and places?) but ‘The
Forest’ was inspired by the conifers of the
Sierras. Z
Mr. Kirkham evidently knows his orni-
thology and with no uncertain pen, writes
of birds with the sympathy of a poet and a
bird-lover.—F. M. C. ‘
THe CHINA OR DENNY PHEASANT IN
OREGON, WITH NOTES ON THE NATIV
GROUSE OF THE PaciriIc NORTHWEST.
By Wrtu1am T. SHaAw, Assistant Pro-
. fessor of Zodlogy and Curator of the
Museum, State College of Washingto:
Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott m-
pany, 1908. Oblong, 8vo. 24 pages,
15 full-page platés, one colored.
The remarkable increase of Pha ia-
nus torquatus in Oregon makes any facts
Book News
soncerning its introduction and _ subse-
juent history of interest alike to the
sman and the biologist. In this attrac-
@ little book Professor Shaw tells us that
lis Pheasant was brought to Oregon
through the efforts of the late Judge O.
{. Denny while Consul-general to Shang-
ai. A shipment of seventy birds sent in
880 died en route, but twenty-six of a lot
9 thirty birds sent the following year,
arrived in excellent condition and were
leased in Linn county at the foot of
terson’s Butte. The species was given
protection for ten years and at the
nd of that time it “had become so suc-
essfully acclimatized as to withstand the
1 ost vigorous annual onslaughts,” a
st tement which we wish were accom-
Da nied by data in regard to increase and
: ‘map showing the extent of range-exten-
: ion from time to time.
e In writing of the habits of the Pheasant
an, d Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus) Professor
Shaw records the occasional hybridization
n nature of these species so unlike in
iabits, haunts and appearance. The full-
Dag plates of mounted specimens of
Dregon Grouse and Quail reflect credit
on Professor Shaw’s skill as a taxidermist ©
nd taste as a photographer.—F. M. C.
F
The Ornithological Magazines
_ THE AvuK.—With the October number
Bs steady-going journal completes its
wenty-fifth volume still under the able
litorship of Dr. J. A. Allen, who, ever
ce 1884, has done so much toward
maintaining its high standard of excel-
en e. The pages before us are bristling
with local lists or brief contributions to
them. We note ‘Some Birds of Central
Alabama’ by A. A. Saunders; ‘Birds of
‘the Bellingham Bay Region’ by J. M.
id son; a continuation of the ‘List of Birds
f Louisiana, Part V,’ by Beyer, Allison
nd Kopman; ‘Recent Bird Records for
lanitoba’ by E. T. Seton; ‘Birds of the
cei on about Needles, California,’ by N.
‘Hollister; ‘The Birds of the Rosebud
indian Reservation, South Dakota,’ by A.
_ Regan: and ‘New and Unpublished
——
and Reviews 267
Records from Washington’ by W. L.
Dawson. None of these calls for particular
comment although it strikes us that less
sight and more gun is desirable in some
cases. When, for instance, we read that
the Eskimo Curlew -is “well represented
on the Butte Creek flats in June (1904),”
we wonder what the writer really did see.
We should also have liked the word “‘ Wash-
ington” added to the title of Mr. Edison’s
article because complete titles are always
a great convenience to many.
Mr. Ruthven Deane tells the story of
‘The Copper-plates of the Folio Edition
of Audubon’s Birds of America with a
Brief Sketch of the Engravers.’ The
plates, 435 in number and weighing several
tons, were sold for old junk for the value
of the copper. Some got into the melting
pot while others were rescued at the last
moment. The photographs of casts of
cameos made of the author of this great
work fittingly accompany an article by Dr.
C. Hart Merriman on ‘The King Cameo of
Audubon.’ These intaglios were cut by
Mr. King in the early ’40’s.
As for Mr. E. S. Cameron’s ‘Changes of
Plumage in Buteo swainsoni’ we should
like to call attention to the fact that no
series of birds will prove the supposed
changes unless specimens actually in
molt are obtained. The gray birds may
change to brown through wear just as the
loss of the “frosting” of some Terns’
feathers produces blacker wings.
Arecord of a Kirtland’s Warbler seen by
Mr. J. Claire Wood is open to criticism,
first because it is of the kind that fills local
lists with question marks, and, secondly,
because it encourages young observers to
think they see in moments of excitement
what they have read they may see. It is
always the rarest bird that escapes us
much as it is always the biggest fish that
breaks from the fisherman, and we all
know how different from the bird in the
bush the bird in the hand has often
proved to be. And why should Kirtland’s
Warbler in Michigan, its summer home,
be recorded at all? Other records in ‘Gen-
eral Notes’ concern species that have wan-
dered from their usual habitat.—J. D., Jr.
268
THE Conpor.—The July and Septem-
ber numbers of ‘The Condor’ still await
notice. The former, an unusually large
number, is chiefly made up of local lists,
which include Mailliard’s ‘Sierra Forms
on the Coast of Sonoma. county, Cali-
fornia,’ Willett’s ‘Summer Birds of the
Upper Salinas Valley,’ Gilman’s ‘Birds
on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico’
and ‘Rockwell’s Annotated List of the
Birds of Mesa County, Colorado.’ The
last paper, containing 28 pages illustrated
with two maps and nine photographs, is a
model of its kind. It contains notes on 199
species and is probably the most complete
local list for any part of western Colorado.
Other articles are: Dagget’s ‘Bit of Early
California Natural History’ from Trusler’s
‘Habitable World Described’ 1788-1795;
Dixon’s ‘Field Notes from Alaska,’ giving
an account of the work of one of the parties
of the Alexander Expedition; and Metz’s
‘Nesting of the Rocky Mountain Screech
Owl in Wyoming,’ presumably near
Sheridan in the northern part of the
state.
The September namber has but 28
pages—no more than the longest article
in the preceding number—but it contains
several papers on birds of little-known
areas in California. These papers are:
Grinnell’s “Birds of a Voyage on Salton
Sea,’ Linton’s ‘Notes from Buena Vista
Lake,’ and Goldman’s ‘Summer Birds
of the Tulare Lake Region.’ The forma-
tion of the Salton Sea was quickly fol-
lowed by an influx of water birds of various
kinds, and here was found, this year,‘‘the
southernmost recorded nesting colony of
the American White Pelican.”” The most
southern point at which the species has
hitherto been known to breed was at
Buena Vista Lake in San Joaquin Valley.
Among the southern breeding records
given by Goldman for Tulare Lake may
be noted those of the White Pelican,
Green-winged Teal, Shoveller and Pintail.
The notes on the California Sage Sparrow
and Leconte Thrasher contains the first
records of the breeding of these species at
this locality. Among the shorter articles
may be’ mentioned Bowles ‘Notes on a
Bird -
-such as Robin’s Mate, The Little Min
Lore
Few Summer Birds of Lake Chelan, Wash-
ington,’ and Richard’s description of “An
Unusual Nesting Locality for the Rocky
Mountain Nuthatch,’ near Littleton, Colo-
rado, ten miles south of Denver, on the
south branch of the. Platte River, at ai
altitude of 5,370 feet. Dixon’s account of
a ‘Family of Young Duck Hawks’ on Ad-
miralty Island, Alaska, and Willard’s
brief ‘Huachuca Notes’ complete the list
of papers. The number also contains a
‘Directory of the Cooper Ornithological
Club’ including the names and addresse
of two honorary and 222 active members.
The deceased members now number seven-
teen.—T.S. P. m
Book News
‘Notes on the Winter Birds of Northern
Louisiana’ (Proceedings Biological Society,
XXI, pp. 119-124) is a briefly ‘ennoual
list of birds observed by Arthur H. Howe!
between January 6 and February 7, 1908.
Skillful work in field and study result i
the addition of seven species and sub-
species to Beyer’s list of Lousiana birds. ,
Leaflets Nos. 1 and 2 issued by the O
gon State Biologist are by William
Finley and deal in a practical way witl
the economic value of birds. Leaflet No.
discusses this subject in a general way
while in No. 2, which is well illustrate
certain common Oregon birds are trea
at length. It is to be hoped that the lea
lets will be issued in sufficiently large ed
tions to meet the demand which
undoubtedly arise for them.
Miss Ella Gilbert Ives, whose stori
and poems of birds are familiar to reade
of Brrp-LorE has issued through th
Arckelyan Press of Boston a dainty litt
volume Out-Door Music—Songs of Bird
Trees, Flowers, etc. Many of the poen
The Goldfinch and Robin’s Proclamatic
should find their place upon Audub be
Society programs, while the book ©
make a pretty Christmas gift for a bir
lover.
BHird- Lore
A Bi-monthly Magazine
to the Study and Protection of Birds
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
eee by FRANK M. CHAPMAN
i by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
x Published December 1, 1908 No. 6
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
in the United States, Canada and Mexico
cents a number, one dollar a year, post-
'RIGHTED, 1908, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN
_ Bird-Loere’s Motto:
in the Bush is Worth Two in the Hand
‘Wirx this number Brrp-Lore com-
its tenth year. It is not for us to
of what the magazine has been or
influence it has exerted. We prefer
‘look ahead rather than behind, and
r "more concerned with the future than
th the past.
0 single feature of Birp-Lore has met
h greater approval than the colored
es of North American birds. The first
- was published in December, 1903,
the series now include the Warblers,
Thrushes and the Flycatchers,! the
oncluding plate of which will appear in
ir next issue.
response to the requests of many
cribers, the Flycatchers will be fol-
d by the Vireos. Because of the small
mber of species in this group and of the
h »mparatively limited amount of variation
their plumage with age and sex, this
will be completed during the year,
still guided by the expressed wish of
subscribers, it will be followed by
es of the Sparrows.
“As for other illustrations, we trust that
4 will come from the cameras of our
rs. It is Brrp-Lore’s mission to
ire a practical interest in the study of
in nature and it particularly urges the
> of the camera as a means of-graphi-
recording one’s observations. The
the camera, however, is not un-
ed by expense, as every bird photog-
will testify. To remove this
_ Editorials
269
objection, therefore, Brrp-Lore will pay
for all photographs which it napa stl for
publication.
So far as text is concerned, in the earlier
volumes of Brrp-LorE, nine-tenths of
the leading articles were written by
request of the editor, and it was our cus-
tom in this, the last number of the year,
to announce the principal contents of the
succeeding volume. This plan made it
impossible for us to accept many contri-
butions from our readers and, in our
opinion, tended to defeat Brrp-Lore’s
aim to encourage original observation
_with a view to adding to our knowledge
of birds’ habits.
We wish, therefore, all Brrp-Lore’s
readers to consider the magazine’s pages
at their disposal for the publication of
such observations as seem worthy of
record. This includes not only notes for
the ‘Field and Study’ department but
more detailed studies.
The subject of serious and continuous
studies, especially of the nest-life of birds,
leads us to say a word in regard to the
methods employed by some students, who,
possessing a limitless fund of both pati-
ence and perseverance defeat their own
purpose by a failure to comprehend the
importance of studying their subject
under natural conditions.
For example, we have lately received
several manuscripts based on prolonged
studies of the home life of certain birds in
which the students showed a persistence,
care and tirelessness deserving of far more
valuable results than were obtained.
Indeed the results were of little or no value
wholly because the observers made no
attempt at self-concealment and conse-
quently the objects of their study were at
all times aware that they were under obser-
vation and hence were either much alarmed
or, at the best, unnatural.
Whether, therefore, one proposes to
study the history of a certain nest or the
life of a given locality, some form of con-
cealment is necessary, and for further
remarks on just what form of a blind may
be used, we refer to our article on this
subject on an earlier page.
AMERICAN CROSSBILL
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL
By MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT
Che Mational Association of Audubon Societies
EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 35
While we may count upon seeing certain species of birds during the migra
tions, and are assured that the old favorites that have been known since child
hood will nest in the neighborhood, yet the comings and goings of oan winte ,
visitors are surrounded by a tantalizing uncertainty.
In the bakers’ dozen of these hardy voyagers of the air, we may, in the eas 7
and middle states, include the familiar Junco, Tree and White-throated Spa
rows, the Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned King
Season let, Northern Shrike, the occasional Snowy Owl, the haphazar
Snowflake, Redpoll, Longspur, and the wholly irresponsibk
Crossbills. At best, the presence of these birds, with the curiously specia “
beaks, depends upon the presence of cone-bearing trees; for cone seeds a
their winter fare. ;
If on a clear, cold winter morning, soon after a snow-fall, I hear a clea
metallic call-note high up among the spruces, I know that the Crossbills ha re
come. On going out under the same trees to prove the sound by a glimpse o
the birds themselves, the calling stops, and instead, as I pause to listen an
focus my glass on a particular bird of bright hue, a rustling noise, akin to th
falling of dry and somewhat heavy leaves, mingles with a few colloquial twitter
ings, as if the birds were talking to themselves, parrot-fashion ; this rustlin
being caused by the shelling off of the cone scales, as the Crossbills feed u
the seeds that lie between. 4
As for-the bird itself, or rather birds, for, as often happens, a mixed lod
has settled among the spruces. Few of the white-winged species are mingl
with their more plentiful wholly red brothers, while the mottled olive-gr
of the females and young of both species make the party consist not of birds
of a feather, but of three distinct plumages, enough in itself to confuse 1 the
novice who is gazing at the first Crossbill of his experience. a
Let us stand off a bit, back braced firmly against a tree, and examine |
nearest bird in detail, as he hangs, head downward, on a long co:
Appearance with all the nonchalance of the up-side-down Chicka
length the Red Crossbill is a trifle smaller than the ages
row; the body of the male is a dull brick-red, brighter on the rump and ri
in the middle of the back, shading to lead-gray or fuscous on the wings. t j
}
(270) ©
BRUCE. HORSFA RL
79 O&
Order—PAssERES
Genus—LoxiA
RED CROSSBILL
Family—F RINGILLIDA&
Species—CurRVIROSTRA
MINOR
American and White-Winged Crossbills 271
_ female is of a dull olive-green, with dark mottlings on head and back and some
_ white below; while the young may be marked like the female or show a mixture
2 of red and green. But one characteristic marks alike male, female and young,
_ telling you their family name as plainly as the Chickadee calls his name—the tips
- of the beak, or mandibles, are crossed as if they had been wrenched out of joint.
F There is no other species of bird with a beak precisely like this. Parrot-like
_ is a term frequently applied to the Crossbills, but though they live in flocks
_ and climb about using their claws very much like hands, in parrot-fashion, the
2 likeness does not extend to their beaks. The upper half of the hooked bill of
j the Parrot closes over the lower so as to almost conceal it, but lacks the warp that
_names the Crossbills. So much for identification.
- This Red Crossbill is usually the most common species seen in the eastern
: and middle states, though at times they may be outnumbered by the White-
: winged Crossbill. The latter is a mere fraction smaller in size and differs chiefly
m in having two white wing bars, white on the belly and a decided pinkish tint
to the upper parts of the body and breast. Both species have a swift dipping
flight suggestive of that of the American Goldfinch, some of their call-notes
when on the wing also resembling those of their jolly little yellow brothers.
While the White-winged Crossbill breeds quite regularly northward from
the northern United States, and appears only in its winter wanderings as far
south as Virginia, the Red Crossbill seems to be bound by no law as far as its
nesting habits are concerned, and it is perfectly possible to find a pair of them
nesting althost anywhere in New England. Perhaps on account of its being:
the best known species we know more about the nesting habits of the Red
- Crossbill. The nest itself is made of roots and twigs, moss-lined, and is usually
_ well up in an evergreen tree; the eggs are dull green, spotted on the large end
_ with brown and lavender.
_ Dr. Coues mentions a nest found in Maine in the month of February, and a
2 nest has been found in East Randolph, Vermont, so early in March
aes that the ground was covered with snow and the weather was
very severe. The parents were so devoted to their young that
_ they could be lifted from the nest by hand. Mr. E. P. Bicknell has also found
E a nest on April 22, in New York near the Connecticut line. Apropos of their
_ early nesting is the following note, which appeared in Brrp-LorE:
PRR I EE RR ee TC a Be LT Te
hel aie ts ; yee
NESTING OF CROSSBILLS
[Sir James M. Le Moine, of Quebec, well known for his works on Canadian birds,
Paends us the following interesting note bya Pees friend on the breeding of Crossbills
in March.—Ep. Birp-Lore.]
‘ “Quebec, 25th March, rgor.
& _ “Dear Sir James: About ten days ago I happened to be with a friend in
the woods, in the vicinity of the Grand Lac, Bastonnais. In the course of one
_ we had to visit’ several lumber camps and were told by choppers that they
f had during the winter, in February and March, cut down many spruce and fir
272 Bird - Lore
trees containing nests full of young birds. We refused to believe the story unless —
we saw the ‘young birds’ with our own eyes. :
“At one of the camps we found a man who told us that he would endea
to find a nest that he had thrown aside a few days before which contained three
young birds. He was away for a short time and returned with one of the young.
It was only partially fledged and had been hatched, I should say, about ten days —
previously. The young bird was not a Pine Grosbeak, but a Crossbill, of which —
there were thousands all over that section of the country. The cock birds were |
in their courting dress—little balls of scarlet—and singing all day as in early
June. The nests are made of moss, about the size of a football, walls about tw«
inches thick and a small hole for the happy pair to enter their snug little home. —
“ Sincerely yours
Of the White-winged Crcssbill Dr. Coues writes: “The Crossbills of both specie
are birds of the most strongly marked originality of character, and it is ni
safe to predict what they may or may not be found about. Their most remar
ble habit is that of breeding in winéer, or very early in the spring, when one wo
think it impossible that their callow young could endure the rigors of the seas:
They are the most devoted parents, seeming entirely insensible of danger i }
defence of their homes; and at all times, indeed, betray a confidence in man
that is too often misplaced, and that seems the height of folly to one who knows
as much of human nature as most people find out, sooner or later, to their co
“These birds are much attached to pine woods, the seeds of the conif
furnishing them abundant food, of a kind that their curiously shaped bills ena
them to secure with great ease and address. From their summer resorts in 1
depth of evergreen woods the Crossbills come, flocking in the fall, to all oth
parts of New England and beyond, generally associated with Pine Grosbea ;
and Redpolls, always: gentle, unsuspicious, and apparently quite at their ease.
“They are not so common, however, as the Red Crossbills are, and both
species take such freaks in deciding their course of action that their appea
can never be relied upon.
“Tt need surprise no one to come upon a pair of Crossbills breeding any-
where in New England; . . . for they seem to be quite independent | 0: of
weather or season. be
“Their diet is not so exclusive as many suppose; the birds may sometim
be seen helping themselves to decayed garden fruits. Mr. Ma
Food nard has observed them feeding on the seeds of beach-gra
and has also found the stomach filled with canker-worms. . .
The eggs of this species resemble those of the Purple Finch, and are prob
indistinguishable from those of the Red Crossbill. Both species of Cross
have a chattering or rattling note, usually uttered as they fly, but their
song is seldom heard south of their nesting grounds.”’ (Stearns and Coues, |
England Bird Life.)
American and White-Winged Crossbills 273
Ralph Hoffmann describes the call-note of the Red Crossbill as a “loud
-kip, kip-kip-kip, very like a note made by young chickens,” but to me it
;a more metallic quality.
Tf one has no evergreens immediately about the house, the Crossbills may
d to come near by fastening ears of the small kerneled “ popcorn”’
to conspicuous branches or even by unsalted popcorn balls. As might be
cted, a bird of such unique construction has given rise to many specula-
, Some scientific, others legendary and sentimental, as to its origin. If its
is a development to meet food conditions, will it be gradually modified by
tting down of the forests of conifers? Or will it slip away with other
a like the Auk and the Labrador Duck ?
Questions for Teachers and Students
:) Describe the bill of the Crossbill. (2) How does the bird use it? (3) Describe
mage of the American Crossbill. (4) How does the adult male differ from the
le? (5) What is the range of the Crossbills? (6) Do they come to us regularly ?
nat is their food? (8) At what season do they nest?
The Audubon Docieties
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
Edited by WILLIAM DUTCHER 2
“Address all correspondence, and send all remittances for dues and contributions, to
the National Association of Audubon Societies, 141 Broadway, New York City
DIRECTORY OF THE STATE AUDUBON SOCIETIES
With names and addresses of their Secretaries
Alabama: oy hick sta ottaees AUS RBG: onterge oe Wireagh ah pe kegs Howarb L, SmiruH, care Y. M. C. A , Montgo
BSIZONK: 5 ee Cea sa ON eo ho ST had Oe IS Lo se a ee eas age Mrs. Harrier B. THORNBER, Tu
Califor e is cindy sca ns nso.8 ide oi Bae bie pare REO ON bcs e eaee aE EO Moa W. Scott Way, Box 62, Glend
CBIGERGD. < Soars asco he as ote Oa Soe den ne sue Mrs. coegt A. SHUTE, Capitol Building, D
ree anebaN dai etal ow oaths Gee CRBC Y Ge hte GNM eens ore Vek areata evar Mrs. WILLIAM BROWN GLOVER,
Delaware cass Uiac is eethee cose ohulai etna peuay Mrs. WILLIAM S, HIL.LEs, Delamore Place, Wil
District of COM a RE is, oe ok os coke who ale eed wens Beet Miss HELEN. _ a Chevy Chas
Ploriday yok vase Or ete FO ee eee atid ep pai ERE LS I. VANDERPOOL, Maitlan
Georgia ......... Pina: C.D. JORDAN, Montice
TUM OIW alg ekg v5: woes Maat ase ea Mg ene UN kis Poet ta Miss MARY DRUMMOND, Spring Lane, Lake |
Inidiginas 3505; ssa ae thoes ........ MISS FLORENCE A. HOWE, 2043 Hillside Ave., Indian
LOWB. Serie vais FTV FR Meee Cp earn Reed wie Mrs. WILLIAM F, PARROTT, 302 Franklin ‘St.,
Kansai ixi sis -scxoctes RG a ae Pe ee PRG! RAIN Mgr MAR ae NS Se Mr. FRANK E, McMULLEN, W
Lotisiqnaiy iy i50) 4 Nees ae Agen Cate e aa eRe DEN Miss ANITA PRING, 1682 Peters Ave., New O
Mi gitiG dy 2 dcigas 1 ako adic eae NSGN SIS Ree DOV NUN Abe ai amet r.ARTHUR H. Norton, 22 Elm St., Po:
Maryland catcce vcr ois ig ee eee es Miss MINNA D. STARR, 2400 North Charles St., Baltimo
Massachusetts .............+ Miss Jess1E E. KIMBALL, care Boston Society of Natural Histo }
Michigan'ccs icniice ars Feed Se ee eR eL Baas MR. JEFFERSON BUTLER, 25 West Elizabeth St., De
Mintiesotins ic) sooo cotud elles cure yeas ierliacee coe ae _.Miss JESSIE WHITMAN, 2356 Bayless Ave., St.
Mississiopi.. 255 os We io elas oh op ROR PR he eae Mr. ANDREw ALLISON, Elli
MinsOurt: occ. sass Soa eae Sys oe eae ARO RSLS cd OEE Ein weiner mare oleae oe SIDNEY Hark, Kan
Nebraska. sigc3 Figs cat ro aiet Ream owtaabins ceioe tee eas Miss Joy cues 544 South goth street,
Neve Hampshite: .ccexcsccctes ceetbe tesa cosh ectien ae wena mealies s. F. W. BATCHELDER, Mancl
New Jersey.ciis 6c staal era eelt ewes eres Miss Jutta S. Rte cewek 510 East Front street, Pla
New: VOtk “ec csccena tees acwna sey MLeR A ted bad <a dGoelad tC amcw ees Miss Emma H. Lockwoop, Scarbo
North .Carolitia sc) 2. hicig cca iganes sede nie tek c ee ote eeakaes Pee oe Slat Mr. T. GILBERT PEARSON, Greensh¢
North Dakota: 2505 Sis, se cartes wages aaron e ash Mrs. A. G. LEONARD, 897 Belmont Ave., Grand
Ohio s.r ciNi ewe cae serie ee em inate me ae Miss KATHERINE RATTERMANN, 510 York street, Cin
be tertiary del hide eal Ae ede nd ethan eae a Pan eine eee ear pian 1ss ALMA CARSON
Oreronssis SVR LIE ee hka + needa eee eee Dr. Emma J. WELTY, 321 Montgomery street, Po
Pennsylvania................+- Miss ELIZABETH WILSON FISHER, Room 22, 524 Walnut St., Ph
Rhode Island..... Pte se) peas sc tain yea Be nar arr ALICE W. Witcox, 165 Prospect street,
South ‘CarGlinia:iis 3. Sassy corte shade dese tene ce Mr. JAMES HENRY RICE, 336 Pine street, Spar
South Dakota: 3362s Ae Pei Cae a eee eer GEORGE A, PETTIGREW, io
ORMS io haw ind eae Fens RA e lea pes eee s cr Meuieik + Oeek WOniae an eahohre Ott) yin aa. Soa B. Davis,
Werrniont ssi vic sc 65 eo ans oe acs Hae Sa bi 6 A See hele aes eee Mr. re percha Wave: Essex J
Washington. casi. sts ile citen neck a sled Ona tele an, pear ee ae EF, 49 Maynard Buildin
WV ICONS 655. IS cc aihen errs ser Ompr ts pas eneh s CHAR‘ Es E. Brown, State Historical Library,
Annual Meeting of the National
Association
The fourth annual meeting of the
National Association of Audubon Socie-
ties was held October 27 in the American
Museum of Natural History, New York
City. Members » were present from several
states.
The President called the attention of the
Association to the proposed reduction in
the number of Directors from thirty to
eleven, of which notice had been sent to
the members of the Associationy It was
considered very much wiser to have a
(274)
smaller Board so that at least a ma
of the members would constitute a q
It was also suggested that an A
Board should be created to consist
marily of those members of the
Board of Directors who find it imp
to attend the meetings of the Ba
reason of their residing, in most insta
many hundred miles from the office
Association.
The following resolutions were ©
mously carried:
“ Resolved that the number of Di
of the National Association of Au
Societies for the Protection of Wild 1
N ™
Bs Animals be reduced from thirty, its
s present number, to eleven.
“Resolved Further that the Directors of
_ the Association be authorized and directed
to sign, acknowledge and file a supple-
mental certificate specifying such reduc-
a ‘tion. eee
At a meeting of the Board of Directors
of the Association held on October 28,
a quorum being present, the following
3 changes i in the By-Laws of the Association
vere presented by the Attorney, Mr.
3a amuel T. Carter, Jr.; notice of the pro-
osed amendments having been sent to
_ members fifteen days previously in
2 cordance with the By-Laws.
An eres first paragraph of Article III to
re > amended to read:
EB “The control and conduct of the prop-
erty and | business of the Association shall
pe vested in a Board of Directors not to
exceed eleven in number. The board shall
be divided into five classes which shall be
as number except that the first class
_ shall consist of three members. This first
Se shall serve until the next annual
meeting after its election and the others,
2 or one, two, three and four years there-
after, respectively. Thereafter at each
annual meeting those whose term of office
3 _ may then expire shall be succeeded by a
like number of Directors to serve the full
‘term of five years. All Directors shall be
elected by a majority vote of the members
eee .
The third paragraph of Article III
_ was amended by providing that six Direc-
te s, and not five, shall constitute a
_ quorum.
Be The we paragraph to be amended to
read:
_ “Regular meetings of the Board of
_ Directors shall be held on the last Tuesday
of October and of every alternate month
_ thereafter, except that when that day falls
a”
pe
1] elc on ‘the following day.
i. “Special: meetings may be called by the
F ident or by any five members of the
“Board, the special object of the meeting
being biei in the call. Ten days’ written
3 I otice of any special meeting shall be given
PP Pee Se
~ Po = a4 2 Af = tua: ton
The Audubon Societies
275
to each member of the Board at his last
known address. Six Directors shall con-
stitute a quorum for the transaction of
business.
“Upon the resignation or death of any
member of the Board of Directors, the
Board may proceed to elect a Director in
his place to serve until the next annual
meeting.”
Article IV to be amended by striking
out the word “standing” in the second
paragraph.
Article V to be stricken out and the fol-
lowing to be substituted.
“There may be chosen by the members
of the Association from among their mem-
bership or otherwise at any annual meet-
ing what shall be known as an Advisory
Board consisting of not less than ten nor
more than thirty members, of which Board
the President of the Association shall be
ex-officio a member and at whose meetings
he shall preside. Members of this Board
shall serve annually or until their succes-
sors are appointed. No meetings of this
Board need be held and it shall have no
control over or management of the affairs
of the Association, except as the Board
of Directors may desire from time to time
to submit any matters to it. In such case,
meetings of this Board shall be held on ten
days’ notice ane: the President of the
Association.’
The above amendments were adopted
separately and thereafter adopted as a
whole by a unanimous vote of all of the
members of the Board present.
The following officers were elected for
the ensuing year: President, William Dut-
cher; First Vice-President, Dr. T. S. Pal-
mer; Second Vice-President, Dr. J. A.
Allen; Secretary, T. Gilbert Pearson;
Treasurer, Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr.
The President stated that Mr. Gifford
Pinchot had invited the Association to
appoint a Committee to codperate with
the National Conservation Commission.
’ By direction of the Board the following
Committee was appointed: Chairman, Mr.
Edward Howe Forbush, Dr. T. S. Palmer,
Frank M. Chapman, T. Gilbert Pearson,
William Dutcher.
qof “MH wequsay 4q paqdeis0}0yg ‘u0oNsa}0:1d aIN[OSsqe Jo i]Nsat ay} St ssouauIE} Ney]
SNOILVAYNASTY VNVISINOT JHL JO ANO ‘ANVISI JTUOGAIILLVA NO STTOS ONIHOAVI
[Annual Report of the National Astoch:
a tion of Audubon Societies for 1908
CONTENTS
se OF THE PRESIDENT.
rl _ -FINaNcrar NEEDS—AIMS AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.
" _ RESULTS ACHIEVED IN 1908.
a pane OF SPECIAL AGENTS.
_ REPoRT or EDWARD Howe ForsusuH,
- Report oF Wittram L. FINLEY.
; REPORTS OF STATE SOCIETIES
__ Reports from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,
3 Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massa-
_ chusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
York, ‘North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsyl-
__yvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin.
LIST OF MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS.
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT °
ANNUAL MEETING 1908
aia have made such great strides in the estimation of the A hie as well
as in benefits conferred on the citizens of the country. When our work was
ed, there were few laws for the protection of wild birds and animals, especi-
ally those that are beneficial to agriculture and forestry; today this condition
is entirely changed. Further, a sentiment for the protection of wild life could
h ardly be said to exist; today such a sentiment is widespread and is fast growing,
‘Owing to the educational work of the Audubon Societies through the press and
by illustrated leaflets. What has been accomplished isa monument to the faith-
ful and intelligent work of a few hundred people scattered throughout the countr y.
virile and full of activity and promise for the future outcome of the work of
th e National and State Audubon Members. The past is gone, and your Presi-
¢ ent’s brief address will be of plans for the future. Every well-organized and
Successful business follows a plan which has been studied and outlined in detail
(277)
278 Bird- Lore
in advance, and the future success of the work of this Association can be guar-
anteed only by a strict and rigid compliance with such a rule. To that end,
I submit to the members of the National and State Audubon Societies an outline —
for future work, and some suggestions of how it may be carried on to the best
advantage. Properly, the work may be divided into four heads, as follows a
Finances, Education, Legislation, Reservations and Wardens. —
FINANCES
The financial proposition is treated of first because without funds the en
work falls to the ground, and this the public must understand. This orge
zation is doing a voluntary work of inestimable value to the country at Ja
and the citizens must support it. The foundation of all the wealth of the country —
is based on its agricultural and forestry products, and without birds such pr od- 2
ucts would be impossible. The annual loss from insect and rodent pests at
the present time is estimated to be $800,000,000. When the public begins t e
think about these figures and realizes that this annual loss may be reduced
by such work as ours, I feel sure that an adequate support will be forthcomis
If it is not, this generation is simply robbing children yet unborn. This isa terri
charge, but it is a true one. If we permit the heritage of wild birds that s
exist to be wasted and destroyed, we are robbing our children. We are sitn
trustees, and should seek to enlarge the estate in our care rather than squand “ er
it. The public, as trustees, are in honor bound to preserve the wild birds for
those that follow us. We do not wish our children to feel about us as we do ab nu
our fathers, who permitted the wanton and useless extinction of the Bison an
the Wild Pigeon. The income of the Association during the past year, as report
by the Treasurer, was $24,000. When it is apportioned among the several b
ches of our work and is divided among the forty-eight states and territo
each section gets but a very smail sum. This sum should be multiplied me
times. We need an endowment of several millions of dollars in order to exp:
our legitimate work. Is there any more worthy or meritorious work than ou)
If you wish to endow and further education, give to the National Associatior ;
a substantial fund to be devoted to educating the public of the country to the
value of birds and their intimate relation to agriculture and forestry. T is.
subject is of as great importance as sanitation, medicine, pure science or Civ:
to which millions of dollars are given each year. It is a serious question wheth
the preservation of birds is not of greater importance than either of the abo
subjects; for, without birds, it is a probable fact that the world would be un
habitable. If you cannot endow, either during your lifetime or as a devi
you can at least show your sympathy and give your support by becoming a
member or an annual sustaining member. “4 ‘
I realize that there are but few people who are qualified by wealth or spi
to create great endowment funds for special purposes, but there are some, ai
Annual Meeting 1908 279
ee ea
a
‘to such I appeal for help at this time as well as in the future. Later, I will detail
| _many special objects, any one of which is worthy of a fund of liberal size. The
general public means you, and you can at least contribute once a year the small
‘sum of $5, or, if you prefer, a life membership of $100, which will produce an
=
_ annual fee in perpetuity. You will then have the satisfaction of knowing that
“your good deeds will follow you long after you have done with life’s work. This
"appeal is not one to be passed by lightly and thoughtlessly. It is of too great an
‘interest to you personally, for I know-that no matter what your occupation
‘in life is and just how you toil for your daily bread, somewhere the welfare and
protection of birds touches and is of moment to your daily vocation. Surely,
inder these circumstances, you will be willing to do your part toward caring for
creatures that are so intimately woven into your daily life and well-being. I
forbear to touch upon the esthetic aspect of this question; the economic feature
is of such momentous interest to you personally that no other incentive should
‘be needed to cause you to do your part in this work.
r euten EDUCATION
\
_ Try to imagine what the result would be in a generation or two if all the
‘schools and educational institutions were to be closed. Ignorance and its sister,
Crime, would take the place of peace and civilization. It is a sad fact that today
there is too much ignorance regarding birds and their relation to the human
‘race. It is a rare occurrence to find a person who can name a dozen of the common
|birds that may be found about his home, and it is still more difficult to find one
_ who can tell how each bird is benefiting him. How wide-spread this ignorance
is may be illustrated by the fact that a prominent paper recently published an
‘editorial in which it recommended the extirpation of all Sparrows, on the ground
‘that the European House Sparrow is a public nuisance. The editor, who should
‘have been able to form correct public opinion, was so ignorant of birds that
he was not able to differentiate between the great number of native Sparrows
‘and the introduced pest. :
| There should be a great fund established under the direction of this Associa-
tion, to carry on the work of education regarding birds.
' Press Bureau.—In order to bring more rapidly to the notice of the public
_ the vast importance of bird protection, I urge the expansion of our press bureau.
‘There is no surer or more rapid method of diffusing knowledge of birds than
‘ through interesting, but absolutely correct, stories of their habits and yalue.
A large part of the success of the Audubon work may be attributed to the articles
_ that-appear at frequent intervals in the most widely read papers of the country.
The first knowledge that our great benefactor, Mr. Willcox, had was derived
from a newspaper item regarding the Audubon Societies; this fact alone warrants
on t only a continuation, but an expansion, of our. press bureau. In this way,
“every hamlet can be reached at the minimum of expense.
5
fr
a
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280 : Bird - Lore
Educational Leaflets —A liberal portion of the educational fund should
used to increase our series of Educational Leaflets, illustrated with corree
drawings in the natural colors of the birds, and giving a brief résumé of the
habits of the bird, and especially of its economic value. It is of vital importa
that Leaflets should be used in every public school in the country, especially th
in the rural districts. There are a thousand species of wild birds in North Amer
each one of which is of greater or less value to humanity, and every child
the country should be able to recognize at sight the more common ones
are to be found in his locality, and should also be able to give some of
reasons why such birds are of benefit to him. *
Our Educatiorial Leaflets are the quickest and surest method of bri
this knowledge to the millions of school children of the country. In order
encourage among school children the practice of studying the habits of
in. the field, I strongly urge offering medals for the best essays on birds,
on original observations. I recommend a silver medal for each state, and a
medal for the United states. Such a competition among the school child
of the country would produce splendid educational results. ‘
Field Agents—The work of our field agents has secured results that
most gratifying, and fully warrant a very greatly increased staff of such imp
ant helpers. Instead of having a lecturer and organizer to care-for ten sté
on the average, we should have at least one for each state, and, where the comm
wealth is very large and populous, there should be two or three. It is a y
established fact that the quickest method of getting good returns in sentir
and interest is to have a well-equipped person give illustrated bird lectt
The experience of this Association is that, wherever it has done the most °
of this character, it has found it the easiest to secure good bird and game -
and the least trouble in their enforcement. There are several states whei
is imperative that lecturers and organizers should be established at once;
in them, in the past, all of the efforts made have proved futile, owing to the
that sufficient preparatory educational work had not been done. A great |
of the hoped-for educational endowment must be used to increase our
‘staff
Traveling Lecture Outfits—Supplementary to the work of the field ag
a large number of circulating lecture outfits can be used to advantage.
consist of a box of colored slides of birds, a small lantern to exhibit the same,
and a descriptive lecture to be read by a teacher, Master Granger, or any inter-
ested person. Such an outfit costs about $150, and it can be kept at work alr
constantly. There is a steadily increasing demand for these outfits, and at
one hundred of them could be used to advantage. .
One of the most practical methods of educating adults about birds.
make exhibits at agricultural fairs. A comprehensive exhibit, when once esi
lished, can be moved from place to place with slight expense The good done by
such object lessons of the value of birds to agriculture and forestry is very mark od
Annual Meeting 1908 281
LEGISLATION
" I urge the foundation of a fund to be devoted to the legislative work of this
Association. The public cannot realize how very important this branch of the
work is, and how necessary it is to maintain eternal vigilance. To illustrate:
After considerable hard work, a satisfactory bird and game law is secured in
a state. You may think this is the end of the story, and that our work is finished
‘that locality, but it is not. In some states, a session of the legislature is held
r y, but, fortunately, in most of the Commonwealths, biennially. Every
ion of a legislature must be closely watched, in order to prevent amendments
; io our law that would weaken it. This requires that copies of all bills introduced
ust be promptly obtained, and that the Association be kept informed of the
nmittee to which the bill is referred, and also of the dates of hearings by
Committee. When the bill is an important one, a representative of the Asso-
must be present at the hearing and speak for or against it. The above
ine is simply what has to be done each year to prevent undesirable legis-
in one state; when it is multiplied by all of the states holding legislative
ns (forty-four in the coming winter), you can fairly judge of the magnitude
this branch of the work.
When the Association initiates legislation, which it very often does, success
lands even greater efforts. In the matter of bird legislation, there is no rest-
lace; the only price of satisfactory bird protection is eternal watching of
tures, for in an unguarded moment an amendment may be passed that
undo the work of years. Our field agents are experts in legislative work;
human strength has its limits, and they cannot respond to more than a frac-
of the calls made upon them. In addition to watching forty-four legislatures
undesirable bills, the Association proposes to initiate the follanang new
tion this winter.
me-bird Protection.—Anti-spring-shooting bills for Massachusetts, Rhode
d, Michigan, North Dakota, and Southern New Jersey. Until all spring
ting is prohibited, game birds will decrease.
on-sale of Game Birds.—Bill to prohibit sale of any kind of game birds
yew York state during the close season. Permission to sell game in the close
n practically lengthens a season.
_ Non-game Bird Protection.—Bills to strengthen the plumage section in several
e laws, notably in New York. This must be done in order to stop the sale
‘ oi wild birds’ plumage, especially that of the White Herons, and several other
rds that are becoming alarmingly scarce.
i. Big Game Protection.—Bills to obtain increased protection for antelope,
pk
a
ally by securing a close season for several years in states where there is
an open season, viz., Kansas, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
‘and Wyoming. The antelope is an animal of special scientific interest, as it is
1 un d in no other portion of the world. Our stock of the graceful prong-horn
A
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282 Bird - Lore
is becoming very low, and means should be taken at once to prevent their exter-
mination. In this connection, the Association hopes to secure the necessary funds
to conduct experiments ih winter feeding of antelope, elk, and other big game
in the West. It is proposed to lease or buy suitable tracts of land, and grow alfalfa
and other forage for such animals.
SNOWY HERON BROODING
Note the display of “‘aigrette’’? plumes. The almost total extermination of these Herons in this
country was caused by the millinery demand for the “‘aigrette.’”’ Photographed on Louisiana
Audubon Reservation by Herbert K. Job.
We also hope to codperate in establishing a national bison herd in Montana,
and in securing a close season for mountain sheep in Oregon.
Hunting Licenses.—Bills in Ohio, Iowa, Florida and Texas for resident
licenses. Such licenses are a great additional protection to birds and game,
and the fees derived from the sale of licenses furnish a fund to be used for the
protection and propagation of game; this obviates the necessity of a special tax
for that purpose.
-
Annual Meeting 1908 283
Warden Service.—Bills to establish in Arkansas, Florida and South Dakota
State Game Commissions. It has been found that game and bird laws are useless
unless there is some official charged with their enforcement.
Warning Notices.—During the present year, permission was obtained from
Postmaster-General Meyer for this Association to. display its warning notices
in all of the postoffices in the United States. These notices, printed on muslin
for permanency, contain a brief résumé of the state game and bird laws, the
Lacy (Interstate Commerce) Act, and the name and address of the Commissioner
and State Audubon Society. To guarantee the expense of such a display of warn-
ing notices in every postoffice in a state might easily be assumed by a citizen
who takes interest in good civics and the welfare of his home state. The amount
of benefit assured under this plan is incalculable, for it prevents the plea of
ignorance of the law by its violators.
RESERVATIONS AND WARDENS
__ Through the means of reservations, this Association has been able to demon-
_ strate to the public the practical value of bird refuges. Whether the land has
been set aside by the Federal Government, or is held under lease by the Asso-
ciation, the wardens who guard the birds occupying the reserves are paid by
this Association, and this additional but necessary tax upon our resources has
grown very rapidly during the past year, and bids fair to expand very greatly
in the near future. The possibilities for good of this feature of Association work
are so full of promise that I am warranted in making a special and urgent appeal
for a large fund to be devoted entirely to the acquisition of bird refuges and the
proper care of the same. The refuges already secured are for sea-birds, and,
in addition to many more of these, there should be established refuges for land
birds, especially such as Grouse and Quail, where experiments in propagation
could be made. If the tract were large enough and had within its borders ponds,
lakes, streams and marshes, the experiment could be made to cover wild fowl
also. Here also might be found an opportunity to carry on experimental work
with methods of attracting birds by artificial breeding-places, in order to demon-
strate their real value te agriculture and forestry. It is impossible for me, in the
space at my disposal, to more than hint at the wonderful results to the country
that may be achieved in: this direction; moreover, on such reserves scientific
forestry might be practiced, and the reserves thus be made self-supporting in
time. The plan of reserves must appeal to every enlightened citizen of the coun-
try, especially those who are nature lovers, and who deplore and would prevent
the wasting of our natural assets; further, the educational value of the experi-
ments conducted on such reserves would be very great, and would no doubt
influence individual owners of large tracts of land, as well as municipalities,
to apply the same methods on their estates and park lands.
In conclusion, I wish to emphasize the thought that the National Association
284 . Bird - Lore
of Audubon Societies is thoroughly equipped to carry on the work of wild bird
and animal protection, which is now known to be one of the most important |
branches of public endeaver for the advancement of our country’s interests.
How rapidly this work may be extended depends entirely upon the public itself. 4
If this appeal falls upon unwilling ears and hearts, our progress will be slow,
but if, on the other hand, our plans and suggestions outlined meet with the
sympathy and support that they deserve, progress will be very rapid. Let me
revert once more to my starting point. If you are the custodian of great wealth,
devote a liberal share of it to this great civic and economic movement, or, if you
are able to bear only a small portion of this burden of good, do it chen
and promptly. 5
REPORT OF T. GILBERT PEARSON, SECRETARY _
In attempting to report a year’s progress in the Audubon movement, o
is necessarily limited largely to a statement of what has been undertaken in t
various lines of endeavor, and to a chronicling of such tangible results as 4
apparent. Signs of a wide-spread crystallization of public sentiment for the be
protection of wild birds and animals are annually becoming more- appa
throughout America, and, even to observers who are but casually infor
on the subject, the paramount influence which the Audubon Societies.
on the movement is a Ae pronounced one.
EDUCATIONAL WORK
The educational phase of the Audubon work has been pushed the past
with unabated vigor. Six new regular Leaflets have been published as fol
Herring Gull, Snowflake, Song Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow
Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets. In addition to the above, six special L 1
lets have been printed. These are: For December—Six Reminders; The Cos
of a Feather; February Hints; Winter Feeding of Wild Birds; Bob-white, Th
Farmer’s Friend; and Putting up Bird Boxes. With two exceptions, all of t
above-named papers of both series were written by our splendid worker, Mi
Mabel Osgood Wright. .
Twenty-nine thousand copies of these Leaflets were purchased by the Stai
Audubon Societies of Massachusetts, North Carolina and New York; wh
over seventy thousand copies have been distributed from the New York a Be
Greensboro offices of the Association. s
A larger number of public lectures have been given by the officers and f
of the Association than formerly. Mr. Finley has spoken many times in w
Northwest; Mr. Kopman in the lower Mississippi states; Mr. Forbush in Ne
England; Miss Mary T. Moore, School Secretary, in Virginia and the Caro
Captain Davis in Texas; Mr. Job in various eastern states; Mr. Bowdish,
Report of T. Gilbert Pearson 285
Clerk in New York Office, in New Jersey; Mr. Chapman, our Treasurer and
Editor of Brrp-Lore, in many of the eastern states, and President Dutcher -
at various points in New York and New Jersey. These addresses have been
given usually with a view of arousing interest in securing better feeling to sup
port advance legislation for bird and game protection. In some states, notably
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Louisiana, the legislative results have been
most gratifying.
_ The power of the press as an educational agent has long been recognized
and used by the Association. Through a news agency twelve syndicate articles
on various phases of the work have been sent to over three hundred of the leading
_ papers in the United States. These articles have been copied in many hundreds
of local papers, even getting into the “patent insides” and reaching the most
remote corners of our rural communities. In addition to these, articles and inter-
_ views have been given out by the various officers and agents, while notices and
_ comments of lectures and editorials inspired by these have combined to keep
_ the Audubon work well before the American public.
| The collection of stereopticon views illustrating wild-bird life has been en-
_riched, and several sets of these have been sent out to be used by interested work-
ers, many of whose names do not appear in this brief report. The Association
;
also sends 1,200 copies of Brrp-LorE to members and contributors.
i
LEGISLATION
_ During the year sixteen states held either regular or special sessions of their
\
legislature. We kept in close touch with all these, and when any changes in the
|
_ bird protective laws were contemplated, either an officer or agent of the Asso-
ciation was present in person. In Georgia, Mississippi, Maryland and South
| Carolina, bills were introduced to place more restriction on hunters. These,
_ however, all failed of passage. Only one actual backward step for bird protec-
| tion was taken by a legislature. This was in Virginia, where the Audubon law
. “was amended in such a way as to remove all protection from Hawks, Owls,
‘Eagles, Blackbirds, Ricebirds, Bobolinks, Doves, Wilson’s Snipe and Robin
_ Snipe. The Association is now conducting an active campaign in Vir-
| ginia with a view of remedying this evil at the next session of the General As-
4 sembly.
| The Audubon workers are responsible for the passage of a splendid bird and
game law in Louisiana. This new statute provides for a State Warden force
4 to work under the direction of a Board of Commissioners, and is supported finan-
cially by a resident, non-resident, and alien hunter’s license tax. The chairman
and executive officer of this commission is Mr. Frank M. Miller, who for years
has been doing such splendid work as President of the Louisiana Audubon Society.
Strenuous efforts were made by the New Orleans dry-goods firms to repeal
that part of the Louisiana Audubon law which prohibits the sale of the plumage
oy
75 ey
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286 Bird - Lore
of birds or parts thereof, whether taken within or without the state. We were i
_entirely successful in defeating this measure. "
In Rhode Island, we aided in the passage of two very helpful measures; one —
of these prohibits the killing of Shore Birds from January 1, to August 1. The
other provides for increased appropriations of state funds for the game com-
mission.
In New York State, the entire bird and game law was revised at the sugges-
tion of Governor Hughes. Among other important features, the new statute
protects the Wood Duck at all times. New York is the third state to take this —
wise measure for the preservation of this beautiful and fast-vanishing game —
bird.
Massachusetts, as usual, took additional advanced ground in game protec-
tion. The powers to the wardens were enlarged, gray squirrels were declared —
protected entirely for two and a half years, and provision was made for the appoint- _
ment of a State Ornithologist. We are much pleased to announce that our New —
England Agent, Mr. E. H. Forbush, has since been appointed to this inp
office.
aed
RESERVATIONS
Nine additional reservations have been formed during the past year by Presi- :
dent Roosevelt upon the recommendation of President Dutcher. These are
Mosquito Inlet on the East Coast of Florida, Tortugas Keys, Florida; Key West,
Florida; Lower Klamath Lake, Southern Oregon and Northern California, Lake
Malheur, Oregon, Chase Lake, Dakota; Pine Island, Matlacha Pass and Palma e
Sola, all on the Florida Gulf Coast. In all, there are now twenty-three Nationa
Reservations under. the care of this Association.
WARDEN WORK
During the year, forty-nine duly appointed wardens have guarded the breed-
ing colonies of birds which are protected by this Association. These wardens —
are located as follows: In Florida, six; Louisiana, six; Maine, fifteen; Massa-_
chusetts, one; Michigan, two; Minnesota, one; New Jersey, two; New York, ~
two; North Dakota, one; Oregon, one; South Carolina, one; Texas, one; Vir-
ginia, seven; Washington, six. E
Forty-seven species of birds have received special protection by the activi-
ties of these officers, while incidental protection has been afforded to many more.
The most numerous species in the colonies of the Atlantic Coast are Herrin a4
and Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans and various species of Terns. On the
preserves in the interior are Ducks, White Pelicans, Gulls and Grebes; and o nS
the Pacific Coast, Cormorants, Puffins, Murres, Gulls and Petrels. Practical
every protected species in these colonies shows a marked increase in numbers.
In many instances the wardens are able to keep a very close watch on the actual
~~ <5 wa
Report of T. Gilbert Pearson 287
_ number of eggs laid and young raised. In other cases where the birds gather
_ in great masses, or are extended over wide areas, it is impossible to form an
exact estimate of their numbers. However, we believe that the reports of the
wardens are sufficiently correct to prove of interest. These show that during
_ the past year the birds which gathered in the protected colonies numbered some-
_ thing over 658,500. The number of eggs believed to have been laid was 296,100,
and the number of young raised was 227,731.
__ As usual, many eggs and young were lost as a result of storms and high tides,
_ but it is believed the colonies suffered little from the depredation of eggers, while
} the guarded territory is thought to have been entirely free from inroads of the
7 millinery-feather gatherers.
‘e SECRETARY’S WORK
Besides conducting the ever-increasing correspondence and general work
“of the Southern office, your Secretary has spent much time in the field represent-
: _ing the Association in various capacities. In the interest of legislation, he has
visited Florida and lectured at various places in Virginia. At the Summer School
of the South at Knoxville, Tenn., he conducted for three weeks a class in bird
_ study of over one hundred Sociherh teachers, besides giving public stereopticon
lectures. He attended the Indiana State Audubon Society meeting at Fort
Wayne, the International Conference of Fisheries held in Washington | City,
and various public gatherings in North Carolina, at many of which he gave
addresses on bird protection and the Audubon work. He made a tour of inspec-
tion through South Carolina and secured evidence of many-violations of the Game
laws. For example, one hotel was found to have in cold storage 3,000 Quail,
‘which were being served illegally to the guests. His work has also brought him
‘to New York on various occasions to canvass for funds and for conferences
with the President.
288 Bird - Lore
REPORTS OF FIELD AGENTS
REPORT OF EDWARD HOWE FORBUSH
The work undertaken by your agent in New England during the year has
included the fellowing principal lines of action: (1) Educational and publicity
work, (2) legislative work, (3) investigation of the present status of the wild
fowl, shore-birds and: sea-birds and measures needed for their protection, (4)
the work of organization.
A new feature of the educational work consisted in the publication, in fifty
New England newspapers, of a series of articles on birds and bird protection,
written monthly or semi-monthly as time allowed. This series has been continued
through the year. Eighty-two talks and lectures on the utility of birds and the
means of attracting and protecting them have been given in Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The audiences have con-
sisted mainly of students of universities, colleges and schools, and members of
clubs and farmers’ organizations, aggregating nearly twenty thousand people.
Most of these talks were illustrated with lantern slides or colored charts. They
have resulted in a great deal of practical work among the young people, many
of whom have begun to feed birds and put up bird-houses. No work has been.
done in Vermont this year; but it may be possible to reach that state before the
end of the season.
The detailed results of the legislative work of the year have been given already
in Brrp-Lore, but may be reviewed briefly here. This work was interfered
with somewhat by lecture engagements, and owing to this and certain peculiar
conditions was not uniformly successful; but all bills adverse to bird protection _
were defeated. In Massachusetts, the following were the principal bills passed:
An act requiring the licensing of all resident hunters, another giving the deputies
or game wardens the right to arrest, without a warrant, suspected persons refus-
ing to exhibit their game on demand; another shortening the open season on
upland game-birds, two establishing state forest tracts or reservations, and one
establishing the office of State Ornithologist.
The first two acts will help much in the enforcement of the laws for the
conservation of game and birds. The establishment of an official State Orni-
thologist in every state of the union would be a benefit. Such an official could
save the people of any state far more than his salary each year by instructing
the people in the economic value of birds and the necessity for their protection.
In Rhode Island an act was passed establishing a close season on all shore
birds from January 1, to August 1, thus giving shore-birds their first real statu-
tory protection in that state, and an additional appropriation was secured for the
use of the Bird Commissioners. No other New England state has legislative
sessions in 1908 except Vermont, where the legislature does not convene until
October, or after the date of this report.
ee ge a
Reports of Field Agents 289
Educational and .egislative work occupied most of the time, until June,
when the investigation into the status and present needs of the wild-fowl and
shore-birds was begun with a view to representing the facts to the legislature
of Massachusetts at some future time. The haunts of these birds were visited
and much evidence was obtained from sportsmen, gunners and naturalists, regard-
ing the former abundance of the birds and their present depletion. This work
is still incomplete. In July, all/the time that could be spared from correspondence
and educational work was given to an investigation of the condition of certain
Gulls, Terns, Herons, Sandpipers and Plover along the Massachusetts coast.
Seven trips were made to the remoter coasts and islands. The Gulls and Terns
were seen to be increasing under protection, with the possible-exception of the
Least Terns, which are still very few in number and not favorably situated for
protection. The number of Common and Roseate Terns seen on these coasts
and islands may be estimated safely at between twenty-five thousand and thirty
thousand. Even the Laughing Gulls of Muskeget, which were nearly extermi-
nated at one time, now number fully a thonsand (estimated), and their distri-
bution to other localities apparently is beginning. A few Herring Gulls now remian
for the summer. The Piping Plover seems to be nearing extermination. Only
one colony was seen and elsewhere only an occasional pair or two were met with.
A Massachusetts law allows the shooting of these birds in Julyand August,
_when their young are still small, and thus far the legislature has refused to amend
this statute. The colony of Least Terns and Piping Piover at Katama Bay can
be saved only by keeping a warden there all summer and stopping all shooting.
It is hoped that this may be done another year. Upland Plover appear to be
increasing slightly under protection in two localities, but Killdeer Plover are
close to extermination in Massachusetts. The Night Herons seem to be now
holding their own.
The work of organization has consisted in part of spasmodic attempts to
increase the numbers or efficiency of some of the state Societies. Some addition
was made to the membership of the Massachusetts Association through the
efforts of your agent, and a great deal of work was done to organize the members
of granges, women’s clubs, and other organizations in behalf of bird protection.
A trip to Bar Harbor in August resulted in awakening some interest in bird
protection there, and securing some influential members of the summer colony
as members of the National Association. One lesson derived from the experience
of the year is found in the great and growing demand for educational work. .
Your agent might have made arrangements to give at least 600 illustrated lec-
tures to farmers’ organizations, schools, etc., had his time permitted. A first-
class lecturer on the utility of birds, the necessity for their protection, and the
means to this end is needed in every state, and his time would be fully occupied.
The demand for such work is tremendous and its results would be immediate.
During the legislative season another man is required in each state to organize
the forces of bird protection and lead them to victory. Such a man could devote
urewyyog pae Aajurq Aq paydeiZ0j04g
‘ suoneasasoy INaye pues YeW[Y YIoq uo PUNO} o1v Sp1Iq esey} Jo saruofoo asieqT ‘“SuNoA SZuIpssy st psig 19}U99 9Y],
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Reports of Field Agents 291
his time to strengthening the National Association and the State’ Associations
and increasing their membership and income during the rest of the year. Thus
twelve men could be used to advantage in these states.
It is impossible for your agent in New England to do the work of twelve men;
but he believes that the time will come when the importance of this work will
be recognized, and then the means and the men will be forthcoming.
REPORT OF WILLIAM L. FINLEY
On May 14, 1908, Mr. Herman T. Bohlman and I left Portland to make
a study of bird life in southeastern Oregon, with the hope of reporting on con-
ditions and securing additional reservations for the protection of our water
fowl. The trip was taken in Mr. Bohlman’s ‘White Steamer’ which was speci-
ally remodeled and arranged with complete camping outfit. The machine was
shipped to The Dalles by boat, and from there we traveled straight south through
Shaniko and Prineville to Burns. The roads were often rough and steep, but
we reached Lake Malheur without accident, after a 300-mile run.
Lake Malheur is a body of water about twelve by fifteen miles, and, like the
other lakes through southern Oregon, has a vast area of tule land surrounding
it. Malheur differs from Harney and Klamath Lakes, in that it is a shallow
body of water only a few feet deep, and abounds in a great variety of plant life.
For this reason it is the best feeding-ground in the fall and spring for the great
flocks of migrating water-fowl.
_ In order to explore this region, we first tried a folding canvas boat, which
we secured at Burns, twenty-five miles north of the lake. This had the advantage
of being light, but it was too small to carry the equipment we needed for a week’s
trip on the lake. We needed a double-ended flat-bottom boat that could be used
in shallow places to: make way through the tules. We made three different trips
out through various. sections of this vast lake district. We were out for nine days
during the last ‘rip.
had toundergo many hardships in exploring this region to find the different
ird colonies. We spent much of our time searching to see if we could not find
few American Egrets, for great colonies of these birds formerly inhabited this
region. .
After almost two months in this country, we discovered many large colonies
of breeding birds. The most important, perhaps, was a colony of 500 White-
faced Glossy Ibis, which were nesting in the same locality with the Black-crowned
Night Herons. We found several colonies of Great Blue Herons and Farallone
Cormorants nesting together. Besides some small colonies, we found one locality
where about two thousand Western Grebe were breeding. The most populous
colony we found was one composed of thousands of White Pelicans and Ring-
billed and California Gulls nesting near together. In addition, we found a colony
of Eared Grebe nesting with a colony of Western Grebe; also several small col-
292 Bird - Lore
onies of Forster’s and Black Tern, one colony of Caspian Terns that were nest-
ing with the California Gulls; Pied-billed Grebe and American Coots were
common all through the lake region. At one place we found a large number of
Coots living about the same locality.
In addition to Black-necked Stilts, Avocets and other wading birds, great
Aaa (hie @ rr
WHITE-FACED GLOSSY IBIS
One of a colony of five hundred on Lake Malheur Reservation; the only colony known in Oregon.
Photographed by Finley and Bohlman
numbers of Ducks and Geese lived all through this region. The southeastern
portion of the lake is a great breeding-ground for Canada Geese. We saw many
old birds with flocks of young almost grown. In one place I counted 540 old
and young geese. Further on I counted 360 more. Still further on I counted
flocks that numbered 570 Geese. This made almost 1,500 Canada Geese in one
part of the lake that were seen within an hour. There were likely thousands
more all through the tules.
ee
Reports of Field Agents 293
Until a few years ago, the White Egret (Herodius egretia) was quite abundant
about Malheur lake, but after a month’s search we saw but two of these birds
and found no sign of their nests. In 1898, a plume hunter told me he made hun-
dreds of dollars in a day and a half, shooting White Herons on Lake Malheur.
He has often made as high as $400 and $500 a day killing these birds. This
shows that White Egrets were very plentiful on the lake. The slaughter was
continued, till now the birds are practically extinct.
THE WESTERN GREBE
The greatest sufferer in the West at the hands of the market hunter. The snow-white breasts of these
birds are used for capes, muffs and other purposes. Photographed by Finley and Bohlman
This hunter is the type of the professional plumer who is responsible for
the great decrease in numbers of our plumaged birds. He began hunting in the
early seventies; he has hunted Herons and other plumed birds in Louisiana,
Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, and up and down the Pacific Coast. In 1886-
1889 he shot on Tulare Lake in California, often making $400 and $500 a day
killing Herons. Whenever he could not make more than $120 by nine o’clock
in the morning, he said he would seek better hunting grounds. He not only
followed the trade of the plume hunter in the summer, but for years he was.
294 Bird - Lore
hired by parties in Spokane, Portland, Seattle and San Francisco to shoot Ducks
and other wild fowl. For years he shot Grebe through southern Oregon and
California. He was one who helped to exterminate the great colonies that formerly
lived on the northern borders of Tulé Lake. He has hunted both the Upper
and Lower Klamath, Tulé: Lake, Goose Lake, Clear Lake, Warner’s Lake,
Tulare Lake, Harney Lake and Lake Malheur.
The plume hunters have been at work continually through southern Oregon
and northern California, killing thousands of Grebes and other birds. It is a
difficult matter to stop shooting in such a vast area that is so profitable to the
plume hunter, but we expect to succeed. There are at present six indictments
against plume hunters filed in the District Attorney’s office at Burns, for shooting
Grebes on Malheur Lake. These indictments cite’ the killing of 406 Grebes
by one hunter and 1,000 by a second hunter. These. two plume noms heard
in advance that indictments were to be made and escaped to California, so they
have never been brought to trial. At the time the indictments were made, Sheriff
Richardson, of Harney county, seized a number of sacks containing 800 Grebes
skins at the express office at Burns. These skins, as well as many others, were
sent from Lawen, a small town near Malheur Lake. They were addressed to
New York City.
The most important step in the protection of water-fowl in the West was
recently taken by President Roosevelt, when on August 8, of this year, he set
aside Lower Klamath Lake to be known as the Klamath Lake Reservation,
and on August 18, Harney Lake and Lake Malheur were set aside as Lake
Malheur Reservation. Although these lakes have for years been the richest
field for plume and market hunters, the field is not yet entirely depleted, nor
do the plume hunters want to abandon these lakes as long as any plumage birds
are left. f
I do not believe there is a more populous water-bird district in the United
States than through southern Oregon. The President has given us the best
reserves that can be secured. This breeding ground is undoubtedly the nursery
of the great flocks of Ducks and Geese that invade sections of California. If
it were not for these reserves, I believe the time would come in sections of Cali-
fornia when the sportsmen would have little or no Duck shooting. The reser-
vations should appeal widely to sportsmen.
To show how little observance has been given to the game laws in south-
eastern Oregon, it has been the custom for parties to go down to Malheur Lake
in the fall when Swan, Snow Geese and other birds are migrating, and kill these
birds merely for the feathers, which are sold at so much per pound.
Ducks and Geese were so common formerly that a party of hunters could
easily secure a wagon-load i in a short time. It was not an uncommon thing for
a party of hunters to go out to the Lake to shoot and return with as many Ducks —
as the wagon could hold. The hunters generally stopped on the corner of some
street and passers-by could help themselves till the supply was exhausted.
Pe ge oe ee ey
Reports of Field Agents 295
Water fowl are still very plentiful through this region, yet I have questioned
many of the older residents and others and find that there is little comparison
between the number of birds now and those of a few years ago. Ducks, Geese
and Swan were there in such numbers, a few years ago, that it seems a few years
could make but little difference. Yet I am told that on account of the unre-
stricted shooting there has been a constant noticeable decrease year by year. The
wholesale decrease has been within the last five or six years.
In the past, there has been no warden to protect the great region about Mal-
heur and Harney Lakes, but, in order to see that the game laws are obeyed,
through State Game Warden Stevenson we have secured the appointment of
two wardens, one at Burns, Mr. George Sizemore, and one at Narrows, Mr.
Charles Fitzgerald.
The attention of the National Association is called to the condition of some
of the larger animals in this state. On account of insufficient protection, some
of these are rapidly disappearing and are likely to become extinct in this state
unless needed protection is secured. There are a few bands of elk left in the state,
and a law should be enacted giving these animals complete protection for five or
_ ten years.
Mountain sheep are now very scarce in Oregon. They have never been
found except in the eastern part of the state. As we have had no law for the
protection of these animals, they have disappeared rapidly.
Antelope were formerly quite common through southeastern Oregon, especi-
ally in Harney and Malheur counties. Dr. L. E. Hibbard, of Burns, estimates
that there are now not more than twenty-five hundred antelope in Harney county.
The antelope has marvelous vitality, but its home is on the open plain. It has
absolutely no retreat from the modern long-range rifle. It is readily hunted to
extinction. As population advances, this animal must go unless some radical
steps are taken. The following is a good example of how the antelope have
disappeared.
Five years ago, in Harney Valley a bunch of forty-five antelope lived on
the rye-grass flats southeast of Burns. They ranged from there to the east side
of the valley. They could be seen almost any day during the summer of 1903.
By r905 the herd had decreased to about twenty-five. Now all these antelope
have disappeared. Years ago plenty of antelope ranged north of Burns. These
have disappeared. This is an example of what has been and will be repeated
as population increases, until the last antelope is gone. Immediate protection
is needed for those remaining.
296 Bird- Lore
STATE AUDUBON REPORTS
The brief reports submitted by the several state societies show in the main
a growing activity in the special line of work which most of them follow, i. e.,
the education of children that they may have a more intimate knowledge of
the live bird in its natural surroundings. The love of birds once established
in the mind and heart of a child is a guarantee that thereafter bird protection
will occupy a large place in the child’s thoughts, and is also a warranty of the
growth and strength of the Audubon movement for years to come.—WILLIAM
DUTCHER.
Arizona.—An Audubon Society was organized last April. The following
were chosen officers of the Society: Mr. Herbert Brown, President; Rev. W. W.
Breckenridge, Vice-president; Mrs. Harriet B. Thornber, secretary; Mrs. Flor-
ence McCallum, treasurer. The Society adjourned during the hot summer
months, but is ready now to take up work for the coming year. Requests to
become members are constantly being made by people of education and ability.
Arizona is a rich field for Audubon work.—Mrs. J. J. THORNBER, Secretary.
California.—During the past year, much of our energy and most of our
money has been used in educational work. About ten thousand Leaflets, reports,
warning-cards and signs have been distributed, including large editions of Leaf-
lets No. 5, a new Dove Leaflet and a digest of the bird laws, a great many
copies of which were placed with game-wardens, principals and teachers in
the public schools, and interested workers in all parts of the state. It is pleasing
to be able to report that the Society has been able to supply every request for
educational literature and warning-signs made during the year.
Fifteen illustrated lectures on the economic value of the wild birds were de-
livered by the secretary. Professor Stebbins, of the State Normal School at
Chico, and Dr. Emily G. Hunt, of Pasadena, have also greatly aided our work ~
by illustrated lectures before local organizations and schools; and Prof. L. H.
Miller, of the State Normal School at Los Angeles, has given a number of inter-
esting and instructive bird talks in aid of our work.
An effort to check the traffic in bird skins and bird eggs, carried on in vio- —
lation of the state law, has brought about very much better conditions with regard —
to the “collecting” evil; and, with continued codperation of the State Fish Com-
mission, which issues permits under the law for scientific collecting, the abuses —
of bird and egg collecting, more or less in evidence in almost every state, will soon
be reduced here to the minimum.
The Society continues to combat the practice of killing Doves in the nesting
season, and by the circulation of a large amount of educational literature fully
covering the details of this species of cruelty, and the aid of humane sportsmen
a ee ee ee ee ee ee a ae
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State Audubon Reports 297
in sympathy with our cause, has brought about a strong public sentiment against
the practice, which must eventually result in a much later closed season for
the Mourning Dove than that at present provided by the state law.
The Audubon Society of California finds itself strong and well equipped
in the middle of its third year. It never before had so many good friends, gener-
ous supporters and active, capable workers, willing and ready to give gratui-
tous service for the saving of the birds. More than fifty new members, including
a large proportion of life-members, have been added during the past three months,
while a strong and active local Society was organized at Riverside and has become
affiliated with the state organization. Six junior societies were also organized
during the year.
The local Society at Pasadena, the oldest organization affiliated with the
State Society, has made a record worthy of special mention, having added about
fifty active workers to its membership rolls and distributed several thousand
Leaflets and warning-signs on its own account. This Society holds monthly
meetings for interchange of ideas and bird study, and is exceptionally active
in the pursuit and prosecution of violators of the bird laws in its field.—W.
‘Scotr Way, Secretary.
Connecticut.—The Audubon Society feels much gratified that it was largely
instrumental in having Mr. Wilbur Smith appointed game warden for Fair-
field county; he gives his entire time to the work; he is a very valuable member
of our executive committee.
Since last spring, a column has. been conducted in the Bridgeport ‘Evening
Telegram,’ Saturday edition, entirely in the interest of bird protection; it is con-
ducted by a lady member of our executive committee and is published in con-
nection with the ‘Kind Deed’ club of the paper. The Society sends this weekly
copy of the paper to every local secretary of the Society in the state, and uses
the column to further the interests of the Society. This year, we have had a
‘school secretary,’ Miss F. H. Hurd, of South Norwalk, who works in the schools
and stirs up interest among the children. We have sent out our usual traveling
libraries, portfolios, and bird-charts, and have distributed literature. We have
added 645 associate members, 5 sustaining members, 5 teachers, 24 regular
members, 206 junior members, a total of 885. We shall probably have more
names reported before the annual meeting, October 31. The Executive Com-
mittee has held eight meetings during the year, with an average attendance
of eight members.
On Bird and Arbor Day, a party of four members of the Executive Committee
visited eleven schools in Fairfield, and one of the party spoke to the children in
thirteen rooms about protecting the birds. The children seemed much inter-
ested, and contributed their share in reciting or singing songs about birds and
flowers.—HELEN W. GLOVER, Secretary.
298 Bird - Lore
Delaware.—The work of the Delaware Audubon Society continues along —
the same lines, that is, getting new members. Apart from this, there is nothing —
of special mention.—FLORENCE BAyARD HILuEs, Secretarv.
District of Columbia.—The work of our Society has progressed steadily
during the past year. The events of greatest interest being Mr. Kearton’s lecture
and our usual field meetings. The latter have been well attended, a total of ninety
persons going on the five walks and 110 different kinds of birds being seen.
On the second walk, a colony of Night Herons was visited, and between fifteen
and twenty nests were found. Most of these contained young, who filled the
woods with their hissing. In their anxiety, the parent birds came so near that
their red eyes and the long filamentous plumes sould be easily distinguished.
On another day, the Blue Grosbeak, one of the rare birds of this region, was —
noticed, and on the last walk the great event of the day was the sight of the
Pileated Woodpecker, which has been seen in the vicinity of Washington only
four times in twenty years.
The five walks were productive of a number of rare birds; in addition to those
already mentioned, were Henslow Sparrow, Summer Tanager, Golden-winged,
Hooded, Kentucky and Worm-eating Warblers, Pine Siskin and Hairy Wood-
pecker.
Each year, our Society gives a number of free lectures, hoping to arouse the
intelligent interest of the public. At our annual meeting in January, we had
Mr. Edward Avis, of New York, whose imitation of bird notes by whistling,
and on the violin, was much enjoyed, especially by the young people.
All of our meetings have been well attended, but the treat of the year was
the lecture by Mr. Kearton, of Surrey, England, illustrated by a remarkable
series of moving pictures of birds (the first ever taken). These pictures were
shown for the first time in America at the Executive Mansion, on the invitation
of President Roosevelt. Mr. Kearton’s next lecture was given under the aus-
pices of the National Geographic Society, from which 500 persons were turned
away; so that our Society considered itself very fortunate to secure Mr. Kearton,
and at once engaged the Columbia theater. To defray the unusually heavy
expense, we charged an admission fee of twenty-five cents, and by five o’clock
in the afternoon of the day on which the seats were put on sale not one of the
1,300 seats was to be had.
The lecture, with its marvelous pictures, was thoroughly enjoyed by all
who had the privilege of hearing it. Mr. Kearton received an ovation, and was
so much pleased with the appreciation shown that he declared his intention
of returning to the United States next year to make a tour of the country. If
he does, we can only hope that all members of the various Audubon Societies
may have the privilege of hearing him.—HELENn P. CuiLps, Secretary.
State Audubon Reports 299
Florida.—While the work of the Florida Audubon Society goes on with
appreciable and increasing interest, it meets with many discouragements in non-
enforcement of laws, illegal shooting, trapping of birds, plume-hunting, the shoot-
ing of many birds which are ignorantly supposed to be destroying crops, and
the slaughter of birds by the so-called ‘sportsman’ tourist.
The membership list has increased, while the subcribers have responded
as in former years, which, owing to the recent financial depression, was most
gratifying,
Warning-notices have been posted at all points where flagrant depredations
occur. In this we have, as always, the help of the Southern Express Company.
Printed cards giving a summary of the laws of Florida regarding birds, their
nests and eggs, were placed in hotels, post offices and stores. Leaflets, circulars,
reports and bulletins from the Agricultural Bureau at Washington have been
widely circulated. The “Times-Union’ in its weekly edition publishes a sheet
devoted to birds, especially as to their value to the farmer and fruit-grower;
it has excited interest and led to the forming of new auxiliaries. Mrs. Bradt,
in the ‘Sunshine Society’ column, never forgets the birds.
‘Bird-Day’ has been observed with appropriate exercises in many towns,
both under the auspices of women’s clubs and schools; notably at Ormond and
Fairfield. At the commencement exercises of the Robert Hungerford Industrial
and Normal School (colored), in Eatonville, prizes were given for bird essays.
A prize for ‘‘protecting nests and eggs” was given to Mrs Kirk Monroe’s Boys’
Club, ‘The Rangers.’ One year’s subscription to Brrp-LoRE was given asa
prize at Sanford. ‘
At the General Federation of Women’s Clubs held in Boston in June, Mrs.
Kirk Munroe, as secretary of the Florida Federation, had on exhibition and for
distribution Leaflets and reports of the Florida Audubon Society.
There have been but three publications this year, but one of our Leaflets
was adapted and reprinted by a sister Society. The most important of those
printed was the ‘Check-list of Florida Birds’; it was modeled after the check-
list of the Massachusetts Society, and arranged by Mr. Williams and Mr.
Bowdish, of the National Association. Seventy-five Audubon charts are in
circulation. It is a matter of regret that no chart has been published of the
‘birds of the South,’ which would be of great benefit to Florida, Louisiana,
Texas and all states below the Carolinas.
The most recent reservation on the east coast, known as ‘Mosquito Inlet,’
adds another refuge and breeding- as well as breathing-place for Florida birds.
Our thanks are due to President Roosevelt, our first Honorary vice-president,
and to our honored vice-president, Mr. George N. Chamberlin, of Daytona,
Florida, for their efforts and interest in securing this reservation.
White Egrets, Blue Herons and Limpkins have been seen in new nesting-
places. Quails have increased, as have many other birds. We have appeals
from many quarters that Robins be put on the protected list. The importance
300 ; Bird - Lore
and need of a Game Commissioner is felt at every turn, although our sheriffs
have given more help than formerly.
We should give public expression of our sorrow at the death of Hon. George
W. Wilson, editor of the ‘Times-Union.’ Mr Wilson was a vice-president of our
Society from its foundation, and his generous help and sympathy will never
be forgotten.
In the death of Ex-President Grover Cleveland, we meet with the loss of
an Honorary Vice-president. Mr. Cleveland approved the efforts of our Society,
and was a defender of the rights of the lower order of creation, as well as of
the higher. While he was a sportsman, he was so in its best sense; for he believed
that no cruelty or wanton sacrifice of life should be allowed or practiced.
I but voice the feeling of all the officers of the Florida Audubon Society,
as well as. of all bird lovers, when I make a plea for some action to be taken by
the National Association, in concert with the State Audubon Societies, to place
restrictions on the shooting from ‘motor-boats,’ of birds and animals. Their
destruction or slaughter is not perhaps realized; but in Florida, with its rivers,
lakes, and beautifully wooded creeks, where birds have their haunts, is offered
every inducement for a motor-boat, and shooting from it soon becomes a reck-
less amusement; for, as the boat does not stop in its course, the dead or dying
creatures are left on the water or shore. We have reports of quantities of wild
Ducks shot in this way, which have been found on the water or on the banks.
The picture is before you—the cruelty is apparent! Cannot some action be
taken to prohibit it-—Mrs. Kincsmitt Marrs, Chairman of Executive Com-
mittee.
Illinois.—The annual meeting was held in May, and was most interesting
because of the address of Dr. Lynds Jones of Oberlin College, Ohio, on ‘Sea Birds
of the Washington Bird Reservation.’ At this meeting a resolution was passed,
asking that the subject of bird protection be considered at the meetings on
conservation of the nation’s resources to be held in Washington. Doubtless,
the Iilinois Audubon Society was not the only one that felt that the birds deserved
a place as a ‘resource’ of the nation, and those engaged in forestry work should —
recognize, more than they do, their important part in the preservation of the
forests. The Society has sent out over seventeen thousand Leaflets this last
year, the largest number in its history. It has also sent the little paper ‘By-the- —
Wayside’ to 100 teachers in the state.
The Illinois Arbor- and Bird-Day Annual of this year was a credit to the
state, much of its interest being due to the work of two members of the Audubon
Society, Professors F. L. Charles and Thomas L. Hankinson.
The Audubon Department in ‘School News,’ under the charge of Mrs. E.
S. Adams, has been continued, and has brought large results in the increased —
interest of teachers and scholars. Owing also to the fact that in the Illinois ©
‘course of study’ teachers were advised to write to the Audubon Society for
w
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State Audubon Reports 301
material about birds, the secretary was almost overwhelmed in the spring with
letters from teachers and pupils all over the state, and from other states as well. :
_ As there is an unusual demand for Leaflets at the date of writing (October),
the interest bids fair to increase steadily this year.
A sketch of Audubon’s life, by Mr. E. B. Clark, was published in School
News, which this Society expects to issue as a Leaflet.
We have for the first time published a short report to be sent to members,
covering the first decade of our work.
We have added to our plant two new traveling libraries (known as the ‘Nancy
Lawrence Memorial’ and the ‘Directors’ libraries), and five sets of pictures,
- Too in each set, with descriptions of the birds under each picture. These sets
are boxed, and form a loan collection for schools; they have proved a popular
addition to our working force, and they—the lecture and the libraries—have been
in demand almost constantly.
We have heard from about eighty of our 102 counties, but are doing no better
in the matter of local secretaries.
We wish to claim a share with Florida in the honor due Mr. George N. Cham-
_ berlin, of Illinois and Florida, in the setting apart of the Mosquito Inlet reser-
vation, as Mr. Chamberlin is one of our vice-presidents.
We have expended during the year $303.09, and have received $404.09.
As we started the year with a balance of $196.93, our balance in May was $297.93.
—Mary Drummonpn, Secretary.
Indiana.—It used to be said, “When you are in Rome, do as the Romans
do”; a later bit of advice is “When you are in Rome, tell the Romans how you
do it.” In reporting for this year, I shall be guided by the latter.
The routine Audubon work has gone on about as usual this year, but we did
hit our ‘high-water mark’ in our annual meeting and that I propose to tell about.
For years we have held our annual meetings at various cities out in the state,
always having the codperation of the school authorities, the local Audubon people
and usually the club women. The meeting consists of four sessions and the
programs are so planned that we have two evening meetings, popular in char-
acter, for the general public. In the early part of Friday morning bird talks
are given in every school in the city—not a child in school but hears about the
birds. Later in the morning is held a meeting for Audubon workers for the
reading and discussion of special papers, plans, etc. In the afternoon there is a
meeting designed to be especially helpful to teachers and the older pupils of the
schools, and in the evening the popular meeting.
The meeting this year was held at Fort Wayne, the largest city we have yet
: attempted, because of the difficulty of getting enough attractive speakers to give
bird talks in all the schools Friday morning. Fort Wayne has a strong local
Society and promised help on the school bird talks and they supplied more
than half of the speakers for their seventeen schools.
302 Bird - Lore
The Thursday evening meeting was held in the High School Auditorium
with addresses of welcomé, for the city, by Judge Taylor; for the schools, by
the school superintendent and for the local Society by its president. Mrs. Gene
Stratton-Porter, the author of “The Song of Cardinal’ and ‘What I Have Done
with the Birds’ gave an address on “The Experiences of a Bird Woman’ telling
of her work in getting photographs to illustrate her books. The music for this
as well as Friday evening was furnished by the Girls’ Orchestra from the State
School.
Friday morning, from g till to o’clock, was ‘Bird Day’ in the Fort Wayne
schools. Just a few of the schools had to wait for their “talks” until early
afternoon but at some time in the day every child in the Fort Wayne schools
heard about the birds.
About 10.30, there was a conference of Audubon workers in the Museum
Room of the Carnegie Library, the regular meeting place of the local Society.
A history of the local Society was given by its president, a paper on bird anatomy
by C. A. Stockridge, the economic value of birds by W. W. Woollen. Professor
Mead, principal of the school in the Institute for Feeble Minded Youth, read
a paper telling ‘What Birds Have Done for Defective Children,’ which presented
a phase of Audubon work not familiar to the ordinary bird student. For this
reason Professor Mead’s paper was of unusual interest and if I had not started
out to tell the Romans how we do our annual meetings, I certainly should tell of
the marvelous results obtained with these children through bird- and nature-
study.
Friday afternoon the schools were dismissed earlier than usual to give teachers
and older pupils an opportunity to hear Dr. Dennis. Dr. Dennis is very popular
not only with his old students at Earlham College but with Indiana people in
general and the hall was filled to listen to his talk on ‘How to Attract Birds to
Our Home and School Grounds.’ _
This year, for the first time, we had the pleasure and inspiration of the pres-
ence of one of the officers of the National Association, the secretary, Mr. T.
Gilbert Pearson, who not only filled his assigned place on the program, but
helped out in the morning bird talks in the schools. As usual at all our meetings,
the interest increased with every session and at the evening session of Friday
the High School Auditorium was crowded to hear Mr. Pearson tell of the ‘Work
of the Audubon Societies of America.’ The audience was deeply interested in
the lecture and more than delighted with the stereopticon illustrations. Miss
FLORENCE A. Howe, Secretary.
Iowa.—The following is a partial report of work done in 1908:
During the spring months, ten-minute talks were given the pupils of different
grades in the Waterloo Public Schools, aggregating 1,100 children, thus arousing
new interest in the study and protection of birds and resulting in the securing
of the names of several adult and nearly one hundred junior members for the
State Audubon Reports 303
Audubon Society. Over one thousand colored plates and educational Leaflets
the colored pictures and write bird stories; also that the children be encouraged
to make note of the date of the arrival of the different varieties of birds, during
_ the spring migration. In many instances these suggestions were followed, with
the result that in the annual exhibit of school work, the bird booklets were of
: especial interest.
In June, two public meetings were held, one in each library, the interesting
programs being given by the pupils of the different schools and the elder members
of the Society.
Through the efforts of our Secretary, Prof. John Cameron, of Kansas City,
was secured by the local Chautauqua Association for the presentation of three
illustrated lectures on the subjects of Nature and Birds. These lectures were
practically interesting and profitable—Mrs. W. B. SMALL, President.
Kansas.—It is most singular that Kansas, one of the greatest agricultural
states of the Union, with such a vast number of progressive citizens, should be
among the last to recognize bird life as one of its chief assets. This territory
is a portion of the great inland highway for bird migration to the northward
_ in the spring and southward in the autumn, and immense hosts stop here for
_ the summer sojourn.
With some misgivings, an effort was made to combine the protests of bird-
lovers and sportsmen against the appalling destruction of birds into a recogniz-
able force. Happily,.all doubts were dissipated by a unanimity that justified
preliminary action in August to effect a regular Society for the protection of birds.
On October 2, 1908, a permanent organization was founded, with a charter
_ »membership of forty-five, which may run up to sixty or seventy by the time
we are ready to print our by-laws. A charter from the state of Kansas is now
in process of completion.
Among the things we hope to accomplish is the amendment of the present
| state bird laws to conform to the established standards elsewhere, and to pro-
| vide for the absolute protection of all harmless wild birds and animals.
That there are several species of birds that are destructive to horticultural
interests there is no doubt; but we hope to put a stop to the indiscriminate
slaughter that is going on simply because a few species are harmful. Recently
a man stated to me that he had used 2,400 gun shells during a single season, and
I have been told of another that used 6,000 shells, directed against all classes
of birds.
Indifference to the crying evil of egg-stealing, skin-stuffing, summer shoot-
ing (especially by the youth) and other vandalism against bird life is much
more difficult to contend with than the instances quoted above. This state pos-
sesses a full quota of bird-lovers, and a strong effort will be made to enlist their
influence to make it possible for the feathered friends of the agriculturalist,
ae a ae OP tg
304 Bird - Lore
the horticulturist and the dweller in the city to come, rear their young and go
without molestation.
We have outlined a great work, and the spread of a healthy idea of complete
protection. to all harmless birds and animals is in the hands of leading repre-
sentatives of the educational, professional and business life of the state. We —
therefore expect in the near future to take an advanced position among bird- —
protecting states of the Union.
To all similar efforts we send greeting.—RicHARD H. SuLLIVAN, President.
Louisiana.—The Audubon Society of Louisiana chronicles a year of great
success. In the early part of the year we prepared two comprehensive measures
to be introduced in our State Legislature. One thoroughly covered the protection
of game birds, the other provided the creation of a State Commission for the
protection of birds, game and fish, with self-sustaining warden service.
With the aid of the National Association of Audubon Societies (which was
freely accorded us) these measures were successfully presented to the legislature
and subsequently became laws, and from now on, state control of this asset
supersedes voluntary associated effort of individuals.
In addition to obtaining these laws we successfully withstood an organized
effort on the part of the millinery trade of the whole country to amend our present
“non-game”’ bird law, in order to permit the selling of bird plumage. Possibly
this was the most important event in the whole history of bird protection.
Our reservations on the coast continue to give a good account of themselves.
Thanks to the warden service maintained by the National .Association, our bird-
breeding islands to the eastward of the mouth of the Mississippi river gave
to the almost depopulated waters of the Gulf upwards of sixty-two thousand
Gulls and Terns; while to the westward of the river, 4 like number were prob-~
ably raised on islands over which very little warden service obtains for want of
funds.
From now on the Audubon Society can drop the undesirable phase of liti-
gation to enforce the bird and game laws and enter the more congenial and true
one of effort along educational lines in the public schools.
In conclusion, we desire to call the attention of all Audubon Societies to the
misnomers under which our efforts have been carried on. We refer to the desig-
nations of ‘game’ and ‘non-game’ birds. In our opinion this is highly objection-
able and should be superseded by the more comprehensive terms of ‘useful?’
birds, comprising all the insectivorous and some vegetivorous birds. ‘Game?
birds comprising the wild sea and river Ducks, Geese, etc., and the ‘obnoxious’
birds, such as Cooper’s Hawk, Cowbird, Passer Domesticus and others.
Such a nomenclature would bring the bird question right into the domain —
of the utilitarian and would vitally strengthen the plea for bird preservation— _
FRANK M. MILLER, President.
So ee ey a ee ae
eo
CC
State Audubon Reports 305
Maine.—The interest in bird protection in Maine continues to spread. So
far as known, the large. colonies of birds on the coast have been unmolested,
and no unfavorable breeding conditions have come to notice.
Common Terns returned to the Outer Green Island in considerable numbers,
and a few dozens bred successfully. —ArTHuR H. Norton, Secretary.
Maryland.—There is but little new to report this year. The game laws
were slightly modified at the last meeting of the legislature.
An encouraging feature, however, has been the desire on the part of indi-
viduals in different counties of the state to form local societies in their respective
communities. Good laws will be the inevitable fruit of a growth in knowledge
of bird life; so educational work, the most important work of all, will continue
in Maryland.—Minna D. Srarr, Secretary.
Massachusetts.—It is pleasant to be able to report another successful
year with a gain of 321 members. Our membership is now 6,870, which includes
2,174 juniors and 123 local secretaries.
Our work has been done along the usual lines. A large number of educational
and other Leaflets, warning notices in English and Italian, and copies of the
law have been freely distributed. Our four traveling libraries have been used
continuously and there has been a good demand for our bird charts, plates and
calendars Our three traveling lectures have been used in a number of schools.
We are publishing another calendar this fall, printed in Japan, with six new
plates of birds, uniform in style and artistic merit with our calendars for the
past three years.
Much interest was taken in legislative matters last winter, and a special
effort was made to help the passage of a bill to prohibit spring shooting. Several
hundred circular letters were sent out announcing the hearing on the bill and giv-
ing the reasons why it should be passed. This bill was referred to the next Gen-
eral Court. Several other bills called for special interest in our part. Among them
one to abolish our excellent Fish and Game Commission on the ground of econ-
omy, which did not get beyond its first hearing; one to create the office of State
Ornithologist, connected with the State Board of Agriculture, which passed;
and a hunters’ license bill, which also passed, to go into effect January 1, 1909.
Constant war was waged on milliners and hairdressers who tried to use
aigrettes, etc. All that were discovered were reported to the state officers, the
Fish and Game Commission, and their cases were promptly attended to. The
Commission sent out a deputy who did splendid work in a number of cities in
the state, bringing the offenders into court when he found the feathers of Herons,
Terns, etc., in their stock. They also had postals printed stating the law in regard
to the use, or possession of, feathers from birds protected by our state laws,
which were sent out by our Society as well as by the Commission.
Besides the regular monthly meetings of the Board of Directors, a conference
306 Bird- Lore
of the New England Audubon Societies was held, which was not very well at--
tended, and a successful course of four lectures was given, with Rev. Herbert
K. Job, Mr. Ernest Hargld Baynes, Mr. Henry Oldys and Mr. William Lyman
Underwood as lecturers.—Jrsste E. KimBAtt, Secretary.
Michigan.—The Michigan Audubon Society has made a special fight for
the preservation of game-birds by protecting the nesting-grounds. The State
Game Warden has done better work than his predecessor against whom our
Society waged a war. Some of the local deputies have been efficient but gen-
erally speaking there has been little improvement in deputies. The Audubonists
have joined with the Michigan Association in asking for improvements in game
conditions. Mr. Charles Pierce, the game warden, has attended the meetings
of the Association and agreed to aid in bringing about the abolishment of spring
shooting.. This we hope to accomplish in the legislature during the coming winter.
The Women’s Clubs of the state have started a crusade against bird millinery.
They have also helped in bringing Audubon work before the schools. The Audu-
bon Society became a member of the Michigan State Humane Association and
has spread the work in this way, that is, by coéperating with the various humane
societies.
Our Society has given a number of prizes to schools and clubs. Five local
Audubon Societies have been organized during the year and some of them have
been quite active. Last winter one man made $1,800 killing English Sparrows
in Detroit. In the country districts many Goldfinches, Chickadees and Tree
Sparrows were destroyed and a bounty was collected on them as English Spar-
rows. For this reason we are asking that the bounty law on English Sparrows
be repealed. Detroit suffered greatly by the destruction of trees from insects
during the spring and summer. This the citizens agree was caused through
the killing of the Sparrows. The Audubon Society will insist on experts destroy-
ing the Sparrows if it is considered necessary to have them removed. We find
that the bounty on Sparrows encourages bad habits in boys.
Mr. Henry Oldys spoke on government work in preserving the birds, before
an audience of 800 in Detroit. The secretary has given fifteen lectures, with
stereopticon views in various parts of the state. Prof. W. B. Barrows has been
helping by correcting the erroneous summary of the state laws published by the
Secretary of State. The forces for the protection of animal and birds were never
before united in Michigan as they are now and generally improved conditions
are looked for.—JEFFERSON BUTLER, Secretary.
Mississippi.—For three years after the passage of the A. O. U. Model Law
in 1904, Mississippi did nothing to follow up her advantage. But the appoint-
ment of Special Agent H. H. Kopman marked the beginning of a new era. —
During the summer of 1907, Mr. Kopman gave talks in many parts of the
state, in connection with the Farmers’ Institutes. He carefully prepared, during
_
ee eS ee weet a ee
aaa 0 snlacaiin
State Audubon Reports 307
this time, a list of available material; and a charter membership of 239 was enrolled
before the widely advertised Audubon Society organization meeting took place. -
The week of the State Fair was selected as a favorable time for organization;
and through the National Association an exhibit was made at the Fair for more
than a week. Specimens for this exhibit were also borrowed from the Museum
of Tulane University, New Orleans. A register was kept of the visitors to the
exhibit, and reply cards soliciting membership were sent to them. This, how-
ever, met with little success; and most of the good accomplished was probably
through the literature distributed, setting forth the purposes of the proposed
organization. .
Without going farther into the details of organization than to say that it took
place on November 9g, in Jackson, we will state briefly the work done.
Reply cards have been sent to selected persons in all parts of the state, and
by this and other means the membership has been increased to 302. Circulars
for posting have been serit to about seven hundred and fifty Mississippi post-
offices, by permission of the Department; this work will be continued. Much
publicity has been given the work from its inception by articles of varying nature
in the Jackson daily papers, which have been in steady sympathy with us,
especially the ‘Daily News,’ whose city editor is: chairman of our Committee
on Publicity. And of very great importance is the work now being undertaken
of sending out 10,000 circulars to state and county fairs during this fall, setting
forth the advantages to the farmer of the Audubon work, of publishing in every
paper in the state a regular publicity communication, and of combining in the
most intimate way possible publicity and popular education, by means of a series
of illustrated lectures by Special Agent Kopman.
A series of articles by Mr. Kopman in the ‘Farmers’ Union Advocate’, in
which he replied to attacks made on the proposed warden system, and on the
work of the Society in general, did good, it is hoped; they certainly reached many
farmers all over the state, and probably assisted in clearing us of suspicion
of ‘graft.’ .
Careful and persistent work was done by Mr. Kopman in Jackson, in pre-
venting violation of the laws forbidding the sale of game. One affidavit was made
and conviction secured, and we think the local trade was almost stopped. Presi-
dent Hemingway is memorializing the thirteen circuit judges to charge their
grand juries in regard to the game laws.
No legislation was secured; but the bill providing for a state warden and
license system was favorably reported in House and Senate, and would certainly
have passed if adjournment had not prevented. Governor Noel is committed
to the cause and would gladly have signed the bill if it had come to him.
The educational outlook is good. Mr. Kopman made addresses to teachers’
associations in five counties, and has talked in the schools of a number of im-
portant towns and cities. The State Superintendent of Education has given us
hearty support and our work has been endorsed in the Mississippi ‘School Journal,’
308 Bird - Lore
the official organ of State Education. . Local chapters have been founded here
and there, with a membership of over one hundred school children at Ellisville,
and local secretaries at the State University, and the two largest colleges report
excellent prospects for the winter. The secretary read at the annual meeting of
the State Teachers’ Association a paper which was well received, and he has
already been engaged to conduct a course in bird study at oné of the summer
Normal Schools during the summer of t909.—ANDREW ALLISON, Secretary.
Nebraska.—While our Society has had no unusual growth in the year past,
we do notice a continued increase in interest in bird life and study. We held the
annual field-day with the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union at Childs Point, several
miles south of Omaha, it being one of the best regions for observation in the
state. At our request the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union have published a
field Check-list of common eastern, common western, rare and accidental species
reported in the state, some four hundred in all. Bird guides have been put into
the traveling libraries sent over the state by the Library Commission. The
increase of nature study in our schools results in the delight possible from an
acquaintance with birds, and makes them more and more appreciated. The
Public Library in this city wilf exhibit a collection of our common birds in spring
and fall plumage, together with their nests. Had we means to print and circulate
more literature, we believe that the children in the state might be incited to join
heartily in a movement to give wild birds more and better protection.—JoHN
R. Towne, President.
New Hampshire.—The work of the New Hampshire Audubon Society
during the past year has been chiefly educative. We have continued to circulate
literature, and have concentrated our attention on schools in the remoter rural
districts, supplying them with bird charts, pictures and books.
In order to increase the circulation of the book ‘Useful Birds and Their Pro-
tection,’ by Edward Howe Forbush, we have sent printed circulars describing
and recommending the book to the 300 librarians of New Hampshire.
Arrangements have been made to insert in the leading newspaper of the
state Mr. Forbush’s semi-monthly articles on bird protection and the work of
the Audubon Societies. At our annual meeting Mr. Forbush gave his lecture,
‘What Birds Do for Man, and What Man Should Do for Birds.’
Mr. Abbott H. Thayer has written an ‘Appeal to Sportsmen’ in behalf of 83
the Ruffed Grouse, urging a five-year close period, and the Society has taken
measures to have this appeal published in the leading papers of the state.
Through the solicitation of the Society, the lecture ‘The Ministry of Birds,’
by Dr. W. R. Lord, was included in the course given by the Manchester Insti-
tute of Arts and Sciences.
The good news has come to us from the Fish and Game Commissioners
that there is already evidence that the law passed at the last session of the legis-
fe ee
State Audubon Reports 309
lature, giving a five-year close season on Wood Duck and Upland Plover, has
resulted in an increase of numbers of those species.—Mrs. F. W. BATCHELDER,
Secretary.
New Jersey.—It is very evident that there is no falling off in bird interest
in this state, if we can judge by the number of persons who are learning to iden-
tify them, and by the books advertised and sold. Interest in all outdoor sports
and in nature study has increased, and bird study comes in for its share. The
majority of persons, however, feel that they can pursue this study by themselves,
and the need of joining a Society or helping in the prosecution of offenders does
not present itself to them.
The chief work done by the New Jersey Society during the past year has been
the sending out of several thousand circular letters on the occasion of the spring-
_ shooting bill which was introduced into the Senate last spring. A bill was also intro-
duced relating to the selling of game-birds within the state of New Jersey. An effort
was made to introduce to the teachers of the public schools the Audubon Leaflets
on bird-boxes, with illustrated examples which would appeal to children and
enable them to construct these little boxes and bird-houses for themselves. Al-
though no reply came from the hundred or more school principals to whom
these Leaflets were furnished, it is hoped that an impulse was given in the right
direction, and probably a similar attempt will be made during the coming winter.
Jutta S. ScriBner, Secretary.
New Jersey.—The La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers’ League, organized two
years ago, at Summit, New Jersey, for the further protection of the flora and
fauna of this country, is a progressive movement accomplishing much in the
formation of human character through its precepts of self-sacrifice, as well as
in the protection of nature’s riches in the locality where it chiefly obtains.
Composed of thirty chapters, chiefly in schools, both public and private,
it is usually accepted as a united school movement, all pupils being members,
the entire membership numbering about three thousand.
As a méans of increasing sentiment in behalf of protection of forests, native
plants and animal life, ninety lectures have recently been given, twenty-five of
which were by Mr. Beecher S. Bowdish, of the Audubon Society. About 20,000
pictures of birds and 10,500 Leaflets have been distributed during the last ten
months in this interest. Of the hundreds of essays written by pupils, based on
information received from such sources chiefly, eighty-three of those submitted
to the League Essay Committee have been printed in various periodicals.
About two hundred and sixty petitions were sent out through the interes’
of League chapters and 500 circular letters of the Audubon Society distributed,
-when the New Jersey Legislalure was in session, in behalf of bills atlording
absolute protection to the game birds of the state.
Over five hundred folders of the American Forestry Association were «is
310 Bird - Lore
tributed during the last session of Congress, among the clergy and other promi-
nent members of Society, in behalf of the Appalachian and White Mountain
bill, for the preservation of our forests.
il agi ll ta a i
In the interests of industry and nature study, packages of garden seeds were
distributed among all pupils of six of the League Chapters.
A present League interest is the completion of the fund to be appropriated —
to the purchase of a bird refuge on the New Jersey coast. But a while ago, thou-
sands of Gull wings swept in untold beauty on errands of usefulness over New
Jersey’s shores; today, through woman’s demand for their plumage, a few hun-
dreds linger around the old nesting-place, and these only through the vigilance
ofthe Audubon Society, whose wardens act as guards. The La Rue Holmes
Nature League is seeking the means necessary to make this breeding-ground
the possession of the Gulls, and other shore birds, for all the future GEORGIANA
K. Hotmes, General Secretary.
New York.—Governor Hughes’ suggestion that the entire bird and game
laws should be revised resulted in the adoption of the Cobb-Mills Bills. Mr,
Dutcher urged several amendments to these bills, and was successful in secur-
ing “no open season at any time for the Wood Duck;”’ also a month’s additional
protection on Long Island for shore-birds. Other legislative action favorable
to birds’ protection was the increase of the non-resident and alien hunters’
license to twenty dollars; resident license, one dollar.
Fa ee ey Ie! > ee
eee ee ep ee
The amendments recommended.by Mr. Dutcher which failed to pass were:
To prevent possession of wild-fowl sixty days after beginning of the close season;
to prohibit killing of Brant from January 1, to May 1; to secure protection for
the Snowy Owl, the useful Hawks, and the Crow Blackbird; to prohibit the sale —
of the plumage of wild birds wheresoever killed. A vigorous effort will be made
made to secure the passage of these amendments the coming session of the
Legislature.
At the annual meeting of the Society, which was held on March 19, 1908,
Prof. Henry Fairfield Osborn was elected President.
The new certificate, in colors, is now ready for distribution. The present
membership is 9,403.
The routine of the work of the New York Society has been the same as in
the past, and until the movement takes firmer hold upon the public conscience —
and larger contributions are received, and more clerical aid secured, no great
change is to be expected.
In Buffalo, a Society is being organized to increase the interest in Audubon
work in that city. This will be an important factor in the development of bird
protection in the western portion of the state.
4 year ago, an enthusiastic local secretary moved to Binghamton and reported —
great need of the work there. Last spring she wrote that “interest is on the
increase,’ and now she asks for “double the amount of literature. sent last year,
i,
State Audubon Reports 311
as there is great demand for it.” This is only typical of the growth of the work,
were the Society able to be more liberal in supplying the demands created by
ee ee
these past twelve years of effort. Another local secretary writes: “I find the
people in the country and small towns are just waiting to have this work broached
to them, to go into it heart and soul.” Thus, the ever-present problem of how
to increase the income of the Society is now more than ever urgent. The Society
is now doing a tithe of the work which might be done were more funds at its
command.—Emma H. Locxwoon, Secretary.
North Carolina.—In certain respects, the work in North Carolina for the °
past year has been on a decidedly larger scale than theretofore. The Secretary
of the Society, assisted by Miss Mary T. Moore, the School Secretary, has given
a large number of lectures and bird talks throughout the state, principally to
gatherings of teachers and farmers. Five thousand copies of the game laws,
besides many thousands of leaflets and cloth posters, have been distributed,
and numbers of articles for the public press have been prepared and sent out.
_ During the year seveniy-nine game wardens were employed, a larger number
than any previous year. As a result of their activities, the Society brought 274
prosecutions in the State Courts for violations of the bird and game protective
laws. In 245 of these cases the defendants were convicted and fined. The ma-
jority of these convictions were for infringements of laws protecting game birds
or animals, but twenty-five cases were for killing Robins, and nineteen cases
were for killing non-game birds such as Mockingbirds, Nighthawks, Cuckoos,
Herons and Bluebirds.
During the year we purchased an additional launch, ‘The Dovekie,’ which
has since been doing patrol work in Currituck Sound. Our legislature was called
in special session during the month of January, and several local game laws
of a restrictive nature were passed. Some of these bills were drafted by the secre-
tary of the Audubon Society.
In connection with the State Geological Survey, we are preparing to publish
an illustrative work on the birds of North Carolina, at a contemplated expen-
diture of about five thousand dollars. This work will be sent gratis to over
two thousand Public School Libraries in the state.
We received $8,776.12 from the state, our total income amounting to $13,-
115.33; and our expenditures were $13,275.26, leaving an overdraft of $159.93.
—T. GILBERT Pearson, Secretary.
North Dakota.—The work of the North Dakota Audubon Society for
the year ending October 30, 1908, has been for the most part along the line of
creating public sentiment in favor of the protection of bird life. A series of well-
attended free lectures was given during the winter months under the auspices .
of the Society. In December, Mr. Enos A. Mills, lecturer for the United States
Forestry Bureau, spoke to three large audiences of the value of trees anc hirds,
312 Bird - Lore
creating much favorable comment. The subjects treated later in the series were
‘Uncommon Birds of Stump Lake,’ ‘Faunal Areas of. North Dakota,’ ‘Familiar
Bird Families and How to Know Them’ and ‘How to Attract the Birds to Our
Houses.’ As the Hawks and Owls arrived in the spring of 1908, carefully pre-
pared articles on local species with special reference to their value as pest destroy-
ers were published in local papers. During the summer of 1908, a local Society
was organized, through the efforts of Mrs. William Falger, at Devil’s Lake.
At the annual meeting held October 30, 1907, Dr. R. T. Young was made
president and Mrs. A. G. Leonard, secretary and treasurer.—Mrs. A. G. LEo-
NARD, Secretary.
Ohio.—The past year has been marked by increased enthusiasm among
the members, and consequently greater personal effort on the part of various
individuals to keep the work of the Society before the public, as well as to refresh
their own lives by ‘listening to stars and to birds, to babes and to sages with
open heart.’
Apropos of babes: We have begun to organize bird clubs in the various public
schools and in even some of the exclusive private institutions, and, whereas
Pee a
ee a
ew oe eS
we started out with the modest hope of interesting only a few children in the
several districts, the result more than justified our efforts. At present there
are over six hundred and twenty-five children the proud possessors of an Audu-
bon button, many provided with guides, and we believe that, if we can keep
in close touch with these children for four or five years, the protection and appre-
ciation of birds will be well assured.
The movement is still in the experimental stage. Last year’s series of illus-
trated lectures drew such large attendences that Mr. Hodges, Librarian of the
Public Library of Cincinnati, offered us the free use of all the Branch Libraries.
We therefore hope to properly organize and systematize the work for the coming
year.
The work of the Society in prosecuting milliners for the sale of birds and
aigrettes attracted a great deal of attention. And while, for the most part, we
dislike the aggressive method, we found that the ‘notoriety’ did much to awaken
public sentiment, even if it did not decrease the sale of aigrettes. At present,
Mr. Speaks, the Chief Warden of Columbus, Ohio, has agreed to defend the
case vs. the appeal of one of the milliners, in his attempt to test the law. If the
law can be found wanting, we shall need to remodel it; otherwise there ought
to be more attempts made to enforce it.
The Program Committee provided a series of interesting speakers for our
regular meetings, and these were much enjoyed. Usually, the topic of the after- _
noon lead into general discussion and debate, which was not the least enjoyable
part of the program.
There has been much correspondence with persons throughout the state
about organizing branch societies, and many leaflets have been distributed.
: ; ae
ee lta, Nees ee, ee ee
a
ree
1. ee er ee ae
6 State Audubon Reports 313
The Bounty Bill for Hawks and Owls was defeated, thanks to the prompt
efforts put forth to crush it.
More than the usual number of requests for speakers from our Society have
been called for by other organizations, and these have done much to stimulate
in others a keener appreciation of the beauties of nature. Mr. Wm. Hubbell
Fisher, the President of our Society, lead them all in point of number, having
given of his valuable time to lecture or talk on trees and birds before a half dozen
different assemblages.
‘Last, but by no means least, our field meetings have been a grand success.
Every week saw parties of bird-lovers, armed with cameras, guide-books and
glasses, start out on these delightful excursions. Whatever effort was required
to make it possible for some of us to attend was more than repaid by the number
of species noted, and by the sweet serenity of spring.
It ‘was, for some of us, our first formal introduction to nature, and we hicpé
sincerely to be able to make her further acquaintance. The success of these
meetings was largely due to the patience and ability to impart knowledge on the
part of our two guides—Mrs. Hermine Hansen, as botanist and zodlogist, and
Mr. Wm. Cramer, as ornithologist. That the Coming year may be as full of
endeavor and accomplishment, is our earnest wish.—M. KATHERINE RATTER-
MANN, ey i.
Giiiedite. Outside of the distribution of bird literature, there was little
accomplished by our State Society, except the work before the state legislature.
We are in need of more and better organization er our new state.—
Arma Carson, Secretary.
Oregon.—Our Society has been active during the past year in distributing
educational leaflets to farmers, fruit-growers, teachers and ladies of fashion.
We expect to pursue the same course during the coming winter.
The boys of the Manual Training School, under the patronage of our Society,
made a success with their bird-nesting-box exhibit. We have made arrange-
ments with the director of the school to follow this still further in the winter’s
work. The second of the series of bird leaflets, written by Mr. Finley, and
published under the authority of the University of Oregon, was issued during
the year; it deals with the economic value of the birds common about our state.
This, with the first leaflet, we have used to much advantage in our educational
work.
At a meeting of the Oregon Fish and Game Association, last spring, it was
_proposed to submit a bill to the next legisiature, extending the spring shooting
of Ducks up to March 1. The Audubon Society passed resolutions against this
step, and will make a determined fight if such a bill is introduced. We have
secured the support of the best class of sportsmen against extending the season;
public sentiment seems opposed to the spring shooting of wild fowl.
314 Bird - Lore
An active campaign for life members in this Society was undertaken during
the spring. Twelve were secured at the payment of twenty-five dollars each.
Four hundred dollars was subscribed by our Society for Messrs. Bohlman and
Finley to make a trip into Southeastern Oregon in quest of bird knowledge.
The report of these gentlemen upon this trip resulted in the establishment
of Klamath and Malheur Lake Reservations, thus placing Oregon as one of
the best-equipped states in the Union for the protection of wild birds.
A year ago, Three Arch Rocks Reservation was set aside by President Roose-
velt. The sea-birds have been well protected under Warden Phelps, of the last-
mentioned reservation.
Klamath and Malheur Lakes are the greatest breeding and feeding grounds
on the Pacific Coast for various kinds of water-fowl, notably the Grebe. Plans
are under way to have these birds guarded and protected. Klamath and Malheur
Reservations are large,—they require active wardens fearless in the work; to
get these, money is necessary. Reservations without wardens are of little effect.
This problem is urgently before us.—Emma J. WELTY, Corresponding Secretary.
Pennsylvania.—The Society had a most excellent start given to its enthu-
siasm for bird study in the beginning of the winter by the meeting of the Ameri-
can Ornithologists’ Union, in Philadelphia, in December 1907. The Audubon
members who availed themselves of the open session of the Union heard some
most interesting papers, and had opportunities of meeting a number of well-
known ornithologists.
The Society was also Dutuneie:’ in having a lecture given by Mr. Kearton
of England, which was most interesting.
A large number of leaflets have been distributed during the year, and able
assistance in this work has been given by different Children’s societies, such as
‘Mercy Bands,’ etc.
The traveling libraries of the Society have had new books added to them,—
‘Gray Lady’ and ‘The Sport of Bird Study,’—both very popular with the chil-
dren, and the libraries (which are under Miss Hilda Justice’s management)
have been sent to different applicants through the state, as usual.
. The regular course of lectures at the Academy of Natural Sciences on ‘Our
Common Birds’ by Mr. Witmer Stone, president of the Pennsylvania Society,
had a very large attendance this year. :
A most interesting feature during the past year has been the gradual increase ~
of requests for ‘something to read about birds,’ as well as the demand for ‘colored
pictures’ on all occasions.
The secretary finds that a list of pond bird books with a brief outline of the
contents of each book, the cost and where they may be obtained, is a welcome
addition to the leaflets to many of the country applicants for bird information. —
Mr. Forbush’s valuable book, ‘Useful Birds and Their Protection’, has —
given great help and satisfaction to out-of-town members. :
State Audubon Reports 31 5
In closing, the secretary begs to thank all the state Societies which have sent
their leaflets or local reports to her. It is most helpful to have this interchange
of ideas, and the reports of work accomplished have been most suggestive and
encouraging to start new lines of work in Pennsylvania.—E.izaBETH WILSON
FISHER, Secretary.
Rhode Island.—The Audubon Society of Rhode Island reports definite
progress this year, notwithstanding the resignation of its efficient secretary,
Mrs. Henry T. Grant. ‘
During the year four local secretaries have been appointed, making a total
of thirty-one. The entire number of members is 1,988. Two new classes of mem-
bers have been added: ‘Sustaining Members,’ with annual fee of five dollars,
and ‘Junior Members’ (under sixteen years) with a fee of ten cents in one pay-
ment. Juniors at sixteen are expected to join one of the classes of adult members.
These changes.are designed to give a more adequate, regular income and a com-
pact working membership.
_An effort has been started to introduce bird study into the city schools with
favorable results in Providence and East Providence. Six thousand leaflets
‘have been distributed and a number of bird charts. The Society has published
a special bulletin of valuable suggestions for bird-study indoors and outdoors
at different seasons, entitled ‘One Way to Study the Birds,’ by Mrs. H. E. Walter.
A report has also been issued including full lists of officers and active members
with addresses.
One thousand leaflets, sii feather wearing have been distributed to the
Federation of Women’s Clubs, and 200 signatures obtained of those willing
to give up the use of feathers.
Rhode Island was favored in having Mr. Edward H. Forbush here through
the winter. He worked up an interest in bird legislation which resulted in four
bills for bird protection being introduced into the Senate. The one for the pro-
tection of shore birds from January 1 to August 1 passed both houses and became
a law. An appropriation of $1,000 was added to the $300 now available for
the work of the bird commissioners of the state.
Both Mr. Forbush and Mr. Frank M. Chapman have given interesting free
lectures under the auspices of the Society during the last winter.
Seven traveling bird libraries have been in constant use in rural districts,
and a traveling lecture, with excellent stereopticon illustrations, has been enjoyed
several times in Rhode Island and in Illinois and Michigan.—ALicr W. WILcox,
Secretary.
Texas.—For twelve months, ending October 5, all the activities the Texas
+ secretary could lend, all the time possible to spare from newspaper engagements,
have been earnestly dedicated to Audubon work, with fruitful results in arousing
_ interest in the preservation of birds and in promoting the organization of branch
316 | Bird - Lore:
societies, 85 per cent .of such societies having been formed‘in the universities,
academies, and public schools.
In the strenuous efferts made during the current year, I desire to express
grateful appreciation for encouragement afforded the Texas Audubon Society
by Governor Tom Campbell, Attorney-General R. V. Davidson, Turner E.
Hubby, Hon.-E. W. Kirkpatrick, of McKinney, President of the Texas Farmers
Congress; Dr. R. B. Cousins, of Austin; State Superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion; Col. R. T. Milner, President of the Agricultural and Mechanical College;
Dr. H. H. Harrington, former President of the same, now in charge of the state
experiment stations; Prof. Wesley Peacock of San Antonio, President of the
Peacock Military School; Hon. John A. Porter of Paris, Texas, General Manager
of the Paris Transit Company; Hon. George H. Hogan of Ennis, Miss Kate
Friend, President of the Waco Federation of Women’s Clubs; Dr. H. P. Attwater,
Industrial Agent of the Southern Pacific; Hon. W. W. Seley, President of the
Waco Business Men’s Club; Hon. Homer D. Wade, Secretary of the Stamford.
Business Men’s Club; to the entire press of the state, and to ministers and edu-
cators in general.
In lecturing with and without the lantern and slides, covering a territory
in Texas equal to three or four of the smaller eastern states, the lectures have*
been invariablv received with kindness and consideration and have been accorded _
all the attention and assistance we needed. In every case, the Audubon lecturers _
have been permitted to use large halls, auditoriums and opera-houses, and have
been afforded plenty of light, and have had the assistance of intelligent and
helpful ladies and gentlemen who lent their skill, energy and high social stand-
ing in making the lectures successful; in more than one case, young ladies handling
the stereopticon. 7
As long as the railways were permitted to do so, they gave free transpor-
tation, and, that courtesy having been cut. off by legislative enactment, the rail-
way officials continue by every means in their power to aid the Audubon work.
The volume of bird life in Texas is on the increase, except Doves; Water-fowl,
and Prairie Chickens. Ruthless Dove slaughter broke out the latter part of last
August, and has not yet ceased, in spite of vigorous efforts to suppress it. With
inadequate revenue to support it, the state warden system has not been fully
able to cope with the situation, but has done a great deal toward the suppression
of the inveterate butchery directed especially against Doves. Rae
Gun clubs at Houston and Beaumont have been active in protecting both Ke
water-fowl and game generally in the regions contiguous to the Gulf of Mexico,
while in the northwestern Texas counties land owners, railway men, and state —
officials have done much for the protection of antelopes, deer, Wild Rabi Z
and Prairie Chickens. ;
In all the work accomplished, the Texas Audubon Society proved the most _
prominent agency in the state in encouraging the preservation of wild life, in
fields, forest, and on the plains. ey
-
State Audubon Reports 317
The Texas Audubon Society has gained the respect and admiration of the
entire law-abiding population of Texas, and we hope and believe that the next
legislature will provide revenues sufficient for the support of a fully effective
warden system. With the limited means at their disposal, Col. R. H. Wood,
the state warden, and Capt. R. W. Lorence, chief deputy warden, have accom-
plished wonders, and have demonstrated that with adequate means they would
be able to convert Texas into a vast and princely bird and game preserve, the
greatest preserve on the planet.—M. B. Davis, Secretary.
Vermont.—In February, 1908, the Audubon Society of Vermont was reorgan-
ized with the following officers: President, Prof. J. W. Votey, University cf Ver-
- mont, Burlington; secretary, Carlton D. Howe, Essex Junction; treasurer Miss
Emma E. Drew, Burlington; first vice-president, Mrs. E. B. Davenport, Brattle-
boro; second vice-president, Miss Cora I. Tarbox, Essex Junction.
Since reorganization, the secretary has given forty-four bird talks and lec-
tures, thirty-eight before school children in as many different schools, two before
Teachers’ Conventions, one before a meeting of School Superintendents, one
before a Bird Club, and one each before an Epworth League and a Missionary
Institute.
Over three thousand Audubon Leaflets have been SERIES chiefly to
teachers, in all parts of the state.
The biennial session of the legislature convenes this month. An effort will
be made to strengthen the existing bird law by placing certain unprotected birds
upon the protected list. .
An increased interest in bird study and an increase of sentiment toward bird
protection is noticeable among the general public, especially among educators
and school children.
There has been an increase in siabeship in both departments. The So-
ciety in Burlington now numbers 500 members.—Car_ton D. Howe, Sec-
retary.
Washington.—I find that the conditions of this state are rapidly changing
for better bird protection, and the laws of this state are fairly well observed. I
also find that game wardens throughout the principal counties of this state are
doing everything in their power to help enforce the laws for the protection of
both game- and song-birds.
I have made arrangements with the public schools in Seattle, and will endeavor
to do the same in other cities of this state, for the building of nesting-boxes.
The pamphlets you sent me some time ago are being distributed to the several
manual-training departments of the public schools throughout this state. I have
in this city kindred organizations that are constantly furnishing aid along these
lines.
While our state organization is not so strong as I should like to have it, I
318 Bird - Lore |
am pleased to say it has done wonders. Since this organization has been formed,
I find that the children, in many instances, are well posted on bird life, habits,
etc. Our president, Mr. W. Leon Dawson, is constantly working in the field,
both in research and educational lines, and I, as secretary of this Association,
look forward to a prosperous year for 1909.—H. Ruer, Secretary.
Wisconsin.—The Audubon work in this state, for which the Wisconsin
Audubon Society stands responsible, is progressing well. Through the general
interest and assistance of the state newspapers, its purpose and labors are be-
coming widely known, and the number of its loyal friends ane co-workers is
increasing steadily.
During the past year, hundreds of Audubon Leaflets have been distributed
among the public libraries and among educators and others in a position to aid.
Other helpful literature has also been widely circulated. The circulation
of ‘By-the-Wayside,’ the official organ of the Wisconsin and Illinois Societies,
so ably edited by Mr. Thomas R. Maybe, secretary of the Children’s Department,
has also been slightly increased.
The Society’s libraries of bird books and stereopticon lectures have been
in frequent demand. The State Game Warden’s office, with which the Society
is acting in full accord, has succeeded in bringing to justice a considerable number
of persons guilty of wantonly destroying bird life.
Correspondence has been conducted with Audubon Societies and unattached
workers in other states,and the interest in the protection of bird and animal life
thus assisted.
In the State Historical Museum, at Madison, a bulletin-board, giving infor-
mation of the Audubon work, has been erected, and by this means the ee $s
work is brought to the notice of thousands of visitors. _
Teachers’ institutes and other gatherings have also been addressed by various
members.
The annual meetings of the Society was held at Madison, on the evening of
May 209.
Dr. R. H. Dennison was elected president, and Mr. Charles E. Brown secre-
tary and treasurer for the ensuing year. Mrs. Joseph Zastraw and Mrs. R. G.
Thwaites were chosen vice-presidents. Mr. Thomas R. Maybe will continue
in charge of the Children’s Department.—Cuar.es E. Brown, Secretary.
List of Members 319
LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF AUDUBON SOCIETIES
BENEFACTOR
NUE RLINY MAMINM ih c'g arcic sok san h Care seeded Dime. Kaira wlels «ate oan 1906
LIFE MEMBERS
Bancroft, William P................1906 | Hunnewell, H.S.. ch a eae go -
Seeemereiiee COre Fk ke 1907 Huntington, Archer M............. 1905
meene, Mrs.-). Arthur. . 8.0... 1907 | Jackson, Mrs. James............... 1908
Bingham, Miss Harriet. . seas O07. | Ridder, Nathaniel Tot eo oe 1905
Bowman, Miss Sarah R............ 1905 | Kilmer, Willis Sharpe.............. 1907
Brewster, William..................1905 | Lawrence, Samuel C............... 1905
Bridge, Mrs. Edmund...:..:....... E907") oMeConnell: MasGu Dvn 6? on yee 1908
as EB a coed Su eee 1906 | McGraw, Mrs. Thos. S.............1908
Mraemew bverett Wo... cee es. TO07:::|") Marshall, Towle. 055i, ab sc diasew dash ols 1906
Sc re a 1907 | Morton, Miss Mary............... 1906
Brooks, Mrs. Shepard.............. 1906 | North Carolina, Audubon cues ne QOS
Dromore so Hull...) . ek... 1905 | Osborne, Mrs. Eliza W.... . +. 1906
Seerrememy Pullen So... 2.608. 1907 | Palmer, WIS. ei eee 1906
Chapman, Clarence E............. 1908 | Pearson, Prof. T. Gilbert........... 1905
Childs, a3 PNR a 6d aidieetce 1906). Philling, Mras 7. Cig. 5S. caves Senn 1905
Clyde, W. P. ia, a Ba as RON || Fy EDA REE as pis oS la Piss 4, coal 1905
Coolidge, T. Jefferson 3rd. . AT anti 1907 | Pickman, Mrs. Dudley L........... 1907
Smear mreuneel So. 0... ie eee. tg0s ‘|; Petrepent; Anna Jn. 0 aioe bse 1905
Earle, Carlos Y. Diiteeenit. amano SEOOS. p hierrepones gonn folie dais ss 1905
Earle, Miss Eleanor Poitevent....... 1905 | Pinchot, Mrs. James W............ 1906
DIIEEE Ones ofc. an. a -,. «1900 | Potts, Thosii03 6.5.8 ooo eh 1905
Widiaty wamiel. oi, 0. SP eS es a eee 1908 | Reed, Mrs. Wm. Howell............ 1905
Emmons, Mrs. R. W., 2nd.......... to0m.) Sage, Miss. Russells os 2. os wstaek aac 1905
Pay Pipa Ward.2 i... oe es 1905 | Satterlee, Mrs. Herbert L........... 1906
Pectumerayames: Doe / 1907 Shattuck, Rire.ce s&s Diy. Me eG OO
*Frothingham, Howard P.......... -1905 | Stokes, Miss Caroline Phelps. BS Apa hoes 1908
WO 1908 | Thompson, Mrs, Frederick F........ 1908
Gazzam, Mrs. mmeoinetton’s, 3:0. ...'.. 1908. | Dafts; beonard: iiss eo 6 hn eeaaw Mh 1907
Sinord, rs, Robert: Lo... 26... 1908 | Van Name, Willard G............. 1905
iiavemeyer; Mrs: H.O. Jr... 2.2... TOP | OM AUX, KCOrRe, Reso. bse ys 1905
Hemenway, Mrs. egies Wisin ia OOS. | AV DSDEIy he Gres earths soy ones cal wis ees 1905
promeeney mame Voi. oe. Se 2. 1907 | Wharton, Wm. P.... ela ae 1907
Hostetter, D. Herbert........ ie aha 1907. |* Woodward, Mrs. Geo.............. 1908
*Deceased
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS FOR 1908
Abbott Clinton G. ae 00 Brought forw’d. ..$75 00 Brought forw’d. .$140 oo
Abbott, Gordon . 5 00 | Allen County Audu- Archbold, John D.. 5 00
Abbott, Mrs. L. c 5 00 bon Society (Ind.). 5 oo | Armin, Albertinavon 5 oo
Abrahams, Miss Rev dee ogeoo 4 Allen, Co Bisco oo | Atkins, Mrs. E. F... 5 00
Achelis, Fritz....... 5 oo | Allen, James Lane. 5 00 Attwater,CharlesB. 5 00
Acklen, Col. J. H... 5 00/ Allen, Miss M.C... § 00 | Auchincloss, John W. 5 00
Adams, Emily B... 10 oo | Alms, Eleanor C... 5 00 | Austin, FrancisB... 5 00
Agassiz, Maximilian. 5 oo | Amend, Bernard G. 5 00} Avery.SamuelP.... 5 00
Agassiz, R. L....... 5 co | Ames, Miss MaryS. 5 00 | Bacon, Mrs. F. E... 10 00
Aiken, John A.. 5 co | Ames, Mrs. Wm. H. 5 00| Bacon, Miss M.P.. 5 00
Aldrich, Spencer. . 5 oo | Anderson, Mrs. J.C. 5 00 | Badger, ArthurC... 5 00
Alexander, H. B. 5 oo | Andrews, Mrs. H. E. 5 00) Bahr, Dr. P.H..... 5 00
Allen, Mrs. A. V. G. 5 oo | Andrews, Mrs. W. L oo | Bailey, George, Jr.. 10 00
Allen, Charles A.... 5 00 | Anthony, Mrs.S.R. 10 00 | Baird, Miss Lucy H. 15 00
Carried forw’d ...$75 oo Carried forw’d ..$140 00 |. Carried forw’d . . $225 00
320
Bird - Lore
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS, continued
Brought forw’d. . $225
Baker, George L...
Baker, -L.- Di Jrs.. i:
Baker, Mrs. Wm. E
Ball, Mrs. H. A....
Balph, Mrs. J. M..
Bangs, Dr. L. B..
Banks, Miss M. B.
Barhydt, MissC.... 3
Barhydt, Mrs. P. H.
Barnes, Mrs. H. S..
Barnes, Herbert S..
Barnes, J. Sanford,
Barnum, Mrs. W. M
Barron, George D..
Barrows, Mrs. M...
Bartlett, Mrs. C. T.
Batten George.....
“B Cash’? M
Beach, Mrs. H. H. A
Beckley, Mrs. J.N.
Beckwith, Mrs. o.:
Beech, Mrs. H......
Behr, Edward A....
Bell, Mrs. Gordon...
Benedict; To Hee 3
Benkard, Harry H.
Benn, Miss dee Ba E.
Benn, George W.
Bent, Arthur C.
Bertschmann, Jacob
Beven, L. A..
Bickmore, Prof. A. 'S
Bigelow, Mrs. Pres- ,
°
Annan rnnninnnwni Tv AaAanonnnininn
aAmaniniwni vn
Bigelow, Dr. Wm. S
Bill, Nathan D.....
Billings, Miss E....
Binney, Edwin....
Bird, Anna C......
Io
nN
ANAM nnAnninnniannnnin ouwvwn
Birdsall, Mrs. W. R.
Bishop, Dr. Louis B.
Bissell, Mrs. E. J...
Black, Mrs. Jere S..
Black, Robert C....
Blair, Mrs. D.C. .°..
Blair, C. Ledyard...
Blakely, Walter J...
Bliss, Walter Phelps.
Bliss, Mrs. Wm.H..
Blue, Mrs. C.'E....
Blunt, Miss Eliza S..
Bolling, Stanhope. .
Bond-Foote, Miss
Mary Hie 5 8 5
Bonner, Mrs. PaulR. 5
Borden, Miss E. L..
Carried forw’d . . $66.)
fee)
00
Lele}
00
lole)
Brought forw’d. .$660 oo
Borg, Mrs. Sidney C. 5 00
‘Borland, Wm. G... 5 00
Bowdish, B.S...... 5 00
Bowditch, Miss C... t10 00
Bowditch, James H. 5 00
Bowlker Ts. Joe 5 00
Boyle, Edward J... ©§ 00
Bradford, Mrs. G.G_ 5 oo
Bradley, Miss A. A. 5 00
Bradley,:ALiC, \o 5 00-
Bradley, Edward R. 5 00
Bradley, Miss Leslie 5 00
Bradley, Mrs. R.. 5 00
Bragdon, J. W.. 5 00
Brandreth, Courtney 6 00
Brazier, Mrs. JAR §00
Breck, Dr. Edward. 5 00
Brennecke, George. 5 00
Brewer, Avis sv 5 00
Brewster, Corb nes 5 00
Brimley," fs Eos. 5 00
Bristol, John I. D.. 5 00
Brooks, Fo Moe a 5 00
Brooks, Mrs. PeterC. 5 00
Brown, Charles E... 5 00
Brown, David S.... 5 00
Brown, Edwin H... 5 00
Brown, Elisha R.... 5 00
Brown, Hon, Elon R. 5 00
Brown, Frank A.... 5 00
Brown, Harry W.... 5 00
Brown, Dr. Lawra-
BOM ys Suxw i cea Te OO
Brown, Ronald K... 5 oo
Brown, Samuel N... 5 00
Brownell, C. R... 5 00
Browning, W. H.... 5 00
Browse, Robert T... 5 00
Bulkley, Mrs. E. M. 5 00
Bullard, HP od 5 00
Bumpus, Dr. H.C.. 5 00
Burgess, John K.... 5 00
Burke, Joseph F.... 5 00
Burnett, John T.... 5 00
Burnham, Mrs.
George: sira cyt, 5 00
Burnham, Mrs. J. A 5 00
Burnham, William. fele)
Burr, Mrs: 2D cs) 5090
Bush, Mrs. Emma
F. (In memoriam) 10 00
Butler, Mrs. Paul... 10 00
Butler, Miss V...... 5 00
Bye; Mrs. C8 gac.6 5700
Cabaniss, bea 3 a he 8.
Cabot, George E.. 5 00
Cabot, Mrs. H. B... 5 00
Cabot, Louis ite 5 00
Cabot, Mrs. W.C... 6 00
Callaway, W Behe BOO
Carried forw’d ..$962 oo
‘Carpenter, C. L.....
‘Clark, Miss S. E...
‘| Coates, Sarah H..
Brought forw’d. . $962
Cammann, Miss
Kate, L.. aS
Cameron, E. Se
Campbell, Helen bit
Campbell, Mrs. T. B
Carey, Mrs.S. W..
Carhart, Paul W..
Carnegie, bs
Carson, Robert D...
Carter, John E.....
Carter, ST) frsve
Cary, Wm. Avery...
Case, Miss L. W....
h
Aanannianrinununin vn Oo
Arthur. Pisa 5
Chamberlain, L. T.. 5
Chamberlin, Mrs. E.
Biv ee 5
Chamberlin, G.N. 5
Channing, Mrs. W.. 5
Chapman, Mrs. E.W 5
Chapman, F. M.... 18
Chapman, H. Eu... 5
Chase, Alice B...... 5
5
Cheever;::} Daas 5
Cheney, Mrs. Arthur 5
Cheney, Louis R.... 5
Christian, Miss E... 7
Christian, Susan.... 7
Christy, Bayard H.. 5
Chubb, S. H 5
Chubbuck, Isaac Y. 5
Church, Fred C. Jr., 5
Clapp, Mrs. Ernest 5
Clapp, Helen...... 5
Clapp, Miss Martha.
Clark, Miss Anna B.
Clark, Emily L.....
Clark, Hak ee
Clark, Mrs. John T.
Clarke, Miss H. E.. .
Clarkson, Mrs. T. S.
Clemens, Miss J. L..
Clemens, Samuel L..
Clemson, George N.
Clinch, Howard T..
Clinch, Judge E. S..
Lal
an OMNMnnnnen OMmN ANN ANN
Codman, Miss C. A.
List of Members
321
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS, continued
Brought forw’d, $1,291
Collins, Miss G..... 5
Collins, Miss M..... 5
Collord, George W.. 5
Comfort, Miss Annie 5
Comfort, Miss A. E. 5
Concord, Mass.
Woman’s Club... 5
Connecticut Audu-
bon Society...... 25
Converse, Mrs.C.C. 5
Cope, fy R.;)Jr.....
Corlies, Miss M. L..
Corning, Miss M.I..
Cowles,
Cox, Mrs. James S.. 5
Cox, johneL...:... 5
Cramer, Mrs.
Oo ea 5
Crane, Miss Clara L.
Crehore, F. M
Crocker, W..
Cromwell, J. W..
Crosby, Mrs.S. V.R.
Cummins, Anne M..
Cummins, Miss E. I.
Cunningham, G. H..
Curran, Henry H...
Curtis, Mrs. C. B...
Curtis, Mrs. E. A...
Curtis, The Misses. 1
Curtiss, Miss Sophia
Gta oe...
Dana, Miss Ada....
Dana, Miss E. A....
Dane, Mrs. A. L.,..
Daveis, Edward H..
“Davenport, Mrs.E.B.
OANA nw Annan nniwni nai wot
memoriam)
Day, Mrs. A. M....
Day, Miss K.S.....
Day, Miss M.F....
Dean, Chalres A....
Deane, Ruthven....
Deats, Mrs. E. S....
DeCoppet, E. J.....
de Forest, H. W....
Degener, 1. Bs... ..:. I
Detroit Bird Protec-
tive Club
Dewey, Dr. C.A....
Sh Se a
5
15
Carried forw’d, $1,685
OMAN"
- Dorrance, Miss A...
’ Dutcher, Miss Mary
Brought forw’d, $1,685
Dexter, George.... 10
Dietz, Mrs. C. N..
Dimock, George E..
Dod, Miss H. M..
Dodge Ciba 2 ete. 5
Dodge, D. Stuart. .
Dodge, Miss G. H..
Dommerich, L. F...
Dommick,Mrs.M.W.
Dorrance, Benjamin
Doubleday, F. N..
Doughty, Mrs. Alla.
Doylestown Nature
Annnininnn omnn
Drake Edward, E...
Draper, George A...
Drew, Miss Emma E.
Drew, Henry J. W..
Drude, Miss L. F...
Drummond, Miss E.
Drummond, Miss M.
Duane, James May.
DuBois, Dr. M. B.. .
Duncan, A. Butler. .
Dunham, Arthur L..
Dunham, E. K..
Duryee, Miss A. B.
Duryee, G. V. W..
Dutcher, Mrs. C. O
Lal
Lal
Dutcher, William...
Dwight, Dr. J., Jr...
Dyer, Edward T.
Dyke, Arthur C.....
Eaton, E. Howard..
Eaton, Howard.
Eaton, Miss Mary 8 S.
Eddy, Miss S. J..
dan, Die esis
Elliot, Mrs. J. W....
Lal
AMmOUMnNnAwUUnnnnnininouwnninin ouunnnnin
10
Bly; 'Smitht-) ect aie 5
Embury, Miss E. C. 5
| Emerson, L. P...... 5
Emery, Miss G..
Emery, Miss G. H.. 5
Emery, Mrs. L. J..
oe Mrs. R. W.,
5
allows, John O.. 5
Eno, Dr. Henry Ci. 25
Estabrook, A. F.... 5
Eustis, The Misses. 5
Evans, Mrs. R.D... 5
5
Fackler, David P...
Fairbanks, Mrs.
Emma C.. Na
Fairchild, B. T.. Wie a=
Fairchild, Samuel W 5
Carried forw’d, $2,100
lele)
lote}
ote)
oO |
fole)
ole
}
00 |
Brought forw’d, $2,100
Farnam, Henry W.. 5
Farrelly,, Tai€3 ss 5
Farwell,Mrs.J.V.,Jr. 5
Faulkner,Miss F. M. 5
=
ry
Pe
o)
Ma
wn
Fenno, L. Cartret. . 5
Fessenden, a oe 5
Bield, EB. Boudtyo 5
Binley 2 Wrcks eee, 5
5
Fisher, Miss E. W... 5
Fish, F Br es nce >
Flower,..Ac Re Se..a 5
Fogg, Miss G. M... 5
Follett “Reb w.: 5
Forbes, Alexander... 5
Forbush, Edward H. 5
Foster, Henry H.... 5
5
)
Foster, Macomb G..
Fox, Charles K..... 1
Hox, Henry scsais.is 5
Freeman, MissC.L. 5
Freeman, MissH. E. 5
Freeman, Mrs. J.G. 5
Freer, Charles L.... 25
French, Miss C. A.. 5
French, Miss E. A.. 5
Freudenstein, W. L. 5
Frick Dro cs. 8
Frissell; A. S..5. 4: 5
Gannett, Lewis S... 5
Garrett, Miss E.W.. 5
Gavitt, Wm. S...... 5
Gazzam, Mrs. A. E.1oo
Geer, Mrs. Walter.. 10
Gelpike, Miss ig Cr tzo
Gerdtzen, G. A :
Gifford, Dr. H.. So ab
Gillett, Lucy D.....
Gillingham, Mrs.T.E.
Glessner, Mrs. J. J..
Goddard, G. A.....
Godeftfroy, Mrs. E. H.
Goin, James D.....
Goodrich,:C€: C... 2.
Goodrich, Miss J. T.
Goodwin, Mrs. H.M
Graham, Miss M. D.
Gray, Miss Emily..
Gray, Miss Isa E...
Gray, Mrs. Morris. .
Gray, Roland......
Greene, G.S., Jr....
Greene, Miss M....
Greene, Miss M. A..
Greenfield Audu-
bon Society......
AMAnAnAnAnnAnainiMNrtannnn
3
(-arried forw’d, $2,533
oo
322
Bird - Lore
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS, continued
Brought forw’d, as 533
Grew, Mrs. E. W.. 5
Grew, Mrs. H.S.... 10
Griffin, Mrs. S. 2...
Guillaudeu, Emile. .
Hadden,.Dr. A.....
Hadley, Mrs. A. P...
Hagar, Eugene B.. .
Haines, Miss J. R...
Haines, Reuben.... 1
Hale, Rev. E. E:...:.:
Hall,-Alfred B......
Hamill, Eleanor C..
Hamilton, Miss E. S.
Hardie, William T..
Hardon, Mrs. H. W.
Hardy, Mrs. R.....
Harper, Francis....
Harral, Mrs. Ellen B
Harriman, Miss M..
Harris, Mrs. J.C...
Harrison, Mrs. P...
Harroun, Mrs. A. F.
Hartness, Mrs. J....
Haskell, Miss H. P..
Hatch; EB. grec. 3
Hatch, Lyle Payson.
Hathaway, H. B....
Havemeyer, John C.
Haynes, Henry W...
Haynes, Miss Louise
de FOLeshas 256
Hayward, Mrs. Mary
Smith
Heaton, Mrs. Ri 'Coy 75
Hecker, Frank J.c.: 5
Hemenway, A...... 100
Hemenway, Mrs. A..100
Henbach, Jennie... 5
Hendrickson, W. F.. 5
AAA nn rnin nnninniniann1 doOwmunnv”n un
mn
a)
Henshaw, H.'’W.... 5
Herrick; Hatold; 210
Herrmann, Mrs. E.. 5
Hicks, Mrs. B.D... 5
Higginson, Miss
Elizabeth B...... 5
Higginson,
Henry Lexis
Higginson, J. J..... 5
Hill, William H..... 5
Hills; Mrs. E.-A...5:.§
Hittinger, Jacob.... 5
Hoague, Theodore.. 5
Hodge; City cis ss.ctg 5
Hodgman,
Hoe, Mrs. R. M.... 5
Hoffman, C. A.....
Hoge, Miss Florence 5
Holden, E
Carried forw’d, $3,023
Brought forw’d, $3; 023
Holbrook, Mrs. E 5
Holdren, 'M. E..
Hollingsworth, Mrs.
Corser. Las ss
g 5
Holt, Mrs. B.S..... 5
Holt, Mrs. Henry. . 5
Hopkins, Miss eee Re
Hoppin, Mrs. Sarah
GaoWise 5
5
Hornblower, ‘Henry.
Hornbrooke, Mrs.
Frances B....... 5
Horr, Charles W.... 5
Houghton, C.S..... 5
Howe, Mrs. A...... 5
Howe, Carlton D... 5
Howe, Miss Edith.. 5
Howe,) Mrs. 7:8... o8
Howe, Miss Louise. 5
Howe, Miss Lucien. 5
Howells, Frank S... 5
Howland, Emily. . ie)
Howland, Isabel.... 10
Hoyt, Walter S..... 5
Hubbard, MissA.W_ 5
Hult, Mrs. AyGoo. .24)8
Humphreys, Mrs.
Harold... see505
5
Hunnewell, Walter. 20
Hunt, Dr. Emily G.. 6
Hussey, William H.. 5
Huyler, Washington
Meio ai cater atl ail hee
Hyde, Mrs. E. F....
Ingraham, E. D....
Inslee, Mrs. Samuel.
Iselin, Mrs. W. E...
Issendorf, G. N..
Issenhuth, Bes:
Jackson, Miss M. C. 2
Jamaica Plain Tues-
day Clubvicres. cs
Jamison, Charles A.
Annan Aun
Jenkins, George W..
Jenks, Miss C. E....
Jenks, Mrs. W. H...
Jennings, Dr. G. H..
Johnson, Mrs. F. S..
Jones, Charles H..
Jones, Mrs. C. H....
Jones, Esther.......
Jones, DEE Cr ig)
Jordon, Miss C. M..
Joslyn, Mrs. S.H... 5§
Carried forw’d, $3,340
Anan nramnrimnnnninnn nn uw
| Long, Harry V
a be Hh $3,340
Kahn, Ott :
Kempster, yet 5
Kendall, Miss G.... 5
Kennard, F. H..... 5
Kennedy, Mrs. J.S.. 30
Kent, Edward G.... 5
Kerr, Mrs. J.:C.5 ssi ae
Kerr, Miss Lois.... 5
Kessler, Miss J. D.. 5
Keyser; LioSev aces
Kilbourne, F. W....
King, Elizabeth....
King, Miss L. B....
King, M. K
Kinney, Florence E.
Kite, Mrs. M:.......
Kittredge, S.°D.s. 7:
Kopman, H. H.....
Kunhardt, W. B....
Kuser, Anthony R..
Kuser, Mrs. A. R...
Kuser, John D.....
Kyle, William S.....
Lacey, Milton S....
LaFarge, Mrs. C. G.
Lagowitz, Miss H. L
Lancashire, Sarah H
Lang, Charles......
Langdon, W.G.....
Langeloth, Jacob. .
Langmann, Dr. G.. .
Lawrence, John B..
Lawrence, R. B..... 1
Lawrence, Ti aeeens
Lee, Frederic S....
LeGendre. W. C....
Leigh, B. Watkins. .
Leman, J. Howard.
Lemmon, Miss Isa-
bella McC
Lester, Mrs. J. W...
Letchworth, Josiah.
Letchworth, W. P..
Leverett, George V..
Lichtenauer, Miss
.- Alice C
Lincoln, Alexander..
Livingston, Miss A..
Livingston, G
Lodge, H. Eo. iia
i eC ey
Annan Onn nnnninninnininnninnninnis dv oI
188 88 888888888 88888 888888883
Wann Hu
ee
Logue, Mrs. Ida L.
Loines, Mrs. M. H..
AMA U1 on
Longfellow,
Alice M
eo)
yy
°
4
a
a
n
O
Ont
Carried forw’d, $3,653
oo
Ses
List of Members
323
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS, continued
Brought forw’d, $316 53
Loring, Mrs. W. C
Low, Hon. Seth..
Lowell, Miss C. R..
Lowell, James A..
Lowell, Miss Lucy...
Lowndes, James. ...
Lowry, Mrs. A. L...
Loyd, Miss S. A. C..
Lucas, Fred. A.....
Luce, Matthew..
Lundy, Miss E. a
Lal
Ann ionunrnninini st
tc
<
=e
Ry
3
°
=a
5B
nid
U1
5
Bus Ss
poss 2O
McHatton, Dr. H... 5
McIntire, Mrs. H, B. 5
McKee, Mrs. W.L.. 5
McKittrick,T.H., Jr. 10
McKittrick, Mrs.
McDougall, G.R..
Macy, V. Everit.
Macy, Mrs. V. Bes
Madden, Miss A. T.
Mager, F. Robert...
Maghee, John H....
Maitland, Robert L.
Malcom, Mrs. A....
Markham, Miss
PrancesG..3°.°...
Markham, G. D....
Markoe, Mrs. John.
Marling, A. E......
UAUMnnnunun
Wann
Marsh, Miss Ruth.. 5
Marshall, Chas; CC... 5
Martin, Miss C. M..
Martin, Mrs. E.....
Martin, Mrs. J. W.. 5
Maryland Branch of
the National Au-
dubon Society.... 5
Mason, Mrs. E.F.... 5
Mason, Miss F.P... 5
Mason, Geo. Grant. 5
Mastick, Mrs.S.C.. 5
Matheson, W.J..... 5
Mauran, Mrs. J.L.. 5
Mayo, MissA.L.... 5
Mead, LarkinG.... 5
Meigs, Mrs. T. B... 5
Meloy, Andrew D... 5
Meredith, Mrs.W.T. 5
Merrill, Miss F.E... 5
Merriman, Mrs. D.. « 5
Merriman, The
WIASOS esse fi oS
Carried forw’d, $3,948
fole)
Lele)
fete)
ete)
tole)
Brought forw’d, $3,948
Merritt, Mrs. D. F.. 5
Merritt. Geo: Puig. 2256
Metcalf, M. B...... 5
Metcall,SiOe si. 2. 5
Meyer, Miss H..... 5
Middlesex Women’s
Club (Mass.)....
Miles, Henry A.....
Miles, Flora A......
Miller. Mrs. E.S....
Miller, Frank M...
Miller, Mrs. R. F...
Miller, Roswell.....
Mills, Enos A......
Mitchell, Mrs M. B.
Mitchell, Miss Mary.
Montgomery, M. A..
Moon, E. B
Moore, C. de R.....
Morgan, Albert....
Morris, Miss C. W..
Morris, Robert O..
Morse, Miss F. R...
Morse, Mrs. J. T., Jr.
Motley, E. Preble. .
MEOLE SAS W iiss dah
Mott, Jordan L., Jr..
Mumford, Mrs. T. J.
Munroe, Miss M. H.
New Century Club
of Utica..
Nichols, J. WT:
Nicholson, Rebecca
and, Sarah...
Norcross, G. H..
North Carolina Au
dubon Society. .
Norton, ‘CO. Bives es.
Nott, Mrs. H. A.... 5
Noyes, Mrs. H. A... 5
Oettinger, P. f-.... 5
Oldberg, Mrs. O.... 5
5
5
°
wm oo AMM nnN PU
uu
Opdycke, Mrs. E...
5
Osborn, Mrs. W.C.. 10
Osborn, Wm. R.... 5
Ostrom, Mrs. H.I1.. 5
Otis, Charles R... 5
Outerbridge, A. J... 5
Owen, Mrs. M.L... 7
Paddock, Royce.. 5
Paine, MissE.L.... 5
°
Paine, Robert T.... 1
Paine, Miss R. T.
an
Palmer, Miss D..
5
Palmer, Miss C. A. 5
5
Palmer, Edgar. ...: . 25
Carried forw’d, $4,647
Brought forw’d 4,647
Palmer, Miss Elsie.
Palmer, Miss L. S..
Palmer, Py en
Palmer, Miss M....
Parke, Louis H.....
Parker, Edward L.;:.10
Patten, Mrs. W.S...
Patterson, W. F.....
Peabody, Mrs. A. P.
Peabody, Geo. A...
Pell, Wr B ort oy:
Perkins, Miss E. G..
Peters, Fy Ag eis os
Philipp, Po Bases
Phillips, Mrs. E..... 20
Phillips, Mrs. Chas.
E. H
ee er
mn ue
Anan odmn ounwnnnn
Phillips, Hon. J.M.. 5
Phipps, Henry...... 5
Pickering, Mrs. H...
Pickman, Mrs. D. L.
Pierce, Henry Clay. 5
Pillsbury, A. N., Jr.. 6
Pinchot, Mrs. Amos. 5
Pitkin 3 cia 5
Planten, John R.... 5
Platt, Mrs. Charles. 10
Poindexter, C. C.. 5
Pollock, E. George. . 5
Pond, C.
Pope, Alexander. .
Post, Abner: 2 o.05..: 5
Post, Wiis S.ccseetaes
Potts, Jesse (weg .i..0325
Potts, Miss'S. Boo. 35
5
5
Pratt, Augustus....
Pratt, George D....
Price, John _ Ser-
Peant, Ili cee
Principal Downer
School (Ga.).. 5
Procter, Henry H.. 5
Prosser, Mrs. R War, 3
Pyle, Howard......
Rathborne, R.C....
Reed, Sarah E......
Reading, Wm. V....
Rees, Norman I....
Reilly, John A......
Reinhold, Dr. A. J... 5
Renwick, Edward S. - 5
5
5
MmUmUuuNvyt
Renwick, Ilka H....
Reynolds, Dorrance.
Carried forw’d, $5,233
324
- Bird - Lore
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS, continued
Brought forw’d, $5,233 90 Brought forw’d, $5,548 oo Brought forw’d, $5,950
Rhoads, Mrs. Chas... 5 00 | Schieffelin, Mrs. Snyder, Watson..... 5
Rhoads, J. Snowdon 5 00 |e SarahM......... 5 00 | Soren, Geo, Wales.. 5
Rhoads, Miss L. W... 5 00] Schrader,G.H.F... 5 00 | Spofford, F. A..... Pyeng
Rhoads, Miss S. W.. 5 00 | Schramm, Arnold.. 5 00 | Speer, Mrs. R.C.... 16
Rice, Mrs. Ellen F.. 5 00] Schroeder, Arthur.. 5 00 | Speyer, Mrs. \eiggr 5
Richards, Miss A. A. 5 00 | Schwab, Rev. L.H.. 5 00 | Spofford, Paul N.. 5
Richardson, H. H... 5 00 | Scrymser, Mrs. M.C. 25 00 | Spooner, Mary T.. S
Richardson, Dr, Scrymser, James A.. 25 00 | Sprague, Francis P.. 5
Manrice = Hii... 5 00 | Seabrook, Mrs. H.H 5 00 /| Sprague, Mrs.Isaac. 5
Richie, Miss Sarah.. 7 00 | Seamans, C. W..... 10 00 | Spray, S. J......... 5
Richmond, Walter... 5 00} Seaman, L. W...... 5 60 | Squires, WH: Le; %-2c3 2
Richmond, Watts L. 5 00 | Sears, Francis B.... 5 oo | Steinmetz, Frank J.. 5
Ricketson, Walter.. 2 00 | Sears, George O.... 10 00 | Sterling, E.C....... 5
Ricketts, Miss Jean. 5 00 | Sears, Wm. R...... § (60) Stetson, Fie 5
Ripley, Lego. kG 00. | peaver ies Beye ie. os 5 00 | Stevens, Miss Mary. 5
Rives, Dr. W. C.... 5 00 | Seccomb, Mrs. E.A. 5 00 | Stevenson, MissA.B. 5
Robbins, Reg.C.. 3. 7 §: 00 | see, Alonzo Bios. 5 00 | Stevenson, Miss A.P. 5
Robert, Samuel.... 5 00 | Seiss,; Dr. Ralph W.. 5 00 | Stevenson, Miss F.G. 5
Roberts; Mrs;:Chas.i-5.700 | Seitz, Co aati 5 00 | Stewart, Mr. P. B... ro
Roberts, Miss E.C.. 5 o0| Seligman,IsaacN... 5 60! Stewart, Mrs. P.B.. 5
Roberts, Miss F. A... 5 00| Seligman, J........ 5 00 | Stillman, W. O.. 2
Roberts, Thos. S.... 5 oo | Seton, Ernest T..... 5 00 , Stilwell, ‘Miss M. C.. 5
Robertson,Dr: A.-R> 560. |’ Sewall, J. Ba oes: 5 00 | Stone, Charles A.... 5
Robertson, ME 8 ce Shannon, Thomas.. 2 00 | Stone, Miss E. J.... 5
Fanny P.. to 00 | Sharpe, Miss E. D.. 55 00 Stone, Herbert ues
Robey, Master A. A. 5 00 | Shattuck, Geo. C... 5 00 | Stratton, A. ln..... pa
Robinson, Miss A. H. 5 00 | Shattuck, MissG.A. 5 00 | Stratton, Chas. E.... 5
Robinson, Arthur. 5 00 | Shaw, Mrs. C. W. Strong Richard..... 5
Robinson, Mrs. G. H 5 00 ‘(In memoriam of Strong, SelahB .... 5.
Robinson, af i 5 00 Sherburne M. Sugden, Arthur W.. 5
Robotham, C.. 5 00 Shaw...2....0i 2. /§ 00 | Swasey, Bia, cae 5
Rockefeller, John D., Shaw, Francis...... 5 00 Swezey, Mrs. I. T 5
CSE Oe 5 00 | Shaw, Q.A., Jr..... 5 00 | Taber, Mrs. S/R 5
Rockefeller, Mrs. - Shaw, Miss G. H.......§:00 | Faber, S. Ri ian 5
2 BSN Bree ASE ons 5 00 | Shaw, Mrs. R.G.... 15 00 | Taft, Cyrus A...... 5
Rodman, Alfred. 5 00 | Sheldon, Mrs. H. K. 10 00 | Tarbell, Miss K.A.. 5
Rodman, Miss E.. 5 00 | Shepard, C. Sidney. 10 00 | Taylor, B. F....... 5
Rogers, Geo. J..... 5 00 | Shepard, Emily B... 5 oo | Thaw, Benj........ 5
Rogers, Mrs. L. S.. 5 00 | Shiras, George, 3rd. 5 00 | Thayer, EzraR..... 25
Roper, es Y. Chas. 5 oo | Shortall, Mrs. J. L.. 5 00 ion wath Mrs. G. A.
Moth a iawn 5.00 | Simmons, Bi F. 2.196 60 | oA) Piecsa. au ees
Rowlev, FObN, jes.) 5 oo | Simmons, Geo. O... 5 00 haven John E.. =. .200
Rugg A sR sie 5 00 | Sitgreaves, Miss M.J 5 00 | Thayer, Mrs. J. E.. 5
_ Rushmore, Mrs.T.L 5 00} Skeel, Mrs. R. Jr... 10 00} Thayer, J. E., fers Tae ey
Russ, Mr. Edward. 5 00 | Skidmore,Samuel T. 5 00} Thayer, Mrs.N..... 5
Ryman, J. J... 5 00 | Slocum, Wm. H.... 5 00 | Thebaud, PaulG... 5
Rynearson, Edward, 5 00 | Smedley, W. L..:.. 5 00} Thomas, Miss B.H. 5§
Sage; John “Ho 330 5 00 | Smith, Miss A. W:.. 5 00 | Thomas, Mrs. L . 5
Sage, Mrs. S. Mik. 5 oo | Smith, Mrs. A. J.... 5 00 } Thomas, Mrs. T.. 5
Saltonstall, J. L..... 15 00 | Smith, Byron L..... 5 oo | Thordnike, Albert. 5
Sanford, Axe Powis: 5 00 | Smith, Miss C. L... 5 oo | Thorne, Samuel. 10
Sargent, Mrs. J. W.. 5 00] Smith, Edward C... 5 00| Tingley,S.H....... 5
Saunders, Miss M... 11 00 | Smith, Miss E. C... 5 oo | Tinkham, Julian R.. 10
Saunders, W. E..... 5 00} Smith, Mrs. J N.... 5-007) Titus, E., Jr... ..2.. 5
Sauter, Fred....... .5 oo | Smith, Laura I..... 5 00 | Tolcott, James..... 5
Savings of Carola and Smith, RD nae. 5 oo | Torrey, MissJ M... 5
her Brothers..... 25 00 | Smith, Theo. H.....~- § oo | Trainer, Chas. W... 5
Sayre Rockwell.... 5 00| Smith, Wilbur F.... 5 00 | Trine, Ralph Waldo. 5
Scarborough, J. V.B 5 00| Smith, Mrs. E.L.... 5 00 | Tuckerman, Alfred. 5
Schott, Chas. M., Jr. 5 00} Smyth, Ellison A.... 5 oo | Turner, Mrs.W.J.. 5
Carried forw’d, $5,548 co Carried forw’d, $5,950 00 Carried forw’d, $6,465
List of Members
325
ANNUAL MEMBERS AND CONTRIBUTORS, continued
Brought forw’d, $6,465
$25.000.00
50
Tuttle; Albert H..°.. 5 00
Tweedy, Edgar.... 5 00
Twombly, John F... 5 00
Tyson, Mrs. G...... 10 00
Van Huyck, J. M... 5 00
Van Name, W. G...100 00
Van Orden, . Miss
Sra 5 00
Vermilye, Mrs. W.
eraras. 5. ..... 5 00
Vietor, Edward W.. 5 00
Wadsworth, C.S.... 15 00
Wadsworth, Mrs. W.
Austin. . IO 00
Wadsworth, “Richard
Z (In memor-
DRS ares i IO 00
Waldo, Allan S..... 5 00
Waldo, Chas.S.. ... 5 00
Walker, Master O... 5 00
Wallace, Mrs. A. H.. 5 00
Walsh, Frank J.. 5 00
Walters, Deane. 2°. 5 00
_ Ward, Marcus L.... 5 00
Ware, Horace E.... 5 00
Warner, Mrs. G. M. 5 00
Warner, Dr. H.S 5 00
Warren, B. W...... 5 00
Warren, MissC..... 25 00
Warren, Mrs. E. W 5 00
Warren, Samuel D 5 00
Watson, J.H....... 5 00
Watson, Miss J.S... 5 00
Wead, MissC.E.... 5 00
Webb, G.B.M.D.._— 5 00
Webster, Mrs. E.S.. 5 00
Carried forw’d, $6,760 50
MEMBERSHIP
$5.00
_ $100.00
$1,000.00
$5,000.00
Brought forw’d, vig 760
Webster, Edwin S
Webster, 1 1 cil,
Weeks, Andrew Ree
Weeks, W. B. P.....
Wehrhane, Chas....
Weld, Mrs. C. M....
Weld, Rev. Geo. F. .
Weld, Stephen M. .
Wells, Oliver J.....
West, Gharles C....
Westfeldt, G. R.....
Weston, Helen......
Wetmore, Edmund. 5
OnUMannrnnrn nn uw vt
| Wharton, Mrs. E.R. 5
Wharton, Wm. P...:. 500
Wheeler, J°Ds..). .1:.: 5
Wheeler, S. H..
Wheelwright, Miss |
js Ot Os bi gota dS
Whippen, Kon Shoe I
Whipple, Mrs.H.B. 5
Whitcover.H. W.... 6
White, Miss A.J.... 5
White, Chas::T... ..i:-8
White, Miss E.C....- 5
White; Horaceyjo3 or h. 8
White, Miss H. H... 5
White Dig C.. oh 8
White, Mrs. L. E:.... 5
Whiting, Miss G.... 15
Whiting, Mrs. K. B. 5
Whitney, Miss Anne. 5
Whitney, Milton B.. 5
Whiton,'S.G..0....: 5
Whittaker, Wm..... 5
Widmann, Otto.... 5
Carried forw’d, $7,438
50
lele)
Lele)
tele)
fete)
lete)
fete)
fete)
fete)
Brought forw’d, $7438
Wilbour, Miss T.. 5
Wilcox, T. F.. 2S
Wildman, A: D.. 5
Willever, 7 Coica | A
Williams, Me 5
Williams, BlairS.... 5
Williams, Mrs. I. T.. 5
Williams, Miss M.E.
uw
Wills, Chas.’'T..).,
Wilson,, Miss A. E....
Wilson, Mr. C. H...
Wilson; Co-W.: 3: 6...
Wing, Asa So."
Winterbotham, J.
Winson, Mrs. AL
Winzer, Emil ae
Wolff, L. S. Mis... Me
Wood, Walter......
Woods, C; M..... 333
Woodcock, John....
Woods, Edward F.. .
Woodman, Miss M..
Woodward, Lemuel
Woolman, E. W....
Wray, Charles P....
Wright, H. W.......
Wright, M. F.......
Wright, Mrs. M. O..
Wright, Mrs. W.....
Wyatt; Wisse.
UMnanaiwnnwniwni7i vu AWN ninnAninnniuwnw
foto}
YoOunmg Disses isan: leks
Zabriskie, Mrs A.C. 5
Zollikoffer, Mrs.
OOP he aes 5
Potala. e $7,663
IN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
FORM OF BEQUEST
paid annually constitutes a person a Sustaining Member.
paid at one time constitutes a Life Membership.
paid constitutes a person a Patron.
paid constitutes a person a Founder.
paid constitutes a person a Benefactor.
I do hereby give and bequeath to THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AUDUBON
SOCIETIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD Birps AND ANIMALS, Incorporated,
of the city of New York.
326 Bird - Lore
The Report of the Treasurer of the National Association
of Audubon Societies
ee ee ee eee tee
BALANCE SHEET
Exhibit “A” October 20, 1908
ASSETS = i 4
Cash in Farmers Loan and Trust Company................ $7,199 74 |
Rurniture and: Fixtures. i's oo Foi cc Coe eek viva stiles a dee : 137 30° ;
MUGUDON “Boats: (OMT), oo es lo ae te oer Uae , 2,908 46
Investments— : |
United States Mortgage and Trust Company Bonds...... $3,000 00
Bonds and Mortgages on Manhattan Real Estate...... 316,000 00
——————_ 319,000 00°
Loan Account—South Carolina Society..................... 200 00
Lowisiaria; Sacein ai OS ee aaa eu ch od a 45 00
‘ Smee 245 00
Deficit for the year ended October 20, 1908, per Exhibit ‘‘B”’.. 508 83
Add—Delficit existing at October 20, 1907..............-0-- 9,008. 56
pommmnmmrmanr
POUR ic era fo ES es ate cca - $339,007 89
LIABILITIES
Endowment Fund—
Balance to credit of Fund October 20, 1907............ $336,927 00
Add—Received from Life Members during the year, 13 at $100
COACH iat teciea cy ch alecare Us Meer gle eRe U latices semi a 1,300 00
Estate of Janes. W. Bartlett.) . 6 oo se See eG $500
Lesa State Paes ys Ge ea ee ee eas 25 475 00
$338,702 00
Bradley Fund—
Total contributed to date......... sf ED Ee Sr ig cen, sueprore eae 1,900 40
Less amount. invested, Taxes; repairs, ete..¢ 0... Sere. wae ie . 1,594 51
eee 305 89
Tokeahisy cae Ae a eee eae ee $339,007 89
Members? (Dues. o.05 eo kc ee ek Ss $4,871 00
Contributions. oot ss 4.) ees saat ay 2,786. 50
Interest from’ Investmente... 6 65 cg es 16,097 19
Educational Leaflets—Sales................... 600 82
$24,355 51
ExPENSES— ‘
Warden Service and Reservations—
RIOT eis cck 5: Ses tia 2 ane dk wa on .. $2,769 00
RE XDIOPMi Si PU Oly a ac i oe pee eee ie 377 02
Launch Bxpenses. gh os es. ca ea eee 313 56
Se ee
Expenses carried forward................ $3,459 58 24,355 sti
Report of the Treasurer
327
INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDING OCTOBER 20, 1908, continued
“IncomE, brought forward....................0.05.
EXPENSES, brought forward.................0....
Legislation—
ESPN IN a i ah SE
Sse eg Co ied s Syne 4s ee bene
Educational Effort—
T. G. Pearson, salary and expenses...........
E. H. Forbush, salary and expenses...........
H. H. Kopman, salary and expenses...........
SESS ENS oe et aa ne
eT CROAT re eS ga as
W. L. Finley, salary and expenses.......-.....
Curran & Mead, Press Information.....
MUMIMECIELINOCS 0, Soc. 5 5 ces de ee eels
IMRT OTA WINGS iio ge. ee eee dee
Hlectros and half-tones../... 62... ..00....4..
Birp-LoreE to members.....................-.
Extra pages in BirD-LORE..................
I ans als kere olay ws al ae Sieg Wao hs
Deewspaper clippings. ..........-...0see eee
mummearronal Leaflets... 0... 1. eee te canes
MMMM Ic. Shar Syst stg v, = Liviese ales eiele nce bets e eaikate
Southern Office—
IS Sa ay in Gye ake ino ahold wih 6 Werle ah
Bradley Fund—
Fnierest paid on balance..................:..
State Audubon Societies—~
DE ae SP al RR Rs
Ce Ae iste go Se cn Peo
CES 52s Ucn SxS ice <5 )k ain dre bE
EE cle) Cirieus S30 § Die betas oo seg «UR ems
SE MENLAVISL Sot she aco he Ca a og eee Se a
CN ee ooo Aretha a 5 nt eue sp iemranguebice es is
EEN co ace oie bs acai pta 9 ake OM ee eos
IG ios SA Bh he See ou so Wig) ald op Ais ais ora Wao.
Prepeetdward Island. i... ae
General Expenses—
Office salaries.......: Wiemann ckeig sits S Abate isis
MN DG fo dst eo 6 eia eel hs ti es w/v ae ie stuaret das
‘elegraph and telephone...................-.-
Office and storeroom_rent................-05-
MEME OLN SiS ks oie ee ce eccrine bens
EIN ao ses See en po
Eeuvelopes and supplies... ......... 05.66.0004.
Me COVIQZE. 05... sv byw. ce cesbcew en's
eS aig ores 00 vb acy, 9d 3 oe uhduatgiat oe
Pest ES OCNSES IL?) yi iss 5,016 ste a)
Balance—Deficit, eecernit Ao a ean ;
3
ett Sig Soe
$24,355 57
$3,459 58
13,965 69
291 96
I5 00
1,036 03
— 24,864 34
$508 83
328 - Bird-Lore
LAWRENCE K. GIMSON, CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT,
82 Wali Street
.
NEw York, October 24, 1908
Doctors J. A. ALLEN, AND G. B. GRINNELL,
Auditing Committee, _
National Association of Audubon Societies,
141 Broadway, New York City.
Dear Sirs:—In accordance with your instructions, I have made an exami-
nation of the books and accounts of the National Association of Audubon Socie-
ties for the year ending October 20, 1908, and present herewith the following
Ehxibits:—
Exuisit ‘‘A’”—BALANCE SHEET, OCTOBER 20, 1908.
Exuisit ‘B”—INCOME AND ExPENSE ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDED OCTOBER
20, 1908.
All disbursements have been verified with properly approved receipted vouch-
ers and paid cheques; investment securities with safe Deposit Company have
also been examined and found in order. Yours very truly,
LAWRENCE K. Grimson,
Certified Public Accountant.
NEw York, October 27, 1908
Wma. DvuTcHER, President,
141 Broadway, City.
Dear Sir:—We have examined the report submitted by Lawrence K. Gim-
son, Certified Public Accountant, of the accounts of the National Association
of Audubon Societies, for the year ending October 20, 1908, which report shows
balance sheet October 20, 1908, and income and expense account for the year
ending on the same day,
Vouchers and paid checks have been examined in connection with the dis-
bursements, also securities in the Safe Deposit Company.
We find the account correct. Yours truly,
J. A. ALLEN,
GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL,
Auditing Committee.
Officers and Directors 329
Officers and Directors of the National Association of Audubon
Societies for the Year 1908
OFFICERS
President, WILLIAM DutcHER, of New York.
First Vice-President, THEO. S. PALMER, M.D., of District of Columbia
Second Vice-President, Dr. JorLt A. ALLEN, of New York.
Secretary, T. GILBERT PEARSON, of North Carolina.
Treasurer, DR. JONATHAN DwWIGBT, JR., of New York.
Attorney, SAMUEL T. CARTER, JR., of New York.
DIRECTORS
Class of 1909
Mr. W. Scott Way, California Mr. R. W. WILLiaAMs, Jr., Florida
Mr. WILLIAM DutTcHER, New York Wo. HuBBELL FIsHER, Ohio
Mr. RaLtpH HoFFMANN, Massachusetts
Class of 1910
Dr. Gro. BirD GRINNELL, New York Mrs. KincsmMitt Marrs, Florida
Mr. ArtHur H. Norton, Maine Mrs. MABEL Oscoop Wricat, Conn.
Mr. H. P. AttwaTeErR, Texas — Mr. WALTER J. BLAKELY, Missouri
Class of 1911
Mr FRANK Bonp, Wyoming Dr. Joret A. ALLEN, New York
Mr. T. GILBERT PEARSON, N. C. Dr. DaAviD STARR JoRDAN, California
Class of 1912
Mr. Frank M. CHaApman, New York Mr. WILLIAM BREWSTER, Mass.
Mr. WITMER STONE, Pennsylvaina Dr. FREDERICK A. Lucas, New York
Dr. Herman C. Bumpus, New York ' Mr. Cartton D. Howe, Vermont
Class of 1913
Mrs, C. Grant LAFarceE, New York Dr. JONATHAN Dwicut, Jr., New York
Dr. THEo. S. PALMER, District of Columbia.
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