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FOR  THE  PEOPLE 

FOR  EDVCATION 

FOR  SCIENCE 

LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM 

OF 

NATURAL  HISTORY 

BY  GIFT  OF 
ALBERT  S.  BICKMORE 

AND 

CHARLOTTE   B.  BICKMORE 


iBitt}  loxt 


AN   ILLUSTRATED    BI-MONTHLY  MAGAZINE   DEVOTED    TO 
THE    STUDY  AND    PROTECTION   OE   BIRDS 


Edited  bv 

FRANK    M.    CHAPMAN 


€)fficial  iSDrgan  of  t^e  ^utiubon  ^^zizixt^ 

Audubon  Department  Edited  bv 

MABEL    OSGOOD    WRIGHT 


T'O/^L'ME    1  —  1890 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

ENGLEWOOD.  N.  J.,  ANI^    NEW    YORK    CITY 


Copyright,   iSgg 
By    frank    M.    chapman 


A  <^/0l4.  •fe-f. 


INDEX  TO  ARTICLES  IN  VOLUME  I 
BY  AUTHORS 


Allen,  J.  A.,  The  American  Ornithologists' 
Union,  143. 

Babcock,  C.  A.,  '  Suggestions  for  Bird-Day 
Prog-rams  in  the  Schools, '  49. 

Baily,  William  L. ,  'Three  Cobb's  Island 
Pictures,  'Si. 

Batchelder,  Annie  V.,  Sec'y,  report  of ,  102. 

Beal,  F.  E.  L. ,  Reviews  by,  98,  133. 

Beebe,  C.  Will,  '  Two  Nova  Scotia  Photo- 
graphs,'  113. 

Board,  Nellie  S.,  Sec'y,  report  of,  62. 

Brown,  Elizabeth  V.,  'A  Bird-Day  Pro- 
gram,' 52.  [pecker,'  60. 

Burnet,  Dr.  D.  L.,  'A  Musical  Wood- 
Burroughs,  John,  'In  Warbler  Time,'  3. 

Butler,  Amos  W.,  Sec'y,  report  of,  66. 

Chapman,  Frank  M.,  'Birds  Through  a 
Telescope,'  132  ;  '  Gannets  on  Bonaven- 
ture,' 71  ;  'The  Legend  of  the  Salt,' 55  ; 
'The  Passing  of  the  Tern,' 205;  'The 
Surprising  Contents  of  a  Birch  Stub,' 
187;  editorials  by,  2,  28,  63,  135,  169, 
201;  photographs  by,  119,  149;  reviews 
by,  26,  27,  61,  97,  98,  133,  167. 

Collins,  H.  M.,  'The  Peculiarities  of  a 
Caged  Skylark,'  157. 

Cram, William  Everett,  'Winter  Bird  Notes 
from  Southern  New  Hampshire,'  180. 

Crolius,  A.  A.,  'How  the  Central  Park 
Chickadees  Were  Tamed,'  185.  [78. 

Day,  Mary  F.,  '  Home-Life  in  a  Chimney,' 

Deane,   Ruthven,  President,  report  of,  66. 

Dutcher,   William,  'Loons  at  Home,'  40. 

Eaton,  Isabel,  'Bird  Studies  for  Child- 
ren,' 17. 

Fisher,  Dr.  A.  K.,  'Average  Dates  of  Arrival 
of  the  Commoner  Birds  at  Sing  Sing, 
N.  Y. ,  during  April  and  May,'  54. 

Geery,  D.  R. ,  '  Sparrow  Proof  Houses, '  60 

Glover,  Harriet  D.  C,  Sec'y,  report  of,  31. 

Glover,  Helen  W.,  Sec'y,  report  of,  139. 

Grant,  Annie  M.,  Sec'y,  reports  of ,  30,  204. 

Hegner,  Robert  W.,  'Photographing  a 
Bluebird, '  43  ;  '  The  Prairie  Horned 
Lark, '  152. 


Hodge,   C.  F.,    'A  Pleasant   Acquaintance 

With  a    Hummingbird,'    155;    'On  the 

Ethics  of  Caging  Birds,'  158. 
Horack,  Frank  E.,  'The  Songs  of  Birds,' 

96  ;    '  A  Singing  Bluejay,'  197. 
Ives,   Ella  Gilbert,    '  The  Cardinal  at  the 

Hub, '  S3  ;  '  The  Cardinal  in  Maine, '  132. 
judd,  Sylvester  D.,  Ph.   D.,  'Collecting  a 

Brown  Thrush's  Song,'  25. 
Kearton,    R.,    'Photographing    Shy    Wild 

Birds  and  Beasts  at  Home,'  107. 
Kendall,  Blanche,  photographs  by,  84,  85, 

86. 
Kennard,  Fred.  H.,  'A  May  Morning,'  91. 
Lehmann,  Lilli,  A  Message  from,  103. 
Lemmon,    Isabella    McC,    'Oliver   Twist, 

Catbird,'  163. 
Lockwood,  Emma  H.,  Sec'y,  report  of,  32. 
Loring,  J.  Alden,  'Inquisitive  Magpies,'  96. 
Mellick,  Mary  A.,  Sec'y,  report  of,  32. 
Menke,  H.  W. ,  'From  a  Cabin  Window,' 

14  ;  photograph  by,  106. 
Merriam,  Florence  A.,  'Clark's  Crows  and 

Oregon  Jays  on   Mount   Hood,'  46,    72  ; 

'Our  Doorstep  Sparrow,'  20. 
Miller,  Oliver  Thorne,    '  On   the  Ethics  of 

Caging  Birds,'  19,  89. 
Mumma,  Rosa  Meyers,  'Matins,'  77. 
Nash,  H.  W.,  photograph  by,  176. 
Newkirk,  Garrett,    '  Mr.    Flicker  Writes  a 

Letter,' 129;   *  Robin  Rejoice,' 95  ;   'The 

Little  Brown  Creeper,'  197. 
Noble,    Floyd   C,    'A    February   Walk   in 

Central  Park,'  57. 
Osgood,  Fletcher,  report  of,  137. 
Patten,  Mrs.  John  Dewhurst,  Sec'y,  reports 

of,  32,  173. 
Peabody,  P.  B.,  '  Richardson's  Owl,'  190. 
Peckham,    Mrs.    Elizabeth  W.,   Sec'y,  re- 
ports of,  loi,  205. 
Princehorn,  A.  L.,  photograph  by,  154. 
Richards,  Harriet  E  ,  Sec'y,  report  by,  30. 
Roberts,  Dr.  Thos.  S.,  'The  Camera  as  an 

aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds, '  6,  35  ;   'A  Cat- 
bird Study,'  87. 


(Ill) 


Index 


,  f,  /.  i.  I.  I  ; 

Robins,  Julia  Stockton,   Sec'y,  f^eporjt  of, 

66, 204.  1/(1  <r Id/,  i:/,;)l94ri, 

Robinson,  Mildred  A.,  '4^  ^''^'prfi^ryj  ^^Ik,' 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  Letter  from,  65. 

Royael,  John  L. ,  'An  Accomplished  House 
Sparrow,'  24. 

Russell,  Miss  Cora,  Sec'y,  report  of,  32. 

Sage,  John  H. ,  '  Fall  Migration  at  Port- 
land, Conn.,'  128. 

Schwab,  L.  H. ,  'An  Odd  Nesting  Site, '  166. 

Slosson,  Annie  Trumbull,  '  A  Tragic  St. 
Valentine's  Day,'  45. 

Smith,  Anna  Harris,  '  On  the  Ethics  of 
Caging  Birds,'  160. 

Smith,  W.  Gordon,  photograph  by,  177. 

Soule,  Caroline  G.,  'Birds  and  Caterpil- 
lars, '  166  ;   '  Humanizing  the  Birds,'  193. 

Southwick,  E.  B. ,  'A  Nuthatching  Nut- 
hatch,' 24. 

Stone,  Witmer,  '  A  Search  for  the  Reedy 
Island  Crow  Roost,'  177. 

Stone,  Witmer,  and  others,  '  Hints  to 
Young  Bird  Students,'  125. 


Tabor,  E.  G.,  'A  Least  Bittern  Portrait,' 

39;  photographs  by,  149,  156. 
Taylor,    John    W.,    President,    report    of, 

67. 
Thomas,    Edith    M.,    'The   Masquerading 

Chickadee,'  77. 
Thompson,    Ernest  Selon,    '  The  Myth  of 

the  Song  Sparrow,'  59. 
Torrey,   Bradford,  '  Watching  the  Bittern 

Pump,'  123. 
Tyler,  D.  T.  A.,  Audubon's  Seal,  172. 
Van  Altena,  Edward,  photograph  by,  116. 
Van  Dyke,  Henry,  'The  Angler's  Reveille," 

150. 
Van  Sant,  Florence  A.,  'Zip  and  Phoebe,  A 

Catbird  Story,  130. 
Widmann,  Otto,  '  In  the  Spartina  with  the 

Swallows,  '115. 
Webster,  Ellen  E.,  An  Interesting  Phoebe's 

Nest,  197. 
Wood,  George,  photograph  by,  21. 
W  [right]  M.  O.,  Editorials  by,  29,  64,  100, 

136,  170,  202. 


INDEX    TO    VOLUME    I 


A  Dictionary  of  Birds,  reviewed,  199. 

Adney,  Tappan,  202. 

Advisory  Council,  192. 

Allen,  J.  A.,  127,  142,  144,  169. 

Aldrich,  Chas.,  142. 

American  Ornithologists'  Union,  142,  ,143, 

169. 
Audubon  Bird  Chart,  27. 
Audubon  Calendar,  200. 
Audubon  Societies,  reports  of.     See  under 

names  of  Secretaries. 
Auk,  The,  146,  147. 
Babcock,  C.  A.,  62. 
Bailey,  H.  B.,  142. 
Baird,  S.  F.,  142. 
Baldpate,  128. 
Ball,  Helen  A.,  167. 
Barlow,  Chester,  62,  168. 
Bartsch,  Paul,  200. 
Batchelder,  C.  F. ,  142. 
Beal,  F.  E.  L.,  134. 
Belding,  Lyman,  146. 
Bendire,  C.  E. ,  142. 
Bicknell,  E.  P.,  142. 


Bickmore,  Professor,  32. 

Bird  Collecting,  135,  168. 

Bird-Day,  36,  49,  51,  53,  98. 

Bird  Games,  18. 

'Bird  Gods,'  reviewed,  26. 

Bird  Houses,  figured,  60. 

'  Bird-Life  ;  A  Guide  to  the  Study  of  our 
Common  Birds,'  Teachers'  edition,  re- 
viewed, 27. 

Bird-Lore,  28,  63,  201. 

'Bird  Migration  in  Mississippi  Valley, '  146. 

'  Birds, '  reviewed,  97. 

Birds  and  Farmers,  103. 

'  Birds  as  Weed  Destroyers, '  reviewed,  134. 

Birds'  Christmas  Tree,  195. 

'Birds  of  Washington  and  Vicinity,'  re- 
viewed, 26. 

Birds,  Food  for,  19. 

Birds,  Songs  of,  96. 

'  Birds  Through  an  Opera-glass,'  168. 

Bittern,  American,  54,  123,  128;  figured, 
149  ;  Least,  39,  40,  123,  128  ;  figured,  34. 

Blackbird,  Red-winged,  92,  96,  128  ;  Rusty, 
128;   Yellow-headed,  16;  figured,  16. 


Index 


Bluebird,  43,  150  ;  figured,  43,  44. 

Bobolink,  55,  92,  117,  128. 

Boynton,  Helen  M.,  98. 

Brewster,  William,  27,  127,  142,  144,  202. 

British  Columbia,  98. 

Brooks,  William  R.,  132. 

Brown,  Elizabeth  V.,  173. 

Brown,  Nathan  C. ,  142. 

Brownell,  L.  W.,  63. 

Bunting,  Indigo,  55,  128. 

Burroughs,  John,  2,  5,  202. 

California,  62. 

Campbell,  A.  J.,  202. 

Camera,  6,  35,  107,  202. 

Canada,  40,  133,  171. 

Canary,  17,  89,  96. 

Cardinal,  57.   83,  132  ;   figured,   84,  85,  86. 

Catbird,  54,  91,  128,  163,  166;  figured,  87, 

88. 
Cedarbird,  92,  166;  figured,  i6r. 
Chamberlain,  M.,  142. 

Chapman,  Frank   M.,  26,  31,  32,  127,  202. 
Chat,  Yellow-breasted,  55. 
Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scientific  Circle, 

168. 
'  Check-list    of    British    Columbia   Birds,' 

reviewed,  98. 
Check-list  of  North  American  Birds,  147. 
Chickadee,  Black-capped,  9,  10,  11,  ig,  24, 

56,    58,   -]-],  94,  97,    181,   182,    1S5,    187; 

figured,  7,  10,  12,  13,  56,  i8g. 
Clark,  Josephine  A.,  62. 
Code  of  Nomenclature,  145. 
Cohen,  Donald,  62. 
Connecticut,  27,  128,  166. 
Cooke,  W.  W.,  146. 
Cooper  Ornithological  Club,  62. 
Coot,  American,  128. 
Cormorants,  Double-crested,  71. 
Cory,  C.  B.,  142. 
Coues,  Elliott,  135,  142,  144. 
Coues'  '  Key,'  98. 
Cowbird,  54,  93,  128. 
Creeper,     Brown,      57,      128,      181,     195; 

figured,  195. 
Crow,  92,  164,  177,  181,  184;  figured,  177, 

184. 
Crow,  Fish,  54. 
Crow,  Clark's,  46,  72;  figured,  47,  72,  74, 

76. 
Cuckoo,    Black-billed,    55,    93,    128,    i66 ; 

Yellow-billed,  55,  128,  166. 


Dart,  Leslie  O.,  10. 

Davis,  W.  T. ,  200. 

Dearborn,  Ned,  98. 

De  Kay,  Charles,  26. 

Delaware,  179. 

Dickey  Downy,  reviewed,  200. 

Diver,  Great  Northern,  40. 

Dove,  Mourning,  128. 

Duck,  American  Scaup,  128  ;  Black,  128  ; 
Buffle-head,  128 ;  Lesser  Scaup,  128 ; 
Ring-necked,  128  ;  Ruddy,  128. 

Dutcher,  William,  103,  127. 

Eagle,  26. 

Eagle,  Bald,  170,  171,  181  ;  Golden, 
figured,  176. 

Eckstorm,  Fannie  Hardy,  98. 

'  Economic  Relations  of  Birds  and  Their 
Food,'  noticed,  134. 

Edwards,  George  Wharton,  26. 

Egg  Collecting,  61. 

Elliot,  D.  G.,  142. 

Evans,  A.  H. ,  97. 

Fannin,  John,  98. 

February  Walk  Contest,  57. 

'Field  Key  to  the  Land  Birds,'  reviewed, 
167. 

Finch,  Purple,  54. 

Fisher,  A.  K. ,  127,  142. 

Flicker,  18,  128,  181. 

Florida,  45,  63. 

Flycatcher,  Alder,  55  ;  Crested,  55  ;  Green- 
crested,  55  ;  Least,  54,  128;  Olive-sided, 
55  ;  Yellow-bellied,  55. 

Gadow,  Hans,  199. 

Gannets,  70  ;  figured,  70. 

Gill,  Theodore,  135. 

Gleeson,  Joseph  M.,  199. 

Goldfinch,  17,  183;  European,  58. 

Goose,  Canada,  128,  181. 

Goshawk,  American,  128,  180. 

Grackle,  Bronzed,  128. 

Grant,  Annie  M.,  133. 

Grebe,  Pied-billed,  54,  128. 

Grinnell,  George  Bird,  146. 

Grosbeak,  Pine,  183  ;  Rose-breasted,  55, 
92,  128,  166. 

Grouse,  Blue,  46. 

Gull,  Herring,  71. 

Harvey,  L.  D.,  98. 

Hawk,  Cooper's,  128 ;  Marsh,  128  ;  Pigeon, 
54,  128;  Rough  -  legged,  181:  Sharp- 
shinned,  128 ;   Sparrow,  54. 


Index 


Henshaw,  H.  W. ,  142,  202. 

Heron,    Black  -  crowned    Night,    54,    128; 

Green,  54,  92,  128;   Great  Blue,  128. 
Hodge,  C.  F. ,  161,  162,  167. 
Hoffmann,  Ralph,  27,  30. 
Holder,  J.  B.,  142. 
Hornaday,  W.  T.,  31. 
Hornbrooke,  Orinda,   102. 
Howe,  Reginald  Heber,  Jr.,  134. 
Hubbard,  Marion  C,  202. 
Hummingbird,    55,      128,     155  ;     nest    of, 

figured,  156. 
Iowa,  43,  152. 
Jay,  Blue,  g6,  iSi  ;  Oregon,  46,  72  ;  figured, 

48,  72,  73,  75  ;  Stellers',  46. 
Jones,  Lynds,  27,  168,  202. 
Judd,  Sylvester  D.,  134. 
Junco,  19,    113,  128,  183  ;   nest  of,  figured, 

113  ;   Oregon,  46. 
Kearton,  C  ,  26,  133. 
Kearton,  Richard,  26,  133. 
Killdeer,  35  ;  figured,  36,  38. 
Kingbird,  39,  55,  92,  128. 
Kingfisher,  54,  128. 

Kinglet,  Golden-crowned,  128,  181  ;  Ruby- 
crowned,  3,  46,  54,  128. 
Knight,  O.  W.,  62. 
Knobel,  E.,  30,  167. 
Lacey-Hoar  Bird  Bill,  63. 
Land  Birds  of  Pacific  District,  146. 
Lark,    Horned,    15,    180;    figured,    14,    15; 

Prairie  Horned,  152;  figured,    152,  153. 
Lawrence,  Geo.  M.,  142. 
'  List  of  Birds  of  Belknap  and  Merrimac 

Counties,'  reviewed,  98. 
Lodge,  G.  E.,  97. 
Loon,    40,    41,    128  ;    nest    and    eggs    of, 

figured,  42  ;  Red-throated,  128. 
Lucas,  F.  A.,  200,  202. 
Magpie,  96. 

Maine  Ornithological  Society,  62. 
Mallard,  128. 
Martin,    European,    nest    and    young    of, 

figured,  122  ;  Purple,  54,  120,  12S. 
Maryland  Yellow  Throat,  55,  151. 
Massachusetts,  27,  83,  91,  134. 
Maynard,  C.  J.,  62. 
Maynard,  Mrs.  L.  W. ,  25. 
McCormick,  A.  I.,  G2. 
McCormick,  L.  M.,  202. 
Meadowlark,  92,  128,  183. 
Mearns,  E.  A.,  142,  202. 


Merganser,    Hooded,    128 ;    Red-breasted, 

128. 
Merriam,    C.    Hart,    127,    142,    145,    146, 

169,  202. 
Merriam,  Florence  A.,  2C,  31,  173,  202. 
Migration,  54,  128,  145,  169. 
Miller,  Olive  Thorne,  32,  62,  158,  159,  160, 

167,  202. 
Minnesota,  10,  67,  190. 
Missouri,  27,  115. 
Morrill,  C.  H.,  62. 
Nash,  Charles  W.,  133. 
Nature  Study,  51,  62,  193. 
Nehrling,  H.,  27. 
Nests,  19. 
Nest-building,  50. 
Nest-holder,  197. 
New  Hampshire,  98,  180. 
New    Jersey,   78,    116,    iig,    128,    132,    177, 

187. 
Newton,  Alfred,  199. 
Newton,  Dr.  Heber,  31. 
New  York,  5,  39,  54,  55,  57,  132,  134,  149, 

156. 
Nighthawk,  55,  128;   figured,  114. 
Nova  Scotia,  113. 
Nutcracker,  46,  72. 

Nuthatch,  Red-breasted,  128,  182  ;  White- 
breasted,  24,  58,  94. 
Nuttall  'Bulletin,'  143,  144. 
Nuttall  Ornithological  Club,  143. 
Oberholser,  H.  C. ,  173,  200. 
Ohio,  27. 

Olds,  Henry,  173. 
Old-squaw,  128. 

'On  the   Birds'  Highway,'  reviewed,    134. 
Oregon,  46,  72. 

Oriole,  Baltimore,  55,  91,  128  ;  Orchard,  55. 
Osprey,  54,  128. 
'Our  Animax  Friends,'  16S. 
'Our  Common  Birds,'  reviewed,  167. 
Ovenbird,  55,  128. 
Owl,     Barred,     117 ;     Richardson's,     190  ; 

figured,      190,      191;     Saw-whet,      182; 

Screech,  figured,  154  ;  Short-eared,  128  ; 

Snowy,  128,  180  ;  figured,  181. 
Palmer,  Alice  Freeman,  102. 
Palmer,  T.  S. ,  32,  127,  134,  173. 
Parkhurst,  H.  E. ,  200. 
Patterson,  Virginia  Sharpe,  200. 
Pelican,  Brown,  169,  171. 
Pewee,  Wood,  55,  92,  128.  9 


Index 


Phoebe,  128,  130 

Phonograph,  25. 

Pinchot,  Professor,  202. 

Pintail,  128. 

Pipit,  American,  128. 

Plover,  American  Golden,  128. 

Prentiss,  D.  W.,  142. 

Purdie,  H.  A.,  142. 

Quail,  91,  93. 

Quills  to  Avoid,  figured,  169,  171. 

Quincy,  Josiah,  Mayor,  137. 

Rail,  Yellow,  128  ;  Virginia,  128. 

Razor-bill,  81. 

Redstart,  55,  93,  128. 

Reynaud,  Capt.,  202. 

Rhode  Island,  134. 

Richards,  Harriet  E. ,  102. 

Richmond,  C.  W. ,  27,  127,  200. 

Ridgway,  Robert,  32,  127,  142,  200,  202. 

Roberts,  T.  S.,  202. 

Robertson,  Howard,  62. 

Robin,  17,  32,  50,  12S,  150,  166;  figured 
on  nest,  95. 

Robinson,  Lieut.  Wirt,  21. 

Robinson,  Mildred  A.,  57. 

Rowley,  John,  202. 

Rubbish  Heap,  Artificial,  109. 

Sage,  J.  H.,  27. 

Sandpiper,  Least,  55,  128;  Pectoral,  128; 
Semipalmated,  128  ;   Solitary,  55,  128. 

Sapsucker,  Yellow-bellied,  54,  128. 

Scoter,  American,  128  ;  Surf,  128  ;  White- 
winged,  128. 

Sennett,  George  B.,  ig8. 

Sharpe,  R.  Bowdler,  61. 

Shrike,  Northern,  6,  128,  181. 

Shufeldt,  R.  W.,  142..  [61. 

Sketch   Book  of  British  Birds,    reviewed, 

Skimmer,  Black,  figured,  81  ;  nest  and 
eggs  of,  figured,  82. 

Skylark,  157. 

Siskin,  Pine,  128. 

Slab-Sides,  5. 

Snipe,  Wilson's,  54,  128. 

Snow  Buntings,  180,  300. 

Snowflake,  141,  128  ;   figured,  14,  15. 

Solitaire,  Townsends,  47. 

Sparrow,  Chipping,  20,  54,  97,  166 ; 
figured,  21  ;  English,  17,  49  ;  Field,  54, 
93,  128  ;  Fox,  128  ;  Henslow's,  117,  118  ; 
House,  24;  Lincoln's,  128;  Nelson's, 
128 ;    Savanna,   54 ;   Song,   58,   92,   128 ; 


figured,  59  ;  Swamp,  54,  92,  128  ;  Tree, 
19,  128,  181  ;  Vesper,  54  ;  White- 
crowned,  47,  55,  128  ;  White-throated, 
54,  57,  128 ;  Yellow-winged,  55 ;  Spar- 
row War,  137, 

Stake-driver,  124. 

Starling,  57. 

Stejneger,  Leonhard,  195.  [200. 

Stone,  Witmer,   27,   28,    29,   61,    125,    127, 

Swallow,  Bank,  54,  120,  128  ;  Barn,  54, 
92,  128  ;  Cliff,  55,  128  ;  nests  of,  figured, 
106;  Eave,  115,  118,  119,  120;  Rough 
Wing,  55,  115,  119,  120;  Tree,  45,  54, 
115;  figured,  116,  119,  121;  White 
Breast,  115,  118,  119,  120. 

Swan,  26. 

Swift,  Chimney,  54,  78,  92,  128. 

Tanager,  Scarlet,  55,  128. 

Tatlock,  John,  Jr.,  132. 

Taylor,  Henry  Reed, -62.  [128. 

Teal,    Blue-winged,     128 ;     Green-winged, 

Tern,  Gull-billed,  82  ;  figured,  82  ;  Wil- 
son's, 205  ;  figured,  206. 

Thayer,  Abbott,  200. 

'The  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America, ' 
reviewed,  200. 

'The  Birds  of  Ontario  in  Relation  to 
Agriculture,'  reviewed,  133. 

'The  Danger  of  Introducing  Noxious 
Animals  and  Birds,'  noticed,  134. 

'The  Feeding  Habit  of  the  Chipping 
Sparrow,  and  the  Winter  Food  of  the 
Chickadee,'  reviewed,  97. 

'The  First  Book  of  Birds,'  reviewed,  167. 

'The  Osprey,'  135. 

Thompson,  Ernest  Seton,  27,  62,  134,  202. 

Thrasher,  Brown,  25,  54,  91,  128,  151. 

Thrush,  Gray-cheeked,  55,  128  ;  Hermit, 
54,  128  ;  Olive-backed,  55,  128  ;  Wil- 
son's, 55,  128  ;  Wood,  54,  92,  128. 

Torrey,  Bradford,  202. 

Towhee,  54. 

Tree  Trunk,  Artificial,  ro8. 

Tryon,  Kate,  3:. 

Van  Dyke,  Dr.  Henry,  31. 

Van  Name,  Willard  G.,  31. 

Veery,  55,  128. 

Vermont,  166. 

Vireo,  Blue-headed,  54,  128  ;  Philadelphia, 
128;  Red-eyed,  55,  91,  128,  166;  Yel- 
low-throated, 55,  93,  128  ;  Warbling,  55, 
128,  166  ;  White-eyed,  55,  91,  95,  166. 


Index 


Virginia,  8i,  zo6. 

'Wabeno,  the  Magician,'  reviewed,  igg. 

Warbler,  Bay-breasted,  55,  128  ;  Black  and 
White,  5,  54,  93,  128  ;  Blackburnian,  55, 
128 ;  BlackpoU,  5,  55,  93,  128 ;  Black- 
throated  Blue,  55,  128  ;  Black-throated 
Green,  4,  55,  128  ;  Blue-winged,  3,  55  ; 
Canadian,  55,  128  ;  Chestnut-sided,  4, 
55,  92  ;  Connecticut,  128  ;  Golden 
Swamp,  11;  Golden-winged,  4,  55,  92; 
Kentucky,  55;  Magnolia,  55,  128;  Mourn- 
ing. 55  ;  Myrtle,  54,  128  ;  Nashville,  55, 
128  ;  Parula,  55,  128  ;  Pine,  128  ;  Prairie, 
128;  Prothonotary,  10;  Tennessee,  55; 
Wilson's,  55,  128  ;  Worm-eating,  55  ; 
Yellow,  55,  92,  128  ;  Yellow  Palm,  41, 
54.  128. 

Water-Thrush,  Large-billed,  54  ;  Small- 
billed,  55,  128. 

Wheaton,  J.  M.,  142. 

Whip-poor-will,  55,  128. 


Widmann,  Otto,  27,  202. 

'Wild  Animals  I  Have  Known,'  62,  134. 

'Wild  Life  at  Home  ;   How  to  Study  and 

Photograph  It,'  reviewed,  133. 
Willcox,  M.  A  ,  200 
Wilson  Bulletin,  168. 
Wisconsin,  27. 
Wisconsin   Arbor  and   Bird    Day  Annual, 

98. 
'With  Nature  and  a  Camera, '  reviewed,  26. 
Woodcock,  128,  166. 
Woodpecker,  19,    26  ;  Downy,    11,   58,    60, 

166,  181  ;   Lewis,  47,  72. 
Wren,   House,   54,    128,    166 ;    Long-billed 

Marsh,  39,  55;   Short-billed  Marsh,  117, 

128;  Winter,  128,  181. 
Wright,  Mabel  Osgood,  30,  31,  195,  202. 
Wyoming,  14,  106. 
Yellow-bird,  Summer,  17. 
Yellow  Hammer,  18. 
Yellow-legs,  Greater,  128. 


Vol.  1 


A    BI-MONTHLY   MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 


Official    Organ    of   the    Audubon    Societies 


February,  1899 


No.  1 


In  Warbler  Time 


BY   JOHN    BURROUGHS 


*HIS  morning,  ]\Iay  5,  as  I  walked  through  the  fields 
the  west  wind  brought  to  me  a  sweet,  fresh  odor, 
like  that  of  fragrant  violets,  precisely  like  that  of 
'm^W'r^^  '-  o'-i'^  little  white  sweet  violet  (Fi'o/a  blanda).  I  do  not 
^^4"^^^^  know  what  it  came  from, —  probably  from  sugar  maples, 
jf-"*-  ^■p;==£_  just  shaking  out  their  fringe-like  blossoms, — but  it  was  the 
^^^-T^-^'  first  breath  of  May,  and  very  welcome.  April  has  her 
odors,  too,  very  delicate  and  suggestive,  but  seldom  is  the 
wind  perfumed  with  the  breath  of  actual  bloom  before  May.  I  said 
it  is  Warbler  time ;  the  first  arrivals  of  the  pretty  little  migrants 
should  be  noted  now.  Hardly  had  my  thought  defined  itself  when 
before  me,  in  a  little  hemlock,  I  caught  the  flash  of  a  blue,  white- 
barred  wing  ;  then  glimpses  of  a  yellow  breast  and  a  yellow  crown. 
I  approached  cautiously,  and  in  a  moment  more  had  a  full  view  of 
one  of  our  rarer  Warblers,  the  Blue-winged  Yellow  Warbler.  Very 
pretty  he  was,  too,  the  yellow  cap,  the  yellow  breast,  and  the  black 
streak  through  the  eye  being  conspicuous  features.  He  would  not 
stand  to  be  looked  at  long,  but  soon  disappeared  in  a  near-by  tree. 

The  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet  w^as  piping  in  an  evergreen  tree  near 
by,  but  him  I  had  been  hearing  for  several  days.  The  Kinglets 
come  before  the  first  Warblers,  and  may  be  known  to  the  attentive 
eye  by  their  quick,  nervous  movements,  and  small  greenish  forms, 
and  to  the  discerning  ear  by  their  hurried,  musical,  piping  strains. 
How  soft,  how  rapid,  how  joyous  and  lyrical  their  songs  are  I  Very 
few  country  people,  I  imagine,  either  see  them  or  hear  them.  The 
powers  of  observation  of  country  people  are  not  fine  enough  and 
trained  enough.  They  see  and  hear  coarsely.  An  object  must  be 
big  and  a  sound  loud,  to  attract  their  attention.  Have  you  seen 
and    heard    the    Kinglet?      If   not,  the   finer  inner  world    of    nature   is 


4  Bird -Lore 

a  sealed  book  to  you.  When  your  senses  take  in  the  Kinglet  they 
will   take  in   a   thousand  other  objects   that   now  escape  you. 

My  first  Warbler  in  the  spring  is  usually  the  Yellow  Redpoll,  which 
I  see  in  April.  It  is  not  a  bird  of  the  trees  and  woods,  but  of  low 
bushes  in  the  open,  often  alighting  upon  the  ground  in  quest  of 
food.  I  sometimes  see  it  on  the  lawn.  The  last  one  I  saw  was  one 
April  day,  when  I  went  over  to  the  creek  to  see  if  the  suckers  were 
yet  running  up.  The  bird  was  flitting  amid  the  low  bushes,  now 
and  then  dropping  down  to  the  gravelly  bank  of  the  stream.  Its 
chestnut    crown    and   yellow   under  parts   were    noticeable. 

The  past  season  I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  Golden-winged 
Warbler  —  a  shy  bird,  that  eluded  me  a  long  time  in  an  old  clearing 
that  had  grown  up  with  low  bushes.  The  song  first  attracted  my 
attention,  it  is  so  like  in  form  to  that  of  the  Black-throated  Green 
Back,  but  in  quality  so  inferior.  The  first  distant  glimpse  of  the 
bird,  too,  suggested  the  Green  Back,  so  for  a  time  I  deceived  my- 
self with  the  notion  that  it  was  the  Green  Back  with  some  defect 
in  its  vocal  organs.  A  day  or  two  later  I  heard  two  of  them,  and 
then    concluded    my  inference   was   a   hasty  one. 

Following  one  of  the  birds,  I  caught  sight  of  its  yellow  crown, 
which  is  much  more  conspicuous  than  its  yellow  wing-bars.  Its 
song  is  like  this,  '«-'«  de  de  de,  with  a  peculiar  reedy  quality,  but 
not  at  all  musical,  falling  far  short  of  the  clear,  sweet,  lyrical  song 
of    the    Green    Back. 

One  appreciates  how  bright  and  gay  the  plumage  of  many  of 
our  Warblers  is,  when  he  sees  one  of  them  alight  upon  the  ground. 
While  passing  along  a  wood  road  in  June,  a  male  Black-throated 
Green  came  down  out  of  the  hemlocks  and  sat  for  a  moment  on 
the  ground  before  me.  How  out  of  place  he  looked,  like  a  bit  of 
ribbon  or  millinery  just  dropped  there  I  The  throat  of  this  Warbler 
always  suggests  the  finest  black  velvet.  Not  long  after  I  saw  the 
Chestnut-sided  Warbler  do  the  same  thing.  We  ware  trying  to  make 
it  out  in  a  tree  by  the  roadside,  when  it  dropped  down  quickly  to 
the  ground  in  pursuit  of  an  insect,  and  sat  a  moment  upon  the 
brown   surface,  giving  us  a  vivid   sense   of  its  bright  new  plumage. 

When  the  leaves  of  the  trees  are  just  unfolding,  or,  as  Tenny- 
son sa3's,  "When  all  the  woods  stand  in  a  mist  of  green,  and  noth- 
ing perfect,"  the  tide  of  migrating  Warblers  is  at  its  height.  They 
come  in  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  the  trees  are  alive  with 
them.  The  apple  trees  are  just  showing  the  pink,  and  how  closely 
the  birds  inspect  them  in  their  eager  quest  for  insect  food  !  One 
cold,  rainy  day  at  this  season  Wilson's  Black-cap, —  a  bird  that  is 
said   to  go  north   nearly  to   the  arctic  circle,  —  explored   an   apple  tree 


John   Burroughs  at   'Slab   Sides'  5 

iu  front  of  ni}'  window.  It  came  down  within  two  feet  of  my  face, 
as  I  stood  bv  the  pane,  and  paused  a  moment  in  its  hurr}^  and 
peered  in  at  me,  giving  me  an  admirable  view  of  its  form  and 
markings.  It  was  wet  and  hnngr}-,  and  it  had  a  long  journey  be- 
fore  it.      What   a    small    body  to    cover   such    a   distance  ! 

The  Black-poll  Warbler,  which  one  may  see  about  the  same 
time,  is  a  much  larger  bird  and  of  slower  movement,  and  is 
colored  much  like  the  Black  and  White  Creeping  W^arbler  with  a 
black  cap  on  its  head.  The  song  of  this  bird  is  the  finest,  the  least 
in  volume,  and  most  insect-like  of  that  of  any  Warbler  known  to  me. 
It  is  the  song  of  the  Black  and  White  Creeper  reduced,  high  and 
swelling  in  the  middle  and  low  and  faint  at  its  beginning  and  end- 
ing. When  one  has  learned  to  note  and  discriminate  the  Warblers, 
he   has   made    a   good    beginning   in    his  or  her  ornithological    studies. 


John   Burroughs   at  'Slab  Sides' 

^^OME  years  ago  a  favor  to  a  neighbor  resulted  in  Mr.  Bur- 
^  roughs  acquiring  possession  of  a  small  'muck  swamp'  situ- 
ated in  a  valley  in  the  hills,  a  mile  or  more  west  of  his  home 
at  West  Park,  on  the  Hudson.  To  Mr.  Burroughs,  the  agriculturist, 
this  apparentl}'  worthless  bit  of  ground  promised  a  rich  return  after 
it  had  yielded  to  successive  attacks  of  brush-knife,  grubbing-hook, 
plough,  and  spade.  To  Burroughs,  the  literary  naturalist  and  nature- 
lover,  this  secluded  hollow  in  the  woods  offered  a  retreat  to  which 
he  could  retire  when  his  eyes  wearied  of  the  view  of  nature  tamed 
and    trimmed,  from   his   study  on    the   bank   of   the    Hudson. 

In  the  spring  of  1895  the  muck  swamp  was  a  seemingly  hope- 
less tangle  of  brush  and  bogs,  without  sign  of  human  habitation. 
One  year  later  its  black  bed  was  lined  with  long  rows  of  luxu- 
riant celery,  while  from  a  low  point  at  one  end  of  the  swamp 
had  arisen  a  rustic  cabin  fitting  the  scene  so  harmoniously  that 
one   had    to    look    twice    to    see    it. 

This  is  'Slab  Sides,'  a  dwelling  of  Mr.  Burroughs'  own  plan- 
ning, and,  in  part,  construction,  its  outer  covering  of  rough  sawn 
slabs,  which  still  retain  their  bark,  being  the  origin  of  its  name. 
In  a  future  number  we  hope  to  present  a  photograph  of  the  exterior 
of  Slab  Sides,  with  an  account  of  the  birds  its  owner  finds  about  it. 
Part  of  its  interior  is  well  shown  by  our  photograph  of  Mr.  Bur- 
roughs seated  before  the  fireplace,  in  which,  as  head  mason  and 
stone-cutter,  he  takes  a  justifiable  pride.  Here,  from  April  to 
November,  Mr.  Burroughs  makes  his  home,  and  here  his  most  sympa- 
thetic readers  may  imagine  him  amid  surroundings  which  are  in  keep- 
ing  with   the  character   of  his  writings. 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds 

BY    DR.  THOS.  S.  ROBERTS 

Director,    Department   of  Birds,    Natural    History  Survey   of  Minnesota. 
With   photographs   from   Nature,  by  the   Author. 

NYONE  having  an  earnest  interest  in  both  natural 
history  and  photography  can  find  no  more  de- 
.--^^gj>-^'\-^^  lightful  and  profitable  way  of  spending  leisure 
!^  !)f  '  '!  'I  hours  than  by  prying  into  the  secrets  of  Dame 
ature  with  an  instrument  capable  of  furnishing  such  complete 
and  trutiiful  information  as  the  camera.  Delightful  and  fascinat- 
ing, because  it  not  only  gives  worthy  purpose  and  charming  zest 
to  all  outing  trips,  but  yields  results  that  tell  in  no  uncertain  way 
of  things  and  incidents  that  it  would  be  well  nigh  impossible  to 
preserve  in  any  other  manner.  There  is  no  department  of  nature- 
study  in  which  the  camera  cannot  be  turned  to  excellent  account, 
and  while  records  of  lasting  and  scientific  value  are  being  made, 
the  devotee  of  amateur  photography  has  at  the  same  time  full 
scope  for  the  study  of  his  art.  What  may,  perhaps,  be  considered 
the  greatest  value,  albeit  an  unrecognized  one,  of  the  present  wide- 
spread camera  craze,  is  the  development  of  a  love  for  the  beautiful 
and  artistic  which  may  result,  and  along  the  line  of  study  here  sug- 
gested may  surely  be  found  abundant  material  to  stimulate  in  the 
highest  degree  these  qualities.  Too  much  time  is  spent  and  too 
much  effort  expended  by  the  average  'kodaker'  in  what  has  been 
aptly  termed  "reminiscent  photography,"  the  results  being  of  but 
momentary  interest   and   of   no   particular  value   to   anybody. 

In  the  present  and  subsequent  articles,  it  is  intended  to  illus- 
trate by  pictures  actually  taken  in  the  field  by  the  veriest  tyro  in 
the  art  of  photography,  what  may  be  accomplished  by  any  properly 
equipped  amateur  in  the  way  of  securing  portraits  of  our  native 
birds  in  their  wild  state  and  amid  their  natural  surroundings.  Sup- 
plemental to  such  portraits  are  the  more  easily  taken  photographs 
of  the  nests,  eggs,  young,  and  natural  haunts  of  each  species ;  the 
whole  graphically  depicting  the  most  interesting  epoch  in  the  life- 
history  of  an}'  bird.  Words  alone  fail  to  tell  the  story  so  clearly, 
so  beautifully,  and  so  forcibly.  And,  best  of  all,  this  can  be  ac- 
complished without  carrying  bloodshed  and  destruction  into  the 
ranks  of  our  friends  the  birds  ;  for  we  all  love  to  call  the  birds 
our  friends,  yet  some  of  us  are  not,  I  fear,  always  quite  friendly 
in  our  dealings  with  them.  To  take  their  pictures  and  pictures  of 
their  homes  is  a  peaceful  and  harmless  sort  of  invasion  of  their 
domains,    and    the    results   in    most   cases    are    as   satisfactory   and    far- 

(6) 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds  7 

reaching  as  to  bring  home  as  tropliies  Hfeless  bodies  and  despoiled 
liabitations,  to  be  stowed  away  in  cabinets  where  dust  and  insects 
and  faihng  interest  soon  put  an  end  to  their  usefuhiess.  It  is  not 
intended,  of  course,  to  reflect  in  any  way  upon  the  estabHshment  of 
order!}'  and  well-directed  collections,  for  such  are  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  the  very  existence  of  the  science  of  ornithology.  To  such 
collections    the     great     bod\'   of     amateur    bird     students    should    turn 


CHICKADEE    AT    XEST-HOLE,     WITH    FOOD    FOR    YOUNG 


for  the  close  examinations  necessary  to  familiarize  themselves  with 
the  principles  of  classification  and  the  distinctions  between  closely 
related  species.  Indeed,  it  is  impossible  for  anyone  to  be  intelli- 
genth'  informed  as  to  the  many  varieties  of  birds,  and  their  wonder- 
ful seasonal  changes  of  plumage,  without  having:  actually  handled 
specimens. 

The  growth  of  avian  photography  has  been  of  short  duration, — 
only  a  few  years  in  this  country  and  not  much  longer  in  England, 
where  it  seems  to  have  had  its  inception.  But  there  are  already 
one  or  two  good  books  dealing  with  the  subject  ;  and  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  ornithological  works  of  recent  date,  and  especially  the  pages 
of   the   journal    literature   of    the    day,    bear  excellent   testimony  to   the 


8  Bird- Lore 

merit  and  beauty  of  this  method  of  securing  bird  pictures.  Atten- 
tion, however,  has  thus  far  been  directed  chiefly  to  obtaining 
illustrations  of  nests  and  eggs  and  captive  birds,  to  the  neglect 
of  the  more  difficult  but  more  interesting  occupation  of  securing 
photographs  of  live  birds  in  their  wild  state.  Herein  lies  the 
chief  fascination  of  this  branch  of  photograph}',  for  good  photo- 
graphs from  life  of  any  of  our  birds,  even  the  most  common,  are 
still    novelties. 

The  successful  bird  photographer  must  possess  a  good  camera, 
including  a  first-class  lens,  with  at  least  an  elementary  knowledge 
of  how  to  get  the  best  results  from  it;  some  acquaintance  with 
field  and  forest  and  their  feathered  inhabitants,  and  a  fund  of 
patience,  perseverance,  and  determination  to  conquer  that  is  abso- 
lutely inexhaustible.  No  matter  how  well  equipped  in  other  re- 
spects, this  latter  requisite  cannot  be  dispensed  with.  As  to  the 
technique  and  many  details  of  the  art  of  photography,  the  writer 
is  still  too  much  of  a  novice  to  speak  very  intelligently.  Suffice 
it  to  sa}',  that  the  general  principles  governing  other  branches  of 
photography  are  to  be  consulted  here.  One  great  difficulty  to  be 
encountered  is  that  there  is  little  opportunity  to  arrange  the  light- 
ing or  background  of  the  object  to  be  photographed,  and  as  the 
latter  is  apt  to  be  either  green  foliage  or  the  dull  ground,  with 
the  camera  very  near  the  object,  the  beginner  will  be  much  per- 
plexed to  determine  the  proper  stop  and  the  right  time  of  ex- 
posure. With  the  usual  appliances  a  wide  open  stop  will  be  found 
necessary  with  the  rapid  exposure  required,  and  this  will  detract 
in  a  disappointing  manner  from  the  beaut}'  of  the  negative  as  a 
whole.  But  every  determined  stiident  will  try  in  his  or  her  own 
way  to  lessen  these  defects,  and  will  find  in  failure  only  increased 
incentive  to  discover  better  methods  and  better  appliances.  Cameras 
and  lenses  especially  devised  for  this  kind  of  work  are  promised  in 
the  near  future.  A  rapid  telephoto  lens  is  a  great  desideratum,  and 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  in  the  near  future  such  an  one  will 
be  available.  Those  to  be  had  at  present  increase  the  time  of  ex- 
posure too  much  to  be  generally  useful  in  bird  work.  The  writer 
has  used  a  4x5  long-focus  'Premo'  with  Bausch  and  Lomb  Rapid 
Rectilinear  lens  (Zeiss-Anastigmat,  Series  II-A,  ^j'(  x6j4),  the  focal 
length  of  the  combination  being  about  6}^  inches.  Many  kinds 
of  plates  have  been  used,  but  any  good  rapid  plate  will  do.  For 
those  who  are  willing  to  take  the  additional  care  necessary  to 
handle  them  successfully,  rapid  isochromatic  or  orthochromatic  plates 
are  undoubtedly  to  be  preferred,  as  the}-  preserve  quite  clearly  the 
color  values. 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds  9 

A  consideration  of  the  actual  tield  difficulties,  rather  than  tiie  more 
purely  photographic  problems  to  be  encountered,  is  more  within  the 
scope  of  the  present  paper.  To  this  end  a  rather  detailed  ac- 
count is  given  of  just  how  each  of  the  following  groups  of  photo- 
graphs was  secured,  hoping  that  others  better  equipped,  with  a 
better  knowledge  of  photography,  and  with  more  leisure,  may  be 
encouraged  to  go  and  do  likewise  and  present  us  with  the  results. 

One  of  the  greatest  of  these  field  difficulties  is  that  the  camera 
is  rarely  focused  upon  the  bird  to  be  taken,  but  is  either  snapped 
at  random  or  focused  upon  some  spot  to  which  the  bird  is  expected 
to  return.  The  latter,  in  the  great  majority  of  cases,  is  the  nest;  at 
other  times  a  much-used  perching-place  or  feeding-ground.  Success 
depends,  therefore,  ver}-  largely  upon  the  nature,  disposition,  and 
habits,  especially  nesting  habits,  of  the  particular  bird  being  dealt 
with.  Some  birds  are  of  a  confiding,  unsuspicious  nature,  and  easily 
reconciled  to  quiet  intrusion  ;  while  others  are  so  timid  and  wary 
that  hours  of  time  have  to  be  expended,  and  all  sorts  of  devices 
resorted  to,  in  order  to  get  the  coveted  'snap.'  Of  the  risk  of 
life  and  limb  necessary  to  reach  rocky  cliff  and  lofty  tree-dwelling 
species,  the  recital  must  come  from  such  daring  and  fearless  devo- 
tees of  this  art  as  the  Kearton  brothers  of  England,  and  others 
nearer   home. 

The  nest  being  the  lure  usually  employed  to  bring  the  bird 
within  range  of  the  camera,  it  will  follow  that  the  nesting  season 
is  the  time  of  year  when  most  of  this  work  must  be  done.  Thus, 
spring  and  early  summer  are  the  harvest  time  of  the  bird  photog- 
rapher, and  as  it  happens  that  these,  of  all  the  seasons,  are  the 
most  delightful  in  which  to  be  afield,  the  bird  -  lover,  with  glass, 
camera,  and  note-book,  can  leave  care  behind  and  find  content- 
ment, rest,  and  peaceful  profit  in  the  glorious  days  of  June,  so 
happily  styled    the    rarest    of   all    that    come. 

Leaving  general  considerations,  let  us  first  study  a  series  of 
photographs  that  well  illustrates  what  charming  and  dainty  little 
pictures  can  sometimes  be  secured  with  most  trifling  effort.  Suc- 
cess in  this  instance  was  easily  attained  because  the  little  '  sitters ' 
were  not  very  unwilling  and  because  the  conditions  under  which 
they  lived  were  more  than  usually  favorable.  The  subject  of  these 
photographs,  the  little  Black-capped  Chickadee,  or  Titmouse, — Pants 
atricapillus,  the  scientists  call  him, —  is  familiarly  known  to  almost 
every  one  who  has  given  even  casual  attention  to  birds.  Its  gener- 
ally common  occurrence  throughout  the  United  States,  cheery, 
happy  disposition,  and  lively  notes  as  the  little  band,  for  they 
usually   travel    in    companies,    goes    roaming    through    woodland    and 


Bird -Lore 


copse,  endears  it  to  all.  All  through  the  long,  drear}-  winter,  with 
its  short  da}-s  and  perpetual  snow  and  ice,  they  are  the  same 
sprightly,  contended  little  fellows,  and  refreshing  it  is  to  meet  and 
visit  with  them  at  such  times  as  they  come  '  chick-a-de-dee '-ing 
right     into     30ur     very     presence     in     their     familiar,     confiding    way. 

Springtime  finds  them  with  a 
mellow,  long-drawn  love  whistle 
of  two  notes  and  thoughts  of 
home  and  home  likethings.  Soon, 
down  by  the  lake  or  brook-side, 
or  in  some  moist  woodland  glade, 
where  birch  and  willow  trunks 
long  since  dead  and  soft  with 
age  stand  sheltered  among  the 
growing  trees,  the  little  Black- 
cap and  his  chosen  mate  pick 
out  a  cozy  retreat.  This,  per- 
haps, is  some  deserted  Wood- 
pecker den.  decayed  knothole, 
or  more  often  it  is  a  burrow  of 
their  own  making,  and  here  they 
assume  the  delights  and  cares  of 
wedded  life.  A  snug,  warm  nest 
of  rabbit's  hair  or  fern  down  is 
quickly  built,  and  in  this  soft- 
est of  beds  the  five  or  six  rosy 
white,  finely  speckled  little  eggs  are  laid.  Before  very  many  days, 
eight  or  ten  at  most,  the  old  stump  exhibits  unmistakable  signs 
of  being  animated  within,  and  in  a  wonderfully  short  time  the 
little  nestlings  are  as  large  as  their  parents,  and  full,  indeed,  is 
this  family  domicile.  Owing  to  the  cleanly  habits  and  care  of  the 
old  birds,  the  dresses  of  the  youngsters  are  cleaner  and  brighter 
than  those  of  their  hard-worked,  food-carrying  parents.  It  was 
just  at  this  stage  in  their  progress  that  the  little  family,  whose 
portraits  are  here  shown,  was  discovered  one  late  June  da\-,  snugly 
ensconced  within  the  crumbling  trunk  of  a  long  since  departed 
willow  tree.  With  a  bird-loving  companion,  Mr.  Leslie  O.  Dart, 
the  writer  was  drifting  idly  in  a  little  boat  through  one  of  the  man}- 
channels  of  the  Mississippi  river,  which  cut  up  into  innumerable 
islands,  the  heavily  wooded  bottomland  of  eastern  Houston  county, 
Minnesota.  Being  in  search  of  the  nests  of  numerous  Prothonotary 
W^arblers,  wJiich  were  flashing  hither  and  thither  across  the  channel, 
we    skirted     the    shore    closely,    tapping    on    all     likely-looking     stubs. 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds  n 

Now  the  tapping  brought  to  view  a  Down}'  Woodpecker,  then  a 
beautiful  Golden  Swamp  Warbler  :  sometimes  unexpectedly  a  great 
gray  mouse  scrambled  out  and  plunged  boldly  into  the  water  be- 
neath :  but  this  time  the  blow  was  followed  b\'  a  subdued  hum 
from  within,  and  an  incpiiring,  anxious  parent  Chickadee  appeared 
suddenly  on  the  scene,  joined  in  a  moment  by  a  second,  and  we 
had  the  family  complete.  It  was  near  noon,  the  sun  was  shining 
brightl}',  the  hole  was  on  the  water  side  of  the  stub  in  the  light, 
and  we  had  no  Chickadee  pictures  :  so  we  camped  at  once  and 
prepared  to  'do'  the  situation.  A  little  investigation  showed  the 
nest  to  be  too  high  for  setting  up  the  camera  satisfactorily,  as  the 
tripod  legs  sank  deep  in  the  mud  and  water.  But  our  kit  in- 
cluded a  saw  for  just  such  an  emergency,  and  sawing  off  the  soft 
stub  at  the  proper  height,  it  was  lowered  gently  until  the  hole  came 
just  on  a  level  with  the  camera,  placed  horizontally  and  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  three  feet.  Propped  with  a  forked  stick,  it  rested 
quite  securely  on  the  soft  bottom.  This  was  better  than  tipping 
the  camera  and  employing  the  'swing  back,'  as  the  sun  was  nearly 
overhead.  After  focusing  carefully  on  the  opening  in  the  stub, 
attaching  to  the  camera  fifty  feet  of  small  rubber  tubing  with  large 
bulb,  in  place  of  the  usual  short  tube  and  small  bulb,  setting  care- 
fully the  trigger  and  other  accessories  of  our  harmless  gun,  and 
covering  the  whole  camera  with  a  hood  of  rough  green  cloth,  the 
lens  alone  visible,  we  retreated  to  a  convenient  vantage  point  among 
the  small  willows  close  by.  But  a  few  minutes  elapsed  before  the 
old  birds  were  on  the  spot  peering  at  us  and  the  big  green  object 
from  all  sides.  In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  considering 
the  great  liberties  that  had  been  taken  with  their  habitation  and 
door  yard,  they  became  resigned,  and  one  of  the  birds,  which  we 
assumed  to  be  the  female,  flew  straight  to  the  stub,  and,  with  a 
last  suspicious  glance  at  the  great  glistening  eye  so  near  at  hand, 
disappeared  into  the  hole  with  a  large  brown  worm  in  her  bill. 
But  that  momentary  delay  was  the  looked-for  opportunity,  and  all- 
sufficient  ;  for  with  a  quick  squeeze  of  the  bulb,  click  went  the 
shutter,  and  in  the  twent\'-fifth  of  a  second  the  bird  was  ours  ;  shot 
without  so  much  as  knowing  it.  without  indeed  the  ruffling  of  a 
feather  or  the  drawing  of  a  drop  of  blood,  and  preserved  lifelike 
and    true    to   nature   for   all    time    to   come. 

From  this  time  on  the  birds  came  and  went  without  hesitation, 
the  only  serious  delays  in  our  operations  being  due  to  the  drifting 
clouds,  which  now  and  then  obscured  the  sun  and  rendered  the 
light  too  weak  for  the  rapid  exposures  necessar}-.  One  of  the  birds, 
the    one    we    took    to     be     the    female,   was    a    little    more    courageous 


12  Bird -Lore 

than  the  other,  and  it  is  her  picture  that  appears  oftenest.  The 
timid  one,- — the  male, —  even  went  so  far  on  several  occasions  as  to 
himself  devour  the  worm  he  had  brought  rather  than  trust  himself 
at  close  quarters  with  the  unknown  enemy,  although  his  mate  was 
at  the  time  coming  and  going  industriously  and  keeping  the  little 
folk  well  supplied  with  the  great  larvae.  Surely  personal  traits  and 
individuality  are   quite    as   well    marked    in    the   bird   world   as    higher 


YOUNG    CHICKADEES. 


in  the  scale  I  After  we  had  made  several  more  exposures  similar 
to  the  first,  one  of  the  best  of  which  shows  the  bird,  worm-laden 
as  before,  balanced  on  the  edge  of  the  hole  and  taking  the  usual 
last  look  at  the  camera,  we  turned  our  attention  to  catching  her  as 
she  was  coming  out.  This  required  quicker  cooperation  between 
eye  and  hand,  as  the  exit  was  generally  made  with  a  dash  ;  but  the 
accompan3ang  picture,  with  head  just  emerging,  will  show  that  we 
were    fairly   sviccessful. 

Having    concluded    from    all    indications,  chief    among    which    was 
the    immense   number  of    huge    caterpillars    carried    in    to    the    young, 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds 


13 


that  the  latter  must  be  fairly  grown,  we  decided  to  expose  the  nest 
and  complete  our  collection  by  securing  the  entire  family.  So  care- 
fully sawing  awa\"  the  front  wall  of  the  cavity  with  a  keyhole  saw 
carried  for  just  such  purposes,  we  gave  the  little  fellows  within  their 
first  view  of  the  outside  world.  I  fear  they  must  have  thought  the 
manner  of  opening  their  second  shell  a  rather  rude  one,  and  the  out- 
look somewhat  forbidding.  They  were  pretty  little  3'oungsters,  fully 
grown,  with  clean,  jaunt}'  coats,  and  a  grown-up  '  chickadee-dee, '  just 
like  the  old  folks.  Though  somewhat  dazzled  at  first  by  the  sudden 
flood  of  bright  sunlight,  the\'  were,  after  a  little  coaxing,  induced  to  sit 
out  on  the  veranda  that  had  been  improvised  for  them  ;  but,  like  youth- 
ful sitters  generally,  they  were  hard  to  pose,  and  after  many  exposures, 
we  succeeded  in  getting  no  more  than  two  of  them  at  once.  The 
prettiest  one  of  all,  showing  two  of  the  little  fellows  as  they  finally 
settled  down  contentedU'  in  the  warm  sunshine,  was  obtained  at  the 
expense  of  much  patient  effort  and  a  great  deal  of  slushing  back  and 
forth  in  mud  and  water  between  boat  aad  camera,  and  it  was  gratifying 
to  find  that  one  at  least  of  the  negatives  did  fair  justice  to  the  situation. 
The  old  ones  came  and  went  after  the  mutilation  of  their  home, 
just  as  before,  and,  indeed,  apparently  found  the  new  arrangement 
much  more  convenient  than  the  old.  In  one  of  the  photographs 
here  presented,  domestic 
affairs  that  had  before 
been  entirely  concealed 
from  view  are  fully  re- 
vealed, and  had  not  the 
plate  been  light- struck  by 
one  of  the  many  aggravat- 
ing accidents  likely  to  oc- 
cur in  the  outdoor  work  of 
the  beginner,  the  picture 
would  have  been  the  best 
of  the  series.  The  cour- 
ageous parent  is  attending 
to  her  maternal  duties  im- 
der  circumstances  which 
must  appear  most  appal- 
ling. The  little  fellow  sit- 
ting so  contentedly  by  has 
undoubtedly  had  his  share 
of  the  huge  juicy  caterpil- 
lars, and  patiently  recog- 
nizes that  it  is  not  his  turn. 
( To   be   concluded) 


CHICKADEE    FEEDING    YOUNG 


From  a  Cabin  Window 


D 


BY    H.  W.  MENKE 

With  Photogravihs  from  Nature  by  the  Author 

URING    the    winter    of    1897-8    I    prospected    for    Jurassic 
,  fossils     in     Carbon     and     Albany     counties,      Wyoming. 

'""  ,   ..  When     cold    weather    and    snow    rendered    field    work     im- 

^  practicable  as  well  as  very  disagreeable,  I  made  permanent 
camp  for  the  winter  at  Aurora.  Wyoming,- — a  mere  station 
on  the  Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  an  old  abandoned  section- 
house  serving  as  my  winter  quarters. 

This  part  of  Wyoming, — at  all  times  dreary  and  lonely, 

— is  strikingly  so    during    winter  months.      Then  snow  fills 

the  ravines  and    lencis    a    level,    prairie-like    aspect    to    the    landscape. 

I   doubt    if  there    is  to    be   found    anywhere    a    more    desolate    country 


HORNED    LARKS    AND    SNOWFLAKES 


than   this:    at   least  such   was   my  impression  when   the   novelty  of  my 
surroundings  had  worn  off. 

Among  the  various  expedients  to  which  I  resorted  for  amusement, 
was  photographing  such  birds  as  I  could  lure  around  the  cabin. 
That  I  was  not  more  successful  in  securing  good  negatives  is  due  to 
the  difficulties  with  which   I   had   to  contend.      Chief  of  these   were  the 


(14* 


From   a   Cabin   Window 


15 


fierce,    wintry    blasts     sweeping    over    the     plains     and    filling    the     air 
with   snow  and   dust. 

A  single  experiment  taught  me  the  inadvisability  of  leaving  the 
camera  exposed  for  any  length  of  time  to  these  conditions.  I  had 
been  trying  to  get  a  large  photograph  of  Horned  Larks.  The  camera 
was  placed  on  the   ground   and  a  handful   of    oats   scattered    before   it, 


,i^ 


.^dllfib.. 


,.*-/.  * 


HORNED    LARKS    AND    SNOWFLAKES 


while  I  waited  within  the  cabin  for  nearly  two  hours  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  pull  the  thread  attached  to  the  camera  shutter.  But  the 
birds  persistently  avoided  the  pebble  marking  the  focal  plane,  and 
clouds  continually  obscured  the  sun  when  I  wished  to  make  an  expo- 
sure. x\t  last  the  right  moment  came,  I  pulled  the  thread,  and  hurried 
out  to  get  the  result.  That  plate  was  never  developed.  Snow  had 
clogged  the  shutter,  and  I  found  it  had  remained  wide  open  after 
being  sprung. 

By  throwing  oats  on  only  one  spot,  and  that  close  to  the  window, 
I  soon  gathered  quite  a  fiock  of  Horned  Larks,  who  came  regularly 
every  morning  to  feed  from  the  constantly  replenished  supply. 
Finally,  after  a  week  of  gloomy,  dark  weather,  a  cloudless  sky  offered 
especially  good  chances  for  a  photograph  of  my  feathered  friends. 
This  time  I  placed  the  camera  on  the  window-sill.  Maneuvres 
attendant     upon     focusing    and     inserting     a     plate-holder,    of    course, 


i6  Bird -Lore 

frightened  the  birds  away.  They  were  back  again  within  a  few 
minutes,  but  an  unexpected  source  of  annoyance  interfered.  A  freight 
train  stopped  opposite  the  scene  of  my  operations  and  belched  great 
billows  of  smoke  between  the  sun  and  the  birds.  Also  the  shadow 
of  the  cabin  was  gradually  encroaching  on  the  feeding  ground.  I 
made  a  trial  exposure,  however,  and  obtained  a  very  good  negative. 
But  a  shadow  in  the  foreground  and  a  wagon  tongue  in  the  rear,  did 
not  add  to  the  pictorial  effect  of  the  group. 

After  much  pulling  and  prying,  I  pushed  the  objectionable  wagon 
out  of  the  drifts,  and  put  off  further  photographing  vmtil  the  next 
morning.      The  morning  came  as  bright  and   sunny  as   I   desired.      My 


YELLOW-HEADED     BLACKBIRDS 


feathered  subjects  were  early  in  the  open  air  studio,  and  required  no 
conventional  admonition  to  'look  pleasant.'  In  fact,  they  were 
almost  too  lively  for  the  camera  shutter.  The  negative  obtained 
proved  very  good,  and  well  repaid  me  for  all  trouble  and  annoyance. 

A  few  Yellow-headed  Blackbirds  were  attracted  by  the  food  supply 
I  furnished,  and  I  made  several  negatives  of  them.  The  Yellow-heads 
were  more  wary  than  the  Horned  Larks,  and  flew  away  at  the  slightest 
disturbance.  Only  a  few  at  a  time  gathered  beneath  the  window,  while 
the  others  perched  on  fence-posts  at  a  safe  distance  and  kept  watch.  ^ 

But  it  remained  for  a  Northern  Shrike  to  add  'insult  to  injury,'  by 
seizing  a  dead  mouse  I  had  placed  on  a  post  and  alighting  on  the 
camera  with  its  capture  ! 


JTor  Ceacl)er0  anti  ^tutients^ 


I 


Bird-Studies   for   Children 

BY    ISABEL   EATON 

T    IS    a  simple   matter  enough,  with    the   little   folk    who 
happily  live  in    the  country,  to  excite  an  interest   and 
develop   a   familiar   friendship   with    their   bird    neigh- 
bors.     The   birds   can   easily  be  coaxed    to   the   piazza   or 
the  window-shelf  by  the  judicious  offer  of  free  lunch,  and 
so    a     speaking     acquaintance,    perhaps    even    a     life-long 
friendship,  with  them  may  be  gained. 
fe-^\,^'^~^  But  with  city  children,  especially  those  of  the  poorer 

^^  classes,    the  case  is  very  different.      The  question  how  to 

teach  them  to  know  and  care  for  birds  is  by  no  means  so  easy. 

Look  at  their  case :  they  have  seen  no  birds  but  English  Spar- 
rows and  caged  Canaries  and  Parrots  ;  few  of  them  know  the  Robin  ; 
they  practically  never  go  to  the  country,  and  many  of  them  never  even 
go  to  the  parks.  How  shall  they  be  taught  about  birds  ?  Observing 
the  rule  of  advancing  from  known  to  unknown,  would  suggest  Dick 
the  Canary,  as  the  obvious  point  of  departure  from  a  tenement  into 
the  w^orld  of  birds ;  then,  perhaps,  the  Summer  Yellow-bird  in  the 
park,  commonly  known  as  the  'Wild  Canary.'  and  then  Mr.  Gold- 
finch and  his  little  olive-brown  spouse,  who  would  make  a  natural 
transition  to  the  brown  Sparrow^  family,  and  so  on.  The  difficulty 
here  is  that  it  is  so  nearly  impossible  to  get  city  children  up  to  the 
park  to  see  the  Yellow-bird. 

So  another  method,  involving  no  country  walks  and  no  live  birds, 
has  to  be  resorted  to.  We  may  use  pictures. — drawn  before  the  class 
and  colored,  if  possible, — and,  trusting  to  the  children's  powers  of 
imagination  and  idealization,  may  connect  with  their  experience  at 
some  other  point.  After  studying  about  the  carpenter,  in  kindergarten 
or  primary  school,  for  instance,  it  is  easy  to  interest  children  in  the 
Woodpecker  by  proposing  to  tell  them  about  a  "little  carpenter  bird;" 
after  talking  of  the  fisherman,  a  promise  to  tell  them  of  a  bird  who 
is  a  fisherman  is  sure  to  stir  their  imaginations  of  the  doings  of  the 
Kingfisher,  and  so  with  the  weaver  (Oriole),  mason  (Robin)  and 
others. 

When  several  birds  have  been  learned,  the  best  kind  of  review  for 
little  people  is  probably  some  game   like  the  following,  w^iich   has  been 

(17) 


i8  Bird -Lore 

played  with  most  tuniultuous  enthusiasm  and  eager  interest  in  a  cer- 
tain  New  York   school   of  poor  children.      The  teacher  says  : 

"Let's  play  '  Lm  thinking  of  a  bird.'  All  shut  your  eyes  tight 
and  think.  Now.  I'm  thinking  of  a  bird  nearly  as  large  as  a  Pigeon  ; 
he  is  brownish,  with  black  barring  on  the  back,  black  spots  all  over 
the  breast,"  etc.,  etc.,  giving  a  description  of  the  Yellow  Hammer, 
or  Flicker,  but  leaving  the  characteristic  marks  until  the  end  of  the 
description.  Before  the  teacher  has  gone  far,  a  dozen  hands  are  wav- 
ing wildly  and  several  vociferous  whispers  are  heard,  proclaiming  in 
furious  pianissimo:  "/  know."  "/  know  what  it  is."  Then  the  child 
who  gets  it  right  is  allowed  to  describe  a  bird  for  the  class  to  guess, 
and  if  the  description  fails  in  any  point  the  class  may  offer  correc- 
tions. 

This  appeal  to  the  play  instinct  excites  great  interest,  which  is 
the  thing  chiefly  to   be  desired. 

When  a  number  of  birds  have  been  learned  in  this  way.  a  trip  to 
the  Natural  History  Museum  would  be  of  very  great  value,  especially 
noticing  the  wonderful  reproductions  of  actual  scenes  from  bird-life 
there  displayed.  In  this  way  city  children  could  see  in  a  single  day 
more  real  bird-life  than  they  could  otherwise  get  in  a  year,  as  their 
few  country  days  are  generally  populous  picnics,  from  which  the  birds 
flee  aghast. 

The  children  should  take  their  kindergarten  principles  of  observa- 
tion and  conversational  description  to  the  Museum  with  them,  and, 
on  returning  to  school,  should  draw  and  color  some  bird  they  have 
seen.  To  observe  and  describe  and,  perhaps,  draw  each  new  bird 
whose  picture  is  shown  in  the  classroom  is  also  a  good  thing.  The 
writer  passed  a  mounted  Flicker  through  a  class  of  fifty  children  of 
kindergarten  age,  let  them  look  and  carefully  handle,  and  then  asked 
for  "stories"  about  it.  One  child  said:  "I  know  —  Oh — I  know 
seven  stories  —  no,  eight  —  ui)ic  stories  about  Mr.  Yellow  Hammer," 
and  she  really  did  know  her  nine    "stories." 

When  they  have  gone  as  far  as  this,  most  bird  stories  will 
interest  them,  especially  if  the  birds  are  humanized  for  them  by  the 
teller  of  the  tale. 

To  sum  up,  it  may  be  said  that  the  best  way  to  begin  is  to  teach  a 
few  birds  well, — a  dozen  or  so, — by  connecting  with  the  child's  expe- 
rience, in  some  way,  the  information  to  be  given,  and  then  employing 
the  play  instinct  by  having  bird  games  of  various  kinds,  both  kinder- 
garten bird  games  and  others ;  observation,  description  and  drawing 
of  birds  may  follow,  and  first  and  last,  and  all  the  time,  all  descriptions 
and  stories  given   to  children   should   be   in   terms  of  human   nature. 


A 


Winter  Bird  Studies 

LTHOUGH  we  have  fewer  birds  during  the  winter 
than  at  any  other  season,  at  no  other  time  dur- 
e^  ing  the  year  do  the  comparative  advantages  of 
ornithology  as  a  field  study  seem  so  evident. 
The  botanist  and  entomologist  now  find  little  out  of  doors 
to  attract  them,  and.  if  we  except  a  stray  squirrel  or  rabbit, 
birds  are  the  only  living  things  we  may  see  from  December  to  March. 
Winter,  therefore,  is  a  good  time  to  begin  the  study  of  birds,  not 
only  because  flowers  and  insects  do  not  then  claim  our  attention, 
but  also  because  the  small  number  of  birds  then  present  is  a  most 
encouraging  circumstance  to  the  opera-glass  student,  who.  in  identi- 
fying birds,    is  at   the  mercy  of  a  -key.' 

Indeed,  the  difficulty  now  lies  not  in  identification,  but  in  dis- 
covery ;  unless  one  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  a  given  locality  and 
its  bird-life,  one  may  walk  for  miles  and  not  see  a  feather  —  a  par- 
ticularly unfortunate  state  of  affairs  if  one  has  a  bird-class  in  charge. 
This  dilemma,  however,  may  be  avoided  by  catering  to  the  dominant 
demand  of  bird-life  at  this  season,  the  demand  for  food.  Given  a  sup- 
ply of  the  proper  kind  of  food,  and  birds  in  the  winter  may  nearly 
always  be  found  near  it.  Bird  seed  and  grain  may  be  used,  but  a  less 
expensive  diet,  and  one  which  wall  doubtless  be  more  appreciated, 
consists  of  sweepings  from  the  hay-loft  containing  the  seeds  to  which 
our  birds  are  accustomed.  This  may  be  scattered  by  the  bushel  or 
in  a  sufficient  quantity  to  insure  a  hearty  meal  for  all  visiting  Juncos 
and  Tree  Sparrows,   with   perhaps  less  common  winter  seed-eaters. 

The  bark-hunting  Woodpeckers,  Nuthatches,  and  Chickadees  will 
require  different  fare,  and  meat-bones,  suet,  bacon-rinds  and  the  like 
have  been  found  to  be  acceptable  substitutes  for  their  usual  repast 
of   insects'    eggs   and    larva-. 

Winter,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  is  an  excellent  season  for  bird- 
nesting.  The  trees  and  bushes  now  give  up  the  secrets  they  guarded 
from  us  so  successfully  during  the  summer,  and  we  examine  them 
with  as  much  interest  as  we  pore  over  the  '  Answers  to  Puzzles  in 
Preceding   Number'  department    of   a    favorite    magazine. 

Immediately  after  a  snow  storm  is  the  best  time  in  w^hich  to 
hunt  for  birds'  nests  in  the  winter.  Then  all  tree  and  bush  nests 
have   a  white  cap,    which   renders   them   more   conspicuous. 

W^hen  walking  with  children,  the  spirit  of  competition  may  be 
aroused  by  saying  "Who'll  see  the  first  nest,"  or  '-Who'll  see  the 
next  nest  first."  as  the  case  may  be,  and  the  number  discovered 
under  this   impetus   is   often    surprising. 

(19) 


Boys  and  girls  who  study  birds  are  invited  to  send  short  accounts  of  their  observations  to 

this   department. 

Our  Doorstep    Sparrow 

BY    FLORENCE    A.    MERRIAM. 


jjj-  V 


"^^nk'v'       -'^   ^-t^ '   ■      T    XON'T   think  that  I  mean  the  House,  or  English 

^■^j^^"''*?T  -  ^- ^''    '        Vi^l   \J      Sparrow,    for    he    is    quite    a    different    bird. 

'-.  Our  little  doorstep  friend  is  the  very  smallest 

of  all   the  brown  Sparrows  you  know,  and  wears  a 


N>f|^^'^'^^-'  :*--'         reddish   brown   cap,    and    a    gray   vest    so    plain    it 

^-i"-'  --C'  ^  hasn't   a   single   button   or   stripe    on    it.       He   is   a 

dear,    plump  little  bird,   who    sits   in    the    sun    and 

throws  up  his  head  and  chippers  away  so  happily  that   people  call   him 

the   Chipping  Sparrow. 

He  comes  to  the  doorstep  and  looks  up  at  you  as  if  he  knew  you 
wanted  to  feed  him,  and  if  you  scatter  crumbs  on  the  piazza  he  will 
pick  them  up  and  hop  about  on  the  floor  as  if  it  were  his  piazza  as 
well   as  yours. 

One  small  Chippy,  whom  his  friends  called  Dick,  used  to  light  on 
the  finger  of  the  kind  man  who  fed  him.  and  use  his  hand  for  dining- 
room,  and  sometimes  when  he  had  had  a  very  nice  breakfast,  he  would 
hop  up  on  a  finger,   perch,    and   sing  a   happy  song  ! 

Dick  was  so  sure  his  friends  were  kind  and  good,  that  as  soon  as 
his  little  birds  were  out  of  the  nest,  he  brought  them  to  be  fed  too. 
They  did  not  know  what  a  nice  dining-room  a  hand  makes,  so  they 
wouldn't  fly  up  to  it,  but  when  the  gentleman  held  their  bread  and 
seeds  close  to   the  ground,  they  would  come  and  help  themselves. 

chippy's    nest. 

If  you  were  a  bird  and  were  going  to  build  a  nest,  where  would 
you  put  it  ?  At  the  end  of  a  row  of  your  brothers'  nests,  as  the 
Eave  Swallows  do  ?  Or  would  that  be  too  much  like  living  in  a 
row  of  brick  houses  in  the  city  ?  Chipping  Sparrows  don't  like  to 
live  too  close  to  their  next  door  neighbors.  They  don't  mind  if  a 
Robin  is  in  the  same  tree,  on  another  bough,  but  they  want  their 
own   branch  all   to   themselves. 

And  they  want  it  to  be  a  branch,  too.  Other  birds  may  build 
their  nests  on   the   ground,    or   burrow  in   the   ground,    or  dig   holes   in 

(20) 


Our  Doorstep   Sparrow 


TAMING     A     CHIPPY 

Photographed  by  Mr.  George  Wood  at  the  home  of  Lieutenant  Wirt  Robinson,  in 
Virginia.  Lieutenant  Robinson  -writes  that  a  pair  of  Chipping  Sparrows  placed  their 
nest  in  the  climbing  rose  bush  at  the  end  of  the  piazza.  One  of  the  pair,  supposed 
to  be  the  female,  was  easily  tamed  with  the  aid  of  bread  crumbs,  and  for  three 
successive  years  she  returned  to  the  piazza,  always  immediately  resuming  her  habits 
of  familiarity. 


22  Bird- Lore 

tree  trunks,  or  even  han^'  their  nests  clown  inside  dark  chimneys  if 
they  like,  but  Chippy  doesn't  think  much  of  such  places.  He  wants 
plenty  of  daylight  and   fresh  air. 

But  even  if  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  build  on  a  branch, 
think  how  many  nice  trees  and  bushes  there  are  to  choose  from,  and 
how  hard  it  must  be  to  decide  on  one.  You'd  have  to  think  a  long 
time  and  look  in  a  great  many  places.  You  see  you  want  the  safest, 
best  spot  in  all  the  world  in  which  to  hide  away  your  pretty  eggs, 
and  the  precious  birdies  that  will  hatch  out  of  them.  They  must  be 
tucked  well  out  of  sight,  for  weasels  and  cats,  and  many  other  giants 
like  eggs  and   nestlings  for  breakfast. 

If  you  could  find  a  kind  family  fond  of  birds,  tion't  you  think  it 
would  be  a  good  thing  to  build  near  them  ?  Perhaps  they  would 
drive  aAvay  the  cats  and  help  protect  your  brood.  Then  on  hot 
summer  days  maybe  some  little  girl  Avould  think  to  put  out  a  pan 
of  water  for  a  drink  and  a  cool  bath.  Some  people,  like  Dick's 
friends,  are  so  thoughtful  they  throw  out  crumbs  to  save  a  tired 
mother  bird  the  trouble  of  having  to  hunt  for  every  morsel  she 
gets  to  give  her  brood.  Just  think  what  work  it  is  to  find  worms 
enough    for   four   children   who  want    food    from    daylight    to   dark  I 

The  vines  of  a  piazza  make  a  safe,  good  place  for  a  nest  if  you 
are'  sure  the  people  haven't  a  cat,  and  love  birds.  I  once  saw  a 
Chippy's  nest  in  the  vines  of  a  dear  old  lady's  house,  and  when  she 
would  come  out  to  see  how  the  eggs  were  getting  on  she  would  talk 
so  kindly  to  the  old  birds  it  was  very  pleasant  to  live  there.  In  such 
a  place  your  children  are  protected,  they  have  a  roof  over  their  little 
heads  so  the  rains  won't  beat  down  on  them,  and  the  vines  shade 
them   nicely  from  the  hot   sun. 

When  you  are  building  your  house  everything  you  want  to  use 
will  be  close  by.  On  the  lawni  you  will  find  the  soft  grasses  you 
want  for  the  outside,  and  in  the  barnyard  you  can  get  the  long  horse 
hairs  that  all  Chipping  Sparrows  think  they  must  have  for  a  dry, 
cool  nest-lining.  Hair-birds,  you  know^  Chippies  are  called,  they 
use  so  much  hair.  The  question  is  how  can  they  ever  find  it  unless 
they  do  live  near  a  barn?  You  go  to  look  for  it.  someday,  out  on 
a  country  road  or  in  a  pasture.  It  takes  sharp  eyes  and  a  great 
deal  of  patience,  I  guess  you'll  find  then.  But  if  you  live  on  the 
piazza  of  a  house,  with  a  barn  in  the  back  yard,  you  can  find  so 
many  nice  long  hairs  that  you  can  sometimes  make  your  whole  nest 
of  them.  I  have  seen  a  Chippy's  nest  that  hadn't  another  thing  in 
it  —  that  was  just  a  coil   of  black  horse  hair. 

After  you  have  built  your  nest  and  are  looking  for  food  for 
your   young   it   is   most   convenient    to    be   near   a  house.      The   worms 


A  Prize  Offered  23 

you  want  for  your  iiustlings  are  in  the  garden,  and  tlie  seeds  you 
like  for  a  luncli  for  \ourself  are  on  the  weeds  mixed  up  \\  ith  the  lawn 
grass.  You  needn't  mind  taking  them,  either,  for  the  people  you 
live  with  will  be  only  too  glad  to  get  rid  of  them,  because  their 
flowers  are  killed  by  the  worms,  and  their  lawns  look  badly  when 
weeds  grow  in  the  grass,  so  you  will  only  be  helping  the  kind 
friends  who  have  already  helped  you.  Don't  you  think  that  will 
be    nice  ? 

I'Hll'l'V's     I  AMll.V. 

Did  you  ever  look  into  a  Chippy's  nest  ?  The  eggs  are  a  pretty 
blue  and  have   black  dots  on   the   larger  end. 

When  the  little  birds  first  come  out  of  the  shell  their  eyes  are 
shut   tight,    like   those  of    little   kittens  when   they  are  hrst  born. 

If  you  are  very  gentle  you  can  stroke  the  backs  of  the  little  ones 
as  they  sit  waiting   for  the  old   birds  to  feed   them. 

I  remember  one  plum  tree  nest  on  a  branch  so  low  that  a  little 
girl  could  look  into  it.  One  day  when  the  mother  bird  was  brood- 
ing the  eggs  the  little  girl  crept  close  up  to  the  tree,  so  close  she 
could  look  into  Mother  Chippy's  eyes,  and  the  trustful  bird  never 
stirred,  but  just  sat  and  looked  back  at  her.  "Isn't  she  tame?"  the 
child  cried,  she  was  so  happy  over  it. 

There  was  another  Chippy's  nest  in  an  evergreen  by  the  house, 
and  when  the  old  birds  were  hunting  for  worms  we  used  to  feed 
the  nestlings  bread  crumbs.  They  didn't  mind  the  bread  not  being 
worms  so  long  as  it  was  something  to  eat.  It  would  have  made  you 
laugh  to  see  how  wide,  they  opened  their  bills  1  It  seemed  as  if  the 
crumbs  could  drop  clear  down  to  their  boots  I  Wouldn't  you  like  to 
feed  a   little    family   like   that   sometime  ? 


A    Prize    Offered 

"1117E  want  the  boys  and  girls  who  read  Bird -Dork  to  feel  that 
they  have  a  share  in  making  the  journal  interesting.  Young 
eyes  are  keen  and  eager  when  their  owner's  attention  is  aroused  : 
so  we  ask  the  attention  of  every  reader  of  Bird -Dork  of  fourteen 
years  or  under  to  the  following  offer :  To  the  one  sending  us  the 
best  account  of  a  February  walk  we  will  give  a  year's  subscription  to 
this  journal.  The  account  should  contain  250  to  300  words,  and 
should  describe  the  experiences  of  a  walk  in  the  country  or  some 
large  park,  with  particular  reference   to  the   birds  observed. 


jBtote^  from  Jftelti   anti  ^tutip 


An  Accomplished  House  Sparrow 

In  June,  six  or  seven  years  ago,  my 
daughters  found  in  the  courtyard  of  our 
home,  a  young  House  or  English  Spar- 
row who  had  evidently  fallen  from  the 
nest,  and  had  broken  its  leg  in  the  fall. 
They  took  it  in  and  cared  for  it,  binding 
up  the  injured  limb  and  feeding  it  as 
experience  with  other  birds  of  the  same 
family  had  taught  them  to  do.  Happily, 
the  bird  recovered,  and  in  a  short  time 
became  quite  a  pet  of   the  household. 

At  that  time  we  had  two  Canary  Birds, 
both  beautiful  singers,  and  in  almost 
constant  song.  The  Sparrow  was  in  the 
same  room  with  them,  and  very  soon 
(making  use  of  its  imitative  power, 
which  we  have  observed  is  a  strong 
characteristic  of  the  Sparrow)  acquired 
the  full  and  complete  song  of  the  Cana- 
ries. We  followed  with  much  pleasure 
the  unfolding  of  his  musical  ability, 
which  was  gradual,  and  found  that  he 
had  surpassed  his  teachers,  producing 
melodies  much  richer  and  stronger,  as 
all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to 
him   freely  admitted. 

The  bird  retained  his  song  to  the  last, 
although  as  age  came  upon  him,  as  with 
all  other  pet  birds,  his  singing  was  less 
and  less  frequent  till  he  passed  away, 
some  few  months  ago.  Besides  imitating 
the  song  of  the  Canary,  he  acquired  the 
song  of  a  bird  in  our  collection  known 
as  the  '  Strawberry  Finch, '  which  he 
gave  perfectly.  His  plumage  was  greatly 
improved  by  his  confinement  and  the 
very  great  care  given  him,  so  much  so, 
that  one  almost  doubted  his  being  an 
English  Sparrow  till  convinced  upon  closer 
examination. 

We  have  had  a  large  experience  with 
these  birds  ;  they  become  very  affection- 
ate with  petting,  and  show  a  wonderful 
degree   of    intelligence. 

I  would  further  say  that  our  Sparrow 
had  all  the  notes  common  to  the  English 


Sparrow,  beside  his  acquired  accomplish- 
ments, and  there  was  sadness  in  our  home 
when  his  little  life  went  out. — John  L. 
RovAEL,    A'j-oo/;/y//,   .V.    )'. 

A  Nut-hatching  Nuthatch 

On  October  14,  1898,  while  on  a  short 
visit  to  my  old  home,  at  New  Baltimore, 
New  York,  I  sat  down  near  a  clump  of 
trees  and  shrubs  to  enjoy  the  bird-life  so 
abundant  there. 


ACORN   WEDGED    IN    BARK  BY  WHITE-BREASTED 

NUTHATCH 

Photograplied  from  Nature,  by  H    B.  Soiithwick 

Here  I  saw  the  Chickadee  carefully 
examining  the  fruit-heads  of  the  smooth 
sumach,  and  twice  take  from  them  a  mass 
of  spider-web ;  then,  flying  to  a  limb, 
dissect  it  and  obtain  from  it  the  mass  of 
young  or  eggs.  It  was  with  difficulty  that 
the  food  was  disentangled  from  the  silk, 
and  I  found  on  examination  that  much  of 
it  bad  been  so  crushed,  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  determine  whether  the  web 
contained  eggs  or  young. 

While  thus  engaged,  I  saw  a  White- 
breasted  Ni  thatch,  with  something  in  its 


(24) 


Notes  from  Field  and  Study 


25 


beak,  alight  on  the  trunk  of  a  wild  cherry 
tree.  While  running  about  over  the  bark, 
the  bird  dropped  what  proved  to  be  an 
acorn,  but  immediately  flew  down  and 
picked  it  from  the  long  grass,  and  re- 
turned to  the  tree.  A  second  time  it 
dropped  it,  and  then,  after  carrying  it 
again  to  the  tree,  thrust  it  into  a  crevice 
in  the  bark  with  considerable  force,  and 
began  to  peck  at  it  vigorously.  This  it 
did  for  a  few  seconds,  when  I  jumped  up 
quickly  and,  with  wild  gesticulations, 
frightened  it  away.  It  proved  to  be  the 
acorn  of  the  pin  Oak  {Quej-cus  palustris), 
and  as  no  fruiting  tree  of  this  species  was 
nearer  than  the  Island,  in  the  river  oppo- 
site, I  concluded  that  the  bird  had  carried 
it  across  the  water  from  that  point. 

After  photographing  the  acorn  on  the 
tree,  I  cut  the  section  of  bark  oft,  glued 
the  acorn  in  its  cavity,  and  the  photograph 
shows  the  result. — E.  B.  Southwick,  xVeii.' 
York   aty. 

A    Cover    Design 

This  interesting  sketch  was  contributed 
by  a  prominent  ornithologist  as  an  appro- 
priate cover  design  for  this  magazine  at  a 
time  when  it  was  proposed  to  call  it  "  The 
Bird  World. ' '  The  appearance  of  a  book 
bearing  this  title  renders   it    necessary  for 


lUyJUL 


us  to  abandon  its  use,  but  we  do  not,  for 
the  same  reason,  feel  justified  in  depriving 
the  world  of  this  remarkably  artistic  efi'ort, 
and  therefore  present  it  for  the  edification 
of  our  readers,  and  we  trust,  to  the  de- 
light of  its  author  ! 


Collecting   a    Brown  Thrasher's    Song 

Rustler,  my  pet  Brown  Thrasher,  was 
pouring  out  his  loud,  long,  spring  song.  A 
phonograph,  or  rather  a  graphophone,  had 
been  left  on  a  table  by  the  cage.  Every- 
thing seemed  to  favor  the  collection  of  a 
bird  song.  I  placed  the  instrument  so 
that  the  open  funnel  of  the  horn  came 
within  less  than  a  foot  of  the  Thrasher's 
swelling  throat,  and  touching  a  lever,  set 
the  wax  cylinder  revolving  below  a  sapphire- 
tipped  style,  w'hich  cut  the  bird  notes  into* 
the  wax.  Just  as  the  medley  changed 
from  that  of  a  Catbird  to  that  of  a  Wood 
Thrush,  a  Robin  flew-  past  the  window. 
Rustler  stopped  short,  but  the  style  con- 
tinued to  cut  and  ruin  the  wax  cylinder. 
When  Rustler  started  in  again  he  hopped 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  cage,  rudely 
turning    his  back   upon    the  graphophone. 

More  than  a  little  vexed  at  the  per- 
versity of  dumb  animals,  I  quickly  cov- 
ered over  the  end  of  the  cage  farthest  from 
the  graphophone ;  then  Rustler  sulked 
beneath  the  cloth  in  silence.  Next  I 
removed  the  perch  from  that  side  and 
then  Rustler  absolutely  refused  to  sing 
any  more.  Some  hours  later,  however,  I 
made  another  attempt,  but  each  time  the 
graphophone  was  started  the  whir  of  the 
revolving  cylinder  cut  short  my  Thrasher's 
rich,  rippling  notes,  so  that  the  only  thing 
to  do  was  to  remove  the  recording  style 
and  accustom  him  to  the  noise  of  the  cyl- 
inder, and  when  this  had  been  accom- 
plished, I  replaced  the  recording  style.  I 
found  that  by  shutting  off  the  graphophone 
the  instant  Rustler's  notes  became  weak 
or  stopped,  I  could  catch  a  continuous 
series  of  notes.  I  succeded  the  follow- 
ing morning  in  getting  a  pretty  fair  song. 
It  was  not  so  loud  as  it  might  have  been, 
but  in  pitch  and  timbre  it  was  perfect. 

In  September  dear  old  Rustler  died. 
For  nine  long  years  he  had  enlivened  my 
northern  New  Jersey  home  with  his  cheery 
music.  In  November,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union,  the  notes 
of  Rustler's  love  song  fell  sweetly  upon 
sympathetic  ears. —  Sylvester  D.  Judd, 
Ph.  D.,   ]rashi)iffio„,   D.   C. 


iloofe  jBtetoe;  anti  3^etoieto6 


With  Nature  and  a  Camera.  By  Rich- 
ard Kearton,  F.  Z.  S.  Illustrated  by 
i8o  Pictures  from  Photographs  by 
Cherry  Kearton;  Cassell  &  Co.,  Lon- 
don, Paris  and  Melbourne  [New  York, 
East  i8th  St.],  1898.  8vo.  Pages  xvi 
-f  368.     Price,  $5. 

Authors  may  or  may  not  be  indebted  to 
reviewers  of  their  works,  but  it  is  not 
often  that  reviewers  are  under  obligations 
to  the  authors  of  the  works  they  review. 
In  the  present  instance,  however,  we  feel 
that  we  must  express  our  gratitude  to  the 
Messrs.  Kearton  for  furnishing  us  with 
such  an  admirable  demonstration  of  the 
kind  of  ornithology  for  which  this  journal 
stands.  If,  following  the  same  lines,  we 
can  bring  Bird-Lore  to  the  high  standard 
reached  in  '  With  Nature  and  a  Camera, ' 
we  shall  have  nearly  approached  our  ideal. 

Briefly,  this  book  is  a  record  of  obser- 
vation and  photography  by  two  ornitholo- 
gists in  Great  Britain.  Doubtless,  no 
birds  in  the  world  have  been  more  written 
about  than  the  birds  of  this  region,  and 
still  this  book  is  filled  with  fresh  and  origi- 
nal matter,  which  is  always  interesting, 
and  often  of  real  scientific  value. 

Asked  to  explain  how  it  was  that  in  such 
a  well-worked  field  the  author  of  this 
volume  had  succeeded  in  securing  so  much 
new  material,  w^e  should  reply  that  we 
believed  it  was  because  he  was  an  ob- 
server rather  than  a  collector.  Appar- 
ently realizing  that  to  collect  specimens 
of  British  birds  would  add  but  little  to 
the  store  of  our  knowledge  concerning 
them,  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  a  study 
of  their  habits,  and  in  presenting  the  re- 
sults of  his  labors,  he  has  been  most  ably 
seconded  b5'  his  brother,  whose  photo- 
graphs of  birds  in  nature  have  not,  so  far 
as  we  know,  been  excelled. 

Perhaps  the  most  forcible  lesson  taught 
by  this  book  is  the  pleasure  to  be  derived 
from  photographing  wild  birds  in  nature, 
and  the  surprisingly  good  results  which 
may  be  achieved  by  patient,  intelligent 
effort.       W^e    do    not    recall    a    more    ade- 


quately illustrated  nature  book,  and  its 
pictures  not  only  claim  our  admiration 
because  of  their  beauty,  but  also  because 
they  carry  with  them  an  assurance  of 
fidelity  to  nature  which  no  artist's  pencil 
can  inspire. 

Bird  Gods.  By  Charles  de  Kav.  With 
decorations  by  George  Wharton  Ed- 
wards. A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  New 
York.    i2mo. ,  pages  xix4-249.    Price,  $2. 

So  singular  a  combination  of  orni- 
thologist and  mythologist  is  the  author 
of  '  Bird  Gods '  that  students  of  birds, 
as  well  as  of  myths,  will  find  his  pages 
of  interest.  "Why,"  he  asks  himself, 
"should  certain  birds  have  been  allotted 
to  certain  gods  and  goddesses  in  the 
Greek  and  Roman  mythology  ?  Why 
should  the  Eagle  go  with  Zeus,  the 
Peacock  with  Hera,  the  Dove  with 
Venus,  the  Swan  with  Apollo,  the  Wood- 
pecker with  Ares,  the  Owl  with  Pallas 
Athene  ?  "  And  his  search  for  a  reply 
to  these  questions  has  led  him  into  many 
little-frequented  by-paths  of  early  Euro- 
pean literature,  in  which  he  has  found 
much  curious  information  concerning  the 
influence  of  birds  on  primitive  religions. 
Impressed  by  the  "share  birds  have  had 
in  the  making  of  myth,  religion,  poetry 
and  legend"  he  wonders  at  their  whole- 
sale destruction  to-day,  and  ventures  the 
hope  that  "  recollection  of  what  our  ances- 
tors thought  of  birds  and  beasts,  of  how 
at  one  time  they  prized  and  idealized 
them,  may  induce  in  us,  their  decendants, 
some  shame  at  the  extermination  to  which 
we  are  consigning  these  lovable  but  help- 
less creatures,  for  temporary  gains  or  sheer 
brutal  love  of  slaughter.  " 

Birds  of  Washington  and  Vicinity. 
By  Mrs.  L.  W.  Maynard,  with  Intro- 
duction by  Florence  A.  Merriam. 
Washington,  D.  C. ,  i8g8.  12  mo,  pages 
204.    Cuts  in  the  text,  18.    Price,  85  cents. 

In  a  prefatory  note  the  author  states 
that  this  book  "has  been  prepared  at 
the   suggestion    of     the    Audubon    Society 


(26) 


Book   News   and   Reviews 


27 


of  the  District  of  Columbia,  in  the  belief 
that  a  local  work  giving  untechnical 
descriptions  of  all  birds  likely  to  be  seen 
in  this  vicinity,  with  something  of  the 
haunts  and  habits  of  those  that  nest  here, 
will  be  useful  to  many  who  desire,  an 
acquaintance  with  our  own  birds,  but  do 
not  know  just  how  to  go  about  making  it.  " 

The  book  seems  admirably  adapted  to 
achieve  this  end.  The  opening  pages  by 
Miss  Merriam  are  a  capital  introduction 
to  the  study  of  birds  in  the  District  of 
Columbia.  They  are  followed  by  '  A 
P'ield  Key  to  Our  Common  Land  Birds,' 
and  attractively  written  biographical 
sketches  of  the  breeding  species.  The 
migrants  and  winter  residents  are  treated 
more  briefl}-,  and  an  annotated  '  List  of 
All  Birds  Found  in  the  District  of  Colum- 
bia, '  by  Dr.  C.  W.  Richmond,  is  given. 
There  ar6  also  nominal  lists  of  winter 
birds,  birds  that  nest  within  the  city 
limits,  etc.,  and  an  'Observation  Out- 
line,' abridged  from  Miss  Merriam's 
'  Birds  of  Village  and  Field. ' 

The  book  is,  in  fact,  a  complete  man- 
ual of  ornithology  for  the  District  of 
Columbia,  and  will  undoubtedly  prove  an 
efficient  guide  to  the  study  of  the  birds 
of  that  region. 

Bird-Life  :  A  Guide  to  the  Study  of 
Our  Common  Birds.  Teachers'  Edi- 
tion. By  Frank  M.  Chapman.  With 
75  full-page  plates  and  numerous  text- 
drawings  by  Ernest  Seton  Thompson. 
D.  Appleton  &  Co.  New  York.  i8gg. 
i2mo,  pages  xiv  -\-  269  -{-  Appendix, 
pages    87. 

This  is  the  original  edition  of  '  Bird- 
Life,'  with  an  Appendix  designed  to 
adapt  the  work  for  use  in  schools.  The 
new  matter  consists  of  questions  on  the 
introductory  chapters  of  'Bird-Life,'  as, 
for  instance,  'The  Bird,  its  Place  in 
Nature  and  Relation  to  Man,'  'Form 
and  Habit,'  'Color,'  'Migration,'  etc.; 
and,  under  the  head  of  '  Seasonal  Les- 
sons,'  a  review  of  the  bird -life  of  a 
year  based  on  observations  made  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York  City.  This  includes 
a  statement  of  the  chief  characteristics 
of  each  month,    followed  by  a  list  of  the 


birds  to  be  found  during  the  month,  and, 
for  the  spring  and  early  summer  months, 
a  list  of  birds  to  be  found  nesting. 

For  the  use  of  teachers  and  students 
residing  in  other  parts  of  the  eastern 
United  States  there  are  annotated  lists 
of  birds  from  Washington,  D.  C. ,  by  Dr. 
C.  W.  Richmond;  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  by 
Witmer  Stone  ;  Portland,  Conn.,  by  J.  H. 
Sage  ;  Cambridge,  Mass.,  by  William 
Brewster ;  St.  Louis,  Mo. ,  by  Otto 
Widmann  ;  Oberlin,  Ohio,  by  Lynds 
Jones,  and  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  by  H. 
Nehrling. 

The  Appletons  have  also  issued  this 
book  in  the  form  of  a  'Teachers'  Man- 
ual,' which  contains  the  same  text  as  the 
'Teachers'  Edition,'  but  lacks  the  sev- 
enty-five   uncolored    plates. 

This  'Teachers'  Manual'  is  intended  to 
accompany  three  '  Teachers'  Portfolios  of 
Plates, '  containing  in  all  one  hundred 
plates,  of  which  ninety-one,  including  the 
seventy-five  plates  published  in  '  Bird- 
Life,  '  are  colored,  while  nine  are  half- 
tone reproductions  of  birds'  nests  photo- 
graphed in  nature.  The  one  hundred 
plates  are  about  equally  divided  in  port- 
folios under  the  titles  of  '  Permanent 
Residents  and  Winter  Visitants, '  '  March 
and  April  Migrants, '  and  '  May  Migrants 
and    Types   of   Nests   and    Eggs. ' 

Audubon  Bird  Chart 

A  most  practical  step  in  Audubon  edu- 
cational work  is  the  publication,  by  the 
Massachusetts  Audubon  Society,  of  a 
chart  giving  life-size,  colored  illustrations 
of  twenty-six  of  our  common  birds.  On 
the  whole,  both  in  drawing  and  coloring, 
these  birds  are  excellent,  and  while  a 
severe  critic  might  take  exception  to 
some  minor  inaccuracies,  the  chart  may 
be  commended  as  the  best  thing  of  the 
kind  which  has  come  to  our  attention. 
It  is  accompanied  by  a  pamphlet  con- 
taining well  written  biographies,  by  Mr. 
Ralph  Hoffmann,  of  the  species  figured. 
The  chart  is  published  by  the  Prang 
Educational  Company,  of  Boston,  from 
whom,  with  Mr.  Hoffmann's  booklet,  it 
may  be  purchased  for  one  dollar. 


28 


Bird  -  Lore 


iSirti  Eore 

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.   1 


FEBRUARY,    1899 


No.   1 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  tlie  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  66  Fifth  avenue,  New  York  City, 
■or  to  the  Editor,  at  Englewood,  New  Jersey. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
n  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  and  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 

Manuscripts  for  publication,  books,  etc.,  for  re- 
view, should  be  sent  to  the  Editor  at  Englewood, 
New  Jersey. 

Advertisements  should  be  sent  to  the  Pub- 
lishers at  66  Fifth  avenue,  New  York  City. 

COPYKIGHTED,   1899,   BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 


During  the  past  six  years  New  York  and 
Boston  publishers  have  sold  over  70,000 
text-books  on  birds,  and  the  ranks  of  bird 
students  are  constantly  growing.  With 
this  phenomenal  and  steadily  increasing 
interest  in  bird-studies,  there  has  arisen 
a  widespread  demand  for  a  popular  jour- 
nal of  ornithology  which  should  be  ad- 
dressed to  observers  rather  than  to  col- 
lectors of  birds,  or,  in  short,  to  those  who 
study   "  Ijirds  through  an  opera-glass." 

The  need  of  such  a  journal  has  also 
been  felt  by  the  Audubon  societies,  and 
in  concluding  his  report  for  the  year 
1898,  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  chairman  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union's  Com- 
mittee on  Bird  Protection,  remarks  on 
the  necessity  of  a  "magazine  devoted  to 
popular  ornithology  which  could  serve  as 
an  organ  for  the  various  societies  and 
keep  the  members  in  touch  with  their 
work.  All  societies  which  have  reached 
a  membership  of  several  thousand  realize 
that  it  is  impossible  to  communicate  with 
their  members  more  than  once  or  twice  a 
year,  owing  to  the  cost  of  postage,  and 
the  success  of  the  societies  depends 
largely  upon  keeping  in  communication 
^vith   their   members." 


It  is  to  supply  this  want  of  bird  stu- 
dents and  bird  protectors  that  Bird-Lore 
has  been  established.  On  its  behalf  we 
promise  to  spare  no  effort  to  make  it  all 
that  the  most  ardent  bird  student  could 
desire,  and,  in  the  event  of  our  success, 
we  would  appeal  to  all  bird-lovers  for 
such  support  as  we  may  be  deemed 
worthy  to  receive. 

We  have  issued  a  '  Prospectus, '  setting 
forth  in  part  the  aims  of  Bird-Lore,  and 
as  a  matter  of  permanent  record,  we  enter 
its  substance  here.  It  stated  that  Bird- 
Lore  would  attempt  to  fill  a  place  in  the 
journalistic  world  similar  to  that  occupied 
by  the  works  of  Burroughs,  Torrey,  Dr. 
van  Dyke,  Mrs.  Miller,  and  others  in  the 
domain  of  books.  This  is  a  high  standard, 
but  our  belief  that  it  will  be  reached  will 
doubtless  be  shared  when  we  announce 
that,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  every 
prominent  American  writer  on  birds  in 
nature  has  promised  to  contribute  to 
Bird-Lore  during  the  coming  year.  The 
list  of  contributors  includes  the  authors 
just  mentioned,  Mabel  Osgood  Wright, 
Annie  Trumbull  Slosson,  Florence  A. 
Merriam,  J.  A.  Allen,  William  Brewster, 
Henry  Nehrling,  Ernest  Seton  Thomp- 
son, Otto  Widmann,  and  numerous  other 
students  of   bird-life. 

The  Audubon  Department,  under  Mrs. 
Wright's  care,  will  be  a  particularly  attrac- 
tive feature  of  the  magazine,  one  which, 
we  trust,  is  destined  to  exert  a  wide  influ- 
ence in  advancing  the  cause  of  bird-pro- 
tection. 

The  illustrations  will  consist  of  half- 
tone reproductions  of  birds  and  their 
nests  from  nature,  and  on  the  basis  of 
material  already  in  hand,  we  can  assure 
our  readers  that,  whether  judged  separately 
or  as  a  whole,  this  volume  of  Bird-Lore 
will  contain  the  best  photographs  of  wild 
birds  which  have  as  yet  been  published  in 
this  country. 

At  present  Bird-Lore  will  contain  from 
thirty-two  to  forty  pages,  but  should  our 
efforts  to  produce  a  magazine  on  the  lines 
indicated  be  appreciated,  we  trust  that  the 
near  future  will  witness  a  material  in- 
crease in  the  size  of  each  number. 


"  }'oii  cannot  w////  a  scalpel  find  the  poet's  soul. 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  tlie  Audubon  Society  of  tlie  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relatiiiy  to  the  work  of  the  .Audubon 
and  other   Bird   Protective  Societies   should    be  addressed. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of  their  Secretaries. 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  \V.  Batchkldkr,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  HARRiKr  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island .Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street,  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  Henry  S.  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Mary  K.  Mellick,  Plainfield. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Wheeling,  W^.  Va.  (branch  of  Penn  Society) .  .Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  1314  Chapline  street.  Wheeling. 

Ohio Miss  Clar.\  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana .Amos  W.  Butlkr,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa  ■ Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Peckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

This  department  will  be  devoted  espe-  work,  not    merely   statistics,   but    notes  of 

cially  to  the  interests  of  active  Audubon  anything  of  interest,  for  even    the  record 

workers,    and    we    earnestl)'   solicit    their  of    discouragements,    as   well    as   of    suc- 

assistance,  as  our   success  in  making  it  a  cesses,  may  often  prove  full  of  suggestion 

worthy  representative   of    the    cause    for  to   workers    in    the    same   field,    and    aid 

which  it  stands   largely  depends  upon  the  toward    developments    that    will    broaden 

heartiness    of    their    cooperation.       Others  and   strengthen  the   entire   movement.      A 

also,    who  are  lovers  and  students  of    na-  movement  in  complete  harmony  with   the 

ture  in  many  forms,  but  who  have  never,  great    desire    of    thinking     people    for    a 

for  divers    reasons,   engaged    in    any    bird  broader    life    in    nature,    which    is   one    of 

protective  work,  may,   through  reading  of  the  most    healthful    and    hopeful    features 

the    systematic   and    effective    methods    of  of  the  close  of  this  century. 
the    societies,    become   convinced    of    the  M.   O.  W. 

necessity  of   personal  action. 

We    intend    at    once    to    establish    the  ReportS     of     SocictieS* 

more  practical  side  of  the   department  by 

printing  in  an  early  issue   a  bibliography  r^^^  MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY 

of  Audubon  Society  publications,  in  order  ^ 

,                       .                 ,             ,                     ,  The   Massachusetts  Audubon   Society 

that  anyone  interested  may  know  exactly  ^  ,       •, 

...                 ,                       ,        1  ■           •,  has    reissued    the    Audubon    Calendar    of 
what  literature  has  appeared  and  is  availa- 

,  ,         „         ,  .                                 ,       ,  last    year  and    it    is    having   a   good   sale, 

ble.     ror    this   reason    we    ask    the    sec-  ^                                         ■             .  ,,      . 

p     ,,     ,             .     .                     ,  The    drawings    were    made    especially  tor 
retanes  of  all  the  societies  to  send  us  a 

complete  set  of  their  publications,  stating,  ,.            ,         ,    ,           ,              •       ^ 

.                                                                  .  *  The    editor   acknowledges   the    receipt   from 

if     possible,    the    number    of    each     which  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 

has    been  circulated,   and,    when   for  sale,  Bird  Protection  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 

...             .                    ,  ■   ,       ,                      ,  Union,    of   a    number    of   the    following    reports, 

giving    the    price    at    which    they    may  be  ^^^j^^^    before    the    establishment    of   an   official 

obtained.  organ   for  the  Audubon  Societies,  had   been  sent 

We  also  reauest  the  secretaries   to  send       ^°  '^'■-  ^^°"''  '"''■'  '"elusion  in  his  annual  report 
vve  aiso  request  tne  secretaries  to  sena       ^^  ^^^  ^   ^    ^  ^   ^^^^   ^\,\z\i,  through    lack    of 

us  all    possible    news    of   their    plans    and        space,  they  were  necessarily  omitted. 

(29) 


30 


Bird -Lore 


the  calendar  by  a  member  of  the  society  ; 
the  originals  are  painted  in  water  colors 
on  Japanese  rice  paper,  and  are  very  artis- 
tic bird  portraits.  The  same  artist  is  now 
at  work  on  drawings  of  new  birds  for  a 
calendar  for  igoo,  which  the  directors 
hope  will  be  reproduced  by  a  more  accu- 
rate and  satisfactory  process. 

The  Bird  Chart  of  colored  drawings  of 
twenty-six  common  birds,  which  the  Direc- 
tors undertook  last  spring,  is  now  ready. 
The  drawings  have  all  been  especially 
made  for  the  chart  by  E.  Knobel  and  are 
reproduced  by  the  Forbes  Lithograph 
Manufacturing  Co. ,  on  twelve  stones. 
Some  of  our  best  ornithologists  have  seen 
the  color  proof  and  pronounce  it  good. 
The  society  has  published  a  descriptive 
pamphlet  to  accompany  the  chart  which 
has  been  prepared  by  Ralph  Hoffman. 
His  sketches  of  the  birds  are  delightfully 
written,  and  the  book  is  valuable  in  itself.* 

The  Directors  have  recently  sent  out  a 
new  circular  mainly  in  Boston  and  vicinity, 
which  briefly  describes  the  work  under- 
taken and  asks  for  further  cooperation 
from  interested  persons,  and  states  that 
"in  addition  to  our  first  object,  the  sup- 
port of  other  measures  of  importance  for 
the  further  protection  of  our  native  birds 
has  been  assumed  by  the  Society.  Among 
•such  measures  may  be  mentioned : 

1.  Circulation  of  literature. 

2.  Improved  legislation  in  regard  to  the 
killing  of  birds,  and  the  better  enforce- 
ment of  present  laws. 

3.  Protection  during  the  season  for  cer- 
tain breeding  places  of  Gulls,  Herons  and 
other  birds,  which,  without  such  protec- 
tion will  soon  be  exterminated. 

4.  Educational  measures.  This  includes 
the  publication  of  colored  wall  charts  of 
birds,  Audubon  Calendars  and  other  helps 
to  bird  study. 

The  response  to  this  circular  has  been 
gratifying. 

The  society  now  numbers  over  twenty- 
four  hundred  persons,  twenty-six  of  these 
are  Life  Associates,  having  paid  twenty- 
five  dollars  at  one  time  ;   four  hundred  and 


*See  note  on  this  chart  and  jiamphlet    in  Book 
News  and  Reviews. 


seventy-five  are  Associates,  paying  one 
dollar  annually  ;  the  remaining  are  Life 
Members,  having  paid  twenty-five  cents. 

While  the  rage  for  feather  decoration  is 
unabated,  we  feel  that  there  is  steadily 
growing  a  sentiment  among  our  best  peo- 
ple in  condemnation  of  the  custom.  There 
is  a  noticeable  decrease  in  the  use  of 
aigrettes  and  of  our  native  birds,  except- 
ing the  Terns  and  the  plumage  of  the  Owl ; 
and  a  marked  increase  in  the  employment 
of  the  wings  and  feathers  of  the  barnyard 
fowl.  While  the  latter  continue  to  feed  the 
fashion  they  are  harmless  in  themselves. 
Harriet  E.   Richards,  Sec^y. 

'  THE   RHODE   ISLAND   SOCIETY 

The  Audubon  Society  of  Rhode  Island 
was  organized  in  October,  1897,  and  has 
now  about  350  members. 

The  purposes  of  the  society,  according 
to  its  by-laws,  are  :  the  promotion  of  an 
interest  in  bird-life,  the  encouragement 
of  the  study  of  ornithology,  and  the  pro- 
tection of  wild  birds  and  their  eggs. 
Some  work  has  been  done  in  the  schools, 
abstracts  of  the  state  laws  relating  to 
birds  have  been  circulated  throughout  the 
state,  lectures  have  been  given,  and  a 
traveling  library  has  been  purchased  for 
the  use  of  the  branch  societies. 

Nearly  five  thousand  circulars  of  vari- 
ous kinds  have  been  distributed,  and  it  is 
evident  that  the  principles  of  the  society 
are  becoming  well  known  and  are  exert- 
ing an  influence,  even  in  that  difficult 
branch  of  Audubon  work,  the  millinery 
crusade.  Annie  M.   Grant,  Sec\v. 

THE  CONNECTICUT  SOCIETY 

A  score  of  ladies  met  in  Fairfield  on 
January  28,  i8g8,  and  formed  "The  Au- 
dubon Society  of  the  State  of  Connecti- 
cut."  Mrs.  James  Osborne  Wright  was 
chosen  president  and  an  executive  com- 
mittee provisionally  elected,  representing 
so  far  as  possible  at  the  beginning,  the 
State  of   Connecticut. 

An  effort  was  made  to  find  every  school 
district  in  the  state,  and  a  Bird-Day  pro- 


The   Audubon   Societies 


31 


gramme  was  sent  to  1,350  of  these  schools. 
Care  was  naturally  used  to  see  that  the 
rural  schools,  at  least,  should  be  reached. 
Through  the  kindness  of  Congressman  Hill 
of  this  district,  one  of  our  vice-presidents, 
740  copies  of  Bulletin  No.  54,  '  Some 
Common  Birds  in  their  Relation  to  Agri- 
culture, '  issued  by  the  United  States  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  were  received  by 
the  secretary,  and  600  of  these  have  been 
mailed  to  individuals. 

The  Society  has  had  two  lectures  pre- 
pared, one  by  Willard  G.  Van  Name,  en- 
titled '  Facts  About  Birds  That  Concern 
the  Farmer, '  illustrated  by  sixty  colored 
lantern  slides,  and  one  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Os- 
good Wright,  on  '  The  Birds  About 
Home, '  illustrated  by  seventy  colored 
slides.  A  parlor  stereopticon  has  been 
purchased  for  use  in  projecting  the  slides. 

The  lectures  and  slides  are  intended 
primarily  for  the  use  of  the  local  secre- 
taries of  the  society,  and  after  these  for 
such  members  of  the  society  as  desire 
to  give  educational  entertainments  in  the 
interest  of  bird  protection. 

The  only  expense  connected  with  the  use 
of  the  lectures  and  slides  will  be  the  ex- 
pressage  from  Fairfield  to  place  and  return. 

Under  no  circumstances  will  the  outfit 
be  allowed  to  go  outside  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut. 

The  oil  lantern  accompanying  the  slides 
is  suitable  for  a  large  parlor  or  school 
room,  and  can  be  worked  by  anyone 
understanding  the  focussing  of  a  photo- 
graphic camera,  but  it  is  advised  that 
when  the  audience  is  to  be  composed 
of  more  than  fifty  people  the  exhibitor 
should  secure  a  regular  stereopticon. 

Applications  should  be  made  at  least 
two  weeks  before  the  outfit  is  desired. 

A'o  adtnissiott  fee  is  to  be  charged  at 
any  entertainment  at  ivhich  the  outfit  is 
used,  the  intention  of  the  Audubon  So- 
ciety of  the  State  of  Connecticut  being 
to  furnish  free  information  about  our 
birds,  and  so  win  many,  who  may  never 
have  given  the  matter  a  thought,  to  a 
sense  of  the  necessity  and  wisdom  of 
their   protection. 

The    secretary    is    glad    to    report     on 


January  i,  iSgg,  that  the  society  has  had 
practical  proof  of  the  success  of  its  ex- 
periment in  sending  out  these  free  illu- 
strated lectures.  Much  interest  has  been 
awakened  by  them,  and  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture  has  listed  both  lectures 
for  the  Farmers'  Institutes,  held  during 
the  winter  months.  Much  enterprise  is 
being  shown  by  local  secretaries.  An 
illustrated  lecture  by  Mrs.  Kate  Tryon, 
having  been  given  in  Bridgeport,  Novem- 
ber 19,  under  the  auspices  of  Miss  Grace 
Moody  (local  secretary),  Mrs.  Howard  N. 
Knapp,  and  Mrs.  C.  K.  Averill.  While 
Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  lectured  before 
a  large  audience  at  the  Stamford  High 
School,  on  December  2,  under  the  au- 
spices of  Mrs.  Walter  M.  Smith,  the 
local   secretary  of    that    city. 

Harriet  D.  C.  Glover, 

Cor.  Sec'v  a  fid   Treas. 


NEW    YORK    SOCIETY 

Since  November,  1897,  the  society  has 
distributed  13,465  leaflets,  making  a  total 
distribution  of  over  40,000  since  its 
organization  on  February  23,  1897. 

In  spite  of  this  large  circulation  of 
literature,  the  society  has  only  529  mem- 
bers, including  9  patrons,  7  sustaining 
members,  356  members,  157  junior  mem- 
bers. 

Financially,  the  society  is  now  in  a 
sound  condition. 

During  the  year  two  public  meetings 
have  been  held  in  the  large  lecture  hall 
of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, at  both  of  which  the  hall  was  well 
filled.  Addresses  were  made  by  Dr. 
Henry  van  Dyke,  Dr.  Heber  Newton,  and 
others. 

A  '  Bird  Talk  '  was  also  given  by  Mr. 
W.  T.  Hornaday,  at  the  house  of  one  of 
the  honorary  vice-presidents,  which  was 
well  attended. 

In  educational  work  we  have  secured 
the  publication  of  a  paper  on  '  The  Re- 
lation of  Birds  to  Trees, '  by  Florence  A. 
Merriam,  in  the  annual  Arbor  Day  Man- 
ual of  New  York  State,  and  Mr.  Chapman, 
chairman   of    our    Executive    Committee, 


32 


Bird  -  Lore 


reports  that  in  connection  with  Professor 
Bickmore,  of  the  American  Museum's 
Department  of  Public  Instruction,  and  a 
committee  representing  the  science  teach- 
ers of  the  fourteen  normal  colleges  of  the 
State,  he  has  prepared  a  course  in  bird 
study  for  the  normal  colleges  for  the  pres- 
ent year. 

Further  interest  in  birds  was  shown  by 
the  science  teachers  of  the  State  in  their 
invitation  to  Mr.  Chapman  to  address 
them  on  the  subject  of  '  The  Educa- 
tional Value  of  Bird  Study, '  during  their 
convention,  held  in  New  York  City,  De- 
cember 29-30,    1898. 

That  the  good  work  accomplished  can- 
not be  gauged  by  the  number  of  mem- 
bers is  proved  by  the  constant  reports 
received  from  local  secretaries  and  others, 
telling  of  classes  formed  for  bird  study, 
of  clubs  that  have  taken  up  the  subject, 
of  bird  exercises  in  schools,  etc.  If  all 
these  silent  sympathizers  would  only 
realize  how  much  the  cause  might  be 
strengthened  by  open,  concerted  action, 
shown  by  a  large  membership  roll  of 
the  Audubon  Society,  its  influence  would 
be  greatly  increased. 

Emma    H.    Lockwood,   Scc\v. 

NEW    JERSEY    SOCIETY 

We  have  at  present  124  members 
and  have  distributed  over  1,000  gen- 
eral circulars  in  regard  to  the  work, 
and  1,000  aigrette  circulars  written  by 
Mr.  Chapman.  We  expect  to  have  new 
literature  issued  during  the  coming  year, 
and  are  now  having  the  State  bird-laws 
printed  for  distribution. 

Mary  A.   Mellick,   Scc\v. 

DISTRICT   OF    COLUMBIA 

Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  secretary 
of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  District 
of  Columbia,  reports  much  valuable 
work.  A  course  of  six  lectures  was 
given  by  Mrs.  Olive  Thorne  Miller,  and 
others  by  Mr.  Chapman  and  Dr.   Palmer. 

A   successful    and    fashionably    attended 


exhibit  of  millinery  was  held  in  April. 
Nine  of  the  leading  milliners  contributed 
hats  and  bonnets,  which,  of  course,  were 
entirely  free  from  wild  bird  feathers. 
The  society  has  designed  an  Audubon 
pin  after  a  drawing  of  the  Robin,  by 
Mr.  Robert  Ridgway.  This  has  al- 
ready been  adopted  by  the  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Massachusetts  societies.  At 
the  suggestion  of  the  secretary  of  the 
Pennsylvania  society,  efforts  have  been 
directed  towards  the  establishment  of 
societies    in    the    south. 

In  response  to  a  great  demand  for  a 
cheap  book  of  information  about  local 
birds,  this  society  has  been  instrumental 
in  issuing  '  Birds  of  Washington  and 
Vicinity,'*  by  Mrs.  L.  W.  Maynard  —  200 
pages  i2mo,  illustrated,  which  may  be 
had  for  the  small  sum  of  85  cents.  The 
price  placing  the  volume  within  the 
reach  of  teachers  and  pupils  in  the 
public  schools. 


OHIO    SOCIETY 

Miss  Clara  Russell,  corresponding  sec- 
retary of  the  Ohio  society,  informs  us 
that  at  a  meeting  held  in  Cincinnati  on 
December  14  an  Ohio  Audubon  society 
was  organized  with  the  following  officers  : 
President,  William  Hubbell  Fisher ;  vice- 
president,  William  H.  Venable  ;  corre- 
sponding secretary,  Miss  Clara  Russell  ; 
secretary,  Mrs.  T.  B.  Hastings ;  treasurer, 
Mrs.    W.    T.    Armor. 

On  December  30  Miss  Russell  writes : 
"We  have  over  fifty  members,  and  feel 
much  encouraged  that  we  have  aroused 
a  sentiment  in  this  locality  to  know  more 
about  our  feathered  friends,  and  to  protect 
birds  from  being  wantonly  destroyed  for 
pleasure,  fashion,   or  the  table." 

.^®*"Reports  from  the  New  Hampshire, 
Pennsylvania,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa, 
W^isconsin,  and  Minnesota  Societies,  will 
appear  in   the  April  number. 


*See  a  review  of  this  book   in  Book  A>7f'j  and 
Revimis. 


Vol.  1 


A   BI-MONTHLY   MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official  Organ   of  the  Audubon   Societies 


April,  1899 


No.  2 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds 

BY   DR.  THOS.  S.  ROBERTS 

Director  Department  of  Birds,  Natural   History  Survey  of  Minnesota 
With  photographs  from  Nature  by  the  Author 

{Concluded  from  page  ij) 

^URNING     reluctantly     from      the     attractive     little 
Chickadee      family,      described     in     the     preceding 
number  of    this    magazine,   we    will    next    seek    the 
acquaintance  of    a    bird  of    entirely   different   feather, 
and,    what  is  of    more    moment    to    the    bird    photog- 
rapher,   of  entirely    different    disposition. 

The  Killdeer  Plover,  perhaps  from  his  close 
kinship  to  the  fraternity  of  game  birds,  has  come 
to  regard  man  and  all  human  devices  with  deep  suspicion,  and  to 
get  on  terms  of  close  fellowship  with  him  is  no  easy  matter.  While 
not  himself  an  usual  object  of  the  sportsman's  effort,  owing  to  his  lean 
body  and  indifferent  savor,  he  is  the  immediate  relative  of  those 
much  sought-after  birds,  the  Golden  and  the  Black-bellied  Plover. 
Unlike  these  more  aristocratic  members  of  the  Plover  group,  the 
Killdeer  does  not  retire  to  semi-arctic  fastnesses  to  rear  its  brood, 
but  nests  wherever  found  throughout  the  eastern  United  States.  Its 
ever-restless  nature  and  loud  alarum,  "  killdee,  killdee,"  as  it  moves 
from  place  to  place,  or  circles  round  and  round,  always  at  a  safe 
distance,  together  with  its  common  occurrence  throughout  populated 
as  well  as  wild  regions,  makes  this  plebeian  well-known  to  every  coun- 
try lad  and  the  bane  of  every  would-be  stealthy  Nimrod.  So  noisily 
persistent  is  its  outcry  that  it  has  been  dubbed  by  ornithologists 
vocifera — JEgialitis  vocifera — and  a  most  appropriate  appellation   it  is. 

Like  many  loquacious  people,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Killdeer  have  a 
rather  lazy  vein  in  their  makeup,  and  spend  but  little  time  or  effort 
nest   building.      A   little  depression    lined    with   a  few  bits   of   stick    or 


36 


Bird -Lore 


straw,  a  few  pebbles  or  other  handy  materials  satisfies  their  ambition. 
In  the  bare,  exposed  situation  usually  chosen,  such  a  nest,  with 
its  four  spotted  eggs,  is  much  less  conspicuous  than  would  be 
a  well  made  one.  The  first  of  our  pictures  showed  one  of  these 
nests  located  in  a  cornfield,  which  is  a  not  very  uncommon 
site,  although  bare  pasture  knolls  and  gravelly  banks  are  more 
usually  selected.  The  photograph  of  the  nest  and  eggs  was,  of 
course,  easily  secured,  and  is  chiefly  of  interest  because  it  shows 
so  well  how  an  open  nest  with  its  eggs  may  be  protected  by  blend- 
ing perfectly  with  the  general  color  of  the  immediate  surroundings  — 
protective    coloration,    as   it   is   called.      To   secure    the    portrait  of    the 


wary  old  Killdeer,  who  left  the  nest  the  instant  anyone  but  entered 
the  large  field,  seemed  a  hopeless  task.  But  the  novice  is  ever 
ambitious,  and  the  attempt  was  made  in  the  following  fashion,  with 
what  success  the  accompanying  pictures  will  show.  Placing  the 
camera  on  the  sharply  tilted  tripod,  so  that  the  distance  from  lens 
to  nest  was  about  four  feet,  the  dreadful  looking  object  was  left  in 
position'  for  some  time  on  the  evening  preceding  the  day  on  which 
the  photographs  were  taken.  The  next  day  proved  light  and  clear, 
and  with  the  sun  well  up  in  the  heavens  we  began  operations,  my 
companion  and  assistant  on  this  occasion  being  Rev.  H.  W. 
Gleason,    a    bird    enthusiast    undaunted    by    any    obstacle    and    fertile 


The  Camera  as  an  Aid  in  the  Study  of  Birds  37 

in  devices.  Arranging  the  camera  as  already  described,  omitting 
the  green  hood  in  this  instance,  as  it  would  have  been  worse  than 
useless,  we  retired  entirely  from  the  field,  which  fortunately  lay  on 
a  gently  sloping  hillside.  From  our  distant  retreat  we  watched, 
with  field-glass  in  hand,  the  maneuvers  of  the  mother  bird.  The 
experience  of  the  preceding  evening  had  evidently  helped  to  pre- 
pare the  way,  for  after  only  brief  delay  the  anxious  bird  began  run- 
ning in  a  great  spiral  steadih'  converging  to  the  central  point. 
Every  clod  of  earth  or  little  mound  in  the  path  was  mounted  and, 
with  much  craning  of  neck  and  turning  of  head,  the  dreadful  engine 
glistening  in  the  sunshine  was  closely  scrutinized  from  all  sides,  but 
as  it  was  motionless,  it  probably  was  regarded  as  some  new-fangled 
contrivance  for  cultivating  corn,  of  finer  build  than  the  hoes,  rakes, 
and  other  implements  left  by  the  men  in  the  field.  Once  satisfied, 
she  made  a  last  quick  run  directly  between  the  legs  of  the  tripod, 
and  stood  erect  over  her  treasures.  A  long  trolling-line,  procured  at 
a  neighboring  farmhouse,  had  been  attached  to  the  lever  arm  releas- 
ing the  shutter,  as  our  seventy-five  feet  of  tubing  was  not  half  long 
enough.  Creeping  to  the  end  of  the  line,  a  quick  pull  made  the  ex- 
posure,—  ./g  of  a  second,  with  wide  open  stop  and  rapid  plate. 
Pulling  up  the  slack  of  the  line  seemed  to  startle  the  bird  more 
than  the  click  of  the  shutter,  and  after  repeating  this  procedure 
several  times  we  were  altogether  uncertain  as  to  whether  the  bird 
had  been  caught  at  all ;  and  as  it  was  impossible,  there  in  the  field, 
to  follow  the  advice  of  an  interested  farmer  spectator,  who  insisted 
that  we  "ought  to  look  at  them  there  plates  and  see  what  we  had 
before  going  further,"  we  cast  about  for  some  surer  method.  Care- 
fully looking  over  the  ground,  I  found  that  some  seventy-five  feet 
from  the  nest  there  was  a  shallow  depression  just  deep  enough  to 
entirely  conceal  a  man  lying  prone  on  the  soft,  ploughed  ground. 
So  the  rubber  tube  was  substituted  for  the  line  and  the  bulb  end 
carried  up  the  slope  to  the  little  hollow.  As  it  would  be  impossible 
from  this  position  to  see  the  bird,  and  as  we  had  discovered  .that  a 
low  whistle  or  noise  caused  her  to  leave  the  nest  at  once,  some 
method  of  signaling  had  to  be  arranged.  The  trolling  line  sug- 
gested a  way,  as  we  found  that  it  would  reach  readily  from  the 
bulb  in  the  hollow  to  the  edge  of  the  field.  So,  attaching  one  end 
of  it  to  my  wrist,  I  took  m}-  position  flat  on  the  ground  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  field,  with  a  hot  noon  sun  pouring  down  over-head,  and 
awaited  the  signal, — a  vigorous  jerk  on  the  trolling  line,  to  be  given 
by  Mr.  Gleason,  who  from  a  distance  was  watching  with  a  glass 
the  movements  of  our  unwilling  sitter.  The  signal  soon  came,  and 
these    complicated    and    rather    juvenile    tactics    proved    so    successful 


3« 


Bird -Lore 


that  very  soon  Mrs.  Plover  did  not  so  much  as  change  position  at 
the  click  of  the  shutter,  and  when  driven  away  to  rearrange  the 
camera  between  exposures,  came  quickly  back  again.  In  a  short 
time  we  had  exposed  all  the  plates  that  seemed  necessary,  and 
retired  from  the  field  conquerors,  though  leaving  the  foe  in  peace- 
ful possession.  Returning  to  the  house  for  supplies  for  a  new 
expedition,  a  lady  member  of  the  party,  who,  from  a  shady  hammock, 
had  been  watching  for  several  hours  these  rather  bo3ash  antics, 
saluted  us  with  the  withering  remark,  "About  four  years  of  age,  I 
should    think,    instead   of  fort}."      But  we    hoped    that  the    end   would 


i^n-^ 


AM)    Efvr.s 


justify  the  means,  and  were  anxious  to  inspect  the  developed  results. 
This  part  of  the  work  was  accomplished  a  day  or  two  later,  and  the 
pictures  here  presented  show,  I  think,  that  our  efforts  were  not 
entirely  in  vain.  Several  others  were  not  so  good.  In  one,  the  female 
sits  quietly  on  her  nest,  back  to  the  camera,  and  in  coloration  blends 
admirably  with  the  surroundings.  In  another,  she  is  crouching  in  a 
half  uncertain  attitude,  while  in  still  another  she  stands  erect,  re- 
vealing the  four  eggs  directly  beneath  her,  and  with  ruffled  plumage 
seems  a  little  resentful  of  the  intrusion.  In  all,  it  will  be  noticed 
that  the  bill  is  partly  open,  either  because  it  was  a  very  warm  day, 
because  the  poor  bird  was  startled  and  ill  at  ease,  or,  it  may  be, 
because  it  was  no  easy  matter  for  this  always  loquacious  bird  to  keep 
its  mouth  shut  even  when  posing  for  its  picture. 


"i^^^.^A^r  A   Least   Bittern    Portrait 

— ^« &e;,^i*t,..,.,«--L<'.  BY  E.  G.  TABOR 

{See  Fronlispiece) 

X  the  morning  of  May  27,  1897,  equipped  with  an 
extra  supply  of  patience  and  a  5  x  7  '  Premo  B' 
camera  fitted  with  rapid  rectilinear  lens,  my  plate- 
;  holders  filled  with  unexposed  plates,  and  accom- 
panied by  my  wife,  who  has  been  a  partner  in 
-  all  of  my  successful  trips,  I  started  for  Otter 
Lake,   Cayuga   County.    N.    Y. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  with  not  a  breath 
of  air  stirring  ( by  the  way,  this  is  the  hardest 
of  all  things  to  control,  and  is  an  absolute  necessity  if  you  are  to 
make  fine,  clear-cut  negatives  of  birds  and  their  natural  surround- 
ings), and  the  lake  looked  like  a  mirror.  It  took  but  a  minute  to 
get  the  large,  flat-bottomed  row-boat  ready  for  the  start,  and  we 
were  soon  gliding  along,  an  oar's-length  from  shore,  scanning  every 
tree,  bush,  and  bunch  of  rushes,  in  search  of  nests,  those  of  the 
Red-winged  Blackbird  being  very  plenty  and  placed  both  in  bushes 
or  rushes  in  about  equal  numbers.  A  pair  of  Kingbirds  had  selected 
as  the  place  for  their  summer  home,  a  large,  low  willow  limb  which 
projected  over  the  water ;  a  peep  into  the  nest  revealed  three  eggs, 
common,  yet  so  beautiful  in  their  bed  of  wool  and  feathers. 

Our  next  finds  were  several  nests  of  a  pair  of  Long-billed  Marsh 
Wrens,  which  looked  more  like  mouse-nests  than  anything  else  I 
have  in  mind.  As  we  could  return  to  these  later,  if  unable  to  find 
ajiything  better,  we  had  not  yet  exposed  a  single  plate,  reserving 
them    for   a   rare    or   unusual   find. 

We  were  in  search  of  nests  of  the  Least  Bittern,  and  as  we  were 
passing  that  part  of  the  shore  where  they  always  nested,  we  soon 
located  a  nest,  but  as  it  only  contained  one  egg,  another  nest  must 
be  found.  A  male  Least  Bittern  flew  up  a  short  distance  ahead  of 
us  and  '  dropped  in '  back  of  the  bushes.  We  rowed  down  to  the 
place  from  which  he  flushed,  and  standing  up  in  the  boat  looked 
around,  and  not  more  than  a  boat's-length  ahead,  we  espied  a 
female  sitting  on  a  nest.  I  pushed  the  boat  very  carefully  to  within 
a  couple  of  feet  of  the  nest,  and  prepared  to  make  an  exposure. 
The  camera  was  set  to  focus  on  an  object  34  inches  from  cap  of 
lens,  and  I  moved  it  back  and  forth  until  the  focus  was  perfect, 
the  diaphragm  was  closed  to  /  16,  and  an  instantaneous  exposure 
with   speed   at   ^V'  was  made. 

As  most  of  my  operations,  preparatory  to  making  the  exposure, 
were  of  necessity  carried  on  within   three  feet  of  the  bird  on  the  nest, 

(39) 


40  Bird  -  Lore 

she  at  several  times  started  to  leave  it ;  but  when  the  bird  moved  I 
kept  still,  and  when  she  kept  still  I  worked ;  in  this  way  I  finally 
completed  my  preparations.  The  peep  I  got  of  the  eggs  as  she  partly 
raised  off  from  them,  just  as  I  finished,  made  me  squeeze  the  bulb 
before  I  intended  to  ;  but  the  result  I  obtained  fully  satisfied  me,  for 
in  no  other  way  could  I  describe  the  results  of  this  trip,  and  what  I 
saw   and  learned  of  the  habits   and  home-life  of    the  Least  Bittern. 


Loons    at    Home 

BY    WILLIAM    DUTCHER 

SHOULD  like  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  readers  of 
Bird -Lore  on  the  subject  of  making  good  photo- 
graphs of  birds.  Don't  conclude  at  once,  when  you 
^e-^  see  pictures  of  nests,  or  birds  in  their  wild  state,  that 
-i=r-"'^;-  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  get  them.  A  year  ago,  when 
^^^•"~  I  saw  the  fine  exhibition  of  slides  presented  by  Mr. 
^^-_=:  Brewster  and  Mr.  Chapman  at  the  American  Orni- 
"~"^'  thologists'  meeting,  I  at  once  concluded  that  it  would 
be  an  easy  thing  for  me  to  get  similar  results.  So  I  forthwith 
invested  much  good  money  in  purchasing  a  camera,  and  all  the 
accompanying  outfit :  but  not  until  I  had  worried  all  my  photo- 
graphic friends  for  advice  of  all  kinds.  With  all  the  confidence 
of  an  expert  I  started  on  this  unknown  sea,  and  I  must  confess 
to  you,  patient  reader,  that  my  efforts  were  a  brilliant  string  of  fail- 
ures, for  from  the  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  plates  that 
I  exposed,  I  succeeded  in  getting  only  two  good  negatives.  But  I 
had  lots  of  fun  and  plenty  of  experience,  and  am  just  as  proud  of 
my  two  good  negatives  as  the  celebrated  old  hen  that  had  but 
one  chick.  If  you  want  to  learn  to  be  patient  and  persevering, 
try  photographing  in  the  fields  and  woods.  If  you  wish  to  learn 
more  of  the  habits  of  birds  than  you  can  in  any  other  possible 
way,  try  for  hours  to  get  them  familiar  enough  with  you  and  your 
camera  to  go  on  with  their  nest-building,  or  feeding  their  nestlings. 
Besides  all  this,  in  later  days,  whenever  you  see  the  photograph,  it 
will  recall  to  you  every  pleasant  moment  that  you  spent  in  getting 
the  negative. 

That  you  may  share  with  me  some  of  the  pleasures  that  I  experi- 
enced in  getting  a  negative  of  a  nest  of  eggs,  from  which  the  accompa- 
nying picture  was  made,  let  me  tell  you  the  following  story  about 
the  Great  Northern  Diver,  more  commonly  known  as  the  Loon,  and 
among  the  scientists  as    Gavia  imber. 


Loons  at   Home  41 

Those  of  you  who  are  famihar  with  the  Adirondack  or  Canada 
lakes  can  easily  picture  the  surroundings  of  this  nest,  which  I  found 
in  Higley  Lake,  Canada.  This  is  a  small  body  of  water,  hardly 
more  than  a  very  large  pond.  This  section  of  Canada  may  be 
called  a  lake  region,  and  is  very  beautiful.  Most  of  the  lakes  are 
surrounded  with  forests,  in  which  the  contrasting  colors  of  the  ever- 
greens and  white  birches  add  greatly  to  the  natural  beauty  of  the 
scenery.  This  nest  was  built  in  very  shallow  water,  about  eight 
feet  from  the  shore.  It  was.  at  its  base,  about  twenty  inches  in 
diameter,  and  at  its  apex  about  fifteen  inches  wide.  It  was  abovit 
nine  inches  above  the  water  at  its  greatest  height,  and  composed 
entirely  of  mud,  so  far  as  I  could  determine,  of  a  very  dark  color. 
The  water  where  it  was  placed  was  not  over  six  or  eight  inches 
deep,  but  it  was  really  a  very  hard  matter  to  determine  exactly  where 
the  water  ended  and  the  mud  commenced.  This  I  ascertained  to 
my  sorrow  and  discomfiture  when  I  undertook  to  set  up  my  tripod. 
Standing  in  a  very  round-bottomed  boat  and  trying  to  plant  a  tripod 
in  silt  of  seemingly  unfathomable  depth  is  no  easy  job,  as  I  found 
out.  Finally,  however,  I  succeeded  in  getting  what  I  now  have  the 
pleasure  of  showing  you  :  but  I  dare  not  tell  you  of  the  beautiful 
failures  I  made  before  this  picture  was  obtained.  When  I  first  dis- 
covered the  nest,  the  Loon  was  upon  it,  but  as  soon  as  she  saw 
me  she  slid  off  into  the  lake  and  made  every  effort  to  dive.  It 
is  true  that  her  head  was  under  the  water,  but  her  back  was  not 
until  she  had  gone  some  feet  from  the  nest  out  into  the  lake,  where 
the  water  was  deep  enough  to  entirely  cover  her.  She  did  not 
then  appear  until  she  was  well  across  the  pond,  where  she  was 
joined  by  her  mate.  The  nest  contained  only  one  egg  when  I 
first  saw  it  :  but  in  the  water,  on  the  lake  side  of  the  nest,  I 
found  another  egg,  which  the  mother  bird  had  evidently  rolled  out 
of  the  nest,  perhaps  in  her  fright  and  hasty  departure  when  she 
first  saw  me.  This  egg  I  replaced  in  the  nest  by  lifting  it  with 
the  broad  end  of  the  boat  oar.  thinking,  perhaps,  that  hand- 
ling it  might  cause  the  Loon  to  desert  the  nest.  The  egg  that 
was  in  the  water  was  many  shades  lighter  in  color  than  the  one 
found  in  the  nest,  which  leads  me  to  believe  that  the  eggs  of  birds 
that  habitually  breed  in  damp  mud  nests  acquire  a  darker  color 
from    stains. 

In  another  pond  of  about  the  same  size,  and  within  half  a  mile 
of  Higley  Lake,  I  subsequently  saw  a  pair  of  Loons  that  had  but 
one  young,  so  far  as  I  could  ascertain.  If  there  was  another  it 
was  kept  well  hidden.  I  was  very  much  interested  in  watching 
the    methods    by    which    the    old    birds    kept    the    little    fellow^    out    of 


42 


Bird -Lore 


danger.  When  I  first  saw  the  family  group,  both  parents  and 
the  little  one  were  together ;  but  immediately  on  the  appear- 
ance of  my  boat  the  whole  group  disappeared  under  the  surface. 
The  young  bird  soon  came  to  the  surface  again  in  about  the  same 
spot,  but  the  parents  were  some  distance  off  on  the  other  side  of 
the  boat,  so  that  I  was  between  them.  Both  parents  were  per- 
fectly   quiet    until    I     undertook    to    row    toward    their   offspring,   when 


NEST    AND    EGGS    OF    LOON 
Photographed  from  Nature,  by  William  Dutcher 

one  of  the  parents  uttered  what  was  to  me  a  very  new  and  peculiar 
cry,  on  hearing  which  the  little  one  immediately  dove ;  the  cry 
was  entirely  different  from  the  usual  loud,  maniacal  cry  of  the  Loons. 
As  soon  as  the  young  one  appeared  1  again  started  toward  him, 
when  the  old  bird  repeated  the  same  cry,  and  down  went  the  little 
fellow.  It  was  very  evident  that  he  knew  whenever  he  heard  that 
warning  cry  he  must  disappear  at  once.  I  had  so  much  sympathy 
for  the  lonely  little  chap  that  I  left  him,  after  I  had  tried  the 
experiment  a  number  of  times.  As  soon  as  I  drew  away  to 
another  part  of  the  pond  the  old  birds  uttered  the  visual  well 
known  cry  of  the  species,  but  the  little  one  then  remained  on 
the   surface   and   was    soon   joined    by   the  parent    birds. 

A  few  weeks  later  the  same  group  acted  in  an  entirely  different 
manner ;  then  they  remained  together,  and  as  the  boat  approached, 
the  old  bird  with  its  bill  seemed  to  push  the  young  one  under 
the   water   before   it   dove    itself. 

If  this  bit  of  the  domestic  life  of  these  two  Loon  families  has 
interested  you  as  much  as  it  did  me,  I  shall  feel  amply  repaid  for 
the    thirty-two   miles    I    had    to   drive   each    time    I    visited    them. 


Photographing  a  Bluebird 


By    ROBERT    W.    HEGNER 

With  Photographs  from  Nature  by  the  Author. 

^uring    the    severe   cold    of    January   and    February, 
1895,    most    of    the     Bluebirds    were    thought    to 
have    perished.      So    it    is    with    the    spirit    of    a 
genuine  Audubon  that  we   hail   their  return    in   ever   in- 
creasing  numbers   each   succeeding   spring.      How  sadly 
we  should    miss    these    little   friends   may   be   judged    by 
the    great    commotion    among    ornithologists    caused     by 
their  supposed  extinction.      In  order  to  have  more  than 
a  mere  remembrance  of  their  habits,  I  set  out  one  day  in  the  summer 
of   i8g8,   at    Decorah,   Iowa,   to   obtain    photographs   of    them    in   their 
haunts,  and  secured  two  interesting  negatives  of  the  female,  as  shown 


,v  mm 

ml 


BLUEBIRD    FLYING    TO    NEST 


in  the  accompanying  illustrations.  The  history  of  the  case  is  as  fol- 
lows :  A  pair  of  Bluebirds,  after  several  previous  attempts  at  house- 
keeping, and  subsequent  removals  by  'small  boys,'  at  last  selected  an 
old,  deserted,  Woodpecker's  hole  in  a  fence-post,  and  built,  as  usual, 
a  nest  of  dry  grass  with  a  softer  lining  of  horse-hair.  The  birds  had 
already  begun  incubating  the  three  pale  blue  eggs,  which  formed  the 
set,  when    I  disturbed  them.      I   crept  within  five  feet  of  the  post   be- 

(43) 


44 


Bird-  Lore 


fore  the  female  left  the  nest  and  joined  her  mate,  who  had   been  keep- 
ing guard  in  a  neighboring  plum  tree. 

After  focusing  my  camera  to  within  three  feet  of  the  post,  and 
arranging  a  string  attachment,  I  concealed  myself  in  some  bushes 
about    seventy-five    feet    away.        I    waited    patiently    for    ten    minutes 

before  the  female  left  the 
tree  and  flew  down  to  the 
fence.  The  male  followed 
close  after,  and  they  hopped 
about  the  post  and  wires, 
getting  nearer  and  nearer 
the  nest,  until  the  fe- 
male flew  straight  into  the 
hole.  A  snap-shot,  just  be- 
fore she  reached  the  en- 
trance, was  only  partially 
successful,  but  shows  very 
clearly  the  pose  of  the  bird's 
head  and  neck  while  it  was 
in  the  air.  It  was  made  in 
a  twenty-fifth  of  a  second 
with  the  lens  stopped  down 
to  sixteen.  I  disturbed  the 
female  Several  times  before 
she  gained  the  desired  posi- 
tion at  the  nest-opening  ; 
but.  finally,  the  snap  of 
the  shutter  helped  bring  to 
life  one  of  my  best  bird- 
pictures. 

A  knowledge  of  the  bird's 
nesting  habits  is  a  prime 
requisite  in  avian  photog- 
raphy. Much  patience  is 
needed,  as  failures  are  very 
numerous.  A  camera  which  may  be  focussed  to  within  two  or  three 
feet  is  an  absolute  necessity  in  order  to  make  the  picture  large 
enough.  Most  of  my  failures  have  been  caused  by  the  lack  of 
bright  sunlight,  under-exposure,  or  movement  of  the  bird  the 
instant  the  picture  was  taken  ;  but  one  good  photograph  is  sufficient 
reward    for    many    trials. 


BLUEBIRD    AT    NEST 


A   Tragic    St.   Valentine's    Day 

BY   ANNIE   TRUMBULL   SLOSSON 

'HE   cold   wave   reached   us   at    Miami,    on    Biscayne    Bay, 

Florida,    in    the    night    of    February    12.    i8gg.      It    was 

preceded    by    severe    thunder    storms    in    the    evening. 

"^^j^g^Sj"    It  "^     On    the    13th,    Monday,    it    was    very   cold  all  over    the 

'^?^^^t/. '7      state,    with    snow    and    sleet    as    far    south    as    Ormond 

,  "r  ''^^-K    -''         and    Titusville.       Our    thermometers    at    Miami    ranged 

1*    — ^   — -     i 
z^;  ,-      '"'   ~~'^  y     from    36° ■  to    40°    during    the    day.       As    I    sat    in    my 

f     /I  /|     '~^  ^      room   at   the    hotel,  about   four   in    the  afternoon,   I   saw 

I  ~~~  '  ■  a   bird  outside   my  window,    then   another  and   another, 

and  soon   the  air  seemed  full  of  wings. 

Opening  my  window  to  see  what  the  visitors  could  be,  I  found 
they  were  Tree  Swallows  {Tachycincta  bicolor).  Several  flew  into 
my  room,  others  clustered  on  the  window  ledge,  huddling  closely 
together  for  warmth.  There  were  hundreds  of  them  about  the  house 
seeking  shelter  and  warmth.  They  crept  in  behind  the  window 
blinds,  came  into  open  windows,  huddled  together  by  dozens  on 
cornices  and  sills.  They  were  quite  fearless ;  once  I  held  my  hand 
outside  and  two  of  them  lighted  on  its  palm  and  sat  there  quietly. 
As  it  grew  dark  and  colder  their  numbers  increased.  They  flew 
about  the  halls  and  perched  in  corners,  and  the  whole  house  was 
alive  with  them.  Few  of  the  guests  in  the  hotel  knew  what  they 
were;  some  even  called  them  'bats,'  and  were  afraid  they  might 
fly  into  their  faces  or  become  entangled  in  their  hair.  One  man 
informed  those  about  him  that  they  were  Humming  Birds,  'the 
large  kind,  you  know.'  but  all  were  full  of  sympathy  for  the  beau- 
tiful little  creatures,  out  in  the  cold  and  darkness.  A  few  were 
taken  indoors  and  sheltered  through  the  night,  but  '  what  were 
these    among    so    many  ? ' 

The  next  morning  the  sun  shone  brightly  though  the  weather 
was  still  very  cold — the  mercury  had  fallen  below  30°  during  the 
night.  But  as  I  raised  the  shade  of  one  of  my  eastern  windows  I 
saw  a  half-dozen  of  the  Swallows  sitting  upon  the  ledge  in  the  sun- 
shine, while  the  air  seemed  again  filled  with  flashing  wings.  I  was 
so  relieved  and  glad.  Surely  the  tiny  creatures,  with  their  tints  of 
steely  blue  or  shining  green  contrasting  with  the  pure  white  of  the 
under  parts,  were  more  hardy  than  I  had  feared.  But  alas  !  it  was 
but  a  remnant  that  escaped.  Hundreds  were  found  dead.  Men  were 
sent  out  with  baskets  to  gather  the  limp  little  bodies  from  piazzas, 
window  ledges,  and  copings.  It  was  a  pitiful  sight  for  St.  Valen- 
tine  Day,    when,   as  the  old   song  has   it, 

"The  birds  are  all  choosing  their  mates." 
(45) 


Clark's  Crows  and  Oregon  Jays  on  Mount  Hood^ 


BY   FLORENCE   A.    MERRIAM 


c 


LOUD  CAP  INN,  the 
loghouse  hotel  fastened 
down  with  cables  high 
on  the  north  side  of  Mount 
Hood,  is  too  near  timber-line 
to  claim  a  great  variety  of 
feathered  guests,  but  Oregon 
Jays  and  Clark's  Crows  or 
Nutcrackers  are  regular  pen- 
sioners of  the  house.  The 
usual  shooting  by  tourists 
does  not  menace  them,  for  the 
nature-loving  mountaineers,  who  keep  the  Inn  and  act  as  guides  to 
the  summit,  guard  most  loyally  both  birds  and  beasts.  They  like  to 
tell  of  a  noble  Eagle  which  used  to  fly  up  the  canon  and  circle  over 
the  glacier  every  day,  and  they  recall  with  pleasure  the  snowy  morning 
when  an  old  Blue  Grouse  brought  her  brood  to  the  Inn,  and  the  birds 
ate  the  wheat  that  was  thrown  them  with  the  confidence  of  chickens. 
The  Grouse  were,  apparently,  regular  neighbors  of  the  Inn,  and 
while  there  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  a  grown  family.  They  fed 
on  the  slope  close  above  me  with  the  unconcern  of  domestic  fowls, 
conversing  in  turkey-like  monosyllables  as  they  moved  about,  and 
two  of  them  came  within  a  few  feet  and  looked  up  at  me — that  not 
fort}^  rods  from  the  Inn  !  The  pleasure  of  the  sight  was  doubled  by 
the  reflection  that  such  things 
could  be  so  near  a  hotel, 
even  on  a  remote  mountain. 

It  was  delightful  to  see 
how  familiarly  birds  gathered 
about  the  house.  You  could 
sit  in  the  front  doorway  and 
when  not  absorbed  in  look- 
ing oft  on  the  three  wonder- 
ful snow  peaks  —  St.  Helens, 
Rainier,  and  Adams  —  rising 
above  the  Cascade  range, 
could  watch  Oregon  Juncos, 
Steller's  Jays,  Oregon  Jays,  and  Nutcrackers  coming  down  to  drink 
at  the  hydrant  twenty  feet  away  ;    while  the   Ruby  Kinglet  and  White- 

*Read  before  the  American  Ornithologist's  I'nion.  Nov.  i6,  189S. 

(46) 


CLOUD    CAP    INN 


Clark's  Crows  and  Oregon  Jays  on  Mount  Hood 


47 


crowned  Sparrow,  together  with  Townsend's  Solitaire  and  other  inter- 
esting westerners,  moved  about  in  the  branches  of  the  low  timber-line 
pines  ;  and  Lewis'  Woodpeckers,  with  their  long,  powerful  flights, 
crossed  over  the  forested  canons  below.  Crossbills  had  stayed  around 
the  house  sociably  for  three  weeks  together,  Mrs.  Langille,  the  noble 
old  mother  of  the  mountaineers,  told  me.  She  said  they  would  fly 
against  the  logs  of  the  house  and  call  till  she  went  out  to  feed  them. 
They  left  with  the  first  heavy  storms,  though  usually,  she  said : 
"That's  the  time  when  we  have  birds  come  around  the  house  — 
when  there  are  storms."  And  a  friendly  hospice  the  feathered  way- 
farers find  it  so  long  as  the  Inn  is  open  ! 

The  Oregon  Jays  and  Clark's  Crows  are,  as  I  said,  the  regular 
pensioners  of  the  house.  The  Jays  look  very  much  like  their  rela- 
tives the  Canada  Jays,  but  are  darker,  and  when  you  are  close  to 
them  the  feathers  of  their 
backs  show  distinct  whitish 
shaft  -  streaks.  The  Crows 
have  the  general  form  and 
bearing  of  Crows,  but  are 
black  only  on  wings  and  tail, 
their  general  appearance  be- 
ing gray.  Speaking  of  the 
birds,  Mrs.  Langille  said:  -'If 
I  was  in  the  kitchen  myself 
I'd  have  them  come  right  to 
the  porch  outside  ;  when  I'm 
in  the  kitchen  I'm  always 
throwing  out  crumbs  for  the  birds  and  squirrels,  and  I've  had  the 
Jays  come  and  sit  right  down  on  the  block  where  I  w^as  cutting 
meat  and  take  the  fat  right  out  of  my  hands."  Clark's  Crows,  she 
said,  would  not  eat  from  her  hand,  but  would  sit  on  the  back  porch 
and   call  for   their  breakfast. 

When  I  was  at  the  Inn,  the  Chinese  cook  used  to  throw  scraps 
from  the  table  over  a  lava  cliff,  and  both  Crows  and  Jays  spent 
most  of  their  time  carrying  it  off.  As  the  foot  of  the  cliff  was  one 
of  the  best  places  to  watch  them,  I  spent  part  of  every  day  there, 
and  when  the  smell  of  coffee  grounds  got  too  strong,  consoled  my- 
self by  looking  through  the  trees  up  at  the  grand  white  peak  of 
Hood. 

It  was  interesting  to  see  the  difference  in  the  ways  of  the  two 
birds.  The  Nutcracker  would  fly  down  to  the  rocks  with  rattling 
wings,  and,  when  not  too  hungry  to  be  critical,  would  proceed  to 
investigate   the   breakfast    with    the  air   of    a   judge   on    the    bench,    for 


CLARK   S    CROW 


48 


Bird -Lore 


he  is  a  dignified  character.  To  touch  the  hem  of  his  robe  to  the 
food  would  have  been  defilement,  so  he  went  about  pressing  his 
wings  tight  to  his  sides,  sometimes  giving  them  a  little  nervous 
shake.  To  smile  at  this  sober-minded  person  seems  most  disrespect- 
ful, but  the  solemnity  of  his  gambols  was  surely  provocative  of 
mirth.  Not  content  with  turning  his  long-billed  head  judicially  from 
side  to  side  as  he  advanced  through  the  scraps,  if  the  biscuit  on  his 
left  was  not  to  his  mind,  with  one  great  ungainly  leap  he  would  box 
half  the  compass  and  plant  his  big  feet  before  a  potato  on  his  right. 
This  he  would  proceed  to  probe  with  a  grave  air  of  interrogation, 
and  if  he  decided  the  case  in  the  negative  would  withdraw  his  beak 
and  pass  to  the  next  case  on  the  docket.  Once  when  the  potato 
was  half  a  waffle,  he  pried  it  up  tentatively  with  his  long  bill,  and  at 
last,  deciding  in  its  favor,  proceeded  to  fly  off  with  it,  his  long  legs 
dangling   ludicrously   behind   him. 

The  Oregon  Jays  were  quite  unlike  their  Crow  cousins.  They 
would  come  flying  in,  talking  together  in  sociable  fashion,  and  drop 
down  so  noiselessly  you  could  but  be  struck  by  the  difference 
between  fluffy  owl-like  feathers  and  stiff  quills.  Sometimes  one  of 
the  Jays  would  touch  the  side  of  a  tree  a  moment  before  dropping 
lightly  to  the  ground.  All  their  motions  were  quick  and  easy,  if 
not  actually  graceful,  and  they  worked  rapidly,  with  none  of  the  pro- 
found deliberation  shown  at  times  by  the  Nutcracker.  The  smaller 
pieces  of  food  the}'  ate  ;  the  larger  ones  they  carried  off,  usually  in 
their  bills,    occasionally    in    their    claws.       In    eating,    the    Jay    would 

sometimes  adopt  the  Blue  Jay 
style  and  put  his  food  under  his 
foot,  where  he  could  pull  it 
apart,  throwing  up  his  head  to 
swallow.  When  the  food  was 
soft  and  too  large  to  swallow  at 
one  gulp,  both  Crows  and  Jays 
would  carry  it  to  an  evergreen, 
lay  it  down  on  a  twig  before 
them,  and  there  eat  comfortably, 
as  from  a  plate.  Both  birds  often 
flew  to  the  ledges  of  the  cliff  for 
food  that  had  lodged  there  in 
falling,  and  it  made  a  busy  scene  when  eight  or  ten  of  the  big  fel- 
lows were  flying  about  the  place  at  once. 

(  To  be  coticlitdrd.) 


>s: 


OREGON    JAY 


JTor  Ceacl)er0  and  ^tufientfi 


Suggestions  for  Bird-Day  Programs  in  the  Schools 


A 


BY    C.  A.  BABCOCK 

(Originator  of  Bird-Day) 

i3IRD-DAY  exercise,  in  order  to  have  much  value 
educationally,  should  be  largely  the  result  of  the 
pupils'  previous  work,  and  should  not  be  the  mere 
repetition  of  a  prepared  program,  taken  verbatim  from 
some  leaflet  or  paper.  The  program  should  be  prepared 
by  the  pupils,  under  the  direction  of  the  teacher,  and  should 
contain  as  many  original  compositions  or  statements  about 
birds,  derived  from  personal  observation,  as  possible. 
Bird-Day  should  be  announced  some  weeks  beforehand,  in  order 
to  give  the  children  time  to  prepare  for  it.  In  the  meantime,  direct 
them  to  observe  the  birds,  and  allow  from  five  to  ten  minutes  each 
morning  to  receive  the  reports.  Direct  that  crumbs  be  scattered  in 
the  back  yards,  and  cups  containing  seeds  be  put  up  in  the  trees,  or 
on  the  fences,  and  that  bones  from  the  table  be  fastened  where  they 
can  be  seen  from  the  windows.  Then,  with  an  opera  glass,  if  one 
can  be  obtained,  results  are  to  be  looked  for. 

For  directing  the  young  observer,  write  upon  the  board  a   scheme 
like   this  : 


ENGLISH     SPARROW 

Length  from  tip  of  beak  to  end  of  tail  ? 

What  is  the  shape,  color,  and  size  of  beak  ? 

What  is  the  color  of  legs  and  feet  ? 

How  many  toes  ?     Which  way  do  they  point  ? 

Gait  upon  the  ground, —  does  it  walk,  hop  or  run  ? 

Color  of  head  and  throat  ?     Color  of  under  parts  ? 

Color  and  marking  of  back  ? 

Difference  in  markings  of  male  and  female  ? 

Describe  actions  which  indicate  its  character. 

Is  it  pugnacious  ?     Is  it  brave  ?     Is  it  selfish  ? 

Does  it  trouble  other  birds  ? 

Describe    its    voice    or    song.      Does    it    utter    notes 


indicating    diverse  feelings,   as 


joy,  anger  ?     What  syllables  best   recall  some  of  its  notes  ? 

For  the  younger  pupils  a  few  of  these  questions,  perhaps  two  or 
three,  will  be  sufficient  for  one  exercise.  Children  will  vary,  and 
often  contradict   one  another  in   answering   the  same   questions.      Dwell 


(4Q) 


50  Bird -Lore 

upon  each  (juestion  till  it  is  answered  correctly,  and  all  agree  upon 
the  answer. 

A  similar  plan  may  be  followed  for  studying  the  Robin,  Bluebird, 
Catbird,  Oriole,  or  other  birds  as  they  arrive,  or  as  they  become 
accessible  to  certain  of  the  pupils.  In  April,  two  years  ago,  one  little 
girl  had  observed,  and  described  accurately,  seventeen  different  species 
of  birds  which  she  had  seen  in  the  little  yard  of  her  home.  They  had 
been  attracted  by  the  food  she  had  put  out  for  them. 

The  nest-building  of  birds  is  also  a  good  subject  for  observation, 
the  Robin  being,  perhaps,  the  best  species  for  a  first  study. 


QUESTIONS     ON     N  EST-BUILDINC,     AND     NESTING     HABITS 

Which  bird  does  most  building,  the  male,  or  the  female  ? 

Do  both  carry  material  ? 

Does  the  male  ever  seem  to  be  acting  as  escort  or  guard  to  his  mate  ? 

What  materials  are  used  ?  What  is  the  appearance  of  the  nest  ?  Its  situa 
tion  —  sheltered,  or  not? 

After  the  nest  is  completed,  watch  it  till  the  young  are  hatched.  Which  bird 
sits  upon  the  eggs  ?  Does  the  male  ever  relieve  his  mate  at  this  task  ?  Does  he  bring 
food  to  her  ?  Does  he  spend  some  time  singing  to  her,  as  if  he  were  trying  to  keep 
her  cheerful  ?     Does  he  protect  her  from  attack  by  birds  or  other  enemies  ? 


SOME     QUESTIONS     TO     BE     ANSWERED     ABOUT     ROBINS 

Learn  to  distinguish  the  voices  and  call  notes  of  the  male  and  female.  Which 
bird  wakes  first  in  the  morning  and  calls  the  other  ?  You  may  also  notice,  sometimes, 
in  the  night,  that  one  bird  wakes  and  calls  the  other.  Which  one  generally  wakes 
first  at  these  times  ? 

Do  Robins  raise  more  than  one  brood  in  a  season  ?  If  so,  do  they  use  the  same 
nest  twice  ?  If  they  raise  two  broods,  what  becomes  of  the  first,  while  the  mother 
is  sitting  upon  the  eggs  for  the  second  ? 

Watch  for  a  Robin  leading  out  a  family  of  chicks.  Notice  the  feeding  after  the 
birds  are  old  enough  to  run  and  fly  fairly  well.  The  young  birds  are  placed  apart 
by  the  parent,  who  visits  each  one  in  turn,  and  rebukes  any  who  tries  to  be  piggish, 
sometimes  nipping  it  with  its  bill  when  it  runs  up  out  of  turn.  Notice  this  parent 
teaching  the  young  to  sing, —  it  is  a  very   interesting  sight. 

The  teacher  will  need  some  good  manual  to  aid  in  identifying 
some  of  the  species,  though  much  of  the  work  the  first  season 
would  better  be  upon  common,  well-known  birds.  The  following  are 
recommended  : 

'Handbook  of  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America,'  by  Frank  M. 
Chapman,  published  by  D.  Appleton  &  Co.:  'Bird-Craft,'  by  Mabel 
Osgood   Wright,  published   by   The   Macmillan   Company. 


Suggestions  for  Bird-Day  Programs  in  the  Schools 


FOR     BIRD-DAY     PROGRAMS 

For  the  first  Bird-Day  in  every  school  it  would  be  well  to  have 
some  one  read  Senator  Hoar's  petition  of  the  birds  to  the  Legislature 
of  Massachusetts.  This  remarkable  paper  deserves  reading  by  all 
friends  of  birds  at   least  once  a  year. 

Compositions. — Have  also  original  compositions,  describing  some  bird  studied, 
or  describing  some  of  its  habits,  especially  its  habit  of  feeding,  and  the  actions 
showing  its  disposition. 

Personations. — Special  interest  will  be  awakened  by  having  '  personations '  of 
birds.  These  are  descriptions  of  birds  told  in  the  first  person,  as  if  the  bird  itself 
were  telling  its  own  story.  An  accurate  account  of  the  bird's  appearance,  habits, 
feelings,  and  life  from  the  bird's  view-point,  is  given,  but  without  telling  the  bird's 
name.  At  the  close  of  the  reading,  the  hearers  vote  upon  the  name  of  the  bird 
'  personated. ' 

Audubon  Society  Literature. — The  teacher  should  also  obtain  circulars  from  the 
secretaries  of  the  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania  and  other  Audubon 
Societies.  These  will  give  information  concerning  the  rapid  destruction  of  birds. 
Extracts  may  be  read  from  them. 

Poems. — Extracts  from  the  poets  naturally  form  an  interesting  feature  of  Bird- 
Day.  Poets  are  generally  bird-lovers  and  bird-seers.  Among  the  poems  peculiarly 
adapted  are  the  following : 

'Robert  O 'Lincoln,'  Bryant;  'The  Mocking  Bird,'  Sidney  Lanier;  'The  Sky 
Lark,'  Shelly  ;  'The  O 'Lincoln  Family,'  Wilson  Flagg ;  'The  Rain  Song  of  the  Robin,' 
Kate  Upson  Clark  ;  '  The  Titmouse, '  R.  W.  Emerson  ;  '  The  Eagle, '  Tennyson  ;  '  To 
The  Skylark, '  William  Wordsworth. 

Pei'sonal  Experiences. — Another  pleasant  part  of  the  program  will  be  the  short 
statements  of  facts  about  birds,  by  the  pupils,  obtained  from  their  own  observation. 
Birds  of  the  Bible  may  also  be  given  in  short  extracts. 

Prose  Selections. — John  Burroughs'  '  Birds  and  Poets,'  and  '  W'ake  Robin  ;  '  Brad- 
ford Torrey's  'Birds  in  the  Bush;'  Olive  Thorne  Miller's  'Bird  W'ays, '  and  many 
other  books,  abound  in  suitable  passages  for  Bird-Day. 

The  pupils  will  enjoy  preparing  a  Bird-Day  program  much  more 
than  learning  little  set  speeches  from  one  already  prepared.  The 
preliminary  observation  of  birds  will  arouse  an  enthusiasm  that  will 
be  of  great  value   in  all  educational  work. 


Summer    Boarders    for    Girls    and    Boys 

'"I^HE  Bureau  of  Nature  Study  of  Cornell  University  offers  to  assist 
-*■  all  boys  and  girls  who  want  to  take  bird  boarders  this  season. 
By  addressing  this  Bureau,  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y. ,  one  may  receive  a  copy 
of  an  admirable  leaflet  entitled  'The  Birds  and  I.'  containing  nu- 
merous designs  for  houses  which  may  be  constructed  for  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  expected   'boarders.' 


A   Bird-Day   Program 


BY   ELIZABETH   V.  BROWN 


Washiiigtoti  Normal  School  j 


memorial     days, 


school  ? 
educated 


IRTHDAYS,    red    letter    days, 
arbor   days   and    bird    days  ! 

The    two    hundred    days   of    the   school    cal- 
endar  are   hardly  sufficient   to   meet  the   special 
demands     made     upon     them     in     the    interests     of    history, 
literature,  and   philanthropy.      After  all,   is  not   this   call   for 
specialization   something   of    a   reproach   to   both    home   and 
If     the     child     is     symmetrically     developed,     harmoniously 
will    not    all    these    influences    find    their    proper    place    and 
expression    in   his    life    in    the   regular   course    of   events  ? 

But  in  the  meantime  since  'days'  are  ordained,  it  is  highly  im- 
portant that  they  shall  be  celebrated  in  a  manner  to  make  lasting 
impressions  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  children.  The  mental 
hysteria  resulting  from  the  spasmodic,  sentimental  fervor  worked 
up  for  this  cause  to-day,  and  for  that  to-morrow,  is  to  be  strongly 
condemned. 

As  in  every  other  subject,  an  interest  in  /v'/v/.v  should  be  based 
upon  the  knowledge  gained  by  the  child  primarily  through  his  own 
observations  and  experiences,  supplemented  and  enriched  later  by 
what  he  reads  or  has  told  him.  The  interest  thus  aroused  leads  to 
sympathy  and  love  as  enduring  as  life  itself. 

Hence  the  Bird-Day  program  should  mark  the  culminating  rather 
than   the  initial    point  of   bird   study  for  the  year. 

The  children  should  be  led  to  anticipate  it.  and  should  be 
prepared  for  it  in  as  many  ways  and  for  as  long  a  time  as  possi- 
ble. i\ll  that  nature  lovers  have  written  or  poets  sung  will  have 
deeper  significance  after  the  child's  contact  with  the  birds  of  his 
neighborhood,  as  seen  in  parks,  woods,  or  fields.  To  see  their  pic- 
tures is  not  enough.  Field  Avork  alone  can  give  the  stimulus  which 
leads  to  fellowship,  sympathy,  love,    and   protection. 

For  young  children  especially,  interest  is  most  readily  aroused 
through  the  study  of  the  ar//7'///fs  which  ally  bird  and  child.  The 
character  and  the  adaptation  of  birds'  clothing,  foods  and  homes  to 
their  peculiar  needs  and  environment ;  glimpses  of  nest-life  ;  charac- 
teristic traits ;  disposition ;  the  cleverness  of  the  parent  birds  in 
outwitting  enemies  and  protecting  the  young ;  the  skillful  uses  of 
tools  —  bills  and  claws  —  are  all  readily  appreciated  by  the  children. 
Add   to  these,    studies  in  protective  coloration,  migration,    the  relation 


(52) 


A  Bird-Day  Program  53 

of  birds  to  insects  injurious  to  vegetation,  and  kindred  subjects, 
which  form  a  never-failing  source  of  delight.  Through  such  work, 
the  child  learns  almost  unwittingly  much  of  bird  structure,  classifica- 
tion, and  description  which  would  otherwise  prove  dry  and  barren  of 
interest. 

The  boy  who  thus  comes  into  fellowship  with  birds  will  not 
delight  in  beanshooters  or  find  his  chief  joy  in  robbing  birds'  nests 
and  violating  game  laws ;  while  his  sister  will  try  to  find  something 
more  ornamental  for  her  hat  than   slaughtered  birds. 


THE    PROGRAM 

While  programs  must  vary  according  to  the  needs  and  ability  of 
the  children,  a  few  suggestions  may  be  helpful  to  all. 

DECORATION 

'Sharp  Eyes, '  and  '.I  Spy,' by  William  Hamilton  Gibson,  'Nature's  Hallelujah,' 
and  '  The  Message  of  the  Bluebird, '  by  Irene  Jerome,  are  full  of  delightfully  sug- 
gestive and  artistic  bits  of  bird-life  for  black-board  pictures. 

A  pretty  corner  may  be  made  by  a  small  bush  or  the  branch  of  a  large  tree 
in  wh'ich  the   nests  collected   by  the  children  are  appropriately  placed. 

Pictures  of  bird-lovers  and  writers  should  be  in  evidence.  Audubon,  Wilson, 
John  Burroughs,  Bradford  Torrey,  Olive  Thorne  Miller,  and  others.  Many  of  these 
may  be  found  in  recent   magazines. 

Anecdotes  and  short  sketches  from  their  books  may  be  told  or  read. 

COMPOSITIONS 

Compositions  prepared  in  advance,  on  various  phases  of  bird-life,  may  be  read 
by  their  young  authors.  These  may  be  the  result  of  work  previously  done  in  class 
along  the  lines  before  mentioned,  or  of  new  observations  and  experiences  gathered 
for  Bird-Day.     The  greater  the  variety  of  topics,  the  better. 

Descriptions  of  individual  birds,  comparisons  of  birds,  individually  or  by  classes, 
as  to : 

Food. —  Character;    where,  when,  and    how  obtained. 

Home. —  Location;  materials;  construction;  appearance. 

YoiDig. —  Number;  appearance;  care  and  education. 

Songs  and  Calls. —  Emotions  expressed;  character,  short  or  sustained,  high  or 
low,  sweet  or  harsh,  etc. 

Relations. —  Names  of  other  birds  of  same  class. 

Bird  Craftsmen. —  Masons,   miners,  weavers,   tailors,  etc. 

Tree-top  jVeig/ibors. —  Spring,   summer,   fall   and  winter. 

HocV  Birds    Trai'cl. 

Hozu  Birds   Jlclp  I  he  /■'armcrs. 

Invitations  to  I  hi'  Ih'rds. —  Boxes  put  up  for  them;  seed-cups,  bits  of  suet  nailed 
to  posts  or  trees. 


54  Bird  -  Lore 

CHALK  TALKS 

Stories  may  be  told  by  teachers  or  pupils  with  accompanying  illustrations  hastily 
sketched  on  the  blackboard  as  the  story  progresses.  The  following  lend  themselves 
readily  to  this  work  : 

'The  Ugly  Duckling,'  'The  Daisy  and  the  Lark,'  Hans  Christian  Anderson; 
'The  White  Heron,'  Sarah  Orne  Jewett ;  'The  White  Blackbird,'  Guy  de  Mau- 
passant ;  '  The  Crane  Express, '  Child  World ;  '  The  Crow  and  the  Pitcher, '  '  The 
Fox  and  the  Crane,'  'The  Crane  and  the  Crows,'  ^sop's  Fables. 

FOR     READING     OR     RECITATION 

'Nest  Egg,' Robert  Louis  Stevenson;  'Anxiety,'  George  Macdonald  ;  'The  Song 
Sparrow, '  '  The  Veery, '  Dr.  van  Dyke  ;  '  The  One  in  the  Middle, '  Margaret  Eytinge  ; 
'The  Bluebird,'  Emily  Huntington  Miller;  'The  Peter  Bird,'  Henry  Thompson 
Stanton;  'The  Robin,'  Celia  Thaxter  ;  'Brother  Robin,'  Mrs.  Anderson;  'The  Birds' 
Orchestra,'  Celia  Thaxter;  'The  Sandpiper,'  Celia  Thaxter;  'Little  Birdies, '  Tenny- 
son ;  '  The  Brown  Thrush, '  Lucy  Larcom  ;  '  The  Titmouse, '  Emerson  ;  '  The  Stormy 
Petrel,'  Barry  Cornwall;  'The  Sorrowful  Sea  Gull,'  Child  World;  'Robert  of 
Lincoln,'  'The  Return  of  the  Birds,'  Bryant;  'The  Blackbird,'  Alice  Cary ;  'The 
Crow's  Children,'  'The  Chicken's  Mistake,'  Phoebe  Cary;  'What  the  Birds  Said,' 
Whittier. 


Migration  Tables  for  April  and  May 

AT  our  request,  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher  has  furnished  the  following  notes 
on  the  spring  migration.  They  are  based  on  fifteen  years' 
observation  and  will  therefore  prove  valuable  as  a  guide,  and 
interesting  for  comparison,  to  other  observers.  A  list  of  Mississippi 
Valley  migrants,  which  we  expected  to  receive,  unfortunately  arrived 
too  late  for  publication,  while  a  list  from  Philadelphia,  by  Mr.  Wit- 
mer  Stone,  is  necessaril}^  omitted  for  lack  of  space. —  Ed. 

AVERAGE   DATES    OF    ARRIVAL    OF    THE    COMMONER   BIRDS  AT 

SING    SING,  N.    v.,  DURING   APRIL   AND   MAY 

by  dr.  a.  k.  fisher 

April    i  to  io 
Pied-billed  Grebe,  Wilson's  Snipe,  Sparrow  Hawk,  Osprey,  Kingfisher,  Fish  Crow, 
Cowbird,  Savanna  Sparrow,  Vesper  Sparrow,   Swamp  Sparrow,  White-throated  Spar- 
row, Tree  Swallow. 

April  io  to  20 

Green  Heron,  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  American  Bittern,  Pigeon  Hawk,  Yel- 
low-bellied Sapsucker,  Purple  Finch,  Chipping  Sparrow,  Field  Sparrow,  Myrtle  Warbler, 
Yellow    Palm   Warbler,    Large-billed    Water    Thrush,    Ruby-crowned    Kinglet,   Hermit 

Thrush. 

April  20  to  30 

Chimney  Swift,   Least  Flycatcher,   Towhee,   Purple  Martin,   Barn  Swallow,  Bank 

Swallow,  Blue-headed  Vireo,    Black  and  White  Warbler,   Catbird,    Brown    Thrasher, 

House  Wren,  Wood  Thrush. 


For  Young  Observers  55 

May  I  to  5 
Spotted    Sandpiper,    Hummingbird,    Kingbird,   Bobolink,    Baltimore    Oriole,    Red- 
eyed  Vireo,  Yellow-throated  Vireo,  White-eyed  Vireo,  Parula  Warbler,  Yellow  Warbler, 
Black-throated  Green  Warbler,  Black-throated  Blue  Warbler,  Ovenbird,  Maryland  Yel- 
low-throat, Yellow-breasted  Chat,  Redstart,  Wilson's  Thrush,  Olive-backed  Thrush. 

May  5  to  io 

Solitary  Sandpiper,  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo,  Black-billed  Cuckoo,  Whip-poor-will, 
Nighthawk,  Crested  Flycatcher,  Orchard  Oriole,  Yellow-winged  Sparrow,  Rose- 
breasted  Grosbeak,  Scarlet  Tanager,  Cliff  Swallow,  Rough-winged  Swallow,  Warbling 
Vireo,  Blue-winged  Warbler,  Golden-winged  Warbler,  Magnolia  Warbler,  Long-billed 
Marsh  Wren. 

May   io  to  15 

Least  Sandpiper,  Wood  Pewee,  Green-crested  (Acadian)  Flycatcher,  White-crowned 
Sparrow,  Indigo  Bunting,  Nashville  Warbler,  Worm-eating  Warbler,  Chestnut-sided 
Warbler,  Kentucky  Warbler,  Wilson's  Warbler. 

May   15  to  20 
Olive-sided   Flycatcher,  Yellow-bellied   Flycatcher,  Bay-breasted  Warbler,   Black- 
poll  Warbler,  Blackburnian  Warbler,  Small-billed  Water  Thrush,  Canadian  Warbler, 
Gray-cheeked  Thrush. 

May  20  TO  25 
Alder  Flycatcher,  Tennessee  Warbler,  Mourning  Warbler. 


Boys  and  girls  who  study  birds  are  invited  to  send   short  accounts  of  their  observations  to 

this  Department. 

The  Legend   of   the    Salt 

BY   FRANK    M.    CHAPMAN 

A  GREAT  many  years  ago  a  little  boy,  whom  I  knew  very  well, 
accepted  the  advice  of  an  elder,  and  went  out  with  a  salt-cellar 
to  make  friends  with  the  birds.  But  they  would  not  have  him, 
even  with  a  'grain  of  salt,'  and  it  was  not  until  he  was  considerably 
older  that  he  learned  he  had  begun  his  study  of  birds  at  the  wrong 
end.  That  is,  you  know,  the  wrong  end  of  the  bird,  for  it  is  not  a 
bird's  tail,  but  his  bill,  yovt  must  attend  to  if  you  would  win  his  confi- 
dence and   friendship. 

So,  instead  of  salt,  use  bread-crumbs,  seeds,  and  other  food,  and 
some  day  you  may  have  an  experience  which  will  surprise  those  people 
who  would  think  it  a  very  good  joke  indeed  to  send  you  out  with  a 
salt-cellar  after  birds.  I  have  recently  had  an  experience  of  this  kind. 
It  happened  in  the  heart  of  a  great  city,  surely  the  last  place  in  the 
world  where  one  would  expect  to  find  any  birds,  except  House  Spar- 
rows. But  Central  Park,  New  York  City,  the  place  I  refer  to,  con- 
tains  several  retired  nooks   where  birds  are  often  abundant.      A  place 


56 


Bird -Lore 


known  as  the  'Ramble'  is  a  particularly  good  one  for  birds,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  winter,  when  it  was  not  too  cold,  I  have  often  gone  from 
my  study  in  the  nearby  Museum  of  Natural  History  to  eat  my  luncheon 
with  the  birds  in  the  Ramble.  Many  other  bird-lovers  have  also 
visited  the  Park  to  study  and  feed  the  birds,  and,  as  always  happens 
when  birds  learn  that  they  will  not  be  harmed,  they  have  become 
remarkably  tame. 

This  is  especially  true  of  the   Chickadees,  who,  under  any  circum- 
stances, seem    to    have    less    fear  of    man    than    most    birds.      When    I 


A    BIRD    IN    THE    HAND 
Photographed  from  nature,  by  F.  M.  Chapman. 


entered  the  Ramble  they  soon  responded  to  an  imitation  of  their 
plaintive  call  of  two  high,  clearly  whistled  notes.  And  in  a  short  time 
we  became  such  good  friends  that  I  had  only  to  hold  out  my  hand 
with  a  nut  in  it  to  have  one  of  them  at  once  perch  on  a  finger,  look 
at  me  for  a  moment  with  an  inquiring  expression  in  his  bright  little 
eyes,  then  take  the  nut  and  Hy  off  to  a  neighboring  limb,  where, 
holding  it  beneath  his  toes,  he  would  hammer  away  at  it  with  his 
bill,    Blue    Jay    fashion. 

One  day  I  induced  one  of  them  to  pose  before  my  camera,  and, 
as  a  result,  I  now  have  the  pleasure  of  presenting  you  with  his 
portrait,  as  an  actual  proof  that  nuts  are  much  more  effective  than 
salt,  in  catching  birds.  So,  after  this,  we  won't  go  out  with  salt- 
cellars, but  with  a  supply  of  food  :  nor  should  we  forget  to  take 
a  "pocketful  of  patience,"  which.  Mrs.  Wright  says,  is  the  salt  of 
the     bird-catching     legend. 


The    February  Walk    Contest 

WE  have  been  delighted  with  the  interest  aroused  by  our 
request  for  descriptions  of  February  walks,  and  in  imagi- 
nation have  enjoyed  outings  throughout  a  large  part  of  the 
United  States  with  our  little  correspondents. 

We  have  found  ourselves  obliged  to  give  two  prizes,  one  of 
which  goes  to  Mildred  A.  Robinson,  of  Waltham,  Massachusetts, 
whose  essay  will  appear  in  our  next  number  ;  the  other  to  Floyd  C. 
Noble,  of  New  York  City,  whose  description  of  a  walk  in  Central 
Park  appears  in   this  issue  of   Bird-Lore. 

Much  to  his  surprise,  the  Editor  found  that  he  was  competing 
for  the  prize  he  himself  had  offered  !  He  had  written  an  account 
of  some  Central  Park  birds  for  this  department  before  Master  Noble's 
article  was  received,  and  is  obliged  to  confess  that  Master  Noble  men- 
tions several  species  which  he  had  not  observed.  He,  therefore, 
presents  only  that  part  of  his  manuscript  relating  to  the  Chickadee, 
and  leaves   Master  Noble   to  tell  of  the  other   birds   in    the   Park. 

The  selection  of  the  winning  essays  was  made  with  much  diffi- 
culty, and,  in  addition  to  the  two  chosen,  we  would  especially  com- 
mend  those   written  by  the   following   named    boys    and    girls : 

Philip  Baker,  Indianapolis,  Ind.  ;  Harriet  J.  Benton,  New  Bedford,  Mass.  ;  Zelda 
Brown,  Yuma,  Ariz.  ;  Donald  Bruce,  East  Hampton,  Mass.  ;  Walter  S.  Chansler, 
Bicknell,  Ind.;  Marion  Flagg,  go  Washington  St.,  Hartford,  Conn.  ;  Charles  B.  Floyd, 
Brookline,  Mass.  ;  Kathryn  Gibbs,  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  ;  Albert  Linton,  Moorestown, 
N.  J.  ;  Clara  T.  Magee,  Moorestown,  N.  J.  ;  George  S.  Mac  Nider,  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C.  ; 
Barnard  Powers,  Melrose,  Mass.  ;  Elden  Smith,  Milville,  Mass  ;  Lydia  Sharpless, 
Haverford,  Pa. — Ed. 

A   February  Walk   in   Central   Park,  New  York 

v"  BY    FLOYD     C.    NOBLE 

(Aged  14  yearsj 

N    February    18,    i8gg,    my   friend    and    I    started    out 
'bird-hunting,'   as    usual,    in    the    'Ramble.'    Central 
Park.      It  was  during    the   comparatively  warm    spell 
after    the    blizzard    of    the    12th,    and    the    preceding    zero 
weather.      On    the   way  we    saw   a    Starling,    perched    high 
on   a   building,  trying   to    sing.      On   entering   the    Park  we 
saw  a  White-throated    Sparrow.      I    have   seen  this    species 
more  times  than  any  other  this   month  —  of  course,  except- 
ing the  common   Sparrow. 
On   nearing   our   'hunting-grounds,'  we    heard    the    familiar  '  cree-e' 
of   a   Brown    Creeper,    and    soon    discovered    the    little    fellow   hard    at 
work,  as  usual.      A    little    later  we   came  upon   the    beautiful    Cardinal, 
with   his    two  wives.       It    is   a   fact    that    there    are   one    male    and   two 

(57) 


58  Bird  -  Lore 

females,    thouf^h    probably   only    one    is    his    real    mate.      He   does    not^ 
however,  appear  to  be  partial  to  either. 

Further  on  we  found  what  we  were  chiefly  looking  for  —  a  flock 
of  lively  little  Chickadees.  I  found  that  I  had  only  a  very  small 
supply  of  hazelnuts  with  me,  but  I  made  the  best  of  them.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  snow  on  the  ground,  which  made  the  Chickadees 
unusually  tame  —  being  hungry.  They  would  light  on  our  hands, 
inspect  the  pieces  of  crushed  nut  there,  knock  off  the  ones  that  did 
not  suit  them,  and  finally  fly  ofl  with  one  —  usually  the  largest.  We 
soon  began  to  recognize  separate  birds,  and  gave  them  names  ;  such 
as  'Buffy, '  '  Pretty,'  etc.  Then  our  attention  was  attracted  by  the 
queer  noise  made  by  the  Nuthatch,  and  this  trunk-crawling  friend  of 
ours  appeared.  We  think  that  continued  close  inspection  of  tree- 
trunks  has  made  him  near-sighted,  because  when  you  throw  him  a 
piece  of  nut  he  generally  just  gazes  at  it,  grunts  a  little,  and  then 
looks  at  you  again.  My  cousin  suggested  that  when  he  did  find 
what  you  threw  him,  it  w^as  by  the  sense  of  hearing  rather  than  that 
of  sight,  as  he  can  generally  find  a  big  piece  that  makes  a  noise  in 
falling.  When  he  succeeds  in  getting  'something  good,'  he  wedges 
it  into  the  bark  somewhere  and  hits  it  with  his  bill. 

But,  betAveen  the  Nuthatch,  the  Chickadees,  and  the  hungry 
squirrels — that  would  sit  up  with  their  paws  on  their  breasts,  and 
their  heads  on  one  side,  imploring  for  food,  it  is  needless  to  say 
successfully, — our  small  supply  of  nuts  was  soon  gone.  So  we  went 
home  as  fast  as  we  could,  procured  more  nuts,  and  in  twenty  min- 
utes were  again  in  the  'hunting-grounds.'  But  we  found,  to  our 
dismay,  that  others  had  monopolized  ovu"  flock  of  chickadees  !  How- 
ever, what  partly  compensated  for  this,  was  a  good  close  view  of  a 
Downy  Woodpecker.  There  is  a  pair  of  these  birds  around  here, 
which  you  are  almost  sure  to  see,- — either  together  or  singly. 

But  it  was  soon  time  to  go  home,  and  on  the  way  we  heard 
the  lively  song  of  the  European  Goldfinches,  and  soon  found  four  of 
them  high  up  in  a  tree.  They  are  shy  birds,  and  flew  as  we 
approached.  They  feed  on  pine  cones,  and  a  flock  of  them  will  take 
possession  of  a  pine  tree,  hide  themselves  in  the  dark  tufts  of  pine 
needles,  and  eat  the  seeds  at  their  leisure.  The  only  way  you  can 
have  knowledge  of  their  presence  is  by  the  frequent  cracking  of  the 
seeds  heard.  For  a  long  time  we  thought  they  were  Crossbills,  but 
one  day  a  flock  of  noisy  Sparrows  came  into  the  tree  and  drove  the 
quiet  Goldfinches  out  of  their  tufts  —  much  to  my  surprise,  for  I  did 
not  suppose  that  Goldfinches,  which  I  had  been  accustomed  to  find 
singing  loudly,  could  keep  so  quiet.  We  also  saw  a  Song  Sparrow 
quietly  picking  away  at  some  bird-seed  scattered  there. 


The  Myth  of  the  Song  Sparrow 


59- 


The    Myth    of   the    Song   Sparrow 

BY   ERNEST  SETON  THOMPSON 

His  mother  was  the  Brook,  his  sisters  were   the   Reeds, 

And  they  every  one  applauded  when  he  sang  about  his  deeds. 

His  vest  was  white,  his  mantle  brown,  as  clear  as  they  could  be, 

And  his  songs  were  fairly  bubbling  o'er  with  melody  and  glee. 

But  an  envious  Neighbor  splashed  with  mud  our  Brownie's  coat  and  vest,. 

And  then  a  final  handful  threw  that  stuck  upon  his  breast. 

The  Brook-bird's  mother  did  her  best  to  wash  the  stains  away. 

But  there  they  stuck,  and,  as  it  seems,  are  very  like  to  stay. 

And  so  he  wears  the  splashes  and  the  mud  blotch  as  you  see. 

But  his  songs  are  bubbling  over  still  with  melody  and  glee. 


J^otes  from  JTteld  and  ^tudp 


Sparrow  Proof  Houses 

Mr.  D.  R.  Geery,  of  Greenwich,  Conn., 
sends  us  descriptions  of  the  two  bird- 
houses  here  figured.  When  designed  for 
Bluebirds,  they  should  be  suspended  from 


Made   of  rough     boards.      Size,  6  inches    high,   5^     inches 
square  at  the  bottom,  3%  inches  square  at  the  top. 

a  limb  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  ground, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  allow  them  to 
swing  slightly.  Mr.  Geery  writes:  "It 
may  happen  that  the  Sparrows  will  go  to 
these  houses  and  even  commence  to  build, 
but,  as  soon  as  they  find  that  they  swing 
and  are  not  firm,  they  will  abandon  them 


Made  from  a  bark-covered  log,  8  inches  long  and  8  inches  in 
diameter,  a  hole  5  inches  in  diameter  being  bored  from  end 
to  end,  leaving  an  outer  wall  ij^  inches  thick. 


entirely.  Wren  boxes  should  'be  station- 
ary, with  an  opening  not  much  larger  than 
a  twenty-five-cent  piece,  and  placed  so  as 
to  be  well  shaded  most  of  the  day." 

A  Musical  Woodpecker 

In  the  pursuit  of  my  profession  I  had 
occasion  for  some  time  to  travel  over  a 
certain  road,  along  which  is  a  telephone 
line,  the  glass  insulators  of  which  are 
placed  on  short  pieces  of  hard  wood  which 
are  nailed  directly  to  the  post. 

Probably  half  a  dozen  times,  when  on 
this  road,  I  saw  a  male  Downy  Woodpecker 
perched  directly  beneath  the  hard  wood 
block,  pecking  at  it  in  a  manner  to  make 
the  wire  ring,  then  pausing  and  evidently 
listening  to  the  music  it  had  produced. 

When  the  vibration  ceased  the  per- 
formance was  repeated  and  continued  at 
intervals  until  I  was  obliged  to  drive  by 
and  frighten  the  bird  away. — Dr.  D.  L. 
Burnett,  South  Royaltoyi,  Vt. 

An  Ornithologist  at  San  Juan 

An  English  newspaper  correspondent, 
who  called  at  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History  to  identify  certain  birds 
which  he  had  seen  in  Cuba,  gave  an  in- 
teresting illustration  of  how,  under  the 
most  adverse  circumstances,  an  enthusias- 
tic naturalist  may  exercise  his  powers  of 
observation.  He  said,  "I  noticed  at  San 
Juan  a  bird  which  seemed  to  be  much 
alarmed  by  the  firing.  He  hopped  from 
the  bushes  to  the  lower  branches  of  trees, 
and  then,  limb  by  limb,  reached  the  tree 
tops,"  and  continued  with  a  readily  iden- 
tifiable description  of  the  singular  Cuban 
Cuckoo,  locally  known  as  Arriero  {Saiiro- 
Ihci-a   jnoiiiii). 

There  is  one  bird  in  Cuba,  the  Turkey 
Buzzard  or  Vulture,  of  which  many  of  our 
soldiers  probably  retain  a  too  vivid  recol- 
lection, but  how  many  of  the  men  who 
were  at  San  Juan  can  recall  any  other  bird 
observed  during  the  day  of  battle  ? 


(60) 


iSoDft  jBtetos;  ant)  3^et)ieto0 


Sketch  Book  of  British  Birds.  By  R. 
BowDLER  Sharpe,  L.  L.  D.  ,  F.  L.  S. 
With  Colored  Illustrations  by  A.  F.  and 
C.  Lydon,  London :  Society  for  Pro- 
moting Christian  Knowledge,  New  York, 
E.  &  J.  B.  Young  &  Co.  4to.  Pages 
XX  -j-  255.  Numerous,  colored  illus- 
trations.    Price,  $6. 

Although  more  books  have  been  written 
about  British  birds  than  on  the  birds  of 
any  other  region,  and  although  Dr.  Sharpe 
has  written  more  bird  books  than  any 
other  living  ornithologist,  this  we  believe 
is  the  first  treatise  he  has  produced  on  the 
birds  of  his  native  land.  He  explains  that 
the  text  is  only  a  "running  commentary  " 
on  the  pictures,  but  claims  that  his 
"Systematic  Index"  is  "the  most  com- 
plete record  of  the  birds  in  the  '  British 
List '  yet  published."  It  enumerates  445 
species  of  birds  which,  according  to  Dr. 
Sharpe,  have  been  recorded  from  Great 
Britain.  In  his  '  Introduction  '  he  classi- 
fies these  according  to  the  manner  of 
their  occurrence,  as  follows :  Species 
which  have  probably  escaped  from  con- 
finement, 14 ;  Indigenous  species,  138 ; 
Visitors  from  the  South  —  regular,  70, 
occasional  or  accidental,  6g  ;  Visitors  from 
the  East  —  regular,  5,  accidental  or  occa- 
sional, 38;  Visitors  from  the  North  —  regu- 
lar, 35,  occasional  or  accidental,  29 ; 
Visitors  from  the  West  —  regular  i,  occa- 
sional, 43.  The  latter  are  all  American 
species,  and  the  number  recorded  indicates 
how  much  more  frequently  our  birds  are 
found  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic 
than   European  birds  are  observed  here. 

The  illustrations  consist  of  colored 
vignettes  in  the  text  of  nearly  every 
species.  They  are  not  above  criticism, 
but,  on  the  whole,  are  excellent  and  form 
a  far  more  certain  and  convenient  aid  to 
identification  than  the  most  detailed  de- 
scription or  elaborate  key.  In  many 
cases  even  American  species  of  accidental 
occurrence  are  figured,  and,  in  this  con- 
nection, we  are  tempted  to  ask  why 
British  authors  cannot  use  for  our  birds 
the   names    by    which   they  are    known    in 


this  country  ?  Who  would  recognize  the 
Rusty  Blackbird  under  the  name  of  the 
"Rusty  Black  Hang-Nest,"  a  misnomer 
in  every  sense  of  the  word,  or  our  Robin 
as  the  "American  Thrush,"  to  cite  two 
among  numerous  examples.  f.  m.  c. 

Book    News. 

It  is  exceedingly  gratifying  to  find  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union,  as  repre- 
sented by  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  the  Chair- 
man of  its  Committee  on  Bird  Protection, 
taking  so  strong  a  stand  on  the  question 
of  egg-collecting.  In  his  annual  report  to 
the  Union  (The  Auk,  XVI,  January.  1899, 
p.  61),  Mr.  Stone  says,  "Egg-collecting  has 
become  a  fad  which  is  encouraged  and 
fostered  by  the  dealers  until  it  is  one  of 
the  most  potent  causes  of  the  decrease  in 
our  birds.  The  vast  majority  of  egg-col- 
lectors contribute  nothing  to  the  science 
of  ornithology,  and  the  issuing  of  licenses 
promiscuously  to  this  class  makes  any  law 
for  bird  protection  practically  useless. 

"Too  often  boys  regard  the  formation 
of  a  large  collection  of  eggs  or  birds 
as  necessarily  the  first  step  towards  be- 
coming an  ornithologist  of  note ;  but  if 
those  who  have  already  won  their  spurs 
will  take  the  trouble  to  point  out  to  the 
beginners  the  lines  of  work  which  yield 
results  of  real  benefit  to  science,  they  will 
be  led  to  see  exactly  how  much  collecting 
and  what  sort  of  specimens  are  really 
needed  for  scientific  research,  and  not 
needlessly  duplicate  what  has  already 
been  procured.  Further,  they  will  in  all 
probability  become  known  as  original  con- 
tributors to  ornithological  science,  while 
as  mere  collectors  they  would  bid  fair  to 
remain  in  obscurity." 

Mr.  Stone's  report  is  of  the  utmost 
interest  to  all  workers  for  the  better  pro- 
tection of  our  birds.  We  have  not  space 
to  notice  it  further  here,  but  it  may  be 
obtained  by  addressing  him  at  the  Acad- 
emy of  Natural  Science,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  and  enclosing  six  cents  in  stamps. 


(61) 


62 


Bird  -  Lore 


Two  ornithological  organizations  estab- 
lished, in  January,  magazines  for  the  pub- 
lications of  their  proceedings  and  papers 
relating  to  the  avifauna  of  their  respec- 
tive states.  The  first,  the  'Journal  of  the 
Maine  Ornithological  Society, '  an  octavo 
quarterly,  is  edited  by  C.  H.  Morrill,  at 
Pittsfield,  Maine ;  the  publisher  and 
business  manager  being  O.  W.  Knight, 
of  Bangor,  Maine.  The  second,  the  'Bul- 
letin of  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club,' 
is  edited  by  Chester  Barlow,  of  Santa 
Clara,  California,  with  the  assistance  of 
Henry  Reed  Taylor  and  Howard  Robert- 
son. The  business  managers  are  Donald 
Cohen,  of  Alameda,  and  A.  I.  McCormick, 
of  Los  Angeles,  California.  Both  jour, 
nals  are  the  outgrowth  of  a  demand  on 
the  part  of  the  societies  they  represent 
for  an  official  organ,  and  they  will  un- 
doubtedly exert  a  stimulating  influence 
on  the  study  of  birds  in  the  states  in 
which  they   are  published. 

We  have  also  to  acknowledge  the  receipt 
of  the  initial  number  of  a  third  new  peri- 
odical, 'Nature  Study  in  Schools,'  con- 
ducted by  the  well-known  naturalist,  C.  J. 
Maynard,  at  West  Newton,  Mass.  It 
is  an  illustrated  monthly  of  26  pages, 
containing  papers  interesting  alike  to 
teachers  and  students,  and  should  prove 
very  helpful   in   its  chosen   field. 

Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Company  have  in 
press  a  bird-book  for  children  by  Mrs. 
Olive  Thorne  Miller,  to  be  entitled  '  The 
First  Book  of  Birds. '  As  its  name  indi- 
cates, it  will  aim  to  introduce  its  readers  to 
the  study  of  birds  by  taking  them  from  the 
nest  through  all  the  ordinary  phases  of  a 
bird's  existence,  and  including  chapters  on 
structure,  economics,  directions  for  study, 

etc.     The  book  will  be  illustrated,  and  its 

/ 

author's  experience  as  a  student  and 
teacher  of  birds  is  an  assurance  that  it 
will  be  a  valuable  addition  to  ornithologi- 
cal literature. 

Few  nature  books  not  designed  to  assist 
in     identification     of     species     have     met 


with  the  sale  that  has  been  accorded 
Ernest  Seton  Thompson's  'Wild  Ani- 
mals I  Have  Known  '  (Charles  Scribner's 
Sons).  Published  late  in  October,  it 
went  rapidly  through  several  editions, 
and  by  January  i,  or  little  more  than 
two  months  after  its  appearance,  7,000 
copies   had   been   disposed   of. 

The  reason  for  this  phenomenal  suc- 
cess is  not  hard  to  find ;  it  appears  on 
every  page  of  the  book,  the  text,  illus- 
trations, and  make-up  of  which  are 
equally   pleasing. 

Mr.  Thompson  goes  a  step  further 
than  most  students  of  animals  in  nature. 
He  does  not  present  us  with  the  biog- 
raphy of  the  species,  but  with  its  personal 
history,  and  his  minute  knowledge  of 
and  close  sympathy  with  his  subjects 
leads    to    his   writing    a    singular   charm. 

Josephine  A.  Clark,  of  1322  Twelfth 
street,  N.  W. ,  Washington,  D.  C,  pub- 
lishes a  useful  '  Bird  Tablet  for  Field 
Use. '  It  is  abridged  from  the  '  Outline 
for  Field  Observations '  in  Miss  Merriam's 
'  Birds  of  Village  and  Field, '  and  may  be 
obtained  from  the  publisher  for  the  sum 
of  twenty-five  cents. 

Mr.  C.  a.  Babcock,  well-known  as  the 
originator  of  Bird-Day,  has  in  manuscript 
a  book  entitled  '  Bird-Day  and  How  to  Pre- 
pare for  It,'  which  will  undoubtedly  be  of 
much  assistance  to  teachers,  and  add  greatly 
to  the  value  of  Bird-Day  observances. 

The  following  books  and  papers  relating 
to  birds  have  been  received  and  will  be 
reviewed  in  future  numbers :  The  Cam- 
bridge Natural  History,  Vol.  IX,  Birds,  by 
A.  H.  Evans  (The  Macmillan  Co.);  The 
Birds  of  Ontario  in  Relation  to  Agricul- 
ture, by  Charles  W.  Nash ;  The  Winter 
Food  of  the  Chickadee,  The  Feeding 
Habits  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  by 
Clarence  M.  Weed ;  A  Preliminary  List 
of  the  Birds  of  Belknap  and  Merrimack 
counties,  New  Hampshire,  with  notes,  by 
Ned  Dearborn ;  Check  List  of  British 
Columbia  Birds,  by  John  Fannin. 


Editorials 


63 


iStrti^ilore 

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.  1 


APRIL,  1899 


No.  2 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  the  United  States.  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
■66  Fifth  avenue.  New  York  City,  or  to  the  Editor, 
at  Englewood,  New  Jersey. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  and  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 

Manuscripts  for  publication,  books,  etc.,  for  re- 
view, should  be  sent  to  the  Editor  at  Englewood, 
New  Jersey. 

Advertisements  should  be  sent  to  the  Pub- 
lishers at  66  Fifth  avenue,  New  York  City^ 

COPYRIGHTED,  1899,  BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 


The  establishment  of  Bird -Lore  has 
brought  its  editor  in  touch  with  many  pre- 
viously unknown  friends,  who,  with  the 
utmost  kindness,  have  expressed  their 
approval  of  the  new  publication  and  pre- 
dicted for  it  a  successful  career.  To 
thank  all  our  correspondents  individually 
has  been  out  of  the  question,  and  we  take 
this  means,  therefore,  to  assure  them  of 
our  appreciation  of  their  good  wishes. 

Doubtless  they  will  be  interested  to 
know  that  within  two  weeks  after  the  pub- 
lication of  Bird-Lore,  the  publfshers  had 
disposed  of  more  copies  than  it  was  sup- 
posed they  would  sell  in  two  months, 
while  the  demand  for  specimen  copies  was 
so  large,  that  at  the  end  of  the  same  period 
our  edition  of  6,000  was  nearly  exhausted 
and  we  were  obliged  to  issue  a  notice  to 
the  effect  that  the  remaining  copies  would 
be  delivered  only  to  subscribers. 

The  Lacey-Hoar  Bird  Bill  has  met  with 
a  greatly  to  be  regretted  fate.  With 
earnest  advocates  of  bird  protection  in 
both  the  House  and  Senate,  and  with  suffi- 
cient support  to  ensure  the  passage  of  any 
desirable  measure,  the  prospects  of  secur- 


ing needed  legislation  seemed  to  be  ex- 
cellent. Doubtless  both  Congressman 
Lacey's  and  Senator  Hoar's  bills  would 
have  passed  if  they  had  been  presented 
separately,  but  making  the  latter  an 
amendment  to  the  former,  created  a  series 
of  contradictions  that  apparently  could 
not  be  adjusted  in  conference,  and,  as  a 
result,  measures  the  intent  of  which  the 
majority  of  both  houses  evidently  favored, 
failed  to  become  laws. 

However,  the  terms  of  neither  Mr.  Hoar 
nor  Mr.  Lacey  have  expired,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  before  the  next  Congress 
convenes  they  will  have  prepared  a  bill  in 
which  their  interests  in  birds  will  be  har- 
moniously presented. 

One  of  the  most  dangerous  enemies 
threatening  our  birds  to-day  is  the  man 
who,  under  the  mask  of  '  science, '  col- 
lects birds  and  their  eggs  in  wholly  un- 
warranted numbers.  He  is  dangerous 
not  alone  because  of  the  actual  destruction 
of  life  he  causes,  but  because  his  excesses 
have  brought  into  disrepute  the  work  of 
the  collector  who,  animated  by  the  spirit 
of  true  science,  and  appreciating  the 
value  of  life,  takes  only  those  specimens 
which  he  needs  to  assist  him  in  his  studies. 

For  this  reason  we  feel  it  to  be  our  duty 
to  publicly  protest  against  such  wholly 
inexcusable  nest-robbing  as  Mr.  L.  \V. 
Brownell,  of  Nyack,  N.  Y. ,  confesses 
himself  to  be  guilty  of  in  the  January 
issue  of  'The  Osprey. '  In  describing  a 
visit  to  Pelican  Island,  Florida,  he  states 
that  in  "about  an  hour  he  had  col- 
lected all  the  eggs  he  could  conveniently 
handle,  about   125  sets." 

This  is  an  outrageous  piece  of  bird- 
slaughter.  It  is  especially  to  be  deplored 
because  Brown  Pelican  quills  and  back 
feathers  are  fast  becoming  fashionable, 
and,  unless  the  species  is  protected,  Florida 
will  speedily  lose  one  of  its  most  charac- 
teristic and  interesting  birds.  But  how 
can  we  expect  women,  unfamiliar  with  the 
bird  in  nature,  to  aid  in  its  protection, 
when  people  who  have  seen  it  in  its  haunts, 
and  know  how  much  it  adds  to  Florida's 
coast  scenery,  ruthlessly  destroy  it. 


"  Yoii  cannot  -jjith  a  scalpel  find  the  poet' s  soul. 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  tlie  Audubon 
and*  other   Bird    Protective  Societies   should    be  addressed. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries. 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  \V.  Batchklder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street,  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  Henrv  S.  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockvvood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street.  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Marv  A.  Mellick,  Plainfiekl. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.  (branch  of  Peiin.  Society).  .Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  1314  Chapline  street,  Wheeling. 

Ohio Miss  Clara  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Pkckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

^,      ^       ,       .  ,    »     J   .         o.      •  .•  human  voice.      A   few    spoken    words   are 

The  Conducting  of  Audubon  Societies  ^ 

worth  a  score  of    printed  ones.     A  com- 

It  is  one  thing  to  organize  a  society  or  pelling  personality  is  worth  a  well  of  ink 

club  and  quite  another  to  set   it   upon  a  in   this   Bird   Crusade   of    1899.      Let  the 

permanent  footing  and  keep  it  in  step  with  heads  of    societies   come    in   contact  with 

the  constant  requirements  of  progression.  the    members   as    much   as   possible,   and 

At   a  time   when    a    great    majority    look  gather  them   in   local  circles.      Let   those 

askance  at  the  startling  array  of  societies  who  are  able  to  speak  about  birds  do  so, 

that   they  are  asked  to  'join,'  it  behooves  and  let  those  who  lack   the  gift  of  words 

all    Bird    Protective     bodies    to    conduct  read  aloud  from  the  works  of  others, 
themselves    with     extreme     conservatism,  Whenever   possible,   urge   local  secreta- 

that  they  may  not  bear  the  stigma  of  being  ries  to  hold  bird  classes  during  spring  and 

called  emotional   '  fads, '  but  really  appeal  summer  in  their  respective  towns.      If  no 

to  those  whom  they  seek  to  interest.  one  persbn    knows    enough    to   teach    the 

Many  men  (and  women  also)  have  many  others  let   them  club  together,  buy  a  few 

minds,  and   a    form    of    appeal    that   will  books,  and,   going  out  of    doors,  work  out 

attract  one  will  repel  another.     It  is  upon  the  problems  of  identification  as  best  they 

the  tactful  management    of  these  appeals  may,  until  every  little  village  has  a  nature 

and    the   bringing    of    the    subject   vitally  study  class  working  its  way,  Chautauqua- 

home  to  different  classes  and  ages,  that  the  Circle    fashion.       Remember    one    point, 

life  of  the  Audubon  Societies  depends.  please.      No   society    can    succeed    that  is 

Leaflets  have  their  influence  with  those  content  to  count  the  quantity  rather  than 

who   already    care    enough    to     take    the  quality    of    its    members.       One   hundred 

trouble    to  read  them.     Special    exercises  intelligent    members     who    know    how    to 

in   schools    have    a   potent     influence   for  spread    the    zuhy   and    hozc  of    the    cru- 

good.     But  the  best  method  of  spreading  sade  are  worth    10,000  who   have  merely 

the  gospel  of  humanity,  is  that  by  which  'joined  '  because  some  one  they  were  proud 

it  was  first  spread  1900  centuries  ago,  by  of    knowing     asked    them    to   and   it    was 

personal   contact    and    the   power    of    the  easier  to  say  '  yes  '  than  '  no, '  especially  as 

(64) 


The  Audubon   Societies 


65 


the  say///j^'-  was  all  it  cost.  Also,  no  so- 
ciety succeeds  that  bores  people  into  join- 
ing it.  Remember  that  no  matter  how 
near  one's  own  heart  a  project  may  be, 
we  have  no  right  to  force  it  upon  others. 
We  have  no  right  to  take  people  by  the 
throat,  so  to  speak,  to  make  them  pause 
and  listen,  but  setting  a  high  standard, 
holding  out  a  helping  hand  and  making 
the  way  attractive  to  those  who  wish  to 
reach  it  is  a  different  thing,  and  is  the 
only  sane  policy  under  which  Audubon 
Societies  can  be  conducted.  One  word  to 
you  who  wish  to  see  the  societies 
flourish,  who  love  birds,  but  are  shy 
and  retiring,  and  do  not  care  to  commit 
yourselves  to  joining  anything.  You  may 
safely  join  the  cause  in  spirit  by  sending  a 
nice  little  check  to  the  treasurer  of  your 
local  state  society.  Piers  Plowman  dis- 
covered long  ago  that  he  couldn't  "  spede  " 
far  without  money,  neither  can  the  Audu- 
bon Societies. — M.  O.  W. 

I 

A    Letter    from    Governor    Roosevelt 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  New  York 
State  Audubon  Society,  held  in  the  Ameri- 
can Museum  of  Natural  History  on  March 
23,  i8gg,  a  letter  was  read  from  Governor 
Roosevelt,  which  is  of  such  interest  and 
importance  .that  we  print  it  in  advance  of 
a  report  of  the  meeting,  which  will  appear 
in  a  future  issue. 

Governor  Roosevelt  regretted  his  in- 
ability to  be  present,  and  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  Mr.  Frank  M.  Chap- 
man, Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee : 

My  dear  ]\/r.    Oiapjnan : — 

I  need  hardly  say  how  heartily  I  sym- 
pathize with  the  purposes  of  the  Audubon 
Society.  I  would  like  to  see  all  harmless 
wild  things,  but  especially  all  birds,  pro- 
tected in  every  way.  I  do  not  understand 
how  any  man  or  woman  who  really  loves 
nature  can  fail  to  try  to  exert  all  influence 
in  support  of  such  objects  as  those  of  the 
Audubon  Society. 

Spring  would  not  be  spring  without 
bird   songs,  any   more   than    it   would    be 


spring  without  buds  and  flowers,  and  I 
only  wish  that  besides  protecting  the 
songsters,  the  birds  of  the  grove,  the 
orchard,  the  garden  and  the  meadow,  we 
could  also  protect  the  birds  of  the  sea 
shore  and  of  the  wilderness. 

The  Loon  ought  to  be,  and,  under  wise 
legislation,  could  be  a  feature  of  every 
Adirondack  lake  ;  Ospreys,  as  every  one 
knows,  can  be  made  the  tamest  of  the 
tame,  and  Terns  should  be  as  plentiful 
along  our  shores  as  Swallows  around  our 
barns. 

A  Tanager  or  a  Cardinal  makes  a  point 
of  glowing  beauty  in  the  green  woods, 
and  the  Cardinal  among  the  white  snows. 

When  the  Bluebirds  were  so  nearly 
destroyed  by  the  severe  winter  a  few 
seasons  ago,  the  loss  was  like  the  loss  of 
an  old  friend,  or  at  least  like  the  burning 
down  of  a  familiar  and  dearly  loved 
house.  How  immensely  it  would  add  to 
our  forests  if  only  the  great  Logcock  were 
still  found  among  them  ! 

The  destruction  of  the  Wild  Pigeon 
and  the  Carolina  Paroquet  has  meant  a 
loss  as  severe  as  if  the  Catskills  or  the 
Palisades  were  taken  away.  When  I 
hear  of  the  destruction  of  a  species  I  feel 
just  as  if  all  the  works  of  some  great 
writer  had  perished  ;  as  if  we  had  lost  all 
instead  of  only  part  of  Polybius  or  Livy. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Theodore  Roosevelt. 


Reports   of    Societies 

PENNSYLVANIA    SOCIETY 

The  Audubon  Society  of  Pennsylvania 
was  organized  in  October,  1896,  and  was 
the  first  society  to  follow  the  admirable 
example  set  by  Massachusetts.  During 
the  first  year  2,200  members  were  enrolled 
and  nearly  30,000  circulars  distributed. 
The  first  annual  report  was  sent  out  in 
November,  1897,  and  it  mentions  a  '  Hat 
Show, '  and  a  course  of  lectures  to  be  given 
in  Philadelphia  during  the  spring.  Both 
of  these  were  carried  out  with  marked  suc- 
cess, the  '  Hat  Show '  attracting  much 
attention   to   the  work  of  the  society,  and 


66 


Bird  -  Lore 


the  lectures  adding  materially  to  its 
income,  as  there  are  no  dues  of  any  kind 
connected  with  membership.  The  second 
annual  report  appeared  in  November, 
1898,  and  announces  an  increase  of  1,100 
members  during  the  year.  It  referred  to 
the  fact  that  as  a  direct  result  of  the  '  Hat 
Show  '  several  of  the  best  milliners  had 
established  special  Audubon  departments. 
Lectures  were  given  in  many  parts  of  the 
state  with  most  satisfactory  results,  and 
finally,  the  cooperation  of  school  teachers 
was  solicited  to  observe  May  5,  1899,  as 
Bird-Day.  A  course  of  five  lectures,  by 
Mr.  Stone,  will  be  given  this  year  at  the 
Acorn  Club,  Philadelphia,  beginning 
March  16.  A  number  of  new  slides  have 
been  bought  by  the  society  to  illustrate 
these  lectures,  and  the  course  promises  to 
be  more  interesting  than  ever.  Since  the 
second  report  was  issued  seven  new  local 
secretaries  have  been  secured,  making  42 
in  all.  It  is  hoped  that  this  number  will 
be  doubled  during  the  coming  year,  for  as 
the  membership,  which  is  now  nearly 
3,800,  continues  to  increase,  the  need  of 
workers  throughout  the  state  becomes 
more  important  every  day. 

Julia  Stockton  Robins,  Src\v. 

INDIANA    SOCIETY. 

In  1889  the  Indiana  Academy  of  Sci- 
ence appointed  a  committee,  of  which  I 
was  chairman,  to  secure  the  passage  of 
a  satisfactory  law  for  bird  protection. 
The  committee  accomplished  nothing.  It 
was  continued,  and  in  1891  secured  the 
enactment  of  the  enclosed  law.  The 
Academy  of  Science  has,  through  its 
efforts  in  the  way  of  advancing  science 
work  in  the  public  schools  of  the  state, 
encouraged  and  taught  bird  protection. 
In  this  it  has  had,  since  1890,  the  co-oper- 
ation of  the  Indiana  Horticultural  Society. 

In  1897  ^t  different  times  several  bodies 
were  interested  in  the  movement  in  favor 
of  bird  protection.  These  appointed  com- 
mittees. These  committees  united  in  a 
call  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  Indian- 
apolis. A  programme  was  prepared,  and 
the    meeting    held    in    the    State    House 


April  26,  1898.  I  send  you  a  copy  of 
the  call  and  programme ;  also  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  Indiana  Audubon  Society. 
The  Governor,  and  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction  have  both  been  much 
interested,  and  as  a  consequence  Bird 
Day  and  Arbor  Day  were  celebrated 
October  28,  1898.  The  "Outline  of 
Township  Institute  Work"  has  gone  into 
the  hands  of  every  teacher  and  school 
officer  in  the  state.  .  .  .  You  will 
see  that  the  work  we  are  doing  is  prac- 
tical, even  though  it  is  not  so  much  as 
some  States  are  accomplishing.  I  have 
not  the  enrollment  or  statement  of  publica- 
tions issued,  but  counting  the  issue  of 
the  State  Department  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, 20,000  copies  of  different  articles,  at 
least,   have  been  distributed. 

Amos  W.   Butler,    Secy. 

ILLINOIS    SOCIETY. 

The  past  year  has  shown  a  very  marked 
improvement  as  the  results  of  bird  pro- 
tection and  the  general  work  of  our  Illinois 
Audubon  Society.  While  the  fashion  for 
decorating  hats  with  feathers  still  con- 
tinues, yet  there  is  a  very  noticeable 
decrease  in  the  display  of  aigrettes  and 
the  feathers  of  wild  birds.  I  have  visited 
the  establishments  of  several  of  our  Chi- 
cago wholesale  milliners  and  find  that  the 
larger  portion  of  their  stock,  this  fall,  is 
made  up  of  the  feathers  of  the  domestic 
fowl  and  game  birds.  Our  Audubon  Soci- 
ety has  had  two  public  meetings  this  year, 
which  were  well  attended,  and  the  interest 
in  its  \/ork  has  rather  increased  than 
abated.  Our  membership  has  increased 
to  3,426.  We  have  liberally  distributed 
leaflets,  including  500  of  our  circulars, 
stating  the  purpose  of  the  society,  to  the 
editors  of  local  newspapers  in  the  state, 
with  request  that  they  aid  the  society  by 
publismng  same  and  calling  attention  to  it 
editorially. 

On  February  7,  1898,  an  Interstate  Con- 
vention was  held  in  Chicago,  represented 
by  the  game  and  fish  wardens,  and  dele- 
gates appointed  by  the  legislatures  of  the 
six  states  which  responded  to  the  call.     At 


The  Audubon   Societies 


67 


the  request  of  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  I  pre- 
sented at  this  convention  the  text  of  a  new 
law  for  the  protection  of  birds  and  their 
nests  and  eggs,  as  drafted  by  our  com- 
mittee on  Bird  Protection.  The  con- 
vention agreed  to  submit  the  proposed 
law  to  each  of  their  respective  legisla- 
tures. 

Great  credit  is  due  to  the  efficient  work 
which  has  been  done  in  our  state  by  War- 
den H.  W.  Loveday  and  his  deputies. 
Since  the  first  of  the  year  over  one  hun- 
dred prosecutions  and  convictions  have 
been  made,  for  the  wanton  killing  and 
trapping  of  song  and  insectivorous  birds 
by  men  and  boys  largely  Italians  and  Bohe- 
mians. In  1897  there  were  580  convictions 
in  the  state  for  the  illegal  killing  and  trans- 
portation of  game  birds.  This  year  the 
game  has  been  so  carefully  watched  and 
such  prompt  action  taken  of  reported  cases 
of  violation,  that  the  poachers  and  market 
hunters  have  been  less  bold,  and  the  num- 
ber of  arrests  and  seizures  of  game  have 
been  reduced  over  one-half. 

On  April  9,  i8g8,  as  a  result  of  the 
efforts  of  County  Superintendent  of  Schools 
Mr.  Orville  T.  Bright,  a  meeting  was  held 
in  Chicago  in  the  interest  of  the  school 
teachers  of  Cook  county.  Over  three  hun- 
dred were  present,  and  the  meeting  was 
devoted  exclusively  to  birds,  and  addresses 
given  by  several  members  of  the  Audubon 
Society.  A  "  Finding  List  "  of  sixty  spe- 
cies of  birds,  compiled  by  Mr.  Frank  E. 
Sanford,  Superintendent  of  the  La  Grange, 
111.,  Schools,  was  distributed.  This  is  a 
most  effective  method  to  inspire  the  teach- 
ers and  in  turn  impart  their  love  for  birds 
'         to  the  scholars. 

RuTHVEN  Deane,    President. 

IOWA    SOCIETY. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Keokuk  Wo- 
man's Club,  the  Audubon  Society  of  Iowa 
was  organized  April  5,  1898. 

The  first  work  taken  up  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  Bird  Day  in  the  public 
schools. 

The  second  meetmg  was  held  in  Rand 


Park.  Short  talks  were  made  by  Hazen 
I.  Sanger,  John  Huiskamp,  Rabbi  Faber, 
Doctor  Ehinger,  and  a  paper  was  read 
by  Miss  Read. 

We  have  bought  and  distributed  through 
the  schools,  from  kindergarten  up,  bird 
pictures  and  bird  literature. 

One  of  our  men  milliners  asked  to  be- 
come a  member. 

On  August  6  the  officers  of  the  society 
met  and  adopted  articles  of  incorporation, 
this  being  the  first  Audubon  Society  to 
be  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Iowa. 
The  laws  of  Iowa  give  fair  protection  to 
the  birds ;  our  work  is  in  creating  the 
right  sentiment. 

Nellie  S.   Bo.\rd,  Secy. 

MINNESOTA  SOCIETY 

Mr.  John  W.  Taylor,  President  of  the 
Minnesota  Audubon  Society,  reports  the 
passage  of  a  law  establishing  Arbor  and 
Bird  Day  in  Minnesota,  and  writes:  "It 
is,  as  you  can  well  imagine,  a  source  of 
great  gratification  to  the  lover  of  birds  in 
the  state,  and  especially  to  the  Audubon 
Societies.  Through  this  law  we  can  do 
more  towards  bird  protection  than  we 
could  accomplish  in  many  years'  -labor 
without  it.  It  brings  the  subject  before 
the  teachers  and  children,  and  as  you 
educate  the  child  so  you  mould  the  man. 
We  have  now  in  this  state  58  branch 
societies,  besides  many  school  organiza- 
tions and  children's  bird  clubs.  The 
number  of  members  I  am  not  able  to 
give,  as  I  have  not  all  the  reports  in.  We 
have  sent  out  considerable  literature,  and 
used  the  press  largely  to  interest  our 
people.  We  feel  that  we  are  doing  won- 
ders for  the  first  active  year  we  have  had, 
and  congratulate  ourselves  that  the  hardest 
work  is  done.  We  hope  by  April  ist  to 
have  a  branch  in  every  county  in  Min- 
nesota. " 

Reports  from  the  New  Hampshire  and 
Wisconsin  Societies  and  a  notice  of  the 
American  Society  of  Bird  Restorers  are 
necessarily  postponed  until  June. 


..READY   THIS   MONTH 


Nature  Study 

For  Grammar  Grades 

A  Manual  for  the  Guidance  of  Pupils  below 
the   High    School   in    the    Study  of    Nature 

BY 

WILBUR  S.  JACKMAN,  A.B. 

Dep't  of  Natural  Science,  Chicago  Normal  School 

Author  of  "  Nature  Study  for  the  Common  Schools,"  "  Nature  Study  and   Related  Subjects, 
"  Nature  Study  Record,"  "  Field  Work  in  Nature  Study,"  etc. 

REVISED   EDITION 


111  preparing  this  Manual,  it  has  been  the  author's  aim  to  propose,  within  the  coni- 
prehension  of  grammar  school  pupils,  a  few  of  the  problems  which  arise  in  a  thoughtful 
study  of  nature,  and  to  offer  suggestions  designed  to  lead  to  their  solution. 

That  pupils  need  some  rational  and  definite  directions  in  nature  study,  all  are  gen- 
erally agreed.  But  to  prepare  the  outlines  and  suggestive  directions  necessary,  and  to 
place  these  within  the  reach  of  each  pupil,  is  more  than  any  ordinary  teacher  has  time 
to  do,  even  granting  that  she  is  fully  prepared  for  such  work.  The  utter  futility  of 
depending  upon  oral  suggestions  during  the  class  hour,  when  the  pupils  are  supposed  to 
be  doing  individual  work,  is  easily  apparent  on  a  moment's  reflection.  With  a  manual  of 
directions  in  hand,  each  pupil  may  be  made  strictly  responsible  for  a  certain  amount  of 
work,  either  in  the  field  or  in  the  laboratory.  This  removes  all  occasion  for  that  inter- 
ruption in  his  work,  which  is,  otherwise,  due  to  the  pupil's  attempt  to  think  and  at  the 
same  time  hear,  what  the  teacher  says. 


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"Instructive  as  well  as  AftW^h'iiwXy— Popular   |    Wright's  Citizen  Bird $1.50 

Scteuct'  Monthly.  ^^   interesting  story,  giving  to  the  children 

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"The  style  of  the  book  is  fresh  and  inspiring."  "Most    delightful    book   on    the    subject    yet 

primed  in  the  Ignited  States.     I  wish  every 

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Vol.    II.  25  cents.  Vol.    V.  50  cents  m^/.  Wright's  Four- Footed  Americans $1.50 

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PUBLISHED    BY 

THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY,  New  York 


Vol.  1 


j&irli-lore 


A   BI-MONTHLY   MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 


Official   Organ    of  the    Audubon    Societie! 


June,  1899 


No.  3 


Gannets   on   Bonaventure 

BY   FRANK   M.  CHAPMAN 

(See  Frontispiece j 

ANNETS    {Sula    lyassana)    are    known    to     nest     in    only    three 
places    in    North    America — Perroquet    Island,    the     Bird 
Rocks,    and    Bonaventure    Island,    all   in    the    Gulf    of    St. 
Lawrence.      By  far  the  largest  colony  is  found   on   the  last 
named   island,  where,   on   the   ledges    of    the   red   sandstone 
cliffs,  some  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  they  are  practically 
secure   from    molestation.      Bonaventure    Island    itself,    how- 
ever,   is    the    most   accessible    of    the    three    localities    men- 
tioned, and    may   be   easily  reached   in    a  small    fishing   boat 
from  the  neighboring  village  of  Perc6,  where  the  famous  Perc^   Rock, 
with    its    colony    of    Herring    Gulls    and    Double-crested    Cormorants, 
makes    the   region  particularly  interesting   to    the  ornithologist. 

The  Gannet  cliffs  are  on  the  east  side  of  Bonaventure,  and  are 
exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the  sea.  To  visit  them  satisfactorily, 
therefore,  one  should  select  a  calm  day,  when  one  may  closely 
approach  the  cliffs,  and  view  with  both  safety  and  comfort  the  long, 
white  rows,  containing  thousands  of  birds  nesting  on  the  shelves 
and  ledges  on  the  face   of   the  cliff  ;    a  remarkable  spectacle  ! 

The  unusually  turbulent  sea  which  prevailed  during  my  visit  to 
these  cliffs,  on  July  ii,  i8g8,  prevented  me  from  securing  satisfactory 
pictures  from  a  boat,  but,  landing  on  the  west  side  of  Bonaventure, 
I  crossed  the  island  (here  about  one  and  a  half  miles  in  width),  and 
reached  a  position  on  the  crest  of  the  cliffs,  from  which  the  accom- 
panying picture  was  made.  About  four  hundred  Gannets  are  shown 
nesting  on  this  single  ledge  —  one  of  many  quite  as  densely  populated. 
Preparations  were  made  to  secure  a  picture  of  these  birds  on  the 
wing,  but  my  best  efforts  to  startle  them  into  flight  did  not  succeed 
in   making  a  single  bird  leave  its  nest  ! 


Clark's  Crows  and  Oregon  Jays  on  Mount  Hood 


CLARK  S    CROW    AND    ORK<,    '\ 
Photographed  from  nature  by  Florence  A.  Mc 


BY   FLORENCE   A.  MERRIAM 

[Coitclitdrd  from  pat^e  /<V) 

ALTHOUGH  the  Nut- 
crackers and  Jays  were 
masters  of  the  feast, 
they  did  not  altogether  mo- 
nopolize it.  Ground  squirrels 
with  golden  brown  heads  and 
striped  backs  would  look  out 
at  me  from  the  rocks,  and 
pretty  little  striped  -  nosed 
-hipmunks  would  pick  up 
choice  morsels  and  climb  nim- 
bi}' back  along  the  cliff  with 
them.  Juncos  often  dropped 
in,  pecked  indifferently  at  the  crumbs,  slipped  off  the  tin  cans  they 
tried  to  perch  on,  and  flew  off.  Two  Lewis'  Woodpeckers  stopped 
one  day  and,  flying  down,  clung  awkwardly  to  the  side  of  the  cliff, 
as  if  vaguely  wanting  to  join  in  the  proceedings,  but  not  know- 
ing how,  finally  left.  A  single  Steller's  Jay  hung  around  the  out- 
skirts in  the  same  way,  the  first  da\-  I  was  there.  He  hopped 
about,  looked  this  way  and  that,  and  pecked  at  the  food  perfunc- 
torily, as  if  it  was  new  to  his  palate  and  not  quite  to  his  mind, 
acting  altogether  as  if  he  realized  that  something  was  going  on  he 
ought  to  be  enjoying,  though  he  really  didn't  see  just  where  the 
fun  came  in.  Unlike  the  Woodpeckers,  however,  he  was  determined 
to  improve  his  opportunities,  and  cultivated  his  appetite  so  success- 
fully that  on  the  last  day  when  I  visited  the  dining-room  he  and  a 
comrade  were  working  away,  apparently  enjo3'ing  the  viands  as  much 
as   their  neighbors. 

But  the  Crows  and  Oregon  Jays  were  the  regular  habitues  of  the 
place.  When  resting  from  his  labors  a  solitar}'  Crow  would  often 
perch  on  the  tip  of  a  bare  spar  on  the  crest  of  the  cliff,  apparently 
quite  satisfied  with  his  own  society,  but  I  never  saw  a  Jay  there,  and 
one  whom  I  did  see  separated  from  his  band  for  a  moment  fairly 
made  the  welkin  ring  with  shouts  for  his  clan.  Several  Clark's  Crows- 
were  often  at  the  table  with  the  Jays,  but  while  I  never  saw  a  Crow 
disturb  a  Jay,  a  Crow  would  often  fiy  with  animation  at  a  newcoming 
fellow  Crow.  This  was  a  surprise  to  me,  for  on  Mt.  Shasta  I  had 
seen  the  Nutcrackers  hunting  in  bands  quite  as  the  Jays  did  here. 
But   on   the   wide   lava  slopes   of   Shasta   there  were,   doubtless,  grass- 

(72) 


Clark's  Crows  and  Oregon  Jays  on  Mount  Hood 


73 


hoppers  enough  for  all  tlie  world,  while  here  the  feast  was  restricted 
to  the  foot  of  one  cliff  on  the  mountain  —  quite  a  different  matter. 
When  I  spoke  to  Mrs.  Langille  about  this  difference  in  disposition, 
she  acquiesced  as  if  it  were  an  old  stor}^  to  her,  unhesitatingly- 
denominating  the  Ja}^s  'generous  fellows,'  and  the  Crows  'greedy' 
ones. 

One  Crow  made  a  special  exhibition  of  egoistic  tendencies.  He 
was  engaged  in  hurriedly  carrying  off  future  breakfasts  for  himself 
when  a  party  of  brother  Crows  appeared.  He  had  been  working  with 
absorption,  flying  back  and  forth  to  the  table  with  eager  haste,  being 
gone  less  than  half  a  minute  at  a  time,  but  on  the  arrival  of  his 
friends  dropped  his  work  and  devoted  himself  to  driving  them  from 
the  field.  Not  content  with  keeping  them  from  the  table,  he  flew  at 
them  with  a  strange  note  of  ominous  warning  when  they  sat  quietly 
in  the  tree-tops.  It  seemed  as  if  he  were  nervous  lest  they  discover 
what  he  had  been  storing  among  the  branches.  When  he  had  fairly 
routed  the  enemy  he  apparently  acted  on  his  fear  of  discovery,  for, 
instead  of  placing  his  supplies  near  at  hand  as  before,  he  fiew  out 
of  sight  with  them.  As  before,  he  worked  with  nervous  haste.  As 
I  looked  down  on  the  tree-tops  from  above  it  was  impossible  to  see 
where  he  put  all  the  food,  but  several  times  when  he  flew  up  in 
sight  he  seemed  to  be  sticking  small  bits  between  the  needles  of  the 
pines.  As  the  bunches  of  needles  are  compact  and  stiff  in  this 
white-barked  pine  (Finns  allncaulis),  this  might  be  a  safe  temporary 
cache,  but  the  winter  gales  that  make  it  necessary  to  hold  down  the 
Inn  with  huge  cables  would  pre- 
sumably leave  little  biscuit  be- 
tween the  needles  of  a  pine. 

The  question  is,  do  these 
birds  —  and  others  which  hoard 
—  really  use  their  stores  ?  The 
testimony  of  all  who  are  in  the 
field  in  winter  is  needed  to  clear 
up  the  matter.  The  first  point 
to  be  determined  is  whether  the 
individual  birds  winter  where 
they  store.  The  Nutcrackers, 
Mr.  Langille  informed  me,  do 
remain  at  the  high  altitudes 
all  the  year.  As  he  said,  it  is  storm}'  indeed  when  they  cannot 
be  seen  sailing  across  the  caiions  or  perched  on  the  topmost 
branches  of  the  trees,  screaming  and  calling  in  their  harsh  way, 
always    restless    and    seeming   to    resent    any    intrusion    of    man,   beast. 


OREGON    JAYS 
I'hotographed  from  nature  by  Florence  A.  Merriam 


74 


Bird-  Lore 


or  fowl.  On  the  other  liand,  he  said  that  the  Jays  seldom  remain 
at  the  high  altitudes  during  the  winter  months,  usually  descending 
to  lower  elevations,  where  they  flit  about  in  flocks  of  from  six  to 
twenty,  sounding  their  plaintive  varied  notes  and  whistles  at  all 
times. 

Nevertheless,  the  storing  of  the  Crows  at  this  altitude  was  cer- 
tainly much  less  systematic  than  that  of  the  Jays.  The  Jays'  move- 
ments were  easy  to  follow,  for  they  were  concerted  and  regular.  The 
Inn  was  on  a  ridge  between  two  canons,  and  commanded  the 
birds'  pathway.  A  band  would  come  up  from  imder  the  cliff  at  the 
top  of  the  western  canon,  cross  over  the  ridge,  and  drop  down  into 
the    eastern    canon,   where   they   would   fly   over    the    tops   of    the   firs 


CLARK  S    CROW 
Photographed  from  nature  by  Walter  K.  Fisher 


till  they  disappeared  from  sight.  They  would  be  gone  some  little 
time,   and  then   return   empty-handed  to  repeat  the  performance. 

The  Jays  talked  a  good  deal  in  going  back  and  forth,  and  their 
notes  were  pleasantly  varied.  One  call  was  remarkably  like  the 
chirp  of  a  Robin.  Another  of  the  commonest  was  a  weak  and  rather 
complaining  cry,  repeated  several  times  ;  and  a  sharply  contrasting 
one  was  a  pure,  clear  whistle  of  one  note  followed  by  a  three-syllabled 
call,  something  like  ka-we-ah.  The  regular  rallying  cry  was  still 
different,  a  loud  and  striking  two-syllabled  ka-whee.  The  notes  of 
Clark's  Crow  often  suggested  the  rattling  of  the  Red-headed  Wood- 
pecker. The  bird  had  a  variety  of  kerring,  throaty  notes,  and  when 
disturbed,  as  at  the  unexpected  sight  of  me  at  its  dining-room,  gave 
a  loud,  warning  quarr.  Besides  these  Woodpecker-like  calls,  it  had 
a  squawking  cry  similar  to  that  of  Steller's  Jay. 

The  voices  of  the  birds  were  often  heard  from  the  house  as  they 
got  water  from  the  hydrant  in  front  of  the  Inn,  the  Jays  frequently 
stopping   on  the  way  back  from  their  canon  storehouse.       Sometimes 


Clark's  Crows  and  Oregon  Jays  on  Mount  Hood 


75 


CLARK  S    CROW 
Photographed  from  nature  by  Walter  K.  Fisher 


three  Jays  would  suddenly  appear  overhead,  drop  noiselessly  to  the 
pool  under  the  hydrant,  and  squatting  close  together  fill  their  bills 
and  then  raise  their  heads  to  swallow.  Though  the  Jays  usually  went 
to  the  pool  for  water,  they  would  sometimes  light  on  the  hydrant  and, 
leaning  over-drink  from  the  faucet, 
which  Mrs.  Langille  always  left 
dripping  for  their  benefit.  The 
Clark's  Crows,  so  far  as  I  noticed, 
always  drank  right  from  the  faucet. 

It  was  hard  to  get  photographs 
of  the  birds  at  the  hydrant,  as  they 
stopped  only  in  passing,  but  as  it 
was  impossible  to  take  them  under 
the  cliff  on  account  of  the  poor 
light,  I  determined  to  bait  them. 
Poinding  a  number  of  the  Nut- 
crackers in  front  of  the  kitchen 
window,  I  asked  the  Chinaman  for 
some  meat  for  them,  holding  up  my 
kodak  to  explain  that  I  wanted  to 
take  the  birds'  pictures.  To  my  sur- 
prise, the  man  promptly  and  decidedly  shook  his  head  I  I  didn't  know 
what  to  make  of  such  apparent  rudeness  at  first,  but  it  finally  dawned 
on  me  that  he  could  not  understand  English  and,  not  being  an  orni- 
thologist, from  past  experience  with  tourist  cameras  concluded  that 
I  wanted  his  picture  !  Accordingly,  nothing  daunted,  I  appealed  to 
Mrs.  Langille,  and  when  she  gave  me  a  plate  of  suet,  returned  to 
take  the  Crows.  They  flew  at  my  approach,  but  quickly  settled  back 
and  fairly  fell  on  the  meat  I  put  in  the  road  for  them.  I  got  a  snap 
of  one  with  a  big  mouthful.  After  taking  all  the  Nutcrackers  I 
wanted,  I  went  back  to  the  hydrant  to  wait  for  the  Jays,  but  the 
Crows  followed  and  one  fellow  fairly  gorged  himself  on  the  fat.  He 
gulped  it  down  so  fast  I  had  to  drive  him  off  in  order  to  have  either 
meat  or  films  left  for  the  Jays.  It  was  hard  to  persuade  him  that  I 
wanted  him  to  leave.  He  had  had  no  experience  of  such  inhospitality. 
Mild  shooing  did  no  good.  I  actually  had  to  throw  small  stones  at 
him  before  he  would  take  the  hint  I  When  he  finally  started  to  go, 
I  got  his  picture  as  he  turned  and  looked  regretfully  over  his  shoul- 
der at  the  Jay  he  was  leaving  in  possession  of  the  field. 

The  Jays  were  even  more  fearless  than  the  Crows.  Several  of 
them  would  often  be  on  the  ground  at  once,  but  they  ate  so  fast 
and  flew  back  and  forth  so  rapidly  that  it  was  hard  to  focus  on 
them  quickly  enough    to    get    their  most    interesting    poses.       I   put  a 


76 


Bird-  Lore 


brown  paper  behind  or  under  the  pan  for  a  lighter  background,  and 
at  first  the  birds  hopped  nervously  when  it  moved,  but  they  soon 
got  used  to  it,  and  ate  on  it  and  on  the  pan,  as  it  happened.  And 
how  they  did  stuff !  They  were  so  absorbed  that,  although  I  sat 
within  four  feet  of  the  pan,  they  sometimes  came  too  near  for  me  to 
focus.  They  paid  so  little  heed  to  my  presence  I  have  no  doubt 
they  would  have  eaten  from  my  hand  had  I  not  been  engaged  in 
keeping  them  at  a  proper  distance.  When  the  raw  meat  was  gone 
Mrs.  Langille  gave  me  a  supply  of  cooked  fat,  and  it  was  astonish- 
ing to  see  how  much  of  the  greasy  stuff  they  could  swallow.  I 
caught  one  just  as  he  was  about  to  fly  off  with  a  billful  of  it.  The 
fat  seemed  to  make  them  thirsty ;  the}^  had  to  go  to  the  hydrant  to 
wash  it  down  with  cold  water. 

Meat     Hawk,     the     name     the     mountaineers     have     for     them;    is 

certainly  appropriate.  They  are  on 
the  lookout  for  meat  wherever  it  is 
to  be  found,  be  it  kitchen  door  or 
forest.  Their  appetite  for  game  is 
truly  remarkable.  Mr.  Langille  told 
me  he  might  go  through  the  woods 
all  day  without  seeing  a  single  Jay, 
but  if  he  killed  a  deer  and  the  smell 
of  blood  filled  the  air,  in  a  few 
moments  the  birds  would  be  about, 
calling  and  whistling  ;  and,  embol- 
dened by  the  prospect  of  a  feast,  they 
would  fly  down  and  perch  upon  the 
carcass  within  reach  of  his  hand,  sometimes  before  the  deer  was 
entirely  skinned. 

On  Mount  Shasta,  although  the  Nutcrackers  came  about  camp, 
they  showed  no  desire  for  camp  food,  and  on  Hood  Mr.  Langille 
informed  me  that  the  Crows  tamed  this  year  were  the  first  they  had 
ever  succeeded  in  coaxing  about.  After  I  left  the  mountain  they  be- 
came still  more  familiar,  and,  I  am  told,  would  gather  in  the  trees  at 
daybreak  and  call   until   the  family  went  out  to  feed   them. 


CLARK  S    CROW 

Photographed  from  nature  by  Walter  K.  Fisher 


The    Masquerading   Chickadee* 

BY   EDITH    M.  THOMAS 

I  came  to  the  woods  in  the  dead  of  the  year, 

I   saw  the  wing'd   sprite  thro'  the  green-brier  peeping 
'  Darling  of  Winter,  you've  nothing  to  fear, 

Though   the  brandies  are   bare  and   the  cold  earth  is 
sleeping  I  " 

With  a  dec,  dec,  dee  !  the  sprite  seemed   to  say, 
"I'm  friends   with  the  Maytime  as  well  as  December, 
And    I'll   meet  you  here  on  a   fair-weather  day  ; 
Here,  in   the  green-brier  thicket. —  remember!" 


I   came  to   the  woods  in   the  spring  of  the  ^ear. 
And   I  followed  a  voice  that  was  most  entreating  : 

Phcbc  '  Phebe .'   (and  yet  more  near), 
Phche  /  Phcbc  !  it  kept  repeating  ! 

I   gave  up  the  search,  when,  not  far  away, 

I   saw  the  wing'd  sprite  thro'  the  green-brier  peeping, 
With  a  Phebe!  Phebe  I  that  seemed  to  say, 
"I  told  you  so  !    and  my  promise   I'm  keeping.  " 

You'll  know  me  again,  when  you  meet  me  here. 
Whether  you  come  in   December  or  Maytime  : 

I've  a  dee,  dee,  dee.'  for  the  W^inter's  ear, 

And  a  Phcbc:  Phcbc!  for  Spring  and   Playtime!" 


*"  March  i,  1856.— I  hear  several  times  the  fine  drawn  Phe-be  note  of  the  Chickadee,  which  I  heard 
only  once  during  the  winter."—"  Early  Spring  in  Massachusetts."— Thorkau. 


Matins 

BY     ROSA    MEYERS    MUMMA 

As   sable  night  fades  into  soft  rose  tint, 
Through  leafy  aisles  slow  filters  daylight's  glint  ; 
From  green  tree  arch  is  faintly  heard  the  call 
Which   summons  quickly  feathered   choir  all 
To   Nature's  vast  cathedral,  where  in  song 
Unite  the  worshippers,  a  feathered   throng. 
What   harmonies  pour  forth  from  each  bird  throat  ! 
A  morning  prayer  ascends  with  each  clear  note. 

(77) 


Home-Life   in   a   Chimney 

BY    MARY    F.   DAY 

EAR    BOONTON,   N.   J.,  it    was   my    good    fortune    last 
summer  to  have  the  exceptional   opportunity  of  watch- 
ing closely  the  rearing  of  a  family  of  Chimney  Swifts, 
p^^,  •irt^'^aMKr  «.  ..       The    nest    was    built    opposite    and     slightly    above    an 
"*"'"'■  '♦-■-^    --—       opening   in    the    chimney   designed    for   the   insertion   of 

a  stovepipe.  The  opening  was  about  two  feet  from 
the  floor  of  a  second-story  room  in  the  house  where  I 
spent  the  summer. 

When  discovered,  the  nest  was  only  partially  com- 
pleted, so  it  was  necessary  to  exercise  care,  lest  the 
birds  become  alarmed  and  choose  a  more  secluded  spot.  To  guard 
against  disturbance  to  them,  a  black  cloth  was  hung  over  the  opening 
in  such  a  way  that  it  could  be  carefully  and  noiselessly  lifted  during 
periods  of  observation.  Although  the  room  was  used  as  a  bedcham- 
ber throughout  the  summer,  the  Swifts  never  seemed  to  be  annoyed  by 
the  close  proximity  of  their  human  neighbors.  They  were  of  a  trust- 
ful disposition,  and  soon  became  accustomed  to  being  watched.  Occa- 
sionally, when  I  looked  in  upon  them  at  the  beginning  of  our  acquaint- 
ance, they  would  spread  their  long,  beautifully  formed  wings  and  lift 
them  gracefully  above  the  back,  as  if  intending  to  fly,  but  usually, 
upon  second  consideration,  would  conclude  it  was  unnecessary. 

It  was  the  21st  of  May  when  I  first  peeped  in  upon  the  little 
bracket  against  the  chimney  w^all  that  became  the  stage  for  the  enact- 
ment of  scenes  filled  with  absorbing  interest  to  me  in  the  weeks  that 
followed.  It  was  not  placed  in  an  angle,  but  against  the  north  side 
of  the  flue,  beneath  a  slight  projection  formed  by  an  accumulation  of 
soot. 

In  a  week  one  egg  was  apparent,  but  there  may  have  been  others, 
for  the  little  builders  had  been  adding  one  twig  after  another  to  the 
front  edge  of  the  nest,  so  that  it  had  become  impossible  to  see  the 
bottom.  Two  more  days  passed,  after  which  it  could  be  seen  that 
there  were  at  least  two  eggs,  and  yet  the  structure  continued  to  be 
enlarged. 

June  5  marked  the  beginning  of  incubation.  In  mid-afternoon 
of  this  day  I  saw  the  sitting  bird  had  flown,  and,  going  out-of-doors 
to  study  birds,  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a  Swift  flying  among 
the  branches  of  the  locust  trees  near  by.  This  was  an  unusual  sight 
to  me,  and,  recalling  that  I  had  read  that  Swifts  never  alight  in  trees, 
I  watched  eagerly   to    see  what  it   might  mean.      Soon   I   saw   that   the 

(78) 


Home-Life   in   a   Chimney  79 

bird  was  snatching  at  little  dry  twigs.  She  flew  round  and  round, 
and  presently  was  gone.  Suspecting  that  it  was  my  little  friend,  I  ran 
quickly  upstairs,  and  sure  enough,  there  sat  my  bird  upon  the  nest, 
with  a  twig  in  her  mouth,  panting  as  if  tired  by  extra  exertion.  Rest- 
ing a  moment,  she  proceeded  to  apply  the  salivary  glue  and  adjust 
the   twig,    and   then   settled  again   to   the  task  of  sitting. 

After  a  few  days  there  came  a  cold  storm,  and  it  was  believed  that 
the  little  brooder  proved  unfaithful  to  her  duties,  for  late  one  evening 
and  early  the  following  morning  she  was  seen  huddled  with  others 
of  her  kind  beneath  the  nest.  Great  were  my  fears  that  no  birds 
would  ever  come  from  these  chilled  eggs,  but  time  made  it  clear  that 
the  tiny  creature  knew  what  she  was  doing.  This  was  the  sole  act 
of  parental  neglect  that  was  apparent  during  all  the  weeks  required 
to  rear  the  family.  Under  date  of  June  17,  I  noted  that  the  eggs 
were  constantly  protected.  At  whatever  time  of  day  I  looked  I  saw 
a  sitting  bird. 

June  24  dawned  fair  and  warm.  As  was  my  custom.  I  called 
to  say  "good  morning"  into  the  chimney  before  going  down  to  break- 
fast, when  I  found  that  there  was  excitement  in  the  little  home.  A 
faint  peep  reached  my  ear,  which  caused  the  mother  anxious  restless- 
ness each  time  it  was  repeated.  From  half-past  eight  until  ten 
o'clock  that  morning  I  sat  at  my  post  of  observation,  during  which 
time  it  appeared  that  two  or  three  more  young  were  hatched,  for 
there  was  much  peeping  on  the  part  of  the  little  ones  and  much 
fidgeting  about  by  the  adults.  Two  shells,  or  parts  of  shells,  were 
tossed  from  the  nest.  Occasionally  the  parents  exchanged  places, 
one  brooding  the  infants  while  the  other  went  out  into  the  air.  Even 
at  the  tender  age  that  must  be  reckoned  by  minutes,  these  young 
birds  were  fed,  seemingly,   by  regurgitation. 

During  the  progress  of  my  study  I  found  that  one  of  the  pair, 
which  from  manners  and  appearance  I  judged  to  be  the  female,  had 
lost  a  tail  feather,  and  this  one  I  affectionately  dubbed  "Swiftie. " 
She  appeared  worn  out  with  anxiety  added  to  the  confinement  of  a  long 
period  of  incubation,  and  embraced  every  opportunity  to  rest,  but 
seasons  of  sleep  were  of  short  duration,  for  it  seemed  that  the  body 
of  the  brooding  bird  was  lifted  each  time  a  movement  was  felt 
beneath.  The  mate,  with  his  sleek  coat,  bright  eyes  and  calm 
demeanor,  formed  a  decided  contrast  to  the  ragged,  unkempt  appear- 
ance of  the  female. 

Even  four  days  showed  perceptible  growth  in  the  swiftlings. 
They  were  not  allowed  to  remain  uncovered,  a  wise  precaution,  for 
their  bodies  were  perfectly  naked.  At  this  age  the  instinct  of  cleanli- 
ness began  to  assert  itself.     The  weak,  awkward  little  creatures  would 


8o  Bird -Lore 

struggle  backward  from  beneath  the  brooder,  up  to  the  edge  of  the 
nest  and  deposit  over  it  that  which,  remaining  within,  would  have 
made  their  home  uninhabitable. 

From  this  time  forth  a  third  Swift  was  seen  to  enter  into  the  care 
of  the  nestlings,  taking  its  turn  at  brooding  and  feeding.  Was  this 
a  nurse-maid  employed  to  relieve  the  overburdened  mother,  or  a  kind 
and  helpful  friend  or  neighbor,  or  the  younger  and  less  care-taking 
of  two  wives  ?     Who  can  tell  ? 

It  was  not  until  the  sixth  day  after  hatching  that  I  knew  to  a 
certainty  how  many  young  birds  there  were.  Then,  to  my  surprise,  I 
found  there  were  five.  They  had  grown  to  be  very  clamorous  for 
food.  Two,  at  most  three  (later  but  one),  were  served  at  one  feed- 
ing, and  the  process  w^as  after  this  manner:  "Swiftie"  would  drop 
into  the  chimney  and  alight  below  the  nest,  her  throat  bulging  with 
the  fullness  of  captured  insects.  ^The  little  ones  that  were  hungry 
were  alert,  for  all  had  learned  that  a  rumbling  noise  in  the  chimney, 
followed  by  a  sound  of  "chitter,  chitter,  chitter,"  meant  something  to 
eat.  After  resting  a  moment,  the  mother  would  scramble  up  over  the 
nest,  and,  with  closed  eyes,  feel  about  until  she  came  in  contact  with 
an  open  mouth,  whereupon  she  would  place  her  beak  far  down  the 
throat,  deposit  a  portion  of  food,  then  seek  another  yawning  cavity. 
No  system  appeared  to  be  observed  in  the  matter  of  feeding.  The 
hungriest  youngsters  made  the  greatest  effort  to  reach  the  source 
of  supply. 

July  I  feathers  began  to  appear.  They  grew  rapidly,  espe- 
cially those  of  wings  and  tail,  and  in  a  week  the  bodies  were  about 
covered.  With  feathers  came  employment,  for  they  must  often  be 
dressed,  though  from  a  habit  of  yawning  frequently,  common  to  the 
family,  one  might  be  led  to  believe  that  time  hung  heavily  on  their 
claws. 

The  nestlings  were  two  weeks  old  before  the  eyes  began  to  open, 
and  nearly  three  before  they  were  much  used.  But  when  they  were 
fully  open,  and  the  feathers  had  grown  out  and  were  fast  becoming 
sooty  instead  of  black,  how  winning  these  young  birds  appeared  ! 

The  time  had  now  come  to  take  up  exercises  preparatory  to  fly- 
ing. The  young  aspirants  would  stand  in  the  nest  and  for  a  time 
vibrate  the  wings  rapidly,  so  rapidly  that  the  identity  of  wing  was 
lost.  Two  first  ventured  from  home  when  nineteen  days  old,  cling- 
ing to  the  wall   for  a  short   time  a  few  inches  from  the  nest. 

One  afternoon  about  this  time  there  came  a  severe  and  prolonged 
shower.  The  rain  beat  into  the  chimney,  reaching  down  to  the  nest. 
What  now  did  I  see  ?  Besides  the  five  grown-up  swiftlings,  the 
three   adults,    packed    in   and   upon  -the    nest,    the    rain    dripping    from 


Three   Cobb's   Island   Pictures  8i 

those  which  were  exposed.  I  mention  this  incident  to  give  an  idea 
of  the  adhesiveness  of  the  glue  used  in  the  construction  of  Swifts' 
nests. 

July  20  I  made  the  following  note:  "  Swiftlings  no  longer 
make  use  of  the  nest,  but  dispose  themselves  in  various  parts  of  the 
chimney,  sometimes  in  a  cluster,  sometimes  in  twos  or  threes,  and 
sometimes  separately.  They  take  flying  exercises  up  and  down  the 
chimney,  but  1  believe  have  not  yet  left  it."  The  next  morning  I  was 
forced  to  conclude  that  three  had  taken  flight  into  the  great  outside 
world,  for  upon  looking  the  chimney  over  thoroughly  with  the  aid  of 
a  small  mirror,  I  could  find  but  two  birds. 

The  chimney  was  much  used  by  this  interesting  family  until  the 
24th  of  August.  Early  in  the  morning  of  that  day  a  large  number  of 
Swifts  were  seen  gathering  in  a  flock  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
house.  Ten  o'clock  that  night  I  searched  the  chimney  with  a 
lighted  candle,  but  found  no  sign  of  life,  .and  I  believe  that  the 
Swifts   did   not   again   enter  within   its  walls. 


Three  Cobb's  Island  Pictures 


BY    WILLIAM     L.    BAILY 


R 


IGHT  out  on  the  sandy  beach, 
just  above  high  tide,  the  Black 
Skimmer  risks  her  set  of  eggs, 
and,  while  apparently  unprotected, 
they  are  so  much  the  color  of  the 
sand  and  the  surrounding  shells  and 
seaweed  that  they  would  not  be 
noticed  unless  you  were  especially 
looking  for  them. 

The    Skimmers    are    gull-like    in 

form,   with   long,    slender    body    and 

long   wings,    spreading    almost   three 

feet.     They  have  a  glossy  black  back, 

ELAfK  SKIMMER  wliltc  brcast,  orange  feet,  and  a  most 

curiously   shaped   orange    bill,    which  is    almost   as  thin  as  a  knife,  the 

thin    edges    closing    vertically    together.      This     peculiarity    has     given 

the  bird    the   name  of   'Razor  Bill.' 

Their  graceful  and  regular  flight  can  hardly  be  mistaken  for  that 
of  any  other  bird.  They  skim  just  over  the  surface  of  the  water, 
following  the  contour  of  the  waves,  while  the  lower  mandible  of  their 


82 


Bird-  Lore 


bill,  which  is  longer  than  the  upper,  projects  below  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  when  it  comes  in  contact  with  a  small  fish,  the  latter 
simply  slide  up  the  narrow,  inclined  plane  into  the  Skimmer's 
mouth. 

Formerly  they  bred    in    great    numbers    along  the  eastern  coast    of 
our    Middle    and  Southern  Atlantic    states,  and    only  a    few  years    ago 


NKsr    AMI    !•; 


)F     I'.l.ACK    SKIMMER 


were  abundant  on  the  New  Jersey  coast.  They  have  been  crowded 
out,  however,  by  encroaching  civilization,  and  hunted  down  by  the 
milliners'  agents  and  the  egg-collectors.  In  June,  1898,  I  found  them 
on  Cobb's  Island,  Virginia,  to  the  number  of  about  two  hundred  pairs, 
where,  not  long  ago,  they  bred  in  thousands. 

As  the  eggs  are  entirely  exposed,  the  parents  are  relieved  to 
some  extent  from  the  duty  of  incubation  by  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
and   as   soon   as   the   young  hatch    they  run   about   like   chickens. 

After  getting  two  good  pictures  of  the  Skimmer  and  her  eggs, 
I   turned   my  attention   to   a  Gull-billed  Tern,   and  while  standing  over 


GULL-BILLED    TERN 


her  nest,  which  contained  two  eggs  and  one  fuzzy  young,  just 
hatched,  I  obtained  a  rather  remarkable  picture  of  the  parent  bird 
flying  straight  at  the  camera,  nicely  illustrating  what  a  small  sectional 
area  a  bird  occupies  while  flying. 


The   Cardinal   at   the   Hub 

BY    ELLA    GILBERT    IVES 

With  Photographs  from  nature  by  Blanche  Kendall 

t/  \  ^         T   T  "'^"'    I'ange   being   southern,    Cardinal    Grosbeak    seldom 
\/'/     ]J^      X~L        travels   through    New   England ;   and,    to  my  knowl- 
/  Y  Vf^(\V^^K^t--^^-<^  edge,   has   never  established    a   home   and   reared    a 
J  7^>^'^'>'\^     '         family   north   of    Connecticut    until    in    the    instance 
X.jC^T  •■■     here    recorded.      Kentuckians  claim   him,  and  with   some  show 
/f        (^-^      of  right,  since  James  Lane  Allen  built  his  monument  in  imper- 
ishable prose.      Bnt,   soon  or  late,   all   notables  come   to   Boston,   and 
among  them  may  now  be  registered   the   "  Kentucky  Cardinal." 

Shy  by  nature,  conspicuous  in  plumage,  he  shuns  publicity  ;  and, 
avoiding  the  main  lines  of  travel,  he  put  up  at  a  quiet  country  house 
in  a  Boston  suburb  —  Brookline. 

Here,  one  October  day  in  1897,  among  the  migrants  stopping  at 
this  half-way  house,  appeared  a  distinguished  guest,  clad  in  red,  with 
a  black  mask,  a  light  red  bill,  and  a  striking  crest  ;  with  him  a  bird 
so  like  him  that  they  might  have  been  called  the  two  Dromios.  After 
a  few  days,  the  double  passed  on  and  left  our  hero  the  only  red-coat  in 
the  field.  A  White-throated  Sparrow  now  arrived  from  the  moun- 
tains, and  a  Damon  and  Pythias  friendship  sprang  up  between  the 
birds.  Having  decided  to  winter  at  the  North,  they  took  lodgings  in 
a  spruce  tree,  and  came  regularly  to  the  table  d'hote  on  the  porch. 
My  lord  Cardinal,  being  the  more  distinguished  guest,  met  with  par- 
ticular favor,  and  soon  became  welcome  at  the  homes  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. With  truly  catholic  taste,  he  refused  creature  comforts  from 
none,  but  showed  preference  for  his  first  abode. 

It  was  March  5,  i8g8,  when  we  kept  our  first  appointment  with 
the  Cardinal.  A  light  snow  had  fallen  during  the  night,  and  the  air 
was  keen,  without  premonition  of  spring.  It  was  a  day  for  home- 
keeping  birds,  the  earth  larder  being  closed.  The  most  delicate  tact 
was  required  in  presenting  strangers.  A  loud,  clear  summons, —  the 
Cardinal's  own  whistle  echoed  by  human  lips — soon  brought  a  re- 
sponse. Into  the  syringa  bush  near  the  porch  flew,  with  a  whir  and  a 
sharp  /si/>,  a  bird.  How  gorgeous  he  Jooked  in  the  snow-laden  shrub  ! 
For  an  instant  the  syringa  blossoms  loaded  the  air  with  fragrance  as  a 
dream  of  summer  floated  by.  Then  a  call  to  the  porch  was  met  by 
several  sallies  and  quick  retreats,  while  the  wary  bird  studied  the 
newcomers.  Reassuring  tones  from  his  gentle  hostess,  accompanied 
by  the  rattle  of  nuts  and  seeds,  at  last  prevailed,  and  the  Cardinal 
flew  to  the  railing  and  looked  us  over  with  keen,  inquiring  eye.      Con- 

(83) 


84 


Bird  -  Lore 


vinced  that  no  hostilities  were  intended,  he  gave  a  long,  trustful  look 
into  the  face  of  his  benefactress  and  ilew  to  her  feet. 

A  gray  squirrel  frisking  by  stopped  at  the  lunch-counter  and  seized 
an   '  Educator  '  cracker. 

The  novel  sensation  of  an  uncaged  bird  w^ithin  touch,  where  one 
might  note  the  lovely  shading  of  his  plumage  as  one  notes  a  flower, 
was  memorable  ;  but  a  sweeter  surprise  was  in  store.  As  we  left  the 
house,  having  made  obeisance  to  his  eminence  the  Cardinal,  the  bird 


kr>9H 

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Jj||K 

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fifi 

CARDINAL    AND    GRAY    SQUIRREL 


flew  into  a  spruce  tree  and  saluted  us  with  a  melodious  "Mizpah." 
Then,  as  if  reading  the  longing  of  our  hearts,  he  opened  his  bright 
bill,  and  a  song  came  forth  such  as  never  before  enraptured  the  air  of 
a  New  England  March, — a  song  so  copious,  so  free,  so  full  of  heav- 
enly hope,  that  it  seemed  as  if  forever  obliterated  were  the  "tragic 
memories  of  his  race." 

As  March  advanced,  several  changes  in  the  Cardinal  were  noted  by 
his  ever-watchful  friends.  He  made  longer  trips  abroad,  returning 
tired  and  hungry.  The  restlessness  of  the  unsatisfied  heart  was 
plainly    his.       His    long,    sweet,    interpolating    whistle,    variously   ran- 


The   Cardinal   at  the   Hub  85 

dering  "Peace  ,  .  .  peace  .  .  .  peace  !"  "Three  cheers,  three  cheers," 
etc.,  to  these  sympathetic  northern  ears  became  "Louise,  Louise,  Lou- 
ise !"     Thenceforth  he  was  Louis,  the  Cardinal,  calling  for  his  mate. 

On  March  26,  a  kind  friend  took  pity  on  the  lonely  bachelor,  and 
a  caged  bird,  "  Louise,"  was  introduced  to  him.  In  the  lovely  dove- 
colored  bird,  with  faint  washings  of  red  and  the  family  mask  and 
crest,  the  Cardinal  at  once  recognized  his  kind.  His  joy  was 
unbounded  ;  and  the  accjuaintance  progressed  rapidly,  a  mutual  under- 
standing being  plainly  reached  during  the  seventeen  days  of  cage 
courtship.  Louis  brought  food  to  Louise,  and  they  had  all  things  in 
common  except  liberty. 

April  12,  in  the  early  morning,  the  cage  was  taken  out-of-doors  and 
Louise  was  set  free.  She  was  quick  to  embrace  her  chance,  and  flew 
into   the  neighboring  shrubbery.      For  six  days  she  reveled   in   her  new- 


!t|- 


jiirfTr^- 


L"ir*'ni[II 


CARDINAL    AND    Hu 


found  freedom  ;  Louis,  meanwhile,  coming  and  going  as  of  old,  and 
often  carrying  away  seeds  from   the  house  to  share  with  his  mate. 

April  16,  he  lured  her  into  the  house,  and  after  that  they  came  often 
for  food,  flying  fearlessly  in  at  the  window,  and  delighting  their  friends 
with  their  songs  and  charming  ways.  Louis  invariably  gave  the 
choicest  morsels  to  his  mate,  and  the  course  of  true  love  seemed  to 
cross  the  adage  ;  but  alas  !  Death  was  already  adjusting  an  arrow  for 
that  shining  mark. 

April  25,  Louise  stayed  in  the  house  all  day,  going  out  at  nightfall. 
Again  the  following  day  she  remained  indoors,  Louis  feeding  her  ; 
but  her  excellent  appetite  disarmed  suspicion,  and  it  was  thought  that 
she  had  taken  refuge  from  the  cold  and  rain,  especially  as  she  spent 
the  night  within.  The  third  morning,  April  27,  she  died.  An  exami- 
nation of  her  body  revealed  three  dreadful  wounds. 

Louis  came  twittering  to  the  window,  but  was  not  let  in  until  a 
day  or  two  after,  when  a  new  bird,  "Louisa,"  had  been  put  in  the  cage. 


86 


Bird  -  Lore 


CARDINAL 


When  he  saw  the  familiar  form,  he  evidently  thought  his  lost  love 
restored,  for  he  burst  into  glorious  song ;  but,  soon  discovering  his 
mistake,  he  stopped  short  in  his  hallelujahs,  and  walked  around  the 
cage  inspecting  the  occupant. 

Louisa's    admiration   for   the   Cardinal   was   marked ;   but   for   some 

days  he  took  little  notice  of  her, 
and  his  friends  began  to  fear  that 
their  second  attempt  at  match- 
making would  prove  a  failure. 
April  30,  however,  some  respon- 
sive interest  was  shown,  and  the 
next  day  Louis  brought  to  the 
cage  a  brown  bug  half  an  inch 
long,  and  gave  Louisa  his  first 
meat-offering. 

The  second  wooing  progressed 
rapidly,  and  May  7,  when  Louisa 
was  set  free,  the  pair  flew  away 
together  with  unrestrained  de- 
light. After  three  days  of  liberty, 
Louisa  flew  back  to  the  house  with  her  mate,  and  thenceforth  was  a 
frequent  visitor. 

May  21,  Louisa  was  seen  carrying  straws,  and  on  June  6  her  nest 
was  discovered  low  down  in  a  dense  evergreen  thorn  (  Cratcegus  pyra- 
caufha).  Four  speckled  eggs  lay  in  the  nest.  These  were  hatched 
June  g,  the  parent  birds,  meantime  and  afterward,  going  regularly  to 
market  and   keeping  up  social   relations  with   their  friends. 

In  nine  days  after  their  exit  from  the  shell,  the  little  Cardinals  left 
the  nest  and  faced  life's  sterner  realities.  A  black  cat  was  their  worst 
foe,  and  more  than  once  during  their  youth  Louis  flew  to  his  devoted 
commissary  and  made  known  his  anxiety.  Each  time,  on  following 
him  to  the  nest,  she  found  the  black  prowler,  or  one  of  his  kind, 
w^atching  for  prey.  On  June  28,  the  black  cat  outwitted  the  allied 
forces,  Senor  Cardinal  and  his  friends,  and  a  little  one  was  slain. 
The  other  three  grew  up  and  enjoyed  all  the  privileges  of  their  parents, 
flying  in  at  the  window  and  frequenting  the  bountiful   porch. 

July  25,  Louisa  disappeared  from  the  scene,  presumably  on  a 
southern  trip,  leaving  the  Cardinal  sole  protector,  provider  and  peace- 
maker for  their  lively  and  quarrelsome  triplet.  A  fight  is  apparently 
as  needful  for  the  development  of  a  young  Cardinal  as  of  an  English 
schoolboy,   possibly  due   in   both   cases  to  a  meat  diet. 

Over-feeding  was  h\\\.  temporary  with  our  birds.  On  the  8th  of 
August  the  migratory  instinct  prevailed  over  ease,  indulgence,  friend- 


A   Catbird   Study  87 

ship,  and  the  Cardinal  with  his  brood  left  the  house  where  he  had 
been  so  well  entertained,  to  return  no  more.  No  more  ?  Who  shall 
say  of  any  novel  that  it  can  have  no  sequel  ?  Massachusetts  may  yet 
become  the  permanent  home  of  the  Kentucky  Cardinal,  the  descen- 
dant to  the  third  and  fourth  generation  of  Louis  and  his   mate. 


A    Catbird    Study 

BY   DR.    THOS.    S.    ROBERTS 

Director  Department  of  Birds,  Natural    History  Survey  of  Minnesota. 
With   Photographs  from  nature  by  the  Author. 

THE    subjects    of    this    sketch    had    located    their    bark-    and    root- 
lined     nest    of     coarse    sticks,    four    feet    from    the     ground,    in 
a  little  oak  bush  surrounded  by  brakes,  sunflowers,  and   hazel. 
Instead    of   being,    as    usual,    in    the    midst  of  a  dense,    and,    therefore, 
dark   thicket,    this    nest    was  quite  in   the  open,  shaded    by  only  a   few 


CATBIRD     AND     NEST 


overhanging,  leafy  branches  of  small  size.  Its  exceptionally  favor- 
able location  and  the  apparent  tameness  of  the  birds  suggested  an 
attempt  at  avian  photography,  and  the  undertaking  was  entered  upon 
at  once,  a  very  considerable  fund  of  interest  and  enthusiasm  having 
to  take  the  place  of  any  special  previous  experience  in  this  line  of 
work.  After  clearing  away  a  little  of  the  overhanging  and  intervening 
vegetation,  the  camera  was  placed  with  the  lens  not  more  than  two  feet 


88  Bird -Lore 

from  the  nest,  this  being  necessary  in  order  to  secure  an  image  of  the 
desired  size  with  the  short  focus  lens  at  hand  (a  B.  and  L.  Zeiss  Ana- 
stigmat,  Series  ii  A,  6)4  x^){,  focal  length  5^  inches).  Fifty  feet  of 
rubber  tubing,  a  large  bulb,  and  a  field-glass  made  it  possible  to 
watch  developments  and  carry  on  operations  from  a  safe  distance. 
But,  although  the  camera  was  nearly  concealed  with  ferns  and  leaves, 
this  day's  proceedings  were  not  rewarded  with  much  success.  The 
birds  proved  exasperatingly  timid,  and  returned  only  after  prolonged 
waits,  to  disappear  instanter  on  the  click  of  the  shutter  (a  B.  and  L. 
iris  diaphragm  shutter).  So  we  left  the  field,  not  disheartened  but 
bent  upon  improving  our  paraphernalia.  A  day  or  two  later  found 
the  camera  again  in   position,  but  this   time  with   tripod  green-painted 


[-♦      .^'-^ 


V  tmm 


CATBIRD     ON     NEST 


and  the  whole  unsightly  top  enveloped  in  a  green  hood  with  only 
a  small  aperture  for  the  lens.  This  ruse  succeeded  fairly  well,  and 
during  the  three  or  four  hours  that  the  light  was  good  on  this  day, 
and  during  a  like  period  on  a  subsequent  day,  a  number  of  exposures 
were  made  that  resulted  in  an  interesting  series  of  negatives,  giving 
good   prints   and   still   better   lantern   slides. 

Only  one  of  several  time-exposures  turned  out  perfect.  It  is  here 
presented,  not  only  as  the  prize  picture  of  some  three  hundred  nega- 
tives made  during  the  summer  of  1898,  but  as  the  sole  and  only 
entirely  satisfactory  outcome   of  some  twelve  or  fourteen  hours'  work. 


On   the    Ethics    of    Caging    Birds 


BY    OLIVE    THORNE    MILLER 


EFORE     saying     a    few    words     on    this     subject,     I 

should    Hke    to   define    my   position.      With    all   my 

heart    do    I    disapprove    of    caging    wild    birds.       I 

never    had,    and    never    shall    have,     the    liberty    of    one 

bird    interfered    with    for    my    pleasure  or  study,    and    if 

I    had    the    power    to    prevent    it,    not    one    should    ever 

be  caged.       Especially  do   I   regard  it  as  cruel   in   the  extreme 

to  confine  an  adult   bird,    accustomed  to  freedom   and   able   to 

¥  take    care    of    himself. 

The  question  of  "rights"  we  will  not  enter  upon  here,  further 
than  to  say  that  our  moral  right  to  capture  wild  creatures  for  our 
own  use  or  pleasure  is  the  same  in  the  case  of  birds  as  of  other 
animals  —  horses,   for  example. 

But  birds  arc  caged,  and  we  must  deal  with  circumstances  as  we 
find  them.  If  a  bird -lover  should  worry  and  fret  himself  to  death, 
he  could  not  put  an  end  to  their  captivity.  So  it  would  appear  to 
be  the  part  of  wisdom  to  see  if  there  are  not  mitigating  circum- 
stances, which  may  comfort,  and  perhaps,  in  a  slight  degree,  even 
reconcile  one  to  their  imprisonment. 

The  case  of  Canaries  is  different  from  that  of  all  others. 
Hatched  in  cages,  descended  from  caged  ancestry,  and  accustomed 
to  be  cared  for  by  people,  they  know  no  other  life,  and  are  utterly 
unfitted  for  freedom.  So  far  from  being  a  kindness  to  set  one  of 
these  birds  free,  it  is  absolute  cruelty.  It  is  like  turning  a  child, 
accustomed  to  a  luxurious  life,  into  the  streets,  to  pick  up  a  living 
for   himself. 

But  a  young  bird,  taken  from  the  nest  before  he  has  learned 
the  use  of  his  wings,  I  believe,  can  be  made  perfectly  contented  and 
happy  in  a  house  —  if  he   is  properly  cared  for ! 

It  is  unfortunately  true  that  not  one  in  a  thousand  is  properly 
cared  for,  but  we  are  not  considering  the  shortcomings  of  people. 
At  this  moment  we  are  considering  the  possibility  of  making  a  bird's 
life    happy. 

For  several  years  I  kept  birds  in  captivity,  and  closely  studied 
their  ways  and  their  characters,  and  I  say,  without  hesitation,  that 
most  birds  can   be  made  so  contented  and  happy  that  they  will  prefer 

(89) 


go  Bird -Lore 

their  captivity,  with  its  several  advantages,  to  freedom  without  them. 
The  advantages  of  captivity  to  a  bird  are  three;  viz.,  abundant  food 
supply,  protection  from  enemies,  ease  of  life — without  labor  or 
concern    about    weather. 

The  conditions,  therefore,  necessary  to  his  happiness  are :  Never- 
failing  care  as  to  his  physical  comforts  —  such  as  a  proper  situation 
of  the  cage.  —  neither  in  the  hot  sunshine  nor  in  a  draught;  fresh 
and  perfect  food,  with  variety  ;  plent}^  of  fresh  water ;  suitable  and 
regular  bath,  etc.  And  secondly  —  though  perhaps  it  should  be  first, 
as  it  is  most  important  —  treatment  as  if  he  were  a  sentient  being, 
instead  of  a  piece  of  furniture  ;  talking  to  him,  taking  notice  of  him, 
making  a  companion  and  friend  of  him.  And  thirdly,  the  freedom  of 
a  room,   at  least  part  of  every  day. 

Under  these  conditions,  as  I  know  from  close  and  sympathetic 
observation,  our  little  brothers  can  be  made  so  happy,  that,  as  I 
said,  many  of  them  will  not  accept  their  liberty.  They  choose 
between  freedom,  with  hard  labor  and  many  anxieties,  and  comfort- 
able captivity,  with  ease  and  security,  and  many  decide  —  as  do 
many    of    the    human    family  —  for    the    former. 

There  is  another  reason  why  I  have  become  partially  tolerant 
of  the  caging  of  birds.  What  first  influenced  me  was  the  fact  that 
every  individual  rescued  from  the  discomforts  of  a  bird  store,  where 
they  are  seldom  well  cared  for  and  never  cherished,  is  greatly  bene- 
fitted,  and  I  felt  that  to  be  a  work  of  charity. 

But  there  is  one  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  custom.  That 
is,  their  great  value  as  a  means  of  educating  children.  Nothing  is 
more  important  than  the  training  of  our  youth  in  humanity  and 
respect  for  the  rights  of  others.  And  in  no  way  can  this  be  so  well 
accomplished  as  by  giving  to  them  the  care  of  pets.  By  investiga- 
tion of  prisons  and  reform  schools,  it  has  been  amply  proved  that 
nothing  so  surely  keeps  a  boy  from  falling  into  a  criminal  life  as 
the  care  of  and  kindness  to  the  lower  orders.  The  daily  care  of  a 
pet  bird  is  a  daily  lesson  in  altruism  which  never  fails  to  bear  fruit. 

In  those  precious  first  years  of  the  child's  life,  when  the  mother 
has  the  power  of  instilling  lessons  that  will  be  a  part  of  him, — the 
most  indelible  he  will  ever  receive, — if  she  takes  a  little  pains  to  do 
so  she  can  implant,  with  the  love  of  creatures  dependent  upon  him, 
qualities  that  will   go  far  to  make   him   a  true,  manly   man. 

While  these  considerations  do  not,  perhaps,  make  it  right  to  deprive 
a  fellow  creature  of  his  liberty,  they  do  furnish  a  little  consolation 
to  those  who  love  humanity  as  well  as  birds.  At  the  same  time  I 
must  admit,  that  of  all  pitiful  sights  on  earth,  that  of  a  neglected 
captive  is  one  of  the  most  heartrending. 


A    May    Morning 

BY  FRED.   H.   KENNARD 

'HERE  is  a  bird  pasture,  as  I  call  it,  about  a  half  hour's 

ride  from  Boston,  and   thither   I  went  on  May  30,  1898, 

to  see  if  I  could  find  the  nest  of  a  White-eyed  Vireo 

that   I   had   often  hunted   for  in   years   gone   by,   but 

never  yet   succeeded  in   finding. 

This  bird  pasture,  on  one  side  of  which  runs  the 
road,  consists  of  eight  or  ten  acres  of  old,  wet  pas- 
ture land  on  a  hillside  surrounded  on  two  other 
sides  by  fields  and  an  orchard,  and  immediately 
above  a  marsh  in  which  the  sedges  and  grasses  grow 
which  is  bordered  by  alders,  birches  and  other 
swamp-loving  trees.  The  pasture  itself  is  very  wet  in  one  portion, 
and  has  been  overgrown  with  birch,  alders,  oak  and  tangles  of  grape- 
vines, wait-a-bits,  poison  ivy,  etc.  In  another  part  it  is  more  open, 
and  is  more  sparsely  covered  with  red  cedars  and  white  pines,  while 
the  ground  is  dotted  with  wild  roses  and  hard-hack,  interspersed  with 
clumps  of  alders.  This  combination  of  hill  and  marsh,  field  and 
orchard,  cover  and  open,  as  well  as  evergreen  and  deciduous  growth, 
makes  it  an  ideal  place  for  birds  and  their  breeding  ;  and  one  that 
is  hard  to  duplicate  in  any  locality,  combining  also  woods  and  civili- 
zation as  it  does,  for  there  are  houses  and  barns  in  the  immediate 
vicinity.  You  probably  cannot  duplicate  this  pasture,  but  those  of 
you  who  love  birds,  and  who  can  find  any  spot  approximating  this 
in  conditions,  would  do  well  to  appropriate  it.  metaphorically  speak- 
ing,   as   I   have   this. 

But  to  return  to  the  birds  —  I  thought  I  would  carefully  note  all 
those  I  saw  or  heard  in  the  course  of  a  short  hour  I  had  to  spare, 
and  with  the  following  results  :  As  I  took  down  the  bars  in  order 
to  take  my  bicycle  into  the  pasture,  a  Baltimore  Oriole  was  singing 
on  top  of  an  elm  close  b}',  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  its  mate  was 
sitting  on  the  nest  that  hung  pendent  from  the  next  tree.  A  Catbird 
slunk  off  into  the  bushes  to  the  right  of  me,  from  a  thicket  in  which 
she  last  year  raised  a  brood;  and,  while  chaining  my  wheel,  I  heard 
the  glorious  notes  of  a  Brown  Thrasher  singing,  a  little  way  off,  on 
the  top  of  a  tall  white  oak.  Several  Red-eyed  Vireos  were  there 
too,  their  steady,  rippling  song  forming  a  soft  accompaniment  to  the 
more  conspicuous  notes  of  the  other  feathered  songsters.  Next,  I 
flushed  a  Quail,  and,  while  watching  its  flight,  I  almost  stepped  on 
two   more,  which  got  up  from   the  underbrush  at  my  feet. 

I  started  in   now  on  my  hunt    for   the   White-eye's   nest,    and    for 

(91) 


■92  Bird -Lore 

some  time  was  so  absorbed  in  that,  and  in  listening  for  its  expected 
song,  that  there  was  no  time  to  make  notes  of  the  other  birds  heard, 
except  that  of  a  Wood  Thrush,  whose  nest  contained  four  eggs,  and 
was  saddled  on  the  crotch  of  a  grape-vine,  where  it  crossed  through 
the  crotch   of  an   alder. 

To  make  a  long  story  short,  I  did  not  find  the  Vireos,  or  even 
hear  them,  though  for  several  years  they  had  lived  here  throughout 
the  summer.  I  finally  went  out  into  an  open  space,  lighted  a  pipe 
as  a  mosquito  preventive,  and,  seating  myself  on  the  soft  side  of  a 
boulder,  put  down  the  names  of  the  birds  whose  notes  I  could  hear. 

Below  me,  in  the  swamp,  the  most  prominent  notes  were  the 
'concarees'  of  the  Red-winged  Blackbirds,  while  between  them  could 
be  heard  the  songs  of  several  Swamp  Sparrows.  Close  beside  me 
were  a  Chestnut-sided  and  a  Golden-winged  Warbler,  both  seemingly 
much  disturbed  by  my  presence,  while  just  as  near  was  a  Maryland 
Yellow-throat,  an  old  friend  of  mine,  who  did  not  seem  to  care 
whether  I  was  there  or  not.  This  same  friend  is  rather  a  curiosity, 
for,  although  his  species  usually  build  in  or  about  the  marshes  or 
■swamps,  he  always  prefers  the  hillside,  and  I  last  year  found  his  nest 
within  forty  feet  of  where  I  sat,  and  several  hundred  feet  away  from 
and  above  the  swamp. 

A  few  Cedar  Birds  were  whispering  from  the  tops  of  a  couple  of 
red  cedars  about  fifty  yards  away,  and  I  could  hear  a  Yellow  Warbler 
•on  the  other  side  of  the  open  space,  where  he  sang,  apparently  for 
the  benefit  of  a  near-by  barberry  bush. 

A  Wood  Pewee  was  uttering  his  plaintive  note  from  the  orchard 
immediately  back  of  me  ;  while  just  back  of  that,  in  the  field  by  the 
top  of  the  hill,  could  be  heard  the  rollicking  notes  of  a  Bobolink  and 
the  occasional  call  of  a  Meadow  Lark.  While  writing  my  notes,  some 
kind  of  a  large  Hawk,  which  flew  so  fast  that  identification  was 
impossible,  but  which  I  guessed  to  be  a  Cooper's  Llawk,  went 
off  rapidly  across  the  marsh,  pursued  by  a  pair  of  vociferous  King- 
birds ;  and,  as  I  watched  them,  I  could  see  numbers  of  Chimney 
Swifts,  from  the  neighboring  chimneys,  and  Barn  Swallows,  from  a 
barn  close  by,  coursing  about  above  the  marsh  after  the  insects  that 
there  abound,  the  Swallows  low  down  and  the  Swifts  above.  While 
watching  the  Swallows,  two  Crows  came  out  of  the  wood  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  marsh,  and  fiew,  cawing,  across  and  off  into  the 
■distance  ;  and  a  little  Green  Heron,  who,  like  all  fishermen,  prefers 
quiet,  flew  off  in  another  direction. 

Down  towards  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  in  the  outlying  thicket, 
a  Song  Sparrow  was  singing,  while,  close  by,  a  magnificent  Rose- 
breasted  Grosbeak,  which  every  year  builds  in   the   birches  which  grow 


A   May   Morning  93 

in  these  thickets,  was  warbling  his  incomparable  song.  At  first  he 
had  been  giving  vent  to  his  ver_v  unmusical  call  of  alarm,  but,  becom- 
ing used  to  my  presence,  and  concluding  that  I  meant  no  harm,  he 
joined  in  the  concert. 

Off  to  one  side,  among  the  more  scrubby  deciduous  growth,  I 
could  hear,  and  sometimes  see,  a  Redstart,  while  the  tsc-tse-tsc-mg  of 
the  Black-poll  Warblers,  which  were  migrating  northwards,  could  be 
heard  intermittently.  Two  Quails  were  now  calling  loudly  for  Bob- 
White,  or  Rob-ert-White,  as  their  fancy  dictated,  and  in  the  con- 
fusing medley  I  could  make  out  the  modest  notes  of  a  Black  and 
White  Warbler,  which  had  for  years  nested  somewhere  in  this  pas- 
ture. Behind  me,  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  I  could  also  hear  the  clear, 
cheery  notes  of  a  Field   Sparrow,  which  always  builds  there. 

Being  limited  as  to  time,  and  having  already  heard  twenty-eight 
kinds  of  birds  in  the  short  space  of  about  twenty  minutes,  and  from 
one  place,  I  started  to  depart,  but  even  as  I  did  so  I  heard  the  notes 
of  another  bird  coming  across  the  marsh,  that  of  the  Black-billed 
Cuckoo,  and  just  as  I  was  again  taking  down  the  bars  to  get  out  into 
the  street,  what  should  I  hear,  loud,  clear  and  distinct,  but  the  song^ 
of  that  plaguey  little  White-eyed  Vireo,  a  song  seemingly  of  thanks- 
giving that  I  was  really  going  and  that  he  had  eluded  me  so  well.  I 
then  reluctantly  mounted  my  bicycle,  but  was  forced  to  get  off,  to  add 
two  more  birds  to  my  increasing  list;  viz.,  a  Cowbird,  which  was 
sitting  on  the  fence  opposite,  and  a  pair  of  Yellow-throated  Vireos, 
the  female  of  which  had  evidently  but  just  left  her  nest  for  a  lunch, 
while  the  male  followed  twittering  and  whispering  close  by,  stopping 
his  song  until   she  should  have  resumed  her  duties  of  incubation. 

I  had  now  seen  thirty-two  different  species  of  birds  in  the  short 
space  of  about  twenty-five  minutes'  actual  time  spent  in  observation, 
after  deducting  the  time  spent  in  hunting  the  Vireo's  nest,  and  departed 
for  home  well  content,  even  though  I  knew  I  had  seen  only  about 
three-fifths  of  the  varieties  of  birds  that  are  often  to  be  found  in  the 
immediate  vicinity. 

On  a  previous  occasion,  when  I  had  been  lucky  enough  to  be 
able  to  spend  a  whole  morning  in  this  pasture,  I  had  seen  forty-four 
different  species,  nineteen  of  which  I  had  not  seen  to-day,  and  which, 
added  to  the  thirty-two  noted  above,  make  a  total  of  fifty-one  species. 
Of  these,  there  were  only  five  that  were  merely  occasional  visitors. 
Of  the  remainder,  I  have  found  direct  evidence  of  the  breeding  of 
thirty-two  species,  while  on  various  accounts  I  feel  sure  that  fourteen 
others  breed   there,  although   I   have  never  actually  found   their  nests. 


jfor    ^oung    ©b^ertoers 


A    February  Walk  iPdze  Essay) 

BY    MILDRED    A.    ROBINSON 

(Aged  14  years) 

E  had  planned  to  walk  over  to  the  pond  to  see  if 
the  recent  thaw  had  spoiled  the  skating.  As  we 
passed  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the  little  brook 
splashed  and  tumbled  down  from  its  icy  frame- 
work, eddying  around  the  brown  goldenrod  stalks, 
and  then  rushed  on  at  topmost  speed  across  the 
opposite    meadow. 

We  were  standing  on  the  little  bridge,  watch- 
ing the  ever  fascinating  current,  when  an  odd  bird  -  note  called  our 
attention  to  a  little  gray -backed,  white -breasted  bird  who  was 
running    up    and    down    a    neighboring    tree. 

All  thoughts  of  skating  instantly  vanished  from  our  minds;  w^e 
climbed  the  fence,  and  in  a  moment  more  were  noiselessly  following 
our  obstinate  little  bird,  who  would  keep  so  high  up  in  the  tree- 
tops  that  it   was  almost  impossible  to  see  anything  but  his  breast. 

Finally,  he  descended,  head  downward,  along  one  of  the  lower 
branches  of  the  tree,  and  we  saw  that  it  was  a  White -breasted  Nut- 
hatch. Evidently  he  thought  he  had  stayed  quite  long  enough  for 
•examination,  so,  after  a  few  parting  pecks  at  the  rough  bark,  trying 
to  secure  one  more  hidden  insect,   he  flew  off. 

We  were  slowly  following  the  course  of  the  little  stream,  when 
suddenly  a  great  rustle  of  the  dead  leaves  near  the  water's  edge 
•caused  us  to  pause  and  listen.  All  was  silent,  with  the  exception  of 
a  few  distant  Chickadees,  then,  with  a  whir  and  a  clatter,  we  saw  a 
bushy  tail  disappear  into  the  thicket ;  a  moment  more  and  out  came 
a  beautiful  gray  squirrel.  Like  a  flash  he  was  up  the  tree,  jumping 
from  limb  to  limb,  frisking  about  in  the  sunshine,  then  down  onto 
the  ground  again,  and  away.  His  visit  was  even  shorter  than  that 
of  the  Nuthatch,  but  not  less  enjoyable. 

And  now,  where  were  those  noisy  little  Chickadees  who  had  been 
calling  to  us  from  the  alder  bushes  for  the  last  half-hour  ?  It  was 
easy  enough  to  find  these  confiding  little  creatures  ;  they  were  feeding 
on  the  ground,  and  seemed  quite  unconcerned  at  our  presence,  al- 
though we    approached  very  near   to    them.      One    little    fellow   seemed 

(94) 


Robin   Rejoice 


95 


to  be  asleep  ;  he  sat  all  puffed  up  on  one  of  the  alder  branches,  but 
as  I  came  nearer  to  him  I  could  see  that  his  bright  little  eye  was 
on  me,  and  at  the  next  step  he  flew  away. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon,  and.  as  we  looked  toward  the 
west,  the  last  ra}s  of  the  sun  were  just  tinting  the  distant  hills  with 
a  mellow,  golden  hue ;  the  birds  had  flown  away,  leaving  the  woods 
silent,   so  we  reluctantly  turned  our  footsteps  towards  home. 


ROBIN     ON"     NEST 
Photographed  from  nature  by  T.  S.  Hankinson 


Robin   Rejoice 

BY   GARRETT  NEWKIRK 

Among  the  first  of  the  spring, 
The  notes  of  the   Robin  ring  ; 

With  flute-like  voice. 

He  calls   "  Rejoice, 
For  I  am  coming  to  sing  !  " 

To  any  one  gloomy  or  sad, 
He  says,  "Be  glad  !  be  glad  ! 
Look  on  the  bright  side, 
'Tis  aye  the  right  side  ; 
The  world  is  good,  not  bad." 

At  daybreak  in  June  we  hear 
His  melody,  strong  and  clear : 
"Cheer  up,  be  merry, 
I've  found  a  cherry; 
'Tis  a  glorious  time  of  the  year 


jBtote0  from  JFielti  anti  ^tuDp 


Inquisitive    Magpies 

I  was  collecting  specimens  of  natural 
history  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state 
of  Washington,  a  few  miles  from  the 
Canadian  border.  At  the  time  the  inci- 
dent which  I  am  about  to  relate  occurred 
I  was  stopping  at  a  ranch  at  the  southern 
end  of  Okonogan  lake. 

The  owner  of  the  building  was  cramped 
for  room,  so,  as  it  was  during  the  heat  of 
the  summer,  I  spent  the  nights  rolled  up 
in  my  blankets  under  a  haystack.  One 
morning,  as  the  sun  was  rising,  I  was 
awakened  by  shadows  crossing  my  face, 
and  opening  my  eyes  saw  a  flock,  possibly 
a  family,  of  Magpies  perched  on  the  stack 
and  ends  of  poles  that  had  been  thrown 
over  it  to  keep  the  hay  from  blowing 
away.  I  watched  them  as  they  peered 
inquisitively  at  me  from  their  perches, 
until  finally  one  flew  to  the  ground,  then 
another  and  another,  until  at  last  several 
were  gathered  about  me,  but  a  few  feet 
away.  I  lay  on  my  side,  with  my  arms 
under  the  blankets,  and  watched  their 
actions.  At  last  one  jumped  on  the 
blankets  at  my  feet.  I  could  feel  him 
hopping  slowly  upward.  I  did  not  move 
for  fear  of  frightening  him.  Finally  he 
reached  my  shoulder,  and,  after  perching 
there  a  few  seconds,  flew  to  my  cheek. 
I  closed  my  eyes  slowly,  fearing  he  might 
peck  them.  After  testing  my  cheek  lightly 
with  his  bill,  he  began  to  gel  in  some 
uncomfortably  heavy  blows,  so  I  thought 
it  time  to  stop  him.  Without  opening 
my  eyes,  or  moving,  I  said  in  a  low  tone. 
"  Here  !  Here  !  That  will  do  !  "  He  hesi- 
tated, as  if  to  make  sure  his  ears  had  not 
deceived  him,  and  then  flew  to  the  stack. 
Another  took  his  place,  after  working  up 
in  the  same  manner  ;  he  was  quietly  asked 
to  move  on.  When  the  next  one  hopped 
on  the  blankets,  I  slowly  raised  my  hand 
under  them,  making  a  tempting  elevation, 
of  which  he  was  not  slow  to  take  advan- 
tage.    He  lighted  squarely  in  the  palm  of 


my  hand,  which  I  closed  at  once,  and 
held  him  prisoner.  With  the  other  hand 
I  caught  him  by  the  legs  from  the  out- 
side, whereupon  he  flopped  his  wings, 
cried  out  with  anger,  and  pecked  at  my 
wrist  savagely.  The  remainder  of  the 
flock,  which,  in  the  meantime,  had  flown 
to  the  haystack,  scolded  and  jabbered 
away  at  a  great  rate. 

Evidently  they  had  taken  me  for  a 
corpse,  but  I  think  it  was  the  liveliest 
one  they  ever  saw.  —  J.  Alden  Loring, 
Oiuego,   N.    Y. 

Songs    of    Birds 

The  songs  of  birds  have  attracted  a 
good  deal  of  attention  in  recent  years, 
and  observation  seems  to  confirm  the 
theory  that  each  generation  of  birds 
learns  the  song  characteristics  of  its 
species  by  association  with   its  own  kind. 

This  fact  was  brought  quite  clearly  to 
my  mind  several  years  ago,  when  in  a 
western  town  I  was  taken  to  a  neighbor's 
to  see  his  birds.  Four  cages  swung  in 
the  shelter  of  a  commodious  porch.  One 
contained  a  Red-winged  Blackbird,  that 
had  been  taken  from  its  nest  when  very 
young,  and  brought  up  by  hand.  His 
associates  were  a  Canary,  a  Blue  Jay 
and  an  Oriole.  The  Canary  had  been 
purchased  at  a  bird  store,  and  had  there 
learned  its  song.  The  Blue  Jay  and 
Oriole  had  been  taken  from  neighboring 
nests,  r.nd  had,  no  doubt,  picked  up  the 
characteristic  notes  of  their  species  from 
the  many  other  members  of  their  kind 
that  inhabited  the  vicinity,  but  it  was 
many  miles  to  the  nearest  swamp  or  low 
land  where  one  might  find  a  Red-winged 
Blackbird.  This  Red-wing  had  learned 
perfectly  the  notes  of  his  caged  com- 
panions, and  had  picked  up  some  notes 
of  other  birds  in  the  neighborhood,  but 
not  one  note  of  the  Red-winged  Black- 
bird did  he  know. —  Frank  E.  Horack, 
loica   Citv,  la. 


(96) 


ilooft  jBteto^  ant}  38itW\s)^ 


Birds.  By  A.  H.  Evans,  M.A.  The 
Cambridge  Natural  History,  Vol.  IX. 
London:  Macmillan  and  Co.,  Limited. 
New  York  :  The  Macmillan  Company. 
1899.  8vo,  pages  xvi  -(-  635.  Numer- 
ous woodcuts  in  text.     Price,  $3.50. 

The  author  of  this  compact  volume  has 
essayed  what  he  himself  recognizes  as  the 
"difficult  and  apparently  unattempted 
task  of  including  in  some  six  hundred 
pages  a  short  description  of  the  majority 
of  the  forms  in  many  of  the  families,  and 
of  the  most  typical  or  important  of  the 
innumerable  species  included  in  the  large 
Passerine  order." 

The  book  opens  with  a  "  Scheme  of  the 
Classification  Adopted,"  based  on  the  sys- 
tem proposed  by  Gadow,  in  which  the 
Archa^ofteryx  stands  at  the  bottom  of 
the  list,  followed  by  the  Ostriches,  Rheas, 
and  other  struthious  birds,  while  the 
Finches  are  placed  at  the  top.  An  intro- 
duction of  twenty-two  pages  treats  of 
feathers,  color,  the  molt,  the  skeleton, 
digestive  organs,  etc.,  classification,  term- 
inology, geographical  variations,  and  migra- 
tion, the  handling  of  the  last  two  subjects 
being  far  from  satisfactory. 

The  remainder  of  the  book  is  devoted  to 
a  consideration  of  the  birds  of  the  world. 
The  matter  is  selected  with  excellent 
judgment  and  is  admirably  put  together, 
the  text  having  an  originality  and  fresh- 
ness not  often  found  in  compilations.  The 
author,  however,  is  handicapped  by  lack 
of  space,  and,  except  in  monotypic  fami- 
lies, is,  as  a  rule,  obliged  to  generalize  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  seeker  for  informa- 
tion concerning  certain  species  will  usually 
find  only  the  characteristic  habits  of  its 
family  given.  But  if  the  author  has  not 
achieved  entire  success,  he  has,  perhaps, 
more  nearly  approached  it  than  any  of 
his  predecessors,  and  in  his  work  we  have 
for  the  first  time  an  authoritative  hand- 
book of  the  birds  of  the  world,  which  is 
sold  at  a  low  enough  price  to  be  within  the 
reach  of  every  student. 


The  illustrations,  with  the  exception  of 
a  comparatively  few,  which  were  taken 
from  duly  credited  sources,  are  by  Mr.  G. 
E.  Lodge,  who,  at  his  best,  is,  in  our 
opinion,  one  of  the  foremost  of  bird 
artists.— F.  M.  C. 

The  Feeding  Habit  of  the  Chipping  Spar- 
row, AND  the  Winter  Food  of  the 
Chickadee.  By  Clarence  M.  Weed, 
New  Hampshire  College,  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station. 

In  the  iirst  of  these  interesting  papers. 
Dr.  Weed  has  introduced  us  directly  into 
the  domestic  life  of  a  family  of  Chippies. 
We  have  a  view,  for  one  day,  of  all  their 
affairs,  both  personal  and  domestic  ;  and 
to  many  it  must  be  a  wonderful  revelation. 
It  is  fortunate  for  the  birds  that  their 
period  of  infancy  is  so  short,  as  otherwise 
their  parents  must  utterly  break  down  with 
the  task  of  filling  their  ever-open  mouths. 
Beginning  at  about  3:57  in  the  morning, 
these  devoted  parents  worked  almost  with- 
out cessation  till  7:50  in  the  evening,  bring- 
ing food  to  their  four  young  on  an  average 
of  twelve  times  an  hour  ;  or  once  every 
five  minutes. 

What  would  human  parents  think  of  such 
work  ?  The  question  arises :  When  do 
the  old  birds  eat  ?  In  the  case  of  a  nest  of 
this  species  watched  by  the  writer  on  July 
II,  1898,  feeding  of  the  young  ceased  at 
7:25  in  the  evening,  when  both  parents  flew 
away.  In  twenty-five  minutes,  that  is,  at 
7:50,  the  female  parent  (presumably)  re- 
turned and  settled  on  the  nest  for  the  night. 
At  that  time  it  was  so  dark  that  all  other 
birds  had  disappeared.  It  seems  probable 
that  in  this  last  twenty-five  minutes  the 
parent  birds  filled  their  own  stomachs  for 
the  night. 

The  second  of  these  papers  is  of  a  more 
prosaic  character,  but  not  the  less  interest- 
ing or  useful.  We  have  here  a  record  in 
detail  of  the  winter  food  of  the  Chickadee, 
showing  how  largely  it  consists  of  those 
minute  insects,  or  their  still  more  minute 


(97) 


98 


Bird -Lore 


eggs,   that  injure  the  trees  and  baffle  the 
efforts  of  man  for  their  extermination. 

In  both  papers  we  are  shown  the  un- 
poetical  but  useful  side  of  bird-life.  These 
two  confiding  little  birds  have  endeared 
themselves  to  their  human  neighbors  by 
their  gentle  ways  and  familiar  habits  ;  but 
in  these  papers  Dr.  Weed  has  shown  us  that 
they  should  be  no  less  dear  to  us  when 
viewed  entirely  from  an  economic  stand- 
point. We  hope  he  will  give  us  more  of 
this  kind  of  literature. — F.  E.  L.  Beal. 

Check  List  of  British  Columbia  Birds. 
By  John  Fannin,  Curator  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Museum,  Victoria,  B.  C. 

This  list  forms  a  part — pages  13-55 — oi 
the  '  Preliminary  Catalogue  of  the  Collec- 
tions of  Natural  History  and  Ethnology  in 
the  Provincial  Museum.'  It  enumerates 
339  species  and  subspecies,  with  notes  on 
their  distribution,  and  will  prove  exceed- 
ingly useful  to  students  of  the  bird-life  of 
this  interesting  region,  for  a  knowledge  of 
the  fauna  of  which  we  are  so  greatly  in- 
debted to  Mr.  Fannin.— F.  M.  C. 

A  Preliminary  List  of  the  Birds  of 
Belknap  and  Merrimack  Counties,  New 
Hampshire,  with  Notes.  By  Ned  Dear- 
born, Biological  Laboratories,  New 
Hampshire  College,  Durham. 

The  author  here  presents  the  more  im- 
portant results  of  ten  years'  observation, 
including  also  such  information  as  he  has 
gathered  from  other  naturalists  concerning 
the  187  species  recorded  from  the  region 
of  which  he  writes.  Mr.  Dearborn's  notes, 
we  are  glad  to  say,  are  not  restricted  solely 
to  statements  concerning  the  rarity  or 
abundance  and  manner  of  occurrence  of 
a  given  species,  but  often  contain  valuable 
remarks  on  habits  which  show  him  to  be 
a  discriminating  student  of  the  living 
bird.— F.  M.  C. 

Book   News 

The  origin  of  the  present  widespread  in- 
terest in  ornithology  is  so  largely  due  to  the 
influence  of  Dr.  Coues'  classic  '  Key  to 
North  American  Birds,'  that  we  are  sure 
bird  students  throughout  the  world  will 
welcome  the  news  that  its  author  is  engaged 
in  a  thorough  revision  of  his  epoch-making 


work.  The  new  edition,  which  will  be 
expanded  to  fill  two  volumes,  will  be  richly 
illustrated  by  Mr.  Fuertes,  and  while  the 
advance  made  in  the  science  of  ornithology 
in  the  fifteen  years  which  have  elapsed 
since  the  publication  of  the  second  edition 
naturally  leads  us  to  expect  some  improve- 
ment in  this  forthcoming  edition,  our  credi- 
bility in  the  powers  of  human  achievement 
is  severely  taxed  when  Dr.  Coues  asks  us 
to  believe  that  the  new  '  Key '  will  be  as 
far  ahead  of  the  second  as  the  second  was 
beyond  the  first. 

The  Wisconsin  '  Arbor  and  Bird  Day 
Annual '  for  1899,  issued  by  L.  D.  Harvey, 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
(Madison,  Wis.),  is  a  most  attractive  and 
useful  pamphlet  of  forty-five  pages,  con- 
taining original  and  selected  contributions 
well  suited  to  interest  and  instruct  children 
in  both  the  value  and  beauty  of  trees  and 
birds.  It  may  well  stand  as  a  model  for 
publications  of  this  nature. 

D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.  have  in  preparation 
an  elementary  bird  book  by  Fannie  Hardy 
Eckstorm.  The  book  is  designed  for  use 
as  a  supplementary  science  reader,  and  it 
is  the  author's  object  to  teach  children 
what  to  see  and  how  to  see  it ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  provide  them  with  something 
to  do. 

The  May  issue  of  '  Primary  Education  ' 
(Educational  Publishing  Co.)  is  a  'Bird 
Day  Number, '  and  contains  numerous  con- 
tributions of  value  to  teachers  and  students 
of  birds. 

'Our  Dumb  Animals,'  the  vigorously 
edited  organ  of  the  Massachusetts  Society 
for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals, 
says  of  Bird-Lore  :  "  We  recommend  this 
publication  to  ex-Presidents  Cleveland  and 
Harrison.  /^  n-oiild have  much  interested 
President  Lincoln . ' ' 

'  By  the  Way-Side  '  is  the  name  of  a 
bright  little  four-page  bi-weekly  issued  by 
Helen  M.  Boynton,  118  Michigan,  street, 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  at  one  cent  a  copy. 
It  is  devoted  to  "birds,  butterflies,  trees, 
flowers,  insects  and  fishes,  and  deserves 
the  support  of  everyone  interested  in  popu- 
larizing the  study  of  these  subjects. 


Editorials 


99 


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.  1 


June,  1899 


No.  3 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  ill  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be'  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
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Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
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lishers at  Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth 
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COPYRIGHTED, 


BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 


Bird-Lore's  Motto : 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  Worth  Tzvo  in  the  Hand. 

It  has  recently  been  remarked  that  the 
field  ornithologists  of  to-day  are  of  two 
kinds :  first,  those  who  collect ;  second, 
those  who  observe.  The  status  of  these 
two  types  of  ornithologists,  and  the  parts 
they  play  in  the  advancement  of  the 
science  of  ornithology,  is  a  subject  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  every  one  interested 
in  the  study  of  birds. 

A  consideration  of  it  leads  us  to  review 
briefly  the  progress  which  has  been  made 
in  our  knowledge  of  North  American 
birds  during  the  past  twenty-five  years. 
At  the  beginning  of  this  period  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  contained  the  only  large 
collection  of  North  American  birds  in  the 
world,  and  our  data  concerning  the  exact 
distribution  and  relationships  of  even  our 
commonest  species  was  of  the  most  meager 
character.  Since  that  date  the  publication 
of  Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridgway's  '  History 
of  North  American  Birds',  of  Coues' 
'Key'  and  Ridgway's  'Manual';  the 
organization  of  the  American  Ornitholo- 
gists' Union  and  of  the  Biological  Survey 
of    the    Department   of    Agriculture,  and 


the  establishment  of  several  natural  his- 
tory museums,  have  given  a  wonderful 
impetus  to  the  collecting  of  birds.  Natur- 
alists have  explored  every  corner  of  the 
eastern  United  States,  and,  with  almost 
equal  thoroughness,  the  western  states, 
and  the  fruits  of  their  labors  are  shown  in 
the  large  series  of  birds  now  possessed  by 
our  leading  museums.  In  fact,  we  have 
now  reached  a  point  where  only  a  thor- 
oughly trained  ornithologist  or  his  person- 
ally directed  assistants  can  make  collec- 
tions which  will  be  of  real  scientific  value. 
Indiscriminate  collecting,  therefore,  par- 
ticularly in  the  eastern  United  States,  in 
ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  will 
only  result  in  the  duplication  of  material 
already  existing. 

Not  only  has  there  been  a  great  advance 
in  the  requirements  of  collecting,  but  in 
the  study  of  the  specimens  collected,  and 
the  systematic  ornithologist  who  would 
hope  to  add  anything  to  our  knowledge  of 
the  distribution  and  relationships  of  any 
group  of  North  American  birds,  must 
possess  advantages  which  can  be  afforded 
only  by  well-equipped  museums. 

Turning,  now,  to  the  other  class  of  orni- 
thologists, the  collectors  of  facts,  we  find 
that  they  have  been  far  less  active  than 
collectors  of  skins.  Thus,  while  we  rarely 
or  never  refer  to  Wilson  or  Audubon  or 
Nuttall  for  information  concerning  the 
systematic  position  of  a  species,  these 
early  writers  are  still  authorities  on  facts 
connected  with  the  life  histories  of  many 
of  our  birds. 

This  subject  has  been  brought  very 
forcibly  to  our  mind  by  two  papers  pub- 
lished in  this  number  of  Bird-Lore,  and, 
without  going  into  details,  we  wish  collect- 
ors of  birds  and  their  eggs  would  read 
carefully  the  articles  entitled  '  The  Cardi- 
nal at  the  Hub'  and  '  Home-Life  in  a  Chim- 
ney,' and  then  tell  us  frankly  whether  they 
do  not  think  that  the  facts  therein  set  forth 
constitute  a  more  valuable  contribution 
to  the  science  of  ornithology  than  a  Cardi- 
nal's skin  and  five  white  egg-shells.  If 
they  are  both  discriminating  and  sincere, 
we  believe  they  will  admit  the  truth  of 
Bird-Lore's   motto. 


Cl)e  ^utiubon  Societies 

"  i'oK  cannot  'with  a  scalpel  find  the  poet's  soul. 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  sonff." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  tlie  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and   other   Bird    Protective  Societies   should    be  addressed. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE   AUDUBON    SOCIEIIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries. 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street.  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  Henry  S.  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.  J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Jwenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia. Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.  (branch  of  Penn.  Society).. Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  1314  Chapline  street.  Wheeling. 

Ohio Miss  Clara  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa   Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Peckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Texas Miss  Cecile  Sei.xas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 


A  Bird  Class  for  Children 

One  of  the  most  frequent  questions 
asked  by  those  seeking  to  win  children  to 
an  appreciation  of  birds  is,  "How,  when 
we  have  awakened  the  interest,  can  we 
keep  it  alive  ?  " 

The  only  way  to  accomplish  this,  to  my 
thinking,  is  to  take  the  children  out-of- 
doors  and  introduce  them  to  the  '  bird  in 
the  bush,'  to  the  bird  as  a  citizen  of  a 
social  world  as  real  in  all  its  duties  and 
requirements  as  our  own. 

There  is  a  group  of  people  with  ultra 
theoretical  tendencies,  who  insist  upon  con- 
sidering the  bird  merely  as  a  feathered 
vertebrate  that  must  not  be  in  any  way 
humanized,  or  taken  from  its  perch  in 
the  evolutionary  scheme,  to  be  brought  to 
the  plane  of  our  daily  lives.  In  teaching 
children,  I  believe  in  striving  to  humanize 
the  bird  as  far  as  is  consistent  with  abso- 
lute truth,  that  the  child  may,  through  its 
own  love  of  home,  parents,  and  its  various 
desires,  be  able  to  appreciate  the  corre- 
sponding traits  in  the  bird.  How  can  this 
best  be  done  ?      By  reading  to  children  ? 


That  is  one  way  ;  and  good,  accurate,  and 
interesting  bird  books  are  happily  plenti- 
ful. But  when  the  outdoor  season  comes, 
little  heads  grow  tired  of  books,  and  any- 
thing that  seems  like  a  lesson  is  repugnant. 

Then  comes  the  chance  to  form  a  bird 
class,  or  a  bird  party,  if  the  word  class 
seems  too  formidable.  A  dozen  children 
are  quite  enough  to  be  easily  handled. 
The  ages  may  range  from  six  to  twelve. 
Arrange  to  have  them  meet  outdoors  once 
a  week,  in  the  morning,  during  June  and 
July.  A  pleasant  garden  or  a  vineclad 
piazza  will  do  for  a  beginning ;  it  is  inad- 
visable to  tire  children  by  taking  them 
far  afield  until  they  have  learned  to  iden- 
tify a  few  very  common  birds  in  their 
natural  surroundings. 

Children  who  are  familiar  with  even  the 
very  best  pictures  of  birds  must  at  first 
be  puzzled  by  seeing  the  real  bird  at  a  dis- 
tance, and  perhaps  partly  screened  by 
foliage.  The  value  of  the  outdoor  bird 
class  is,  that  to  be  successful  it  must 
teach  rapid  and  accurate  personal  observa- 
tion. 

"Very  true,"  you  say,  "but   the  birds 


The   Audubon   Societies 


will  not  stay  still  while  the  children  are 
learning  to  observe."  Yes;  yet  this  diffi- 
culty may  be  met  in  two  ways.  If  you  are 
so  situated  that  you  can  borrow  say 
twenty-five  mounted  birds  from  a  museum 
or  the  collection  of  a  friend,  you  will  have 
a  very  practical  outfit. 

Choose  four  or  five  birds,  not  more  for 
one  day,  take  them  outdoors,  and  place 
them  in  positions  that  shall  resemble  their 
natural  haunts  as  much  as  possible.  For 
example,  place  the  Song  Sparrow  in  a 
little  bush,  the  Bluebird  on  a  post,  and 
the  Chippy  on  a  path.  Let  the  children 
look  at  them  near  by  and  then  at  a  dis- 
tance, so  that  a  sense  of  proportion  and 
color  value  will  be  developed  uncon- 
sciously. 

After  this,  the  written  description  of  the 
habits  of  the  birds,  which  you  must  read 
or  tell  the  children,  will  have  a  different 
meaning.  This  method  may  be  varied  by 
looking  up  live  specimens  of  the  birds  thus 
closely  observed. 

"  True, "  you  say  again,  "but  I  cannot 
beg  or  borrow  any  mounted  birds." 

Then  take  the  alternative.  Buy  from 
the  Massachusetts  Audubon  Society,  234 
Berkeley  St.,  Boston,  for  a  dollar,  one  of 
its  Audubon  Bird  Charts.  This  chart  is 
printed  in  bright  colors  and  is  accompanied 
by  a  little  pamphlet  describing  the  twenty- 
six  common  birds  that  are  figured.  These 
are  the  (i)  Downy  Woodpecker,  (2)  Flicker, 
(3)  Chimney  Swift,  (4)  Ruby-throated 
Hummingbird,  (5)  Kingbird,  (6)  Bluejay, 
(7)  Bobolink,  (8)  Red-winged  Blackbird, 
(g)  Baltimore  Oriole,  (10)  Purple  Finch, 
(11)  American  Goldfinch,  (12)  Chipping 
Sparrow,  (13)  Song  Sparrow,  (14)  Scarlet 
Tanager,  (15)  Barn  Swallow,  (16)  Cedar 
Bird,  (17)  Red-eyed  Vireo,  (18)  Black  and 
White  Warbler,  (19)  Yellow  Warbler,  (20) 
Catbird,  (21)  House  Wren,  (22)  Chickadee, 
^23)  Golden-crowned  Kinglet,  (24)  Wood 
Thrush,  (25)  American  Robin,  (26)  Blue- 
bird. Cut  the  birds  carefully  from  the 
chart,  back  them  with  cardboard,  and 
either  mount  them  on  little  wooden  blocks, 
like  paper  dolls,  or  arrange  them  with  wires, 
so  that  they  can  be  fastened  to  twigs  or 
bushes. 


You  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  this 
scheme  will  interest  the  children,  who  may 
be  allowed  sometimes  to  place  the  birds 
themselves. 

For  those  too  old  for  the  cut-out  pictures, 
the  teachers'  edition  of  'Bird-Life', with  the 
colored  plates  in  portfolios,  will  be  found 
invaluable.  The  separate  pictures  may  be 
taken  outdoors  and  placed  in  turn  on  an 
easel  behind  a  leaf-covered  frame,  with 
excellent  effects — a  few  natural  touches  and 
the  transition  from  indoors  out  often 
changing  one's  entire  point  of  view. 

One  thing  bearing  on  the  question  of 
bird  study.  If  children  ask  you  questions 
that  you  cannot  answer,  as  they  surely 
will,  do  not  hesitate  to  say  ' '  I  don 't  know. ' ' 
Never  fill  their  minds  with  fables  guised  as 
science,  that  they  must  unlearn. 

Now  a  material  point.  When  you  have 
entertained  your  class  for  an  hour,  never 
more,  lend  the  affair  a  picnic  ending  and 
give  them  a  trifling  lunch  before  they  go  ; 
something  very  simple  will  do — cookies  and 
milk,  or  even  animal  crackers  ! 

The  young  animal  of  the  human  species, 
as  well  as  many  others,  is  a  complexity  of 
stomach  and  brain,  and  it  is  well  to  admin- 
ister food  to  each  in  just  proportion. 

M.  O.  W. 

Reports  of  Societies 

WISCONSIN    SOCIETY 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  Peckham,  secretary 
of  the  Wisconsin  Society,  sends  to  Mr. 
Stone  the  first  annual  report  of  that  body, 
from  which  we  extract  the  following : 

"This  society  was  organized  April  20, 
1897.  The  first  efforts  of  the  executive 
board  were  in  the  direction  of  securing  the 
cooperation  of  the  press  in  this  city  and 
throughout  the  state.  The  response  was 
most  generous,  and  it  is  probable  that 
more  effective  work  has  been  done  through 
this  agency  than  in  any  other  way. 

"The  next  appeal  was  to  clergymen  of 
all  denominations,  who  were  asked  to 
preach  upon  the  fashion  of  wearing  wild 
bird  feathers.  Here,  again,  they  received 
valuable  aid  and  encouragement. 


I02 


Bird-  Lore 


"In  May,  loo  circulars  were  sent  to 
Milwaukee  milliners,  asking  their  assist- 
ance in  the  work  of  reform,  and  announc- 
ing that  there  would  be  held,  in  the  fall, 
an  Audubon  millinery  opening.  This 
opening,  which  took  place  in  October, 
was  well  attended,  and  served  its  purpose 
in  calling  attention  to  the  existence  and 
meaning  of  the  society. 

"The  cooperation  of  the  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Public  Instruction,  and  also  of 
the  Board  of  School  Directors  of  this  city, 
has  been  secured.  The  response  of  the 
Milwaukee  School  Board  was  especially 
cordial  and  encouraging.  Talks  upon  the 
subject  of  bird  protection  have  already 
been  given  in  several  of  the  city  schools, 
and  it  is  intended  that  the  main  work  of 
the  society  for  the  coming  year  shall  be 
done  among  the  teachers  and  school  chil- 
dren of   the  state. 

"The  society  is  much  to  be  congratu- 
lated in  that,  before  it  came  into  existence, 
Bird  Day  had  been  established  in  Wis- 
consin. We  can  only  apprecia,te  our  good 
fortune  in  this  respect  by  noting  the  dif- 
ficulties that  are  thrown  in  the  way  of  the 
Audubon  societies  of  other  states  when 
they  attempt  to  win  the  consent  of  their 
legislatures  to  this  step.  We  owe  this 
great  advantage  to  Mr.  J.  E.  Morgan,  of 
Sauk  county. 

"Although  our  Audubon  Society  is  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  United  States,  we 
are  working  under  great  disadvantages, 
since  we  have,  so  far  as  we  can  discover, 
the  smallest  income  of  them  all.  In 
order  that  no  one  may  be  excluded,  we 
have  made  our  life  membership  fee  ex- 
ceedingly small,  so  that  it  brings  in  an 
amount  quite  insufficient  to  meet  the  ex- 
penses of  printing,  buying  and  distribu- 
ting literature.  We  therefore  make  an 
earnest  appeal  to  intelligent  men  and 
women  to  become  members  of  the  society, 
or  to  send  us  contributions  of  money. 
We  are  especially  anxious  to  increase  the 
number  of  our  associate  members,  who 
pay  one  dollar  a  year,  and  thus  provide  us 
with  a  steady  income. ' ' 

Mrs.  Peckham  reports  a  total  member- 
ship of    5,141,   and  writes   that  since    the 


publication  of  the  report  from  which  we 
have  just  quoted,  "through  the  coopera- 
tion of  our  State  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction,  our  society  has  formed 
175  branches  among  the  school  children. 
These  branch  societies  include  over  four 
thousand  members,  including  teachers 
and    children." 

NEW   HAMPSHIRE   SOCIETY 

On  the  6th  day  of  April,  1897,  at  the 
call  of  Mrs.  Arthur  E.  Clarke,  a  meeting 
was  held  at  her  residence  in  Manchester, 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  the  New 
Hampshire  Audubon  Society,  which  was 
duly  accomplished. 

The  work  of  the  society  throughout  the 
state  is  carried  on  by  means  of  branch 
societies,  the  presidents  of  which  act  as 
vice-presidents  of  the  state  society ;  or, 
when  this  is  not  practicable,  local  secre- 
taries are  appointed  to  carry  on  the  work, 
and  such  secretaries  have  already  been 
appointed  in  more  than  twenty  places. 

Special  pains  has  been  taken  to  in- 
fluence the  children  in  the  public 
schools.  A  junior  Audubon  society  was 
early  formed,  and  a  very  interesting 
meeting  was  held  in  June,  1897,  at 
which  about  three  hundred  school  chil- 
dren were  present.  A  similar  meeting 
was  held  in  June,  1898,  and  it  is  pro- 
posed to  hold  others  from  time  to 
time. 

With  the  same  end  in  view,  an  '  Out- 
line of  Bird  Study  '  was  prepared  for 
use    in    the    schools. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  society,  ex- 
tracts from  the  game  laws  of  the  state, 
relating  to  penalties  for  the  destruction 
of  song  birds  and  their  eggs,  have  been 
posted  in  conspicuous  places,  thanks  to 
the  prompt  and  energetic  action  of  the 
street  and  park  commissioners.  Similar 
action  has  been  taken  in  various  other 
cities    and    towns. 

Lectures  were  given  by  Mrs.  Orinda 
Hornbrooke,  Mrs.  Alice  Freeman  Palmer, 
on  '  The  Educational  Side  of  Bird  Pro- 
tection, '  and  by  Mrs.  Harriet  E.  Rich- 
ards,   secretary      of      the      Massachusetts 


The  Aububon   Societies 


103 


society,  on   the   general    work  of    the   Au- 
dubon   societies. 

The  society  has  distributed  nearly  7,000 
leaflets  and  circulars,  several  of  them  hav- 
ing been  procured  of  the  United  States 
government,  through  the  kindness  of  our 
members  of  Congress. 

An  additional  circular  has  recently  been 
issued  in  which  prizes  are  offered  to  the 
school  children  of  New  Hampshire  on  the 
following  conditions  :  Two  prizes,  one  of 
ten  dollars  and  one  of  five  dollars  to  chil- 
dren over  twelve  and  under  seventeen 
years  of  age  ;  and  two  more,  one  of  five 
dollars  and  one  of  three  dollars  to  children 
under  twelve  years  of  age.  These  prizes 
are  to  be  awarded  for  the  best  composi- 
tions on  '  Birds, '  the  compositions  to  be 
written  as  the  result  of  personal  observa- 
tion, the  contest  to  close  January  i,  1900. 

The  society  has  adopted  the  bird  chart 
lately    published    by     the    Massachusetts 
Society,  and  is  introducing  it  as  rapidly  as 
possible  into  the  schools  of  the  state. 
Annie  V.  Batchelder,  Scc'v. 


A  Message  from  Madame  Lehmann 

At  the  second  annual  meeting  of  the 
New  York  State  Audubon  Society,  Mad- 
ame Lilli  Lehmann,  whose  love  of  ani- 
mals is  perhaps  even  greater  than  her 
love  of  music,  made  an  eloquent  appeal 
to  women  to  cease  from  feather-wearing, 
which  she  characterized  as  a  form  of  bar- 
barism, and  to  aid  the  Audubon  Societies 
in  their  efforts  to  protect  the  birds. 

Through  the  editor  of  Bird-Lore,  she 
sends  to  the  Audubon  Societies  the  fol- 
lowing message,  the  tenor  of  which,  it 
will  be  noticed,  is  in  close  accord  with 
the  views  of  the  editor  of  this  Depart- 
ment, as  expressed  in  the  last  issue  of 
this  Journal.— F.  M.  C. 

Madame  Lehmann  writes:  "Tell  the 
Societies  that  I  take  the  greatest  interest 
in  their  work,  that  I  do  everything  I  can, 
and  every  minute,  if  the  occasion  offers, 
to  protect  the  birds. 

"Tell  them,  also,  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
everyone  to  sfeak  and  to  do  something 
every   day   for   the   cause ;    that    it    is    not 


sufficient  to  give  a  dollar  or  two — that 
alone  will  never  help  us.  It  is  the  living 
word,  the  reasons  given,  the  good  ex- 
ample and  the  teaching  to  everyone  that 
can  bring  us  further  in  civilization." 

Two  New  Audubon  Societies 

We  announce  with  pleasure  the  forma- 
tion of  Audubon  Societies  in  Texas  and 
in  California.  The  Texas  Society  was 
organized  on  March  4,  at  Galveston,  with 
Miss  Cecile  Seixas  as  secretary.  The 
organization  of  the  California  Society  was 
lately  completed  at  Redland,  with  Mrs. 
Geo.  S.  Gay  as  secretary.  The  addresses 
of  the  secretaries  of  these  societies  are 
given  in  our  'Directory,'  and  we  trust 
that  they  will  receive  the  cooperation  of 
all    bird-lovers   in    their  respective   states. 

American    Society  of    Bird    Restorers 

A  report  of  the  work  of  the  American 
Society  of  Bird  Restorers,  prepared  by 
Mr.  Fletcher  Osgood,  its  organizer  and 
manager,  will  appear  in  Bird -Lore  for 
August. 

Birds    and    Farmers 

It  is  pleasing  to'  know  that  some  farmers 
are  awakening  to  the  fact  that  birds  are 
an  important  factor  in  agriculture.  At 
the  last  monthly  meeting  of  the  Farmers' 
Club  of  the  American  Institute  of  New 
York,  the  subject  for  discussion  was  "Birds 
and  Their  Relation  to  Agriculture.''  The 
subject  was  introduced  by  Mr.  N.  Hallock, 
who  presented  a  well  prepared  paper  giv- 
ing much  valuable  iaformation  regarding 
birds  as  insect  destroyers.  These  statistics 
were  from  publications  of  the  U.  S.  Dept. 
of  Agriculture  and  from  his  own  observa- 
tions. He  strongly  urged  the  protection 
of  all  birds  from  the  farmer's  standpoint. 
The  paper  was  then  discussed  by  the 
members  present.  Mr.  William  Dutcher, 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  New 
York  Audubon  Society,  who  was  present, 
addressed  the  Club,  elaborating  some  of 
the  statements  in  the  paper  under  dis- 
cussion and  emphasizing  the  fact  that 
every  bird  an  agriculturist  permitted  to 
be  killed  on  his  farm  was  a  direct  loss  to 
him  in  money  value. 


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Nature  Study 

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A  Manual  for  the  Guidance  of  Pupils  below 
the    High    School    in    the   Study  of    Nature 

BY 

WILBUR   S.  JACKMAN,  A.B. 

Dep't  of  Natural  Science,  Chicago  Normal  School 

Author  of  "Nature  Study  for  the  Common  Schools,"  "  Nature  Study  and  Related  Subjects, 
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REVISED   EDITION 


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^■^ 


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NESTING    SITE    OF    CLI FF  OR    EAVE    SWALLOWS,    LITTLE    MEDICINE    RIVER, 

CARBON    COUNTY,   WVO. 

Photographed  from  nature  by  H.  W.  Menke.July  4,  1R98 


Vol.  1 


jgirti  =  lore 


A    BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official    Organ    of    the    Audubon    Societies 


August,  1899 


No.  4 


Photographing  Shy  Wild  Birds   and  Beasts   at  Home 

BY   R.  KEARTON,  F.  Z.  S. 

Author  of  "Wild  Life  at  Home:    How  to  Study  and  Photograph  It;" 
"  With  Nature  and  a  Camera,"  etc. 

Y    brother    and    I   were    both    delighted    to    see    the 
first  number  of    Bird-Lore,    and    take  the   oppor- 
tunity of    congratulating    our    naturalist    and   pho- 
graphic   chums   across    the  Atlantic  upon   having  such    a 
practical   and    highly  interesting  magazine   to    help   them 
in  their  enchanting  pursuits.       Such   a  publication  would 
"^^^^pgj^    have    been    a    veritable    godsend    to    us  when  we    started 
our  natural   history  photography. 
As  we   have   had   a   good   deal   of   experience  in   circumventing    the 
cunning  and    timidity  of    the  majority  of    wild  creatures   living  in   the 
British  Isles,  and   the  same  characteristics  in   this  respect  are  commoa 
to  wild  animals   all   the  world   over,    I   propose   to  tell   by  what  means 
we  have   secured   some  of    our  rarest  pictures. 

First  of  all,  I  ought  to  explain  that  we  never  use  anything  but  a 
strongly  built,  half-plate  stand  camera,  fitted  with  a  Dallmeyer  stig- 
matic  lens,  and  an  adjustable  miniature  on  the  top,  which  is  used  as 
a  sort  of  view-finder  when  making  studies  of  fiying  birds  and  mam- 
mals in  motion.  When  fixed  in  position,  and  its  focus  has  been  set 
exactly  like  its  working  companion  beneath  it,  both  are  racked  out  in 
the  same  ratio  by  the  screw  dominating  the  larger  apparatus  which, 
when  charged  with  a  dark  slide  and  stopped  down  according  to  the 
requirements  of  light  and  speed  of  exposure,  needs  no  further  atten- 
tion. When  the  combination  is  in  use,  the  photographer  focuses 
with  his  right  hand,  and,  holding  the  air  ball  or  reservoir  of  his  pneu- 
matic tube  in  his  left,  squeezes  it  quickly  and  firmly  directly  he  has 
achieved  a   sufficiently  clear  and   strong   definition  of   his   object  upon 


io8 


Bird -Lore 


the  ground  glass  of  the  miniature  camera.  This  enables  the  operator 
to  focus  up  to  the  last  instant,  and  to  select  the  best  attitude  of  his 
''sitter." 

We  have   a   silent   time-shutter   built   in   behind   the   lens,   and   for 

very  rapid  work,  such  as  flying  bird  studies,  use  a  Thornton  &  Pickard 

focal  plane   shutter   working  up  to   the  thousandth  part  of    a  second. 

Good  apparatus,  that  will  work  under  almost  any  conditions  with 

precision    and    certaint3%   must    be    possessed    for    the    achievement    of 

successful  natural  history  work.  We  use 
the  quickest  plates  made  in  the  old  country 
for  the  greater  part  of  our  work,  although, 
of  course,  for  still  objects  full  of  color,  we 
cannot  beat  Ilford  chromatic  plates. 

We  soon  discovered  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely impossible  to  figure  many  timid  birds 
at  close  quarters  without  some  natural  con- 
trivance in  which  the  camera  and  its  ope- 
rator could  be  effectually  hidden.  For  the 
study  of  wood  birds  at  home,  we  built  an 
artificial  tree  trunk  of  sufficient  internal 
capacity  to  contain  either  of  two  broad- 
shouldered  Yorkshiremen.  This  is  how  we 
made  it.  Purchasing  three  pieces  of  stout 
bamboo,  each  7  feet  in  length,  I  split  them 
down  the  center  and  lashed  each  piece  to 
three  children's  bowling  hoops,  the  topmost 
and  center  ones  being  24  inches  in  diame- 
ter, and  the  bottom  one  27,  so  as  to  repre- 
sent the  base  of  a  tree  and  give  the  legs 
of  our  camera  a  greater  stride.  We  then 
covered  the  whole  with  galvanized  wire  and 
a  coat  of  green  American  cloth,  which  my 
wife  painted  to  resemble  the  bark  of  a  tree. 
After  this  we  stuck  bits  of  lichen  and  moss 
on  to  it,  and  then  passed  a  number  of  bits 
of  strong  grey  thread  from  the  inside  to  the  out.  With  these  we  tied 
on  several  pieces  of  ivy  stripped  from  adjoining  tree  trunks,  so  as  to 
make  our  contrivance  look  as  natural  as  possible.  How  far  we  suc- 
ceeded in  deceiving  the  feathered  folks  of  Britain  may  be  judged, 
when  I  state  that  one  day  a  Chaffinch  alighted  on  the  broken  top 
of  our  artificial  forest  monster  and  began  to  rattle  off  its  song  just 
over  the  unseen  photographer's  head. 

We  should  much   like  to  hear  of  this  device  being   tried   by  some- 


IN    THE    TREE-TOPS 


From    Kearton's    '  Wild    Life     at    Horn 
cupyrighted  by  Cassell   &  Co.,  Ltd. 


Photographing  Shy  Wild   Birds  and   Beasts  at  Home       109 

one  on  American  wood  birds.  Whoever  makes  and  gets  laced  up 
inside  an  artificial  tree  trunk  will  discover  that  a  peculiarly  dizzying 
sensation  attends  the  first  attempt  or  two  to  stand  for  any  length  of 
time  so  encased. 

For  some  birds  we  fix  up  a  mock  camera  near  their  nests  or  feed- 
ing haunts  a  few  days  before  we  attempt  to  make  a  picture.  This 
can  be  easily  done  with  a  small  wooden  box  and  tin  canister  with 
its  lid   or  bottom   blackened  to  represent  a  lens. 

For  photographing  ground  builders,  such  as  Larks,  Plovers,  and 
so  on,  we  built  an  artificial  rubbish  heap,  such  as  farmers  rake  up  off 
their  grass  land  before  laying  it  down  to  grow  for  hay  time,  and  cart 
off  to  form  rick  bottoms. 

This  we  made  from  an  old  umbrella,  to  the  ribs  of  which  we 
lashed  pieces  of  bamboo  four  feet  in  length.  The  whole  was  then 
covered  with  brown  holland.  To  the  outside  we  tied  innumerable 
wisps  of  straw  and  rubbish,  and  as  some  sort  of  testimony  to  its  effi- 
cacy, I  need  only  mention  that  we  have  succeeded  in  photographing 
a  Lark  at  her  nest  bang  in  the  middle  of  a  bare  field,  and  one  of  our 
very  shyest  British  Plovers,  quite  recently,  sitting  on  its  nest  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  lens. 

We  next  come  to  a  consideration  of  how  to  photograph  the  eyries, 
eggs  and  young  of  such  birds  of  prey  as  Eagles.  Falcons  and  Ravens, 
that  breed,  at  any  rate  so  far  as  Britain  is  concerned,  in  the  most 
inaccessible  cliffs. 

The  first  business  is  to  secure  a  couple  of  climbing  ropes.  We 
had  ours  specially  manufactured  for  us,  from  the  best  manila  hemp, 
by  a  London  rope-maker  of  good  repute.  They  are  each  two  hun- 
dred feet  in  length.  The  guide  rope  is  an  inch  and  a  half  in  circum- 
ference, and  the  descending  rope,  which  has  three  loops  at  one  end 
for  the  photographer  to  sit  in,  is  two  inches  in  circumference.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  both  ropes  are  pretty  stout,  some  folks  might  say 
unnecessarily  stout,  but  it  is  better  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  as  a  break 
and  a  fall  of  three  or  four  hundred  feet  onto  jagged  crags  or  into 
the  sea  would  be  likely  to  send  the  photographer  into  perpetual 
retirement. 

It  is  a  curious  thing,  but  nevertheless  true,  that  fictionists  have 
fixed  one  idea  in  the  mind  of  the  public  in  regard  to  the  danger 
attending  a  man  hanging  over  a  precipice  on  the  end  of  a  rope;  viz., 
that  all  his  danger  comes  from  a  probability  of  one  or  two  of  the 
strands  of  his  rope  getting  chafed  in  two  over  some  sharp  rock.  I 
am  frequently  asked,  after  my  lectures,  the  question:  "Has  your 
brother  ever  had  a  narrow  escape  from  the  rope  nearly  getting  chafed 
in    twain?"     They   seem   genuinely    disappointed    because    he    has   not 


no 


Bird -Lore 


been  hauled  up  on  the  last  faithful  strand  of  a  rope,  with  his  hair 
standing  on  end,  his  face  o'erspread  with  an  unspeakable  horror,  and 
then   fainted  dead   away  on   reaching  terra  finiia. 

I    have  heard   a  lot   of    terrible   tales   about   chafing   ropes,   but   as 


DESCENDING    AN    0\'EH  H  ANGI  NCr    CLIFF 
From   Kearton's  '  Wild  Life  at  Home,'  copyrighted  by  Cassell  &  Co.,   Ltd. 

a  matter  of  fact,  there  are  dangers  a  thousand  times  greater  if  less 
picturesque  ;  such,  for  instance,  as  a  prosaic  little  stone,  no  bigger  than 
an  orange,  being  dragged  out  of  its  bed   by  one  of  the  ropes  when  the 


Photographing   Shy  Wild    Birds  and    Beasts  at  Home       m 

photographer  is  being  hauled  up  a  chff,  and,  after  dropping  a  hundred 
feet  or  so,  aHghting  pkimp  on  the  head  of  the  unsuspecting  camera 
man.  My  brother  has  had  one  or  two  narrow  escapes  of  this  kind, 
though  never  the  shadow  of  one  from  a  chafing   rope. 

Upon    setting     forth    to     photograph    the    eyries    of     cliff  -  breeding 


PHOTOGRAPHING    A    CORMORAiNT 
From  Kearton's  '  Wild  Life  at  Home,'  copyrighted  by  Cassell  cS:  Co.,  Ltd. 

birds,  we  equip  ourselves  with  (i)  our  ropes;  (2)  a  stout  crowbar: 
(3)  a  good,  strong,  level-headed  assistant  (nervous  or  careless  assist- 
ants should  be  studiously  avoided,  as  the  one  kind  of  man  is  as  dan- 
gerous as  the  other),  that  can  be  relied  upon;  (4)  a  revolver;  (5)  a 
camera  ;   (6)  a  photographer  who.  in   addition   to   being  a  good  athlete 


112  Bird -Lore 

and  gymnast,  possesses  no  nerves  at  all,  and  can,  in  consequence,  stand 
on  the  very  lip  of  a  cliff  a  thousand  feet  sheer,  as  he  would  do  on  the 
gutter  edge  of  a  sidewalk,   and  look  straight  below  him. 

I  would  advise  all  who  do  not  possess  the  above  qualities,  more 
or  less,  to  leave  cliff  photography  severely  alone,  as  walking  back- 
wards into  a  yawning  abyss,  even  on  the  end  of  a  good,  stout  rope, 
feels  uncommonly  like  stepping  into  eternity,  and  I  would  not  like  to 
have  the  blood  of  any  American  cousin  on  my  head. 

Upon  reaching  the  edge  of  any  precipice  wherein  we  suspect,  say 
an  Eagle,  to  be  breeding,  we  step  as  close  to  the  lip  of  the  crag  as 
possible.  I  hold  the  revolver  over  my  head,  fire,  and  watch  to  see 
where  a  bird  flies  out.  Should  one  do  so  we  mark  the  spot,  drive 
our  crowbar  into  the  ground  above  it,  tie  one  end  of  the  guide  rope 
securely  to  it  and  fling  the  rest  down  into  the  chasm  below.  The 
photographer  lashes  his  camera  to  his  back,  dons  the  three  loops  at 
the  end  of  the  descending  rope  round  his  hips,  the  rope  is  then 
passed  once  round  the  crowbar,  and  the  assistant  pays  it  out  from 
behind,  whilst  the  photographer,  steadying  himself  by  means  of  the 
guide-rope,  literally  walks  backwards  down  the  cliff.  Before  going 
down,  however,  he  takes  good  care  to  clear  away  all  the  loose  stones 
and  rubble,  for  if  he  did  not  do  so  they  would  be  sure  to  be  dislodged 
by  the  rope  when  he  comes  up. 

Upon  reaching  an  eyrie,  if  it  is  situated  on  a  ledge  wide  enough 
to  set  the  tripod  of  the  camera  on,  he  does  so  and  makes  his  studies, 
taking  good  care  not  to  let  go  his  ropes. 

If  the  nest  should  be  on  a  ledge  too  narrow  to  set  the  apparatus 
upon,  my  brother  passes  two  of  the  legs  of  his  tripod  through  a  belt 
round  his  waist  and  the  third  into  any  convenient  crevice  he  can 
find,  and  with  his  body  practically  at  right  angles  to  the  face  of  the 
crag  and  his  camera  almost  resting  on  his  chest,  focusses  and  takes 
his   picture. 

I  feel  that  I  have  barely  touched  the  fringe  of  my  subject  in  this 
short  article,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  to  the  man  equipped  with  a 
decent  camera  and  a  genuine  love  of  nature,  the  hints  I  have  given  will 
be  sufficient  to  set  him  to  work  natural  history  picture-making,  and, 
as  an  old  farmer,  I  know  enough  of  American  ingenuity  in  tool-making 
to  convince  me  that  there  is  no  bird  or  beast  living  in  the  western 
world  that  cannot  be  photographed,  living,  loving,  and  laboring  in  its 
free,  open-air  home.  Any  way,  every  reader  of  Bird-Lore  has  the 
best  wishes  of   the    brothers    Kearton. 


Two   Nova   Scotia   Photographs 

BY   C.  -WILL    BEEBE 

With  photographs  from  nature  by  the  author. 


THE     slate-colored    Junco    or    Snowbird     breeds    very 
abundantly    in    the    fields    of    Digby    county,    Nova 


7'         j'-^-'i: 


V        ^' 


Scotia,  and  its  neat  nests  are  often  so  artistically 
placed  that  they  are  a  continual  temptation  to  the 
naturalist  photographer.  One  nest,  in  particular, 
with  four  eggs,  was  especially  beautiful,  seen  through 
the  ground  glass  of  the  camera,  the  contrast  be- 
tween the  eggs  and  the  waxy  green  leaves  and 
scarlet  fruit  of  the  bunch-berries  near  it  making 
one  long  for  color  photography.  This  nest  was  in  a  field,  five  feet 
from  a  road,   and  partly  protected    by  a  tiny  bank  of  turf. 


^o^ 


Five  days  after  the  photograph  was  taken  the  eggs  hatched,  and 
four  balls  of  long,  jet-black  fuzz  appeared.  Daily  twelve-hour  meals 
of  green  measuring-worms,  provided  by  the  parents,  wrought  marvels 
in  the  appearance  of  the  young  birds,  and  in  a  surprisingly  short 
time  a  second  suit  of  streaked  black  and  brown  was  assumed.  In 
this,   perhaps,   the  facsimile  of   their  ancestors'  plumage,    they  left   the 

(113) 


114 


Bird -Lore 


nest,  and  apparently  lost  individuality  among  the  large  flocks  of  their 
species. 

Another  abundant  summer  bird  of  this  part  of  Nova  Scotia  is 
the  Night-hawk,  the  name  being  almost  a  misnomer,  as  they  are  visi- 
ble in  numbers,  flying  all  day.  But  all  do  not  depart  from  their 
usual  custom  of  sleeping  during  the  day,  as  is  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying   photograph,    taken    about    ir    a.    m.    one    August    day,    1898. 


NIGHT-HAWK    ASLEEP 


While  walking  along  a  railroad  track,  I  noticed  this  bird  resting  in 
a  fallen  trunk  about  four  feet  from  the  track.  I  focused  my 
camera  and  made  the  exposure  without  disturbing  the  bird  in  the 
least.  A  train  had  passed  not  long  before,  so  it  could  hardl}'  have 
been  asleep  more  than  an  hour.  The  characteristic  longitudinal 
position  assumed  by  this  bird  in  perching  is  well  shown,  and  its 
protective  coloring  makes  it  appear  a  mere  excrescence  on    the   bark. 

When  it  awoke  what  a  dream  it  might  relate  to  its  companions 
of  being  approached  by  a  horrible  one-eyed,  three-legged  creature, 
which    at    a    glance    made    it    immortal  I 

The  photograph  of  the  J  unco's  nest  and  eggs  was  made  with  a 
128  opening  and  a  4-second  exposure,  while  that  of  the  Night- 
hawk    was    stopped    at    G4.    with    an    exposure    of    two    seconds. 


J)^=-  W'"-"^       ^Mll 


In  the  Spartina  with  the  Swallows 

BY    O.    WIDMANN 

APLE  LAKE,  in  St.  Charles  county,  Mo.,  is  one  of  a 
series  of  lakes  situated  between  the  bluffs  and  the 
Mississippi  River.  The  bluffs  are  four  to  five  miles 
from  the  river  bank,  thus  leaving  a  wide  stretch  of 
alluvial  land,  lowest  toward  the  bluffs,  forming  an  ex- 
tended, nearly  level  marsh,  mostly  too  wet  and  poor 
for  cultivation,  and  covered  with  square  miles  of  cord- 
grass  (^Spar/ina  cyiiostiroides).  In  dry  summers  or  on 
higher  levels  it  reaches  only  a  height  of  three  or  four  feet,  but  in 
wet  summers,  as  for  instance  in  i8g8,  it  attains  the  stately  height  of 
six  to  eight  feet,  with  such  a  dense  growth  of  rigid  leaves  that  it  is 
hard  work  to  walk  or  even  drive  through.  As  a  commercial  article 
it  is  worth  very  little,  though  it  will  make  good  paper.  When  young 
it  is  liked  b}'  horses  and  cattle,  and  when  two  feet  high  it  makes 
pretty  good  hay,  which  is  sometimes  baled  and  sold  as  prairie  hay. 
But  while  man  does  not  yet  know  how  to  make  good  use  of  it, 
birds  do,  especially  some  species  of  the  families  Hirundinidae  and 
Icteridae — the  Swallow  and  Blackbird  families — who  find  in  the  spar- 
tina the  material  for  a  good  and  safe  dormitory.  Hundreds  of  acres 
of  this  grass  cover  the  region  about  Maple  Lake,  and  as  they  are 
within  the  confines  of  one  of  the  best  managed  club  grounds,  where 
neither  plow  nor  cattle,  neither  drainage  nor  fire  are  allowed,  they 
serve  many  kinds  of  birds  for  a  roosting  place  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year,  but  especially  in  fall   migration. 

Of  Swallows,  the  most  numerous  frequenters  are  the  Eaves,  the 
Tree  or  Whitebreasts,  and  the  Roughwings,  and  they  show  their 
appreciation  of  this  rare  place  of  security  and  peace  by  coming 
early  in  the  season  and  staying  late.  When  the  Eaves  have  become 
strangers  at  their  breeding  stations  for  a  long  time,  the  marsh  is 
the  place  to  find  them  in  plent}'.  Here  is  the  place  to  look  for 
the  first  Whitebreast  of  the  year  as  early  as  the  second  week  of 
March,  and  for  the  last,  in  the  third  week  of  October.  For  two 
months,  from  the  middle  of  August  to  the  middle  of  October, 
a  cloud  of  Swallows  may  be  seen  every  evening,  just  before 
dark,  hovering  over  the  most  remote  and  inaccessible  part  of 
the  immense  spartina  waste,  and  wherever  you  are  in  the  marsh 
in  the  late  afternoon,  you  cannot  fail  to  notice  innumerable  Swal- 
lows skimming  the  grassy  ocean  and  the  adjacent  lakes.  If  toward 
sunset  you  Avatch  them  closely,  you  will  find  that,  though  they 
may     linger     long    on     some     favorite     hunting     ground,    the     general 

(115) 


ii6 


Bird -Lore 


trend  is  toward  one  particular  region,  and  if  you  will  wait  long 
enough,  you  will  find  that  the}^  have  all  disappeared  in  that  direc- 
tion and  that,  when  almost  dark,  belated  parties  passing  by  go  in 
a  straight  line  direct  for  the  same  unknown  destination.  Certainly 
a  most  interesting  sight  for  the  naturalist  to  see  so  many  of  these 
lovely,    lively,    likeh'    creatures    passing    over,    about  and  around    you. 


z^:/»."^  ' 


TREE    (iR    \\IIITEI5REASTE11    SWALLOWS 
Photographed  from  nature  by  Edward  Van  Altena,  Alpine,  N,  J.,  September,  1898 

all  governed  by  one  idea,  all  driven  by  one  common  impulse,  all 
eager  to  reach  the  same  aim,  the  common  roost  I  Where  is  the 
roost  ?  Where  do  all  these  birds  spend  the  night  ?  How  do  they 
retire  in  the  evening,  and  what  is  their  conduct  when  they  leave 
their  night-quarters   in   the   morning  ? 

In  spite  of  their  large  numbers  and  generally  unconcealed 
activity,  the  answer  to  these  questions  is  not  quite  easy.  Otherwise 
confiding  creatures.  Swallows  are  careful  to  keep  the  exact  location 
of  their  roost  as  much  as  possible  a  secret  from  the  outer  world. 
Neither  the  persons  who  live  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  marsh, 
nor     the     hunters    who    desecrate    its    sanctity,    could     tell    you    where 


In  the  Spartina  with  the  Swallows  117 

the  Swallows  roost.  It  requires  the  persistent  efforts  and  full 
attention  of  the  naturalist  to  show  you  where  and  how  his  favorite 
bird  goes  to  rest  and  how  it  sets  out  and  enters  upon  the  duties 
and  pleasures  of  another  day.  You  have  to  be  after  nightfall, 
alone  with  the  mosquitos  and  other  pests,  in  the  wide,  wet  and 
pathless  marsh,  and  again  before  the  faintest  glimmer  announces 
the   approach    of   day. 

But  select  a  day  in  the  latter  part  of  August  or  the  first  half 
of  September,  and  follow  me.  We  are  up  early,  to  be  on  the 
grounds  before  5  a.  m.  ;  the  stars  are  vanishing,  one  after  the  other, 
and  the  first  dawn  appears  on  the  eastern  horizon  :  the  air  is  cool 
and  misty,  the  grass  loaded  with  heavy  dew,  but  we  have  to  plow 
our  way  through  as  best  w^e  can.  By  previous  observation  we  have 
located  the  whereabouts  of  our  birds,  and  we  are  now  fast  ap- 
proaching their  sanctum,  all  alive  and  alert  for  the  expected  dis- 
closures. 

Before  this,  only  the  hooting  of  the  Barred  Owl  in  the  distant 
woods  had  broken  the  silence,  but  now  comes  from  the  depth  of  his 
private  retreat,  the  sleepy  'seewick'  of  the  Henslow's  Sparrow,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  weak  but  lively  '  chip  chip  churr '  of  the  Short- 
billed  Marsh  Wren.  '  Pink,  pink,  pink '  exclaims  the  Bobolink,  whom 
we  have  startled  from  his  slumber  of  repose,  and,  as  we  advance, 
up  go  some  Swallows,  one  by  one.  to  the  right,  to  the  left,  in  front 
of  us,  not  in  masses  or  bunches,  but  singly,  every  few  yards  one 
or  two  flying  up,  silent,  and   on  wings  heavy  with  dew. 

Dawn  has  been  making  fast  progress  the  last  few  minutes,  and 
we  can  see  quite  a  little  distance  through  the  misty  air.  Now  is 
the  time  when  the  Swallows  begin  of  their  own  accord  to  lea,ve 
their  perch  down  in  the  depths  of  the  spartina  and  fly  with  heavy 
wing  through  the  cool  and  foggy  layer  below  into  the  clearer 
atmoshere  above,  where  the  sun's  first  rays  will  soon  dispel  the 
chilly   dampness  of    their   plumage. 

While  we  are  still  absorbed  in  the  astounding  spectacle,  daylight  is 
stealing  quietly  into  the  novel  scene,  and  discloses  the  presence  of 
greater  and  greater  numbers  of  Swallows  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 
Many  have  gained  enormous  heights,  and  are  soaring  majestically  in  the 
sun-kissed  zenith.  Not  so  voiceless  as  the  Swallows  do  the  Bobolinks 
leave  the  roost.  Their  pink  is  continually  in  the  air,  and  numerous  par- 
ties are  seen  passing  over,  drifting  into  all  directions  of  the  compass. 
Some  alight  again,  all  in  their  yellow  traveling  suits,  with  the  exception 
of  one  who  has  a  little  song  for  us  and  wears  a  somewhat  mottled  garb 
with  whitish  rump.  Long-stretched  flocks  of  Redwings  pass  in  one 
direction,  troops  of  Frackles  in  another  ;   but.  on  the  whole  they  do  not 


n8  Bird-Lore 

• 
present  anything  like  the  grand  spectacle  they  will  later  in  the  year, 
when   migration   sends   millions  of  them   to   this   marsh. 

The  sun  is  up  now,  and  a  little  wind  is  stirring  and  dispels  the 
clamni}'  dampness  of  the  air.  Shortbills  sing  on  all  sides,  and  a  few 
Marylands  and  Henslows  are  also  heard  to  sing.  Great  Blue  Herons 
are  on  the  move,  and  the  Marsh  Hawk  is  at  work.  A  Bittern  wings 
its  way  across  the  marsh,  attended  by  a  committee  of  inquisitive 
young  Eaves.  There  is  a  peculiar  movement  now  among  the  Swal- 
lows. They  seem  to  concentrate  their  forces.  Let  us  follow  them, 
and   be  treated   to  an   unexpected   sight. 

Fifty  thousand  Eave  Swallows  are  seated  on  the  protruding  tops  of 
sunflowers,  which  grow  here  among  the  spartina  in  restricted  areas,  cov- 
ering a  few  acres  in  the  middle  of  the  marsh  !  They  sit,  several  on  one 
plant,  as  close  together  as  the  branches  and  their  weight  allow.  We 
draw  nearer,  until  we  are  within  twenty  3'ards  of  the  assembly.  The 
birds  must  see  us,  but  do  not  mind,  and  we  have  excellent  opportunity 
to  watch  them.  Their  numbers  are  still  swelling.  The  long,  narrow, 
ridge-like  stretch  of  sunflowers  is  filling  up  more  and  more.  From 
the  north  comes  a  steady  flow  of  Eaves,  all  bound  for  the  con- 
vention. 

It  is  now  6  A.  M. ;  the  influx  of  arrivals  from  the  north  has  ceased, 
and  all  seem  ready  for  the  opening  of  the  session  ;  but  they  do  not  look 
as  if  they  were  going  to  transact  important  business.  Some  fly  up  from 
time  to  time,  draw  a  few  circles  and  sit  down  again.  Most  of  them 
look  tired,  as  if  they  had  already  performed  a  most  fatiguing  task. 
The  majority  are  young  fellows,  all  Eaves,  in  pale  attire,  some  so  small 
as  if  not  fully  grown  ;  but  there  are  also  many  adults  in  high  dress 
among  them.  All  are  enjoying  their  rest,  some  are  preening  their 
feathers,  others  half  close  their  eyes  and  puff  up  their  plumage,  as  if 
going  to  sleep.  There  are  still  some  high  up  in  the  ether  enjoying 
their  enviable  wing  power  ;  others  are  hunting  low  over  the  marsh,  in 
company  with   Whitebreasts. 

Although  the  two  species  hunt,  fl}'  and  roost  together,  the}'  do 
not  hold  their  meetings  together.  The  Whitebreasts'  assemblages  are 
held  over  water.  They  betake  themselves  to  a  pond  or  lake,  and 
find  a  perch  on  the  pods,  stalks  and  projecting  leaves  of  the  lotus 
{Nclumbo  liitea),  with  which  some  of  these  shallow  waters  of  the 
marsh  are  literally  covered.  There  is  a  small  pond  only  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  sunflower  patch,  and  this  is  now  just  full  of 
Whitebreasts.  Now  and  then  a  little  cloud  of  them  rises  from  the 
pond,  and  after  a  few  evolutions  settles  down  again.  There  are  only 
a  few  hundred  ;  the  height  of  their  autumnal  wandering  is  several 
weeks   behind   that   of    the   Eaves.       These   are   most    numerous  in   late 


In  the  Spartina  with  the  Swallows 


119 


August  and  early  September  :  but,  as  their  number  decreases,  that  of  the 
Whitebreasts  hicreases,  reaching  tlie  height  at  the  time  the  Eaves  depart. 

In  summer  the  roost  belongs  almost  entirely  to  the  Eaves,  who 
flock  here  from  the  surrounding  country.  So  do  the  Roughwings.  a 
few  hundred  only,  and  some  Barn  Swallows  and  Whitebreasts,  which 
two  species  are  not  numerous   breeders  in   this  region. 

As    soon    as   migration    begins,    about    the    middle    of    August,    the 


TREE     OR     WHITEBREASTED     SWALLOWS 

Immature  liirds  on  the  ground  gathering  nesting  material,  which  they  drop  after  carrying  a  short 

distance,  thus  apparently  giving  a  premature  exhibition  of  the  nest-building  instinct 

Piicto^raphed  from  nature  by  Frank   M,  Chapman,  Leonia,  N-  J,,  August,  1897 

Eaves  are  greatly  reinforced,  and  for  the  next  four  weeks  enormous 
numbers  are  present,  but  it  is  probable  that  they  are  not  always  the 
same  individuals,  as  their  numbers  vary  from  day  to  day.  It  seems 
they  perform  their  migrations  b}'  stages,  from  roost  to  roost,  employ- 
ing mainly  the  first  hour  of  the  morning  for  their  flights,  spending 
the  day  resting  and  feeding  in  the  region  surrounding  the  roost. 
The  substitution  of  arriving  Whitebreasts  for  departing  Eaves  is  in 
the  beginning  almost  imperceptible,  but  at  last  we  see  that  the  one 
has  taken  the  place  of   the  other  entirely.       The   Roughwings  become 


I20  Bird -Lore 

more  numerous  in  early  September,  and  many  remain,  with  a  few 
Barn  Swallows,  into  October,  but  the  latter  are  never  conspicuous  at 
this  roost.  Martms  and  Bank  Swallows  are  only  accidental  visitors 
to  this  roost.  The  Whitebreasts  remain  numerous  to  the  middle  of 
October,  and  small  detachments  linger  even  a  week  longer. 

Most  of  the  Eaves  that  have  been  gathering  on  the  sunflowers 
before  6  a.  m.  are  still  there  at  8  a.  isi.,  and  the  Whitebreasts  are  also 
on  the  lotus  yet  ;  but  an  hour  later,  when  the  sun  has  heated  the 
marsh  and  started  the  winged  insects  on  their  aerial  mission,  the  time 
for  activity  has  arrived,  and  the  meetings  are  adjourned,  the  birds 
dispersed.  We,  too,  will  adjourn,  with  the  promise  to  be  back  for 
another  meeting  in  the  evening.  When  migration  is  well  under  way, 
the  collecting  of  the  Eaves  and  Whitebreasts  begins  early  in  the 
evening  ;  in  fact,  large  droves  are  met  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  play- 
fully gyrating  in  the  blue  heavens  above,  or  describing  endless  curves 
upon  the  glittering  marsh  beneath.  The  Roughwings  are  seldom 
seen  in  the  marsh  in  daytime.  As  soon  as  they  leave  the  roost  at 
early  dawn,  they  hurry  away  to  their  accustomed  haunts  along  the 
water  courses  in  the  timber,  where  they  collect  on  the  branches  of  a 
dead  tree  on  the  bank,  if  possible  over  water.  There  they  sit,  soon 
after  daybreak,  fifty  to  one  hundred  together,  silent  and  lost  in  medi- 
tation, patiently  awaiting  the  dissipation  of  the  vapory  dimness,  the 
signal  for  activity.  They  are  greatly  attached  to  these  meeting- 
places,  and  resort  to  them  often  in  daytime  as  well  as  in  the  even- 
ing. Indeed,  these  gatherings  of  Roughwings  on  certain  dead  trees 
along  our  woodland  lakes  and  streams  are  quite  a  feature  of  the 
landscape  from  July  till  October.  Often  their  ranks  are  considerably 
swelled  by  an  admixture  of  other  Swallows — oftenest  the  Bank  Swal- 
lows, who  join  them  on  their  entomologizing  excursions,  and  find  it 
congenial  to  spend  some  time  on  the  same  perch  with  their  gentle 
cousins. 

In  fall  migration,  the  different  kinds  of  Swallows  like  to  mix, 
hunt  and  rest  together,  and  it  is  nothing  rare  to  find  four  or  five 
species  sitting  side  by  side.  To  be  sure  of  a  full  view  of  the  whole 
performance,  we  are  in  the  marsh  as  early  as  5  p.  m.,  and  take  a 
stand  west  of  the  roost  to  have  a  good  light,  and  also  to  be  in  a 
position  where  we  can  overlook  part  of  Maple  Lake,  over  which  a 
large  number  of  Swallows  take  their  way.  Indeed,  we  find  them 
already  plentiful,  and  watch  their  actions.  A  few  dozens  are  sitting 
on  the  plant  stalks  projecting  from  the  water,  mostly  Whitebreasts. 
From  the  west  comes  a  pretty  steady  stream  of  Eaves.  When  they 
reach  the  spot  where  the  Whitebreasts  are  gathering  now,  they  pause 
a   moment,   and,   hovering,   take    a   drink,    several   at   once,    after   which 


In  the  Spartina  with  the  Swallows  121 

they  continue  their  course.  Is  it  not  strange  tliat  they  seem  to 
think  that  this  is  the  only  place  for  Eaves  to  drink,  though  the  lake 
is  half  a  mile   long  ? 

Bobolinks  also  arrive  in  the  marsh  ;  small  parties  pass  over, 
and  their  pink  is  often  in  the  air.  It  is  now  5.30  v.  .m.  More  Eaves 
come,  drink,  and  move  on.  We  move,  too,  following  them  through 
the  high  spartina  until  we  see  in  the  distance  an  oasis  of  black 
dots   in    the   yellow   sea   of    grasses.      While   we   are   still    advancing,  a 


I    ^  <    *^    f 


^— f — ^f—^ M ^-^ — f 


'  BIRD    NOTES    TREE    SWALLOWS 

Photographed  from  nature  by  Frank  M.  Chapman 

Pigeon  Hawk  darts  over  our  heads,  going  straight  for  the  oasis. 
In  less  than  no  time  the  black  dots  take  wing  and  up  goes  the 
whole  congregation  of  Eaves,  up,  up,  scattering  to  all  winds,  and 
disappearing  for  several  minutes.  But  the  disturber  is  gone,  and 
the  frightened  birds  find  courage  to  return  and  sit  down  again  on 
their  favorite  weeds,  from  which  they  can  overlook  the  marsh  for 
miles   around. 

The  Bobohnks,  for  whose  special  benefit  the  Hawk's  visit  was 
this  time  meant,  are  still  hovering  in  the  air,  but  new  troops  arrive, 
and  after  some  aimless  drifting  all  settle  down  to  roost  amongst  the 
grasses. 

The  sun  is  down  now,  and  perfect  streams  of  Swallows  are  flow- 
ing from  all  sides  toward  the  oasis  in  the  center.  This  is  the  mo- 
ment when  the  Whitebreasts,  who  for  the  last  hour  have  been  con- 
gregating on  the  lotus  of  the  neighboring  lakes,  mingle  with  the 
passing  Eaves  and  accompany  them  to  the  common  roost.  The 
Roughwings,  too,  have  left  their  haunts  and  are  appearing  in  the 
marsh. 

The  light  of  day  is  waning  fast,  and  the  smoky  air  gets  dim  and 
misty.  The  assembled  Eaves  are  now  seen  to  rise  in  clouds  from 
their  oasis,  mix  their  forces  with  the  invading  army,  and  the  grandest 


122 


Bird -Lore 


spectacle  ensues.  At  first  it  looks  as  if  confusion  reigned,  but  soon 
the  hosts  of  fleet-winged  birds  no  longer  whirl  aimlessly  through 
space.  All  mass  and  muster,  and  perform  strange  evolutions  with 
amazing  swiftness  and  precision.  Now  we  see  them  scattering  and 
spreading  over  the  whole  area  on  which  they  intend  to  roost,  appa- 
rently to  make  sure  that  no  danger  lurks  beneath  the  grasses.  Here 
they  come,  skimming,  almost  touching,  the  spartina,  pass  by,  and 
speed  onward  until  lost  to  sight  for  a  few  moments,  when  all  at 
once  a  great  cloud  of  moving  specks  is  visible  in  the  distant 
sky.  The  specks  are  Swallows,  and  the  cloud  has  life  ;  it  moves,  it 
rolls,  it  swells,  it  conies,  it  breaks  and,  like  a  torrent  of  wing-borne 
arrows,  darts  upon  us,  scattering  and  spreading  out,  as  it  descends 
for  another  wild  dash  low  over  the  spartina. 

The  same  wonderful  maneuvers  repeat  themselves  as  long  as 
the  evening  twilight  lasts,  and,  though  with  each  descent  the  cloud 
does  shrink  in  size,  it  does  not  cease  to  rise  again  until  black  night 
has  fully  settled  down,  and  even  after  dark  small  droves  of  be- 
wildered birds  rush  madly  by  our  side.  Being  well  within  the  range 
of  the  now  settled  birds,  we  cannot  go  away  without  disturbing  some 
in  their  repose  ;  although  they  are  dispersed  over  a  large  area,  every 
now  and  then  one  will  be  seen  to  scamper  out  and  vanish  in  the 
darkness. 


VOUNG    EUROPEAN    MARTINS    AND    XEST 
Photographed  from  nature  by  '*  C.  R." 


Watching   the    Bittern    '  Pump ' 

BY    BRADFORD    TORREY 

IXCE   I    printed,   in  'The  Auk'  (Vol.  vi,   p.    i),  a  descrip- 
tion   of    the    Bittern's   vocal    performances,    I    have    wit- 
nessed a  repetition  of  them  on  three  occasions  ;  and  the 
story   of    my   successes,    such    as    they   are,    may   be    en- 
couraging to  the  younger  readers  of  Bird-Lore. 

The  remarkable  sounds,  sometimes  likened  to  those 
of  an  old-fashioned  wooden  pump,  sometimes  to  those 
made  by  a  man  driving  a  stake  in  wet  soil  ( and  the  likeness  is 
unmistakable,  not  to  say  perfect,  in  both  cases),  must  have  attracted 
attention,  we  may  suppose,  ever  since  the  settlement  of  the  country. 
The  dullest  person  could  not  hear  them,  it  would  seem,  without 
wondering  how  and  by  what  they  were  produced.  But  up  to  the 
time  of  my  -Auk'  article,  there  was  only  one  authentic  record,  so 
far  as  I  am  aware,  that  the  bird  had  ever  been  seen  in  the  act  of 
uttering  them.  For  my  own  part,  having  never  lived  near  a  meadow 
adapted  to  the  Bittern's  purposes,  I  had  never  so  much  as  heard  his 
famous  'boom,'  though  references  to  it  here  and  there,  in  the  writ- 
ings of  Thoreau  especially,  had  given  me  a  lively  desire  to  do  so. 
It  was  a  strange  accident,  surely,  that  the  first  Bittern  I  had  ever 
heard  should  show  himself  so  openly  and  for  so  long  a  time.  Be- 
ginners' luck,  we  may  call  it,  and  be  thankful  that  such  providential 
encouragements  are  not  so  very  uncommon.  As  the  Scripture  says, 
"The  last  shall  be  first." 

On  the  2d  of  May,  i88g,  a  year  after  the  observations  recorded 
in  'The  Auk'  article,  I  was  lying  upon  a  cliff  on  the  edge  of  a  cat- 
tail swamp,  listening  for  Rail  notes  or  a  Least  Bittern's  coo,  when  a 
Bittern,  very  much  to  my  surprise,  pumped  almost  at  my  feet.  By 
good  luck  a  small  wooded  peninsula  jutted  into  the  swamp  just  at 
that  point  (the  swamp,  I  regret  to  sa}^,  has  since  been  converted  into 
a  town  reservoir),  and,  keeping  in  the  shelter  of  rocks  and  trees, 
I  stole  out  to  its  very  tip  unobserved.  Two  or  three  times  the  notes 
were  repeated,  but  I  could  get  no  sight  of  the  performer.  Then,  all 
in  a  flash,  he  stood  before  me  —  as  no  doubt  he  had  been  doing  all 
the  while  —  in  full  view,  just  across  a  narrow  space  of  open  water 
against  a  patch  of  cat-tails.  He  had  taken  no  alarm,  and  pumped 
six  or  eight  times  while  I  stood,  opera-glass  in  hand,  watching  his 
slightest  motion.  Then  he  stalked  away  into  the  reeds,  pumped 
twice,  —  behind    the    scenes,    as    it   were,  —  and    fell    silent. 

Two   days    later    I    went    to    the    Wayland    meadows,   where    I    had 

(123) 


124  Bird -Lore 

seen  my  bird  of  the  year  previous,  and  there,  seated  upon  the  rail- 
road embankment,  as  before,  I  watched  a  Bittern  pump  at  short  inter- 
vals for  more  than  an  hour.  Most  of  the  time  he  was  more  or  less 
hidden  by  the  low  grass,  through  which  he  was  slowly  traveling  down 
the  meadow ;  but  once,  coming  near  the  remains  of  a  last  year's 
haycock,  he  went  a  little  out  of  his  way,  mounted  it,  and  boomed  in 
full  sight.  The  Bittern  is  a  wader  and  a  recluse,  but  once  in  a  while, 
it  appears,  he  has  no  objection  to  a  clear  platform  and  dry  feet. 

I  felt  myself  highly  favored.  Twice  within  three  days  I  had  been 
admitted  to  "assist"  at  mysteries  of  which  Thoreau,  who  spent  his  life 
in  the  best  of  Bittern  country,  had  never  obtained  so  much  as  a 
glimpse. 

Exactly  a  year  afterward  (May  4,  i8go)  I  was  strolling  along  a 
road  near  home,  when  from  a  meadow  beside  it  came  the  now 
familiar  pumping  notes.  I  made  toward  the  spot,  and  by  the  help 
of  a  clump  of  alder  bushes  approached  within  a  very  short  distance 
of  the  bird,  who  stood  in  short  grass,  quite  unconcealed.  A  migra- 
tory visitor  only,  he  must  have  been,  for  I  am  certain  that  no  Bittern 
ever  summered  in  that  place  during  my  years  of  residence  near  it. 
I  watched  him  at  his  work  till  I  was  tired.  Then,  bethinking  myself 
of  a  friend  and  neighbor  who  knew  nothing  about  birds,  but  had 
once  expressed  to  me  a  curiosity  about  the  'Stake-driver,'  I  walked 
to  the  village,  rang  his  doorbell,  and  invited  him  to  go  back  with 
me  to  see  the  show.  The  showman  was  still  rehearsing,  and  we  stole 
upon  him  without  difficulty,  and  saw  as  much  as  we  wished  of  his 
doings.  Though  it  was  Sunday  morning,  and  the  bird  was  as  serious 
as  any  parson,  we  took  the  liberty  of  laughing  a  little  at  his  absurd 
contortions. 

Since  then  I  have  heard  the  Bittern's  music  on  sundry  occasions, 
but  never  have  found  it  possible  to  come  within  sight  of  him  in 
the  act  of  making  it.  Once,  I  remember,  I  was  sitting  upon  a  road- 
side fence,  reading,  when  a  carriage  stopped  and  an  unrecognized 
feminine  voice  said:  "Do  you  see  that  Heron  behind  you,  Mr.  Tor- 
rey  ?  "  The  "Heron"  was  Botaunts  Icntigiuosiis,  in  a  bit  of  low  ground 
close  by  a  house.  I  shut  my  book  and  gave  him  my  attention, 
which  he  presently  rewarded  by  catching  and  swallowing  a  snake. 
This  was  in  autumn,  when  Bitterns,  like  lesser  birds,  are  liable  to 
turn  up  in  unexpected  quarters.  The  reader  may  take  the  incident, 
if  he  will,  as  a  warning  against  the  reading  of  print  out  of  doors. 
As  a  general  thing,  we  may  safely  say,  Nature's  page  is  better  than 
a  book. 

One  season  a  friend  and  myself  became  much  interested  in  the 
qiiestion    as    to    the    relative   "carrying    power'  of    the    three    notes    or 


Hints  to  Young  Bird   Students  i^5 

syllables  of  which  the  Bittern's  music  is  composed.  The  discussion 
began  by  our  hearing  a  single  far-away  note,  repeated  at  the  proper 
intervals,  at  a  time  when  we  could  not  well  follow  it  up.  Later' inves- 
tigation, to  our  no  small  surprise,  compelled  us  to  settle  down  upon 
the  conclusion  that  the  first  note  was  the  one  last  to  be  lost  as  we 
traveled  away  from  the  bird.  We  were  surprised,  I  say,  for  the 
second  note  is  the  one  which  bears,  or  seems  to  bear,  the  accent. 
Plum-pi(d-ir n,  the  creature  appears  to  say,  with  an  emphasis  fairly  to 
be  called  violent  upon  the  middle  note.  ^^"hy,  then,  should  not 
the  middle  note  be  heard  farthest  ?  What  is  emphasis,  anyhow, 
if  not,  as  the  dictionary  says,  a  "special  force  of  voice. "  Could  there 
be  something  peculiar,  we  asked  ourselves,  in  the  quality  of  the  first 
syllable,  which  made  it  carry  beyond  the  others  ?  We  discussed  the 
matter  eagerly,  trudging  to  and  fro  to  make  certain  of  the  fact  itself, 
and  agreed,  if  I  remember  rightly,  upon  a  plausible  explanation.  As 
I  review  the  case,  however,  I  am  so  much  in  doubt  as  to  the  correct- 
ness of  our  theory  that  it  seems  quite  as  well  not  to  state  it,  but  to 
leave  the  question  to  any  Bird-Lore  reader  who  may  some  day  have 
nothing  better  to  do  than  to  investigate  it  for  himself. 


Jfor  Ceacl)er0  anti  ^tutient0 

Hints  to  Young  Bird   Students^' 

<T  has  always  been  our  experience  that  3'oung  bird  students  who 
have  just  crossed  the  threshold  of  ornithology  are  glad  to 
turn  for  a  word  of  advice  and  assistance  to  their  old^r 
brethren,  who  have  already  made  some  progress  in  the 
science  ;  and  it  has  always  been  a  pleasure  for  us  to  give 
such  aid.  In  view  of  these  facts,  we  take  this  opportunity 
of  offering   a   few   words   of   counsel   for   the  benefit   of   those 

who   are  beginning  the  study  of  birds. 

Doubtless  every  beginner  looks  upon  the  formation  of  a  collection 

as  necessarily  the  first  step  on  the  ornithological  ladder;  and  probably 

a  collection  of  eggs  is  preferred  to  a  collection  of  birds,  because  the 

specimens  can  be  prepared  much  more  readily. 


*From  a  leaflet  prepared  under  the  initiative  of  Mr.  Witnier  Stone,  Conservator  Ornithological 
Section,  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Philadelphia.  These  "hints"  are  addressed  to  students  who  desire  to 
become  scientific  ornithologists  and  to  whom  specimens  are  a  necessity.  They  show,  however, 
how  few  specimens  are  required,  and  how  much  more  there  is  to  learn  from  living  birds  than  fiom 
dead  ones. 


126  Bird- Lore 

Soon  you  meet  complaints  from  well  meaning  persons  who  object 
to  robbing  birds'  nests,  and  you  reply  that  you  are  collecting  for 
scientific  purposes.  Very  good  ;  science  has  need  of  you  all,  but 
do  you  know  what   scientific  ornithology  —  real  ornithology  —  is? 

Are  you  not  influenced,  to  some  extent,  at  least,  by  "  oological " 
niagaziuL-s  and  dealers'  price-lists  of  eggs,  from  which  you  learn  that 
it  is  important  to  secure  series  of  sets,  —  which  means  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  eggs,  —  and  wherein  you  also  learn  the  market  price  of 
this  or  that  egg,  and  value  your  specimens  accordingly,  —  just  as  you 
do  your  postage  stamps?  This  is  not  science,  and  the  men  who  advo- 
cate this  sort  of  collecting,  and  who  have  the  largest  collections  of 
eggs,  rarely  contribute  anything  to  our  knowledge  of  birds,  and  are 
not  advancing   the  science  of  ornithology. 

If  you  must  have  a  collection,  a  few  sets  of  eggs  (often  a  single 
set)  of  each  species  of  bird  will  answer  all  your  purposes.  There  is 
nothing  to  be  gained  by  the  collecting  of  a  series,  except  the  extermi- 
nation of  the  birds,  which  is  surely  not  your  object. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  bird  work  that  you 
can  do  to  help  the  science  of  ornithology  and  gain  a  reputation  for 
yourself. 

There  are  hundreds  of  facts  regarding  the  distribution  of  birds, 
their  habits,  etc.,  which  are  still  unknown,  and  you  should  make  it 
your  aim  to  become  an  authority  on  the  birds  of  your  region,  and 
keep  records  of  all  your  observations  as  to  migration,  habits,  abun- 
dance, etc.  You  will  find  ample  opportunity  for  work,  as  every  year 
will  bring  to  light  new  facts,  and  the  more  you  contribute  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  birds  the  more  you  will  see  what  an  insignificant 
matter  the  formation  of  an  egg  collection  is  in  comparison  with  real 
ornithology. 

In  the  case  of  birds,  it  is  justifiable  to  shoot  specimens  which 
are  new  to  you  for  purposes  of  identification,  but  you  should  make 
the  best  use  of  the  bird  before  you  kill  it,  so  that  it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  shoot  more  of  the  same  kind  in  order  to  tell  what  they 
are.  Your  aim  should  be  to  learn  to  recognize  birds  at  sight  and 
by  their  notes,  and  you  will  find  you  will  learn  more  of  value  by  a 
study  of  the  living  bird   than   by  collecting  skins. 

The  exact  knowledge  that  we  now  possess  of  the  coloration,  etc., 
of  North  American  birds,  and  the  large  collections  available  for  study 
in  the  museums,  render  it  entirely  unnecessary  for  every  bird  student 
to  form  a  collection.  Those  who  undertake  any  special  line  of  study 
will  soon  learn  what  specimens  are  required  and  collect  accordingly, 
instead  of  amassing  a  large  number  of  specimens  with  no  particular 
object  in   view. 


Hints   to   Young   Bird   Students  127 

These  suggestions  are  not  made  with  a  faultfinding  or  sentimen- 
tal feeling,  but  in  a  friendly  spirit,  for  the  purpose  of  counteracting 
the  effect  of  the  advice  of  egg  dealers  and  traders,  who  seem  bent 
upon  developing  our  budding  students  into  "egg  hogs"  instead  of 
ornithologists. 

We  have  all  killed  birds  and  collected  eggs,  but  not  to  a  useless 
excess,  and  have  always,  we  believe,  made  real  use  of  our  collections 
in  adding  to  the  knowledge  of  birds  and  advancing  the  science  of 
ornithology. 

As  active  members  of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  we  are 
only  too  glad  to  encourage  the  study  of  birds  and  aid  the  beginner,  but 
unless  some  steps  be  taken  against  this  useless  egg  collecting,  the  ex- 
termination of  some  at  least  of  our  birds  will  soon  be  effected. 

We  ask  your  earnest  consideration  of  these  points,  and  trust  you 
will  aid  us  by  your  influence  and  example  in  advancing  true  orni- 
thology, and  in  discouraging  the  waste  of  bird-life  occasioned  by  this 
"fad"  of  egg  collecting. 

WITMER    STONE, 

Conservator  Ornithological  Section,  Acad.  Nat.  Sti.,  Philadelpliia. 

J.   A.   ALLEN, 

Curator  Dept  Vertebrate  Zool.,  Ainer    Mus    Nat.  Hist..  New  York  City 

FRANK    M.   CHAPMAN, 

Ass't  Curator  Dept.  Vertebrate  Zool.,  Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  New  York 
City. 

ROBERT    RIDGWAY, 

President  American   Ornithologists'   Union. 

Curator  Dept.  of  Birds,  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

CHARLES   W.   RICHMOND, 

Ass't  Curator  Dept.  of  Birds,  U.  S    Nat.  Mus.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

C.   HART    MERRIAM, 

Chief  U    S    Biol.  Survey,  Dept.  of  Agric'jlture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

T.    S.   PALMER, 

Ass't  Biol.  Survey,  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

A.    K.    FISHER, 

Ass't  Biol.  Survey,  Dept,  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

WILLIAM    BREWSTER, 

Curator  Dept.  of  Birds,  Museum  Comp.  Zool.,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

WILLIAM    DUTCHER, 

Treasurer  American  Ornithologisis'  I'nion,  New  York  City. 

JOHN    H.   SAGE, 

Secretary  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  Portland,  Conn 


Fall    Migration   at   Portland,  Conn. 

BY    JOHN    H.    SAGE 


I.    AVERAGE  DATES  OF  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  COMMONER  SUMMER  RESIDENT  BIRDS 

September   i  to   io 
Least  Bittern,   Black-billed  Cuckoo,  Least  Flycatcher,  Baltimore  Oriole,  Veery 

September  io  to  20 
Kingbird,    Cliff     Swallow,    Purple     Martin,   Warbling    Vireo,    White-eyed    Vireo, 
Prairie  Warbler,  Wood  Thrush. 

September  20  to  30 
Spotted  Sandpiper,  Whip-poor-will,  Humming-bird,  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak,  Bank 
Swallow,  Yellow-throated  Vireo,  Nashville  Warbler,  Yellow  Warbler,   Redstart,  Oven- 
bird,   House  Wren. 

October  i  to  io 

Green  Heron,  Nighthawk,  Chimney  Swift,  Wood  Pewee,  Scarlet  Tanager,  Red- 
eyed  Vireo,  Black  and  White  Warbler,  Parula  Warbler. 

October  10  to  20 
Virginia  Rail,  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  Cooper's  Hawk,  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo, 
Phoebe,   Bobolink,   Indigo    Bunting,   Barn    Swallow,  Catbird,   Brown  Thrasher,   Short- 
billed  Marsh  Wren. 

October  20  to  31 

American  Bittern,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Meadow  Lark, 
Field  Sparrow,  Vesper,  Savanna  and  Chipping  Sparrows,  Towhee,  Tree  Swallow,  Black- 
throated  Green  Warbler,  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  Long-billed  Marsh  Wren. 

November  i  to  30 
Woodcock,   Mourning    Dove,   Marsh    Hawk,  Kingfisher,  Flicker,  Bronzed   Grackle, 
Cowbird,  Song  Sparrow,  Swamp  Sparrow,  Robin. 

II.    DATES  OF  ARRIVAL  OF  MIGRANTS  FROM  THE  NORTH 

August  15  to  31 
Great  Blue  Heron,  Small-billed  Water  Thrush. 

September  i  to  10 
Yellow    Rail,    Least    Sandpiper,    Solitary  Sandpiper,    Osprey,    Blackburnian  War- 
bler, Yellow  Palm  Warbler,  Canadian  Warbler*. 

September  10  to  20 
Pied-billed  Grebe,  Blue-winged  Teal, Wilson's  Snipe,  Pigeon  Hawk,  Yellow-bellied 
Sapsucker,     Rusty     Blackbird,    White-throated      Sparrow,    Philadelphia    Vireo,     Bay- 
breasted  Warbler,  Black-poll  Warbler,  Connecticut  Warbler,  Red-breasted  Nuthatch, 
Grey-cheeked  Thrush. 

September  20  to  30 

Loon,  Black  Duck,  American  Coot,  Pectoral  Sandpiper,  Semi-palmated  Sandpiper, 
Greater  Yellow-legs,  Nelson's  Sparrow,  Junco,  Lincoln's  Sparrow,  Black-throated  Blue 
Warbler*,  Myrtle  Warbler,  Magnolia  Warbler*,  Pine  Warbler,  Wilson's  Warbler*, 
American  Pipit,  Winter  Wren,   Ruby-crowned  Kinglet,  Olive-backed  Thrush. 

October   i  to  id 
Green-winged    Teal,  Pintail,  American    Scoter,  White-winged  Scoter,  Short-eared 
Owl,  White-crowned    Sparrow,   Blue-headed    Vireo,   Brown    Creeper,   Golden-crowned 
Kinglet,  Hermit  Thrush. 

October  id  to  20 
Red-throated  Loon,  American  Scaup  Duck,  Old-squaw,  Surf  Scoter,  Ruddy  Duck, 
Canada  Goose,  American  Golden  Plover,  American  Goshawk,  Fox  Sparrow. 

October  20  to  31 
Hooded  Merganser,  Baldpate,  Lesser  Scaup  Duck,  Ring-necked  Duck,  Buffle-head, 
Snowflake,  Tree  Sparrow,  Northern  Shrike. 

November   i  to  20 
Red-breasted  Merganser,  Mallard,  Snowy  Owl,  Pine  Siskin. 


♦Generally  noted  at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  between  August  20  and  31. — f.  m.  c. 

(128) 


Jfor    ^ouns    ©b^ertoers^ 


Mr.  Flicker  Writes  a  Letter 

BY    GARRETT    NEWKIRK 

People : 

Tell  me  where  you  scare  up 

Names  for  me  like  'Flicker,'  'Yarup,' 
'  High-hole,'  '  Yucker, '  '  Yellow-hammer' — 

None  of  these  are  in  my  grammar  — 
'  Piquebois  jaiine,'  (Woodpick  yellow), 

So  the  Creoles  name  a  fellow. 

Others  call  me  'Golden-wings,' 
'Clape,'and  twenty  other  things 

That  I  never  half  remember, 

Any  summer  till  September. 

Many  names  and  frequent  mention 
Show  that  I  receive  attention, 
And  the  honor  that  is  due  me  ; 
But  if  you  would  interview  me 
Call  me  any  name  you  please, 
I'm  'at  home'  among  the  trees. 
Yet  I  never  cease  my  labors 
To  receive  my  nearest  neighbors, 
And  'twill  be  your  best  enjoyment 
Just  to  view  me  at  employment. 

I'm  the  friend  of  every  sower. 
Useful  to  the  orchard  grower. 
Helping  many  a  plant  and  tree 
From  its  enemies  to  free, — 
They  are  always  food  for  me. 
And  I  like  dessert  in  reason. 
Just  a  bit  of  fruit  in  season, 
But  my  delicacy  is  ants. 
Stump  or  hill  inhabitants  ; 
Thrusting  in  my  sticky  tongue, 
So  I  take  them,  old  and  young. 

Surely  we  have  found  the  best 
Place  wherein  to  make  our  nest  — 
Tunnel  bored  within  a  tree, 
I         [A;  Smooth  and  clean  as  it  can  be, 

I         /  Smallest  at  the  open  door. 

Curving  wider  toward  the  floor. 
Every  year  we   make  a  new  one, 
Freshly  bore  another  true  one  ; 
Other  birds,  you  understand, 
Use  our  old  ones,  second-hand, — 
Occupying  free  of  rent. 
They  are  very  well  content. 

To  my  wife  I  quite  defer, 
I  am  most  polite  to  her. 
Bowing  while  I  say,  '  kee-cher.' 
Eggs  we  number  five  to  nine. 
Pearly  white  with  finish  fine. 
On  our  nest  we  sit   by  turns, 
So  each  one  a  living  earns  ; 
Though  I  think  I  sit  the  better. 
When  she  wishes  to,   I  let  'er  ! 

—  Flicker. 
(129) 


Zip    and    Phoebe   (a  cat-Bird  story) 

BY   FLORENCE   A.  VAN   SANT 

EARLY  each  spring  I  watch   for  the  return  of    a  Phoebe 
bird,   which    usually    gladdens    my    heart    by    his    ap- 
pearance   about   sundown    of    some    bright   day.       He 
^/}  v^   -    is   alone,    because,   according  to   most   authorities,   he   travels 
??^^T5r's^3  in    advance    of    his    mate;    and    when     I     ask    with    wonder, 
"Well   Peter,  where  is   Phoebe?"  with  a  quick  dip  of  his   tail 
f^"?*:^       and  an  expressive  twitter,  he  seems   to  say,   "She  will   arrive 
on  the  next  train." 
For   several   }'ears    they  have    returned    to    the    same    nest    beneath 
the   roof  of  my  veranda,   each  spring   re-lining  the   inside   and    bright- 
ening the  outside  with  green  moss.      They  always   raise   two   broods. 
They   are   very    tame,    and    from    year    to    year   do    not    seem    to    forget 
their  confidence  of  the  previous  summer,  and  will  perch  on  the  cedar 
tree  close  to  the  porch,  or  light  on  the  rope  of   the  hammock  only  a 
few  feet  away  from   me. 

I  have  so  trained  my  cat.  Zip,  that  she  thinks  it  is  as  wicked  to 
look  at  a  bird  as  she  does  to  climb  on  the  table,  and  never  does 
either.     Peter  and   Phoebe  seemed  to  know  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear 


from  her ;  and,  when  sitting  on  the  little  white  eggs,  their  bright  eyes 
would  peep  over  the  nest  at  Zip.  sitting  or  napping  in  the  easy  chair 
below.  When  the  young  birds  arrived,  the  parents  would  fly  back 
and    forth   feeding   them,  without    showing   any   more    fear   of    the    cat 

than   they   did    of    me. 

(130) 


Zip   and   Phoebe 


131 


While  busy  in  the  house  one  day.  my  attention  was  attracted  by 
a  loud  tapping'  at  the  window,  and  on  looking  up  I  saw  Phoebe 
apparently  in  great  distress.  She  would  fly  at  the  window,  striking 
the  glass  with  her  bill,  circle  round,  fly  back  again,  and  tap,  as 
though  trying  to  attract  my  attention.  Upon  my  appearance  at  the 
door,  she  flew  toward  the  nest  and,  pausing  on  the  wing,  as  a  King- 
fisher will  poise  over  the  water  when  seeing  a  fish,  uttered  sharp 
cries,  fluttering  her  wings  all  the  while,  and  telling  me  in  bird  lan- 
guage of  her  trouble.  There  sat  a  cat  on  the  chair  just  below  the 
nest,  but  it  was  not  Zip.  She  had  taken  no  other  cat  into  her  con- 
fidence, hence  her  alarm.  When  I  drove  the  strange  cat  away, 
she  quieted  down  and  administered  to  the  wants  of  her  family  as 
usual. 

This  little  incident  seems  to  show  that  birds  become  so  accus- 
tomed to  their  environments  that  they  know  each  member  of  the 
family,  even  to  the  dog  and  cat,  and  that  they  possess  a  certain 
degree   of   reasoning    power. 

One  day  later  in  the  season,  when  they  were  raising  the  second 
family,  my  attention  was  again  attracted  by  the  same  cries.  A  pair 
of  my  tame  Pigeons,  looking  for  a  place  to  builti.  had  lighted  on 
the  cornice  over  the  door  not  far  from  the  nest,  and  both  Peter  and 
Phoebe  were  trying  to  drive  them  away.  They  would  dart  almost 
up  to  them,  all  the  while  snapping  their  bills  vigorously,  as  though 
catching  a  succession  of  insects,  but  before  the  Pigeons  could  strike 
with  their  wings,  would  dart  away,  and  like  a  flash  be  back  again. 
They  did  not  seem  to  be  calling  on  me  for  assistance,  but  were 
themselves  fighting  for  what  they  considered  their  rights,  and  evi- 
dently did  not  think  Pigeons  "as  harmless  as  Doves."  The  warfare 
continued  at  intervals  for  several  days,  until  the  Pigeons  decided  it 
was  an  unpleasant  locality  for  a  future  home,  and  retired  to  the 
barn. 


J^otes  from  Jftelti  anD  ^tuDj> 


Birds  Through  a  Telescope 

The  season  is  approaching  when  the 
migration  of  birds  may  be  studied  to 
advantage  through  a  telescope.  A  2- 
inch  hand  glass  may  be  used,  though  a 
higher  power  is  preferable.  It  should  be 
focused  on  the  moon,  across  the  surface 
of  which  the  bird  is  seen  passing. 

September  3,  1887,  at  Tenafly,  N.  J., 
Mr.  John  Tatlock,  Jr  ,  and  myself,  using  a 
6j4-inch  equatorial,  saw  262  birds  cross 
the  moon's  disc  between  the  hours  of 
eight  and  eleven  (The  Auk,  V,  p.  37),  and 
we  have  since  repeated  the  observation. 

Studies  of  this  nature  should  throw 
much  light  on  the  question  of  '  highways  of 
migration, '  and  at  the  same  time  furnish 
an  idea  of  the  number  of  birds  passing 
through  a  given  space  during  a  given  time  ; 
and,  more  particularly,  they  should  tell  us 
the  height  at  which  birds  perform  their 
nocturnal  journeys. 

Mr.  Tatlock  and  myself  solved  this 
latter  problem  by  a  hypothetical  assump- 
tion of  the  inferior  and  superior  distances 
at  which  a  bird  would  be  visible.  In  this 
way  we  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the 
birds  seen  were  between  one  and  three 
miles  above  the  earth. 

Until  recently  this  theory  has  lacked 
confirmation,  but  I  now  learn  from  Dr. 
William  R.  Brooks,  Director  of  Smith 
Observatory,  at  Geneva,  N.  Y. ,  that 
during  the  evening  of  May  23,  1899,  while 
observing  the  moon  through  his  lo^-inch 
refracting  telescope,  using  a  power  of  100 
diameters,  he  saw  some  forty  birds  cross 
the  field  of  vision.  Dr.  Brooks  states  that 
from  the  distinctness  of  the  image  and  the 
fact  that  from  three  to  five  seconds  were 
required  by  each  bird  to  cross  the  seg- 
ment of  the  moon  in  the  field  of  the 
telescope,  he  estimates  the  birds  to  have 
been  distant  about  seven  and  a  half  miles, 
and  further  calculation,  based  on  this 
estimate,  places  them  about  two  miles 
above    the  earth. — Frank    M.   Chapman. 


The  Cardinal  in  Maine 

This  incident  is  vouched  for  by  Mrs.  L. 
M.  N.  Stevens,  National  President  of  the 
W    C.  T.  U. 

Several  years  ago,  after  the  first  snow- 
fall at  Stroudwater,  Maine,  Mr.  Stevens 
hurried  into  the  house  one  morning  to  ask 
his  wife  to  come  and  see  a  handsome,  but 
cold  and  hungry-looking,  red  bird,  in  a 
shrub  near  the  door.  Mrs.  Stevens  saw 
that  it  was  a  Cardinal  Grosbeak,  and, 
placing  some  food  in  a  large  cage,  she  set 
it  near  the  bush.  The  Cardinal  soon 
hopped  inside,  and  was  safely  convoyed 
indoors  under  cover  of  a  blanket.  A 
happy  season  began.  He  was  given  the 
freedom  of  the  room,  and  became  very 
tame  and  companionable. 

In  the  spring,  as  soon  as  the  red  bird 
grew  restless  and  the  weather  mild,  he 
was  let  loose,  and  flew  away. 

In  the  fall,  with  the  first  cold  snap, 
came  the  Cardinal,  to  spend  his  second 
winter  in  the  old  home. 

Again  in  the  spring,  when  the  restless- 
ness re-appeared,  Mrs.  Stevens  wanted  to 
let  the  bird  fly,  but  yielded  to  the  judg- 
ment of  her  husband,  who  advised  delay, 
lest  cold  and  hunger  overtake  the  little  way- 
farer. Nature,  however,  avenged  the 
violation  of  instinct  ;  in  a  few  days  the 
Cardinal  drooped,  refused  to  avail  him- 
self of  liberty,  and  died. — Ella  Gilbert 
Ives,  Dorchester,  Mass. 

A   Useful    Bird 

In  speaking  of  the  economic  value  of  cer- 
tain of  our  birds,  a  lecturer,  quoting  Pro- 
fessor Beal,  said  that  in  Iowa  the  Tree 
Sparrow  was  estimated  to  destroy  875  tons 
of  the  seeds  of  no.xious  weeds  annually. 

As  reported  in  a  local  paper,  this  state- 
ment read  :  "  The  Tree  or  Chipping  Spar- 
row destroyed,  as  discovered  by  scientific 
observation,  640,000  tons  of  the  eggs  and 
young  of  harmful  insects." 


(132) 


Hoofe  jBteto0  anD   3^ebieta0 


Wild  Life  at  Home  :   How  to  Study  and 
Photograph  It.     By  Richard  Kearton, 
F.  Z.  S.     Fully     Illustrated    by     Photo- 
graphs   taken    Direct    from    Nature    by 
C.  Kearton.     Cassell  &  Company,  Ltd., 
London,    Paris,    New    York,   and     Mel- 
bourne,   1898.      i2mo. ,    pp.    xiv  +  188. 
Numerous   half-tones.     Price,    $1.50. 
In    this     book,    Mr.    Kearton    and     his 
brother  show  that  their  patience  and  in- 
genuity, as   well   as   their    field    of   work, 
are  inexhaustible.     It  differs  from  '  With 
Nature   and   a    Camera '  chiefly    in   being 
addressed    more    especially    to    photogra- 
phers, the  opening  chapters  being  devoted 
to   a   description   of    the   outfit    required, 
with   practical    suggestions   as  to   its  use. 
These  are  followed  by  chapters  on  '  Birds, ' 
'Mammals',    'Insects,'   and     the     life    of 
'  Pond,      River      and      Seashores. '       The 
illustrations  are  fully  up  to  the  standard 
of    previous   work   by    the   same    authors, 
which    we    have    before    had   occasion    to 
praise    so   highly,    and   continued    experi- 
ence with  a  camera  leads  us  to  appreciate 
more  fully  than  ever  the  truly  marvellous 
pictures  they  have  secured.    Mr.  Kearton 's 
paper  in   this    number  of    Bird-Lore  ad- 
mirably   illustrates    the    practicability    of 
his    advice     to     naturalist-photographers, 
who,   in   '  Wild    Life   at    Home  '  will    find 
both  instruction  and  encouragement.     The 
book    should     be     in     every     naturalist's 
library,  whether  or  not  he  uses  a  camera. 

F.  M.  C. 

Birds.     By  Annie  M.  Grant.     Report  of 

the  R.  I.  Board  of  Agriculture,  1899. 
The  Birds  of   Ontario,   in  Relation  to 
Agriculture.     By  Chas.  W.  Nash,  On- 
tario    Department    of     Agriculture, 
Toronto. 

In  Mrs.  Grant's  paper  we  have  an 
epitome  of  a  great  amount  of  useful  in- 
formation. The  horticultural  and  agri- 
cultural societies  are  doing  a  good  work  in 
publishing  such  papers  in  their  reports, 
thus  ensuring  to  them  a  wide  circulation 
among  the  class  who  most  need  this  kind  of 
literature. 

In  that  portion  of  her  paper  devoted  to 


the  'Decrease  in  Bird-life,'  Mrs.  Grant 
puts  her  finger  on  some  very  sore  spots. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  much  harm 
has  been  done  through  egg-collecting  by 
pseudo-naturalists,  who  make  no  use  of 
their  collections  except  to  boast  of  their 
size  and  rarity,  and  who  gather  thousands 
of  extra  sets  for  purposes  of  exchange. 
Another  element  of  bird  destruction  is 
seen  in  the  South,  where  our  common 
singing  birds  are  so  generally  offered  for 
sale  in  the  market  as  food.  A  campaign 
of  education  is  needed  here.  The  time 
wasted  in  shooting  these  useful  creatures 
would,  if  properly  applied,  produce  more 
and  better  meat  in  the  shape  of  domestic 
poultry,  or  other  equally  palatable  food. 
We  hope  Mrs.  Grant  will  continue  her 
good  work. 

In  Mr.  Nash's  paper  we  have  another 
concise  statement  of  the  facts  with  re- 
gard to  the  usefulness  of  birds  from  an 
agricultural  point  of  view.  The  case  of 
the  birds  of  prey  is  very  clearly  and  for- 
cibly presented.  When  these  birds  do 
harm  —  as  when  they  pick  up  a  stray 
chicken  —  the  evil  is  open  and  apparent 
to  everybody ;  but  the  good  work  they 
are  constantly  doing  is  only  appreciated 
after  the  most  careful  and  systematic  ob- 
servation. The  depredations  of  the  vast 
hordes  of  small  mammals  is  a  constant 
menace  to  the  interests  of  husbandry, 
and  more  especially  to  horticulture. 
Without  question,  the  Hawks  and  Owls 
are  the  most  efficient  checks  upon  the  in- 
crease of  these  creatures,  and  it  cannot 
be  too  often  or  too  forcibly  impressed 
upon  the  farmers  that  these  birds  should 
be  rigorously  protected. 

With  regard  to  the  other  birds,  the 
case  is  equally  well  put,  and  illustrated 
by  many  interesting  and  valuable  obser- 
vations and  experiments.  There  can  be 
no  question  that  this  is  a  valuable  pa- 
per, and  that  it  deserves  a  wide  circu- 
lation   among   agricultural   people. 

As    to    the    merits    of    the    illustrations 


(133) 


134 


Bird -Lore 


with   which    it    is   embellished,    there   may 
be  differences  of  opinion. —  F.  E.  T..  Beal. 

On  the  Birds'  Highway.  By  Reginald 
Heber  Howe,  Jr.  With  Photographic 
Illustrations  by  the  Author,  and  a 
Frontispiece  in  color  from  a  Painting 
by  Louis   Agassiz   Fuertes. 

This  is  a  contribution  to  the  class  of 
literature  which  John  Burroughs  and 
Bradford  Torrey  have  made  so  deservedly 
ly  popular.  It  cannot,  however,  be  said 
that  the  author  has  reached  the  standard 
of  his  prototypes.  His  observations  were 
made  in  the  Atlantic  states  from  Vir- 
ginia to  Maine,  and  his  descriptions  bear 
evidence  of  sympathy  with  his  subject. 
The  illustrations  include  an  admirable 
frontispiece  of  Chickadees  by  Louis 
Fuertes,  thirteen  full  -  page  half-tones, 
for  the  most  part  illustrating  the  locali- 
ties described,  and  numerous  half-tone 
'  thumb-nail  pictures  '  in  the  text,  largely 
taken  from  mounted  birds.  Some  of  the 
latter  are  effective  ;  others  are  too  small  or 
too  indistinct  to  be  of  value  to  those  who 
would  need   them. 

An  appendix  gives  nominal  lists  of  the 
birds  observed  at  Bristol,  R.  L :  Wash- 
ington, D.  C  ;  Chevy  Chase,  Md  ;  Hub- 
bardstown,  Mass.,  and  Chateaugay  Lake, 
N.  Y.— F.  M.  C. 

The  Danger  of  Introducing  Noxious 
Animals  and  Birds.  By  T.  S.  Palmer. 
Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture for  1898,  pp.,  87-110;  I  half- 
tone plate  and  6  cuts   in  the  text. 

Birds  as  Weed  Destroyers.  By  Syl- 
vester D.  JuDD.  Yearbook  of  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  for  i8g8,  pp., 
221-232  ;  I  half-tone  plate  and  7  cuts 
in  the  text. 

Economic  Relations  of  Birds  and  Their 
Food  By  F.  E.  L.  Beal.  Reprinted 
from  the  Proceedings  of  the  Twenty- 
fourth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  New 
Jersey  State  Horticultural  Society,  Janu- 
ary 4  and  5,  1899 

As  long  as  man's  attitude  toward  nature 
is  the  standpoint  of  dollars  and  cents, 
bird-lovers  will  welcome  every  fact  which 
places  them  in  possession  of  a  fresh  argu- 
ment to  be  used  where  appeals  to  senti- 
ment are  of  no  avail.  It  is,  therefore, 
with  great  satisfaction  that  we  receive  these 


sound,    convincing     papers     on     economic 
zoology. 

Dr.  Palmer's  paper  has  long  been 
needed  and,  fortunately  or  unfortunately, 
so  unanswerable  are  the  facts  which  he 
presents,  that  one  would  imagine  universal 
knowledge  of  them  would  be  all  that  was 
necessary  to  avert  further  danger  from 
the  introduction  of  exotic  species.  The 
subject,  however,  should  receive  the 
prompt  attention  of  legislators,  in  order 
that  it  may  be  duly  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  proper  authorities  —  obvi- 
ously the  officials  of  the  Biologic  Survey 
of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. 

In  giving  us  the  results  of  his  studies 
of  the  food  of  certain  seed-eating  birds, 
Dr  Judd  at  the  same  time  places  their 
economic  importance  so  far  beyond  dis- 
pute that  we  trust  every  agriculturist  in 
the  land  may  become  fj^miliar  with  his- 
facts  and  figures.  None  of  the  many 
valuable  papers  issued  by  the  Biological 
Survey  has  had  a  more  obvious  value 
than  this  one. 

In  his  lecture  before  the  New  Jersey- 
Horticultural  Society,  Professor  Beal  dis- 
cusses unprejudicedly  birds'  power  for 
good  or  evil.  ,He  shows  that  while  in- 
sects, especially  certain  noxious  species, 
have  greatly  increased  since  the  settle- 
ment of  this  country,  birds  have  decreased, 
and  that  in  order  to  restore  the  balance 
disturbed  by  man,  an  increase  in  the 
number  of  our  birds  is  greatly  to  be 
desired, —  F".  M.  C. 

Book    News 

Every  lover  of  animals  must  rejoice  in 
the  phenomenal  success  achieved  by  Ernest 
Seton  Thompson's  'Wild  Animals  I  have 
Known.'  Although  published  only  last 
October,  over  14,000  copies  have  been 
sold,  and  the  book's  popularity  increases 
as  its  charm  becomes  more  widely  known. 
Mr.  Thompson  has  done  more  to  bridge 
the  gap  between  human  life  and  animal 
life  than  any  writer  we  have  known. 
One  has  only  to  read  his  work  to  be- 
come convinced  of  one's  kinship  with, 
the    lower   forms   of    life. 


Editorials 


135 


ilirti  3lore 

A  Bi-monthly  Magazine 
Devoted  to  the   Study  and   Protection  of   Birds 

OFFICIAL    ORGAN    UF   THE    AlDlBljN    SOCIETIES 

Edited   by  FRANK   M.  CHAPMAN 
Published  by  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Vol.   1 


AUGUST,    1899 


No.   4 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  tlie  United  Stales,  Caiia<la,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth  avenue,  New 
Vork  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quaiter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents. 
Macmill.jvn'  .and  Company.  Ltd.,  London. 

Manuscripts  for  publication,  books,  etc.,  for  re- 
view, should  be  sent  to  the  Editor  at  Englewood, 
New  Jersey. 

Advertisements  should  be  sent  to  the  Pub- 
lishers at  Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth 
avenue,  New  York  City. 

COPYRIGHTED.    1899,    BY    FRANK    M.   CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto : 
A  Bird  in  the  Busk  is  U'orlli  Two  in  Ihr  Hand. 


The  advice  of  a  prominent  ornithologist 
to  beginners  to  collect  all  the  birds  of  a 
species  they  can  get,  has  so  long  misrep- 
resented the  necessities  of  the  case  and, 
at  the  same  time,  brought  legitimate  col- 
lecting into  disrepute,  that  every  one  having 
the  interests  of  the  science  of  ornithology 
at  heart  will  read  with  great  satisfaction 
the  circular  entitled  '  Hints  to  Young  Bird 
Students  '  which  we  reprint  on  another 
page.  Signed  by  a  majority  of  the  pro- 
fessional ornithologists  of  this  country, 
representing  the  institutions  where  orni- 
thology is  most  actively  studied,  it  may  be 
accepted  beyond  thought  of  dispute  as 
representing  the  true  attitude  of  scientific 
ornithologists  toward  the  question  of  col- 
lecting. And  in  place  of  the  advice  to 
kill  all  the  birds  "you  can  get,"  what  do 
we  find  ?  Virtually  a  plea  to  abstain  from 
all  egg-collecting,  to  take  birds  only  for 
purposes  of  identification,  and  a  state- 
ment that  the  student  "  will  learn  more  of 
value  by  a  study  of  the  living  bird  than 
by  collecting  skins." 

To   our    mind,    the    importance    of    this 


circular  cannot  be  over-rated.  It  marks 
an  epoch  in  the  history  of  North  American 
ornithology.  The  future  ornithologist  is 
not  to  be  a  mere  hoarder  of  birds'  skins, 
but  a  student  of  bird-life  whose  researches, 
we  predict,  will  prove  an  invaluable  aid  in 
the  solution  of  that  most  difficult  and  most 
important  of  all  biologic  problems,  the 
relation  of  animals  to  their  environment. 

The  paper  by  Mrs.  Olive  Thorne  Miller 
on  'The  Ethics  of  Caging  Birds,'  pub- 
lished in  the  last  number  of  Bird-Lore, 
has  been  both  commended  and  condemned. 
Some  correspondents  have  considered  it  a 
most  rational  and  unprejudiced  treatment 
of  the  subject,  others  have  written  that  as 
its  general  tenor  might  encourage  the  cag- 
ing of  birds,  it  was  not  to  be  endorsed. 
Particularly  do  thev  deplore  what  Mrs. 
Miller  feels  to  be  "  a  work  of  charity," — 
the  rescuing  of  birds  "  from  the  discom- 
forts of  a  bird-store  "  for,  they  say,  that 
the  dealer  replaces  the  sold  bird  with 
another,  and  the  final  result  is  to  encourage 
the  trade  in  birds.  Of  this  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  and  the  question,  therefore, 
becomes  one  for  debate,  as  to  whether  the 
pleasure  to  be  derived  from  the  companion- 
ship of  a  caged  bird,  the  humanizing  in- 
fluence which  may  be  exerted  by  associa- 
tion with  a  creature  dependent  on  us,  and 
the  knowledge  we  may  acquire  of  its  habits, 
justify  us  in  depriving  it  of  its  liberty 
— assuming,  of  course,  that  it  receives 
proper  care.  We  shall  be  glad  to  receive 
the  opinions  of  our  readers  on  this  subject. 

'  The  Century  '  for  July  has  an  illus- 
trated article  on  Bird  Rock,  in  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence,  by  the  Editor  of  this 
journal,  which,  it  should  be  said,  would 
have  appeared  in  Bird-Lore  had  it  not 
been  disposed  of  before  this  magazine 
was  established.  This  statement  will  also 
apply  to  an  article  on  Pelican  Island, 
Florida,  which  will  appear  in  '  St.  Nicho- 
las'  for  September. 

Dr.  Coues  having  retired  from  the  Edi- 
torship of  'The  Osprey,'  Dr.  Gill,  who 
had  withdrawn  his  name  from  recent 
numbers,   assumes    control. 


Cl)e  ^uDubon  Societies 

"  }'oii  cannot  with  a  scalpel  find  the  poet's  soul, 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  sofig." 
Edited   by   Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright   (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom   all   communications   relating   to   the  work   of  the   Audubon 
and  other  Bird   Protective  Societies  should    be  addressed. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries. 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street.  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.  J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.  (blanch  of  Peiin.  Society).. Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  1314  Chapline  street,  Wheeling. 

Ohio Miss  Clara  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa  ■ Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

■Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Prckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P    Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

Texas Miss  Cecile  Sei.xas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  G.\\\  Redlands. 

The    Responsibility    of    the    Audubon  the   hat  trimmings  of  women,  the  egg-col- 

Society  lecting  habits  of   boys,  and   the   "just    to 

Now  that  the  Audubon  Society  is  recog-  see   if    I    can    hit  it''"  proclivities  of  both 

nized    as  a  factor  in    the    higher  civiliza-  boys  and   men,  it  is   bound   to  give   them 

tion  of  the  day,  it  may  be  well  to  ask  how  something    beside    "the   consciousness   of 

far  it  realizes  its  responsibility  as  a  public  rectitude"  in    return.      The  very  least    it 

educator.  can  do  is  to  help  them  to  become  as  inti- 

"  For    the    Protection    of    Birds,"   is    a  mately  acquainted  with  "  the  bird    in   the 

most  reasonable  and  tangible  declaration  bush"  as    they  were  with  the  egg  in  the 

of   motive,   but  what  next  ?  pocket  and  the  feather  on  the  hat. 

The  male  and  female  public  is  straight-  It  is  here  that  the  educational  responsi- 
way  asked  to  give  up  certain  habits  that  bility  of  the  Audubon  Society  lies.  In- 
it  has  regarded  as  inherent  rights, —  in  stead  of  issuing  tracts  simply  to  decry 
the  cause  of  humanity  and  agricultural  feathar-wearing,  and  to  say  that  some- 
economy,  thing  should  be  done,  I  would  have  each 

So   far  so  good  ;    but   should    not   these  Society  send   out  one  or  more  illustrated 

would-be    teachers   of    good   will    to    ani-  bird   lectures    to    the    remoter   corners   of 

mals,   themselves   be    educated    in    consis-  its    range,    where     people     do     not     have 

tent    humanity,    in    order    to    keep    their  the  privilege  of  hearing  professional  orni- 

doctrines   above    the    ridicule   level  ?  thologists      Also   to  the  groups  of  remote 

Upon     the     discrimination    of     its     hu-  country    schools  whose   scholars    have    no 

manity  depends  the    future  of    the  Audu-  "key   to  the  fields"  that    lie   so   close   at 

bon  Society.     A  discrimination  that  shall  hand.      I   would    have    the    Societies   send 

render  its  workings  logical,  and    make  it  small  circulating  libraries  of  bird  books  in 

able  to  see  that   it   must   at   least  give  as  the  same  way.     To  introduce  people  to  the 

much  as  it   takes.     A   breadth   of   knowF-  bird   in  the  bush   is   the  way  to  create  a 

edge  to  realize  that  if  the  Society  restricts  public  sentiment  to  keep  it  there,  and  to 

(136) 


The  Audubon   Society 


137 


make  it  possible  to  obtain  legislative  au- 
thority for  the  enactment  and  keeping  of 
good  bird  laws,  which  are  the  backbone 
of    protection. 

Again,  there  should  be  no  sort  of  con- 
flict between  ultra  bird  protectionists 
and  legitimate  scientific  ornithology.  That 
many  of  the  best  known  ornithologists 
occupying  public  positions  in  the  United 
States  favor  the  restriction  of  egg-collect- 
ing, etc.,  is  amply  proved  by  a  leaflet 
issued  in  May,  by  Witmer  Stone,*  called 
"Hints  to  Young  Bird  Students,"  and 
signed  by  such  men  as  J.  A  Allen,  Robert 
Ridgway,  C.  Hart  Merriam,  A.  K  Fisher, 
Wm.  Brewster,  F.  M.  Chapman,  John  H. 
Sage,  C.  W.  Richmond,  T.  S.  Palmer,  and 
Wm.  Dutcher. 

The  Audubon  Societies  are  responsible 
for  meeting  these  liberal-minded  and  pro- 
gressive scientists  half  way.  There  must 
be  anatomists  and  embryologists  to  study 
the  human  body,  why  not  then,  also,  of 
the  feathered  brotherhood,  oyily  it  is  not 
necessary  for  mankind  in  general  to  keep 
skeletons  of  either  birds  or  people  in  their 
closets  for  this  purpose,  and  the  random 
collecting  of  either  should  be  regarded 
as  equally   reprehensible. 

I  would  see  humanity  and  science  allied 
in  this  matter.  If  the  Audubon  Societies 
confess  that  this  is  impossible,  they  are 
taking  the  responsibility  of  harnessing 
humanity  with  ignorance, —  a  horse  that 
will  drag  any  companion  into  the  ditch. 

Let  "For  the  Protection  of  Birds"  be 
the  banner  motto  under  which  the  Au- 
dubon Society  shall  go  out,  as  it  is  bound, 
to  teach  (not  to  preach)  the  'bird  in  the 
bush,'  but  the  teaching  need  be  none  the 
less  humane,  and  will  be  far  more  effect- 
ual if,  instead  of  '  dicky-bird  '  platitudes 
of  uncertain  sex  and  species,  it  deals  out 
good,   sound,   popular   ornithology 

M.    O     W 

The  So-called  Sparrow  War  in  Boston 

In  the  month  of  March,  i8g8,  a  com" 
mittee  organized  by  the  American  Society 
of  Bird  Restorers  presented  to  the  Mayor 
of  Boston  in  person  the  following  petition, 

*See  page  125  of  this  nuinber  of  Birij-Lork. 


signed      by      a      host      of      representative 
Bostonians  : 

"  To  Hon.  Josiali  Qiiincy,  ^A/ayo)-  of 
Boston. 

"  The  undersigned  petitioners  hereby  re- 
spectfully represent  that  the  presence  in 
Boston  of  hosts  of  the  noxious  imported 
Finch,  known  as  the  English  Sparrow,  has 
come  to  be  a  public  nuisance,  general 
expense  and  serious  esthetic  injury,  im- 
peratively calling  for  prompt  municipal 
abatement. 

"  Your  petitioners  would,  therefore,  most 
earnestly  request  that,  as  the  Chief 
Executive  Officer  of  the  city,  you  direct 
the  immediate  reducticm  and  suppression 
of  this  pest  in  such  places  (instancing  the 
Common  and,  conditionally,  the  cemeteries 
of  Boston)  as  may  now  be  under,  or  may 
with  this  purpose  in  view  be  brought 
under,  municipal   control.  " 

Under  the  law  of  iSgo,  the  Mayor  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  take  such  measures  as 
seemed  advisable  for  clearing  the  Common, 
Public  Garden,  and  city  squares,  of  the 
Sparrow  pest. 

The  work  was  done  under  the  general 
oversight  of  the  Committee  on  the  English 
Sparrow,  of  which  Mr:  Fletcher  Osgood, 
manager  and  organizer  of  the  Bird 
Restorers,  was  and  is  the  chairman.  Five 
men,  with  Foreman  Kennedy,  proceeded  to 
clear  English  Sparrow  nests  from  the 
Common,  by  removing  them  from  orifices 
in  the  trees,  from  openings  in  the  Sani- 
tary Building,  and  from  electric  hoods. 
The  nest-boxes,  put  up  years  ago  by 
misguided  persons  to  accomodate  the 
English  Sparrow  were  all  removed,  and 
the  Sanitary  Building  on  the  Public 
Garden  was  cleared. 

In  the  progress  of  this  work,  thousands 
of  small  orifices  in  the  trees  of  the  Com- 
mon (all  known  to  exist)  were  cleared 
out  and  effectively  closed  with  wooden 
stoppers,  and  much  dead  wood,  inviting 
the  breeding  of  the  Sparrow,  was  re- 
moved. As  a  whole,  great  good  in  the 
way  of  arresting  decay  and  generally 
improving  the  trees  of  the  Common  was 
done  by  Foreman  Kennedy  and  his  force, 
even  if  we  leave  out  of  account  the 
checking  of  the  breeding  of  the  Sparrow. 
The  work  began  on  March  15,  and  ended 
April  5.      During  that  period  about   5,000 


138 


Bird -Lore 


nests  and  1,000  eggs  were  destroyed.  No 
young  birds  were  found.  The  protest 
against  the  work,  based  mainly  on  senti- 
mental grounds,  which  Mr.  Angell,  of  the 
S.  P.  C.  A.,  put  forth,  resulted  in  two 
picturesque  hearings  at  the  City  Hall.  An 
account  of  these  hearings,  with  some  of 
their  informal  adjuncts,  would  certainly 
entertain  and  instruct  the  readers  of  Bird- 
Lore  were  it  possible  to  embody  it  here. 

Let  it  suffice  to  say,  that  the  weight  of 
common  sense,  of  real  humanity,  and  of 
economics,  as  well  as  of  science  in  over- 
whelming measure,  was,  in  the  judgment 
of  the  best  informed,  wholly  with  those 
who  would  reduce  the  Sparrow.  The 
Mayor,  however,  decided  to  suspend  the 
work,  assigning  as  a  reason  the  difficulty 
and  expense  of  continuing  it.  The  com- 
mittee sent  to  the  Mayor  a  letter  express- 
ing its  regret  that  the  work  should  thus 
be  brought  to  an  untimely  close,  and  fully 
outlining  plans  for  its  continuance  At 
the  present  writing,  no  definite  prospect  is 
in  sight  of  the  resumption  of  the  work. 
The  committee  proposed,  after  the  closure 
of  the  nesting  orifices,  to  pull  down  by 
means  of  hooked  poles  such  nests  as  were 
built  by  the  Sparrows  in  the  branches  of 
the  trees  on  the  Common  and  Garden, 
timing  visits  so  as  to  destroy  nests  and 
eggs  only,  thus  preventing  the  hatching 
of  young.  With  the  onset  of  cold  weather 
it  was  proposed  to  trap  and  destroy  the 
Sparrow  by  devices  which  were  already 
proved  at  once  efficient  and  merciful. 
These  two  methods,  aided,  perhaps,  by 
others,  carefully  planned  to  avoid  cruelty, 
were  the  ones  much  relied  on  by  the 
committee  to  do  the  needed  work  of 
clearance. 

After  the  stoppage  of  the  work  the 
Mayor  wrote  to  Chairman  Osgood,  asking 
his  opinion  as  to  the  advisability  of  putting 
up  bird-houses  on  the  Common,  so  built, 
without  perches,  as  to  keep  out  the  Sparrow 
and  admit  the  White-bellied  Swallow, 
Bluebird  and  House  Wren.  Mr.  Osgood 
replied  in  effect  that  perchless  bird-houses, 
judging  from  recent  evidence,  would  prob- 
ably invite  and  shelter  the  breeding  of 
the   Sparrow,  and,  with  the  Common  still 


uncleared,  would  hardl)-  aid  in  restoring 
any  native  bird.  He  was  willing,  under 
certain  strict  conditions,  that  the  experi- 
ment should  be  tried  purely  as  an  experi- 
ment, provided  that  every  box  should  be 
instantly  removed  upon  proof  that  these 
perchless  devices  sheltered  the  Spar- 
row. He,  however,  expressed  little  hope 
that  any  good  would  come  of  such  a 
measure  beyond  the  absolute  demonstra- 
tion, once  for  all,  and  publicly,  that  perch- 
less boxes  were  not  Sparrow-proof.  The 
"  Sparrow  committee"'  could  not  advise  the 
putting  up  of  bird-boxes  under  existing 
circumstances,  and  if  any  are  erected  the 
responsibility  for  the  trial  will  not  rest  in 
any  way  with  this  committee.  At  this 
writing,  the  Sparrows  shut  out  from  the 
tree  orifices  are  building  to  some  extent  in 
the  branches  of  the  trees  upon  the  Com- 
mon. To  note  how  extensively  this  breed- 
ing is  carried  on  this  season,  and  to  attain 
general  information  as  to  the  presence  of 
any  native  birds  upon  the  Common  and 
Garden,  a  patrol  of  the  Boston  Branch  of 
the  American  Society  of  Bird  Restorers 
has  been  assigned  to  observation  work 
through  the  spring  and  summer. 

Results  will  be  officially  reported  to  the 
National  Biological  Survey  (U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture)  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
Fletcher  Osgood, 

Organizer  and  Manager  of  the  American  Society 
of  Bird  Restorers. 


Reports  of  Societies 

MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY 
In  February  and  March,  Mr.  Ralph 
Hoffmann  gave  a  course  of  eight  lectures 
on  birds,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Society.  These  were  well  attended,  and 
not  only  increased  the  interest  in  bird 
study,  but  informed  the  public  more  fully 
of  the  work  of  the  Society,  and  also  added 
materially  to  the  treasury. 

March  22nd,  the  Society  held  a  '  Hat 
Show  '  at  the  Vendome,  which  was  a  suc- 
cess. Many  of  the  best  milliners 
exhibited,  and  it  served  the  purpose 
of  interesting  both  milliners  and  public 
in   the  work  of  bird  protection.      In  spite 


The   Audubon   Society 


139 


of  bad  weather,  the  room  was  crowded  all 
dav,  and  many  hats  were  sold.  The  news- 
papers reported  it  with  illustrations  :  the 
milliners  were  pleased  ;  and  the  Audubon 
Society  was  talked  about  with  renewed 
interest. 

The  Society  has  purchased  the  pub- 
lisher's stock  of  the  Audubon  Calendar 
colored  plates,  without  the  Calendar  num- 
bers, and  are  offering  them  for  sale  at  25 
cents  for  the  set  of  twelve. 

The  large  sale  of  the  chart  is  very 
satisfactory,  about  1,200  having  been  sold 
since  Christmas.  Appreciative  letters  are 
daily  received,  and  the  school  teachers 
especially  commend  it. 

New  circulars  have  been  purchased  for 
distribution,  from  the  University  of  Ne- 
braska and  Cornell  University;  also  "A 
Letter  to  the  Clergy,"  republished  by  the 
Wisconsin  Society. 

Harriet  E.  Richards,  Sec' v. 

CONNECTICUT    SOCIETY 

The  second  annual  meeting  of  the 
society  took  place  on  June  i,  in  the 
United  Church  Chapel,  New  Haven 
Conn.,  and  was  largely  attended.  It  being 
part  of  the  policy  of  the  Society  to  hold 
its  public  meetings  each  year  in  different 
parts  of  the  state. 

The  president  made  a  short  address, 
outlining  the  work  for  the  coming  season, 
which  will  include  ;  ( t )  the  consideration 
of  a  practical  method  for  destroying  the 
English  Sparrow,  as.  a  bird  distinctly 
injurious  to  song  birds  and  others  having 
agricultural  value  ;  (2)  an  effort  to  ob- 
tain legislation  to  stop  the  spring  shooting 
of  shore  and  water  birds  ;  (3)  the  addi- 
tion to  the  societies'  equipment  of  several 
small  libraries  of  bird  books,  to  be  circu- 
lated free  throughout  the  state  where 
there  are  no  public  libraries,  after  the 
manner  of  the  lecture  outfits  ;  (4)  the 
addition  of  an  illustrated  lecture  suitable 
for  small  children. 

The  report  of  the  corresponding  secre- 
tary-treasurer showed  a  membership  in  the 
various  classes  of  814;  also,  receipts  oi 
over  $500  during  the  year,  no  debts,  and 
a  balance  in  the  treasury. 


The  chairman  of  the  committee  on  free 
lectures  reported  the  great  success  of  the 
undertaking.  The  two  lectures,  "Birds 
about  Home,"  by  Mrs.  Wright,  and 
"Some  Facts  about  Birds  that  Concern 
the  Farmer,"  by  Willard  G.  Van  Name, 
having  been  out  over  fifty  times  since 
early  spring.  These  lectures,  accom- 
panied by  sets  of  colored  slides  and  oil- 
lanterns,  are  loaned  free  to  any  responsi- 
ble person  within  state  limits,  and  the 
Granges  have  lately  taken  them  up  with 
results  most  gratifying  to  the  Society. 

A  few  changes  were  made  in  the  man- 
agement at  the  election  of  officers.  Mrs. 
H.  S.  Glover,  the  first  corresponding  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  having  resigned,  re- 
ceived a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  for  her 
work,  and  Mrs.  Wm.  Brown  Glover  was 
elected  as  general  secretary  in  her  stead, 
Mrs.  Howard  H.  Knapp  being  elected 
treasurer. 

The  event  of  the  meeting  was  the  lec- 
ture by  Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman,  upon  Pho- 
tography as  an  Aid  to  Bird  Study,  all 
the  beautifully  colored  slides  used  as 
illustrations  having  been  photographed 
from   life. 

The  detailed  annual  report  of  the  So- 
ciety's work  will  be  mailed  upon  applica- 
tion. Helen  W.   Glover,   Scc\v. 

TENNESSEE  SOCIETY 
It  is  with  great  satisfaction  that  we 
report  the  organization  in  the  court 
house  at  Ripley  on  May  26,  of  the  Au- 
dubon Society  of  the  State  of  Tennessee. 
Without  the  assistance  of  the  southern 
states,  the  work  of  the  northern  section 
of  the  country  must  necessarily  be  ham- 
pered by  the  inability  to  protect  the 
birds  in  their  winter  haunts  and  during 
the  migrations. 

It  is  also  gratifying  to  note  the  com- 
mon sense  basis  upon  which  the  society 
is  founded,  the  president,  having  stated  in 
his  initial  address,  that  "the  society  had 
for  its  leading  object  the  creation  of  a 
public  opinion  that  would  secure  legislation 
in  the  interest  of  bird  protection,  that 
would  spare  our  birds  from  threatened 
extinction. " 


...  JUST  READY.     PRICE,  $1    NET... 

Nature  Study 

For  Grammar  Grades 

A  Manual  for  the  Guidance  of  Pupils  below 
the    High    School    in    the   Study  of    Nature 

BY 

WILBUR   S.  JACKMAN,  A.B. 

Dep't  of  Natural  Science,  Chicago  Normal  School 

Author  of  "  Nature  Study  for  the  Common  Schools,"  "  Nature  Study  and  Related  Subjects, 
"  Nature  Study  Record,"  "  Field  Work  in  Nature  Study,"  etc. 

REVISED   EDITION 


In  preparing  this  Manual,  it  has  been  the  author's  aim  to  propose,  within  tlie  com- 
prehension of  grammar  school  pupils,  a  few  of  the  problems  which  arise  in  a  thoughtful 
study  of  nature,  and  to  offer  suggestions  designed  to  lead  to  their  solution. 

That  pupils  need  some  rational  and  definite  directions  in  nature  study,  all  are  gen- 
erally agreed.  But  to  prepare  the  outlines  and  suggestive  directions  necessary,  and  to 
place  these  within  the  reach  of  each  pupil,  is  more  than  any  ordinary  teacher  has  time 
to  do,  even  granting  that  she  is  fully  prepared  for  such  work.  The  utter  futility  of 
depending  upon  oral  suggestions  during  the  class  hour,  when  the  pupils  are  supposed  to 
be  doing  individual  work,  is  easily  apparent  on  a  moment's  reflection.  With  a  manual  of 
directions  in  hand,  each  pupil  may  be  made  strictly  responsible  for  a  certain  amount  of 
work,  either  in  the  field  or  in  the  laboratory.  This  removes  all  occasion  for  that  inter- 
ruption in  his  work,  which  is,  otherwise,  due  to  the  pupil's  attempt  to  think  and  at  the 
same  time  hear  what  the  teacher  says. 

"  Practical,  complete,  and,  all  in  all,  is  the  best  mr.nual  we  know  to  lit  the  student  to 

do  really  effective  science  work  in  the  high  school       .      .     .      Altogether  both  teacher 

and  pupils  who  use  this  book  are  to  be  congratulated,  for  we  are  sure  that  through  its 

use  the    whole    field    of    nature  study   will    assume  new  definiteness,  practicality    and 

interest." 

—Soulhon    liducalioiial  Journal. 

"It  is  decidedly  practical,  and  will   be  welcomed   by  many   teachers  who  wish  to  re- 
spond in  an  intelligent  way  to  the  demand  for  nature  study." 

—  Inland    Educator. 

PUBLISHED    BY 

THE   MACMILLAN    COMPANY,  New  York. 


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Q  tfi  ^  S  (j 


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A   BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official    Organ    of   the    Audubon    Societies 


Vol.  1 


October,  1899 


No.  5 


The  American   Ornithologists'  Union 


D 


BY    J.    A.    ALLEN 
(First    President    of   the    Union) 

URING  the  sixteen  years  that  have  passed  since 
the  founding  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 
^jt— 3^^^-e^  Union,  in  August,  1883,  the  study  of  North 
American  birds  has  advanced  with  constantly 
accelerated  strides.  That  this  progress  has  been  due  largely 
to  the  founding  of  the  Union  is  beyond  denial,  as  will 
become  evident  from  the  following  brief  history  of  its  work  and 
the   causes   that   led   to   its  formation. 

In  all  lines  of  human  endeavor,  the  union  of  kindred  interests  and 
individual  effort  toward  a  common  end  is  the  key  to  success.  Before 
the  founding  of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  its  nucleus  ex- 
isted in  a  local  organization  of  bird  students  in  Cambridge,  known  as 
the  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club.  At  first  its  meetings  were  informal, 
and  its  membership  was  limited  to  a  few  individuals  living  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Cambridge.  Later  it  became  regularly  organized 
as  a  club,  with  both  resident  and  corresponding  members,  the  latter 
embracing  most  of  the  leading  ornithologists  of  this  country.  The 
papers  presented  at  its  meetings  were  often  of  permanent  value,  and 
were  later  published  in  scientific  journals.  In  1876  these  had 
become  sufficiently  numerous  and  important  to  warrant  the  club  in 
establishing  its  own  medium  of  publication,  the  first  number  bearing 
date  April,  1876,  with  the  title  'Bulletin  of  the  Nuttall  Ornithologi- 
cal Club.'  As  years  passed  it  served  not  only  as  the  official  organ 
of  the  club,  but  as  a  medium  of  communication  between  American 
ornithologists  at  large. 

This  led  to  the  consideration  of  the  desirability  of  organizing  a 
national  society  of  ornithologists  as  a  means  of  bringing  the  workers 


144  Bird -Lore 

in  this  field  into  more  intimate  association  and  more  thoroughly  con- 
solidating their  interests.  The  advantages  of  such  consolidation 
seemed  so  evident  that  a  call  was  issued  August  i,  1883,  dated  Cam- 
bridge and  Washington,  for  "a  convention  of  American  Ornitholo- 
gists, to  be  held  in  New  York  city,  beginning  September  26,  1883." 
The  call  was  signed  by  the  editor  of  the  '  Nuttall  Bulletin'  (J.  A. 
Allen),  associate! editor  of  the  'Nuttall  Bulletin'  (Elliott  Coues),  and 
the  president  of  the  Nuttall  Club  (William  Brewster).  The  response 
to  the  call,  sent  to  forty-eight  of  the  more  prominent  ornithologists  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada ,  was  most  cordial ;  twenty-five  ex- 
pressed their  intention  to  attend  the  convention,  and  twenty-one  were 
actually  present,  including  several  who  came  a  thousand  miles  or 
more  to  attend  the  convention.  Not  only  were  by-laws  adopted  and 
officers  duly  elected,  but,  as  will  be  noticed  later,  important  lines  of 
work  were  laid  out  and  assigned  to  committees,  the  principle  of 
cooperation   being  applied  in   a  broad  sense.  * 

The  Nuttall  Ornithological  Club  is  still  an  active  and  widely 
known  organization,  although  upon  the  founding  of  the  Union,  it 
generously  voted  to  discontinue  its  'Bulletin'  and  to  place  its  sub- 
scription list  and  good  will  at  the  service  of  the  Union,  which  was 
already  considering  the  desirability  of  establishing  an  official  medium 
of  publication.  As  a  result,  the  'Nuttall  Bulletin'  became  'The 
Auk,'  which,  in  recognition  of  the  generous  action  of  the  Nuttall 
Club,  was  officiall}'  designated  as  the  sccoinf  scries  of  the  'Nuttall 
Bulletin.' 

Between  isolated  workers  in  any  field,  jealousies  and  misunderstand- 
ings arise  which  personal  contact  tends  to  obliterate.  Such  was  the 
case  with  our  ornithologists  for  some  years  prior  to  the  founding  of 
the  Union.  There  were  two  rival  check-lists  of  North  American 
birds,  each  perhaps  equally  authoritative  though  differing  in  impor- 
tant details,  which  led  to  confusion,  and  a  tendency  to  array  our 
ornithologists  into  two  somewhat  hostile  camps.  This  being  recog- 
nized as  a  threatening  evil  of  considerable  gravity,  one  of  the  first 
acts  of  the  Union  was  to  appoint  a  committee  on  the  Classification 
and  Nomenclature  of  North  American  Birds,  so  constituted  as  to 
include  the  most  competent  authorities  on  the  subject  and  at  the 
same  time  safeguard  all  conflicting  interests.  The  work  of  this  com- 
mittee long  since  became  a  matter  of  history.  It  was  conducted  with 
the  utmost  conscientiousness  and  care  ;  personal  interests  and  personal 
bias  were  generously  waived,  differences  of  opinion  were  settled  by 
appeal  to  facts  and  the  evidence,  with  a  result  that  agreement  was 
established  in  respect  to  all  points  of  nomenclature  and  other  tech- 
nicalities, and  a  new  impetus  given  to  systematic  investigation.      Thus, 


The  American  Ornithologists'  Union  145 

through  the  work  of  this  committee  alone  one  of  the  primary  objects 
in  view  in  founding  the  Union  was  most  happih'  accomplished.  Not 
only  a  new  check-list  of  North  American  birds  was  substituted  for 
all  previous  check-lists,  but  a  new  '  Code  of  Nomenclature '  was 
devised  and  adopted  as  the  basis  for  determining  the  names  to  be 
used  in  the  check-list.  After  more  than  two  years  of  work  by  the 
committee  the  check-list,  with  its  code  of  nomenclature,  was  given 
to  the  world  in  1886,  and  became  at  once  the  accepted  standard  of 
authority  with  all  American  writers  on  North  American  birds  ;  the 
'Code'  included  important  innovations  in  respect  to  certain  principles 
of  nomenclature,  which  have  since  become  very  generally  accepted 
the  world  over.  It  is,  therefore,  to  be  regretted  that  a  small  faction 
has  recently  arisen  in  the  ranks  of  the  Union,  that,  objecting  to  cer- 
tain rules  of  the  'Code,'  is  seeking  to  foment  a  break  in  the  good 
feeling  and  harmony  that  have  marked  the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  of 
the  history  of   American  ornithology. 

A  second  purpose  of  the  Union  was,  as  already  intimated,  to  bring 
into  cooperation  and  into  personal  acquaintanceship  as  many  as  pos- 
sible of  the  workers  in  ornithology.  In  effecting  this,  the  appointment 
at  the  first  congress  of  the  Union  of  a  Committee  on  the  Migration 
of  North  American  Birds  proved  a  most  efficient  means.  This  com- 
mittee, with  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  at  its  head,  began  at  once  to  issue 
circulars  of  instruction  and  schedules  for  the  i-eturn  of  data  to  all 
bird  observers  known  to  the  committee,  whether  members  of  the 
Union  or  not.  Thousands  of  circulars  were  thus  issued  annually, 
reaching  hundreds  of  earnest  bird  students  who  had  before  been 
working  alone  and  without  contact  with  the  leaders  in  the  science, 
who  were  thus  not  onh^  stimulated  and  encouraged  to  fresh  endeavor, 
but  were  placed  in  communication  with  a  central  bureau  ever  ready 
to  aid  their  efforts.  In  a  short  time  the  work  of  this  committee  out- 
grew the  financial  resources  of  the  Union,  and  led  to  the  founding  of 
a  distinct  division  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
designated  the  Division  of  Economic  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy, 
of  which  the  chairman  of  this  committee  was  invited  to  become  the 
official  head,  and  which  has  since  become  the  United  States  Bio- 
logical Survey.  The  data  on  the  migration  and  geographical  distri- 
bution of  North  American  birds  gathered  by  this  committee  was 
turned  over  to  this  new  Division  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
for  collation  and  publication,  and  the  work  of  collecting  further  data 
was  continued  on  an  increased  scale  by  the  Chief  of  the  Division  of 
Economic  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy.  This  has  resulted  in  the 
accumulation  of  an  immense  amount  of  valuable  material,  but  little 
of  which    has   as  yet    been   published.       In    1888   a   preliminary  report 


146  Bird -Lore 

on  'Bird  Migration  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,'  prepared  by  Prof.  W. 
W.  Cooke  and  Mr.  Otto  Widmann,  under  the  direction  of  the  chief 
of  the  division,  was  published,  forming  one  of  the  most  important 
contributions  to  the  subject  of  bird  migration  that  has  yet  appeared. 
A  second  report  on  'The  Land  Birds  of  the  Pacific  District,'  by  Mr. 
Lyman  Belding,  was  published  in  i8go,  and,  though  issued  by  the 
California  Academy  of  Sciences,  was  the  outcome  of  the  work  of  this 
committee.  Eventually  all  of  the  vast  accumulation  of  data  inaugu- 
rated by  the  Union,  and  later  carried  on  under  the  auspices  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  relating  not  only  to  the 
migratory  movements  of  birds  but  to  their  distribution,  will  doubtless 
be  published,  with   proper  map  and  other  graphic  illustrations. 

To  another  important  committee  appointed  at  the  first  congress 
of  the  Union  was  delegated  the  investigation  of  'The  Status  of  the 
European  House  Sparrow  in  America.'  This  committee  issued  cir- 
culars of  inquiry,  and  made  an  elaborate  preliminary  report  to  the 
Union,  which  report  was  later,  as  in  the  case  of  the  data  accumu- 
lated by  the  Migration  Committee,  turned  over  to  the  Division  of 
Economic  Ornithology  and  Mammalogy  of  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture.  Under  Dr.  Merriam,  the  investigation  was  prose- 
cuted with  renewed  activity,  and  a  final  and  authoritative  report  was 
issued  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  in  i88g.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  this  impartially  conducted  report  was  strongly  condemna- 
tory  of   this   burdensome   pest. 

At  the  second  congress  of  the  Union  it  appointed  a  Committee 
on  Protection  of  North  American  Birds,  which  has  been  continued 
to  the  present  time,  and  has  been  the  guiding  influence  in  this  great 
economic  and  humanitarian  work.  It  has  done  much  to  arouse  and 
enlighten  public  opinion  respecting  the  enormity  of  the  destruction  of 
birds  for  millinery  purposes,  and  to  guide  legislation  for  the  better 
protection  of  our  birds.  It  early  published  two  important  'bulletins' 
on  the  destruction  of  birds,  and  was  the  origin  of  the  original  Audu- 
bon Society,  whose  president.  Dr.  George  Bird  Grinnell,  was  long 
one  of  the  most  active  members  of  this  committee ;  through  this 
society,  with  chapters  throughout  the  country,  the  cause  of  bird  pro- 
tection was  for  several  years  immensely  aided.  Of  late  it  has  be- 
come practically  the  advisory  committee  of  the  existing  Audubon 
Societies  which  have  recently  multiplied  so  gratifyingly  throughout  the 
country,  and  it  publishes  in  'The  Auk'  an  annual  report  summarizing 
the  work  of  bird   protection   for  the  year. 

In  extending  a  helping  hand  to  casual  and  isolated  observers,  the 
Union  has  had  a  marked  influence  upon  the  recent  progress  of  ornithol- 
ogy in   America,  as   shown  by  the  increase   in   the  number  of  observers 


The  American  Ornithologists'  Union  147 

who  have  become  contributors  to  'The  Auk,'  and  the  constantly  increas- 
ing number  who  have  aUied  themselves  to  the  Union  by  membership 
therein.  The  constitution  of  the  Union  provides  for  four  classes  of 
members;  namely,  (  i)  Active  Members,  limited  to  fifty,  and  to  include 
only  those  who  have  distinguished  themselves  as  original  investigators 
in  ornithology,  and  who  reside  in  the  United  States  or  Canada  ;  (2) 
Honorary  Members,  limited  to  twenty-five,  and  consisting  of  the  most 
eminent  of  foreign  ornithologists  ;  (3)  Corresponding  Members,  limited 
to  one  hundred,  and  consisting  mainly  also  of  eminent  foreign  orni- 
thologists ;  (4)  Associate  Members,  unrestricted  as  to  number,  but 
limited  to  residence  in  the  United  States  or  Canada.  This  class  includes 
not  only  a  large  number  of  experienced  field  workers,  but  many 
college  professors,  educators,  and  persons  eminent  in  other  scientific 
fields,  but  who  are  not  expert  ornithologists.  It  is  open  to  all 
reputable  persons  whose  interest  in  ornithology  is  sufficient  to  prompt 
them   to   seek  such  a  congenial  alliance. 

At  the  first  congress  forty-seven  ornithologists  were  elected  to 
active  membership — -presumably  all  of  the  satisfactory  candidates 
available.  Of  these  forty-seven  original  members,  twenty-four  were 
either  present  or  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  organization  of  the 
Union,  and  are  thus  termed  'Founders.'  (The  accompanying  photo- 
graph is  a  picture  of  these  founders,  made  up  from  separate  photo- 
graphs, it  being  impracticable  for  the  members  to  assemble  to  be 
photographed  as  a  group. )  This  has  remained  about  the  average  num- 
ber, but,  as  years  have  passed,  the  choice  for  the  few  coveted  places  has 
become  harder  and  harder  each  year  to  fill,  through  the  rapid  increase 
of  not  only  available  but  desirable  candidates;  so  that  attainments  that 
would  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Union  have  proved  ample  credentials 
for  admission  have  now  less  weight,  in  the  effort  to  select  the  best  from 
a  large  otherwise  desirable  candidacy.  The  honor  of  the  position 
has  thus  become  enhanced  through  competition  of  merit.  The  two 
foreign  classes  have  remained  practically  unchanged  as  regards 
numbers.  But  the  class  of  Associate  Members  has  increased  from 
about  one  hundred   in   1886  to  nearly  six  hundred   in   i8g8. 

The  revenue  of  the  Union  is  derived  entirely  from  the  annual 
dues  from  members  ($5  for  active  members  and  $3  for  associate 
members)  and  subscriptions  to  'The  Auk.'  As  the  ordinary  running 
expenses  of  the  Union  are  but  a  trifle,  all  of  the  proceeds  from  these 
sources  of  revenue  are  devoted  to  the  publications  of  the  Union. 
These  include,  besides  'The  Auk,'  now  in  its  sixteenth  volume,  the 
original  Code  and  Check-List  of  North  American  Birds  (1886),  an 
Abridged  Check-List  (i88g),  a  separate  reprint  of  the  Code  alone 
(1892),  the  second  edition  of  the  Check-List  (1895),  and  nine  Supple- 


148  Bird -Lore 

ments  to  the  Check-List  (1889-1899),  varying  in  size  from  about  8  to 
36  pages. 

'  The  Auk, '  issued  quarterly,  consists  on  the  average  of  about  420  pages 
per  year,  with  at  least  four  fine  colored  plates,  and  a  greater  or  less 
number  of  text  figures,  including  of  late  numerous  half-tone  illustrations 
of  birds  in  life.  As  practically  all  of  the  funds  of  the  Union  are 
devoted  to  its  publications,  and  mainly  to  'The  Auk,'  its  prosperity 
as  regards  its  size,  the  frequency  and  character  of  its  illustrations, 
and  its  influence  in  promoting  the  study  of  ornithology,  is  limited 
only  by  the  proceeds  from  memberships  and  subscriptions  As  it 
aims  to  meet  the  interests  and  the  necessities  of  both  the  scientific 
and  the  non-scientific  reader  and  contributor,  the  .general  articles, 
comprising  more  than  half  of  each  number,  are  about  equally  divided 
between  popular  and  technical  papers,  while  its  department  of  Gen- 
eral Notes  (embracing  some  15  pages  in  each  number),  is  about 
equally  acceptable  to  both  classes,  as  with  more  or  less  technical 
matter  for  the  benefit  of  the  expert  are  blended  notes  on  the  habits 
and  distribution  of  the  lesser  known  species  of  our  fauna,  often  of  a 
highly  popular  character.  The  department  of  Recent  Literature 
gives  more  or  less  extended  notices  of  the  current  literature  of 
ornithology,  including  general  works,  popular  and  technical,  and  of 
all  the  principal  writings  relating  to  American  birds,  whether  faunal, 
economic,  popular,    or  technical. 

The  meetings  of  the  Union  occur  in  November  of  each  year,  and 
heretofore  have  been  held  alternately  in  New  York,  Washington,  and 
Cambridge  or  Boston.  The  present  year  the  meeting,  which  will  be 
the  seventeenth  congress  of  'the  Union,  will  be  held  in  Philadelphia, 
Nov.  13-17,  1899.  As  usual,  the  public  sessions,  beginning  on  the 
14th,  will  be  open  to  the  general  public,  to  which  all  who  are 
interested   in   birds  are  cordially  invited. 


AMERICAN    BITTERNS 

Two  of  a  brood  of  four  birds  about  one  week  old,  at  which  age  they  showed 

no  fear  of  man 

Photographed  from  nature  by  E.  H.  Tabor,  Meridian,  N.  Y. ,  May  31,  1898 

'.mm 


AMERICAN     BITTERNS 

The  four  members  of   the  brood,  of  which  two  are  shown  above,  about  two  weeks  old, 

when  they  showed  marked  fear  of  man 

Photographed  from  nature  by  F.  M.  Chapman,  Meridian,  N.  Y.,  June  8,  1898 


The   Angler's    Reveille 


BY   HENRY   VAN    DYKE 


What    time    the  rose   of    dawn    is    laid    across    the    lips  of    night, 
And  all  the  drowsy  little  stars  have  fallen  asleep  in  light  ; 
'  Tis  then  a  wandering  wind  awakes,  and  runs  from  tree  to  tree. 
And  borrows  words  from  all  the  birds  to  sound  the  reveille. 


This  is  the  carol  the  Robin  throws 

Over  the  edge  of  the  valley  ; 
Listen  how  boldly  it  flows, 

Sally  on  sally  : 

Tirra-Iin-a,  dmvn  tlie  river, 
Laughing  water  all  a-qtiiver. 
Day  is  near,  clear,  clear. 

Fish  are  breaking, 

Time  for  ivaking. 

Tup,  tup,  tup  ! 
Do   \ou  hear  ?     All  clear. 

'jj'ahe  up.' 

The   phantom   flood   of  dreams  has  ebbed   and  vanished  with  the  dark, 
And  like  a  dove  the  heart  forsakes  the   prison  of   the  ark  ; 
Now  forth  she  fares  through  friendly  woods  and  diamond-fields  of  dew. 
While  every  voice  cries  out   "Rejoice!"  as  if  the   world  were  new. 


This  is   the  ballad   the   Bluebird   sings, 

Unto  his  mate  replying. 
Shaking  the  tune  from  his  wings 

While  he  is  flying  : 

Surely,  surely,  surely, 

Life  is  dear 

Even  here. 

Blue  above, 

You  to  loi'e. 
Purely,  purely,  purely. 

(150) 


The   Angler's    Reveille  151 

There's  wild  azalea  on  the  hill,  and  roses  down  the  dell, 

And  just  a  spray  of  lilac  still    abloom  beside  the  well  ; 

The  columbine  adorns   the  rocks,  the   laurel   buds  grow  pink, 

Along  the  stream  white  arums  gleam,    and    violets    bend    to  drink 


This  is  the  song  of  the  Yellowthroat, 

Fluttering  gaily  beside  you  ; 
Hear  how  each  voluble  note 

Offers  to  guide  you  : 

JVhic/i  way,  sir  ? 
I  say,  si)', 
Let  me  teach  you, 
I  beseech  you  .' 
Are  you  ivishing 
Jolly  fishing  ? 
This   7vay,  sir  ! 
Let  i/ie  teach  you. 

Oh  come,  forget  your    foes  anl    fears,    and    leave    your  cares    behind, 
And   wander  forth  to   try  your  luck,  with  cheerful,    quiet  mind  ; 
For  be  your  fortune  great  or  small,   you'll   take  what  God    may  give, 
And  all   the  day  your  heart  will   say,   "'Tis  luck  enough   to  live." 


This  is  the  song  the  Brown  Thrush  flings 

Out  of  his  thicket  of  roses  ; 
Hark  how  it  warbles  and  rings, 

Mark  how  it  closes  : 

Luck,  luck. 
What  luck  ? 
Good  enough  for  me  I 
I'm  alive,  you  see. 
Sun  shining,   no  repining  ; 
Never  borrow  idle  sorrow  ; 
Drop  it  .'      Cover  it  up  ! 
Hold  your  cup  ! 
Joy  7uill  fill  it, 
Don't  spill  it  ! 
Steadw   be  readv, 
Love  vour  luck  .' 


The    Prairie    Horned   Lark 


^ 


BY    ROBERT    W.    HEGNER 

With  iiliotographs  from  nature   by  the  author 

AT  intervals  throughout  the  winter,  but  more  often  after  the 
first  of  February,  flocks  of  hardy  little  brown  birds  may 
be  seen  about  Decorah,  la.,  wandering  from  place  to  place 
in  search  of  food.  They  are  the  Prairie  Horned  Larks, 
harbingers  of  approaching  spring.  Some  weeks  later,  when 
the  snow  has  melted,  they  seek  their  favorite  haunts  in 
the  pasture  lands,  select  a  slight  elevation  from  the  sur- 
rounding surface,  and  proceed  to  build  their  nests.  They 
first  dig  a  hole  three  inches  wide  and  three  inches  deep 
in  the  softened  ground,  and  then  line  it  on  the  bottom  and  sides 
to  the  depth  of  an  inch  with  dry  grasses,  making  a  warm  nest,  level 
with  the  surface.  I  accidentally  discovered  the  first  one  this  season 
on  April  g.  It  was  nicely  lined  with  vegetable  down  in  addition  to 
the  usual  lining  of  dry  grasses,  and  was  finished  ready  for  the  eggs. 
I  returned  in  a  week,  but,  as  the  mother  bird  was  not  at  home,  had 
to  content  myself  with  a  photograph  of  the  three  finely  spotted  eggs 
which  it  then  contained.  Some  children  who  observed  my  move- 
ments   may   be    held    responsible   for   the   destruction   of   the   nest,    as 


•       .  NEST  AND  EGGS  OF  HORNED  LARK 

two  days  later  I  could  find  nothing  but  the  hole  from  which  it  had 
been  torn.  After  a  short  search  another  Lark  flushed  from  a  nest 
of  three  eggs  almost  identical  with  the  first  and  about  300  yards 
from    it.       Unless   incubation   is    far  advanced    they   seldom    flush    from 

(152) 


The   Prairie   Horned   Lark  153 

directly  under  foot,  nor  do  they  run  along  the  ground  first,  after  the 
manner  of  a  great  many  of  the  ground  builders,  but  keep  a  good 
look  out,  and  fly  straight  from  the  nest  when  anyone  comes  within 
fifty  feet  of  them.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  it  takes  sharp  eyes 
to   discover   their   exact    position. 

At    my    arrival    on    the    bright,    sunny    morning    of     April    24,    the 
Lark    was    at    home,   and    I    had     another    opportunity    of    trying    to 


IKJRNEU    LARK    AT    NEST 


photograph  her.  I  focused  the  camera  three  feet  from  the  nest  and 
retired  to  the  end  of  my  60-foot  rubber  tube.  The  gophers  seemed 
to  be  less  afraid  of  me  than  the  Lark,  and  several  of  them  played 
together  some  ten  feet  awa}^  One  little  striped  rascal  began  gnaw- 
ing at  the  rubber  tube,  and  I  was  forced  to  frighten  him  away. 
This  tube  greatly  puzzled  the  Lark,  for  in  running  around  the 
camera  she  always  came  to  a  halt  upon  reaching  it,  and  it  was 
only  after  repeated  trials  and  much  excitement  that  she  screwed  up 
courage  enough  to  hop  over.  Twenty  minutes  seemed  to  be  sulB- 
cient  time  to  reassure  her,  and  with  head  lowered  she  hastened  to 
the  nest,  looked  in,  and  settled  down  upon  the  eggs.  An  exposure 
of  one  twenty-fifth  of  a  second  with  stop  16  shows  her  as  she  was 
looking  into  the  nest.  While  I  reset  my  shutter  and  put  in  a  new 
plate  the  Lark  left  the  nest,  but  this  time  it  took  her  only  two 
minutes  to  return.  A  photograph  of  a  young  bird  was  taken  on 
May  7.  The  pair  of  birds  that  were  feeding  this  young  one  had  already 
built  a  second  nest,  thinner  and  more  loosely  put  together  than  the 
first,  and  were  incubating   four  eggs. 

The  enemies  of  the  Prairie  Horned   Lark  seem  to  be   very  numer- 


154  Bird- Lore 

ous.  The  nest  and  four  eggs  mentioned  above  were  plowed  under 
to  facilitate  corn  planting,  while  innumerable  nests  are  destroyed 
earlier  in  the  season,  when  the  farmers  '  break  sod. '  The  first  nests 
in  March  and  April  are  often  subject  to  great  changes  of  temperature. 
Although  they  may  be  built  in  warm,  sunny  weather,  a  sudden  cold 
wave  often  covers   them  with   snow  and   imbeds   them   in  ice. 

While  waiting  for  the  Lark  to  become  accustomed  to  the  cam- 
era, I  had  an  excellent  opportunity  of  observing  its  song  flight. 
Lying  there  on  my  back,  I  enjoyed  a  splendid  exhibition  of  one  of 
this  bird's  peculiar  traits.  From  a  point  a  hundred  yards  from 
where  I  lay  a  happy  songster  suddenly  arose,  flying  upward  at  an 
angle  of  45  degrees,  not  continuously,  but  in  short  stretches.  When 
at  a  great  elevation  he  began  to  sing,  taking  short,  quick  wing 
strokes,  and  singing  while  he  sailed.  In  this  way  a  circle  300  yards 
in  diameter  was  crossed  and  recrossed  until  fully  five  minutes  had 
passed,  when,  suddenly  closing  his  wings,  he  shot  downward  like 
a  bullet,  slowly  catching  himself  on  nearing  the  ground  and  curving 
outward  to  his  starting  point.  Several  similar  exhibitions  were 
carried  on  in  exactly  the  same  manner,  the  time  not  varying  by  half 
a  minute.  Though  the  song  lacks  many  of  the  fine  qualities  of 
other  birds,  it  clearly  expresses  the  joy  and  happiness  of  the 
singer.  With  thrills  of  pleasure  we  hear  it  echo  over  the  hills,  and 
bless  the  little  creature,  hoping  that  in  the  '  struggle  for  existence  ' 
he  may  thrive  and  wax  exceeding  strong. 


SCREECH    OWL 
Photographed  from  life  by  A.  L.  Princehorn 


A  Pleasant  Acquaintance  with  a  Hummingbird 

BY   C.   F.    HODGE 

Clark  L'niversity,  Worcester,  Mass. 

'N  the  Nature  Study  course  of  the  Summer  School,  a  little  time 
was  devoted  to  the  honey  bee,  life  of  the  hive,  care  and 
management,  and  especially  th^  work  of  bees  in  cross- 
pollination  of  flowers  and  fruits.  The  closing  "laboratory 
exercise"  in  the  subject  consisted  in  a  honey  spread,  the 
honey  being  removed  from  the  glass  hive  in  the  window 
of  the  laboratory,  in  the  presence  of  the  class,  and  dis- 
tributed with  hot  biscuits  and  butter,  cream  and  fresh  milk.  The 
spread  was  pronounced  the  most  enjoyable  "laboratory  work"  ever 
done  by  members  of  the  class,  but  to  crown  the  event  in  the  most 
exquisite  w^ay  possible,  a  Hummingbird  flew  into  an  open  window, 
and  darting,  unafraid,  in  and  out  among  the  noisy  groups  of  fifty 
or  more  busy  people,  it  rifled  the  various  flowers  with  which  the 
laboratory  was  decorated.  In  closing  the  windows  for  the  night  it 
was  accidentally  imprisoned,  and  on  visiting  the  room  next  morning 
(Sunday),  I  found  it  still  humming  about  the  flowers.  Thinking 
that  it  might  be  a  female,  with  nestlings  awaiting  its  return,  I  gently 
placed  an  insect  net  over  it  with  the  intention  of  passing  it  out  of 
the  window.  It  proved,  however,  on  closer  inspection,  to  be  a  young 
male,  .so  I  thought  it  could  do  no  harm  to  keep  it  a  day  or  two 
for  aquaintance  sake.  No  sooner  was  m}'  finger,  with  a  drop  of 
honey  on  it,  brought  within  reach,  than  it  thrust  its  bill  and  long 
tongue  out  through  the  net  and  licked  up  the  honey  with  evident 
delight.  Releasing  it  from  the  net,  I  dropped  honey  into  a  number 
of  the  flowers,  sprinkling  water  over  them  at  the  same  time,  and  it 
immediately  began  feasting  and  drinking.  As  it  flew  about  it 
taught  me  its  bright  little  chirp,  evidently  a  note  of  delight  and 
satisfaction.  When  I  visited  the  laboratory  again  at  noon,  I  took 
in  my  hand  a  few  heads  of  red  clover  and  a  nasturtium  with  its 
horn  filled  with  honey.  On  giving  the  chirp  a  few  times,  it  flew 
straight  to  the  flowers  in  my  hand,  probed  each  clover  tube,  drank 
its  fill  from  the  nasturtium,  and,  perching  contentedly  on  my  finger, 
wiped  its  bill,  preened  its  feathers,  spread  out  its  tail,  scratched  its 
head,  and  for  the  space  of  a  minute  or  two  looked  me  over  and 
made  himself  the  most  delightful  of  tiny  friends.  The  next  time  I 
entered  the  room,  about  two  hours  later,  he  flew  to  the  door  to 
meet  me,  and  this  time  I  took  him  home,  the  better  to  care  for 
him  during  the  afternoon  and  evening.  In  the  course  of  the  afternoon 
about   a  dozen    friends    called.       Each   one    was    provided    with   a   nas- 

(155) 


156 


Bird -Lore 


turtiuni  into  which  a  drop  of  honey  had  been  placed,  and  nearly  the 
whole  time  the  little  bird  was  flying  from  one  to  the  other,  perching 
on  fingers  or  sipping  from  the  flowers  held  in  the  hand  or  button- 
hole, to  the  delight  of  everybody,  none  of  the  company  having"  ever 
seen  a  live   Hummingbird   so  close   by. 

In  the  evening  he  went  to  roost  high  up  on  a  chandelier,  and  in 
trying  to  catch  him  with  the  net  to  put  him  in  a  safe  cage  for  the 
night,  he  fell  like  a  dead  bird  to  the  carpet.  I  held  him  warm  in 
my  hand,  thinking  that  he  was  about  to  breathe  his  last,  but  anxious 
to  save  the  precious  little  life  if  possible,  I  very  gently  opened  the 
bill  and  inserted  a  pellet  of  crushed  spiders'  eggs  as  large  as 
a  good-sized  sweet  pea,  following  it  with  a  drop  of  water.  He  had 
been  feigning,  probably,  as  they  are  known  to  do  ;  at  any  rate,  in  a 
minute    he    was    as    bright   and    lively    as    ever.       His    room    for    the 


NEST    AND    EGGS    OF    HUMMINGBIRD    SEEN    FROM    ABOVE 

Situated  in  an  apple  tree  8  feet  from  the  ground 

Photographed  from  nature  by  E.  G.  Tabor,  Meridian,  N.  Y.,  June  16.  1857 

night  was  a  large  insect  cage  of  wire  screen  filled  with  convenient 
twigs  and  a  large  bowl  of  flowers.  At  five  in  the  morning  I  fed 
him  honey  and  young  spiders,  and  again  at  six.  At  eight  I  had  a 
lecture,  the  subject  of  which  happened  to  be  the  taming  of  wild  birds 
and  attracting  them  about  our  homes.  Removing  all  flowers  from  his 
cage  to  let  his  appetite  sharpen  for  the  two  intervening  hours,  I 
set  the  cage  on  a  table  by  my  side  on  the  lecture  platform.  I  had 
taken  pains  to  have  two  fresh  nasturtiums  in  my  buttonhole,  one 
well  loaded  with  honey,  the  other  filled  with  the  juices  of  crushed 
spiders  and  spiders'  eggs.  On  reaching  the  topic  of  approaching 
birds  in  the  right  way,  appealing  to  them  along  the  lines  of  their 
tastes  and  appetites,  appealing  to  the  "right  end"  of  a  bird,  I  had 
only  to  open  the  door,  give  the  familiar  chirp,  and  the  little  charmer 
was   probing   the  flowers.      Then,  as    if   anxious    to   show   off,  he   again 


A   Caged   Skylark  i57 

perched  on  my  hand  and  went  through  his  post  prandial  toilet,  thus 
giving  the  class  an  idea  of  bird-taming  which  no  amount  of  books 
or  anything  I  might  have  said  could  have  possibly  equaled.  Many 
expressed  themselves  as  never  having  seen  so  successful  a  "dem- 
onstration." Some  said  that  I  must  be  in  league  with  higher  powers, 
and  it  all  must  have  been  '"providential."  This  may  be  true,  for 
anything  I  know  to  the  contrary.  But  it  may  have  been  simply  im- 
proving the  opportunities  of  a  happy  accident;  and  'accidents,' 
we  know,  "never  happen  among  the  Hottentots."  If  flowers  and 
honey  can  do  it,  at  any  rate,  such  accidents  shall  be  more  fre- 
quent about  my  home  in   the   future. 


A    Peculiarity   of    a   Caged    Skylark 

BY    H.  M.  COLLINS 

^O  birds  reverse  the  usual  order  of  things,  and  from 
a  serious  and  stolid  youth  develop  mature  play- 
fulness ?  I  have  been  led  to  ask  myself  this 
question  by  observing  the  extraordinary  playful- 
ness exhibited  by  a  pet  Skylark  in  extreme  old  age.  Upon  hearing 
the  owner  of  the  bird  declare.  "Dickie  has  reached  his  dotage,  and, 
is  now  in  a  state  of  second  childhood,"  it  occurred  to  me  that  birds 
have  no  season  of  youthful  frivolity  such  as  Mother  Nature  accords 
to  her  other  children.  We  are  accustomed  to  associate  the  idea  of 
youth  with  playfulness :  we  picture  to  ourselves  the  lamb  frisking 
in  the  meadows,  the  frolicsome  kitten  playing  upon  the  hearth,  and 
we  groan  inwardly  when  we  meditate  upon  the  destructive  propensities 
of  our  pet  puppies,  but  we  think  of  our  young  feathered  friends  as 
lying  inert  in  their  nests,  gaping  wide  open  their  yellow-edged  beaks 
incessantly  for  food,  and  apparently  interested  in  nothing  else. 

A  caged  Skylark  is  a  deplorable  object  generally,  but  the  Lark 
of  which  I  am  about  to  write  was  a  bird  'with  a  history,'  and  one, 
whose  cage  was  not  a  prison  but  a  home.  While  his  native  meadow 
(in  Ireland)  was  being  mowed,  one  of  his  wings  was  struck  by  the 
mowing-machine  and  the  last  joint  terribly  mutilated.  One  of  the 
workmen  picked  up  the  poor  little  sufferer  and  gave  him  to  a  little 
boy  whose  father  was  something  of  a  naturalist  and  a  great  lover  of 
birds.  Examination  of  the  shattered  wing  revealed  the  fact  that 
amputation  of  the  last  joint  would  be  necessary  if  the  bird's  life  was 
to  be  preserved.  The  operation  was  performed,  and  the  little  patient 
was  placed  in  a  very  large  cage  carpeted  with  fresh,  green  sods. 
He  was  well   supplied  with  food  and  water ;   the   injured  wing   healed 


15^  Bird -Lore 

rapidly ;  he  became  surprisingly  tame,  and  soon  appeared  to  enjoy 
life  thoroughly.  Occasionally,  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy  his  freedom 
in  a  large  room,  but  after  running  about  awhile,  always  seemed  glad 
to  return  to  his  cage,  the  door  of  which  was  left  open,  so  that  he 
might    go   home  when    he    pleased. 

He  was  a  beautiful  singer,  and  used  to  stand  in  the  long  grasses 
and  fresh  clover  of  his  sod,  quiver  the  poor  pinions  that  could  never 
again  soar  skyward,  and  burst  into  the  glorious  carol  with  which 
he  had  been  wont  to  salute  the  sunrise,  when,  high  up  among  the 
fleecy  clouds,  he  had  appeared  an  almost  invisible  speck  of  personified 
melody  to  the  enchanted  listeners  below. 

As  the  years  sped  by,  this  much-indulged  bird  craved  petting 
and  attention  to  an  abnormal  degree,  could  be  coaxed  at  any  hour 
into  singing,  and  formed  the  strange  habit  of  trilling  a  low,  sweet 
carol  at  ten  o'clock  every  night,  which  his  mistress  called  his  ''good- 
night song. "  When  he  had  been  caged  for  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
he  become  as  playful  as  a  kitten,  and  was  particularly  fond  of  going 
through  what  his  mistress  called  the  "jungle  tiger  act,"  which  con- 
sisted of  crouching  down  out  of  sight  in  the  grasses  of  his  sod,  and 
then  springing  suddenly  forward  to  bite  in  a  gentle  way  a  finger 
poked  between  the  wires  of  his  cage.  He  never  wearied  of  this  game 
so  long  as  he  could  induce  a  child  or  grown  person  to  engage  in  it 
with  him.  and  before  he  died,  a  year  or  so  later,  he  developed  a 
degree  of   playfulness   that   almost    amounted    to    imbecility. 


'On  the  Ethics  of  Caging   Birds.' 

[As  stated  in  our  last  issue,  Mrs.  Miller's  paper  on  "The  Ethics  of  Caging  Birds,' 
in  Bird-Lore  for  June,  brought  us  numerous  letters,  from  which  we  have  selected  two, 
representing  both  sides  of  the  question,  for  publication.  As  a  further  contribution 
to  this  discussion  we  publish  in  this  number  of  Bird-Lore  several  papers  describing 
experiences  with  caged  birds. — Ed.] 

To  THE  Editor  of  Bird-Lore, 

Dear  Sir  : — I  have  always  been  such  an  admirer  of  Mrs.  Miller's 
writings  that  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  great  disappointment  in  her 
article  concerning  caged  birds,  which  appeared  in  your  June  number 
of  Bird-Lore.      Will  you  allow  me  to  comment  on   it  briefly  ? 

Mrs.  Miller  starts  out  with  the  position  that  while  she  disapproves 


'On   the   Ethics  of  Caging  Birds'  159 

with  "all  her  heart"  of  caging  wild  birds,  yet  since  "birds  are  caged 
we  must  deal  with  circumstances  as  we  find  them." 

Undoubtedly  Mrs.  Miller  is  right  in  sounding  a  note  of  warning 
for  those  who  keep  birds  as  pets,  by  impressing  upon  them  the  care 
that  should  be  given  these  utterly  helpless  little  creatures.  She 
says,  "Not  one  bird  in  a  thousand  is  properly  cared  for,"  and  she 
might  add  to  that  the  fact  that  thousands  die  every  year  of  hunger, 
thirst,  lack  of  care, — forlorn  prisoners,  utterly  unable  to  help  them- 
selves. These  facts  being  true,  the  inconsistency  of  her  position  is 
that  she  gives  the  slightest  encouragement  to  the  bird  trafftc  which 
results  in  so  much  cruel  suffering.  She  says  that  the  discomfort  they 
suffer  in  the  bird  stores  is  so  great  that  she  feels  it  to  be  "a  work 
of  charity  to  purchase  them,"  yet  she  does  not  seem  to  see  that  every 
purchaser  is  in  a  measure  accountable  for  this  suffering.  If  no  one 
would  buy  the  birds,  the  traiSc  would   soon  cease. 

But  Mrs.  Miller  appears  to  be  utterly  hopeless  as  to  the  cure  of 
this  evil,  for  she  says:  "If  a  bird-lover  should  worry  and  fret 
himself  to  death  he  could  not  put  an  end  to  their  captivity."  It  is 
exceedingly  fortunate  that  there  have  been,  and  still  are,  and  prob- 
ably always  will  be,  a  few  men  and  women  in  the  world  who  believe 
with  Emerson  that  "Nothing  is  impossible  to  the  man  who  can  will," 
and  who,  in  spite  of  the  perplexing  outlook,  go  forward,  and  bring 
about  the  world's  great  reforms. 

The  first  step  in  repressing  any  wrong  is  for  some  individual  to  take 
a  firm  stand,  even  in  the  face  of  the  greatest  discouragement.  An- 
other will  follow,  and  then  another,  and  by  and  by,  when  we  have 
hardly  begun  to  believe  anything  has  been  done,  a  wave  sweeps 
over  the  country,  and  the  wrong  is  righted.  This,  how^ever,  can 
never  be  brought  about  unless  by  individual  action  and  the  abiding 
faith  that  every  one  counts. 

Mrs.  Miller  advances  as  her  "strong  argument"  the  great  value 
of  caged  birds  as  pets  in  the  education  of  the  child,  and  upsets  her 
own  argument  by  saying:  "Nothing  is  more  important  than  the 
training  of  our  youth  in  humanity,  and  respect  for  the  rights  of 
others."  "Respect  for  the  rights  of  others"  means  justice  to  all  the 
dumb  or  helpless  creation.  Even  a  child  can  reason  out  for  himself 
that  a  bird  was  created  for  freedom  in  the  upper  air,  not  for  con- 
finement in  a  cage,  and  that,  even  if  it  is  bred  in  a  cage,  it  is  no 
more  just  or  right  to  put  it  to  such  purposes  than  it  would  be  to 
keep  a  dog  chained  all  day,  or  a  horse  tied  in  a  stable  all  his  life, 
or  a  man  confined   within  the  narrow    limits  of   prison  walls. 

Children  have  ample  opportunity  to  be  taught  kindness,  and,  what 
is  even   better  than   kindness,  justice  to   the  animal   creation  by  having 


i6o  Bird- Lore 

the  care  of  cats  or  dogs,  yet  how  few  mothers  or  teachers  take  pains 
to  teach  the  right  care  of  these  commoa  animals,  which  are  to  be 
found  everywhere,  and  are  dependent  on  man  for  their  happiness. 
A  child  will  not  discriminate  between  the  bird  bred  in  a  cage  and 
the  bird  taken  from  the  mother's  nest  for  the  purpose  of  being 
brought  up  in  a  cage,  and  while  birds  are  given  as  pets  to  children, 
not  only  the  traffic  in  canaries  is  encouraged,  but  the  snaring,  or  the 
capturing  by  other  means,  of  our  own  song  birds  will  continue.  It  stems 
to  me  there  is  but  one  lesson  to  teach  children  in  relation  to  birds, — 
that  they  were  made  to  be  free,  and  to  have  space  to  use  the  wings 
that  surely  cannot  have  proper  exercise  even  in  the  confined  space 
of   a   house. 

Let  those  who  already  have  birds  take  good  care  of  them,  by  all 
means ;  give  them  the  right  food  and  plenty  of  fresh  water,  and  as 
much  freedom  as  possible  in  the  limits  of  the  house ;  but  let  those 
who  are  true  bird-lovers  discourage  the  traffic  in  birds  in  every  way 
possible,  no  matter  how  hopeless  it  may  seem  just  now  to  endeavor 
to  put  a  stop  to  it,  for  the  influence  of  every  individual  counts. 

Anna   Harris    Smith. 

To  THE  Editor  of  Bird-Lore. 

Dear  Sir:  —  In  the  main  Mrs.  Miller's  statement  of  the  case  is  the 
one  that  I  have  come  to  adopt.  In  fact,  my  prejudices  against  the 
practice  of  caging  birds  were  entirely  banished  and  the  whole  subject 
revealed  in  a  new  light  by  reading  Mrs.  Miller's  'Bird  Ways.' 
Such  wonderful  possibilities  of  bird  happiness,  child  culture  and  edu- 
cation, and  bird  study  were  opened  up  by  this  little  book  that,  from 
being  opposed  to  caged  birds,  I  was  converted  to  believe  that  the 
cage  might  be  made  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  great 
new  field  of  bird  study,  and,  I  hope,  actual  bird  culture,  which  seems 
to  be  dawning  before  us. 

The  subject  has  a  number  of  ethical  bearings  which  Mrs.  Miller 
does  not  touch  upon,  two  of  which  I  may  point  out. 

First:  We  may  not  only  have  a  "right"  to  confine  a  bird,  but 
it  may  become  a  duty  which  we  owe  not  only  to  the  bird  itself,  but  to 
the  community  as  well.  The  moment  before  beginning  to  write  this 
a  young  Robin  was  sitting  warmly  in  my  hand  gulping  down  earth- 
worms and  blackberries.  He  is  now  sleeping  quietly  in  a  cage  by 
my  side.  I  picked  him  up  this  noon  on  the  ground  under  the  nest, 
unable  to  fly,  and  I  love  to  think  of  him  safe  and  cosy  instead  of 
fluttering  in  the  jaws  of  some  miscreant  cat.  Some  days  ago  a  boy 
came  and  told  me  that  a  neighbor's  wife  had  taken  a  young  Robin 
away  from  her  cat  "and  put  it  on  top  of  the  shed"  (to  fall  down 
into  the  cat's  mouth  again).      At  my  request  he  brought  the  bird,  but 


'On   the   Ethics  of   Caging  Birds' 


i6i 


it  was  so  lacerated  that  it  died  that  night.  Of  two  nests  of  Robins 
I  have  known  this  season,  in  spite  of  me,  the  cats  got  seven  of  the 
young,  and  the  eighth  would  have  gone  the  same  way  were  it  not 
sleeping  safely  in  another  of  my  cages.  In  all,  I  have  three  young 
Robins,  all  picked  up  from  the  ground,  unable  to  fly.  all,  without  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt,  saved  from  the  cats.  None  have  died  in  my  hands, 
the  one  killed  by  the  neighbors  cat  not  counted,  and  they  seem  to  be 
fairly  happy  little  birds,  though  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  grow 
happier  as  they  grow  wiser.  My  point  is  simply  that  in  the  present 
exigency  of  our  rapidly  decreasing  bird  life,  every  child  should  learn 
how  to  care  for  fledglings  of  different  species  and  have  suitable  cages 
where  they  may  be  kept  until,  at  least,  they  are  able  to  fly.  This 
may  often  be  done  by  hang- 
ing the  cage  near  the  nest. 
where  the  parents  will  feed  it. 
Our  children  owe  this  work 
to  the  community,  to  them- 
selves and  to  the  birds.  I  am 
aware  some  will  say  that  this 
will  lead  to  the  death  of  more 
fledglings  than  now  go  to  feed 
the  cats.  And  under  present 
conditions,  I  regret  to  say. 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  truth 
in  it.  In  trying  to  get  chil- 
dren interested  in  this  work, 
I  have  been  surprised  to  find 
so  many  who  say,  "Oh  yes, 
I  would  like  to  have  some 
tame  Robins  so  much  ;  but  you 
can't  keep  them  alive.  I  have 
tried  it,  and  they  all  died." 
"What  did  you  feed  them?" 
"Oh,  bread  crumbs;"  now 
and  then  one  will  say  "worms 
and  berries."  "Did  they  eat  ?'' 
"No,  I  never  saw  them  eat 
anything."  "Did  you  give  them 
any  water  to  drink  ?  "  "  No,  I 
didn't  think  of  that."  "How 
often  do  you  feed  them  ?  Do 
you  know  that  birds  are  flying  appetites  ?  Did  you  feed  them  regularly 
about    every  hour?"      "No,   I  put  in  some  stuff  generally  about  once 


ii-:eiiin( 


■i-:i)AK     WAXW'IN- 


Which  lives  out  of  doors,  all  over  tbe  house, 
and  in  his  cage 

Photographed  from  nature  by  C.  F.  Hodge 


i62  Bird -Lore 

a  day."  And  so  it  goes.  But  shall  we  be  content  with  this  state  of 
things  when  any  bright  child  can  be  given  the  necessary  instruction 
in  an  hour  by  which  he  can  succeed  in  keeping  alive  and  taming 
practically  all  the  fledglings  that  fall  in  his  way  ? 

Second  :  We  owe  it  as  a  duty  to  both  the  birds  and  ourselves 
to  learn  the  facts  of  bird  life.  We  do  not  adequately  know  the 
life  story  of  a  single  one  of  our  most  common  species.  Every  fact 
that  can  be  discovered  as  to  the  good  or  the  harm  that  birds  do 
ought  to  be  found  out.  Every  fact  so  discovered  will  act  as  just  so 
much  more  motive  force  to  bring  about  proper  relations  with  our 
birds.  A  few  birds  have  been  killed,  and  the  stomach  contents 
analyzed,  to  obtain  facts  about  bird  foods  which  have  changed  our 
sentiments  and  even  legislation.  Somebody  owed  this  as  a  duty  to 
both  birds  and  community.  But  this  method  is  not  well  adapted  for  use 
in  elementary  schools,  and  its  results  might  be  infinitely  extended  and 
the  subject  of  bird  foods  made  a  matter  of  practical  public  education, 
by  having  classes  in  nature  study  throughout  our  schools  make 
feeding  tests  with  tame  birds  of  different  species.  Cages  will  have 
to  play  at  least  a  temporary  role  in  work  of  this  kind.  More  than 
this,  a  knowledge  of  bird  ways,  habits,  methods  of  feeding  and 
caring  for  their  nests  and  young,  their  songs  and  calls,  "their 
manners  for  the  heart's  delight,"  are  great  aesthetic  and  educational 
values.  These  might  all  be  developed  and  enhanced  by  a  proper 
use  of  caged  birds.  Instead  of  collections  of  stviffed  birds,  the  ethics 
and  educational  value  of  which  I  wish  might  be  discussed  in  Bird- 
Lore,  each  city  might  have,  possibly  maintained  by  some  ornitholo- 
gical society,  a  fine  collection  of  pairs  of  a  few  of  our  most  valuable 
species.  These  could  make  the  rounds  of  the  schools  each  year. 
This,  too,  need  only  be  a  temporary  expedient,  useful  until  sufficient 
general  interest  and  knowledge  is  developed  so  that  we  may  have, 
properly  appreciated  and  protected,  an  abundance  of  our  native  birds 
tamed    sufficiently   to   come   close   about  our   homes. 

The  above  are  but  two  points  among  many,  and  I  bring  them 
forward  to  bespeak  a  little  intelligent  favor  for  the  proper  use  of 
the  cage.  We  owe  the  birds  duties  of  protection  and  acquaintance, 
and   the   cage    may    help  us    in    the    performance   of    both. 

C.    F.    Hodge,  Clark   University. 


jFor    ^oung    0b&tx\)tx^ 


Oliver   Twist,  Catbird 

BY  ISABELLA   McC.  LEMMON 

ON  July  g,  1898,  we  caught  a  young  Catbird.  He 
had  left  the  nest  the  day  before,  and  had  then 
eluded  all  our  efforts,  but  by  morning  a  pouring 
rain  had  removed  his  objections  to  captivity,  and  a  very 
wet,  bedraggled  little  Catbird  was  established  in  the  big 
cage.  He  soon  stopped  trying  to  get  out,  and  seemed 
quite  contented  —  except  occasionally  when  the  old  birds 
heard  him  calling  for  food  and  came  to  the  rescue.  But 
that  was  carefully  guarded  against,  and  as  his  voice  lost  its  baby  tone 
they  left  him  in  peace. 

A  name  was  quickly  given,  the  frequency  and  great  size  of  his 
meals  promptly  gaining  for  him  the  title  of  'Oliver  Twist.'  Worms, 
currants,  goose-,  rasp-,  black-,  and  huckleberrries,  bits  of  bread 
soaked  in  milk,  all  went  down,  but  the  fruit  seemed  somewhat  more 
acceptable.  On  July  16,  the  amount  of  food  was  greatest  :  43  earth- 
worms and  81   berries  between  7  a.  m.  and  6.50  p.  m. 

As  the  different  berries  ripened  he  gave  up  the  early  kinds  and 
accepted  the  new  ones  most  eagerly,  elderberries  especially.  These 
last  he  ate  by  the  bunch  —  indeed  one  need  only  walk  past  a  patch 
of  the  bushes  when  the  fruit  is  ripe,  to  appreciate  a  Catbird's  fond- 
ness for  them. 

By  the  i6th  Oliver  had  taken  his  first  bath,  and  for  the  first  time 
I  saw  him  drink.  Four  days  later,  when  he  must  have  been  about 
four  weeks  old,  we  heard  him  trying  to  sing  —  queer  little  chirps  and 
gurgles  in  the  lowest  of  tones,  but  evidently  intended  for  a  song. 
He  stopped  as  soon  as  he  saw  me,  raising  his  wings  and  begging 
for  food,  and  for  some  time  we  were  obliged  to  enjoy  his  musical 
efforts  by  stealth. 

By  August  I,  he  was  pretty  well  feathered  ;  the  tail  was  almost 
full  length,  and  even  the  little  feathers  over  the  nostrils  had  started 
to  grow.  He  was  also  able  to  feed  himself  then,  but  greatly  pre- 
ferred being  fed ;  often,  when  I  offered  him  more  than  he  wanted, 
giving  a  low  'chuck'  very  like  the  old  birds'  call. 

As  August  progressed  worms  were  refused,  and  though  bread  and 
milk  and  all  sorts  of  berries  were  eaten,  the  bird  evidently  missed 
something.      He  was   molting   a   little  —  if   the    loss   of   so  few  feathers 

(163) 


164  Bird -Lore 

could  be  called  a  molt  —  but  became  more  and  more  droopy,  refusing 
or  indifferently  eating  the  various  things  we  tried,  till  some  one  gave 
him  a  fly  !  Then  all  went  well ;  he  ate  all  the  flies  we  could  catch, 
sometimes  twenty  at  a  meal,  and  also  wasps  and  bees.  When  he  saw 
somebody  bringing  one  of  the  latter  dainties  he  would  jump  about  in 
great  excitement,  then,  snatching  the  insect,  kill  it  with  a  few  quick 
pinches  and  swallow  it,  poison  and  all.  He  also  learned  the  motion 
made  in  catching  a  fly,  and  was  on  the  alert  as  soon  as  he  saw  me 
snatch  for  one. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  month  I  let  him  out  of  doors  —  though 
he  had  often  been  out  in  the  house  —  and  after  that  he  had  exercise 
nearly  every  day,  flying  about  a  little,  coming  readily  to  me  when 
I  whistled,  and  generally  returning  to  the  cage  quickly  enough  for  a 
few  flies.  He  evidently  regarded  the  cage  as  home,  for  let  any  large 
bird  pass  at  what  he  considered  too  close  quarters  and  in  he  went 
like  a  flash,  there  to  remain  till  the  danger  was  past.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  he  was  hopping  among  the  plants  in  the  house,  I  saw  him 
carefully  watching  a  Crow  that  was  fighting  his  way  against  a  heavy 
wind.  Suddenly  the  Crow  gave  way,  making  a  swoop  almost  to  the 
window,  and  in  far  less  time  than  it  can  be  told  the  Catbird  was  in 
the  cage  and  up  on  a  perch,  so  terrified  that  it  was  some  minutes 
before  he  was  himself  again. 

About  the  middle  of  September  Oliver  Twist  caught  the  migra- 
tion fever,  and  when  no  one  was  in  sight  was  very  uneasy  in  his  cage, 
not  only  during  the  day  but  at  night  as  well.  In  the  evening  the 
bird  was  always  moved  to  a  dark  back  hall,  where  he  usually  settled 
down  at  once ;  now  he  was  most  restless,  chucking  and  mewing 
sometimes  for  nearly  an  hour,  and  not  until  late  in  October  did  he 
finally  become  quiet.      Cool  days,  also,  made  him   more  uneasy. 

During  the  fall  months  Oliver  ate  every  sort  of  berry  I  could  find, 
from  dogwood  to  Boston  ivy,  with  two  exceptions  :  those  of  the  wild 
rose  and  the  catbriar.  The  seeds  of  the  ivy  berries  he  always  ejected, 
perfectly  clean  and  free  from  pulp,  begianing  about  half  an  hour 
after  swallowing  them  ;  he  would  work  the  bill  a  little,  as  if  the  seed 
were  in  his  mouth,  a  moment  later  pushing  it  out  with  the  tongue. 
At  first  they  appeared  quite  rapidly  —  two  or  three  or  even  more 
in  a  minute  —  then  more  slowly,  and  continued  for  at  least  three- 
(piarters  of  an  hour. 

As  the  house  flies  disappeared,  the  big  blue  and  green  species, 
that  during  the  summer  were  .simply  scorned,  grew  quite  tempting; 
but  even  these  gave  out,  and  it  became  very  difficult  to  find  proper 
food  for  the  little  fellow.  Figs  for  a  time  supplied  the  place  of  ber- 
ries, but  he  tired  of  them  at    last,   and    bits  of  meat  never  passed  for 


Oliver  Twist,  Catbird  165 

flies  or  for  the  worms  that  even  in  the  greenhouse  went  down  beyond 
reach  of  the  trowel. 

The  cage  now  stood  among  the  plants  in  a  sunny  window  of  the 
dining-room,  and  the  conversation  at  meal  times  generally  started 
Oliver  singing  ;  yet  it  was  always  a  low  version  of  the  usual  Catbird 
song,  for  he  invariably  sang  with  the  bill  nearly  closed.  Often  in  the 
dark  December  mornings  he  was  scarcely  awake  when  breakfast  began, 
but  in  a  few  minutes  we  would  hear  his  cheerful  little  song  —  the  first 
thing  in  his  day  —  before  he  even  left  his  night's  perch.  Then,  as 
the  sun  touched  him  there  came  a  great  arranging  of  feathers  and 
a  good   shake   to  put  each   one  in   place  again,  and  then   breakfast. 

The  bath  was  almost  never  omitted  from  the  time  the  bird  was 
about  a  month  old,  and  often  he  bathed  twice  a  day  if  the  first  were 
given  him  early  in  the  morning  :  and  how  he  enjoyed  it  1  shuffling  up 
the  w^ater  with  his  wings,  ducking  his  head,  and  spattering  in  every 
direction  till  he  was  soaked  through,  then  going  to  the  perch  and 
flicking  wings  and   tail   and  ruffling, the  feathers  until   dry. 

To  some  extent  Oliver  showed  affection  by  coming  most  readily 
to  me,  who  generally  fed  him,  and  by  an  odd  little  greeting  he  usu- 
ally gave  when  I  offered  him  my  finger,  gently  pinching  it  or  giving 
a  slight  peck,  too  mild  ever  to  be  mistaken  for  anger.  Unfortunately 
this  was  broken  up  by  the  teasing  of  another  member  of  the  family, 
and  the  pecks  became  too   severe   to  be  altogether  agreeable. 

He  was  growing  more  wild  and  more  unwilling  to  return  to  his 
cage,  and  I  intended  to  let  him  go  when  spring  came,  but  long  before 
that  time  he  got  sickly  and  sluggish,  eager  for  the  berries  and  insects 
that  were  not  to  be  found,  and  in  spite  of  everything  I  tried  in  their 
stead,  he  died  late  in  December. 

But  though  Oliver  Twist  lived  so  short  a  time  he  taught  me  many 
interesting  lessons,  one  of  which,  in  particular,  I  shall  long  remem- 
ber :  never  try  to  keep  a  fruit-  and  insect-eating  bird  through  the 
winter,  for  no  amount  of  willingness  and  care  can  supply  him  with 
proper  food.  Take  nature's  word  for  it  —  she  knows  quite  well  what 
she  is  about  when  she  sends  them  all  off  to  the  south. 


jBtotes  from  JTielti  anU  ^tutip 


Birds   and    Caterpillars 

Last  year,  at  Brandon,  Vermont,  the 
tent-caterpillars  were  so  abundant  as  to 
be  a  serious  injury  and  annoyance. 
They  lay  in  close  rows,  making  wide 
bands  on  the  tree  trunks.  They  spun 
down  from  the  upper  branches  and  fell 
upon  the  unfortunate  passers-by.  They 
crawled  through  the  grass  in  such  num- 
bers that  it  seemed  to  move  in  a  mass 
as  one  looked  down  upon  it.  Under 
these  circumstances,  birds  might  be  ex- 
pected to  do  strange  things, — and  they  did. 

The  pair  of  Downy  Woodpeckers  which 
lived  near  us  were  frequently  seen  on 
the  ground  picking  up  the  crawling  tent- 
caterpillars.  They  seemed  to  prefer  tak- 
ing them  from  the  ground  to  taking  them 
from  the  trees,  though  there  were  more 
on  the  tree-trunks  than  on  the  ground 
even.  And  the  Woodpeckers  seemed  to 
have  no  difficulty  in  moving  on  the 
ground,  though  they  moved  more  slowly 
than  when  dodging  around  a  tree. 

Two  moiintain-ash  trees  on  the  place 
were  infested  by  borers,  though  only 
slightly  and  only  near  the  ground,  and 
at  the  foot  of  one  of  these  trees  the 
Downy  Woodpeckers  made  many  a  stand, 
while  they  probed  the  borer-holes  with 
their  bills. 

The  Cuckoos  came  boldly  into  the  village 
and  fed  and  fed,  flying  about  quite  openly. 
The  Nuthatches  flew  to  a  band  of  cat- 
erpillars on  a  tree-trunk,  and  were  so 
busy  and  absorbed  in  devouring  the 
crawlers  that  I  could  put  my  hand  on 
them  before  they  started  to  fly,  and  then 
they  merely  flew  to  another  tree  close  by, 
and  attacked  another  mass  of  caterpillars. 

Blackbirds  waddled  over  the  grass  by 
the  sides  of  the  streets  picking  up  the 
crawlers,  and  even  a  Woodcock  spent 
several  hours  in  the  garden  and  on  the 
lawn,  apparently  feasting  on  tent- 
caterpillars,  but  I  could  not  get  near 
enough  to  be  sure. 


The  Vireos — White-eyed,  Red-eyed,  and 
Warbling — the  Cat-birds,  Cedar-birds,  and 
Rose-breasted  Grosbeaks  did  good  service 
to  the  trees  and  human  beings,  but  the 
most  evident  destruction  was  done  by  the 
Chipping  Sparrows  when  the  moths 
emerged  late  in  the  summer.  The  moths 
were  very  abundant  after  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  flying  about  the  trees  to 
lay  their  eggs,  and  then  the  Chippies  be- 
came fly-catchers  for  the  time,  and  flew 
straight,  turned,  twisted,  dodged,  and 
tumbled  '  head  over  heels  and  heels  over 
head'  in  the  air,  just  as  the  course  of  the 
hunted  moth  made  necessary.  A  quick 
snap  of  the  beak,  and  four  brownish 
wings  would  float  down  like  snowflakes, 
and  their  numbers  on  the  walks,  roads 
and  grass  showed  how  many  thousands  of 
moths  were  slain.  In  spite  of  the  un- 
wonted exercise  the  Chippies  waxed  fat, 
but  not  as  aldermanic  as  the  Robins,  which, 
earlier,  gorged  themselves  on  the  cater- 
pillars until,  as  one  observer  said,  "their 
little  red  fronts  actually  trailed  on  the 
ground." — Caroline  G.  Soule,  Brook- 
line,   Mass. 

An  Odd  Nesting  Site. 

I  have  never  seen  an  account  of 
a  House  Wren  taking  up  his  abode  in 
another  bird's  nest.  It  seemed,  therefore, 
at  first  incredible  when,  early  this  summer, 
we  saw  a  Wren  frequenting  a  deserted 
Baltimore  Oriole's  nest  and  apparently 
start  housekeeping  in  it.  This  nest  was  in 
one  of  the  outermost  branches  of  a  large 
sugar  maple  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground  and  the  same  distance  from  the 
farm-house,  and  was  completely  filled  with 
twigs  by  its  tenants.  The  little  Wren's 
choice  was  the  more  remarkable,  in  that  a 
number  of  bird  houses  had  been  placed 
about  the  grounds  for  their  special  accom- 
modation. I  believe  none  of  these  were 
occupied,  and  this  pair  deliberately  pre- 
ferred the  Oriole's  nest. — L.  H.  Schwab, 
Sharon,  Conn. 


;i66) 


iloDfe  jBleto0  anti  3^etoteto0 


The  First  Book  of  Birds.  By  Olive 
Thorne  Miller.  With  8  colored  and 
12  plain  plates  and  20  figures  in  the 
text.  Boston  and  New  York,  Hough- 
ton, Mifflin  &  Co.  1899.  i2mo,  pp. 
viii-f-149. 

Text-books  based  on  successful  experi- 
ences in  teaching  generally  prove  to  be  of 
value,  and  the  present  volume  is  no  ex- 
ception to  the  rule.  It  contains  what  its 
author  has  found  to  be  the  most  adequate 
definition  of  the  bird  in  her  talks  on  this 
little-known  creature  to  boys  and  girls.  It 
is  well-named  a  'First  Book  of  Birds,' 
Mrs.  Miller's  aim  being  to  arouse  an  in- 
telligent interest  in  bird-life  before  con- 
fronting the  inquirer  with  '  keys  '  and  dis- 
couraging identification  puzzles.  She, 
therefore,  begins  with  the  nest,  and  out- 
lines the  development  of  the  bird,  follow- 
ing this  section  by  chapters  on  the  bird's 
language,  food,  migration,  intelligence, 
etc.,  and  concluding  with  sections  on  '  How 
He  is  Made,'  and  '  His  Relations  with  Us. ' 
The  matter  is  well  chosen,  and  so  admirably 
arranged  that  no  attentive  reader  can 
fail  to  receive  a  clear  and  logical  concep- 
tion of  the  chief  events  in  a  bird's  life. — 
F.  M.  C. 

Field  Key  to  the  Land  Birds.  By 
Edward  Knobel.  Boston,  Bradlee 
Whidden.  1899.  i6mo,  pp.  55,  numer- 
ous cuts  in  the  text  and  10  colored 
plates. 

This  is  an  attempt  to  make  plain  the 
way  of  the  field  student,  to  whom  every 
aid  is  welcome.  One  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  land  birds  are  divided  into  four  groups, 
according  to  their  size,  and  are  arranged 
on  nine  colored  plates,  in  the  preparation 
of  which  the  publishers  have  evidently 
struggled  with  the  evils  of  cheap  lithog- 
raphy, or  some  inexpensive  color  pro- 
cess. Experience  in  this  direction  makes 
us  a  lenient  critic,  and  our  standard  has 
been  reduced  from  the  level  of  perfection 
to  that  of  recognizability  ;  that  is,  if  a 
plate  is  sufficiently  good  to  unmistakably 


represent  a  certain  species,  even  crudely, 
we  view  it  solely  from  a  practical  stand- 
point, and  admit  that  it  doubtless  serves  its 
purpose.  Applying  this  test  to  the  plates 
under  consideration,  we  are  forced  to 
state  that,  although  fairly  familiar  with 
the  species  figured,  we  are  in  many  cases 
unable  to  name  the  figures. 

The  text  is  condensed  and  to  the  point, 
and  the  pen  and  ink  illustrations  liberally 
scattered  through  it  will  be  found  useful 
by  beginners,  to  whom  the  book  may  be 
commended.— F.  M.  C. 

Our  Common  Birds.  Suggestions  for  the 
Study  of  Their  Life  and  Work.  By 
C.  F.  Hodge,  Ph.D.,  Clark  University, 
Worcester,  Mass.  Food-chart  and  Draw- 
ings by  Miss  Helen  A.  Ball.  8vo, 
PP-  34.  3  half-tones,  8  line  cuts  in  text. 
10  cts.  per  copy,  $6  per  100  copies. 

This  is  a  contribution  to  the  pedagogics 
of  ornithology  which  cannot  fail  to  interest 
every  one  desirous  of  seeing  bird  studies 
introduced  in  our  schools.  It  opens  with 
a  chapter  on  the  '  Biology  of  Our  Common 
Birds, '  which  shows  the  importance  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  them,  giving,  in 
fact,  the  reasons  which  have  actuated  Pro- 
fessor Hodge  in  his  work  in  the  schools  of 
Worcester. 

The  nature  of  this  work  and  the  success 
which  has  attended  it  are  set  forth  in  the 
succeeding  pages,  whose  contents  are  in- 
dicated by  the  sub-titles  '  The  Bird 
Census,'  '  The  Food  Chart'  (A  very  useful 
compilation  by  Miss  Helen  A.  Ball,  show- 
ing graphically  the  food  of  our  com- 
moner birds),  '  Bird  Study  in  the  School- 
room,' 'Taming  Our  Wild  Birds  and 
Attracting  Them  to  Our  Houses,'  and  a 
'  Life  Chart  of  Our  Common  Birds. ' 
Lack  of  space  prohibits  a  description  of 
the  methods  of  bird-study  given  under 
these  headings.  Some  of  the  results  of 
their  practical  application,  however,  are 
to  be  found  in  the  concluding  chapter  on 
the  '  Ten-to-One  Clubs'  formed  in  the 
Worcester  schools,  which  were  joined  by 


(167) 


1 68 


Bird -Lore 


"  not  less  than  5,000  children,"  who  signed 
the  club  constitution,  which  opens  by 
stating  that  "  the  object  of  the  club  shall 
be  to  use  every  means  possible  to  increase 
the  number  of  our  native  wild  birds  by 
providing  them,  when  necessary,  with 
food,  water,  shelter  and  nesting  places." 

The  pamphlet  gives  other  and  equally 
striking  proofs  of  the  enthusiasm  with 
which  the  children  welcomed  the  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  familiar  with  birds, 
and  indeed  is  the  most  convincing  proof 
of  the  educational  value  of  bird-study 
which  has  come  to  our  attention. — F.  M.  C. 

Book   News 

With  its  August  issue  '  Our  Animal 
Friends,'  the  organ  of  the  American  So- 
ciety for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Ani- 
mals, concludes  its  twenty-sixth  volume. 
This  magazine  is  edited  with  a  breadth  of 
view  which  must  result  in  winning  many 
supporters  for  the  cause  it  represents.  In 
its  columns  we  find  no  senseless  tirades 
against  the  inhumanity  of  partly  civilized 
man,  but  sane,  logical  discussions  of  the 
rights  of  animals  and  the  manner  in  which 
they  may  best  be  secured ;  of  the  habits  of 
animals,  including  many  interesting  papers 
on  birds, —  of  animals  and  their  value  to 
man,  all  of  which  are  calculated  to  arouse 
sympathy  or  interest  in  them  and  respect 
for  the  journal  which  so  ably  champions 
their  welfare. 

'Wilson  Bulletin,'  No.  26,  issued  May 
30,  1899,  has  an  extremely  interesting 
paper  by  its  editor,  Lynds  Jones,  re- 
cording the  number  of  species  observed 
by  him  on  May  8,  in  Lorain  county,  Ohio. 
Work  was  begun  about  Oberlin  at  3.30 
a.  m  ,  and  continued  at  11  a.  m.  at  Lorain 
on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  resulting, 
finally,  in  a  record  of  112  species  identi- 
fied with  the  aid  of  an  "Eight  Power 
Bausch  &  Lomb "  field-glass  during  one 
day.  This  number  speaks  volumes  for  the 
observer's  activity  and  the  richness  of  his 
field  ;  we  doubt  if  it  has  ever  been  exceeded 
in  the  same  period  of  lime  in  North  America. 
Mr.  C.  Barlow  publishes  in  the  May- 
June  issue  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  Cooper 
Ornithological  Club,  of  which  he  is  editor- 


in-chief,  an  eloquent  appeal  to  ornitholo- 
gists to  take  only  such  birds  as  they  may 
require  for  their  own  use,  and  not  to  col- 
lect birds  at  all  during  the  nesting  season. 
Particularly  does  he  condemn  collecting  for 
profit,  saying  with  equal  force  and  truth, 
"Every  naturalist  owes  it  to  science  to 
protect  the  natural  beauties  with  which 
the  Creator  has  blessed  the  earth,  and  how 
can  the  collector,  with  never  a  twinge  of 
conscience,  quiet  the  sweet  voices  of  the 
woodland  in  a  fashion  little  less  than  bar- 
barous, for  pecuniary  gain." 

We  congratulate  Mr.  Barlow  on  the 
stand  he  has  taken,  and  we  congratulate 
all  bird-lovers  ori  the  fact  that  his  declara- 
tion of  principles  adds  another  journal  to 
the  list  of  those  in  which  the  egg-thief  can- 
not boast  of  his  exploits. 

The  Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scien- 
tific Circle,  appreciating  the  significance 
of  the  widespread  and  constantly  increas- 
ing interest  in  birds,  has  decided  to  intro- 
duce a  volume  on  ornithology  into  its 
course  of  '  Required  Reading, '  Miss  Mer- 
riams'  'Birds  Through  an  Opera-glass,' 
one  of  the  first,  as  it  is  one  of  the  best 
text-books  for  beginners,  having  been 
selected  for  this  purpose.  Implying,  as 
it  does,  the  formation  of  a  class  of  several 
thousand  bird  students,  this  may  be  con- 
sidered a  step  in  educational  ornithology 
of  unusual  importance. 

'  The  American  '  for  August  26,  comment- 
ing on  the  'Hints to  Young  Bird  Students,' 
published  in  Bird  Lore  for  August,  says  : 
' '  This  paper  deserves  the  most  serious  con- 
sideration from  all.  It  is  well  meant,  it  is 
timely,  it  is  sensible  ;  the  friendly  advice  it 
tenders  should  be  accepted  and  observed." 
A  WRITER  on  the  slaughter  of  birds  for 
millinery  purposes,  in  '  The  New  Illustrated 
Magazine'  for  September,  whose  zeal  for 
the  cause  of  bird  protection  exceeds  his 
knowledge  of  ornithology,  makes,  among 
others,  the  remarkable  statement  that 
"  Florida  is  now  the  only  country  in 
which  Hummingbirds  are  found,  except 
as  rarities  "  He  also  gives  a  unique  bit 
of  information  in  regard  to  the  Toucan, 
which  is  said  to  use  its  "big  beak"  to 
trim  its  "primary  tail-feathers"  ! 


Editorials 


169 


A  Bi-monthly  Magazine 
Devoted   to  the  Study  and  Protection  of   Birds 

OFFICIAL    ORGAN     OF   THF.    AIDUBON    SOCIETIES 

Edited  by  FRANK   M.  CHAPMAN 
Published  by  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Vol.   1 


October,  1899 


No.  5 


subscription    RATES. 

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twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
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Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
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Advertisements  should  be  sent  to  the  Pub- 
lishers at  Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth 
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COPYRIGHTED,  1899,   BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto : 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  Worth  Two  in  the  Hand. 


At  first  thought  there  seemed  to  be  little 
connection  between  the  'closet'  orni- 
thologist, minutely  examining  his  series 
of  specimens  and  describing  differences 
which,  to  the  untrained  eye,  do  not  exist, 
and  the  bird-lover  in  the  fields  and  woods 
with  heart  atune  to  nature's  songsters. 
But  one  has  onh^  to  read  Dr.  Allen's 
article  on  the  American  Ornithologists' 
Union  in  order  to  appreciate  the  close 
relationship  existing  between  scientific  and 
popular  ornithology.  The  organization  of 
the  Union  brought  isolated  bird  students 
throughout  the  country  in  touch  with  the 
leaders  in  ornithology  and,  perhaps,  for 
the  first  time,  made  them  aware  that  there 
were  successors   to  Wilson   and  Audubon. 

This  result  was  due  largely  to  the  work 
of  the  Union's  Committee  on  Migration, 
which,  under  the  direction  of  its  chair- 
man, Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  sent  out 
thousands  of  circulars  calling  for  ob- 
servers to  supply  it  with  data  on  migra- 
tion. Circumstances  have  thus  far  per- 
mitted the  publication  of  only  a  small 
portion  of  the  vast  amount  of  information 


secured  by  this  committee,  but  even  if 
not  another  word  is  set  in  type,  it  can  be 
said  to  have  created  a  new  era  in  the 
history  of  American  ornithology.  It 
asked  for  assistance,  but  it  gave  far  more 
than  it  received.  Its  chairman  and  his 
superintendents  of  districts  became,  a, 
it  were,  instructors  in  ornithology,  with 
pupils  in  nearly  every  state  in  the  Union 
and  throughout  Canada.  The  value  of 
the  advice  they  gave  to  students  who  had 
been  plodding  in  the  dark,  prompted  only 
by  an  innate  love  of  birds,  cannot  be  over- 
estimated, but  we  believe  it  to  be  a 
demonstrable  fact  that  the  popularity  of 
bird-study  in  this  country  to-day  is  due 
more  to  the  aid  and  encouragement  given 
students  by  the  members  of  the  Ameri- 
can Ornithologists'  Union's  Committee  on 
Migration  than  to  any  other  influence. 

In  connection  with  the  publication  of  a 
plate  of  'Quills  to  Avoid,'  we  would  add 
to  Mrs.  Wright's  plea  for  the  Eagle  an 
appeal  for  the  preservation  of  the  Brown 
Pelican.  The  feathers  of  this  bird  are 
now  worn  so  commonly  —  hundreds  may 
be  seen  in  New  York  City  daily  —  that 
every  one  knowing  of  the  ease  with  with 
the  bird  may  be  killed  and  its  compara- 
tively restricted  range,  must  feel  that  at  the 
present  rate  of  destruction  its  early  extinc- 
tion, at  least  in  the  United  States,  is  assured. 

From  Texas  reports  come  to  us  of  the 
slaughter  of  Brown  Pelicans  in  large 
numbers,  and  we  have  also  heard  rumors 
that  they  are  being  killed  for  their  feathers 
in  Florida.  If  the  residents  of  the  last- 
named  state  could  be  made  to  realize  how 
infinitely  more  valuable  to  them  a  live 
Pelican  is  than  a  dead  one,  we  do  not 
for  a  moment  doubt  that  its  destroyers 
would  speedily  receive  their  deserts. 

This  apparently  ungainly,  but  in  reality 
singularly  graceful  bird  is  the  most  pictur- 
esque element  in  the  life  of  Florida's  coasts, 
where  its  size  and  familiarity  render  it 
conspicuous  to  the  least  observing.  To  the 
tourist  it  is  as  much  an  object  of  interest 
as  the  alligators  or  cabbage  palms.  It  is  dis- 
tinctly strange  and  foreign,  audits  presence 
lends  a  character  to  the  view  given  by  no 
other  bird  in  Florida.  Its  loss  would,  there- 
fore, be  irreparable,  and  we  appeal  to  every 
lover  of  Florida  to  aid  in  its  protection. 


Cl)e  ^uDubon  Societies 

"  }'ou  caiitiui  7vith  a  scalpel  find  the  poet's  soul, 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  tlie  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whojii  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addressesiof,  their  Secretaries. 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  \V.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island. Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street.  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lock  wood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street.  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.  J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia. Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.  (branch  of  Pa.  Society) Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  13 14  Chapline  street.  Wheeling. 

Ohio Miss  Clara  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana .\mos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

W^isconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Prckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

Texas Miss  Cecile  Seixas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 


Consistency. 

Audubonites  may  be  divided  into  two 
classes  as  regards  their  attitude  toward 
the  wearing  of  feathers, —  the  moderates 
and  the  total  abstainers. 

The  moderates  hold  that  they  violate 
none  of  the  interests  of  bird  protection 
in  its  fullest  sense  by  wearing  the  plumes 
of  game  or  food  birds,  or  those  of  the 
Ostrich,  which  is  as  legitimately  raised 
for  its  feathers  as  a  sheep  for  its  wool. 
In  short,  they  see  the  necessity  of  keep- 
ing feather-wearing  within  conservative 
bounds,  and  elect  to  take  the  individual 
responsibility  of   so  doing. 

The  total  abstainers  say  :  "  Let  us  break 
ourselves  altogether  of  the  feather  wear- 
ing habit.  We  shall  be  more  conspicuously 
consistent  as  bird  protectionists,  and 
we  shall  not  be  called  upon  to  settle  fine 
points  and  follow  difficult  boundaries. 
We  need  not  know  anything  about 
plumage,  and  never  have  to  decide 
whether  the  wings  used  by  milliners  are 
really  those  of  food  birds,  or  the  pinions 
-of   song    birds   disguised    with    dye.     Or 

(I 


if  the  fearfully  manufactured  confections 
are  the  heads  of  real  Owls  and  Parrots 
twisted  out  of  all  semblance  to  nature, 
or  merely  compounds  of  Chicken  feath- 
ers and  celluloid."  Both  of  these  atti- 
tudes are  equally  useful  to  the  cause 
if  they  are  maintained  consistently,  but 
inevitably  the  way  of  the  total  abstain- 
ers is  the  easier  of  the  two.  The  total 
abstainers  need  not,  to  quote  Hamlet, 
"  know  a  hawk  from  a  handsaw.  "  While, 
in  order  to  be  consistent,  the  moderates 
must  be  bird  students  of  no  mean  in- 
tellige.ice  if  they  would  keep  safely  on 
the  exceedingly  narrow  pathway  that  di- 
vides the  feathers  that  may  be,  from 
those  that  must  )iot  be  worn,  not  alone 
by  Audubonites,  but  by  any  woman  who 
has  either  sense  or  sensibility.  A  path- 
way ?  A  slack  wire  is  the  better  simile, 
so    treacherous    is    the    footing. 

What  is  it  that  causes  the  downfall 
of  many  of  the  moderates,  who  know 
the  common  birds  fairly  well,  and  could 
not  be  hoodwinked  into  buying  Egret's 
plumes    or    dyed   swallow    wings  ? 

70) 


QUILLS     TO     AVOID 


1.  Inner  wing  quill  of  Bald  Eagle ;  length,  10-13  inches  ;  brownish  black,  more  or  less  white  at  the  base 

2.  Outer  wing  quill  of  Bald  Eagle;  length,  15-24  inches;  black,  often  whitish  or  brownish  at  the  base, 

the  broader  web  of  the  five  outer  quills  notched,  this  notch  being  absent  from  the  remaining  quills. 

3.  Outer  wing  quill  of  Brown  Pelican  ;  length,  15-17  inches  ;  black,  the  quill,  or  midrib,  white  for  about 

two-thirds  its  length. 

4.  Inner  wing  quill   of   Brown    Pelican;   length,  about  10   inches;  blackish  brown,  the  outer  margins, 

particularly  of  the  narrower  web,  frosted  with  silver-gray. 


172 


Bird -Lore 


You  can  guess  easily,  for  you  have 
seen  the  tempter  protruding  above  and 
behind  the  up-to-date  outing  hat  the  en- 
tire season,  and  unless  you  are  unusu- 
ally lucky  it  has  poked  you  reproach- 
fully in  the  eye,  as  if  calling  your  atten- 
tion   to    its    plight. 

"The  Quill  of   course!" 

Yes,  the  Quill  is  the  mischief-maker.  At 
its  introduction  many  years  ago,  the 
Quill  was  at  first  the  harmless  feather  of 
a  Crow,  or  a  Goose  quill  sedate  enough 
make  a  pen  for  a  judge.  After  awhile 
it  took  on  dabs  of  color  and  even 
spangles,  but  all  this  time  it  was  a  good 
safe  outing  and  rainy  day  ornament. 

Then  a  change  came,  the  Quill  grew 
suddenly  longer  with  a  curl  to  its  tip 
that  made  one  wonder,  if  natural,  how  its 
original  wearer  had  lived  with  it.  This 
Quill,  however,  did  not  stay  well  in  curl, 
and  less  than  a  year  ago  it  was  displaced 
by  the  reigning  favorite,  a  Quill  as  aggres- 
sively impertinent  as  any  that  decks  the 
cap  of  the  operatic  Mephisto,  but  not 
half  as  becoming  to  the  wearer. 

Now  comes  the  inconsistency  of  the 
moderates.  They  wear  these  Quills  blindly, 
because  they  have  not  studied  birds 
thoroughly  enough  to  distinguish  between 
plumages  except  when  aided  by  decided 
color.  The  sentence,  "It  is  only  a 
Quill,"  covers  deadly  sins  of  omission.  I 
have  cornered  several  women  who  are 
what  might  be  called  aggressive  Audu- 
bonites  :  "  Do  you  know  that  the  notched 
Quill  in  your  hat]  is  a  pinion  of  the 
American  Eagle  ?"  "Oh  no,  you  must 
be  mistaken,  it  surely  is  only  a  Goose, 
or  perhaps  a  Turkey  feather,  and  be- 
sides,"—  drawing  herself  up  with  superior 
wisdom,  "Eagles  are  very  rare  birds, 
that  fly  so  high  it  is  very  difficult  to 
shoot  them,  and  I  know  at  least  fifty 
people  who  are  wearing  these  Quills." 

Rare  ?  yes,  pinion  of  peerless  flight  ! 
But  what  bird  can  fly  so  high  or  find  so 
eery  a  resting  place  as  to  escape  the 
'  desire  of  the  eye  '  of  fashion  ?  Pause 
a  moment,  well-meaning  sisters  of  '  little 
knowledge.'  Hold  a  Quill  class  and  lay 
your  outing  hats  on  the  dissecting  table  ! 


Study  out  the  things  you  have  been 
wearing,  and  you  will  be  wiser,  and  I 
hope  sadder  also,  resolving  either  to  join 
the  total  abstainers,  or  to  devote  enough 
time  to  bird  study  to  be  consistent  in 
your  actions. 

"But,"  you  may  say,  "We  are  con- 
sistent even  now.  The  Eagle  is  neither 
a  song  bird,  an  insect  eater,  nor  a  game 
bird,  and  from  an  economic  standpoint 
it  can  only  be  considered  as  a  bird  of 
prey  and  an  eater  of  wastage." 

Yes,  this  is  all  true,  and  yet,  in  the 
higher  view  of  life,  the  poetic  value  of 
things  must  take  rank  with  the  practical. 
And  what  bird  expresses  wild  grandeur 
and  poetry  of  motion  in  so  great  a  degree 
as  the  Eagle?  What  has  Burroughs  re- 
cently said  of  it? — "The  days  on  which 
I  see  him  are  not  quite  tlie  same  as  the 
other  days.  I  think  my  thoughts  soar  a 
little  higher  all  the  rest  of  the  morning  ; 
I  have  had  a  visit  from  a  messenger  of 
Jove.  The  lift  or  range  of  those  great 
wings  has  passed  into  my  thought." 

Pegasus  harnessed  to  a  plow  or  '  Caesar 
dead  and  turned  to  clay, '  stopping  a  hole 
'to  keep  the  wind  away,'  would  not  be  a 
greater  misuse  than  thus  plucking  the 
pinions  of  our  national  Bird  of  Freedom 
to  act  as  rudders  to  women's  hats. 

M.   O.   W. 

Audubon's    Seal 

(From  a  granddaughter  of  Audubon) 
Audubon's  seal  was  made  from  a  pen- 
and-ink  sketch  of  the  Wild  Turkey,  being 
the  portrait  of  a  bird 
weighing  forty  pounds. 
The  painting  from 
which  the  seal  was  re- 
duced measured  about 
thirty-six  by  twenty- 
eight  inches.  A  lady  friend  in  Liverpool 
having  seen  the  painting,  was  talking,  with 
others,  to  Audubon  about  it,  and  said  to 
him,  "  Now  you  ought  to  have  this  Turkey 
for  your  coat-of-arms. "  Audubon  said 
that  he  was  too  much  of  an  American  to 
use  a  crest,  or  coat-of-arms,  but  that  the 
picture  could  be  easily  reduced  to  the 
size  of  a  fob  seal,  then  all  the  fashion  for 


The  Audubon  Society 


173 


gentlemen's  watch  chains.  Some  surprise 
was  expressed  by  the  company  present  at 
this  statement,  particularly  by  the  "Lady 
Rathbone,"  as  Audubon  was  want  to 
call  her.  No  more  was  said  then,  but  in 
due  time  a  tiny  pen-and-ink  sketch,  per- 
fect in  every  detail,  with  the  motto, 
"America  my  Country,"  was  sent  to 
Mme.  Rathbone,  with  Audubon's  signa- 
ture and  compliments.  Not  long  after, 
Audubon  received,  to  his  amazement,  a 
beautiful  fob  seal,  cut  in  topaz,  which  he 
wore  on  his  watch  chain  as  long  as  he 
lived.  It  is  now  a  valued  possession  held 
by  his  family.  The  accompanying  cut  is 
made  from  a  die  of  this  seal,  and  exactly 
reproduces  it  in  size,  etc. — D.  T.  A.  Tyler. 

Report    of    the    Audubon    Society   of    the 
District    of    Columbia 

For  the  District  of  Columbia  the  Secre- 
tary has  a  most  encouraging  report. 

On  Saturday,  March  25,  a  very  success- 
ful exhibit  of  spring  millinery  was  given 
at  the  Hotel  Corcoran,  the  ladies'  parlors 
being  kindly  loaned  for  the  occasion. 
About  300  women  attended  the  exhibit 
in  spite  of  a  pouring  rain,  lasting  the 
whole  afternoon.  Quite  a  number  of 
bonnets  and  hats  were  sold,  and  every 
person  attending  left  well  supplied  with 
Audubon  literature. 

In  April,  a  free  lecture  by  Mr.  Henry 
Olds,  entitled  "Some  Familiar  Birds," 
was  given  at  the  First  Baptist  church, 
which  was  also  kindly  loaned  for  this 
most  interesting  talk.  The  lecture  was 
fully  illustrated  by  colored  lantern  slides, 
and  was  made  doubly  entertaining  by 
Mr.  Olds'  clever  imitations  of  the  notes 
of  the  various  birds  explained.  About 
400  persons  attended  this  lecture. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Leasitt  explained  the 
aim  and  objects  of  the  Audubon  So- 
ciety, Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam  introducing 
the  lecturer  in  the  unavoidable  absence 
of  the  President  of  the  Society,  Surgeon 
General  George  M.  Sternberg.  Audubon 
literature  was  again  distributed,  and  some 
copies  of  Mrs.  L.  W.  Maynard's  valuable 
book  '  Birds  of  Washington  and  Vicinity,' 
were  sold. 


The  Audubon  Society  has  started  an 
Audubon  collection  of  books  in  the  new 
Free  Library.  This  collection  is  designed 
primarily  to  be  books  of  reference,  large 
and  expensive  works,  more  especially  for 
the  use  of  teachers. 

For  the  work  in  the  public  schools,  Dr- 
T.  S.  Palmer  and  Miss  Elizabeth  V. 
Brown  have  been  untiring  and  most  suc- 
cessful. In  the  spring  of  1898,  two 
classes  were  arranged,  one  for  teachers 
in  the  Normal  School,  in  charge  of  Dr. 
Palmer,  and  one  for  teachers  in  the 
Second  and  Fourth  grades,  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  H.  C.  Oberholser.  The  classes 
were  limited  to  12  members  each,  and  work 
extended  over  ten  weeks  in  1898-g.  Speci- 
mens were  kindly  loaned  by  the  Biological 
Survey,  and  the  classes  were  enabled  to 
handle,  compare,  and  identify  skins  of 
175  species  of  the  290  birds  recorded  for 
the  vicinity  of  Washington.  These  speci- 
mens included  nearly  all  the  land  birds 
from  this  vicinity.  Hints  were  given 
concerning  the  classification  of  birds,  the 
characters  of  the  principal  groups,  and 
the  use  of  keys. 

Short  talks  were  also  given  on  especially 
interesting  topics,  such  as  the  'Relation  of 
Birds  to  other  Vertebrates,'  '  Feathers  and 
Feather  Structure,'  '  Flight,'  '  Migration,' 
'Food,' and  'Nesting  Habits.' 

The  Society  this  spring  purchased  1,000 
Audubon  buttons  from  the  Society  of  the 
State  of  Wisconsin,  Miss  Elizabeth  V. 
Brown  taking  charge  of  their  sale.  A 
large  number  were  sold  to  children  in 
and  outside  the  schools,  and  while  not 
strictly  members  of  the  Society,  they 
became  more  interested  in  the  birds 
through  the  wearing  of  this  attractive 
button. 

Miss  Florence  A.  Merriam  has  given 
several  valuable  talks  this  past  spring, 
notably  one  at  the  Washington  Club, 
before  an  audience  of  about  200  women, 
which  created  great  enthusiasm  and 
brought  the  Society  an  increase  in  mem- 
bership. The  Secretary  has  been  untiringly 
busy  in  trying  to  get  societies  organized 
in  the  South  and  in  some  western  states. 
Jeanie  Maury  Patten,  Sec'y. 


ANNOUNCEMENT 


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CHILD    LIFE— 

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-''^sest 


GOLDEN    EAGLE 
Photographed  from  life  by  H .  W.  Nash,  Pueblo.  Colorado 


Vol.   1 


iBirti  =  I.ore 


A    BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official   Organ    of  the   Audubon    Societies 


December,  1899 


No.  6 


A    Search   for   the    Reedy   Island   Crow    Roost 

BY    WITMER    STONE 
Curator  ol    Birds,  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia. 


I 


N  the  Delaware  river,  just  where 
it  begins  to  widen  out  into  the 
bay,  and  midway  between  the 
shores  of  Delaware  and  New  Jersey, 
lie  two  long,  low  islands,  known  as 
'  The  Pea-patch'  and  '  Reedy  Island. ' 
Early  in  the  century  the  former 
of  these  was  selected  b}'  the  gov- 
ernment as  the  site  of  Fort  Dela- 
ware, and  its  importance  advanced 
proportionately  in  the  popular  mind. 
Later  on.  the  lower  island,  which, 
already  boasted  of  a  light-house,  be- 
came further  dignified  by  the  estab- 
ishment  of  a  quarantine  station  on 
its    banks. 

Although  of  little  importance  be- 
fore the  government  claimed  them, 
these  islands  were  by  no  means  un- 
inhabited, but  were,  in  fact,  well- 
known  as  a  winter  resort.  The 
early  inhabitants,  though  much  less 
imposing  than  the  soldiers  and  health  officers  who  have  super- 
seded them,  did  not  fail  to  attract  attention  —  even  newspaper 
notoriety :  not  from  their  individualities,  but  from  their  countless 
numbers.  In  fact  they  were  nothing  more  than  ordinary  despised 
black  Crows,  but  Crows  in  such  countless  numbers  that  they  could 
not    fail    to    be    noticed. 


AMERICAN     CROW 
I'liotugraplied  from  life  by  \V.  Gordon  Sniitli 


17^  Bird -Lore 

Every  evening  they  came  at  dusk  by  thousands  and  tens  of 
thousands,  winging  their  way  in  long  lines  from  all  points  of  the 
compass,  and  settling  down  on  the  reed-covered  islands  in  a  solid 
black  phalanx.  This  winter  roosting  habit  of  the  Crows  is  well- 
known,  and  many  roosts  have  been  located,  but  the  habit  seems 
still  to  lack  a  satisfactory  explanation.  Why  should  these  birds  fly 
back  and  forth  every  day  over  miles  and  miles  of  country  to  roost 
in  some  definite  spot  which,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  is  no  better 
suited  for  roosting  purposes  than  hundreds  of  other  places  which 
they  pass  by  ?  And  why  should  they  gather  together  every  night  in 
such  numbers  as  to  attract  general  attention  and  invite  slaughter  by 
thoughtless  gunners,  when,  by  roosting  in  small  numbers  wherever 
they  happen  to  be  feeding,  they  would  escape  notice  ?  These  are 
questions    I    shall    not    attempt    to    solve. 

Estimates  placed  the  number  of  Crows  in  these  two  island  roosts 
at  half  a  million,  and  they  held  possession  of  the  islands  undis- 
turbed until  about  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  Fort  Delaware. 
They  did  not  relish  this  intrusion,  and  determined  to  desert  the 
ancestral  Pea-patch  roost  ;  being  also  influenced,  no  doubt,  by  a  storm 
which  flooded  the  island  at  night  and  drowned  thousands  of  the 
unfortunate    birds. 

The  Reedy  Island  roost  continued  in  use  until  the  establishment 
of  the  Quarantine  Station,  at  a  much  later  day  ;  then  it,  too,  was  de- 
serted,   and    the  famous  island  roosts  were  no  more. 

I  have  long  been  interested  in  the  winter  gatherings  of  the 
Crows,  and  made  inquiry  of  the  light-keeper  at  Reedy  Island  to  as- 
certain whether  any  Crows  at  all  remained  there  at  the  present  time. 
I  was  informed  that  they  came  across  from  Delaware  as  of  old  in 
long  flights  from  the  west,  northwest  and  southwest,  but  all  passed 
over  the  island  into  New  Jersey,  where  he  judged  they  had  estab- 
lished   new   winter  quarters. 

The  location  of  this  new  roost  at  once  became  a  matter  of  in- 
terest. By  further  inquiry  I  learned  that  Crows  at  Salem,  N.  J., 
nearly  opposite  the  Pea-patch,  flew  southwards  at  evening,  and  by 
plotting  this  flight  line  with  those  given  by  the  light-house  keeper,. 
on  a  map,  I  found  that  they  joined  some  four  or  five  miles  below 
Salem,    and   here   I    felt   sure  the   roost   was   to   be  found. 

I  had  little  trouble  in  impressing  an  ornithological  friend,  who 
resided  at  Salem,  with  the  importance  of  locating  this  roost,  and 
one  cold  afternoon  in  January  found  us  driving  off  in  the  direction 
taken   by  the    Salem   Crow   flight. 

When  we  neared  the  point  at  which  we  thought  the  roost  ought 
to    be,    we    noticed    a   scattered    line   of     Crows    coming    up    from    the 


A  Search  for  the  Reedy  Island  Crow  Roost  179 

south,  evidently  from  feeding  grounds  on  the  shores  of  the  bay. 
They  came  along  in  twos  and  threes,  and  alighted  in  a  corn-field 
on  our  left,  from  which  the  farmer  had  neglected  to  haul  in  all  of 
the  ears.  Here  was  a  rare  feast,  and  about  a  thousand  birds  were 
already  assembled,  to  whose  numbers  constant  additions  were  being 
made.  This,  we  thought,  must  be  the  beginning  of  the  evening 
assemblage,  but,  strange  to  say,  no  Crowds  were  coming  in  from  the 
west :  these  were  all  southern  Crows,  and,  furthermore,  they  showed 
no  signs  of  settling  for  the  night,  but  were  simply  intent  on  the  grain. 

Driving  further  on,  we  inquired  of  a  man  where  the  Crows 
roosted,  and  were  assured  that  they  made  use  of  a  long  strip  of 
woods  lying  between  us  and  the  river.  Investigation,  however, 
showed  not  a  Crow  in  the  wood,  and  we  were  inclined  to  believe 
that  w^e  had  been  purposely  misled.  Passing  through  the  trees,  we 
had  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  river.  The  sun  was  just  setting,  a 
round,  red  ball  of  fire  in  the  w^est,  and  in  the  yellow  light  we  could 
see  the  lines  of  Delaware  Crows  crossing  towards  us,  while  in  the 
fields  before  us  were  hundreds  of  Crows  lazily  flapping  about  much 
as    the   others   were    in    the   corn-field    to    the   east. 

Here,  again,  we  were  directed  back  to  the  same  wood  and  as- 
sured that  the  birds  would  repair  there  when  ready.  It  was  just 
dusk  as  we  hitched  our  horse  and  entered  the  woods ;  there  was 
still  no  sign  of  Crows,  but  as  we  emerged  on  the  farther  side  we 
found  that  an  immense  flight  was  just  beginning  to  pass  overhead 
from  the  westward ;  evidently  the  river  Crows  had  concluded  that 
bedtime  had  come.  They  did  not,  however,  alight  in  the  trees,  but 
passed  over  and  dropped  noiselessly  into  the  low  fields  just  before 
us,  seeming  to  select  a  black,  burnt  area  on  the  far  side.  To  our 
amazement  this  "burnt"  patch  proved  to  be  a  solid  mass  of  Crows 
sitting  close  together,  and  in  the  gathering  gloom  it  was  difficult  to 
see  how  far  it  extended.  Four  immense  flights  of  the  birds  were 
now  pouring  into  the  fields,  in  one  of  which  we  estimated  that  500 
Crows  passed   overhead   per   minute,  during   the   height  of   the  flight. 

It  was  now  quite  dark,  and  we  began  to  think  that  the  birds 
had  no  intention  of  retiring  to  the  woods,  so  determined  to  vary 
the  monotony  of  the  scene  and  at  the  same  time  warm  our  chilled 
bodies.  We,  therefore,  ran  rapidly  toward  the  nearest  birds  and 
shouted  together  just  as  they  first  took  wing.  The  effect  was  mar- 
vellous ;  with  a  roar  of  wings  the  whole  surface  of  the  ground 
seemed  to  rise.  The  birds  hovered  about  a  minute,  and  then  en- 
tered the  woods  ;  we  soon  saw  that  but  a  small  portion  of  the  as- 
semblage had  taken  wing.  Those  farther  off  had  not  seen  us  in 
the  darkness,    and  doubtless    thought    that    this  was   merely  the   begin- 


i8o  Bird- Lore 

ning  of  the  regular  nightly  retirement  into  the  trees.  The  move- 
ment, once  started,  became  contagious,  and  the  Crows  arose  steadily 
section  by  section.  The  bare  branches  of  the  trees  which  stood  out 
clearly  against  the  western  sky  but  a  minute  before  seemed  to  be 
clothed   in   thick  foliage   as   the   multitude   of    birds    settled    down. 

After  all  had  apparently  entered  the  roost,  we  shouted  again  and 
the  roar  of  wings  was  simply  deafening  ;  another  shout  brought  the 
same  result  in  undiminished  force,  and  even  then,  probably  not  half 
the   birds    took   wing. 

They  soon  settled  down  again,  and  we  were  glad  to  leave  them 
in  peace.  So  far  as  we  could  learn  they  are  but  little  molested,- 
and  let  us  hope  that  this  may  continue.  Many  of  the  large  roosts 
farther  north  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  seem  to  be  rapidly 
decreasing  in  size,  owing  to  thoughtless  persecution,  and  eventually 
the  poor  birds  may  be  driven  to  roost  in  scattered  detachments,  as 
would,  indeed,  seem  best  for  their  preservation  ;  but  if  this  comes 
to  pass,  one  of  the  most  impressive  phenomena  of  our  bird-life  will 
have  disappeared. 


Winter  Bird  Notes  from   Southern  New  Hampshire 

BY    WILLIAM    EVERETT    CRAM 

Illustrated  by  the  author 

ANUARY  I,  i8g8.  Northern  birds  have,  as  a  rule,  been 
decidedly  rare  this  winter.  In  November,  Goshawks  were 
fjuite  abundant,  and  a  few  Snowy  Owls  were  also  to  be 
seen  at  that  time.  As  I  was  returning  from  a  tramp  just 
at  dusk  one  evening,  one  of  the  great  white  fellows  came 
sailing  by  only  a  few  yards  from  the  ground.  His  man- 
ner of  sailing  and  something  in  the  set  of  his  wings  re- 
minded me  strongly  of  an  Eagle  flying  before  the  wind ;  there  were 
evident  the  same  power  and  swiftness  without  visible  effort.  He 
came  from  the  northeast  on  the  wind  of  a  rising  storm,  and  had  evi- 
dently but  just  arrived,  being  in  much  more  perfect  plumage  than  is 
usual  in  November,  appearing,  at  the  distance  of  only  a  few  yards, 
absolutely  white,  with  his  big  yellow  eyes  burning  among  his 
snowy  feathers. 

Snow  Buntings  were  also  common  in  November,  and  Horned 
Larks  during  the  first  part  of  the  month.  I  noticed  a  large  flock 
of  the  latter  one  morning  feeding  in  the  stubble  and,  observing  that 
they  were  moving  towards  me,  crouched  motionless  until  they  came 
up   and    surrounded    me,    gathering    seeds    in    the   earnest,  industrious 


Winter  Bird   Notes  from   Southern   New   Hampshire        i«i 


manner  of  domestic  Pigeons,  and  exhibiting  but  little  more  alarm 
at  my  presence.  On  the  27th  a  Shrike  alighted  in  the  top  of 
the  elm  near  the  house,  and,  after  reconnoitering  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, started  down  into  the  orchard,  but  apparently  missed  whatever 
it  struck  at  and,  turning  upward,  alighted  in  a  smaller  elm  by  the 
road,  when  it  at  once  began  tearuig  to  pieces  an  old  bird's  nest,  be- 
having exactly  as  if  in   anger  at   its  disappointment. 

For  some  time  I  was  unable  to  discover  what  it  had  at  first  been 
after,  but  finally  caught  sight  of  a  Downy  Woodpecker  clinging  mo- 
tionless   to    the    underside  of    a  small    branch    in   an    apple    tree,    with 


every  feather  drawn  down  close  to  its  body,  just  as  an  owl  does 
when  trying  to  escape  notice. 

After  a  while  it  began  turning  its  head  from  side  to  side,  as  if 
to  make  sure  its  enemy  had  disappeared.  When  I  attempted  to 
make  it  fly,  it  merely  crept  mouse-like  about  the  branches  until  per- 
fectly certain  that  the  Shrike  had  gone,  when  it  took  wing  and  flew 
to  another  tree,  where  it  presently  went  to  work  as  if  nothing  had 
happened. 

Throughout  December  the  only  birds  to  be  found  were  Crows, 
Blue  Jays,  Downy  Woodpeckers,  Black-capped  Chickadees,  Nut- 
hatches, Golden-crowned  Kinglets.  Brown  Creepers,  and  Partridges, 
with  an  occasional  Bald  Eagle  or  Rough-legged  Hawk  and  a  very 
few  Flickers.  A  large  flock  of  Wild  Geese  passed  over  on  the  7th, 
and  I  saw  a  few  Tree  Sparrows  and  a  Winter  Wren  about  the  last 
of  the  month.  The  Sparrows  lingered  about  until  the  first  week  in 
January,  when  a  large  flock  of  Snow  Buntings  made  their  appear- 
ance. A  few  days  later,  however,  neither  Sparrows  nor  Buntings 
were    to   be   found  anywhere. 


l82 


Bird -Lore 


January  6.  Going  through  tlie  woods  I  heard  the  small  birds 
making  quite  a  fuss  in  the  young  growth,  and  on  looking  for  the 
cause,  discovered  a  Saw-whet  Owl  in  a  little  hemlock.  When  1 
first  caught  sight  of  him  he  was  sitting  on  one  of  the  smaller 
branches  ten  feet  from  the  ground,  apparently  asleep,  with  his  back 
to  the  trunk  and  his  head  tipped  back.  On  being  closely  ap- 
proached, he  seemed  to  awake  suddenly  with  a  start,  at  once  turn- 
ing his  great  round  eyes  in  my  direction,  and  after  that,  never  re- 
moved them  from  me  for  an  instant,  though  I  walked  around  his 
tree  several  times.  He  had  a  partly  eaten  white-footed  mouse  slung 
across  the  branch  beside  him,  probably  the  remains  of  his  breakfast. 

Most  of  the  small  birds  contented  themselves  with  chirping  at 
him  from  the  surrounding  trees,  occasionally  approaching  to  inspect 
him  more  closely  and  then  flying  off  again,  but  one  Red-breasted 
Nuthatch  remained  from  the  first  on  a  twig  close  to  the  Owl's  head, 
and  kept  up  a  continual  harsh  rasping  cry,  as  if  having  some  especial 
cause  of  complaint  against  him.  A  Flicker  and  some  Blue  Jays 
alighted  in  the  neighboring  trees,  but  not  seeing  anything  of  im- 
portance, soon  fiew  away  again. 

When  I  shook  the  tree  the  Owl  merely  fluttered  a  few  yards, 
and  lit  on  a  maple  sapling  just  out  of  my  reach.  The  next  time 
he  tried  to  hide  by  alighting  on  the  further  side  of  the  stem  of  a 
pine    several    inches    in    diameter,    but    finding     this   of    no    avail,    at 

last  took  a  longer  flight  off 
through  the  woods,  where  I 
was   unable    to   follow  him. 

January  28.  Heard  what 
I  at  first  took  to  be  the  song 
of  a  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet 
today,  but  it  proved  to  be  a 
Black-capped  Chickadee,  ut- 
tering what  was  to  me  an 
entirely  new  note ;  like  the 
Kinglet's,  only  fainter  and 
shorter,  with  just  a  little  of 
the  ring  of  the  Canary's  song 
in  it.  He  was  sitting  all 
alone  vmder  the  dark  ever- 
greens, singing  to  himself  in 
a  manner  wholly  out  of  keeping  with  the  general  disposition  and  taste 
of  the  Chickadee.  When  I  at  last  disturbed  him,  he  flew  to  another 
tree  and  began  searching  for  insects,  uttering  the  familiar  note  of 
his   species. 


RED-TAILED    HAWK 


Winter  Bird   Notes  from  Southern   New   Hampshire        1^3 

Fehruakv  3.  There  is  a  little  J  unco  hopping  about  the  path 
today,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  mercur}^  has  been  very  near  zero 
most  of  the  time  for  the  last  fortnight,  and  that  the  snow  is  drifted 
eight    or    ten   feet    deep    in    places.      He    appears    to    spend    a   consid- 


erable portion  of  his  time  in  the  woodshed,  poking  about  among 
the  chips,  etc.,  and   I   fancy  sleeps   somewhere   about    the    building. 

There  are  also  a  few  Flickers  and  at  least  one  Meadowlark  in 
this  vicinity,  and  since  the  last  heavy  snowfall  they  have  become 
unusually  tame  and  familiar,  coming  close  about  the  house  for 
food.  Goldfinches  and  Tree  Sparrows  are  still  quite  abundant,  and 
there  is  a  flock  of  fifty  or  sixty  Pine  Grosbeaks,  mostly  in  young 
plumage,  in  the  woods  about  a  mile  to  the  west  of  us,  the  first  I 
have   seen   this   winter. 

February  6.  About  five  o'clock  this  evening  a  large  Goshawk 
in  rather  dark  plumage  came  flying  across  the  field  only  a  few  yards 
above  the  snow.  As  he  neared  a  tall  elm  he  rose  in  the  air  and 
alighted  near  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  after  sitting  there  for  a  few 
moments,  turning  his  head  in  all  directions,  he  opened  his  wings 
and  tumbled  from  his  perch,  falling  several  yards  down  among  the 
branches  before  regaining  his  balance,  when  he  flew  rapidly  off 
toward  the  west  and  disappeared  among  the  pines.  Just  a  week 
ago  I  noticed  where  a  Goshawk,  judging  from  the  tracks  in  the 
snow,  had  killed  a  rabbit,  so  that  it  would  seem  that  they  have  not 
been   entirely  absent   at    any   time    this    winter. 

February  7.  Have  just  seen  a  Goshawk,  apparently  in  young 
plumage,  flying  west  at  a  height  of  perhaps  sixty  or  seventy  yards 
from   the   ground. 


184  Bird -Lore 

February  13.  The  Great  Horned  Owls  began  hooting  nearly 
an  hour  before  sunset  this  evening.  It  is  remarkable  how  loud 
their  cry  sounds  at  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  or  even  a  mile.  I 
am  convinced  that  they  can  be  heard  distinctly  two  miles  away,  for 
I  have  often  heard  them  in  the  day  time  from  a  direction  in  which 
the  nearest  woods  were  at  least  as  far  as  that.  There  are  always 
several  pairs  dwelling  in  a  certain  dark  hemlock  swamp  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  away,  and  sometimes  in  the  evening,  or  b}'  moon- 
light, they  come  hunting  across  the  meadows  and  pastures,  hooting 
at  intervals  as  ihey  come.  When  they  get  within  one  hundred 
yards  or  so  their  cry  is  loud  enough  to  arouse  everyone  in  the 
house. 

February  18.  Followed  the  track  of  a  Hawk,  apparently  a 
Goshawk,  twenty  or  thirty  rods  through  the  birch  woods  west  of  the 
cove.  From  the  appearance  of  the  tracks  the  bird  must  have 
walked  much  after  the  manner  of  a  Crow,  though  dragging  its 
claws  more.  Occasionally  it  hopped  for  a  few  feet.  There  was  no 
sign  of  its  having  killed  any  game  near  there  and  having  eaten  so 
much  as  to  be  unable  to  fly  at  once,  as  is  sometimes  the  case.  At 
times  it  followed  in  the  tracks  of  rabbits  for  some  distance.  I  have 
often  known  them  to  do  this,  and  am  inclined  to  think  that  they 
occasionally  hunt  rabbits  in  this  manner  where  the  under-brush 
is  too  dense  to  allow  them  to  fly  through  it  easily.  I  have  some- 
times followed  their  tracks  through  the  brush  until  I  came  upon 
the  remains  of  freshly  killed  rabbits  which  they  had  been  eating. 
On  coming  out  into  an  opening,  I  saw  a  beautiful  male  Goshawk 
in  full  blue  plumage  perched  on  the  the  top  of  a  dead  maple  in  a 
swamp.  When  I  tried  to  approach,  he  took  wing  and  flew  off 
toward   the    north. 


■  r 


How   the    Central    Park    Chickadees    Were    Tamed 

BY   A.   A.  CROLIUS* 

.N  the]  early  part  of  the  winter  of  i8g8-g  Chickadees  were 
unusually  abundant  in  Central  Park,  New  York  City,  and 
a  friend  and  myself  saw  them  come  down  and  get  some 
of  the  nuts  we  were  feeding  to  White-throated  Sparrows. 
We  were,  of  course,  much  interested,  and  determined  to 
see  if  we  could  tame  them.  They  would  take  the  nuts 
to  a  limb,  eat  all  they  wished,  and  hide  the  rest  in  crev- 
ices in  trees  or  bushes,  where,  I  think,  they  seldom  found  them  again, 
for  the  impudent  and  ever  wide-awake  English  Sparrow  watched 
and  got  the  pieces  almost  as  soon  as  they  were  deposited.  After 
feeding  them  in  this  way  for  some  time,  we  tried  to  get  them  to  eat 
from  our  hands,  and  finally  succeeded  by  first  placing  our  hands 
on  the  ground  with  a  nut  about  a  foot  from  our  fingers,  then  a 
little  nearer,  then  on  the  ends  of  our  fingers,  and  lastly  in  the 
palms  of  our  hands.  There  was  a  great  shout  when  they  hopped 
on   our  hands   the  first  time,    our  delight  being   indescribable. 

Finding  that  kneeling  or  bending  over  on  the  ground  was  rather 
hard  work,  we  tried  holding  out  our  hands  when  standing,  or  while 
sitting  on  the  benches,  and  they  very  soon  came,  no  matter  where 
we  were  or  in  what  attitude.  The  little  creatures  never  seemed  to 
get  tired  if  we  remained  hours  at  a  time,  and  it  was  indeed  difficult 
to  tear  oneself  away.  Just  as  I  would  make  up  my  mind  to  be  off 
one  would  fly  over  my  head  calling  chick-a-dee-dcc  in  such  a  bewitching 
way  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  leave.  I  would  sa}'  to  myself,  "Just 
one  piece  more,"  then  throw  a  lot  of  nuts  on  the  ground  and  make 
a  'bee  line'  for  home,  never  looking  back  for  fear  the  temptation 
would  be  too  great,  and  I  should  find  myself  retracing  my  steps. 
After  a  time  they  would  come  to  me  and  follow  me  anywhere  in  the 
park,  whenever  I  called  them,  and  getting  better  acquainted  I  found 
the  birds  possessed  of  so  many  different  traits  of  character  that  I 
named  each  one  accordingly.  One  I  called  the  'Scatterer, '  because 
he  stood  on  my  hand  and  deliberately  threw  piece  after  piece  of  nut 
on  the  ground,  looking  down  as  they  fell  with  the  most  mischievous 
twinkle  in  his  eyes,  as  much  as  to  say,  "see  what  I've  done,"  then 
take  a  piece  and  fly  away.  This  he  did  dozens  of  times  in  succession. 
I   thought  at  first  he  would   rather  pick  them  up  from   the  ground,  but 

*  In  BiRD-LORK  for  April,  pp.  55  and  58,  there  were  given  accounts  of  experiences  with  the  re- 
markably tame  Chickadees  that  passed  the  winter  of  1898-9  in  Central  Park,  New  York  City.  The 
present  paper  solves  the  mystery  of  their  surprising  confidence  in  man. — En. 

(185) 


1 86 


Bird-  Lore 


he  came  directly  back  and  waited  for  nie  to  do  it.  Another  I  called 
•Little  Ruffled  Breast,'  on  account  of  the  feathers  on  the  breast  be- 
ing rough  and  much  darker  than  the  rest.  He  was  the  most 
affectionate,  had  a  sweet  disposition,  and.  like  human  beings  of  the 
same  character,  was  often  imposed  upon,  many  times  being  driven 
off  by  the  others  when  he  was  just  about  taking  a  nut.  He  was 
ver}"  tame,  and  had  perfect  confidence  in  anyone  who  would  feed 
him.  The  third  I  named  the  'Boss,'  because  he  took  the  lead 
and  carried  the  day.  He  w^as  a  beauty,  spick  and  span  in  his 
dress,  not  a  feather  out  of  place,  and  plump  and  perfect  in  form. 
The  fourth,  dubbed  'Little  Greedy,'  was  very  fascinating,  and  I 
must  confess  to  loving  him  more  than  the  rest,  having  had  a  most 
novel  experience  with  him.  and  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  He 
came  to  me  one  morning,  and,  lighting  on  my  hand,  sang  chick-a- 
dee-dcc  two  or  three  times,  helped  himself  to  a  nut,  and,  perching 
on  my  forefinger,  put  the  nut  under  his  foot,  as  I  have  seen  them 
do  many  a  time  on  the  trees,  remaining  there  until  he  had  eaten  it. 
I  was  thrilled  through  and  through  with  the  sensation  and  the 
perfect  trustfulness  of  the  little  creature,  and  was  sorry  when  he  had 
finished.  But  why  was  he  called  Greedy  ?  Because  he  usually 
took  two  pieces  instead  of  one,  and,  strange  to  say,  knew  that  he 
must  have  both  the  same  size  or  one  would  fall  out.  It  was  very 
funny  to  see  him  with  a  good  sized  piece,  his  bill  stretched  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  trying  to  fit  in  another.  He  turned  his  bill  first 
on  one  side  then  on  the  other,  thinking  he  could  wedge  it  in  by 
forcing  it  against  my  hand,  and  he  succeeded  in  this  wonderful 
feat    by    his    perseverance    and    indomitable   will. 


The    Surprising    Contents    of    a    Birch    Stub 

BY    FRANK  M.    CHAPMAN 

FTER  seeing  Dr.  Roberts'  interesting  Chickadee  photo- 
graphs, published  in  the  first  number  of  Bird-Lore, 
my  ambition  was  aroused  to  discover  a  nest  of  this 
species  so  situated  as  to  afford  an  opportunity  to 
secure  equally  charming  pictures  of  Chickadee  life. 
Late  in  May  the  desire  was  gratified  by  the  discovery, 
at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  of  a  Chickadee's  nest  in  a 
white  birch  stub,  about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  a  height  ad- 
mirably   suited    to    the    needs    of     bird    photography. 

I  will  not  here  present  the  results  of  my  study  of  the  parent 
birds  during  their  period  of  incubation,  but  will  pass  at  once  to 
that   part    of   my   experience   which   relates   to   their   progeny. 

Returning  to  the  nest  on  June  12th.  nothing  was  to  be  seen  of 
either  parent,  and  I  feared  that  they  or  their  offspring  had  fallen 
victims  to  the  countless  dangers  which  beset  nesting  birds  and  their 
young.  Looking  about  for  some  clue  to  their  fate,  I  found  on  the 
ground,  near  the  nest-stub,  the  worn  tail-feathers  of  the  female  bird. 
The  molting  season  had  not  yet  arrived,  nor  would  she  have  shed 
all  these  feathers  at  the  same  moment.  There  could,  therefore,  be 
only  one  interpretation  of  their  presence.  Some  foe,  probably  a 
Sharp-shinned  or  Cooper's  Hawk,  since  the  predaceous  mammals 
for  the  most  part  hunt  at  night  when  the  Chickadee  would  be 
snugly  sleeping  in  her  nest,  had  made  a  dash  and  grasped  her  by 
the  tail,  which  she  had  sacrificed  in  escaping.  A  moment  later  the 
theory  was  supported  by  the  appearance  of  a  subdued  looking 
Chickadee,  sa//s  tail,  and  I  congratulated  her  on  her  fortunate  ex- 
change of  life  for  a  member  which  of  late  had  not  been  very  deco- 
rative and  of  which,  in  any  event,  nature  would  have  soon  deprived 
her. 

The  young  proved  to  be  nearly  ready  to  fly,  and  carefully  remov- 
ing the  front  of  their  log-cabin,  a  sight  was  disclosed  such  as  mortal 
probably  never   beheld    before,    and   Chickadee    but    rarely. 

Six  black  and  white  heads  were  raised  and  six  yellow-lined 
mouths  opened  in  expressive  appeal  for  food.  But  this  was  not 
all  ;  there  was  another  layer  of  Chickadees  below,  how  many  it  was 
impossible  to  say  without  disentangling  a  compact  wad  of  birds 
in  which  the  outlines  of  no  one  bird  could  be  distinguished.  So  I 
built  a  piazza,  as  it  were,  at  the  Chickadee  threshhold,  in  the  shape 
of    a    perch     of     proper     size,     and    beneath,    as    a    life-net,    spread     a 

(187) 


i88  Bird -Lore 

piece  of  mosquito-bar.  Then  I  proceeded  to  individualize  the  ball 
of  feathers  :  one,  two,  three,  to  seven  were  counted  without  undue 
surprise,  but  when  an  eighth  and  ninth  were  added,  I  marvelled  at 
the  energy  which  had  supplied  so  many  mouths  with  food,  and  at 
the  same  time  wondered  how  many  caterpillars  had  been  devoured 
by  this  one  family  of  birds. 

Not  less  remarkable  than  the  number  of  young  —  and  no  book 
I  have  consulted  records  so  large  a  brood  —  was  their  condition. 
Not  only  did  they  all  appear  lusty,  but  they  seemed  to  be  about 
equally  developed,  the  slight  difference  in  strength  and  size  which 
existed  being  easily  attributable  to  a  difference  in  age,  some  in- 
terval, doubtless,  having  elapsed  between  the  hatching  of  the  first 
and    last    egg. 

This  fact  would  have  been  of  interest  had  the  birds  inhabited 
an  open  nest,  or  a  nest  large  enough  for  them  all  to  have  had  an 
equal  opportunity  to  receive  food,  but  where  only  two-thirds  of 
their  number  could  be  seen  from  above  at  once  it  seems  remark- 
able, that,  one  or  more  failing  to  receive  his  share  of  food  —  and 
a  very  little  neglect  would  have  resulted  fatally  —  had  not  been 
weakened  in  consequence  and  crushed  to  death  by  more  fortunate 
members  of  the  brood.  Nor  was  their  physical  condition  the  only 
surprising  thing  about  the  members  of  this  Chickadee  family  ;  each 
individual  was  as  clean  as  though  he  had  been  reared  in  a  nest  alone, 
and  an  examination  of  the  nest  showed  that  it  would  have  been 
passed  as  perfect  by  the  most  scrupulous  sanitary  inspector.  It 
was  composed  of  firmly  padded  rabbit's  fur,  and  except  for  the 
sheaths  worn  off  the  growing  feathers  of  the  young  birds,  was  ab- 
solutely clean.  Later  I  observed  that  the  excreta  of  the  young  were 
enclosed  in  membranous  sacs,  which  enabled  the  parents  to  readily 
remove    them    from    the    nest. 

The  last  bird  having  been  placed  in  the  net,  I  attempted  to  pose 
them  in  a  row  on  the  perch  before  their  door.  The  task  reminded 
me  of  almost  forgotten  efforts  at  building  card  houses  which,  when 
nearly  completed,  would  be  brought  to  ruin  by  an  ill-placed  card. 
How  many  times  each  Chickadee  tumbled  or  fluttered  from  his 
perch  I  cannot  say.  The  soft,  elastic  net  spread  beneath  them 
preserved  them  from  injury,  and  bird  after  bird  was  returned  to 
his  place  so  little  worse  for  his  fall  that  he  was  quite  ready  to  try 
it  again.  On  several  occasions  eight  birds  were  induced  to  take 
the  positions  assigned  them,  then  in  assisting  the  ninth  to  his 
allotted  place  the  balance  of  the  birds  on  either  side  would  be 
disturbed   and   down   into   the    net    they    would    go. 

These    difficulties,   however,   could   be    overcome,    but     not    so    the 


The   Surprising  Contents  of  a  Birch    Stub  189 

failure  of  the  light  at  the  critical  time,  making  it  necessary  to  expose 
with  a  wide  open  lens  at  the  loss  of  a  depth  of  focus. 

The  picture  presented,  therefore,  does  not  do  the  subject  justice. 
Nor  can  it  tell  of  the  pleasure  with  which  each  fledgling  for  the 
first  time  stretched  its  wings  and  legs  to  their  full  extent  and 
preened  its   plumage  with    before  unknown   freedom. 

At    the    same     time,    they    uttered    a    satisfied    little    dcc-dee-dce,    in 


A    CHICKADEE    FAMILY 
Photographed  from  nature  by  F.  M.  Chapman 

quaint  imitation  of  their  elders.  When  I  whistled  their  well-known 
phe-be  note  they  were  at  once  on  the  alert,  and  evidently  expected 
to  be  fed. 

The  birds  were  within  two  or  three  days  of  leaving  the  nest, 
and  the  sitting  over,  came  the  problem  of  returning  the  flock  to  a 
cavity  barely  two  inches  in  diameter,  the  bottom  of  which  was  almost 
filled  by  one  bird. 

I  at  once  confess  a  failure  to  restore  anything  like  the  condition 
in  which  they  were  found,  and  when  the  front  of  their  dwelling  was 
replaced  Chickadees  were  overflowing  at  the  door.  If  their  health- 
fulness  had  not  belied  the  thought,  I  should  have  supposed  it  im- 
possible for  them   to  exist  in   such  close  quarters. 

A  few  days  later  I  found  their  home  deserted,  and  as  no  other 
pair  of  Chickadees  was  known  to  nest  in  the  vicinity,  I  imagine  them 
to  compose  a  troop  of    birds   I   sometimes   meet  in   the  neighborhood. 


Richardson's   Owl 


while 
sible. 
with 


BY  P.   B.   PEABODY 

With  photographs  from  nature   by   the   author 

N     the     thirteenth     of      April     last,     at      Hallock,      Minn., 
while     afield      in     the     morning     after      Migration      Re- 
port    data,     I     stumbled     suddenly     upon     a     Richard- 
son's    Owl,     in     a    willow     bush,     four    feet     up,    on     a 
brush-land     side-hill,     two     hundred     yards     above     the 
river.       A     strong    wind   was     blowing,    and     kept     the 
willow    stems    a-swa^ing     and     the    feathers     fluttering, 
the   dullness    of   an   overcast   sky   made    quick   exposures   impos- 
Nevertheless,    I     hurried    home,    a    mile    away,    and    returned 
camera    and    plates, — 'Crown'    and     'Stanley.'       The    bird    was 


W 


Richardson's   owl 


still  ///  si'/u,  and  leaning,  as  before,  against  the  upright  stem  near- 
est him,  as  a  brace  against  the  wind.  With  stop  i6,  or  a  little 
larger,  and  time  i  to  ^  second,  both  according  to  the  conditions  of  wind 
and  sky,   eight  exposures  were  made,    beginning  at  five  feet   distance^ 

(igo) 


Richardson's    Owl  191 

and  with  waits  for  lulls  in  the  wind.  The  bird  seemed  fearless,  but  I 
dared  not  try  to  put  him  on  the  alert,  nor  cause  him  to  open  his 
eyes.  The  eighth  exposure  was  made  at  about  two  feet,  the 
camera     leisurely    dismounted,     and     the     bird     then     quietly    caught 


RICHARDSON  S    OWL 


about  the  back,  with  the  left  hand,  while  his  attention  was  dis- 
tracted   with    the    right. 

The  little  captive  showed  no  fight  nor  did  he  try  to  escape  so 
long  as  I  held  him  by  the  feet,  in  an  upright  position.  But  when 
his  body  was  clasped  he  would  struggle  vigorously.  With  all  the 
handling  I  gave  him  in  taking  weights  and  measures,  the  only 
wounding  he  caused  ni}'  hands  was  made  in  his  attempts  to  secure 
a  better  grasp  of  my  holding  hand.  While  not  actually  tame,  from 
the  first  he  showed  ecstatic  delight  in  my  stroking  of  the  feathers 
on  the  back  of  his  head, — chirping  delightedly  during  the  pro- 
cess, with  much  the  manner  and  voice  of  a  chicken  when  tucked 
under   the    maternal    wing. 

While  spending  his  first  night  of  captivity  in  my  study,  pend- 
ing careful  examination,  he  dropped  upon  my  book-cases  several 
casts,    which     are    still    awaiting     analysis.       At     noon    of    the    second 


192  Bird -Lore 

day  he  was  placed  in  the  garret,  where  he  had  a  measure  of  dark- 
ness and  plenty  of  wing  room.  Here  he  ate  readily  the  beads  of 
food  that  was  left  convenient,  varying  this  occupation  with  the 
tearing  to  pieces  of  an  old  Cooper's  Hawk  skin.  So  far  as  I 
could    judge,    he    ate    only    on    alternate    days. 

During  the  eight  days  of  his  sojourn  with  me,  no  increase  of 
tameness  was  shown ;  and  he  would  fly  when  I  came  near,  seeking 
the  darkest  cranny  of  the  garret,  scolding  me  often  with  the  char- 
acteristic anger-note  of  all  the  smaller  Hawks  and  Owls.  Soon 
my  captive  found  a  permanent  home  in  the  family  of  the  foster- 
father  of  Minnesota  ornithology,  where,  I  was  soon  informed,  he 
became  quickly  domesticated, ^ — eating  bits  of  steak  from  a  chop-stick, 
beheading  English  Sparrows  with  neat  despatch,  and  drinking  from 
a    teaspoon. 


jTor  Ceactjers  anti  ^tutient^ 

An   'Advisory   Council' 

T  gives  us  unusual  pleasure  to  announce  a  plan,  the 
fulfilment  of  which,  already  assured,  will,  we  believe, 
be  of  great  assistance  to  bird  students  and  exert 
an  important  influence  on  the  increase  in  our  knowl- 
edge   of    North    American    birds. 

Realizing  from  a  most  fortuiiate  experience  how 
itly  the  past-master  in  ornithology  may  aid  the  be- 
ler,  we  have  felt  that  it  would  be  an  admirable  scheme 
to  form  an  'Advisory  Council,'  composed  of  leading  or- 
nithologists throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
who  would  consent  to  assist  students  by  responding  to  their  re- 
quests for  information  or  advice,  the  student  being  thus  brought 
into  direct  communication  with  an  authority  on  the  birds  of  his 
own    region. 

The  response  to  our  appeal  has  been  most  gratifying.  With- 
out exception  the  ornithologists  whom  we  have  addressed  have 
cordially  endorsed  the  proposed  plan,  and  signified  their  willingness 
to  cooperate  with  us  in  this  effort  to  reach  the  isolated  worker. 
Nearly  every  state  in  the  Union  and  province  in  Canada  has  been 
heard  from,  and  we  expect  in  our  next  number  to  publish  the 
names  and  addresses  of  the  more  than  fifty  prominent  ornitholo- 
gists   who    will    form    Bird-Lore's    'Advisory    Council.' — Ed. 


:'Sih0iJlA^.'^  "Humanizing"   the    Birds 

-  —'='**»**='•        -*^  CAROLINE   G.  SOULE 


'^^'^t^^^'&l       TN    the    first    number    of    Bird-Lork    the    author    of    'Bird 

Studies    for    Children'    says:      "Most    bird    stories    will 

interest  them    [children],   especially  if   the  birds  are 

^j^;^^  ;i_^^^i;.v-      luimanized    for    them    by    the    teller    of    the    tale." 

'^^'^^- ^-iS^^Qjt-^'-J^,      Humanizing,    in     this     connection,    means     endowing 

f^S^"^- A^^^-^^f.'j'-      with    human   characteristics,  and  is   a   process  much 
^vis,  'Z^r|'.^.■     .  .  . 

::-;■   ^--  ..  ^—  ^^'^     m  vogue  just  now  among  writers  of  nature-study  books 

and    papers    for    the   use    of  children    and    teachers. 

Let  us  see  if  it  is  worth  doing — or  even  is  justifiable. 

Birds  possess  some  characteristics  or  qualities  which  are  also 
possessed  b)''  human  beings,  and  b}'  other  animals.  These  qualities 
are  not  merely  "human"  then,  but  are  common  to  many  species  of 
creatures.  Since  birds  alread}'  have  these  qualities,  there  is  no 
need  of  endowing  them  with  them.  To  "humanize"  the  birds  by 
ascribing  to  them  human  qualities  which  they  do  not  and  cannot 
possess,  is  only  to  misrepresent  them,  and  stories  which  so  humanize 
them  are  of  no  more  value,  as  nature-study  or  bird-study,  than  so 
many  fairy-tales.  More  than  this  —  they  are  positively  harmful 
because  they  give,  as  facts,  statements  about  existing  creatures  which 
are  not  true.  This  is  not  bird-study;  it  is  only  telling  stories  which 
interest  the  children,  and  which  have  no  value  except  in  keeping  them 
quiet.  The  children  are  not  interested  in  the  real  birds,  for  they 
are  not  told  about  them.  They  are  interested  in  the  stories,  invented 
for  this  end,  about  creatures  which  the  story-teller  cal/s  birds  but 
which  are  only  human  characteristics  draped  on  bird  forms.  Very 
slight  changes  would  be  needed  to  make  the  same  stories  fit  any 
humanized  animal.  The  real  nature  of  the  bird  is  left  out  of  these 
humanized  bird  stories  and  the  loss  is  very  great,  as  always  when 
truth    is    left    out. 

To  tell  of  "Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robin"  is  well  enough,  for  the  titles 
merely  mean  the  male  and  female.  To  represent  them  as  talking 
is  well  enough,  for  they  certainly  communicate  with  each  other  and 
their  young,  and  putting  their  communications  into  human  speech  is 
merely  translating  them.  But  to  represent  them  as  uttering  highly 
moral  speeches  is  all  wrong,  for  these  are  beyond  the  power  of  the 
birds.  The  moment  that  the  story  humanizes  them  in  any  such 
way    it    becomes  of    no    value,    because   it   is    false    to   nature. 

The  humanizing  process  is  lavishly  applied  to  all  sorts  of 
creatures,    even    to    plants. 

For    instance,    in    a    very    popular     book    occurs    the     following: — 

(193) 


194  Bird -Lore 

"And  so  the  witch-hazel,  knowing  that  neither  boy  nor  girl, 
nor  bird  nor  beast  nor  wind,  will  come  to  the  rescue  of  its  little 
ones,  is  obliged  to  take  matters  into  its  own  hands,  and  this  is 
what  it  does."  This  is  an  extreme  case  of  humanizing.  The  writer 
states  that  this  brainless  plant  knows  that  its  seeds  will  not  be 
scattered  by  children,  animals  or  wind.  This  implies  that  the  plant 
is  conscious  of  its  seeds ;  that  it  realizes  the  importance  of  their 
distribution  ;  that  it  knows  what  bo3's,  girls,  birds,  animals  and 
wind  are :  that  it  knows  how  the  seeds  of  other  plants  are  distri- 
buted ;  and  that  it  plans  a  method  of  scattering  its  own  seed  !  This 
is  certainly  more  mental  power  than  we  are  warranted  in  ascribing 
to  a  plant.  But  children  are  much  interested  in  the  story,  and 
think  the  witch-hazel  very  clever  to  plan  so  ingenious  a  way  of 
distributing  its  seeds.  That  it  is  not  true  does  not  trouble  them, 
because  they  do  not  know  it,  and  I  can  learn  of  very  few  teachers 
using  this  book,  who  have  thought  enough  about  the  subjects  treated 
to  realize  that  they  are  so  humanized  as  to  be  untrue  to  their  own 
natures.  I  quote  this  as  an  instance  of  the  lengths  to  which  hu- 
manizing may  be  carried  without  discovery  by  the  average  reader. 

Humanizing  the  creatures  takes  them  out  of  their  own  place 
in  Nature,  by  endowing  them  with  powers  higher  than  they  can 
really  possess.  It  sets  aside  all  the  laws  of  evolution,  and  is  not 
only  untrue  to  the  nature  of  the  individual,  but  to  the  principles 
which  underlie  all  Nature.  Young  children  ai'e  not  ready  for  these 
general  laws  and  principles,  but  it  cannot  be  good  pedagogics  to 
give  them  ideas  in  direct  contradiction  to  all  those  laws  which 
must  be  taught  them  a  little  later,  and  which  will  at  once  prove 
the    falseness    of    this    earlier    teaching. 

"Interest"  is  not  everything  in  teaching  children.  Truth 
counts  for  more  in  the  long  run,  and,  especially  in  Nature  study. 
may    be    made    quite    as    interesting    as    '•  humanization." 


'On    the    Ethics    of    Caging    Birds' 

To  THK  Editor  of  '  Bird-Lork:  ' 

I  thank  you  for  offering  me  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  in 
my  own  defense.  But  controversy  is  —  if  possible- — more  dis- 
tasteful to  me  than  injustice.  Therefore,  while  it  is  painful  to  be 
misrepresented,  I  will  answer  my  critics  only  by  saying  that  they 
have  entirely — I  do  not  say  wilfully  —  misunderstood  me,  and  that 
no  one  who  knows  me  could  for  an  instant  believe  me  guilty  of 
"favoring"  or  "encouraging,"  the  caging,  the  w^earing,  or  the  eating 
of    our    little    brothers,    the    birds.  q,^,^.^,    Thorne    Mii.lkr. 


The    Birds'   Christmas    Tree 


H 


OW  man}'  of  the  younger 
readers  of  Bird-Lore 
know  that  in  Norwa}^, 
birds,  as  well  as  children,  have 
Christmas  trees  ?  Indeed,  it 
is  said  that  the  children  do 
not  enjoy  their  own  gifts  until 
they  know  the  birds  have  been 
provided    for. 

Concerning  this  beautiful 
custom  of  putting  out  a  yule 
sheaf  for  the  birds.  Dr.  Leon- 
hard  Stejneger,  the  eminent 
Norwegian  ornithologist,  writes 
us  that  the  sheaves  are  usually 
of  barle}'  or  oats,  and  are 
placed  on  high  poles  standing 
either  in  the  yard  or  nailed  to 
the  gable  end  of  one  of  the 
houses,  preferably  the  store- 
house or  "stabbur, "  or  on  the 
stable,  but  always  where  they 
can  be  seen  from  the  dwelling 
house.  Dr.  Stejneger  adds  that  the  origin  of  the  custom  is  shrouded 
in  the  mystery  of  the   mythological  ages. 

Here,  then,  is  a  country  where,  as  far  as  anyone  knows,  the  birds 
have  always  had  a  Christmas  tree,  while  in  America  most  birds,  I 
imagine,  consider  themselves  lucky  if  they  chance  to  find  a  stray  crumb 
on  Christmas  morning.  So  let  us  all  be  good  Norwegians  this  com- 
ing Christmas  and  see  that  the  birds  are  well  supplied,  if  not  with 
sheaves  —  at  least  w^ith  crumbs,  seed,  and  grain  for  the  Juncos  and 
Sparrows,  suet,  ham-bones,  and  bacon  rinds  for  the  Woodpeckers, 
Chickadees,  and  Nuthatches.  And  then  let  us  improve  on  the  Nor- 
wegian usage  by  making  every  winter  day  Christmas  for  the  birds, 
so  that  no  matter  how  deep  the  snow,  they  may  always  be  sure  of 
a  meal.  Then,  next  March,  write  and  tell  Bird-Lore  of  your  winter 
guests,  wdio  they  were,  and  what  you  have  learned  of  their  habits. 
To  the  boy  or  girl  of  fourteen  years,  or  under,  who  sends  us  the  best 
account  of  his  or  her  experience  in  feeding  the  birds  this  winter,  we 
will  give  a  copy  of   Mrs.  Wright's    -Citizen  Bird'   or   'Wabeno.' — Ed. 

(195) 


THE     BIRDS      CHRISTMAS     TREE 


From   the  paintinp  of  A.   Tideman,  publishe 
'Norwegian  Pictures,'  London,  1885. 


The  Little  Brown  Creeper 

BY   GARRETT   NEWKIRK 


Although  I'm  a  bird,  I  give  you  my  word 
That  seldom  you'll  know  me  to  fly  ; 

For  1  have  a  notion  about  locomotion, 
The  little  Brown  Creeper  am  I, 
Dear  little  Brown  Creeper  am  I. 


•'Beginning  below,  I  search  as  I  go 

The  trunk  and  the  limbs  of   a  tree. 
For  a  fly  or  a  slug,  a  beetle  or  bug  ; 
They're  better  than  candy  for  me, 
Far  better  than  candy  for  me. 


4  >      .'     'Jm 


\ 


BROWN  ,  CKEKI'ER 
Photographed  from  a  mounted  specimen 


When  people  are  nigh  I'm  apt  to  be  shy, 
And  say  to  myself,  'I  will  hide,' 

Continue  my  creeping,  but  carefully  keeping 
Away  on  the  opposite  side. 
Well  around  on  the  opposite  side. 


Yet  sometimes  I  peak  while  I  play  hide  and  seek. 
If  you're  nice  I  shall  wish  to  see  you: 

Fll  make  a  faint  sound  and  come  quite  around. 
And  creep  like  a  mouse  in  full  view, 
"Very  much  like  a  mouse  to  your  view."' 

(196) 


J^ote^  from  JftelD  auD  ^tuDp 


An  Interesting  Phoebe's  Nest 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  an 
interesting  Phcebe's  nest.  It  is  well-known 
that  this  bird  prefers  to  build  close  to 
some  overhead  protection,  but  I  have  never 


NEST    OF    PHCEBE 
Photographed  from  nature 

seen,  and  have  heard  of  only  one  other 
similar  structure,  showing  such  evidence 
of  forethought  by  the  builder ;  for  this 
bird  has  constructed  a  pedestal  by  means 
of  which  her  nest  was  raised  to  the  desired 
height. 

The  location  chosen  was  three  feet  or  so 
back  under  the  piazza  roof  of  a  lonely, 
unused  summer  cottage  by  the  shore  of 
Webster  lake,  in  Franklin,  N.  H. 

The  foundations  were  begun  on  a  door- 
cap  to  the  left  of,  although  almost  in  touch 
with,  an  upright  cleat.  Soon  the  builder 
made  a  turn  to  the  right,  that  the  pedestal 
might  rest  firmly  against  this  cleat.  From 
this  point  the  work  continued  perpendicu- 
larly full  twelve  inches,  with  the  breadth 
of  about  three  inches  and  a  thickness  of 
one  and  one-half  inches.  Upon  this  the 
enlargement  was  made  for  the  nest  proper, 
which  was  destined  to  safely  cradle  her 
brood  of  four.  —  Ellen  E.  Webster, 
Franklin  Falls,  iV.  II. 

[Two  years  ago  John  Burroughs  showed 


us  a  nest  similar  to  the  one  here  described, 
built  beneath  the  eaves,  on  a  slight  pro- 
jection in  the  rough  hewn  rock  of  the  rail- 
way station  at  West  Park,  N.  Y. — Ed.] 

A  Useful  Nest-Holder 

After  the  leaves  fall  many  deserted  birds' 
nests  will  be  exposed  to  view.  The  larger 
number  will  still  be  found  serviceable  for 
study,  and  in  collecting  them  a  note  of  the 
site,  height  from  the  ground,  if  in  a  tree 
or  bush,  etc.,  should  be  made  to  aid  in 
their  identilication. 

The  accompanying  cut  shows  a  very  use- 
ful holder  for  such  specimens.  It  was  de- 
signed by  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett,  and  is 
made  of  annealed  wire,  about  the  bottom 
of  which  is  tied  hair  wire,  as  shown.  At 
this  stage,  the  nest  is  placed  in  the  holder, 
the  four  uprights  are  cut  off  to  the  required 
height,  and  bent  in  or  out,  in  order  to 
bring  them  closely  to  the  sides  of  the  nest  ; 
the  wrapping  with  hair  wire   is   then  con- 


tinued until  the  nest  is  firmly  bound.  In 
this  way  such  loosely  built  nests  as  those 
of  the  Mourning  Dove  or  Cuckoo  may  be 
held  in  shape  without  in  the  least  conceal- 
ing their  structure. — Ed. 

A  Singing  Blue  Jay 

Not  long  ago,  when  the  snow  covered 
the  ground  several  inches  deep,  I  heard  as 
sweet  a  little  song  as  one  could  expect  to 
hear  from  a  Warbler  in  May,  come  from  a 
clump  of  small  plum  trees  in  the  back  yard. 
Creeping  softly  in  the  direction  of  the 
sound,  I  could  see  nothing  but  a  stately 
Blue  Jay  perched  upon  one  of  the  upper 
limbs.      I  waited  patiently,   and  soon  the 


(197) 


Bird -Lore 


song  came  again,  sweet  and  mellow  as  be- 
fore ;  this  time  I  could  plainly  seethe  Jay's 
open  bill  and  the  muscular  movements  of 
his  throat.  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes, 
as  I  had  been  accustomed  to  hear  only 
harsh  sounds  from  a  Jay's  throat.  I  raised 
to  a  standing  posture,  the  Blue  Jay  flew 
awa)-.  I  looked  carefully  all  about,  and  no 
other  birds  were  in  sight.  This  Blue  Jay 
remained  in  the  neighborhood  all  winter, 
and  several  times  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  his  sweet  little  song.— Frank  E. 
HoRACK,  lozva  City,  lozva. 

To  Hunt  Southern  Birds 

Rockville  Centre,  L.  I.,  November  g. — 
O.  H.  Tuthill  and  Robert  T.  Willmarth,  of 
this  village,  Benjamin  Molitor,  of  East 
Rockaway,  and  Coles  Powell,  of  Seaford, 
started  yesterday  on  a  bird  skinning  and 
stuffing  expedition  to  the  Florida  coast. 
The  men  went  aboard  of  Mr.  Molitor's  lit- 
tle 28-foot  sloop,  Inner  Beach,  which  is 
fitted  with  both  sails  and  gas  engine. 

They  take  the  inside  route  through  bays, 
rivers  and  canals  to  Beaufort,  N.  C.  From 
there  on  to  their  destination  they  will  have 
to  take  their  chances  outside  on  the  ocean. 
The  men  go  to  shoot  all  kinds  of  water 
birds,  for  which  there  is  an  unprecedented 
demand  this  season  by  millinery  manufac- 
turers. After  being  killed,  most  of  the 
birds  will  be  skinned  and  stuffed  roughly 
with  cotton,  and  every  week  shipments  will 
be  made  to  New  York. 

Mr.  Tuthill  is  an  old  hand  in  the  busi- 
ness. The  last  time  there  was  a  large  de- 
mand for  birds  by  the  makers  of  women's 
headgear,  about  twelve  years  ago,  he  took 
an  outfit  to  Florida  and  during  the  winter 
shipped  140,000  bird  skins  to  New  York. — 
Brooklyn  Ea,£{/f. 

•  [We  met  Mr.  Tuthill  in  Key  West  in 
February,  1892,  and  heard  him  state  that 
during  a  preceding  winter  his  party  had 
killed  130,000  birds  for  millinery  purposes, 
and  the  information  contained  in  the  above 
clipping  is  doubtless,  therefore,  accurate. 
— Eu.] 

American  Ornithologists'  Union 

The  seventeenth  annual  congress  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union  convened 
at  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  in 
Philadelphia,  on   November   13,  1899.     At 


the  business  meeting  held  on  the  night  of 
that  day  the  following  officers  were  elected 
for  the  ensuing  year  :  President,  Robert 
Ridgway  ;  vice  presidents,  C.  Hart  Mer- 
riam  and  C.  B.  Cory  ;  secretary,  John  H. 
Sage  ;  treasurer,  William  Dutcher  ;  coun- 
cilors, C.  F.  Batchelder,  F.  M.  Chapman, 
I^uthven  Deane,  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  A.  K. 
Fisher,  T.  S  Roberts,  Witmer  Stone.  Two 
corresponding  and  eighty-two  associate 
members  were  elected. 

The  program  for  the  three  days'  public 
sessions,  on  November  14-16,  included  the 
following  papers  : 

Notes  on  the  Flammulated  Screech  Owls, 
Harry  C.  Oberholser ;  Three  Years'  Mi- 
gration data  on  City  Hall  Tower,  Philadel- 
phia, Wm.  L.  Bailey ;  A  Quantitative 
Study  of  Variation  in  the  Smaller  Ameri- 
can Shrikes,  lieuben  M.  Strong  ;  The  Hab- 
its and  Structure  of  Harris'  Cormorant, 
R  E.  Snodgrass  and  F.  A.  Lucas  ;  Bering 
Sea  Arctic  Snowflake  [Passcritia  hyper- 
borea)  on  its  breeding  grounds,  C.  Hart 
Merriam  ;  On  the  Plumages  of  Certain  Bo- 
real Birds,  Frank  M.  Chapman  ;  On  the 
Perfected  Plumage  of  Somateria  specta- 
bilis,  Arthur  H.  Norton  ;  The  Summer 
Molting  Plumage  of  Eider  Ducks,  Witmer 
Stone ;  An  Oregon  Fish  Hawk  Colony, 
Vernon  Bailey  ;  Exhibition  of  a  series  of 
field  sketches  made  from  absolutely  fresh 
birds,  showing  the  true  life  colors  of  the 
soft  parts,  mostly  in  the  breeding  season, 
Louis  Agassiz  Fuertes  ;  The  Sequence  of 
Plumages  and  Molts  in  Certain  Families  of 
North  American  Birds,  Jonathan  Dwight, 
Jr.;  The  Ranges  of  Hylocichla  fiiscescetis 
and  Hylocichla  f.  salicicola,  Reginald 
Heber  Howe,  Jr.;  On  the  occurrence  of 
the  Egyptian  Goose  ( Clicnalopex  (I'gyp- 
tiaca)  in  North  America,  Frank  C.  Kirk- 
wood  ;  Notes  on  the  Habits  of  the  Great 
Mexican  Swift  {f/emiprocnc  zoua)-is), 
Sam'l  N.  Rhoads  ;  Further  remarks  on  the 
Relationships  of  the  Crackles  of  the  Sub- 
genus Qidscalus,  Frank  M.  Chapman  ; 
Audubon's  Letters  to  Baird — compiled 
from  Copies  of  the  originals  kindly  fur- 
nished by  Miss  Lucy  H.  Baird,  Witmer 
Stone ;  A  Peculiar  Sparrow  Hawk,  Wil- 
liam Palmer  ;  The  Requirements  of  a  Fau- 
nal    List,   W.    E.    Clyde  Todd  ;   Report  of 


Book    News   and    Reviews 


199 


the  A.  O.  U.  Committee  on  Protection  of 
N.  A.  Birds,  Witmer  Stone  ;  An  account 
of  the  Nesting  of  Franklin's  Gull  [Larus 
franklinii)  in  Southern  Minnesota,  illus- 
trated by  lantern  slides,  Thos.  S.  Roberts  ; 
Bird  Studies  with  a  Camera,  illustrated  by 
lantern  slides,  Frank  M.  Chapman  ;  Home 
Life  of  some  Birds,  illustrated  by  lantern 
slides,  Wm.  Dutcher  ;  Slides — series  of 
Kingfisher,  Gulls,  etc.,  Wm.  L.  Baily  ; 
The  Effects  of  Wear  upon  Feathers,  illus- 
trated by  lantern  slides,  Jonathan  Dwight, 


Jr.;  Exhibition  of  lantern  slides  of  Birds, 
Birds'  Nests  and  Nesting  Haunts,  from  Na- 
ture, members  ;  Language  of  the  Birds, 
Nelson  R.  Wood  ;  A  New  Wren  from 
Alaska,  Harry  C.  Oberholser  ;  The  Molt 
of  the  Flight-feathers  in  various  Orders  of 
Birds,  Witmer  Stone  ;  Some  Cuban  Birds, 
Jno.  W.  Daniels,  Jr.;  On  the  Orientation 
of  Birds,  Capt.  Gabriel  Reynaud,  French 
army  ;  On  the  Habits  of  the  Hoatzin 
[OpislJiocomiis  ci-i'sfatus) ,  George  K. 
Cherrie. 


ilooft  J^eto0  ant)   3^et)ietog 


A  Dictionary  of  Birds.  By  Alfred 
Newton,  assisted  by  Hans  Gadow,  and 
others.  Cheap  issue,  unabridged.  Lon- 
don, Adam  and  Charles  Black,  1893-96. 
[New  York,  The  Macmillan  Co.]  8vo, 
pp.  xii-|-i,o88,  numerous  line  cuts. 
Price,  $5. 

Bird  students  should  be  grateful  to  the 
publishers  of  this  invaluable  valuable  work 
for  issuing  it  in  an  edition  which  places  it 
within  the  reach  of  all. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  add  our 
meed  of  praise  to  what  is  universally  con- 
ceded to  be  "the  best  book  ever  written 
about  birds."  To  those  of  Bird-Lore's 
readers  who  have  not  had  the  fortune  to 
examine  this  or  the  preceding  edition,  we 
may  say  that  the  work  is  based  on  Pro- 
fessor Newton's  article  '  Birds'  in  the  En- 
cyclopaedia Britanica  which,  with  the  co- 
operation of  eminent  specialists,  has  been 
enlarged  and  augmented  to  make  an  orni- 
thological dictionary  of  over  1,000  pages: 
an  indispensable  work  of  reference  to 
every  student  of  ornithology  who  will  find 
in  its  pages  an  immense  amount  of  infor- 
mation not  elsewhere  obtainable.  —  F. 
M.  C. 

Wabeno,  The  .Magician.  The  Sequel  to 
Tommy-Anne  and  the  Three  Hearts,  by 
Mabel  OsGood  Wright.  Illustrated  by 
Joseph  M.  Gleeson.  New  York,  The 
Macmillan  Company,  1S99.  Price, 
$1.50. 

This  pretty  green  and  gold  covered  book, 
with  its  mystical  sign  of  three  interlaced 
hearts,    will   be  a  treasure  to  the   army  of 


little  folks  who  have  so  enjoyed  its  prede- 
cessor '  Tommy-Anne.'  Not  only  will  they 
meet  in  its  pages  the  delightful  Tommy- 
Anne  herself,  but  several  other  old  friends, 
Obi,  the  almost  too-human  Waddles,  the 
unfortunate  Horned  Owl,  and  others.  In 
this  volume  Anne  —  having  dropped  the 
Tommy  from  her  name,  pushes  her 
"whys"  into  the  several  kingdoms  of 
earth  and  air.  She  interviews  the  "  Man 
in  the  Moon,"  learns  the  story  of  the  red 
man  from  a  talkative  Indian  arrow  head, 
and  the  secrets  of  the  hive  from  a  friendly 
honey-bee.  Through  her  magic  spectacles 
life  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  becomes  visi- 
ble, and  the  past  history  of  the  earth 
comes  to  light.  It  may  readily  be  seen 
that  the  author  has  not  forgotten  her  own 
childish  "wonderments,"  and  is  therefore 
eminently  fitted  to  satisfy  those  of  children 
today,  and  although  the  imagination  has 
full  play  in  the  manner  of  conveying  it — 
the  "how"  —  the  information  given  is 
trustworthy.  The  book,  with  all  its  charm 
of  fantasy  may  be  put  into  the  hands  of 
children  with  the  assurance  that  it  will 
let  them  into  the  secrets  of  many  interest- 
ing things  in  Nature,  and  leave  no  sting  of 
false  statements  to  be  corrected  as  the 
years  pass  on. 

The  book,  as  usual  with  the  publications 
of  the  house  of  Macmillan,  is  fully  illus- 
trated, beautifully  printed  and  altogether 
a  pleasure  to  look  at  and  handle. — Olive 
Thorne  Miller. 


Bird -Lore 


The  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America. 
Key  to  the  Families  and  Species.  By 
Charles  B.  Cory.  Part  I,  Water  Birds, 
pp.  i-ix,  1-130;  Part  II,  Land  Birds, 
pp.  i-ix,i3i-387.  4to.  Numerous  illustra- 
tions. Special  edition  printed  for  the 
Field  Columbian  Museum,  Chicago,  111., 
1899. 

Mr.  Cory  has  spared  neither  pains  nor 
expense  to  lighten  the  labors  of  young  orni- 
thologists in  the  matter  of  identification. 
Arbitrary  '  Keys '  arranged  on  apparently 
the  simplest  plans,  a  careful  use  of  dis- 
tinguishing type,  and  numberless  illustra- 
tions characterize  this  work,  which  will 
doubtless  rank  as  its  talented  author's 
most  valuable  and  important  contribu- 
tion to  the  literature  of  ornithology. 

The  present  volumes  contain  only  the 
analytical  keys  to  families  and  species,  and 
apparently  are  to  be  followed  by  others 
giving  detailed  descriptions  of  plumage 
and  biographical  matter.  A  list  of  the 
birds  of  Eastern  North  America,  with  the 
ranges  of  the  species,  is  appended  to  the 
second  volume. — F.  M.  C. 

Dickey  Downy  ;  the  Autobiography  of  a 
Bird.  By  Virginia  Sharpe  Patterson. 
Introduction  by  Hon.  John  F.  Lacey, 
M.C.  Drawings  by  Elizabeth  M.  Hal- 
lowell.  Philadelphia,  A.  J.  Rowland, 
1899.  i6mo,  pp.  192,  full-page  coloro- 
types,  4. 

In  this  little  volume  the  Bobolink  re- 
counts the  history  of  his  life  with  particular 
reference  to  his  experiences  with  man. 
Due  regard  has  been  paid  to  the  known 
habits  of  the  bird,  and  the  book  seems  well 
designed  to  arouse  the  interest  and  enlist 
the  sympathy  of  children  in  bird-life.  The 
colored  illustration  of  the  Scarlet  Tanager 
facing  page  64  is  wrongly  labeled  "  Sum- 
mer Tanager,"  but  beyond  this  slip  we 
notice  no  errors. 

Congressman  Lacey's  introduction  shows 
that  its  writer  has  an  adequate  conception 
of  both  the  economic  and  aesthetic  value  of 
birds,  of  the  evils  of  wantonly  destroying 
them,  and  of  the  need  for  their  protection. 
— F.  M.  C. 

Book  News 

In  the  October  number  of  'The  Osprey,' 
the  announcement  is  made  that  Dr.  Gill, 


the  editor-in-chief,  will  hereafter  be  assisted 
by  the  following  associate  editors  :  Robert 
Ridgway,  Leonhard  Stejenger,  Frederic 
A.  Lucas,  Charles  W.  Richmond,  Paul 
Bartsch,  William  Palmer,  Harry  C.  Ober- 
holser,  and  Wilmer  Stone.  Surely  here 
is  "  a  multitude  of  counsellors"  whose  co- 
operation is  an  assurance  that  '  The  Os- 
prey '  will  not  only  return  to  its  former 
high  plane,  but  will  doubtless  reach  a  level 
of  excellence  before  unknown.  We  note 
with  pleasure  that  the  somewhat  too 
appropriate  yellow  cover,  used  during 
the  preceding  editorial  administration, 
has  been  changed  for  one  of  Bird-Lore  s 
hue. 

From  the  announcement  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Audubon  Society  of  the  Audubon 
Calendar,  issued  by  them  for  1900,  we 
quote  the  following:  "The  calendar  con- 
sists of  twelve  large  plates  of  exquisite 
drawings  of  birds,  one  for  each  month,  re- 
produced in  colors  with  all  the  spirit  and 
fidelity  of  the  original  water-color  paint- 
ings. Descriptive  text  of  the  birds  on  each 
plate.  Frank  M.  Chapman,  Olive  Thorne 
Miller, Florence  A.  Merriam,  AbbottThayer, 
Mabel  Osgood  Wright,  Wm.  T.  Davis, 
William  Brewster,  Ralph  Hoffman,  Brad- 
ford Torrey,  M.  A.  Wilcox,  Harriet  E. 
Richards,  H.  E.  Parkhurst,  have  contrib- 
uted original  paragraphs.  Size  9^  by  i2]4. 
inches.  In  paper  box.  Price  75  cents. 
Address  orders  to  Taber-Prang  Art  Com- 
pany, Springfield,  Mass." 

That  the  editors  of  St.  Nicholas  realize 
the  importance  of  developing  childrens' 
interest  in  nature  studies,  is  evidenced  by 
the  establishment  in  their  magazine  for 
1900,  of  a  department  of  '  Nature  and  Sci- 
ence.' It  will  be  in  charge  of  Mr.  E.  F. 
Bigelow,  formerly  editor  of  'The  Ob- 
server,' and  now  of  '  Popular  Science. ' 

Lists  of  the  birds  of  the  Middle  Gulf 
States  are  so  few  in  number  that  bird 
students  will  welcome  a  fully  annotated 
catalogue  of  the  birds  of  Louisiana,  by 
Prof.  Geo.  E.  Beyer,  of  Tulane  Univer- 
sity, shortly  to  be  published  by  the  Society 
of  Louisiana  Naturalists. 


Editorials 


ilirti'itore 

A  Bi-monthly  Magazine 
Devoted  to  the   Study  and  Protection  of   Birds 

OFFICIAL    OKC^AN    OF  THF.    AIIDVISUX    SOCIETIES 

Edited   by  FRANK   M.  CHAPMAN 
Published  by  THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

Vol.  1  December,  1899  No.  6 

SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  thelhiited  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  65  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents. 
Macmillan  and  CoMPAiNv,  Ltd.,  London. 

Manuscripts  for  publication,  books,  etc.,  for  re- 
view, should  be  sent  to  the  Editor  at  Englewood. 
New  Jersey. 

Advertisements  should  be  sent  to  the  Pub- 
lishers at  Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  65  Fifth 
avenue,  New  York  City. 

COPYRIGHTED.  1899,  BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto : 
A  Bird  in  tke  Bush  is  Worth  Two  in  the  Hand. 

We  have  thus  far  avoided  all  mention 
of  the  financial  side  of  the  conducting  of 
Bird-Lore,  nor  do  we  now^  propose  to 
adopt  the  course  which  circumstances, 
alas !  have  so  often  forced  upon  popular 
natural  history  journals,  of  turning  the 
editorial  page  into  a  plea  for  sub- 
scriptions. 

We  trust,  however,  that  in  this  con- 
cluding number  of  our  first  volume  we 
may  be  permitted  to  make  several  state- 
ments in  which  we  hope  our  subscrib- 
ers will  have  a  mutual  interest. 

In  the  first  place,  replying  to  the  in- 
quiry as  to  whether  Bird-Lore  will  not 
soon  be  issued  at  monthly  instead  of  bi- 
monthly intervals,  let  us  say  that  the 
management  of  Bird-Lore  is  with  us  an 
avocation  to  which  we  can  devote  only 
the  margin  of  time  left  from  fully  oc- 
cupied days.  To  publish  it  each  month 
would  involve  greatly  increased  labor, 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  we  can- 
not assume,  and  we  have  attempted  to 
bridge  this  difficulty  by  printing  as  much 
matter    in   each   number   as    is  ordinarily 


contained  in  two  numbers  of  any  popu- 
lar ornithological  journal. 

In  the  end,  therefore,  the  subscriber 
receives  quite  as  much  for  his  money, 
and  in  support  of  this  statement  we  may 
be  pardoned  for  calling  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  present  volume  of  Bird- 
Lore  contains  some  200  pages  of  text 
with  over  70  illustrations,  more,  we  be- 
lieve, than  is  offered  by  any  other  bird 
magazine  for  the  sum  of  one  dollar. 

To  continue  with  this  unpleasant  sub- 
ject ;  being  perfectly  familiar  with  the 
sad  fate  which  has  befallen  so  many  of 
our  predecessors  —  and  of  which  when 
this  journal  was  in  contemplation  our 
friends  rarely  failed  to  remind  us! — we 
did  not  establish  Bird-Lore  as  a  money 
making  enterprise,  but  as  a  means  of 
popularizing  a  study,  the  advancement  of 
which  is  foremost  in  our  desires,  and  as 
an  aid  to  the  cause  of  the  Audubon  So- 
cieties. 

We  believe,  therefore,  we  may  venture 
to  say,  that  our  relations  with  our  sub- 
scribers are  of  a  wholly  different  and 
more  intimate  nature  than  those  which 
exist  between  the  publishers  and  pur- 
chasers of  magazines  which  yield  an 
adequate  money  return  for  labor  ex- 
pended. 

We  have  common  interests  to  the 
furtherance  of  which  we,  for  our  part, 
are  willing  to  devote  no  little  time  and 
thought,  as  we  trust  is  shown  by  our 
announcements  for  1900.  To  properly 
carry  out  our  plans,  however,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  increase  the  size  of  Bird- 
Lore,  a  step  not  as  yet  warranted  by 
our  subscription  list.  We  would,  there- 
fore, ask  the  cooperation  of  every  reader 
who  has  at  heart  the  interests  of  bird 
study  and  bird  protection.  This  coopera- 
tion may  be  shown  in  one  or  both  of 
two  ways  :  First,  you  may  aid  in  increas- 
ing Bird-Lore's  circulation  by  securing 
new  subscribers,  by  presenting  a  year's 
subscription  as  a  Christmas  gift  to  some 
friend  who  is  interested,  or  whom  you 
want  to  interest  in  birds,  or  by  sug- 
gesting this  course  to  others.  Second, 
you  may  assist  us   by  promptly  renewing 


202 


Bird -Lore 


your  subscription  when  it  expires,  or  in 
the  event  of  your  not  caring  to  re-sub- 
scribe, we  ask,  as  a  means  of  regulating 
our  edition,  that  you  kindly  send  us  a 
postal  to  that  effect. 

Bird-Lore    for    1900 

Bird-Lore  for  igoo  will,  we  think, 
reach  a  standard  of  excellence  not  before 
attained  by  a  journal  of  popular  orni- 
thology. No  effort  has  been  spared  to 
secure  authoritative  articles  of  interest 
to  the  general  reader,  as  well  as  those  of 
practical  value  to  the  teacher  and  stu- 
dent. 

There  will  be  papers  by  John  Bur- 
roughs, recording  the  rarer  birds  he  has 
observed  about  his  home ;  by  Bradford 
Torrey,  describing  his  methods  of  at- 
tracting winter  birds ;  by  Robert  Ridg- 
way,  on  song  birds  in  Europe  and 
America ;  by  Otto  Widmann,  on  a  visit 
to  Audubon's  birthplace ;  and  also  con- 
tributions from  William  Brewster,  E.  A. 
Mearns,  C.  Hart  Merriam,  T.  S.  Roberts, 
and  other  well-known  ornithologists. 

A  VALUABLE  Contribution  to  the  study 
of  bird  migration  will  be  a  paper  by 
Captain  Reynaud,  in  charge  of  the 
Homing  Pigeon  Service  of  the  French 
Army,  who  will  write  of  his  experiments 
in  this  branch  of  the  service. 

Attention  will  be  paid  to  the  bird-life 
of  countries  made  prominent  by  recent 
events :  L.  M.  McCormick,  who  has 
lately  returned  from  the  Philippines, 
writing  of  the  birds  of  Luzon;  H.  W. 
Henshaw,  of  the  birds  of  Hawaii,  where 
he  has  long  been  a  resident ;  Tappan 
Adney,  who  passed  a  year  in  the  Klon- 
dike, of  the  birds  of  that  region  ;  and 
F.   M.   Chapman,  of  the  birds  of   Cuba. 

A.  J.  Campbell,  the  authority  on  Aus- 
tralian birds,  will  also  contribute  a  paper 
on  foreign  birds,  describing  the  remarka- 
ble habits  of  the  Bovver  Birds,  with  pho- 
tographs of  their  bowers  from  nature. 

For  teachers  there  will  be  a  series  of 
suggestive   articles   on    methods  of  teach- 


ing ornithology,  by  Olive  Thorne  Miller  ; 
Florence  A.  Merriam ;  Marion  C.  Hub- 
bard, of  Wellesley  ;  Lynds  Jones,  of  Ober- 
lin,  and  others,  who  have  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  instruction  in  this  branch  of 
nature  study. 

Students  will  be  glad  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  assistance  offered  by  Bird- 
Lore's  Advisory  Council,  a  new  idea  in 
self-educational  work,  the  details  of 
which  are  announced  on  another  page. 
Among  papers  designed  more  especially 
for  students  will  be  Ernest  Seton-Thomp- 
son's  '  How  to  Know  the  Hawks  and 
Owls,'  illustrated  by  the  author,  F.  A. 
Lucas'  '  Tongues  of  Birds,'  also  illustrated 
by  the  author,  and  Professor  Pinchot's 
'A  Method  of  Recording  Observations. ' 

A  PAPER  of  unusual  value  to  those  who 
study  birds  with  the  aid  of  a  camera 
will  be  by  John  Rowley,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Museum  of  Natural  History,  who 
will  describe  a  recently  invented  camera 
which  opens  new  fields  in  bird  pho- 
tography. 

For  '  Young  Observers '  there  will  be 
articles  by  other  young  observers,  and 
poems  and  jingles  all  designed  to  arouse 
and  stimulate  the  child's  interest  in  birds. 

The  illustrations  will,  if  possible,  be  of 
even  higher  quality  than  those  for  which 
already  Bird-Lore  has  become  distin- 
guished. 

The  Audubon  Department,  under  Mrs. 
Wright's  care,  will,  as  heretofore,  print 
reports  of  the  great  work  which  is  being 
done  in  the  interests  of  bird  study  and 
bird  protection,  and  the  series  of  helpful 
articles  by  its  Editor  will  be  continued. 

This  outline  of  the  leading  features  of 
Bird-Lore  for  the  coming  year  will, 
we  trust,  be  deemed  sufficient  warrant 
for  the  belief  expressed  in  our  opening 
sentence.  It  will  be  seen  that  our  diffi- 
culty is  not  lack  of  material,  but  lack  of 
space,  and  this  difficulty  we  hope  our 
subscribers  will  help  us  to  overcome  by 
seconding  our  efiorts  in  their  behalf. 


■  i'ou  cannot  with  a  scalpel  Jind  the  poet's  soul, 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries. 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  HARKiEr  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  1S7  Bowen  street.  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.  (branch  of  Pa.  Society) Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  i3i4Chapline  street.  Wheeling. 

Ohio Miss  Clara  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Icwa Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Peckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

Texas Miss  Cecils  Sei.xas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gav,  Redlands. 


The  Law  and  the  Bird 

During  the  past  ten  months  Bird-Lore 
has  printed  interesting  statistics  concern- 
ing the  organization  of  the  various  State 
Audubon  Societies,  as  well  as  significant 
reports  of  the  progress  of  their  work. 
So  far  so  good.  There  are,  of  course, 
slight  differences  in  the  platforms  of 
these  societies  regarding  by-laws,  meth- 
ods, fees  versus  no  fees,  etc.  Upon  one 
point,  however,  they  all  agree  —  that 
while  they  deplore  the  use  of  the  feathers 
of  wild  birds  in  millinery,  the  great 
point  is  the  education  of  children  to  have 
the  proper  regard  for  bird  life. 

It  is,  however,  necessary  to  go  a  step 
behind  even  this.  A  priori  the  bird 
must  be  given  a  legal  status  before  it 
can  be  protected  with  any  general  suc- 
cess, even  by  those  most  willing  so  to  do. 
In  appealing  to  the  average  child  of  the 
public  school,  it  should  be  remembered 
of  how  many  races  this  average  child  is 
compounded, —  races  with  instincts  con- 
cerning what  are  called  the  lower  ani- 
mals,   quite     beyond      the     moral      com- 

(203) 


prehension  of  the  animal-loving  Anglo- 
Saxon.  To  make  this  average  school 
child  respect  the  rights  of  the  bird,  the 
bird  must  be  given  a  legal  status  to  com- 
mand, and  not  to  beg  respect.  This 
child  may  be  appealed  to  in  other  ways 
and  may  readily  assent  to  all  that  you  say, 
zvhile  your  personal  influejice  is  zuith 
him,  but  he  goes  away  and  forgets  ;  he 
does  not  feel  the  weight  of  a  merely 
moral  penalty. 

Game  birds  have  this  legal  status,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  in  all  states,  with 
perhaps  the  single  exception  of  Missis- 
sippi, and  sportsmen  are  always  on  the 
alert  for  infringement  of   the  game  laws. 

It  would  seem  to  me  wise  for  Audu- 
bonites  to  turn  more  attention  to  the 
legal  status  of  the  class  of  birds  that 
they  specially  seek   to  protect. 

Legislation  in  this  respect  is,  of 
course,  difficult  to  obtain,  because  many 
sportsmen  are  afraid  of  weakening  the 
game  laws  by  stirring  up  discussion  re- 
garding song  birds,  etc.;  but  much  more 
can  be  made  of  the  existing  laws.     That 


204 


Bird-  Lore 


these  are  by  no  means  adequately  en- 
forced, is  evident  to  anyone  who  notices 
the  hordes  of  men  and  boys  prowling, 
these  autumn  days,  about  woods  and 
meadows,  where  legitimate  game  birds 
are  unknown,  and  Robins,  Flickers,  and 
even  the  smaller  migrants  are  the  only 
game.  It  makes  one  feel  that  the  song 
bird  protectionists  must  often  "pass  by 
on  the  other  side,"  not  having  the  honesty 
of  their  convictions  in  as  militant  a  degree 
as  the  sportsmen,  even  when  they  have 
the  law  to  back  the  bird. 

It  will  doubtless  be  interesting  to  open 
these  '  pages, '  during  the  coming  year,  to 
a  presentation  and  discussion  of  this 
legal  status.  We  should  like  to  receive 
the  condensed  bird  laws  of  every  state 
possessing  such,  as  well  as  opinions  as 
to  what  birds  should  be  excluded  from 
protection  in  the  best  interests  of  the 
Commonwealth,  to  the  end  that  there 
may  be  a  federation  of  Audubon  Socie- 
ties regarding  the  best  method  of  ob- 
taining legislation  for  the  protection  of 
desirable  birds  not  covered  by  the  game 
laws. 

Be  the  roads  many  —  illustrated  lec- 
tures to  arouse  public  sentiment,  bird- 
less  bonnets,  leaflets,  thousands  of  pledge 
cards  signed  by  ready  sympathizers—- 
the  goal  must  be  conservative,  well 
thought  out  legislation,  free  from  any 
taint  of  emotional  insanity.  If  we  are 
to  keep  the  bird  it  must  be  by  the  aid 
of  the  law,  the  only  voice  that  mitst  be 
listened  to,  speaking  the  only  language 
understood  by  all  the  races  that  go  to 
make  up  the  people  of  the  United 
States.— M.  O.  W. 

Reports  from  Societies 

RHODE  ISLAND  SOCIETY 
An  exhibition  of  birdless  hats — 'Audu- 
bonnets'  as  they  have  been  facetiously 
styled  —  was  held  in  the  parlors  of  the 
Narragansett  Hotel,  in  Providence,  on 
the  gth  of  October.  The  response  to 
the  invitations,  which  were  sent  by  the 
society  to  the  leading  milliners,  was  very 
gratifying,    nearly    all    of    them    entering 


cordially  into  the  scheme.  About  one 
hundred  and  fifty  hats  were  exhibited, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  such  a  beauti- 
ful and  artistic  display  of  millinery  was- 
never  before  seen  in  Providence.  Most 
of  the  hats  were  especially  designed  for 
the  occasion,  and  an  endless  variety  of 
styles  and  trimmings  was  shown.  The 
result  proved  conclusively  that  the  plu- 
mage of  wild  birds  can  be  easily  discarded 
without  violating  the  laws  of  fashion 

The  exhibition  had  been  well  adver- 
tised and,  in  spite  of  unpleasant  weather, 
the  parlors  were  thronged  with  visitors- 
throughout  the  day.  Many  sales  were 
made,  the  proceeds  going  to  the  ex- 
hibitors. 

Four  ribbon  prizes  were  awarded,  but 
it  is  the  opinion  of  the  committee  in 
charge  that  prizes,  even  of  that  nature, 
were  a  disadvantage. 

The  '  Providence  News '  thus  comments 
upon  the  exhibition:  "It  was  only  the 
other  day  that  the  '  News  '  was  moved  to 
remark  from  the  evidence  of  the  fashion 
plates,  that  bird  plumage  was  to  be 
more  than  ever  the  fashion  this  season. 
But  there  is  evidence  that  the  protest 
against  it  is  a  mighty  one,  and  if  the 
birds  in  other  communities  have  sup- 
porters of  the  number  and  character 
that  they  find  here  in  Rhode  Island,  the 
milliners  who  oppose  the  sentiment  of 
the  Audubons  will  at  no  early  day  be 
compelled     to    reform    or     to    go    out    of 

business." 

Annie  M.   (jrant,  Scc'y. 

PENNSYLVANIA  SOCIETY 

During  the  year  that  has  followed  the 
issuing  of  our  second  annual  report  the 
Society  has  spread  to  nearly  every  county 
in  the  State.  The  membership  has 
grown  from  3,300  to  5,000,  and  a  steady 
increase  of  interest  is  shown  in  the 
letters  received  by  the  secretary. 

Bird-Day  was  most  successfully  ob- 
served in  a  large  number  of  schools,  and 
both  teachers  and  pupils  seemed  well 
pleased  with  the  results.  We  owe  thanks 
to  many  of  our  local  secretaries  for  their 
good    work    among     children,  and    for   the 


The   Audubon   Societies 


205 


classes  for  bird  study  which  they  formed 
during  the  summer.  This  is  a  move- 
ment of  the  utmost  importance,  as  with 
increasing  membership  it  becomes  more 
and  more  difficult  for  the  secretary  to 
conduct  individual  correspondence,  and 
everyone  who  will  band  together  local 
members  and  act  as  local  secretary,  will 
further  the  interests  of  the  Society  more 
than  can  be  done  in  any  other  way. 

We  would  like  to  call  the  attention  of 
our  members  to  the  following  ; 

1.  When  this  Society  was  organized 
the  quills  used  in  millinery  were  all 
taken  from  large  domestic  birds.  Lately 
the  Brown  Pelican,  Eagles,  Owls,  and 
Turkey  Vulture  have  been  made  to  pay 
tribute  to  the  fashions ;  and  we  wish 
most  earnestly  to  protest  against  the  use 
of  these  quills.  A  good  illustration  of 
the  feathers  to  be  avoided  will  be  found 
in  the  October  number  of  Bird-Lore. 

2.  We  would  also  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  this  magazine  is  the  official 
organ  of  the  Audubon  Societies,  and  is 
essential  to  anyone  desiring  to  keep  up 
with  what  is  being  done  for  the  protec- 
tion of  birds. 

3.  As  heretofore,  we  are  dependent 
almost  entirely  upon  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions for  carrying  on  the  objects  of  the 
organization,  and  we  therefore  appeal 
again  for  assistance  from  those  inter- 
ested in  furthering  the  cause  of  the  pro- 
tection of  birds.  Increased  funds  will, 
of  course,  enable  us  to  reach  a  larger 
number  of  persons,  and  to  issue  a  larger 
amount  of  literature,  for  which  there  is 
a  constant  demand.  Donations  should 
be  forwarded  to  the  treasurer,  Mr. 
William  L.  Baily,  421  Chestnut  street, 
Philadelphia. 

For  the  coming  year  w-e  have  in  view 
the  usual  course  of  lectures,  by  Mr. 
Stone,  and  also  the  furthering  of  bird 
study  in  the  schools,  to  which  end  we 
hope  to  issue  some  educational  circulars. 
Jr;LiA  Stockton  Robins,  Scc\v. 

THE  WISCONSIN   SOCIETY 
Our    busy    season    is    in    the    spring    of 
the    vear.       At    about     Easter     time    our 


State  Superintendent  of  Schools  issued 
his  'Arbor  and  Bird-Day  Annual,'  which 
contained  an  invitation  to  teachers  and 
children  to  join  the  Audubon  Society. 
This  invitation  brought  an  almost  over- 
whelming response,  every  day  for  sev- 
eral weeks  bringing  me  ten  or  fifteen 
letters  from  would-be  branches,  and  our 
school  membership  mounted  rapidly  to 
over  10,000.  A  prize  offered  to  these 
children  for  the  best  personal  observa- 
tion on  a  Bird  Family  was  won  by  a 
little  country  girl,  who  wrote  a  very  good 
composition  on  the  Ground  Sparrow.  We 
have  tried,  with  varying  degrees  of  suc- 
cess, in  different  places,  to  institute  the 
work  of  the  '  Bird  Restorers'  among 
these  children. 

We  shall  soon  have  a  little  library  of 
bird  books  circulating  among  the 
schools,  and  we  are  trying  to  raise 
money  for  a  set  of  lantern  slides  to  ac- 
company a  lecture  —  lecture  and  slides 
to  be  sent  from  place  to  place. 

I  believe  that  the  Audubon  work  has 
already  made  a  deep  impression  in  Wis- 
consin. The  milliners'  windows  abound 
in  Gulls  and  Birds  of  Paradise,  but  they 
are  not  finding  a  ready  sale.  As  to 
wings,  perhaps  it  is  too  much  to  expect 
that  women  will  not  believe  their  milli- 
ners when  told  that  "These  wings  are 
all  right,  because  they  are  made." 

E.  G.  Peckham,  Sec'y. 

The  Passing  of  the  Tern 

The  surprising  results  which  may  fol- 
low Fashion's  demand  for  a  certain  kind 
of  bird  have  never  been  more  clearly 
shown  than  in  the  case  of  the  Terns  or 
Sea  Swallows  of  our  Atlantic  coasts. 

Useless  for  food,  the  birds  had  escaped 
the  demands  of  the  hunter,  and  thou- 
sands nested  in  security  along  our 
beaches.  The  exquisite  purity  of  their 
plumage  and  their  unsurpassed  graceful- 
ness on  the  wing  made  them  a  paiticu- 
larly  grateful  element  of  the  coast 
scenery  to  every  lover  of  the  beautiful, 
while  to  the  prosaic  fisherman  they  often 
gave  welcome  evidence  of  the  direction 
of  the  land,  as  with  unerring  flight   they 


2o6 


The  Audubon  Societies 


returned  through  the  densest  fogs,  bear- 
ing food  to  their  young. 

Suddenly,  as  a  result  of  causes  too 
mysterious  for  the  mind  of  man  to  com- 
prehend, Fashion  claimed  the  Terns  for 
her  own. 

Up  and  down  the  coast  word  went 
forth,  that  Sea  Swallows,  or  '  Summer 
Gulls,'  were  worth  ten  cents  each,  and 
the  milliner's  agent  was  there  to  con- 
firm the  report. 

It  was  in  June  when  the  baymen  were 
idle  and,  unrestrained  by  law,  they 
hastened    to  the    beaches  in   keen  compe- 


succumbed    had    not    bird-lovers  raised   a 
sum  to  pay  keepers  to  protect  them. 

Then  Fashion,  as  if  content  with  the 
destruction  she  had  wrought,  found  fresh 
victims,  and  the  Terns,  for  a  time,  es- 
caped persecution.  Now,  however,  the 
demand  for  them  has  been  revived,  and 
again  the  milliners'  agent  is  abroad  plac- 
ing a  price  on  the  comparatively  few 
birds  remaining.  Before  me  is  a  circu- 
lar issued  by  a  New  York  feather  dealer, 
asking  for  "large  quantities"  of  "Sea 
Gulls,  Wilson's  Turns  (sic).  Laughing 
Gulls,    Royal     Gulls,"    etc.,    and    this    is 


y  F.  M.  Chapman 


WILSON   S    TERN    ON    NEST 


tition  to  destroy  the  birds  which  were 
nesting  there 

Never,  in  this  country,  at  least,  has 
there  been  such  a  slaughter  of  birds.  A 
Cobb's  Island,  Virginia,  bayman,  whose 
conscience,  even  at  this  late  date,  urged 
him  to  a  confession  of  shame  for  his 
part  in  the  proceedings,  told  me  recently 
that  in  a  single  day  of  that  memorable 
season,  1,400  Terns  were  killed  on  Cobb's 
Island  alone,  and  40,000  are  said  to  have 
been  there  shot  during  the  summer.  The 
destruction  at  other  favorable  places  was 
proportionately  great. 

Two  seasons  of  this  work  were  suffi- 
cient to  sweep  the  Terns  from  all  their 
more  accessible  resorts,  the  only  sur- 
vivors being  residents  of  a  few  uninhab- 
ited islands.     Even  here  they  would  have 


only  one  instance  among  hundreds.  In 
fact,  the  feather  merchants  themselves 
state  that  the  demand  for  Terns  and 
Gulls   exceeds   the   supply.* 

What  will  be  the  result  ?  Is  there  no 
appeal  from  Fashion's  decree  ?  Woman 
alone  can  answer  these  questions,  and 
the  case  is  so  clear  she  cannot  shirk  the 
responsibility   of  replying. 

Aigrettes  are  decorative,  quills  difficult 
to  identify,  neither  bespeak  death,  and 
ignorance  may  lead  the  most  humane 
woman  into  wearing  either.  But  with 
the  Tern  no  such  excuse  exists,  and  the 
woman  who  places  its  always  disgust- 
ingly mutilated  body  on  her  bonnet,  does 
so  in  deliberate  defiance  of  the  laws  of 
humanity  and  good  taste. 

Fr.\nk  M.    Ch.\pman. 


*See  also  note  from    '  Brooklyn  Eag    e  '  oi\  page  198. 


iSirli  tore 


AN    ILLUSTRATED    BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE    DEVOTED    TO 
THE    STUDY  AND    PROTECTION    OF   BIRDS 


EDITED    BY 

FRANK    M.    CHAPMAN 


jDffirial  jDrgan  ot  i^t  Audubon  ^ocietiegi 

Audubon    Department    Edited    by 

MABEL   OSGOOD   WRIGHT 


VOLUME   IT~iQoo 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

HARRISBURG,   PA.,  AND    NEW    YORK    CITY 


Copyright,   1900 
By    frank    M.    chapman 


INDEX  TO  ARTICLES  IN  VOLUME  II 
BY  AUTHORS 


Anthony,  Emilia  C  Hawk  and  Robin,  26. 

Bailey,  Florence  Merriani,  H(j\v  to  ('onduet  Field 
Classes,  83. 

Bailey,  Vernon,  Where  the  Grebe  Skins  Come 
From,  34. 

Baily,  \V.  L.,  The  Kini^fisher's  Home  Life,  76; 
Photographs  by,  76,  77,  78,  79. 

Beck,  H.  M.,  A  Blue  Jay  Tragedy,  195. 

Beebe,  C.  William,  A  Pair  of  Canadian  Climbers, 
27  ;    Photographs  by,  27. 

Brewster,  W'illiam,  A  Study  of  a  Lincoln's  Spar- 
row, 109. 

Britton,  Elizabeth  G.,  Blue-winged  Warbler  in 
Southern    New  York   in   January,  26. 

Campbell,  A.  J.,  The  Bower-birds  of  Australia,  135. 

Chapman,  Frank  M.,  Obituary  Notice  of  Elliott 
Coues,  3  ;  A  Note  on  the  Economic  Value  of 
Gulls,  10;  The  Season's  Flight  of  Crossbills, 
25,  59;  Bird  Photography  at  A.  O.  U.,  26; 
An  Interesting  Nest,  60 ;  Bird  Slaughter  in 
Delaware  ;  The  Hoar  Bill,  60  ;  An  Interesting 
Record,  158;  Bird-nesting  in  Winter,  194;  Birds 
and  Seasons  ;  December  and  January  Bird-Life 
near  New  York  City,  183  ;  Suggestions  for  the 
Months'  Study,  190  ;  Suggestions  for  the 
Months"  Reading,  191  ;  A  Christmas  Bird-Cen- 
sus, 192 ;  The  Destruction  of  Ptarmigan  for 
Millinery  Purposes,  204;  Editorials  by,  30,  31, 
62,  93,  127,  161 ;  Photographs  by,  10,  11,  122  ;  Re- 
views by,  28,  29,  61,  91,  92,  123,  124,  125,  126,  159, 
160. 

Cherrie,  George  K.,  The  Egret  Hunters  of  \'ene- 
zuela,   50. 

Coxa,  Mrs.  Clara  J.    See  Reynaud,  Gabriel. 

Crockett,  Ingram,  Sec'y,  Report  of,  97. 

Denwood,  John, Two  Notes  from  the  Berkshires,  59. 
Dibble,   Edmund   B.,  Two   Notes   by  "  A   Young 

Observer,"    117. 
Dommerich,  Mrs.  L.  F.,  Sec'y,  Report  of,  36. 
Drummond,  Mary,  Sec'y,  Report  of,  65. 
Dutcher,  William,  The  Bird  Protection  Fund,  60, 

90  ;    Review  by,  92. 
Dwight,  Jonathan,  Jr.,    M.D.,   How    Ptarmigans 

Molt,  175. 

Figgins,  J.  D.,  Photograph  by,  25. 

Ganier,  Albert,  Nesting  of  the  Prothonotary  War- 
bler, 89. 

Gault,  Benjamin  T.,  December  and  January  Bird- 
Life  at  Glen  Ellyn  (near  Chicago),  Illinois,  187. 

Glover,  Mrs.  W.  B.,  Sec'y,  Report  of,  165. 

Grant,  Annie  M.,  Sec'y,  Reports  of,  130,  164. 


Hastings,  Harriet  H.,  Report  of,  132. 

Hathaway,  H.  S.,  A  Home  Loving  Osprey,  89. 

Hegner,  R.  W.,  Photographs  by,  122,  150. 

Hilles,  Mrs.  William  S.,  Sec'y,  Report  of,  95. 

Hoffmann,  Ralph,  December  and  January  Bird- 
Life  near  Boston,  182. 

Horton,  Mrs.  Wm.  C,  Early  Breeding  of  the  Pine 
Siskin,  118. 

Hubbard,  Marion  E.,  Bird  Work  at  Wellesley,  52. 

Hutchins,  John,  The  House  Wren  as  a  Depreda- 
tor, 89. 

Ives,  Ella  Gilbert,  A  Yonkers  Robin,  119. 

Jones,  Lynds,  On  Methods  in  Teaching  Ornithol- 
ogy at  Oberlin  College,  14  ;  Spring  Migration 
at  Oberlin,  O.,  57  ;  December  and  January  Bird- 
Life  at  Oberlin,  O.,  186. 

Keeler,  Charles,  December  and  January  Bird-Life 

on  Eastern  Side  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  188. 
Kellogg,  Chas.  D.,  Cowbird  in  a  Dove's  Nest,  121. 

Lemmon,  Isabella  McC,  Notes  on  the  Food  of  the 

Chickadee  and  Screech  Owl,  59. 
LeSouef,  D.,  Photograph  by,  136. 
Lucas,  Frederic  A.,  Concerning  Birds'  Tongues,  5. 

Mearns,  E.  A.,  The  Newport  Robin,  118. 

Miller,  Olive  Thorne,The  Study  of  Birds— Another 
Way,  151. 

Milliners'  Proposed  Agreement,  98. 

Montgomery,  Thos.  H.,  Jr.,  The  Bird  Course  at 
the  Marine  Biological  Laboratory,  Woods 
Holl,  during  the  Summer  of  1900,  153. 

Moore,  W'illie  H.,  Notes  on  the  American  Golden- 
Eye,  157. 

Nash,  H.  \\'.,  Photograph  by,  168. 

Nelson,  Mrs.  Henry  W.,  A  Pair  of  Killdeer,  148. 

Newkirk,  Garrett,  The  Wise  Old  Crow,  158. 

Nightingale,  Nina,  My  Exploit  With  a  Crossbill, 
181. 

Noble,  Floyd  C,  Note  on  the  Blue-winged  War- 
bler in  New  York  City  in  Winter,  59. 

Page,  Laura  G.,  Swallows  and  Feathers,  81. 
Palmer,  T.  S.,  Protest  Against  the  Collection   of 

Plume  Birds  Through  Postmasters,  66. 
Patten,  J.  M.,  Sec'y,  Report  of,  203. 
Peabody,  P.  B.,  How  a  Marsh  Hawk  Grows,  43  ; 

Photographs  by,  43,  45,  46,  48,49,  75. 
Peckham,  Elizabeth     Gifford,  Secretary's    report 

of,  132. 
Peebles,  Robert  R.,  Photograph  by,  116. 
Pennock,  A.  J.,  Photographs  by,  108,  140. 


(iii) 


Index 


Princehorn,  A.    L.,  Photographine;-   a    Robin,   41  ; 

Photographs  by,  41,  42,  182. 
Pynchon,  W.  H.  C,  Every-Day  Study  of  Birds  for 

Busy  People,  Including  a  Method  of  Recording 

Observations,  19. 

Reynaud,  Capt.  Gabriel,  The  (Jrientation  of  Birds, 
101,  141. 

Ridgway,  Robert,  Song  Birds  in  Europe  and 
America,  69. 

Rogers,  Charles  H.,  The  Notes  of  the  Crow,  26. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  Letter  from,  98. 

Rowley,  John,  A  New  Camera  for  Bird  Photog- 
raphers, 38. 

Sage,   John    H.,   Spring    Migration    at    Portland. 

Conn.,  56. 
Seton-Thompson,    Ernest,   The    Origin    of    Dick- 

Cissel,88;   Verse  by,  166. 
Shaw,  J.  Holbrook,  M.D.,  An  Oriole  Tragedy,  iiS. 
Soule,  Caroline  G.,  A  Philanthropic  Sparrow,  26  ; 

A  Hummingbird  Experiment,  158. 
St.  John,  Morgan,  February  Birds,  23. 
Stern,  Louis,  Postal  Card  sent  by,  66. 


Stone,  Witnier,  The  Question  of  Fees,  95;  De- 
cember and  January  Bird-Life  Near  Philadel- 
phia, 1 84. 

Tabor,  E.  G.,  Photograph  by,  68. 
Taxlor,  John  W.,  President,  report  of,  97. 
Thayer,  Abbott    H.  (and    others).   An  Appeal    to 

Bird-Lovers,  33. 
Torrey,  Bradford,  Winter  Pensioners,  177. 

Van  Sant,  Florence  A.,  The  Rev.  Mr.  Chickadee, 
D.D.,  IQ3. 

Warren,  E.  R.,  Photographing  Ptarmigan,  170. 

Warren,  Harry  S.,  The  Birds  That  Pass  in  the 
Night,  113. 

Webster,  Ellen  E.,  Feeding  a  Shrike,  195. 

Wetmore,  Alick,  My  Experience  With  a  Red- 
headed Woodpecker,  155. 

Whipple,  Bishop  H.  B.,  Letter  from,  97. 

Willislon,  S.  W.,  Photograph  by,  100. 

Woodworth,  Nelly  Hart,  An  Albino  Robin,  120. 

W [right],  Mabel  Osgood,  Editorials  by  32,  63,  95, 
128,  163,  201. 


INDEX   TO   VOLUME   II 


Advisory  Council,  12,  182. 

Africa,  174. 

Aigrette  Farming,  31. 

Aigrettes,  166. 

Alaska,  197. 

Allen,  J.  A.,  33,  127,  196. 

American  Museum  Journal,  160. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  121. 

American  Ornithologists'  Union,  94,  127,  154,  161, 

162,  196,  198,  201. 
Arizona,  31. 
Ash,  Charles  E.,  118. 
Attwater,  H.  P.,  13. 
Audubon  Bird  Chart,  noticed,  197. 
Audubon  Conference,  202. 
Audubon,  J.  J.,  29,  158. 
Audubon,  Maria  R.,  158. 
Audubon  Society,  94,  161,  163,  164,  166,  202. 
Auk,  The,  126. 
Australia,  135. 

Bagg,  Egbert,  13. 

Bailey,  Florence  Merriam,  151,  202. 
Baily,  W.  L.,  60. 
Baird,  Lucy  H.,  29. 
Baird,  Spencer  F.,  29. 
Baldpate,  56. 
Barbour,  E.  H.,  12. 
Barlow,  C,  29. 
Barker,  S.  H.,  6c. 
Barrows,  W.  B.,  12. 
Bartsch,  Paul,  12. 
Baskett,  James  Newton,  16. 

Batchelder  and  Fogg,  Birds  of  Manchester,  N.  H., 
noticed,  126. 


Real's  'P'oodof  the  Bobolink, Blackbirds  and  Crack- 
les,' reviewed,  197. 

Beyer,  George  E.,  12. 

Beyer's  'Avifauna  of  Louisiana.'  reviewed,  125. 

Bicknell,  E.  P.,  26. 

Bird-Census,  190,  191. 

Bird  Chart,  163. 

Bird  Club,  121. 

Bird  Day,  90. 

Bird  Destruction,  60. 

Bird  Laws,  124,  128,  131. 

Bird-Lore,  30,  54,  200. 

Bird  Nesting,  194. 

Bird  Photography,  27. 

Bird  Protection,  60,  90,  98,  126. 

Bird  Students,  151. 

Bird  Study,  52,  83,  87,  T51,  153,  181. 

Birds,  Attracting,  55. 

Birge,  E.  A.,  129. 

Bishop's  '  Birdsof  the  Yukon  Region,'  reviewed, 197. 

Bittern,  American,  56. 

Blackbird,  Crow,  19,  72;  Red-winged,  56,  57,  186, 
1S7  ;  Rusty,  56,  57,  187. 

Blatchley's  '  Gleanings  from  Nature,'  reviewed,  61. 

Bluebird,  57,  89,  184,  186,  187,  189. 

Bobolink,  46,  56,  57. 

Bob-White,  183,  1S4,  1S5,  186. 

Bonnet,  A  Remarkable,  166. 

Bower-Bird,  Golden,  139;  Spotted,  136;  bower  of, 
figured,  134. 

Bower-Birds,  135. 

Boys,  collecting,  57. 

Brewster,  William,  12,  25,  33,  129,  196. 

Brimley,  H.  H.,  25. 

British  Islands,  69. 


Index 


British  Ornithologists,  126. 

Brown,  EHzabeth  V.,  203. 

Brown,  Herbert,  12,  31. 

Buffle-head,  56. 

Bunting,  Indigo,  57. 

Burns,  '  Monograph  of  the  Flicker  '  reviewed,  125. 

Burroughs,  John,  S3. 

Bush  Tit,  California,  1S8. 

Butler,  A.  W.,  12. 

Buzzard,  Turkey,  72. 

California,  2S,  29,  34,  92,  162,  18.S. 

Camera,  37,  90  ;  figured,  38,  39.- 

Cardinal,  72,  74,  184,  185,  186. 

Carroll,  J.  J.,  13. 

Catbird,  57,  70,  72,  74,  75  ;  figured,  108. 

Chaffinch,  69. 

Chamberlain,  Montague,  13. 

Chapman,  Frank  M.,  12,  13,  14,  20,  33,  131,  154,  202. 

Chapman's  'Bird  Studies  with  a  Camera'  reviewed, 
92. 

Chat,  Yellow-breasted,  57,  72,  73,  74. 

Chickadee,  19,  24,  59,  177,  178,  180,  185,  186,  i<S7,  190, 
193;  tongue  of,  figured,  7;  figiired,  178,  1S2,  193. 

Chickadee,  Carolina,  1S6. 

Chewink,  72. 

Childs,  John  Lewis,  92. 

Clark,  J.  N.,25. 

Coggins,  Herbert,  153. 

Cole,  Leon  J.,  153. 

Colorado,  168,  169. 

Coloration,  Protective,  169. 

Condor,  The,  29. 

Connecticut,  19,  25,  56,  59,  89,  165. 

Cooke,  W.  W.,  12. 

Cooper  Ornithological  Club,  29,  162. 

Coot,  American,  56. 

Cormorants,  tongue  of,  8. 

Cory,  C.  B.,  13. 

Cote,  movable  pigeon,  143. 

Coues,  Elliott,  obituary  notice  and  portrait  of,  3. 

Cowbird,  56,  57,  186,  187  ;  figured,  121. 

Crane,  small  blue,  66  ;  large  blue,  66. 

Creeper,  Brown,  27,  86,  183,  184,  185,  186,  1S7  ;  fig- 
ured, 27. 

Crossbill,  Red,  25,  59,  184,  185,  186,  190;  figured,  25. 

Crossbill,  White-winged,  25,  59,  177,  184,  185,  186, 
190. 

Crow,  19,  20,  21,  23,  26,  57,  72,  183,  184,  185,  186. 

Crow,  Fish,  72,  184. 

Cuckoo,  Black-billed.  56,  57. 

Cuckoo,  Yellow-billed,  56,  57. 

Dabchick,  34  ;  nest  of,  figured,  91. 

Dearborn,  N.  H.,  154. 

Delaware,  60,  95. 

Delaware  Valley  Ornithological  Club,  Abstract  of 

Proceedings  of,  review,  1.59. 
Dickcissel,  74,  88. 
Direction,  Sense  of,  102. 
District  of  Columbia,  25,  162. 
Dommerich,  Mrs.  C.  F.,  death  of,  204. 
Doughty,  Assemblyman,  62. 
Dove,  56,  57,  72,  74,  185,  186, 19  ;  Nest  of  figured,  121. 


Doves,  Carrier,  102. 

Duck,  Black,  56;    Harlequin,   158;    Ring-necked, 

tongue  of,  figured,  5  ;  Wood,  56. 
Dugmore's  'Bird  Homes,'  reviewed,  123. 
Dutcher,  William,  13,  33,  93,  196. 

Eagle,  Bald,  56,  184,  186;  Golden,  186. 

Eaton,  E.  H.,  13. 

Ear,  semi-circular  tubes  of,  141,  147. 

Eckstorm,  Fanny  Hardy,  160. 

Economic  Value  of  Birds,  190. 

Eggs,  Motion  of  While  Hatching,  143. 

Egret,  50,  66  ;  figured,  51. 

Egret,  Brown,  66. 

Ells,  G.  P.,  59. 

EIrod,  M.  J.,  12. 

Emerson,  Edward  Waldo,  196. 

England,  70. 

Europe,  70. 

Fannin,  John,  13. 

Farallone  Islands,  29.  [159. 

Farr's  Check-list  of  New-  York  Birds,  reviewed, 

Faxon  and  Hoffmann's 'Birds  of  Berkshire  County, 
Mass.,'  reviewed,  61. 

Fees,  63,  93,  94. 

Field-classes,  83. 

Field,  G.  W,,  131. 

Finch,  Pine,  183,  184,  185,  186,  1S9. 

Finch,  Purple,  56,  183,  184,  185,  186. 

Fisher,  A.  K.,  12,  13,  25,  33,  60. 

Fleming,  J.  H.,  13. 

Flicker,  56,  72,  183,  184, 186,  187  ;  figured,  112  ;  head 
and  tongue  of,  figured,  5  ;  Red-Shafted,  188. 

Florida,  29,  66,  95. 

Flycatcher,  Crested,  56,57,72;  Least,  56,  57;  fig- 
ured, 75;  Traill's,  57. 

Food  and  Distribution,  190. 

France,  loi. 

Friar  Bird,  Australian,  tongue  of,  figured,  7. 

Gault,  B.  F.,  12. 

Gaut,  Jas.  H.,  25. 

Geese,  Wild,  figured,  36. 

Gnatcatcher,  Blue  Gray,  57. 

Golden-Eye,  American,  56,  157,  183. 

Goldfinch,  Arkansas,  188. 

Goldfinch,  American,  72,  74,  115,  183,  184,  185,  186, 
187;  tongue  of,  figured,  6;  European,  184; 
Western,  189. 

Goose,  Canada,  56,  57,  186,  187. 

Goshawk,  184,  185,  186. 

Grackle,  Bronzed,  57,  186;  figured,  150;  Purple, 
56,  186. 

Grebe,  66,  127  ;  Eared,  34;  Holboell's,  56;  Horned, 
56,  186  ;  Pied-Billed,  56,  57  ;  Western,  34. 

Grosbeak,  66;  Evening,  187,  189,  190;  Rose- 
Breasted,  56,  57  ;  Pine,  27,  183,  184,  185,  190. 

Grouse,  Ruffed,  23,  183,  184,  185,  187  ;  figured,  68  ; 
Pinnated,  47. 

Gull,  Black-Backed,  11;  Herring,  11,  66,  183,  184, 
185,  186;  figured,  11;  Iceland,  186  ;  Kittiwake, 
figured,  10;  Laughing,  66  ;  Storm,  66. 

Gulls,  10,  II,  62,  90,  127,  203. 


VI 


Index 


Hall,  A.  C,  22. 

Hallock,  Assemblyman,  31,  93. 

Hallock  Bill,  31,  62. 

Harvey,  L.  D.,  1132. 

Hawk,  Broad-Winged,  56,  184,  1S5,  186  ;  Cooper's, 
56,  184, 185, 186, 187  ;  Desert  Sparrow,  189  ;  Duck, 
184,  185;  Ferruginous,  figured,  168;  Mai'sh,  43, 
56;  figured,  43.  45,  46,48,49,185,  186;  Pigeon, 
56,  185,  1S6;  Red-Tailed,  185,  186,  187;  Red- 
Shouldered,  183,  184,  185,  186,  187;  Rough- 
Legged,  184,  185,  186;  Sharp-Shinned,  26,  56, 
184,185,  186;  Sparrow,  184,  186,  185;  Western 
Red-Tail,  T89. 

Hen,  Prairie,  187. 

Henning,  Carl  Fritz,  126. 

Heron,  Black-Crowned  Night,  56,  56;    Great   Blue, 

56,  57,   185 ;     Green,   56 ;    Snowy,    figured,    51  ; 
White,  66. 

Herrick,  F.  H.,  153. 

Hoar  Bill,  31,  60,  124. 

Hoffmann,  Ralph,  163,  197,  202. 

Honey  Creeper,  American,  tongue  of,  figured,  7. 

Honey-Sucker,  Australian,  tongue  of,  figured,  7. 

Honey-Suckers,  tongues  of,  6,  7. 

Hornaday's   Guide  to   N.  Y.  Zoological    Garden, 

mentioned,  29. 
Howe,  R.  Heber,  Jr.,  126. 
Hudson,  W.  H.,  170. 
Hummingbird,  72;  Anna's,  188;  Ruby-throated,  56, 

57,  158. 
Hummingbirds,  tongues  of,  7,  8. 
Hyoid,  8. 

Ibis,  126. 

Illinois,  65,  74. 

Ingersoll,  Ernest,  132. 

IngersoU,  Helen  M.,  123. 

IngersoU's  '  Nature's  Calendar,'  reviewed,  123. 

Indigo  Bird,  72,  73,  74. 

Indiana,  74. 

Iowa,  126,  150. 

[188. 
Jay,  Blue,  117,  179, 183,  184,  185,  186,  187;  California, 
Jesurun,  Mortimer,  13. 
Jones,  Jenkin  Lloyd,  65. 
Jones,  Lynds,  13,  160. 
Jones,  Marcus  E.,  13. 
Jones'  '  Warblers'  Songs,'  reviewed,  124. 
Junco,  19,  86,  183   184,  1S5,  187  ;  Oregon,  189. 

Kearton's  '  British  Birds'  Nests,'  and  '  Our  Rarer 
British  Breeding  Birds,'  reviewed,  91. 

Kearton,  Richard,  160. 

Keeler,  Charles  A.,  12. 

Keeler's  'Bird  Notes  Afield,'  reviewed,  28. 

Killdeer,  57,  148,  186,  187  ;  figured,  149. 

Kingbird,  56,  57. 

Kingfisher,  56,  57,  76,  1S6;  figured,  76,  77,  78,  79. 

Kinglet,  Ruby-ci^owned,  56,  57,  187,  189;  Golden- 
crowned,  183,  184,  185,  186,  1S7  ;  Western  Golden- 
crowned,  189. 

Kirkwood,  F.  C,  12. 

Knight,  O.  W.,  12. 

Kiiowlton,  F.  H.,  13. 


Lacey  Bill,  93,  124,  126,  160. 

Lange's  '  Our  Native  Birds,'  reviewed,  28. 

Lantz,  D.  E.,  12. 

Lark,  Horned,  24,  56,  117,  183,  184,  185,   186,187; 

Prairie  Horned,  74,  185,  186. 
Lecture,  circulating,  165,  166. 
Libby,  O.  G.,  65. 
Longspur,  Lapland,  184,  185,  186,  187,  191  ;  figured, 

190. 
Loomis'  '  California  Waterbirds,'  reviewed,  92. 
Louisiana,  89,  125,  158. 

Maine,  60,  66. 

Macoun's  Catalogue  of  Canadian  Birds,  reviewed, 

125- 
MacSwain,  John,  126. 
Mallard,  187. 
Martin,  Purple,  56,  57. 
Maryland,  60. 
Massachusetts,  25,  52,  60,  61,  109,  118,  153,  158,  162, 

182. 
Mayflower,  92. 
Maynard,  Mrs.  G.  C,  203. 
Meadowlark,  19,  46,  56,  57,  74,  183,  184,  185,  186,  187. 

Western,  188. 
Mearns,  E.  A.,  12. 

Membership  in  Audubon  Societies,  64,  132. 
Merganser,  Hooded,  56;  Red-breasted,  tongue  of 

figured,  5. 
Merriam's  'Results  of  a  Biological  Survey  of  Mt. 

Shasta,'  California,  reviewed,  28. 
Merriam,  C.  Hart,  12,  28,  33. 
Merrill,  J.  C,  12. 
Mcllwraith,  T.,  13. 
Minnesota,  43. 
Michigan,  113,  126. 
Migration,  loi,  107,  loS,  113. 
Mrs.  Miller's  'First  Book  of   Birds,'  School   Edi" 

tion,  160. 
Milliners'  Proposition,  127,  128. 
Milliners'  Trade  Review,  160. 
Millinery  Exhibit,  130. 

Millinery  Merchants'  Protective  Association,  93,98. 
Minot,  C.  S.,  202. 
Mockingbird,  70,  74. 
Molt,  The,  175. 
Morris,  C.  A.,  60. 
Murphy,  Eugene,  12,  13. 

Nash's  Check-List  of  Ontario  Birds,  reviewed,  159. 

Nehrling,  H.,  13. 

Nelson,  E.  W.,  13. 

New  Brunswick,  157. 

New  Hampshire,  80,  125. 

New  Jersey,  25,  59,  60,  183,  185. 

New  York,  10,  11,  26,  40,  41,  59,  60,  62,  112,  119,  120, 
123,  148,  183. 

Nighthawk,  56  ;  figured,  116. 

Nightingale,  70,  74. 

North  Carolina,  25,  61. 

Nova  Scotia,  27. 

Nuthatch,  Red-breasted,  27,180,  183,  184,  189;  fig- 
ured, 27  ;  White-breasted,  177,  178,  183,  184,  185, 
186,  187. 


Index 


Oberholtser,  H.  C,  203. 

Oberlin  College,  14. 

Ohio,  14,  56,  60,  186. 

Old-squaw,  56,  186. 

Ontario,  150. 

Oriole,  orchard,  56,  57  ;    Baltimore,  23,  56,  57,  74  ; 

nest  of,  figured,  118. 
Osprey,  56,  89  ;  nest  of,  figured,  89. 
Ovenbird,  57,  72,  73,  74. 
Owl,  Acadian,  184,  185;  Barn,  66,  185,  186;  Barred, 

184,  185,  186,  187;  Great  Homed,  184,  185,  186; 
Hawk,  186;  Long-eared,  184,  185,  186,  187; 
Screech,  59, 183, 184, 185,  186,  .187;  figured,  140; 
Short-eared,  56,  184,   185,  186,  187  ;   Snowy,  1S4, 

185,  186. 
Owls,  66. 

Palmer's  (W.)  'Avifauna  of  the  Pribilof  Islands,' 
reviewed,  29. 

Palmer's  (T.  S.)  'Legislation  for  the  Protection  of 
Birds  other  than  Gamebirds,'  reviewed,  124  ;  'Re- 
view of  Economic  Ornithology,' reviewed,  159; 
'  Information  Concerning  Game,'  reviewed,  197. 

Palmer,  T.  S.,  126,  128,  196,  202,  203. 

Patagonia,  70. 

Pearson's  'Preliminary  Catalogue  of  the  Birds  of 
Chapel  Hill,  N.  C.,'  reviewed,  61. 

Pearson,  T.  J.,  13,  25. 

Pewee,  hyoid  of,  figured,  8;   Say's,  89  ;  Wood,  56, 

57i  72. 
Pelican,  brown,  29. 
Penguin,  tongue  of,  figured,  7. 
Pennsylvania,  60,  108,  121,  i,sq,  184. 
Phcebe,  56,  57,  186. 

Photographs,  alleged,  from  nature,  160. 
Pigeon,  Black,  Sea,  66;  Carrier,  102,  145;  figured, 

103,  144;  common,  142. 
Piers,  Harry,  13. 
Pipit,  American,  56,  185,  187,  189. 
Pledges,  63. 

Plover,  Semipalmated,  57. 
Plumes,  50. 

Poppenheim,  Christie  H.,  65. 
Porto  Rico,  126. 

Postmasters  and  Plume-Birds,  66. 
Praeger's  '  Birds  in  Horticulture,'  reviewed,  61. 
Pratt,  G.  B.,  126. 

Press  Committee  and  Audubon  Societies,  33. 
Pribilof  Islands,  28. 
Prince  Edward  Island,  126. 
Ptarmigan,  destruction  of,  204. 
Ptarmigan    Rock,  175;  White-tailed,  figured,  170, 

171,  172,  173,  174;  Willow,  175. 

Rathbun,  W.  C,  13. 

Reading,  Suggestions  for,  191. 

Redpoll,  177,  183,  184,  185,  186,  187. 

Redstart,  57. 

Regent-bird,  138;    nest  of ,  figured,  137;    bower  of, 

figured,  139. 
Reverse  Scent,  Law  of,  106. 
Rhode  Island,  89, 118,  126,  164. 
Richmond,  C.  W.,  12. 
Ridgway,  Robert,  12,  33. 


Rives,  W.  C,  13. 

Robin,  23,  24,  26,  41,  56,  57,  70,  72,  74,  75,  117,118, 

119,120,183,   186,   187;    figured,  41,  42  ;  Varied, 

189  ;   Western,  189. 
Robin,  Redbreast,  60. 
Robinson,  Francis  B.,  120. 
Roberts,  T.  S.,  12. 
Russell,  Miss  Clara,  131. 

Sage,  J.  H.,  12,59. 

Sandpiper,  Bartramian,  56,  57;  Least,  57;  Pec- 
toral, 57  ;  Solitary,  56,  57  ;  Spotted,  56.  57. 

Sanford,  Frank  E.,  65. 

Sapsucker,  56,  57,  186  ;  tongue  of,  figured,  8. 

Satin-bird,  135;  bower  of ,  figured,  136. 

Savage,  David  L.,  126. 

Seixas,  Cecile,  Death  of,  166. 

Sense  of  Altitudes,  141. 

Sense  of  Direction,  141. 

Seton-Thompson,  Ernest,  13. 

Shrike,  California,  189;  Loggerhead,  57;  North- 
ern, 1S3,  1S4,  185,  186,  187. 

Shutter,  Focal  Plane,  38. 

Siskin,  Pine,  118. 

Skylark,  69. 

Smith  College,  83. 

Smyth,  W.  A.,  65. 

Snipe,  Surf,  66;  Wilson's,  56,  57. 

Snowflake,  183,  184,  185,  186. 

Solitaire,  Townsend's,  189. 

Song-birds,  American,  69  ;  European,  69. 

South  Carolina,  25,  65. 

Southwick,  J.  M.,  13. 

Sparrow,  Chipping,  26,  56,  57,  72,  82,  86,  90  ;  Eng- 
lish, 26,  54,  69,  71 ;  Field,  56,  57,  72,  73,  74,  86,  185  ; 
Fox,  56,  57,  1S7 ;  Gambel's,  189;  Golden- 
crowned,  189 ;  Grasshopper,  56,  57,  74 ;  Hen- 
law's,  74;  House,  183, 184,  185,  187  ;  Ipswich,  184, 
186;  Lark,  74;  Lincoln,  109,  figured,  no; 
Samuel's  Song,  188 ;  Savanna,  56,  186 ;  Sharp- 
tailed,  186  ;  Song,  19,  24,  56,  72,  86,  183,  184,  185, 
186;  Swamp,  56,  57;  Townsend,  189;  Tree,  183, 
184,  185,  186,  187;  Vesper,  56,  57,  186;  White- 
crowned,  57 ;  White-throated,  56,  57,  184,  185, 
186,  187. 

Starling,  184. 

Stern,  Louis,  66. 

Stockwell,  Thomas  B.,  130. 

Stone,  Witmer,  12,  13,  29,  30,  33,  60,  93,  94. 

Strong,  Isobel,  31. 

Study.  Suggestions  for,  190. 

Swallow,  Bank,  56,  57,82;  Barn,  56,  57,  82;  Cliff, 
57;  nests  of,  figured,  100;  Eave,  82;  Sea,  66. 
Tree,  56,  82. 

Swallows,  tongues  of,  6. 

Swift,  Chimney,  56,  57,  72,  109. 

Swifts,  Tongues  of,  6. 

Tanager,  Scarlet,  57,  83,  86 ;  Summer,  72,  73. 

Teal,  Green-winged,  56. 

Telescope,  113. 

Tern,  Black-head  Least,  66;    Gray-headed    Least 

66;  Poster,  163,  164;  Royal,  66. 
Terns,  60,  62,  90,  127. 


Index 


Texas,  66. 

Thompson,  Maurice,  i6o. 

Thrasher,  Brown,  56,  57,  72,  74. 

Thrush,  Dwarf,  1S9 ;  Gray-cheeked,  57,  74;  Her- 
mit, 56,  57,  186;  Olive-backed,  57;  Song,  74; 
Wilson's,  57  ;  Wood,  57,  72,  74. 

Titmouse,  Plain-crested,  18S;  Tufted,  74, 184,185,186. 

Todd,  W.  Clyde,  13. 

Towhee,  56,  57,  74,  187;  California  Brown,  188; 
Spurred,  18S. 

Trinity  College,  19. 

Trjon,  Chas.  C,  126. 

Turkey,  Water,  66. 

Turnstone,  5. 

Van  Name,  Willard,  i2q. 

Venezuela,  50. 

Vermont,  118,  120. 

Vireo  Bells,  74;  Blue-headed,  56;  Hutton's,  iSq ; 
Red-eyed,  56,  57,  72,  73,  74  ;  figured,  122  ;  War- 
bling, 56,  57,  74;  figured,  122;  White-eyed,  57, 
72,  74;  Yellow-throated,  56,  57,  72. 

Virginia,  25,  60. 

Vulture,  Turkey,  186. 

Warbler,  Audubon's,  189  ;  Bay-Breasted,  57  ;  Black 
and  White,  56,57;  Black  and  Yellow  (Magnolia), 
57;  Blackburnian,  57;  Blackpoll,  57;  Black- 
throated  Blue,  57;  Black  -  throated  Green,  56, 
57;  Blue-winged,  26,  57,59;  Brewster's,  57  ;  Ca- 
nadian, 57  ;  Cape  May,  57  ;  Cerulean,  57  ;  Con- 
necticut, tongue  of,  figured,  7  ;  Chestnut-sided, 
57;  Golden-winged,  57  ;  Lutescent,  189  ;  Mourn- 
ing, 57;  Myrtle,  56,  57,  183,  184,  186,  187,  190; 
Nashville,  57;  Palm,  57;  Parula,  57;  Pine,  56 ; 
Prairie,  57,  72  ;  Prothonotary,  89  ;  Tennessee,  57  ; 
Wilson's,  57;  Worm-eating,  57;  Yellow,  57,60 ; 
nest  of,  figured,  60;  Yellow  Palm,  56. 


Warblers,  Tongues  of,  5. 

Warner,  Miss  Annie  L.,  131. 

Warren,  H.  S.,  126. 

Washington,  D.  C,  60,  71,  72. 

Water-Thrush,  57  ;  Louisiana,  56,  74. 

Waxwing,  Cedar,  183,  184,  185,  186,  187,  189. 

Weed,  C.  M.,  i,  3,  123. 

Wellesley  College,  52. 

Western  Ornithologists,  126. 

Whip-poor-will,  56. 

White-List,  163,  164. 

Whitman,  Professor,  153. 

Widmann,  O.,  12. 

Willcox,  M.  A..  163. 

Williams,  R.  S.,  26. 

Wilson,  W.  L.,  II. 

Winkenverder,  H.  A.,  113. 

Wintle,  E.  D.,  13. 

Wisconsin,  90,  155. 

Wolcott,  R.  H.,  153. 

Woodcock,  56,  184,  185,  187. 

Woodpecker,  California,  1S9  ;  Downy,  19,  20,21,23, 

178,  179,  180,  183,  184,  185,  186,  187;   figured,  179; 

Gairdner's,   189;    hairy,    183,   184,    185,   186,   187; 

tongue  of,  figured,  8;  Lewis',  189;   Red-bellied, 

186;    Red-breasted,   189;   Red-headed,  155,   186, 

187  ;  tongues  of,  8,  9. 
Woods  Holl,  87. 
Woodward,  Anthony,  160. 
Wren,  Carolina,  72,  74,  184,  185  ;    House,  56,  57,  72, 

Sg;     Long-billed    Marsh,  57,   t86  ;     Short-billed 

Marsh,  186;  Vigor's,  189;  Winter,  1S4,  185.   186. 
Wren-Tit,  188. 
Wright,  Mabel  Osgood,  25,  202. 

Year  1900  in  Ornithology,  199. 
Yellow-legs,  Greater,  57. 
Yellow-throat,  Maryland,  57,  72,  74. 


<^ 


^e.*^^  ^^0^^ 


l&irli  =  lore 


A  BI-MONTHLY  MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY  AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official   Organ    of  the   Audubon    Societies 


Vol.  II 


February,  1900 


No.   1 


Elliott   Coues 


WITH  extreme  regret  we  learn  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Elliott 
Coues,  at  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  Baltimore,  on 
Christmas  Day,  after  a  grave  operation  performed  De- 
cember 6.  Dr.  Coues  died  in  the  harness,  as  a  more 
or  less  direct  result  from  overwork,  after  a  life  of  such  phenomenal 
activity  in  the  fields  of  science  and  literature  that  we  have  space  for 
little    more   than  an  outline   of  his   career. 

Elliott  Coues  was  born  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  on  September  g, 
1842.  In  1853  his  family  moved  to  Washington,  D.  C. ,  where  he 
was  educated  at  the  Jesuit  Seminary  and  Columbian  University, 
graduating  from  the  latter  in  1861  as  A.  B.,  and  in  1863  as  M.D. 
In  this  year  he  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  Army  and  ordered  to  i\rizona.  After  ten  years'  service  at 
various  posts  he  accepted,  in  1873,  the  position  of  surgeon  and  nat- 
uralist of  the  United  States  Northern  Boundary  Survey  from  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods  to  the  Rocky  mountains.  After  two  years' 
field  work  he  returned  to  Washington  to  prepare  his  report,  on  the 
completion  of  which,  in  1876,  he  was  made  secretary  and  naturalist 
to  the  United  States  Geological  and  Geographical  Survey  of  the 
Territories,  a  position  he  held  for  the  ensuing  four  years,  the 
period  of  his  greatest  scientific  activity.  In  1877  he  was  elected  to 
fill  the  Chair  of  Anatomy  in  the  National  Medical  College  in  Wash- 
ington,  a  professorship  he  held  for  ten  years. 

In  1880  Dr.  Coues  was  ordered  to  the  western  frontier,  but  he 
had  become  so  deeply  engaged  in  scientific  work  that  he  resigned 
from  the  army  and  returned  to  Washington,  where  he  resided  for 
the    remainder    of    his    life. 

Doctor  Coues'  first  contribution  to  ornithology  was  '  A  Monograph 
of  the  Tringeae  of  North  America,'  a  paper  of  thirty-five  pages,  pub- 
lished in  the  proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Sciences  for 


4  Bird -Lore 

1861.  The  same  volume  contained  his  '  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of 
Labrador,'  gathered  during  a  summer  excursion  in  i860. 

These  papers,  written  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  might  appear  to- 
day, in  spite  of  their  author's  youth  and  the  great  advances 
which  have  occurred  in  the  science  of  ornithology,  as  creditable 
productions  of  an  experienced  ornithologist.  Without  attempting 
to  present  a  list  of  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of  Doctor 
Coues'  ornithological  papers,  we  may  state  that  from  1861  to  1884  his 
contributions  to  the  literature  of  ornithology  numbered  about  350  titles, 
including  many  extended  papers  and  some  eight  separately  published 
volumes. 

The  last  named  date  concluded  Doctor  Coues'  activity  in  ornithol- 
ogy for  an  interval  of  about  twelve  years,  a  period  in  which  he  was 
largely  occupied  with  editorial  work  on  the  Century  Dictionary,  and 
with  the  production  of  fully  annotated  editions  of  the  travels  of  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  Zebulon  Pike,  and  other  early  explorers  ;  but  about  1895 
Doctor  Coues  manifested  a  new  interest  in  ornithology,  and  at  that  time 
began  to  prepare  a  third  edition  of  his  '  Key  to  North  American  Birds,' 
and  it  affords  us  great  satisfaction  to  be  able  to  say,  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Dana  Estes,  the  publisher  of  this  work,  that  the  manuscript  was 
ready  for  the  press  several  weeks  before  Dr.  Coues'  death. 

Dr.  Coues'  influence  in  ornithology  was  first  widely  felt  on  the 
publication  of  his  'Key  to  North  American  Birds,'  in  1872,  which, 
as  a  popular  and  authoritative  handbook,  was  replaced  only  by  its 
second  edition,  a  practically  new  work  issued  in  1884,*  and  differing 
from  the  current  reprint  only  through  the  absence  of  certain  ap- 
pendices. Measured  by  results,  this  was  Dr.  Coues'  most  valuable 
contribution  to  the  science  of  ornithology;  the  work  of  a  great  stu- 
dent and  equally  great  teacher,  made  eloquent  by  its  author's  mar- 
velous powers  of  expression.  It  is,  beyond  comparison,  the  best  book 
on  general  and  systematic  ornithology  ever  published,  and  has  con- 
tributed more  to  the  advance  of  American  ornithology  than  any  other 
work  since  the  time  of  Audubon. 

Dr.  Coues'  distinguishing  characteristic,  as  a  man,  was  a  virility 
of  mind,  which  forced  his  powers  to  the  utmost,  resulting  in  his 
enormous  productivity,  and,  eventually,  his  premature  death. 

As  an  ornithologist,  he  was  eminent  as  an  anatomist,  systematist, 
nomenclator,  bibliographer,  and  biographer.  Doubtless  his  peers 
exist  in  any  of  these  branches  of  the  science  of  birds,  but  one 
searches  in  vain  for  another  individual  who  might  claim  to  be  his 
equal  in  all;  and  this  deliberate  estimate  of  his  rank  places  Elliott 
Coues  foremost  among  ornithologists.  —  F.  M.  C. 


*The  accompanying  photograph   of  Dr.  Coues   was   taken  just   prior  to  the  publication  of  this 
work,  and  represents  him  in  his  prime. 


THE    FLICKER 


Concerning  Birds'  Tongues 

BY   FREDERIC   A.  LUCAS 

Curator  of  Comparative  Anatomy,  United  States  National  Museum 
Illustrated  bv  the  author 


man  may  be  an  unruly  mem- 
le  tongues  of  his  furred  and 
ilatives  are  under  much  better 
control  and,  in  the  absence  of  hands,  serve  many 
useful  purposes.  Every  one  knows  how  the  cat  laps 
milk,  washes  her  face  and  combs  her  hair,  all  with  her  tongue  ;  every 
one  has  seen  a  Duck  investigating  a  puddle,  and  some  have  seen  a 
Flicker  probing  the  depths  of  an  ant-hill.  It  may  have  occurred  to 
the  observer  that  in  each  case  there  must  be  some  device  whereby  the 
tongue  is  fitted  for  the  work  to  be  done,  and  it  is  plain  that  the  tongue 
of  the  Duck  should  be  quite  different  from  that  of  the  Woodpecker, 
since  they  are  used  for  very  different  pur- 
poses. But  unless  one  has  actually  in- 
vestigated, he  might  not  suspect  how  very 
unlike  their  tongues  are,  nor  how  com- 
plicated is  that  of  the  common  Duck,  be- 
ing, as  it  is,  a  sort  of  combined  rake  and 
strainer.  Neither,  without  some  little 
study,  would  one  suspect  the  many  kinds  y' 
of  tongues  found  among  birds  and  the  cu 
rious  modifications  they  present. 

All,  or  nearly  all,  of  these  modifica-  ^ 
tions  probably  have  more  or  less  to  do 
with  obtaining  or  manipulating  food,  al- 
though, to  tell  the  truth,  it  has  to  be  as- 
sumed tliat  this  is  the  case  more  from 
the  apparent  fitness  of  the  organ  for  that 
purpose  than  from  any  actual  observa- 
tions on  the  subject.  Not  that  every  bird 
has  a  remarkable  tongue,  for  the  great 
majority  of  our  small  perchers  have  rather 
commonplace  tongues  adapted  for  general 
rather  than  special  purposes,  and  there- 
fore constructed  on  the  same  general  plan.  A  tongue  of  this  type  is 
rather  thin,  slightly  hollowed,  and  frayed  out  a  little  towards  the  tip, 
like  the  tongue  of  the  Connecticut  Warbler,  which  may  be  taken  as 
the    type  of  tongue   possessed  by  the   great  majority  of    Warblers   and 


TONGUES    OF    RINGED-NECKED    DUCK 
(«),    RED-BREASTED    MERGANSER    [b). 


Bird-  Lore 


CROSSBILL 

AND 

HORNED  LARK 


small  birds  whose  diet  consists  largely  of  insects.  Strictly  insectiv- 
orous birds,  such  as  Swifts,  Swallows  and  Goatsuckers,  have  a  some- 
what different  tongue, —  soft,  fleshy,  and  beset,  particularly  about  the 
base,  with  numerous  small  backwardly  directed  points,  whose  office 
is  apparently  to  facilitate  the  downward  career  of  food.  That  these 
birds,  so  different  in  structure,  as  birds  go,  and  members  of  families 
so  far  apart  in  the  bird  world,  should  have  similar  tongues,  seems 
to  indicate  that  the  shape  of  the  tongue  bears  a  relation  to 
the  character  of  the  food,  and  gives  no  hint  of  correspond- 
ing relationship  between  the  birds  themselves. 

The  more  exclusively  granivorous  birds  have  another 
style  of  tongue,  —  smooth,  thick,  fleshy  and  but  little  frayed 
at  the  tip, —  a  tongue  which  no  doubt  is  useful  for  hold- 
ing and  husking  minute  seeds,  while  the  little  scoop-like 
tongues  of  Goldfinches  and  Crossbills  must  be  still  more 
serviceable  for  such  purposes. 

The    tongue  of    our    common    Goldfinch    is    furthermore 

beset    about    its    edge    with     little    hard    points,    and    while 

these    would    add    to    its    usefulness    in    gathering    the    fine 

seeds  of   thistles,   yet,    as   thistles    are    only    available    for  a 

part  of   the  year,   it  is  hardly  probable   that  such  a   special 

modification  is   for   such   limited   use,  this   being   one  of  the 

cases  where  it  is  easier    to  make   the  theory  fit  part  of  the 

THE  LITTLE    facts  than  it  is    to    make    the    facts  conform  to  the  theory, 

^GotD?rNCH^   My  friend     Mr.    William    Palmer    has,     however,    offered    a 

suggestion    that    seems    to    fit    the   case   pretty   well,   calling 

attention   to   the    fine,   almost    pasty    condition    of    food    found    in  the 

gullet  of    the  Goldfinch,    and  suggesting  that    the  small,    hard    points 

play   a   part  in  grinding   up   little    seeds  and  reducing  them  to  pulp. 

If  we  go  back  to  the  simple  tongue  with  which  we  started, 
stretch  it  out  and  feather  it  more  deeply,  we  will  have  the  pattern 
of  tongue  that  prevails  among  the  Orioles  ;  or  if  we  curve  the  thin 
edges  upwards  and  inwards  until  they  meet,  we  will  have  a  little 
tube,  such  as  is  found  among  the  Sunbirds  and  Honey-suckers. 
In  order  that  such  a  tongue  may  really  suck,  it  is,  of  course,  nec- 
essary to  create  a  vacuum  at  its  back,  and  the  muscles  of  the  tongue 
are  so  arranged  that  this  can  be  done,  the  back  of  the  tongue  being 
depressed,  while  the  front  or  middle  portion  is  in  contact  with  the 
roof  of  the  mouth.  Some  of  the  American  Honey-creepers  {Ccvreba), 
for  example,  have  an  interesting  modification  of  this  suctorial  tongue, 
the  front  portion  being  deeply  cleft  and  the  thin  edges  split  and 
rolled  inward  to  form  two  hollow  brushes.  These  may  either  dip 
up   liquid,   or  draw   it   inward   by   capillary   attraction,   while   they   are 


Concerning    Birds'    Tongues 


certainly  useful  for  catching  minute  insects.  The  tongues  of  some 
of  the  Australian  and  Hawaiian  Honey-suckers  are  even  more  com- 
plicated,   ending  in  four  little  spiral   brushes  instead  of  two. 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  BRUSHY  TONGUE 

a,  Connecticut  Warbler:  d,  Australian  Honey-sucker; 

c,  American   Honey-creeper;    (/,   Australian  Friar  Bird; 

e,  Tip  of  Tongue  of  Honey-creeper 

Still  another  kind  of  tubular  tongue  is  found  in  the  Ruby- 
throated  Hummingbird,  or,  for  that  matter  in  all  Hummingbirds 
so  far  examined,  each  half  of  the  very  long  and  very  deeply  cleft 
tongue  being  edged  on  the  outer  side  with  the  thinnest  imaginable 
membrane,   which  curls  inward  to  form  a  delicate  tube.. 

Now,  since  the  Honey-creepers,  the  Honey-suckers 
and  the  Hummingbirds  all  have  tubular  tongues,  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  they  use  them  for  sucking  the 
nectar  of  flowers,  and  yet,  so  far  as  actual  knowledge 
goes,  the  food  of  these  birds  consists  principally  of  minute 
insects  and  spiders,  which  goes  to  show  that  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  natural  history  a  little  observation  is 
much  better  than  a  great  deal    of  theory. 

Theory  may,  perhaps,  be  right  in  ascrib- 
ing  the   little  pitchfork    the   Chickadee  car- 
ries by    way    of    a  tongue    to   the  fact   that 
THE  chickadee's  such   a   thing    would    be    useful    for    prying 

FORK  insects  and  their  eggs  out  of  chinks  in  the 

bark  of  trees,  but  it  is  difficult  even  for  theory  to  explain 
why  some  birds  have  just  such  tongues  as  they  do  :  why, 
for  example,  the  big-billed  Toucan  should  have  a  tongue 
very  much  like  a  long,  loose  feather,  or  that  of  the  Pen- 
guin should  be  made  up  of  long  spines.  Perhaps  when 
the  habits  of  these  birds  are  better  known  we  may  see  the 

r  ^,  ,  r        1       ■  -1         ,  .  THE    PENGUIN'S 

reasons  tor  the    shapes   ot    their  tongues,   and   the  spmy  rake 


'Vl 


8 


Bird -Lore 


tongue  of  the  Penguin  may  be  very  serviceable  for  catching  or  holding 
small  crustaceans  and  fishes. 

Before  going  farther  it  may  be  well  to  glance  for  a  moment  at 
the  seven  or  eight  little  bones  forming  the  hyoid,  or  framework  on 
which  the  tongue  is  built,  and  to  which  are  attached  the  muscles 
that  move  it.      The  two  foremost  of  these  little  bones,  often  so  closely 


THE    HYOID    OF    THE    PEWEE 


united  as  to  appear  one,  are  imbedded  in  the  body  of  the  tongue 
itself,  together  with  the  single  bone  to  which  they  are  attached, 
while  the  hindmost  pair  curl  up  around  the  back  of  the  skull,  and 
from  the  varying  proportions  of  these  bones  we  can  tell  something 
of  the  manner  in  which  and  extent  to  which  the  tongue  is  used.  If 
the  foremost  bones  are  long  the  tongue  is  long,  if  they  are  stout  the 
tongue  is  thick  and  fleshy,  as  in  the  Ducks,  and  if  they  are  almost 
wanting,  as  in  the  Cormorants,  then  there  is  no  tongue  to  speak  of. 
The  hindmost  bones  determine  the  extent  to  which  the  tongue  can 
be  protruded :  if  they  are  long  the  tongue  is  very  extensile,  if  they 
are  short  it  is  but  little  so.  In  the  Hummingbirds  these  epibran- 
chials,  as  they  are  called,  run  back  over  the  skull,  meet  one  another, 
and  extend  forward  side  by  side  to  the  very  base  of  the  bill.  It 
might  be  thought  that  this  marked  the  utmost  limit  of  length  at- 
tainable, but  some  of  the  Woodpeckers  manage  to  exceed  this,  some- 
times,   as    in    the    Downy    Woodpecker,    by    curling    the    ends    of    the 


THE    SPEAR    OF    THE    HAIRY    WOODPECKER 


THE    ARROW    OF    THE    SOLOMON    ISLANDER 


hyoid  around  the  right  eyeball,  and  sometimes,  as  in  the  Flicker,  by 
letting  the  bones  run  forward  into  the  nostril  and  thence  to  the  tip 
of  the  bill.  The  Woodpeckers  thus  obtain  the  longest  and  most  ex- 
tensible  tongues   found   among   birds,  and,  as    these   tongues  are  used 


Concerning   Birds'  Tongues 


for  spearing  grubs  in  their  burrows  or  coaxing  ants  out  of  their 
nests,  the  tips  are  peculiarly  modified,  as  well  as  the  hindmost  part 
of  the  tongue.  In  such  active  grub-hunting  birds  as  the  Hairy  and 
Downy  Woodpeckers  the  tongue  tip  is  made  into  a  many-barbed 
spear,  for  all  the  world  like  the  spears  and  arrrows  in  use  among 
tha  natives  of  the  Solomon   Islands. 

The    Flicker,    on    the  other    hand,    which    uses    its  tongue    like    a 
probe,  has    only   one    or    two    little  barbs,  at    the    very   tip,  and    relies 
mainly   on    gluing   ants    and    other   small    game  to    his    tongue         ^^ 
by  the  very  viscid  saliva  secreted  by  the  large  salivary  glands.       |f| 
All     Woodpeckers,    however,    with    which    we    are     acquainted       a/  | 
have    the    upper     surface    of     the     tongue     thickly    beset     with 
minute,  horny  points,  directed  backward.      The  Sap-sucker  has 
no  barbs  on   the   tip  of  the  tongue,  but  instead  a  little  brush  ; 
moreover,    this  bird  has    the    shortest,   least    extensible  tongue 
of  all   Woodpeckers,  and  must  long  ago   have  given  up  spear- 
ing grubs  for  a  living.      It  is  something  of  a  question   whether 
the   little    brush    is    used    for  swabbing    up   sap,    or  whether    it 
serves    to    direct    the    sap    from    the    little    pits    where    it    ac- 
cumulates into  the  bird's  mouth.       The  former  use  seems  the 
most   probable,    as  those   who    have    watched   the    Sap-suckers 
closel)'^  tell    us  that    the    tongue    is    moved    rapidly    backward 
and  forward. 

From   what  has  just  been  said,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  ^he  brush 
among  Woodpeckers,   the  relations  between    food    and  tongue     of  the 

,  J  1  ,  ,  1  ,  SAP-SUCKER 

are  very  clear,  and  we  may  be  pretty  sure  that  whenever 
we  come  upon  an  odd-appearing  tongue  there  is,  did  we  but  know 
it,  some  trick  of  taking  or  manipulating  food  to  account  for  it.  And 
it  is  suggested  that  the  readers  of  Bird-Lore  improve  every  oppor- 
tunity to  carefully  observe  the  manner  in  which  even  the  commonest 
birds  take  their  food,  in  order  to  throw  all  possible  light  upon  the 
reasons  for  the  many  shapes  of   birds'  tongues. 


A   Note   on   the   Economic   Value   of   Gulls 


BY    FRANK    M.    CHAPMAN 

With  photographs  from  nature  by  the  author 

F  the  inhabitants  of  our  Gulf  States  had  believed  that 
Egrets  were  as  valuable  to  them  alive,  as  they  know 
Turkey  Buzzardsa  nd  Black  Vultures  to  be,  they  would, 
doubtless,  never  have  permitted  their  destruction. 

Similarly,  we  think  that  if   the  services  rendered  by 
Gulls   were    fully   appreciated,   the    birds  would  be  pro- 
tected  by  a    sentiment    as    strong    as    that    which    pre- 
serves the  Buzzards. 

It  is  possible  that  the  day  may  come  when  a  bird's  beauty  will  be  a 
sufficient  reason  for  its  existence  ;  but  in  the  meantime  we  must  base  our 
appeals  for  bird  protection  on  more  material  grounds  if  we  would  hope 
to  have  them  effectual. 

In  pleading  the  cause  of  the  Gulls,  therefore,  we  will  not  mention 
the  accompanying  picture  of  the  birds  with  their  young,  beautiful  as  it  is. 


KITTIWAKES    AND    VUUNG    ON    NESTS 
Bird  Rock,  Gulf  St.  Lawrence,  July  a6,  1898 


for  we  realize  that  with  the  millinery  collector  it  would  only  create  a  de- 
sire to  visit  a  locality  were  Gulls  are  evidently  so  tame  that  they  could 
be  killed  with  ease  ;  but  we  would  call  particular  attention  to  the  ap- 
parently uninteresting  photograph  which  follows  it. 

This  photograph  was  made  in  the  lower  bay  of  New  York  harbor  on 

(10) 


A   Note  on   the   Economic  Value    of  Gulls  ii 

February  20,  i8g6,  under  conditions  which  prohibited  technical  success. 
It  serves  very  well,  however,  to  give  an  idea  of  the  number  of  Gulls — • 
Herring  Gulls  with  a  comparatively  small  number  of  Black-backs — 
which  at  that  time  were  attracted  to  the  vicinity  by  the  refuse  which  each 
day  at  high  tide  was  dumped  upon  the  waters  by  the  scows  of  the  street- 
cleaning  department.  The  Gulls  had  gathered  to  feed  upon  the  animal 
and  vegetable  matter  deposited.  On  this  occasion  eleven  scows  were 
dumping,  and  over  the  wake  of  each  one  fluttered  a  throng  of  birds 
similar  to  that  shown  in  the  picture. 

No  more  impressive  object  lesson  in  the  value  of  Gulls  as  scaven- 
gers could  be  imagined;  and  no  one  convinced  of  the  services  rendered 


GULLS    OVER    WAKE    OF    GARBAGE    SCOW    IN    LOWER    NEW    YORK    BAY 

by  these  birds  throughout  our  coast-line  and  on  many  of  the  interior 
lakes  and  rivers,  could,  for  a  moment,  doubt  the  importance  of  protect- 
ing them. 

But  in  place  of  Gull  protection  we  are  having  Gull  destruction. 
Gulls,  in  whole  or  part,  have  become  fashionable,  and  Gulls'  wings, 
breasts,  heads,  bodies  and  entire  skins  are  w^orn  on  hats  in  countless 
numbers. 

It  is  stated  that  in  a  fire  which  destroyed  the  millinery  taxidermist 
establishment  of  William  L.  Wilson,  at  Wantagh,  L.  I.,  on  November 
22,  1899,  no  less  than  10,000  Gulls'  skins  were  consumed  ;  and  these 
figures  doubtless  represent  only  a  fraction  of  the  number  handled  during 
the  year. 

If  the  birds  remain  fashionable  the  demand  for  them  will,  of  course, 
be  supplied,  with  a  resulting  loss  to  man  which,  perhaps,  we  may 
realize  when  it  is  too  late. 


Jfor  Ceacl)er0  anD  ^tutient^ 


'  Bird-Lore's  '    Advisory   Council 

THE  plan  for  an  'Advisory  Council,'  announced  in  our  last  issue, 
is    realized    by  the    publication    below   of    the    names    and    ad- 
dresses   of    the    ornithologists   who    have    consented     to    assist 
students  by  responding  to  their  requests  for  information. 

The  list,  as  will  be  seen,  contains  the  names  of  many  of  the 
leading  ornithologists  of  the  country,  and  in  becoming  a  medium 
whereby  their  personal  advice  is  made  available  to  students,  we  feel 
that  Bird-Lore  has  rendered  an  invaluable  service  to  the  science  of 
ornithology.  —  Ed. 

NAMES    AND    ADDRESSES    OF    MEMBERS    OF    THE    ADVISORY    COUNCIL 

UNITED  STATES  AND    TERRITORIES 

Alaska. —  Dr.    C.    Hart    Merriam,     Biological    Survey,    Department    of    Agriculture, 

Washington,    D.    C. 
Arizona,   Northern. —  Dr.   E.   A.   Mearns,   Fort    Adams,  Newport,   R.   I. 
Arizona,   Southern. —  Herbert    Brown,  Yuma,  Ariz. 

California. —  Charles    A.   Keeler,   Calif.   Acad.   Sciences,   San    Francisco,   Calif. 
Colorado. —  Prof.   W.  W.   Cooke,   State    Agricultural    College,   Fort    Collins,   Col. 
Connecticut. —  J.   H.   Sage,   Portland,   Conn. 

Delaware. —  Witmer    Stone,   Academy    Natural    Sciences,   Philadelphia,  Pa. 
District  of  Columbia. —  Dr.  C.  W.  Richmond,  U.   S.   Nat'l    Mus.,  Washington,   D.  C. 
Florida. —  Frank  M.  Chapman,  American  Museum  Natural    History,  New  York  City. 
Georgia. —  Dr.   Eugene    Murphy,   Augusta,   Ga. 

Idaho. —  Dr.   J.   C.   Merrill,   Army    Medical    Museum,   Washington,   D.  C. 
Illinois,   Northern. —  B.   T.   Gault,   Glen    Ellyn,   111. 

Illinois,   Southern. —  Robert  Ridgway,   U.    S.    National    Museum,   Washington,  D.  C. 
Indiana. —  A.   W.   Butler,  State   House,   Indianapolis,   Ind. 

Indian  Territory. —  Prof.  W.  W.  Cooke,   State  Agricultural  College,   Ft.  Collins,  Col. 
Iowa. —  Paul   Bartsch,   U.   S.   National    Museum,  Washington,   D.  C. 
Kansas. ^ — Prof.  D.   E.   Lantz,   Chapman,   Kan. 
Louisiana. —  Prof.  George    E.   Beyer,  Tulane    University,   New    Orleans,   La. 

Maine. —  O.   W.   Knight,  Bangor,   Me. 

Maryland. —  F.   C.   Kirkwood,   Box    364,   Baltimore,   Md. 

Massachusetts. —  William    Brewster,   Cambridge,   Mass. 

Michigan. —  Prof.   W.   B.   Barrows,   Agricultural   College,   Mich. 

Minnesota. —  Dr.   T.   S.   Roberts,    1603    Fourth    avenue  south,   Minneapolis,   Minn. 

Missouri. —  O.   Widmann,   Old    Orchard,   Mo. 

Montana. —  Prof.   M.    J.  Elrod,   University    of    Montana,   Missoula,   Mont. 

Nebraska. —  Prof.   E.   H.   Barbour,   University    of    Nebraska,   Lincoln,   Neb. 

Nevada. —  Dr.    A.    K.    Fisher,    Biological    Survey,    Dep't  of    Agr. ,  Washington,    D.    C. 

(12) 


The  Advisory  Board  13 

New    Hampshire.  —  Prof.   C.    M.   Weed,    State    Agricultural    College,    Durham,    N.  H. 

New  jERSEy,  Northern.— Frank  M.  Chapman,  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  History,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey,  Southern. —  Witmer  Stone,  Academy  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

New  Mexico. —  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  Biological  Survey,  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

New  York,  Eastern. —  Dr.  A.  K.  Fisher,  Biological  Survey,  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture, Washington,  D.  C. 

New   York,   Northern. —  Egbert    Bagg,   191    Genessee   street,   Utica,   N.  Y. 

New   York,  Western. —  E.   H.   Eaton,   Canandaigua,   N.  Y. 

New  York,   Long    Island.  —  William   Dutcher,   525    Manhattan  ave.,  New   York    City. 

North    Carolina. —  Prof.   T.  J.   Pearson,   Guilford    College,  N.  C. 

Ohio. —  Prof.   Lynds   Jones,  Oberlin    College  Oberlin,  Ohio. 

Oklahoma. —  Dr.    A.    K.  Fisher,   Biological  Survey,  Dep't  of  Agr. ,  Washington,  D.   C. 

Oregon. —  Dr.   A.   K.   Fisher,  Biological  Survey,   Dep't    of    Agr.,  Washington,  D.   C. 

Pennsylvania,   Eastern. —  Witmer    Stone,   Acad.   Nat.   Sciences,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Pennsylvania,  Western  — W.   Clyde   Todd,  Carnegie    Museum,   Pittsburg,   Pa. 

Rhode  Island. —  J.  M.  Southwick,  Museum  Natural  History,  Roger  Williams  Park, 
Providence,   R.  I. 

South    Carolina. —  Dr.   Eugene    Murphy,   Augusta,  Ga. 

Texas,   Northern. —  J.  J.   Carroll,  Waco,  Tex. 

Texas,  Southeastern. —  H.  P.   Attwater,   San    Antonio,  Tex. 

Texas,  Western. —  Dr.   E.   A.   Mearns,   Fort    Adams,   Newport,   R.  I. 

Utah. —  Prof.  Marcus  E.  Jones,  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

Vermont. —  Dr.   F.   H.   Knowlton,   U.  S.   National    Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Virginia. —  Dr.  W.   C.   Rives,    1723    I    street,   Washington,   D.  C. 

Washington. —  Samuel    F.   Rathbun,   Seattle,  Wash. 

West   Virginia. —  Dr.  W.   C.   Rives,   1723    I    street,  Washington,   D.  C. 

Wisconsin. —  H.   Nehrling,  Public    Museum,   Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Wyoming. —  Dr.   Mortimer  Jesurun,   Douglas,   Wyo. 

CANADA 

British  Columbia. —  John    Fannin,   Provincial    Museum,  Victoria,   B.C. 

Manitoba. —  Ernest    Seton-Thompson,   144    Fifth   avenue,   New    York    City. 

New   Brunswick.  —  Montague   Chamberlain,   Harvard   University,  Cambridge,   Mass. 

Nova    Scotia. —  Harry    Piers,    'Stanyan, '  Northwest    Arm,   Halifax,  N.  S. 

Ontario,   Eastern.  —  James    H.  Fleming,   Rush    Road,   Toronto,   Ont. 

Ontario,  Western.  —  T.   Mcllwraith,   Hamilton,   Ont. 

Quebec. —  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,    160    Boylston    street,   Boston,   Mass. 


On    Methods   in   Teaching    Ornithology    at 
OberHn  College 

BY   LYNDS   JONES 

Instructor    in  Zoology  in  Oberlin  College 

[HIS  article  has  not  to  do  with  ideal  methods  in  teach- 
ing people  about  birds.  Ideal  methods  presuppose 
ideal  conditions,  which  cannot  be  expected  if  the 
subject  be  taught  as  a  part  of  a  large  college  cur- 
riculum and  as  a  part  of  the  teacher's  work.  The 
subjoined  remarks  will  therefore  be  rather  an  expla- 
nation of  the  methods  employed  under  the  conditions  named  than  as 
a  statement  of  what  the  writer  hopes  that  he  may  some  time  be  able 
to  realize. 

There  are  taught,  in  Oberlin  College,  three  courses  in  orni- 
thology. The  beginning  course,  which  meets  for  recitation  three 
times  a  week  during  the  spring  term,  aims  at  a  general  introduction 
to  the  subject,  with  special  stress  laid  upon  field  familiarity  with  a 
limited  number  of  the  more  common  local  species  as  a  basis  for 
further  study.  The  advanced  course,  with  two  meetings  a  week  for 
recitation,  undertakes  economic  and  philosophic  studies,  which  require 
original  field  work.  A  course  is  also  offered  in  the  summer  school, 
which  meets  five  times  a  week  for  eight  weeks,  designed  for  teachers 
and  others  who  have  little  or  no  previous  acquaintance  with  birds, 
but  who  desire  to  teach  the  subject  to  children.  The  methods  em- 
ployed in  each  of  these  courses  may  now  be  discussed  separately. 

Until  the  advent  of  Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman's  '  Handbook'  made 
the  use  of  a  text-book  possible,  the  work  in  the  beginning  course  was 
wholly  given  in  lectures.  With  that  book  as  a  text  for  the  syste- 
matic part  of  the  work,  a  much  larger  opportunity  for  lectures  upon 
habits  and  field  characteristics  was  afforded. 

This  course  is  introduced  by  a  brief  history  of  ornithology  and  a 
statement  of  present  day  activities,  showing  where  effort  may  be 
profitably  directed.  This  brief  history  is  followed  by  a  careful 
scrutiny  of  the  content  of  ornithology,  indicating  the  bird's  place  in 
nature  structurally,  and  its  economic  importance.  After  a  brief  notice 
of  migration  and  distribution,  the  real  subject  is  entered  upon  in  the 
study  of  the  orders  as  a  basis  for  the  study  of  species.  A  thorough 
drill  upon  the  names  and  characteristics  of  each  of  the  seventeen 
orders  of  North  American  birds  is  followed  by  a  somewhat  less  rig- 
orous drill  upon  the  minor  divisions  of  the  orders  as  illustrated  by 
the  common  local  species  of  each,   except  the   Passerine  birds,  which 

(14) 


Teaching   Ornithology  15 

are  reserved  for  special  study  later.  This  drill  upon  mere  names  and 
characteristics  is  accompanied  by  the  exhibition  of  specimens,  by 
field  study  where  possible,  and  by  personal  reminiscences  of  habits 
in  general,  but  even  then  savors  of  mathematical  formulae,  and  is 
little  to  the  taste  of  most  students.  One  may  ask  why  it  might  not 
then  better  be  omitted.  It  is  the  drudgery  of  the  subject,  and  must 
therefore  come  some  time.  Without  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  orders, 
which  form  the  most  natural  divisions  of  the  whole  class  of  birds, 
artificial  keys  and  other  helps  would  be  well  nigh  out  of  the  question. 
Experience  has  shown  that  this  drill  is  the  best  preparation  for  the 
work  that  follows. 

In  the  study  of  the  Passerine  group  attention  is  concentrated 
upon  habits  and  characteristics  of  the  common  local  species  of  each 
family,  using  these  species  to  illustrate  and  fix  the  family  characterist- 
ics. In  this  study  special  stress  is  laid  upon  peculiarities  of  color, 
habits,  environment  and  song,  as  aids  to  the  determination  of  the 
species.  Here  field  work  is  essential  to  any  correct  knowledge  of 
the  species,  and  much  time  and  effort  is  expended  in  the  field.  This 
field  work  is  the  surest  test  of  the  student's  ornithological  ability 
and  perseverance.  Most  students  enter  upon  the  work  with  a  hazy 
picture  or  image  of  a  generalized  bird  and  with  a  few  generalized  bird- 
songs  in  mind,  without  the  slightest  conception  of  the  largeness  of  the 
subject  and  of  the  training  necessary  before  the  panorama  of  pass- 
ing forms  and  the  medley  of  voices  can  be  resolved  into  the  individuali- 
ties of  the  bird  world.  It  is  therefore  a  common  experience  for  even  the 
more  able  students  to  definitely  decide,  after  the  first  few  trips  afield, 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  subject  for  them  !  I  am  glad  to  put 
on  record  that  in  every  case  where  the  student  has  stuck  to  the 
work  to  the  end  he  has  come  out  of  it  an  enthusiastic  ornithologist. 
It  must  needs  be  so. 

The  field  work  begins  during  the  first  week  of  the  term  — 
about  April  10  —  and  continues  to  the  end.  As  an  aid  to  learning 
the  names  of  the  birdsy  each  student  keeps  a  'day-book'  of  the 
work  in  which  the  vernacular  names  of  the  birds  seen  are  correctly 
written,  and  a  field-book  in  which  the  names  cf  all  the  birds  seen  on  the 
individual  trips  are  written,  this  constituting  the  list  for  the  day. 
This  mechanical  repetition  of  the  names  is  a  great  help  in  fixing 
them  in   the  memory. 

The  value  of  the  field  work  to  the  individual  student  is  in 
inverse  ratio  to  the  number  of  persons  participating  in  any  one 
trip,  both  on  account  of  numbers  and  on  account  of  divided  atten- 
tion. The  difficulty  can  be  partly  overcome  by  divisions  and  sub- 
divisions   of    the    class    to    the    limit    of     time    and    endurance    of    the 


i6  Bird -Lore 

teacher,  by  the  kindly  aid  of  some  self-sacrificing  ornithological 
friend,  and  by  encouraging  individual  work  in  the  few  who  can 
profit  by  it.  But  even  with  all  these  aids  it  is  a  real  difficulty,  which 
grows  with  the  class  and  with  the  growing  interest  of  the  public. 
We  may  be  heartily  glad  that  such  difficulties  arise  now,  indicating, 
as  they  do,  that  the  time  is  approaching  when  the  force  of  those 
capable  of  giving  instruction  will  be  sufficient  to  meet  the  demand. 

During  this  term  of  study  the  field  work  is  largely  done  during 
the  early  morning  hours  —  4:30  to  6:30  a.  m.  It  is  not  only  the 
best  time  of  the  day  to  study  birds,  but  is  practically  the  only  time 
available,  with  the  other  work  which  must  be  done.  Either  one 
forenoon  or  one  afternoon  each  week  is  usually  available  for  class 
field  work,  and  this  time  is  utilized  by  any  who  find  the  early 
morning  work  too  debilitating.  But  it  is  a  poor  substitute.  Better 
field  work  is  done  if  the  men  and  women  do  their  work  at  sepa- 
rate times.  Strange,  but  true  !  The  teacher  reserves  two  morn- 
ings out  of  the  six  for  private  field  work  in  preparation  for  the  class 
field  work. 

With  such  a  limit  of  time  made  necessary  by  the  sub-divisions 
of  the  class,  field  study  taken  alone  could  not  accomplish  the  task 
of  teaching  the  student  many  species.  As  a  further  aid,  skins  of 
about  ninety  species  are  identified  by  each  student,  with  the  book 
in  hand.  Here  the  importance  of  exactness  in  description  of  color, 
form  and  proportions  are  brought  into  prominence,  and  many  wrong 
impressions  corrected.  The  bird  'in  hand'  is  a  revelation  of  things 
unsuspected  in  the  makeup  of  a  bird.  Some  one  will  ask,  Where 
did  you  get  all  those  skins  ?  They  are  a  damaged  lot  that  was 
about  to  be  thrown  away  as  unfit  for  the  cabinet,  but  serve  the  pur- 
poses of  identification  admirably.  Thus  no  demand  was  created  for 
the  slaughter  of  more  birds.  None  have  ever  been  killed  to  furnish 
skins  for  this  work.  The  finished  list  of  skins  identified  comprises 
the  name  of  the  order,  family,  genus,  species,  and  sub-species,  if 
such,  and   the  vernacular  name. 

In  the  two-hour  advanced  course  the  student  is  introduced  to  the 
many  problems  which  the  subject  affords,  with  suggestions  of  methods 
for  their  solution.  Topics  are  assigned  for  special  original  work  in- 
volving the  use  of  literature  as  well  as  original  field  work,  and  the 
results  obtained  are  presented  to  the  class  in  a  finished  paper.  The 
Story  of  the  Birds,  by  James  Newton  Baskett,  published  by  D.  Ap- 
pleton  &  Co.,  is  used  as  a  guide  to  the  class-room  work,  supplemented 
by  lectures  and  outside  reading.  Where  possible  each  student  studies 
the  breeding  habits  of  some  one  or  more  species  by  watching  the 
process  from   the   beginning  of  the  nest  to  the   time  when  the  young 


Teaching    Ornithology  17 

are  able  to  leave  it.  Some  attention  is  also  given  to  the  study  of 
pterylosis  and  its  bearing  upon  classification.  While  the  field  work 
is  largely  individual  and  independent  of  the  teacher,  the  students  are 
given  just  enough  personal  supervision  to  minimize  mistakes  in 
identification  and  observation. 

The  course  offered  in  the  summer  school  is  arranged  for  22 
hours'  work  each  week  for  the  term  of  eight  weeks,  a  large  part  of 
that  time  being  spent  in  the  field  with  the  birds,  the  sole  object  of 
the  field  work  being  to  acquaint  the  student  with  the  more  common 
local  species  by  a  system  of  comparisons  of  the  different  species. 
Hence,  all  field  work  must  be  done  under  the  personal  supervision 
of  the  teacher  until  each  student  has  acquired  a  speaking  acquaint- 
ance with  at  least  thirty  species,  which  requires  rather  more  than 
two-thirds  of  the  term  for  the  majority  of  the  class.  At  the  close  of 
this  period  the  average  student  will  be  fairly  familiar  with  fifty 
species,  and  the  most  apt  with  seventy,  with  twenty  others  on  his 
list  seen  once  or  oftener. 

Field  work,  without  a  rigid  system  of  note  keeping,  would  re- 
sult in  careless  work  and  loss  of  time  with  a  class  of  students.  It  is 
undoubtedly  drudgery  to  most,  if  not  all,  but  it  cannot  be  avoided. 
There  is  a  golden  mean  between  packing  the  note-book  and  trying 
to  pack  the  memory,  but  one  could  not  expect  the  beginner  to  find 
it.  During  the  first  week  of  the  summer  study  the  note-book  will 
grow  rapidly  with  descriptions  of  pattern  of  colors,  song,  flight, 
habits,  food,  comparisons  with  other  similar  species,  and  anything 
else  which  will  help  in  retaining  the  distinguishing  features  of  the 
species,  7vriiten  on  the  spot,  in  a  scratch  book.  At  the  close  of  the 
day  these  are  copied  into  a  permanent  journal  of  the  day,  and 
the  names  of  all  the  species  seen  are  entered  into  a  daily  "check 
book' — a  quadrille-ruled  note-book  dated  at  the  top,  with  a  line  for 
weather,  one  for  start  and  return,  one  for  locality  where  the  work 
was  done.  In  the  squares,  on  a  level  with  the  name  of  each  species, 
and  under  the  date,  abbreviations  are  entered  indicating  where  the 
species  was  seen  (town,  field,  woods,  pasture,  roadside,  pond  or 
stream,  etc.),  about  how  many  seen,  whether  singing  or  silent, 
whether  molting  or  not.  For  a  time  the  local  geographical  distribu- 
tion of  each  species  is  given  special  attention,  so  that  time  may  not 
be  wasted   in   looking   in  impossible  places  for  certain  species. 

During  the  last  two  weeks  of  the  term  of  study,  the  students  are 
expected  to  pursue  their  field  work  largely  independent  of  the 
teacher  for  the  purpose  of  developing  an  individual  method  of  study. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  this  part  of  the  work  must  come  at  a  time 
when  molting  is  well  under  way,  so  that  perplexing  patterns  of  dress. 


i8  Bird -Lore 

are    frequently    met   with,    while    few    or    imperfect    songs    are    heard. 
But  it  is  excellent  drill  ! 

The  museum  affords  a  perpetual  refuge  for  the  confused  ones, 
and  is  often  a  great  help  in  straightening  out  difficulties.  Each  bird 
seen  in  the  field  is  exhibited  before  the  class  and  comments  made 
upon  it.  A  part  of  the  work  of  this  term  is  recitation  upon  each 
of  the  species  seen  at  any  time  during  the  term.  This  serves  to 
bring  to  a  focus   one's   mental  picture   of  the   species. 

During  favorable  weather  the  field  work  is  distributed  over  two 
mornings  and  two  afternoons,  and  either  a  whole  day  excursion  to 
some  especially  favored  spot  or  a  third  afternoon.  Four  such 
all-day  excursions  are  arranged  during  the  term.  The  morning  work 
occupies  the  two  hours  between  4:30  and  6:30  a.  m.,  the  afternoon 
work  from  2:30  to  7:30  p.  m.  The  four  morning  hours  count  for 
larger  results  numerically  than  the  fifteen  afternoon  hours,  but  the 
contrast  afforded  is  useful.  The  all-day  excursions  give  the  needed 
contrasts  of  the  different  hours  of  the  whole  day,  while  furnishing 
the  means  of  comparing  the  fauna  of  fields  and  roadsides  with  woods 
and  thickets.  Streams,  ponds  and  Lake  Erie  are  visited,  where 
many  water  frequenting  species   are  seen. 

At  the  last  exercise  of  the  class  each  student  submits  the  results 
of  the  term's  work  in  a  paper,  which  gives  the  local  geographical 
distribution  of  each  species  seen,  representations  or  descriptions  of 
the  manner  of  flight,  the  food,  the  song,  habits  as  far  as  noticed, 
and  nests  and  eggs  of  such  species  as  have  been  found  nesting.  All 
this  is  taken  from  the  note-book,  of    course. 

The  total  number  of  species  seen  by  the  class  during  this  term's 
work  exceeds  go.  Of  these  fully  70  will  be  seen  satisfactorily, 
giving  opportunity  for  study.  Individual  field  work  will  swell  the 
list  of  species  well  seen  just  in  the  proportion  that  the  field  work 
is  done  with  keen  interest  and  discrimination.  There  is  no  better 
illustration  than  this  term's  work  of  what  can  be  accomplished  even 
in  the  heated  term  of  summer.  He  who  pursues  the  study  of  the 
birds  at  this  time  will  be  sure  to  meet  with  many  pleasant  sur- 
prises. 


Every-Day  Study  of  Birds  for  Busy  People,  Including  a 
Method  of  Recording  Observations 

BY  W.  H.  C.  PYNCHON 
Instructor  in  Natural  History,  Trinity  College 

OW  often  you  hear  somebody  say,  "I  would  like 
very  much  to  know  something  about  birds,  but  I 
don't  have  time  to  make  a  study  of  them."  It 
is  to  these  would-be  ornithologists  that  this  little 
paper  of  suggestion  is  addressed  by  one  who, 
during  a  great  part  of  the  year,  has  very  little 
time  to  spare,  but  who,  nevertheless,  has  made  the  acquaintance 
of  a  good  many  of  our  feathered  friends. 

I  live  in  the  city  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  my  home  is  about  a 
mile  from  Trinity  College,  where  I  have  charge  of  the  work  in 
Natural  History.  Of  course  I  have  the  summer  vacation  and  a 
good  many  hours  during  the  term  which  I  can  devote  to  the  study 
of  birds,  but  it  is  not  of  these  times  that  I  wish  to  speak,  but  of 
my  busy  days.  I  generally  walk  between  my  house  and  the  col- 
lege, through  a  part  of  the  year  at  least.  My  way  lies  through 
old  Zion  Hill  Cemetery,  and  if  I  choose  to  allow  a  few  minutes 
more  time,  I  can  go  through  one  or  two  new  parks  which  are  in 
almost  my  direct  route.  The  college  itself  stands  on  a  trap  ridge, 
with  open  fields  on  three  sides,  those  to  the  west  being  largely 
meadowland.  As  a  result  of  all  this,  I  am  able  to  see  a  good  many 
birds  as  I  go  back  and  forth  and  to  acquire  a  bowing  acquaintance 
with  many  of  them  at   a  very  small   outlay  of  time. 

All  winter  long  I  hear  the  call  of  the  Crows  across  the  low- 
lands. All  winter  long  Chickadees  and  occasional  Kinglets  spend 
their  sunny  days  along  the  southern  edge  of  the  old  cemetery.  In 
early  and  late  winter  the  Juncos  flit  from  bush  to  bush,  and  after 
heavy  snows  the  Meadowlarks  come  in,  seeking  food.  To  the  high 
firs  of  the  cemetery  come  the  first  Crow  Blackbirds,  and,  a  little 
later,  the  meadows  west  of  the  college  are  ringing  with  the  notes 
of  the  Song  Sparrow.  So  the  birds  come,  one  after  another,  to  this 
single  mile  within  the  city  limits  till  all  the  summer  visitors  are 
here.  Slowly  they  leave  in  the  autumn,  till  Zion  Hill  is  again 
surrendered  to  the  Crow,  the  Nuthatch,  the  Chickadee  and  the 
Downy  Woodpecker. 

When  I  first  kept  a  daily  record  of  the  birds,  I  began  it  with 
the  determination  to  spend  upon  it  no  time  that  belonged  to  my 
work  —  simply    to    make    it    an    incidental    in    my    every-day    occupa- 

(19) 


20  Bird -Lore 

tions,  and  though  at  times  I  have  wavered  in  this  path  of  virtue,, 
still  I  have  held  to  it  for  a  great  portion  of  the  time  in  a  fairly 
laudable  manner.  At  first  I  kept  the  record  in  a  laborious  way  of 
my  own  devising,  but  after  sundry  experiments  I  have  reduced  the 
method  to  a  fairly  practical  basis.  The  method  is  an  extension  of 
that  which  Mr.  Chapman  gives  in  his  'Handbook  of  Birds,' and  I 
take  the  liberty  of  giving  it  in  full,  in  the  hope  that  it  may  be  of 
service   to  some  one. 

For  the  purpose  I  get  a  blank  book  of  the  kind  usually  sold 
under  the  name  of  '  Record,' with  pages  ruh'd  and  numbered;  each 
page  measuring  about  8  x  lo  inches.  Page  No.  i  I  reserve  for  an 
index  of  abbreviations.  Pages  2  and  3,  which  face  each  other,  I 
rule  off  in  the  following  manner :  If  the  book  is  for  the  present 
year,  I  put  at  the  top  of  page  2,  "January,  1900."  I  then  divide 
all  of  page  No.  2,  and  the  left  hand  half  of  page  No.  3,  into  six- 
teen equal  vertical  columns,  one  for  each  of  the  first  sixteen  days 
of  January.  The  right  hand  half  of  page  No.  3  I  leave  for  notes. 
Then  I  divide  each  of  the  sixteen  columns  by  a  fine  line  down  the 
center.  Next  I  hinge  to  the  left-hand  edge  of  page  No.  2,  a  'folder" 
of  heavy  paper  about  three  inches  wide  and  as  long  as  the  page. 
This    can   be   folded   into  the  book   when   not   in   use. 

Now  as  to  the  method  of  use.  Suppose  that  on  the  first  day  of 
January  I  saw  no  birds  of  any  kind.  I  simply  leave  the  first  column 
of  page  No.  2,  labeled  at  its  top  "Monday,  ist, "  blank.  On  Tuesday 
on  my  way  to  the  college  I  saw  a  Downy  Woodpecker  in  Zion  Hill 
Cemetery,  I  heard  several  Crows  in  the  distance,  and  I  saw  five  or 
six  Juncos  on  the  college  grounds.  I  open  out  the  folder  attached 
to  page  No.  2,  and  write  on  it,  opposite  the  first  ruled  line  of  the 
page,  the  name  "Downy  Woodpecker."  Now  I  follow  the  line 
across  till  I  come  to  the  vertical  column  headed  "Tuesday,  2nd." 
In  the  left-hand  portion  I  write  "i"  to  indicate  the  number  of 
Woodpeckers  seen,  and  in  the  right-hand  portion  I  write  "Z.H.," 
to  indicate  that  it  was  seen  on  Zion  Hill.  Then  on  the  folder,  op- 
posite the  second  horizontal  line,  I  write  "Crow,"  and  in  the  corre- 
sponding left-hand  portion  of  the  column  for  Tuesday,  2nd,  I  enter 
"h.  sev.,"  to  indicate  that  I  simply  licani  several,  and  I  do  not,  of 
course,  enter  any  special  locality.  In  the  same  manner  I  enter  next 
"Junco,"   "5-6,"   "C.G."   (College  Grounds). 

Of  course,  in  sixteen  days,  pages  2  and  3  are  used  up,  so  I 
simply  rule  off  pages  4  and  5  in  the  same  manner  into  sixteen 
columns,  which  will  of  course  accommodate  the  remaining  days  of 
January,  with  one  column  to  spare.  In,  the  same  way  I  lay  out 
pages   6   and  7,   and  8   and  9,   for   February.      Inasmuch   as  the    hori- 


Bird   Study   for   Busy   People  21 

zontal  lines  start  always  at  the  same  distance  from  the  top  of  the 
page,  the  name  "Downy  Woodpecker"  will  always  correspond  with 
the  first  line,  "Crow"  with  the  second  line,  and  so  on,  throughout 
the  twelve  months.  As  I  add  more  varieties  to  the  list,  the  folder, 
of  course,  becomes  filled  down  to  the  bottom.  I  leave,  however,  a 
space  of  one  and  one-half  inches,  as  I  want  to  make  a  weather 
record  at  the  foot  of  the  column  for  each  day.  When  this  folder  is 
thus  filled,  I  leave  a  sufficient  number  of  pages  to  go  with  it,  then 
insert  a  second  folder,  and  continue  the  list  as  before.  My  list  of 
last  year  ran   out   to   the  fourth   folder. 

The  weather  and  the  temperature  are  important  factors  to  be 
reckoned  with  in  bird  observations.  I  think  that  the  record  at  the 
bottom  of  the  daily  column  can  be  most  profitably  kept  by  some  sys- 
tem of  symbols,  of  which  a  proper  index  should  be  written  on  the 
iirst  page.  For  instance,  I  use  Arabic  numerals  to  indicate  the 
weather,  as  —  i.  fair;  2.  overcast;  3.  cloudy;  4.  light  rain,  etc.,  and 
Roman  numerals  to  indicate  the  force  of  the  wind,  as  —  I.  none; 
II.  light:  III.  strong,  etc.  For  instance,  take  this  record — "H'f'd. 
1-3  III.  N.  28°-30°."  This  means  that  the  record  was  made  at 
Hartford,  that  the  day  was  fair,  later  becoming  cloudy,  that  there 
was  a  strong  wind  from  the  north,  and  that  the  lowest  temperature 
was  28°,  and  the  highest  30°  above  zero. 


DIAGRAM    OF    TOP    AND    BOTTOM    OF    SPECIMEN    PAGE 
{Folder)  i  Pag^e) 


2. 

JANUARY,  1900 

MONDAY 

TUESDAY 

WEDNESDAY 
3 

THURSDAY 

4 

I.     Downy  Woodpecker. 

1 

, 

Z.H. 

2. 

Crow. 

h.sev 

3 

Z  H 

3- 

Junco. 

I 

5-6 

CO. 

1 

I 

H'f'd. 
3-t 


III.  N.W 


H'f'd. 


II.  S.E. 


-6°-i9° 


H'f'd. 


II.  S.W. 


H'f'd. 


I  rule  my  pages  once  a  month,  and,  that  once  done,  it  rarely 
takes  more  than  five  minutes  to  make  out  the  record  of  each  day. 
It  is   easy  to   remember  the  new  birds  to  be  added  to  the  list,   while 


22  Bird -Lore 

a  swift  perusal  of  the  names  already  entered  will  call  to  mind  the 
old  friends  that  have  been  met.  The  result  is  a  complete  permanent 
record  for  the  year.  The  blank  portion  (right-hand  half)  of  each 
right-hand  page  is  reserved  for  explanatory  notes  concerning  any 
of  the  entries  made. 

It  is  often  desirable  to  set  down  the  markings  of  a  strange  bird 
while  you  are  in  the  field,  in  order  that  you  may  look  up  the  name 
in  the  key  on  your  return  home.  There  are  various  blanks  pub- 
lished for  this  purpose,  but  I  know  of  none  simpler  than  the  one 
gotten  out  by  one  of  my  students,  of  which   I  append  a  diagram  : 

FIELD    DESCRIPTION.     NO 

A.  C.  HALL,  WEST  HARTFORD,  CONN. 

Comparative  size,   Chippy,   Song  Sparrow,   Bluebird,   Robin, 
Crow,  or  larger 

Probable  family 

Bill 

Forehead  

Crown Center  stripe 

Back 

Rump 

Wing Barred Coverts 

Tail Barred Outer  feather 

Eye Line  over Under 

Line  through ..Auriculars 

Throat 

Breast 

Sides 

Belly 

Under  tail-coverts 

Flight 

Notes 

Date Locality 

Name 


I  have  gone  into  a  rather  elaborate  explanation  of  this  method  in 
order  that  I  may  make  myself  fully  understood.  I  am  afraid  that 
by  so  doing  I  have  made  the  matter  seem  too  difficult.  My  intention 
has  been  to  show  how  easy  it  is  to  keep  a  list  of  the  birds  of  every 
day,  and  I  therefore  have  given  a  diagram  of  a  part  of  a  page  from  my 
note-book  for  January.  It  takes  but  a  few  minutes  in  a  day,  and  what 
are  the  results?  At  the  end  of  the  year  you  have  an  acquaintance  with 
several  score  of  birds  and  their  notes  ;  you  have  a  record  of  when  they 
appeared,  when  they  were  most  numerous  and  when  they  were  last 
seen.  A  small  letter  "s"  inserted  in  each  entry  will  show  when 
they  were  in  song.  You  have  incidentally  a  record  of  your  where- 
abouts every  day  in  the  year,  separate  bird-records  for  special  locali- 
ties, and  a  complete  weather-record.  And  when,  with  the  returning 
spring,  old  friends  come  back  again,  it  is  pleasant  to  know  where  and 
when  you  first   saw  them  in   previous  years. 


February  Birds 

BY    MORGAN   ST.  JOHN  (aged  12) 
Grammar    School,   Ithaca,    N.   Y. 

N  the  morning  of  February  ig  we  went  on  a  walk  in 
search  of  birds  and  nests.  On  our  way  to  the 
swamp  we  saw,  on  one  short  block,  sixteen 
Orioles'  nests.  These  nests  are  always  hung  on 
drooping  branches.  They  look  like  little  bags  on 
the  branches  of  elm  trees.  The  Orioles  weave  their 
nests.  Some  of  them  are  made  from  milkweed 
bark,  or  of  moss,  grass,  or  even  of    silk  and  thread. 

We  also  saw  a  great  many  Robins'  nests,  which  are  carelessly 
built  of  mud  and  grass.  The  grass  is  on  the  outside,  the  lining  is 
of  mud. 

Mistress  Robin  is  certainly  a  sloven  housekeeper,  and  the  cup- 
like nests  are  lodged  in  the  forks  of  trees  in  such  a  way  that  a 
heavy  shower  or  wind  brings  many  of  them  to  the  ground. 

Crows'  nests  are  built  usually  in  evergreens.  We  saw  them  in 
swamp  maples.  One  of  these  was  about  thirty-five  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  was  made  of  sticks  and  twigs,  thrown  loosely  together 
and   lined  with   cedar  bark. 

The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  and  we  saw  in  all  directions 
tracks  of  some  bird  with  three  toes  in  front  and  one  long  toe  behind. 
We  found  that  these  tracks  were  made  by  the  Partridge,  or  Ruffed 
Grouse.  These  tracks  are  remarkably  curious,  because  they  are 
wider  than  the  birds'  feet.  I  found  it  was  because  in  the  winter 
time  little  stiff  bristles  grow  around  each  toe  and  make  little  "snow- 
shoes."  With  these  winter  shoes  on  the  bird  does  not  sink  in  the 
snow.  These  snowshoes  begin  to  grow  in  the  autumn  and  are  gone 
by  April. 

We  did  not  see  the  Partridge,  but  we  saw  dead  logs  where  he 
had  been  to  pick  off  the  bark  to  find  the  bugs  and  worms.  Another 
interesting  track  is  made  by  the  Partridge.  When  the  bird  runs  he 
takes  long  steps  and  drags  his  hind  toe.  This  makes  a  mark  which 
gives  you   an  idea   his  toe   is    longer  than   his    tracks. 

We  saw  a  Downy  Woodpecker.  This  one  was  a  female.  She 
was  about  the  size  of  an  English  Sparrow.  She  is  like  the  male 
bird,    except   she   has  no   red    patch   on   the   back   of    her   neck.      This 

(23) 


24  Bird -Lore 

bird  lit  on  a  dead  stump,  thrust  in  her  bill  and  pulled  out  a  worm 
an  inch  long.  She  flew  off  with  it  to  another  stump  and  twisted  her 
head   around   until   she  swallowed    it. 

The  Woodpecker's  nest  may  be  in  a  low  tree  or  in  a  high  one, 
and  it  is  lined  with  grass  and  feathers.  The  male  is  black  above, 
striped  with  white.  The  tail  is  wedge-shaped  and  is  used  to  stick  in 
the  limbs  when  resting  or  eating.  There  is  a  black  stripe  on  his 
head,  white  over  and  under  his  eyes,  while  there  is  a  red  patch  on 
the  back  of  his  neck. 

A  week  later,  on  February  25,  we  went  on  another  walk  in 
search  of  birds.  This  time  we  climbed  upon  a  hillside.  In  a  short 
time  we  counted  seventeen  or  eighteen  Robins'  nests,  and  better 
than  all,  we  saw  our  first  Robin.  He  had  probably  been  in  that 
locality  all  winter.  He  looked  as  if  he  had  not  had  much  to  eat. 
He  ran  along  the  ground,  stopping  now  and  then  to  try  to  pick  up 
a  worm  or  bug.      He  seemed  to  enjoy  his  breakfast. 

We  were  glad  to  spy  the  Junco  or  Snowbird.  He  is  slate-col- 
ored, with  gray  breast.  When  he  flies  you  see  that  the  outer  tail- 
feathers  are  white,  and  the  under  ones  are  blue  or  dark  slate-colored. 
A  friend  of  mine  saw  a  large  flock  of  J  uncos  a  few  days  ago, 

We  had  the  good  luck  to  see  a  Chickadee.  The  Chickadee 
is  a  small  bird.  It  has  no  crest.  In  color  it  is  gray  or  brownish. 
There  are  patches  of  black  on  it.  In  fact,  the  throat,  chin  and  head 
are  black,  with  streaks  of  white  on  head,  breast,  wing  and  tail. 
The  white  is  not  clear,  but  dirty  looking.  Our  Chickadee  stuck  his 
head   in   a  knothole    in   a   telephone   pole. 

There  were  two  Song  Sparrows  to  greet  us.  They  sang  very 
sweetly,  raising  their  heads  when  they  sang.  They  have  brown 
heads,  and  there  are  brown  stripes  on  the  throat.  Their  back  is 
brownish  gray.  The  breast  is  gray,  shading  to  white.  There  are 
brown  or  black  spots  on  the  breast  and  wings.  One  of  the  Spar- 
rows was  in  some  brush,  or  growth  of  small  trees.  They  are  dear 
little  birds,  and  we   like   to   see  and  hear  them. 

We  saw  a  Black-billed  Cuckoo's  nest,  made  flat,  out  of  straw. 
There  was    no  mud    nor   hair   in    it. 

We  saw  several  Vireo's  nests,  which  are  round  like  a  little  pot, 
in  the  forks  of  trees. 

Last  of  all,  in  a  large  field  we  saw  a  Horned  Lark.  Its  note 
sounds  like  two  or  three  shrill  notes,  and  then  like  a  water  whistle. 
This  Lark  is  larger  than  the  Sparrow,  and  is  a  brownish  gray  color. 
It    has   two   little   horns    on    its   head. 

We  did  not  find   the  Hairy  Woodpecker,  but  he  is  about. 

What  a  pleasure  it  was  to  see  these  birds  and   their  nests  ! 


J^otes  from  JTieltj  mh  ^tuDp 


The  Season's  Flight  of  Crossbills 

During  the  past  season  both  Red  and 
White-winged  Crossbills  have  appeared  in 
exceptionally  large  numbers  and  have  ex- 
tended their  wanderings  further  south 
than  usual. 

Mr.  William  Brewster  writes  that  th^ 
White-winged  Crossbills  first  arrived  at 
Concord,  Mass.,  on  November  6,  where 
they  were  abundant  until  the  23d,  when 
he  moved  to  Cambridge.  At  or  near  the 
latter  place  small  flocks  were  seen  at  inter- 
vals during  most  of  December,  but  they 
became  less  frequent  during  the  latter  half 
of  the  month.  Of  the  Red  Crossbills  he 
states  that  fifteen  were  seen  at  Cambridge 
on  November  20,  and  very  few  were  re- 
ported from  there  after  November  15. 

From  Saybrook,  Conn.,  Judge  J.  N. 
Clark  writes  that  the  first  White-winged 
Crossbills  were  noted  on  November  6, 
when  a  flock  of  six  was  seen,  and  that  from 
the  16th — he  was  in  attendance  at  the  A. 
O.  U.  during  the  interim — until  after  the 
first  week  in  December  they  were  ob- 
served in  greater  or  less  numbers,  twenty- 
five  in  one  flock  being  counted  on  Novem- 
ber 22.  About  December  i  a  flock  of 
about  fifty  Crossbills,  composed  of  both 
species,  in  nearly  equal  numbers,  was 
seen,  and  from  that  date  until  December 
23,  when  the  flight  seemed  to  be  about 
over,  several  flocks  of  Red  Crossbills,  with 
occasionally  a  few  White-wings,  were  ob- 
served. 

At  Fairfield,  Conn.,  Mrs.  Wright  states 
that  Red  Crossbills  began  to  appear  the 
first  week  in  October,  and  on  November  5 
they  were  joined  by  two  of  the  White- 
winged  species.  The  numbers  increased 
throughout  the  month,  and  on  December 
25,  in  returning  after  a  three  weeks'  ab- 
sence, thirty-eight  Crossbills  were  counted 
in  one  flock,  feeding  on  spruce  cones  that 
the  red  squirrels  had  thrown  to  the  ground. 
The  majority  were  either  young  or  females, 
but  among  them  were  six  adult  male  Red 


Crossbills    and    five    adult    White-winged 
Crossbills. 

I  have  received  no  reports  of  the  White- 
winged  Crossbill  from  further  south,  but 
the  Red  Crossbill  continued  its  migration 
in  large  numbers  at  least  as  far  as  the 
vicinity  of  Washington.     Small  flocks  were 


n 

i 

^^^^^^^K 

1  '1^  ^C> 

K 

RED    CROSSBILL 
Photographed  from  life  by  J.  D.  Figgins,  Falls  Church,  Va. 

observed  at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  where  they 
rarely  occur,  in  November  and  Decem- 
ber ;  and  as  I  write  (January  8)  about 
thirty  birds  are  actively  feeding  among 
the  cones  of  a  Norway  spruce  in  view  of 
my  study  window.  Mr.  J.  D.  Figgins  tells 
me  that  he  first  observed  them  at  Falls 
Church,  Va.,  on  December  i,  where  they 
were  abundant  until  his  departure  from 
the  locality  on  the  14th,  and  Dr.  Fisher 
writes  that  Mr.  James  H.  Gaut,  of  the 
Biological  Survey,  saw  several  hundred 
Crossbills  in  Virginia,  a  few  miles  from 
Washington,  in  December. 

During  the  last  great  southward  flight  of 
Red  Crossbills,  in  the  winter  of  1888-89,  I 
observed  a  flock  of  about  fifty  birds  at 
Aiken,  S.  C,  but  thus  far  this  season  they 
have  not  been  reported  to  me  from  south 
of  Washington.  Mr.  H.  H.  Brimley  writes 
from  Raleigh,  N.  C,  that  none  have  been 
observed  there  ;    and  Prof.  T.  G.  Pearson, 


(25) 


26 


Bird-  Lore 


of  Guilford  College,  N.  C,  makes  the 
same  statement. — Frank  M.  Chapman, 
Engleivood ,  N.  J. 

Blue-Winged  Warbler  in  Southern  New 
York  in  January 

On  January  6,  igoo,  a  specimen  of  the 
Blue-winged  Warbler  ( Ilelmhithophila 
jbinjis)  was  found  dead  on  the  borders  of 
the  Bronx  river,  in  the  hemlock  grove  in 
Bronx  Park,  and  was  picked  up  by  me 
from  a  bed  of  mosses,  where  it  lay  with  its 
beak  open,  frozen  stiff. 

My  determination  of  the  species  has 
been  verified  by  Mr.  E.  P.  Bicknell  and 
Mr.  R.  S.  Williams,  and  the  latter,  who 
skinned  the  specimen,  noted  that  the  giz- 
zard and  crop  were  entirely  empty  and 
the  skeleton  uninjured,  so  that  the  bird 
evidently  starved  to  death. — Elizabeth  G. 
Britton,  N'eiu  York  City. 

[The  specimen  above  recorded  has  been 
presented  by  Mrs.  Britton  to  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History.  It  is  appar- 
ently a  female  and  its  plumage  is  in  fresh 
and  unworn  condition.  On  inquiry,  Mr. 
Williams  states  that  the  bird  had  doubtless 
died  but  a  short  time  before  it  was  found, 
the  eye-balls  still  being  firm  and  unsunken. 
The  Blue-winged  Warbler  is  not  only  one 
of  the  first  of  our  summer  residents  to 
leave,  it  being  rarely  observed  after  Sep- 
tember 5,  but  it  winters  south  of  the 
United  States,  and  its  occurrence  here  at 
this  season  is  therefore  especially  remark- 
able. The  fact  that  the  bird  had  survived 
several  severe  frosts — on  one  occasion  the 
mercury  registering  8°  —  is  also  of 
interest.  Probably  the  well  known  habit 
of  the  species  of  searching  for  food  in 
bunches  of  dead  leaves  and  similar  situa- 
tions had  enabled  it  to  live  where  a  fly- 
catching  Warbler  would  long  before 
have  died.— F.  M.  C] 

A  Philanthropic  Sparrow 

The  only  kindly  act  I  ever  saw  per- 
formed by  an  English  Sparrow  was  done 
last  year  in  a  Vermont  town  at  a 
time  when  tent-caterpillars  were  partic- 
ularly abundant.  A  Chipping  Sparrow 
brought  oif  her  brood  and  was  busily 
trying  to  teach  them  to  pick  up  food  for 
themselves,  but  one  could  not,  or  would 
not,  try.  He  fluttered  up  to  an  English 
Sparrow,   which    was    picking    up    seeds. 


chirped,  opened  his  mouth,  and  begged 
for  food  in  an  unmistakable  manner. 
The  English  Sparrow,  a  fine  cock,  picked 
up  a  tent-caterpillar — a  kind  which  he 
never  ate  himself — and  thrust  it  into  the 
Chippy's  open  beak,  then  flew  away  as 
if  he  feared  that  he  might  be  asked  to 
take  it  out  again  ! — Caroline  G.  Soule, 
Broohline,   Mass. 

Hawk  and  Robin 

An  interesting  incident,  illustrating  the 
great  force  with  which  birds  fly,  came  un- 
der my  notice  some  time  since.  I  was  at 
my  window,  when  suddenly  the  glass  flew 
into  a  hundred  pieces,  and  I  saw  a  bird 
fluttering  on  the  floor.  On  examination  it 
proved  to  be  a  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  in 
fine  condition  and  plumage,  but  its  dis- 
astrous passage  through  the  window  had 
injured  one  wing  severely. 

In  searching  for  the  cause  of  its  actions, 
we  found  on  the  ground,  under  the  win- 
dow, a  large  male  Robin,  dead,  but  without 
a  mark  on  him  to  show  what  caused  his 
death. 

Did  he  die  from  fright,  or  could  the 
Hawk  have  struck  him  with  force  enough 
to  kill  him  without  having  external  injury? 
Did  the  pursuer  go  with  so  much  more 
force  than  the  pursued,  as  to  go  through 
the  window,  while  the  other  dropped  dead 
from  the  force  of  the  blow? — Emilia  C. 
Anthony,  Goui'erneu?-,  N.   Y. 

The  Notes  of  the  Crow 

In  all  the  bird  books  I  have  read,  I  have 
not  found  any  mention  of  the  American 
Crow  ufing  a  call-note  other  than  cazu  and 
its  variations.  I  have  now  and  then  heard 
them  say,  krriick — krruck — krruck,  or 
cazc  —  caiv — cazv — krruck — krruck,  and 
the  like. — Charles  H.  Rogers,  Philadel- 
■phia,  Pa. 

[Our  correspondent  perhaps  refers  to 
notes  uttered  by  Crows  when  attacking  a 
Hawk  or  Owl,  or  possibly  to  the  car-r-r- 
7--iick,  oo-oo-oo -oo-oo ,  ok,  which  is  com- 
monly heard  in  the  spring  when  the  birds 
are  mating.  In  either  event,  we  are  not  a 
little  surprised  to  find,  as  Mr.  Rogers  says, 
that  the  ornithological  biographies  credit 
the  Crow  with  only  the  cdii.'  call. — Ed.] 


Notes   from    Field    and   Study 


27 


A  Pair  of  Canadian  Climbers 
How  easy  it  is  to  go  into  the  woods  al- 
most any  day  and  bring  back  dozens  of 
mental  pictures  of  birds  ;  but  lucky  is  the 
week  and  fortunate  the  fifth  of  a  second  in 
which  we  secure  a  really  good  photograph 
of  a  wild  bird. 

How  many  scores  of  Brown  Creepers 
have  zigzagged  up  tree-trunks,  and  flown 
down  to  the  bases  of  others,  just  too  far 
away  !  But  in  late  September,  1899,  deep 
in  the  woods  of  Digby  county,  Nova  Scotia, 
a  Creeper,  well  meriting  his  specific  name, 
familiaris,  found  a  tidbit  in  a  crevice  of 
bark,  not  three  feet  from  me,  and  tarried 
long  enough  for  a  quick  focus  and  success- 
ful exposure.  Although  a  fairly  sharp 
picture  was  secured,  the  difficulty  of  clearly 
distinguishing  the  bird  within  a  space  of 
a  few  square  inches  admirably  illustrates 
the  harmony  in  pattern  of  coloration 
which  exists  between  it  and  the  bark  on 
which  it  is  resting.  Two  days  later,  I 
watched  for  some  time  tiny  moving  specks 
on  my  ground  glass — reflections  of  a  flock 
of  Pine  Grosbeaks,  uttering  their  exagger- 
ated. Goldfinch-like  notes  in  the  spruce 
above  me.  They  showed  no  signs  of  de- 
scending, and  I  was  about  to  abandon  the 


Kl:0\\\     (    1;  HE  PER 
Photographed  from    nature  by  C.  Wi 


RED-BRE.\STED    NUTHATCH 
Photographed  from  nature  by  C.  William  Beebe 

attempt  to  photograph  them,  when  a  Red- 
breasted  Nuthatch  peered  around  the 
corner  of  a  stub  in  front  of  me.  The  sec- 
ond photograph  shows  him  as  I  saw  him. 
He  stayed  but  a  moment,  but  that  short 
space  of  time  was  fatal  to  any  objections 
he  might  have  had  to  publicity. — By  C. 
William  Beebe,  Assistant  Curator  of 
Birds,  Xeic  York  Zoological  Society. 

Increased  Interest  in  Bird  Photography 

At  the  1889  meeting  of  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  solicit  the  loan  of  lantern  slides 
showing  wild  birds,  their  nests  and  eggs, 
to  be  exhibited  at  the  next  Congress  of 
the  Union,  when  about  two  dozen  slides 
were  shown. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  A.  O.  U.,  held  in 
Philadelphia  in  November  last,  although 
no  effort  had  been  made  to  secure  papers 
illustrated  by  slides,  between  two  and  three 
hundred  were  exhibited,  and  many  others 
were  not  shown  for  lack  of  time. 


iSoob  jBtetDS  and   3^et)ietDS 


Results  of  a  Biological  Survey  of 
Mount  Shasta,  California.  By  C. 
Hart  Merriam,  North  American  Fauna, 
No.  i6,  Washington,  Government  Print- 
ing Office,  iSgg.  8vo,  pages  179  ;  pll.  v  ; 
text  figures,  46. 

Dr.  Merriam  remarks  in  his  intro- 
duction:  "All  high  mountains,  particu- 
larly those  that  stand  alone,  are  likely 
to  throw  light  on  the  problems  of 
geographic  distribution,  and  are  worthy 
of  careful  study.  Shasta,  not  only 
because  of  its  great  attitude,  but  even 
more  because  of  its  intermediate  position 
between  the  Sierra  and  the  Cascades, 
promised  an  instruction  lesson,  and  was 
therefore  chosen  as  a  base  station  for 
part  of   the  field  work  of   1899." 

Lack  of  space  prohibits  a  detailed 
review  of  this  volume,  whose  contents 
is  indicated  by  the  following  section 
headings:  'General  Features,'  'Forests 
of  Shasta,'  'Forest  Fires,'  'Slope 
Exposure, '  Life  Zones  of  Shasta, '  '  The 
Boreal  Fauna  and  Flora  of  Shasta 
contrasted  with  Corresponding  Faunas 
and  Floras  of  the  Sierra  and  Cascades, ' 
'  Efficiency  of  Klamath  Gap  as  a  barrier 
to  Boreal  species  compared  with  that  of 
Pitt  River  and  Feather  River  Gaps 
Collectively, '  '  Sources  of  the  Boreal 
Faunas  of  Shasta  and  of  the  Sierra 
and  the  Cascades,'  '  Mammals  of  Shasta, 
'  Birds  of  Shasta  and  Vicinity '  ( pages 
109-134),'  'Notes  on  the  distribution  of 
Shasta  Plants. ' 

The  work  is  an  admirable  exposition 
of  its  author's  thorough  methods  of 
research,  and  exhibits  his  breadth  of 
view  in  considering  the  influences  which 
govern  the  distribution  of  life. — F.  M.  C. 

Our  Native  Birds  :  How  to  Protect 
AND  Attract  Them  to  Our  Homes. 
By  D.  Lange.  New  York  :  The  Mac- 
millan  Company,  1899.  lamo,  pages 
ix-|-i62,  10  ills,  in  text.     Price,  $1. 

Here  is  a  book  which  should  be  in  the 
hands    of    every    one    interested   in  bird- 


protection.  The  author  is  not  only  fully 
abreast,  but  perhaps  a  trifle  ahead  of 
the  times.  As  instructor  in  Nature 
Study  in  the  public  schools  of  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  he  has  learned  to  appreciate 
the  educational  value  of  bird-study  and 
to  develop  methods  of  teaching  which 
here  are  clearly  set  forth.  As  a  resident 
in  the  country,  he  has  observed  the  evils 
of  bird-destruction,  and  has  devised 
means  of  making  our  lawns  and  gardens 
more  habitable  for  birds  by  providing 
them  with  feeding,  bathing  and  drinking 
places  and  nesting-sites,  and  by  destroying 
their  enemies. 

The  author  is  not  a  theorist,  but  is 
definite  and  practical,  and  the  reader 
desirous  of  attracting  birds  about  his 
home  will  find  here  exactly  the  needed 
instructions,  with  well  selected  references 
to  the  literature  of  ornithology  and 
horticulture. 

The  book  is  a  unique  and  valuable 
contribution  to  the  subjects  of  bird- 
study  and  bird-protection,  and  we  wish 
for  it  the  widest  possible  circulation. — F. 
M.   C. 

Bird-Notes  Afield,  a  Series  of  Essays 
ON  THE  Birds  of  California.  By 
Charles  A.  Keeler.  D.  P.  Elder  and 
Morgan  Shepard,  San  Francisco,  1899. 
i2mo,  pp.  vii  — 353. 

Bird-students  in  California  are  to  be 
congratulated  on  the  appearance  of  this 
volume,  which  fills  the  long  felt  want  of 
a  popular  handbook  of  the  birds  of  the 
state.  Mr.  Heeler's  technical  knowledge 
of  ornithology,  his  sympathy  with  birds 
in  nature,  and  his  gift  of  description 
have  especially  fitted  him  to  produce  a 
successful  book  of  this  kind,  and  an  ex- 
amination of  ils  pages  shows  that  he  has 
done  justice  to  his  powers. 

The  first  233  pages  are  devoted  to 
sketches  of  birds  in  their  haunts,  under 
such  titles  as,  'A  Trip  to  the  Faral- 
lones,'   'A   Glimpse  of  the  Birds  of  Berke- 


(28) 


Book   News   and   Reviews 


29 


ley,'  'In  a  JNIission  Patio,'  etc.,  while 
an  appendix  of  117  pages  contains  '  A  De- 
scriptive List  of  California  Land  Birds, 
with  Key.'— F.  M.  C 

The  Avifauna  of  The  Pribilof  Islands. 
By  William  Palmer.  Extracted  from 
'  The  Fur  Seals  and  Fur  Seal  Islands 
of  the  North  Pacific  Ocean,'  Part  iii, 
PP-  355-431-  Pis.  2,  Washington,  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office,  1899. 

This  is  essentially  a  complete  mono- 
graph of  the  avifauna  of  the  Pribilof 
Islands,  with  a  description  of  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  Islands,  an  account  of  their 
ornithological  history,  studies  of  the  geo- 
graphical distribution  and  migration  of 
their  birds,  and  detailed  treatment  of  the 
sixty-nine  species  which  have  been  re- 
corded from  the  group. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  careful,  patient  obser- 
ver and  thoughtful  student ;  while  we 
may  not  always  agree  with  his  theories 
we  are  grateful  for  the  facts  which  make 
this  paper  an  exceedingly  important  con- 
tribution to  the  literature  of  ornithology. 
—  F.  M.  C. 

Book    News 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features 
of  the  last  congress  of  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  was  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  number  of  letters  from  Audubon 
to  Baird,  which  were  read  by  Mr.  Witmer 
Stone,  through  the  courtesy  of  Miss  Lucy 
H.  Baird. 

They  were  written  in  1842  or  1843, 
when  Audubon,  then  some  sixty  years  of 
age,  was  preparing  for  his  trip  to  the 
upper  Missouri  to  gather  materials  for 
his  work  on  North  American  quadru- 
peds, and  they  exhibit  in  the  most 
pleasing  manner,  not  only  their  writer's 
enthusiasm  for  the  task  in  which  he  was 
then  engaged,  but  also  his  affectionate 
regard  for  Professor  Baird,  who,  at  the 
time  was  a  young  man  of  twenty,  on  the 
threshhold  of  his  career.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  these  letters  will  be  published. 

The  New  York  Zoological  Park  has 
issued  an  excellent  guide  to  its  collection 
by  Mr.  W.  T.  Hornaday,  director  of  the 
park.       It    is    beautifully    illustrated    and 


attractively  printed,  and,  aside  from  its 
value  as  a  guide,  has  permanent  worth 
as  a  text-book  of  the  mammals,  birds 
and  reptiles  of  which  it  treats.  We  note 
with  regret  the  erroneous  statement,  on 
page  44,  that  Brown  Pelicans'  feathers 
are  not  used   by  milliners. 

The  interesting  and  well  edited  'Bulle- 
tin of  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club 
of  California '  begins  its  second  volume 
under   the  title  of  'The  Condor.' 

Some  time  since  one  of  our  leading 
monthlies  published  a  drawing  of  the 
Murre  rookery  of  the  Farallone  Islands 
from  a  photograph  by  Mr.  C.  Barlow, 
the  well  known  California  ornithologist. 
As  very  often  happens  in  bird-photog- 
raphy, the  birds  had  left  the  foreground 
of  the  picture,  and  to  remedy  this  defect 
the  artist  has  introduced  birds  in  his  draw- 
ing which  were  not  in  the  photograph. 

While  the  result  may  be  considered  an 
artistic  success,  we  fear  it  will  not  be  en- 
dorsed by  ornithologists,  the  added  birds 
not  being  Murres,  but  King  Penguins,  a 
flightless  species  which  does  not  occur  with- 
in several  thousand  miles  of  the  Farallones! 

The  Jacksonville  'Times-Union,'  learn- 
ing from  a  notice  published  in  De- 
cember Bird-Lore  that  a  party  of  hunters 
was  bound  for  Florida  '  to  shoot  all  kinds 
of  water  birds,'  vigorously  comments  on 
their  coming,  under  the  caption,  "Jail  the 
Filibusters,"  as  follows:  "We  invite  all 
correspondents  of  this  paper  to  keep  a 
careful  watch  for  such  filibusters  and  all 
their  kind.  Moreover,  we  insist  that  the 
intention  itself  is  actionable  ;  in  case  no 
capture  is  made  in  this  state,  information 
js  here  furnished  from  reliable  sources 
warranting  the  Attorney-General  in  pro- 
ceeding against  these  parties  within  their 
places  of  hiding  or  business  and  bringing 

them  before  the  Federal   Courts 

Such  wholesale  massacre  has  become 
serious  to  the  farmers  of  the  state,  as  well 
as  to  those  who  take  a  less  materialistic 
interest  in  the  victims.  The  Governor  has 
issued  his  instructions,  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  as  to  the  temper  which  animates  his 
language." 


30 


Bird  -  Lore 


idirti'Eore 

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.  II  February,  1900  No.  1 

SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  and  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 

COPYRIGHTED,  1900,  BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto: 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  Worth  Two  in  the  Hand. 


Bird-Lore  begins  its  second  year  under 
circumstances  which  encourage  the  be- 
lief that  already  it  is  in  a  fair  way 
to  accomplish  the  purposes  for  which  it 
was  established.  These,  it  may  be  re- 
membered, were  stated  in  our  first  issue 
to  be  a  desire  to  aid  students  of  birds  in 
nature  and  to  promote  the  cause  of  the 
Audubon  Societies. 

As  far  as  our  relations  with  bird-stu- 
dents are  concerned,  we  desire  here  to 
express  our  appreciation  of  the  large 
number  of  letters  we  have  received  from 
subscribers  who  have  been  kind  enough 
to  say  that  Bird-Lore  has  been  of  as- 
sistance to  them.  Their  warmly  spoken 
thanks  are  very  grateful  to  us,  and  one 
letter,  like  the  following,  goes  far  toward 
recompensing  us  for  any  labor  expended 
in  their  behalf.  The  writer  says  :  "  I  wish 
to  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
appreciation  of  Bird-Lore  and  of  saying 
that  it  has  with  me  accomplished  the 
purpose  for  which  you  say  it  is  pub- 
lished—  namely,  the  development  of  an 
active  interest  in  birds.  I  am  a  novice 
in  ornithology,  but  Bird-Lore  has  helped 
to  make  the  woods  and  fields  mean  far 
more  to  me  than  they  ever  did  before, 
by  disclosing  a  side  of  nature  to  which  I 


now  see  I  was,  until  recently,  practically 
blind ;  and  I  think  that  my  experiences 
must  be  but  an  example  of  the  experience 
of  many  of  your  other  readers,  who,  like 
myself,  are  business  men,  and  so  have 
comparatively  little  time  to  study  nature." 
From  the  Audubon  Societies  we  have 
received  very  welcome  assurances  that 
Bird-Lore  is  filling  a  '  long  felt  want, ' 
and,  in  this  connection,  we  may  be  per- 
mitted to  quote  from  the  report  for  iSgg 
of  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  chairman  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union  Commit- 
tee on  Bird-Protection.  In  his  report 
for  1898,  Mr.  Stone  had  remarked  upon 
the  necessity  of  an  official  organ  for  the 
Audubon  Societies  ;  he  now  says  that  the 
idea  of  such  a  magazine  has  been  realized 
by  the  appearance  of  'Bird-Lore,'  "  which 
has  fully  justified  the  highest  expectations 
of  its  advocates.  The  Audubon  Society 
department,  under  the  direction  of  Mrs. 
Mabel  Osgood  Wright,  serves  to  unite 
these  organizations  and  forms,  as  it  were,  a 
central  bureau  of  information  upon  this 
line  of  work."  —  Auk,  Jan.  igoo,  p.  52. 

The  press  throughout  the  country,  has 
greeted  '  Bird-Lore  '  most  cordially,  and 
from  numerous  notices  we  select  the  follow- 
ing from  the  Philadelphia  '  North  Ameri- 
can:' "Bird-Lore  completes  its  first  year 
with  the  current  December  number, in  many 
ways  the  best  so  far  issued,  which  is  saying 
a  good  deal.  The  editor  and  publishers 
of  this  more  than  attractive,  beautifully 
illustrated  magazine  deserve  the  utmost 
encouragement,  for  not  only  is  it  full  of 
interest  for  bird-lovers  and  students  of 
field  ornithology,  but  it  is  active  in  a  work 
— that  of  protecting  our  birds — which  is 
far  more  important,  economically  as  well 
as  aesthetically,  than  most  can  imagine. 
Por  these  reasons,  we  heartily  commend 
Bird-Lore  as  the  best  popular  magazine 
on  birds." 

This  reception  of  Bird-Lore  is  far  more 
gratifying  than  mere  pecuniary  success 
could  be  and  is  a  potent  spur  to  our  desire 
to  make  each  issue  better  than  the  last. 

In  the  earlier  numbers  of  the  present 
volume,  which  appear  at  a  time  of  the 
year    when    bird-studies    form    a    part    of 


Editorials 


31 


the  nature-study  courses  in  our  schools, 
special  attention  will  be  paid  to  the 
pedagogics  of  ornithology,  while  the  later 
numbers  will  be  more  largely  devoted  to 
the  recountal  of  experiences  afield. 

Senator  Hoar  has  again  introduced 
into  the  United  States  Senate  a  bill 
designed  to  control  the  traffic  in  feathers 
for  millinery  purposes.  It  differs  from 
the  bill  introduced  by  him  last  year 
only  in  excepting  from  its  provisions 
birds  which   are  used   for   food. 

'The  Millinery  Trade  Review,'  in 
commenting  on  this  bill,  says:  "The 
task  of  crushing  such  a  measure  will  be 
made  more  difficult  than  at  the  last 
session,  but  crushed  it  must  be,  and  every 
man  or  woman  connected  with  the  mil- 
linery trade  must  lend  his  or  her  aid  in 
connection  with  that  of  the  Millinery 
Merchants'  Protective  Association,  whether 
capital  is  invested  in  the  business  or 
one  is  a  wage-earner.  His  or  her  living 
in  the  seasons  to  come  depends  upon  the 
rise  or  fall  of  this  most  iniquitous  and 
childish  measure." 

It  is  this  final  statement  on  which  the 
specious  pleas  of  the  milliners  are  usu- 
aly  based,  whereas,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
no  one  thing  would  more  greatly  benefit 
the  milliners'  trade,  as  a  whole,  than 
the  total  abolition  of  feathers — many  of 
which  are  worn  exactly  as  taken  from 
the  bird — and  their  consequent  replace- 
ment by  various  artificial  ornaments, 
the  manufacture  of  which  would  give 
employment  to  a  much  larger  number 
of  persons  than  are  at  present  engaged 
in   the   millinery   trade. 

In  'Harpers'  Bazaar'  for  November  18, 
1899,  there  appeared  an  editorial  para- 
graph to  the  effect  that  as  Herons  are 
no  longer  killed  for  their  plumes,  which 
are  now  gathered  from  the  ground  and 
plucked  from  captive  birds  there  was 
no  longer  any  reason  why  these  feath- 
ers should  not  be  worn  by  the  most 
humane-minded   woman. 

Inquiry  developed  the  fact  that  this 
paragraph  was  written  by  Mrs.  Isabel 
Strong    and    was    based    on    information 


furnished  her  by  Mrs.  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson,  who  in  turn  had  received  it 
from   a  missionary   to   India. 

Requests  for  a  correction  of  this  er- 
roneous and  misleading  article  resulted 
in  an  admission  from  the  editor  of  the 
magazine  in  question  that  "  unquestion- 
ably ...  a  comparatively  small  propor- 
tion of  those  egrets  used  are  found  upon 
the  ground."  Nevertheless,  he  has  made 
no  further  reference  in  his  pages  to 
Mrs.  Strong's  paragraph,  which  led  the 
reader  to  believe  that  all  the  plumes 
used  were  either  picked  up  from  the 
ground  or  plucked  from  birds  captive 
in  so-called  '  Egret  farms. '  Concerning 
these  '  farms  '  the  editor  of  the  '  Bazaar' 
is  silent,  and  in  every  case  where  inves- 
tigation has  been  possible  the  'farm' 
has  proved  to  be  a  myth.  One  was 
described  in  great  detail  by  a  newspa- 
per correspondent,  who  made  the  mis- 
take of  locating  it  in  Yuma,  Arizona, 
the  home  of  Mr.  Herbert  Brown,  a 
well-known  ornithologist  and  member  of 
Bird-Lore's  Advisory  Council.  Inquiry 
of  Mr.  Brown  develops  the  amusing 
fact  that  the  '  farm  '  consists  of  one  lit- 
tle white  Egret  kept  as  a  pet  at  the 
Southern    Pacific  Hotel. 

Admitting  the  possibility  of  picking 
plumes  from  the  ground,  it  is  absurd  to 
suppose  that  the  plume  hunters  would 
adopt  this  method  to  the  exclusion  of 
shooting,  when  one  well-directed  shot 
would  yield  more  and  better  plumes 
than  they   might  find  in  a  week's  search. 

Assemblyman  Hallock  has  introduced 
a  bird-protection  bill  in  the  New  York  leg- 
islature, which  differs  from  the  existing 
law  in  making  the  possesion  of  a  bird's 
plumage  as  actionable  an  offense  as  pos- 
session of  the  bird  itself.  Under  the  pres- 
ent law  it  has  been  found  impossible  to 
convict  millinery  taxidermists  having  in 
stock  the  freshly  made  skins  of  native 
birds,  but  the  amendment  proposed,  by 
making  the  old  law  active,  will  permit  of 
the  conviction  of  these,  the  worst  offend- 
ers against  it.  We,  therefore,  urge  our 
readers  to  use  all  possible  influence  in 
securing  the  passage  of  Mr.  Hallock's  bill. 


Cl)e  ^utiubon  ^ociette^ 

"  i'ou  cannot  with  a  scalpel  Jind  the  poet's  soul, 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries 

New  Hamphire Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street,  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Maryland Miss  Anne  Weston  Whitney,  715  St.  Paul  Street,  Baltimore. 

Wheeling,  W.  Va.  (branch  of  Pa.  Society) Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  1314  Chapline  street.  Wheeling. 

Qj^JQ Miss  Clara  Russell,  903  Paradrome  street,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

\iyifia. Miss  Nellie  S.  Board,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin ■  Mrs.  George  W.  Pkckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

<j.g3jjis Miss  Cecile  Seixas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 


Wanted— The  Truth 

During  the  past  year  there  has  been  a 
distinct  general  advance  in  the  bird-pro- 
tective movement  which  would  be  very  en- 
couraging to  us  if  it  had  not  been  marred 
by  a  most  unaccountable  and  unexpected 
epidemic  of  the  bird-and-feather-wearing 
habit. 

A  year  ago  we  felt  that  this  habit  of  wear- 
ing prohibited  feathers  was  waning,  that 
we  were  perhaps  harping  too  persistently 
on  one  string,  and  that  some  of  our  pro- 
tection orators  would  better  turn  their  at- 
tention to  the  marauding  Italian,  the  small 
boy,  and  others  ;  in  short,  improve  the  law 
and  leave  the  lady  alone  for  a  time,  to  re- 
adjust her  conscience  and  headgear  ac- 
cording to  the  bright  light  the  Audubon 
Societies  had  shed  upon  the  faults  of  the 
last-named  article. 

A  wide-spread  interest  in  birds  and  the 
pros  and  cons  of  protection  ensued.  Many 
women  who  had  really  worn  egrets  and 
other  prohibited  feathers,  through  lack  of 


knowledge,  abandoned  them,  and  even 
those  who  did  not  choose  to  be  considerate 
could  no  longer  plead  ignorance  as  an  ex- 
cuse. 

The  effects  of  the  crusade  against  the 
killing  of  song  birds  could  be  plainly  seen 
even  amid  the  feather-heaped  windows  of 
the  past  six  months.  In  early  autumn, 
however.  Terns,  Gulls,  whole  or  in  part. 
Grebes  made  into  bandeaux,  crowns  or 
brim  facings,  as  well  as  made  trimmings 
of  portions  of  other  birds,  were  startlingly 
conspicuous.  These  feathers,  however, 
were  easily  recognized,  and  therefore 
avoidable.  But,  alas,  a  new  pitfall  en- 
snared the  same  "moderates"  that  went 
astray  on  the  quill  question,  and  that  pitfall 
was  and  is  the  so-called  "made  trim- 
mings. " 

There  has  been  some  newspaper  agita- 
tion upon  this  subject,  but  rather  wide  of 
the  mark  and  not  expressed  in  a  way  to 
win  credence.  All  statements  concerning 
the  statistics  for  and  against  feather-wear- 


(32) 


The   Audubon   Societies 


33 


ing  and  bird-destruction  should  bear  the 
signature  of  some  one  whose  word  is  that 
of  authority.  There  is  too  much  random 
pen  work.  The  recent  interest  in  bird- 
protection  in  all  branches  has  led  the 
various  journals  of  the  country,  with  a 
well  intentioned  interest  in  current  events, 
to  publish  an  unusual  amount  of  natural 
history  items,  either  collected  at  random 
by  the  office  shears  or  contributed  by 
the  many  ornithological  Munchausens  with 
all  the  plausible  volubility  of  little  knowl— 


The  mis-statements  so  published,  for 
which  no  one  seems  to  be  exactly  respon- 
sible, give  the  lie  to  many  carefully  stated 
truths  that  the  protectionists  wish  most  to 
inculcate.  These  errors,  also,  being  more 
in  accord  with  the  ideas  of  feather-headed 
ladies,  are  eagerly  received,  and  even  after 
they  have  been  corrected  as  tar  as  possible, 
still  continue  their  influence. 

It  is  on  this  point  that  a  new  impulse  can 
be  given  the  work  of  the  Audubon  Socie- 
ties. Newspaper  publicity  of  the  right  sort 
is  what  the  cause  most  needs,  as  the  news- 
paper is  the  only  literature  that  reaches 
the  greater  part  of  the  community  with  any 
sort  of  directness.  Do  what  we  will,  our 
appeals  and  leaflets  reach  but  compara- 
tively few. 

Let  each  Audubon  Society  organize  a 
special  press  committee  composed  of  two 
persons,  one  with  a  bent  for  reading,  the 
other  to  be  one  who  mingles  much  in  so- 
ciety, observing  what  the  local  vagaries  of 
headgear  may  be.  Let  the  reader  go  once 
a  week  to  a  public  library  and  look  over  the 
papers,  with  a  view  of  keeping  in  touch 
with  all  that  is  said  in  regard  to  feathers, 
and  let  the  social  member  keep  note  of  the 
forbidden  or  questionable  feathers  that  ap- 
pear on  bonnets,  so  that  necessary  local 
warnings  may  be  given.  By  this  means 
flagrant  mis-statements  can  be  locally 
corrected,  making  the  work  doubly  sure, 
and  valuable  statistics  as  to  local  feather- 
wearing  can  be  published  from  time  to 
time. 

Of  course  great  care  must  be  taken  in 
the  choosing  of  these  committees.  The 
members  must  be  well  informed  as  well  as 


zealous,  for  in  all  reform  movements,  espe- 
cially those  where  sense  and  sentiment  are 
interwoven,  there  is  but  a  step  from  the 
sublime  to  the  very,  very  ridiculous.  If 
every  Society  will  form  such  a  press  com- 
mittee, able  to  do  conservative  and  reliable 
work  in  its  own  state,  a  committee  upon 
which  editors  can  rely,  knowing  that  it  has 
behind  it  the  authority  and  advice  of 
Bird-Lore's  Advisory  Council,  the  first 
step  will  be  taken  toward  the  desired  Fed- 
eration of  Audubon  Societies,  with  an 
annual  convention  where  members  may 
meet  face  to  face  and  feel  the  fellowship 
that  comes  from  the  spoken  word. 

M.  O.  W. 

An  Appeal  to  Bird-Lovers. 

[The  following  appeal  for  the  Gulls  and 
Terns  has  been  issued  by  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union.  Copies  of  it  may 
be  obtained,  without  charge,  by  address- 
ing Mr.  Abbott  H.  Thayer,  Scarboro, 
N.  Y.— Ed.] 

Fashion  has  again  attacked  the  Gulls 
and  Terns,  and  the  feather  dealers  state 
that  the  demand  for  the  skins  of  these 
birds  far  exceeds  the  supply. 

The  last  moment  for  saving  the  surviv- 
ing Terns  has  come,  and  the  American  Or- 
nithologists' Union  therefore  appeals  to 
every  bird-lover  for  money,  to  be  used  in 
hiring  wardens  to  protect  the  birds  while 
nesting.  Contributions  should  be  sent  to 
Mr.  William  Dutcher,  treasurer  cf  the 
Union,  at  525  Manhattan  avenue.  New 
York  city,  who  will  furnish  all  desired  in- 
formation. 

Abbott  H.   Thayer. 
William  Brewster, 

Pres.  Mass.  Audubon  Society. 

Witmer  Stone. 

Chairman  A.  Ci.  V .  Com.  on  Bird  Protection 

Robert  Ridgway, 

President  A    O.  U. 

C.  Hart  Merriam, 

Chief  U.  S    Biological  Survey;  Vice  Pres.  A.  O.  U. 

A.  K.  Fisher, 

Ass't  Biologist,  U.  S.  Biological  Survey. 

J.  A.  Allen, 

Curator  Vertebrate  Zoology,  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  His. 

Frank  M.  Chapman, 

Ass't  Curator  Ver.  Zoology,  Am.  Mus.  N.  His. 

William  Dutcher, 

Treasurer  A.  O,  U. 


34 


Bird  -  Lore 


Where  the  Grebe  Skins  Come  From. 

By  Vernon    Baii.ev,  Biological    Survey,    Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture. 

In  a  Washington  street  car  the  other 
day  I  counted  thirteen  Grebe  skins  on 
women's  hats,  and  I  am  sure  Washing- 
ton women  are  no  more  partial  to  these 
ornaments  than  the  women  of  other 
cities  across  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
continent,  The  beautiful,  silvery  skins 
with  rich  brown  borders  are  becoming 
so  fashionable  and  being  worn  by  so 
many  thousand  women,  that  the  ques- 
tion   arises.  Where   do    they  come   from  ? 

Last  summer  my  work  took  me  among 
the  Grebe  hunters  of  the  lake  region  of 
eastern  California  and  Oregon.  In  this 
half  desert  region  of  scattered  stock 
ranches,  where  great,  shallow,  alkaline 
lakes  with  wide  borders  of  tules  fill  the 
bottoms  of  the  valleys  and  the  country 
seems  fitted  especially  to  be  a  home  for 
wild  things,  vast  numbers  of  Grebes  have 
for  centuries  built  their  nests  and  raised 
their  young.  Their  only  enemies  were 
the  mink,  otter  and  other  wild  foes  that 
experience  had  taught  them  to  cope 
with.  Even  the  Indians  left  them  unmo- 
lested, preferring  Ducks  and  their  eggs 
as  food,  so  the  Grebes  were  secure  in 
their   homes   until   fashion  claimed  them. 

Over  most  of  the  country  the  Grebes 
are  known  only  as  migrants,  when  they  are 
so  wary  and  so  expert  in  diving  that 
they  are  well  prepared  to  take  care  of 
themselves.  But  on  the  breeding  grounds 
all  is  different.  As  I  waded  among  the 
tules  in  the  shallow  margins  of  Tule 
lake,  California,  last  summer,  the  Grebes 
followed  close  after  me  or,  diving,  came 
up  again  only  a  few  feet  away,  cackling 
and  scolding,  as  they  tried  to  drive  or 
coax  me  away  from  their  island  nests, 
which  were  floating  among  the  tules, 
boldly  offering  their  lives  for  the  safety 
of  their  homes.  Often  as  I  stopped  to 
examine  the  hastily  covered  eggs  in  the 
damp  cup  of  the  floating  nest,  the  old 
birds  would    rise  noiselessly  from  beneath 


the  water  by  the  side  of  the  nest 
and  sit  motionlesss  on  the  surface, 
watching  me  with  their  bright  red  eyes 
full  of  anxiety.  Or,  as  I  surprised  a 
brood  of  little  black,  downy  chicks 
among  the  tules  one  of  the  parent  birds 
would  swim  fearlessly  up  to  me  to  at- 
tract my  attention,  while  the  other  hur- 
ried the  chicks  out  of  sight  into  the  tules 
or  swam  rapidly,  with  them  clinging  to 
her  feathers,  out  into  deep  water.  The 
three  species  of  Grebes  breeding  here, 
the  Western,  the  Eared,  and  the  Dab- 
chick,  though  belonging  to  different  gen- 
era, are  similar  in  habits.  They  are 
miniature  Loons,  graceful,  soft-tinted, 
silvery  breasted  water  sylphs,  fitted  only 
for  inhabiting  the  water  or  the  air. 
Harmless,  beautiful,  defenceless,  they 
fill  the  place  among  birds  which  the  fur 
seals  do  among  mammals,  and  their 
doom  seems  as  sure  and  as  sad. 

While  among  the  nests  watching  the 
brave,  beautiful  little' people  building  and 
guarding  their  homes  and  caring  for  their 
young,  I  could  hear  the  guns  of  the  skin 
hunters  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  all  day, 
and  I  was  told  that  from  early  spring  till 
the  lakes  freeze  in  fall  the  destruction 
goes  on,  though  most  successfully  during 
the  breeding  season.  The  birds  are  shot, 
the  skins  of  the  breasts  are  stripped  off, 
dried  flat  and  packed  in  gunny  sacks. 
They  bring  the  hunters  20  cents  each,  and 
I  was  told  that  several  thousand  were 
shipped  from  Klamath  Falls  every  week 
through  the  summer,  and  that  the  hunters 
often  make  twenty  or  thirty  dollars  a  day. 

Shall  we  appeal  to  these  rough,  untaught 
men  to  desist — to  give  up  the  rich  harvest 
they  are  reaping  ?  It  would  be  as  useless 
as  to  appeal  to  the  unthinking  women  who 
decorate  themselves  with  the  innocent 
breasts.  The  state  laws  do  not  protect 
these  birds,  because  they  are  not  consid- 
ered game.  A  few  years  more  and  there 
will  be  no  need  of  protecting  them  ;  they 
will  be  where  the  Egrets,  the  Pigeons  and 
the  Buffalo  are — in  our  memories. 


A    BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official    Organ    of    the    Audubon    Societies 


Vol.  II  April,  1900  No.  2 


A    New    Camera    for   Bird    Photographers 

BY    JOHN    ROWLEY 
Chief   Taxidermist  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural   History 

EELING  keenly  in  my  work  the  need  of  a  camera 
which  would  enable  me  to  make  studies  of  birds  and 
animals,  I  have  for  several  years  been  experimenting 
with  devices  which  would  be  more  suitable  for  my 
purposes  than  any  of  the  ordinary  tripod  or  snap-shot 
cameras    of    the    trade. 

In  1895  I  ordered  from  Messrs.  Scovill  l^:  Adams  a  5x7  'double 
decker,'  built  after  plans  of  my  own.  This  camera  had  twin  lenses, 
one  above  the  other  and  both  of  the  same  focal  length.  The  upper 
lens  threw  the  image  upon  the  mirror,  whence  it  was  reflected  to  a 
horizontal  ground  glass  protected  by  a  hood  and  situated  upon  the 
top  of  the  box  :  and  the  other  lens  communicated  directly  with  the 
plate  below,    upon   which   the  exposure  was   to   be   made. 

This  camera  worked  very  well,  but  was  entirely  too  bulky,  and 
its  large  size  led  me  to  thinking  of  means  by  which  one  lens  could 
be  made  to  do  the  work  that  in  the  twin-lens  two  were  doing,  thus 
reducing  the  size  of  the  box  one-half.  My  first  idea  was  to  build  a 
box  on  the  plan  of  the  ordinar}'  hand  camera  and  place  a  ground 
glass  on  the  top.  A  mirror  was  then  hung  in  the  box  at  an  angle 
of  45  degrees  to  the  plate  and  adjusted  as  in  the  'double  decker,'  but 
hinged  at  the  back,  so  that  it  could  be  swung  up  out  of  the  way 
and  the  exposure  made  on  the  plate  at  the  rear.  The  lens  shutter 
(a  Prosch)  was  changed  so  that  when  open,  one  pressure  of  the  bulb 
closed  the  shutter  and  released  the  mirror,  which,  by  means  of  a 
spring,  flew  up  and  remained  clamped  to  the  inside  of  the  top  of  the 
box,  and  shutting  out  any  light  that  might  come  in  through  the  ground 
glass  there.  A  second  pressure  of  the  bulb  made  the  exposure  on 
the  plate   by  opening   and  closing   the  shutter  instantaneously. 


38 


Bird  -  Lore 


The  fault  of  this  device  was  that  light  came  in  through  the 
ground  glass  at  the  top  while  the  mirror  was  raising  and  fogged 
the    plate.      To    avoid    this,    a    red    ground    glass    was   put    in,    but,   in 


fig.  i.    interior  of  right  side  of  mirror  camera 
(hood  closed) 


focusing,  the  image  appeared  so  faintly  upon  it  that  I  concluded  this 
would  not  answer.  I  finally  hit  upon  the  focal  plane  shutter,  and 
this  solved   the  difficulty. 

There  is  nothing  new  about  the  focal  plane,  or  curtain  shutter ; 
it  has  been  in  use  for  years  ;  but  the  one  I  have  employed  differs 
from  the  one  made  by  the  Thornton-Pickard  people  in  that  the  spring 
is  not  coiled  in  the  roller,  on  the  plan  of  a  Hartshorn  shade  roller, 
but  is  on  the  side  of  the  box,  where  it  is  attached  to  double  cogs, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  i,  A.  This  is  stronger  than  the  coiled  spring, 
and  gives  a  more  uniform  tension  and  consequently  a  more  even 
exposure. 

The  focal  plane  shutter  may  be  used  in  front  of  or  immediately 
behind  the  lens,  or  just  in  front  of  the  plate.  In  the  camera  here 
described,  as  may  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  illustration  (Fig.  i, 
B,  B),  the  curtain  works  just  in  advance  of  the  plate  and  as  close 
to  it  as  possible.  The  curtain  is  provided  with  an  adjustable  slot 
(Fig.  I,  C  to  C),  which  may  be  widened  or  narrowed  down  as  circum- 
stances require.  The  slot  forms  the  speeder,  for  obviously  the  nar- 
rower the  slot  the  less  the  time  of  exposure  while  the  slot  is  traveling 
down  across  the  plate,  and  vice  versa.  The  curtain  works  upon  two 
rollers  (Fig.  i,  D  and  E).  To  make  the  exposure  the  curtain  is 
wound  up  on  the  upper  roller,  E,  by  turning  a  key  fast  to  the 
roller,  E,    and   projecting  through  to  the  outside  of  the    box. 

As  the  curtain  is  rolled  upon  the  upper  roller  the  tension  is 
increased    upon    the    clock    spring    attached     to    the    large    cogwheel 


A   New   Camera   for   Bird   Photographers 


39 


which  works  upon  the  smaller  cogwheel,  which  is  fast  to  the  end 
of  the  lower  roller,  D.  If  the  key  were  freed,  the  lower  roller 
would  at  once  revolve  and  pull  down  the  curtain  from  the  upper 
roller  and  the  curtain  would  then  be  wound  upon  the  lower  roller 
again. 

The  upper  roller  is  furnished  with  a  cog  attachment,  and  a 
small  lever  (Fig.  i,  F)  catches  into  each  cog  as  the  roller  is  wound 
up  and  keeps  the  roller  from  turning  back.  In  this  way  the  curtain 
is  wound  up  on  the  upper  roller  and    held   there. 

The  small  lever  or  catch  (Fig.  i,  F)  is  attached  to  a  longer 
lever  (Fig.  i,  G).  When  the  distant  end  (H)  of  the  long  lever  is 
raised  a  little  the  end  of  the  small  lever  at  E  is  forced  upwards 
and  releases  the  roller,  and  the  tension  of  the  spring  below  winds 
the  curtain  back  upon  the  lower  roller. 

A  mirror  (I,  I)  set  in  a  light  wooden  frame  is  hinged  at  the  upper 

end  and  rests  upon  a  bed  of    felt-covered   strips  of   wood    all   around 

(J'    J'    J)-      '^^^^    mirror   is    hung    at    an    angle    of    45    degrees    to    the 

plate,  and  is  placed  so  that  the  distance  from 
the    lens    to    the  surface  of    the    mirror  and 
up  again   to  a   ground   glass   (Fig.    i,    K   K) 
set  into  the  top  of   the   box,  is  the  same  dis- 
tance in  a  straight  line  from   the  lens  to  the 
plate.      The   image   comes    through   the    lens 
upon    the    mirror  and    is    reflected    upwards 
upon    the    ground    glass, 
where     it       is      properly 
focused  by  means  of  the 
ordinary  rack  and  pinion 
attachment  (Fig.  i,  Q). 

The  mirror  is  raised 
by  means  of  the  combi- 
nation of  levers  (Fig.  2, 
L,  L,  L).  A  spur  at- 
tached to  this  lever  at 
M  projects  through  the 
side  of  the  box  and 
works  up  and  down  in 
a  slot  (N)  cut  there  for 
its       reception.  When 

the  spur  of  the  lever  is  pressed  downwards  the  mirror  (Fig.  2,  I,  I) 
is  raised  and  closes  tightly  upon  a  felt-lined  and  light-proof  bed 
(O,  O)  upon  the  inside  of  the  top  of  the  box  and  surrounding  the 
ground  glass. 


interior  of  left  side  of  mirror  camera 
(hood  raised) 


40 


Bird-  Lore 


! 

1  cDJ    Ht■^<v\l 

[TT]     1 ! 

^                                ^ 

"=^=:.:..-^=^ 

1 1                                                     ' ' 

_ay 

\^ 

FIG.    3.      VIEW    OP    HOOD    (OPENiiD)    FOR 
GROUND    GLASS    OF    MIRROR    CAMERA 


Just  as  the  mirror  closes  upon  the  bed  (O,  O)  the  end  of  the 
lever  (H)  is  forced  upwards,  the  catch  at  E  holding  the  cog  on 
the  upper  roller  is  released,  and  the  slot  in  the  curtain  passes  down- 
wards across  the  plate  and  makes  the  exposure.  The  ground  glass 
(K,  K)  is  protected  with  a  four-sided  pyramidal  hood  (Fig.  2,  P) 
with  a  slot  in  the  top  to  look  through  (F'ig.  3,  A).  This  shuts  out 
,  all    the   light    from  above   and    gives 

the  operator  a  good  opportunity  to 
focus  sharply  upon  the  ground  glass 
inside.  When  not  in  use  the  four 
sides,  being  hinged  at  their  bases, 
fold  down  upon  the  ground  glass 
and  are  out  of   the  way. 

The  bottom  of  the  box  is  pro- 
\  ided  with  a  nut  for  the  reception 
of  a  tripod  screw,  and  the  curtain, 
when  rolled  up  as  far  as  it  will  go, 
rolls  entirely  out  of  the  way.  The 
mirror  may  then  be  raised  and  held 
there  by  means  of  a  small  sliding 
attachment  to  hold  down  the  spur 
of  the  lever  at  M,  Fig.  2  ;  and  the 
box  may  be  used  as  an  ordinary  camera  by  operating  a  shutter  at- 
tached  to   the  front  of  the  lens. 

This  camera  thus  contains  all  the  advantages  of  the  ordinary 
hand  camera,  with  the  additional  features  of  the  full-sized  finder 
and    focusing  attachment. 

To  make  a  shot  the  camera  is  held  in  the  hands  and  the  image 
is  focused  sharply  vipon  the  ground  glass.  The  curtain  is  already 
rolled  up  and  the  slide  drawn  from  the  plate-holder.  The  plate  is 
in  no  danger  of  being  light-struck  from  within,  as  it  is  protected  by 
the  light-proof  curtain.  The  spur  of  the  lever  projecting  through 
the  side  of  the  box  (M,  Fig.  2)  is  simply  pressed  downwards  with 
the  thumb,  the  mirror  raises  out  of  the  way  of  direct  communication 
between  the  lens  and  the  plate,  and  just  as  it  closes  upon  the  light- 
tight  bed  at  the  top,  the  curtain  drops  and  the  slot,  passing  across 
the  face  of   the   plate,    makes   the  exposure. 

Thus  far  I  have  used  this  camera  largely  upon  animals,  but  as 
an  illustration  of  its  effectiveness  on  birds  I  may  describe  the 
manner  in  which  the  accompanying  picture  of  Wild  Geese  (see 
frontispiece)   was  made. 

These  birds,  although  in  one  of  the  })onds  of  Central  Park,  New 
York    Cit}',   are    by  no  means    tame,    and  a  close  approach   to   them    is 


Photographing   a    Robin 


41 


possible  only  b\'  means  of  a  boat.  A  tripod  camera  would,  under 
the  circumstances,  be  useless,  nor  could  one  focus  a  camera  held  in 
the  hands,  then  insert  a  plate-holder,  draw  the  slide  and  make  the 
exposure,  for  the  reason  that  the  rapid  motion  of  the  geese  and 
pursuing   boat  requires  constant   adjustment  of   focus. 

A  wide-angle,  short  focus  or  set  focus,  snap-shot  camera  would 
give  too  small  and  too  distorted  an  image  to  be  desirable,  while  an 
attempt  to  guess  at  the  distance  in  focusing  the  long  focus  lens 
required  for  bird  photography  would  result  in  failure  ninety-nine 
times  out  of  a  hundred. 

But  with  this  mirror  camera  the  focus  was  easily  obtained  with 
the  lo-inch  Swift  lens  employed,  and  the  moment  the  birds  appeared 
sharp  on  the  ground  glass  the  lever  was  pressed  down,  mirror 
thrown  up,  curtain  released,  and  exposure  made,  all  in  the  same 
fraction  of  a  second. 


Photographing    a    Robin 

BY    A.   L.    PRINCEHORN,   Glen    Island.    N.  Y. 
Illustrated  by  photographs  from  nature  by  the  author 


ROBIX    FEEDING    VOUXG 


I 


N  THE  latter  part  of 
April,  i8g8,  I  noticed 
a  Robin  carrying  straws 
to  the  sill  of  a  window  of 
the  Museum  building  of 
Glen  Island,  but,  as  the 
wind  blew  the  straw  away 
almost  as  fast  as  it  was 
deposited,  she  was  some- 
what puzzled,  and  tried  the 
next  window,  with  the  same 
result. 

That  evening,  with  the 
object  of  helping  her,  I 
nailed  a  narrow  strip  of 
wood  to  the  edge  of  the 
sill  which  had  the  most  straws  deposited  upon  it,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  she  resumed  work,  apparently  appreciating  the  help  I 
had  given  her,  and  adopted  that  window  for  her  nesting-site.  The 
work  now  progressed  rapidly,  and  in  a  few  days  the  nest  was  com- 
pleted. 


42 


Bird  -  Lore 


My   next    thought   was    to    obtain   a    photograph    of    the   bird    and 

nest  ;   but,  as  the  window  was  far  from   the  ground,  I  was  obliged   to 

make  exposures  from  the 
inside  of  the  house,  and 
consequently  against  the 
light. 

The  bird  was  quite 
shy  at  first,  leaving  the 
nest  as  soon  as  she  heard 
a  step  in  the  room,  but 
as  we  were  careful  not  to 
disturb  her  more  than 
was  necessar}',  she  soon 
became  more  accustomed 
to  our  presence,  and 
would  remain  on  the  nest 
KoiiN  Fi-EDiNc;  YOUNG  while  We  walked  past  the 

window,  although  she  was  always  very  much  on  the  alert. 

When    the    birds    were    hatched    I    ventured    to  open    the    window 

during  the  parents'  absence  in  search  of  food,   and,   having  previously 

focused      the      camera 

on  the  nest,  concealed 

myself  and  waited  for 

the   return  of    the   old 

bird.    The  female  soon 

returned,    but  did    not 

seem     at    all     pleased 

with   the    change,    ap- 
pearing   quite   anxious 

and   nervous.      The 

next  day  she  was  more 

at     her     ease,     and     I 

eventually      succeeded 

in  securing  a  series  of 

photographs      of      her 

and   her   young.  robin  feeding  young 


How   a    Marsh    Hawk    Grows 


:BY  p.  B.  PEABODY,  Hallock.  Minnesota 
With  photographs  froiiKiiature  by  the  aiulior 

\'EN  so  cosmopolitan  a  bird  as  the  Marsh  Hawk  must 
have  idios3'ncrasies  of  his  own.  We  talk  of  uniformity  in 
Nature  :  but  it  is  diversity  that  persists,  and  that  proves 
itself  at,  once  the  law  of  life  and  the  zest  of  study. 
Nevertheless,  to  the  uninitiated,  all  Hawks  are  Hawks  ; 
and  the  wanton  who  unskilfully  shoots  a  Marsh  Hawk  on  the 
wing  because  it  is  a  Hawk,  and  just  to  see  it  drop,  lacks, 
probabl}'.  the  sense  to  perceive  his  utter  lawlessness.  But  let 
him  spend  a  season  on  the  broad  prairie,  noting,  the  while,  the 
many  fascinating  ways  of  this  most  picturesque  of  prairie  birds  ; 
and  he  will  thereafter,  when  afield,  drop  quickly  the  gun-muzzle 
that  springs  up  so  instinctively  when  the  bird  rises  at  his  feet  :  the 
naturalist  dominating  the  bird-killer  when  he  realizes  what  it  is  that 
wafts  itself  with  such  nonchalant  grace  before  him. 

No    mere    sportsman    can     know    with    what    enthusiasm    we    greet 
the  first  old   male  Marsh   Hawk,  when  winter  snows  are  disappearing 
and  some  long  drive  across  the  willow-clad  waste  reveals  that  exquisite 
gray     bird    rising    and     falling,     feather-like,    upon    the     horizon     line. 
And  when,    some   ten    days   later,    his   somber   mate   rejoins   him,    our 
recollection  kindles  as  we   look   backward   and  recall   the   days  when, 
driving,    road-free,    through    fallow    and    brushland    knoll    and    willow- 
stretch,  with  instinct   trained 
almost     into     intuition,      our 
startled  horse    recoiled    from 
the  weather-beaten  sitter  that 
rose,  a  yard  before  the  horse's 
nose,     to    vent     her    cackling 
displeasure    in    many    an  im- 
pudent   swoop  at    the    intru- 
der's head. 

Whoever  saw  a  Marsh 
Hawk  building  her  nest  ? 
Not  many  of  us.  One  sin- 
gle recollection  of  a  female, 
bearing  a  large  weed-stem 
in  her  talons  and  sweeping,  more  swiftly  than  the  wind  that  bore 
her,  across  a  well  grazed  meadow,  to  drop  the  stick,  without  a 
pause,  at  the  nest-site  ;  this  is  the  one  germane  fact  that  the  writer 
has   to   offer.      One  is  sure   that   the  whole   process   is  carried   on  and 

(43) 


PRAIRIE    WHERE    MARSH    HAWKS    NEST 

The  blurred  olijcct  at  the  center  of  the  picture  is  a  Marsh  Hawk 
arising  from  its  nest 


44  Bird -Lore 

completed  in  utmost  secrecy.  After  the  first  eggs  are  laid,  however, 
the  devoted  pair  so  demean  themselves  that  one  with  even  a  slight 
experience  in  Marsh  Hawk  ways  need  spend  but  a  half-hour,  at  al- 
most any  time  of  day,  in  locating  a  Marsh  Hawk  nest  within  his 
horizon. 

Three  distinct  forms  of  nesting  site  are  observable  on  the  northern 
Minnesota  prairies  :  low  spots  in  fallow  fields,  or  in  meadowy  prairie 
expanses,  wherein  the  grass  grows  rankly  ;  narrow  sconces,  amid  tiny 
willow  clumps  ;  and,  sometimes,  brushland  knolls,  tributary  to  the 
feeding  grounds.  The  two  open  sites,  apparently  equally  favored, 
seem  to  be  much  preferred  to  the  brushy  coverts  :  but  this  preference 
may  be  apparent  only  as  one  sees  better  and  further  on  the  open 
land.  Probably  the  low,  weedy  and  grassy  areas  on  fallow  ground 
are  more  used  than  any  other  sites  along  the  Red  River  of  the  North; 
for  here  there  is  abundant  run-way  and  hide-way  for  the  growing 
Hawklets ;  while  the  favorite  forms  of  food  (field-mice  and  sper- 
mophiles),  though  not  more  common  than  on  the  meadows  and  the 
prairies,  are,  as  a  rule,  more  easily  seen  and  taken  on  these  open 
hunting  grounds.  And  this  certitude  and  nearness  of  food  must  be 
a  prime  consideration  in  the  nest-locating  :  for  when  there  are  from 
three  to  eight  insatiable  maws  for  two  mortal  parent  Hawks  to  fill, 
the  economic  question  must  rule,  —  even  with  the  birds.  Two  excep- 
tional sites  must  here  be  noted  ;  both  found,  curiously  enough,  on 
the  same  day  and  but  eighty  rods  apart.  Each  was  placed  on  the 
level  upland  prairie,  amid  scanty  growth,  and  was  made  flimsily  of 
weeds  ;  each  set  consisted  of  six  eggs  :  and  all  the  eggs  were  ex- 
quisitely marked. 

It  is  first  in  the  choice  of  its  nesting  sites  and  then  in  the  whole 
conduct  of  its  domestic  economies,  that  the  wonderful  diversity  of  the 
Marsh  Hawk  from  its  congeners  constantly  appears.  I  never  yet  saw 
a  pair  of  Marsh  Hawks,  or  a  brood  of  young,  and  I  have  seen  very 
many  of  both,  that  did  not  show  surprising  individualisms  that  have 
added  incalculably  to  the  pleasure  of  summer  bird  studies. 

There  is  a  wide  variance  in  the  amount  of  nest  material,  and  in 
the  depth  and  tidiness  of  the  nest.  On  higher  land  the  nests  are 
often  the  scantiest  ;  the  brushland  nests  consisting  often  of  but  a 
wisp  of  weedy  material.  Yet,  curiously  enough,  the  most  elaborate 
and  sumptuous  nest  I  ever  foiuid  was  on  a  hazel  knoll  :  the  explana- 
tion for  which  lay,  perhaps,  in  the  fact  that  rain-spoiled  hay-cocks 
of  the  previous  season  lay,  in  this  case,  just  at  hand.  With  this 
exception,  it  is  the  lowland  nests  that  are  built  up  most,  these  often 
rising  to  a  foot  in  height.  All  nests  in  this  region  are  made  exclu- 
sively of  grass  and  weed-stems. 


How  a  Marsh   Hawk   Grows  45 

Whatever  the  diversities  of  place  and  material,  the  dates  of  nest- 
finishing  and  egg-laying  seem  to  be,  in  this  region,  remarkably  uni- 
form. Observations  covering  a  dozen  nests,  and  extended  over  a 
period  embracing  the  first  laying  and  a  rather  advanced  stage  of 
incubation,  have  given,  as  the  result  of  careful  calculation,  the  dates 
May  10-16  as  those  within  which  (barring  sets  manifestly  belated) 
the  first  eggs  are  invariably  laid, — this  during  four  seasons,  early 
and  late,  which  makes  it  fairly  plain  that  Marsh  Hawks  stay  not  for 
weather. 

Probably  the  male  Hawk  does  not  feed  his  mate  during  the 
incubation  period,  since  the  two  share  the  home  duties  of  that 
season.  But  it  would  be  most  interesting  to  learn  for  how  long 
periods  they  severally  sit,  and  the  hours  of  the  day  at  which  they 
relieve  each  other. 

How  many  eggs,  at  each  raising,  does  the  Marsh  Hawk  lay  ?  I 
ask  not  rhetorically,  but  for  information.  With  us  six  eggs  is  the 
rule  ;  sets  of  five  are  fairly  common,  and  sets  of  four  are  rare.  I 
have  found  in  early  June  two  sets,  of  two  and  three,  respectively; 
these  being,  manifestly,  the  "sequela?"  of   interruption   or  destruction. 


NEST    AND    EIGHT    EGGS    OF    MARSH    HAWK 


A  most  exceptional  set  of  eight  was  found  this  season  in  a  50-foot 
meadow  spot,  near  large  willows,  on  the  lowland  flats.  But  even 
this  case  would  seem  to  show  the  evils  of  over-production.  For,  of 
the  eight  eggs,  one  was  crowded  out  of  the  nest  and  preserved  ; 
while  from  the  seven  eggs  but  three  chicks  were  found  when  the 
spot  was  visited  two  weeks  later.  Had  the  three  elder  birds 
devoured  the   four   younger  ?       I    have  seen   a  two-thirds-grown  Short- 


46 


Bird -Lore 


eared    Owl    trying    to    swallow    his    little    five-days-old    brother ;     why 
might  not,   then,  a  fledgling   Marsh   Hawk  turn  cannibal  ? 

The  photographing  of  the  above  remarkable  nest  gave  new  and 
beautiful  emphasis  to  a  matter  of  incubation-economics  that  I  have 
observed     in     this     region,    as    an     absolute! \'    uniform    fact,    with     the 


NESi     AND    EGG,    AND    Makmi     hAUKj,    ABOUT    ONE    TO    FOUR    DAYS    OLD 
Pliotographed  from  nature  by  E    G    Tabor,  Meridian,  N.  V, 

Bobolink,  the  Meadowlark  and  the  Marsh  Hawk  :  but  to  which  I 
have  yet  never  seen  attention  drawn  by  any  writer  or  observer.  This 
fact  was'  the  more  interesting  in  that  I  did  not  notice  how  carefully 
the  eggs  were  arranged  to  secure  greatest  uniformity  of  heating  from 
the  mother's  bod}-  until    the  negative  had  been  developed. 

In  this  region  all  the  species  noted  above  lay,  normally,  six 
eggs,  and  these  eggs  I  have  invariably  found  arranged  in  two  rows 
of  three  each.  In  case  of  the  Bobolinks  and  Meadowlarks.  the  two 
rows  are  always  '  in  line  '  with  the  entrances,  and  these  birds,  when 
observed  on  the  nest,  were  alwa}s  sitting  with  their  heads  peering 
out  over  their  door-steps.  In  case  of  the  nest  of  eight  eggs 
noted  above,  it  will  be  seen  from  the  illustration  that  two  of  the 
eggs  lie,  each,  in  the  junction  between  the  sets  of  four  that  lie 
nearest  together.  What  a  startling  revelation,  by  the  way,  might 
be  made  should  some  future  development  of  X-ray  photography 
make  it  possible  for  one  to  photograph,  for  instance,  a  Sora  Rail, 
sitting  on  her  sixteen  eggs  in  one  of  our  northern  marshes  ? 

When  once  the  eggs  of    the    Marsh    Hawk    begin  to    hatch— and 


How   a  Marsh   Hawk   Grows  47 

they  are  hatched  one  day  apart  —  nest-finding  is  easy.  On  one  oc- 
casion I  saw  a  male  Marsh  Hawk  flying  heavily  westward,  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away,  carrying  what  afterward  proved  to  be  leopard  sper- 
mophile.  Steadily  I  watched  him  until  he  had  passed  the  open 
fields  and  meadows  and  reached  an  open  space  between  two  poplar 
and  willow  'bluffs.'  He  was  then  more  than  half  a  mile  awa}'.  Sud- 
denly, from  the  ground  below  him.  rose  his  mate,  with  most  exquisite 
grace,  catching,  with  her  feet  upward,  the  prey  that  he  dropped  to 
her  when  she  was  a.  few  feet  below  him.  With  slight  detour,  she 
went  at  once  to  the  nest  ;  to  which  I  also  went,  well-nigh  as  directly, 
locating  the  nest  before  I  reached  it,  in  the  little  cluster  of  willows 
just  beneath  the  bird. 

One  brood  of  birds  reared  in  such  a  site  as  this,  on  a  vacant 
section  of  land  amid  the  fields,  I  believe  to  have  been  reared  by  the 
female  alone.  In  forty  days  of  occasional  study  I  never  saw  or 
heard  the  male.  This  nest,  found  when  the  first  egg  was  hatching, 
has  formed  the  basis  of  all  subsequent  study  as  to  ages,  and  relative 
feather-growth  :  so  that  the  most  of  what  follows  will  group  the  facts 
portrayed  about  this  family,  though  other  broods  have  supplied  their 
quota  of    interesting  things. 

I  have  never  detected  any  difference  in  the  foods  brought  to  the 
young  at  the  various  stages  of  their  growth.  Smaller  morsels  for 
the  smaller  birds,  and  that  seems  all.  Among  the  ejecta  analyzed 
have  been  found  the  remains  of  field-mice,  leopard  frogs,  leopard 
and  striped  spermophiles  ;  and,  I  am  compelled  to  confess  it,  young 
Pinnated  Grouse.  Of  these,  three  skeletons  have  been  found.  In 
the  main,  the  male  is  the  hunter.  This  habit  of  dropping  the  quarry 
to  the  nest,  or  to  the  mate,  is  rather  common  —  I  having,  while  half 
concealed  in  my  buggy  by  dense  brush,  seen  the  male  approach  an 
open  area  beyond,  hardly  two  hundred  feet  away,  and  drop  the 
game  to  his  mate  from  a  height  of  fifty  feet  above  her,  she  then 
carrying  it  a  hundred  yards  awa}',  to  the  nest  —  the  only  nest  I  ever 
failed   to  find. 

In  two  weeks  after  birth  the  birds  grow  lanky.  About  this  time 
they  begin  to  make  run-ways  from  the  nest,  to  eat  their  food  in 
seclusion,  or  to  find  a  better  shade  from  the  heat  of  a  June  sun.  At 
about  three  weeks  the  flight-feathers  begin  to  sprout,  and  the  lusty 
young  things,  prone  enough  to  hide  along  their  run-ways  at  two 
weeks  old,  become  now  more  bold,  yet  no  less  inclined  to  slink  away 
the  minute  one's  back  is  turned.  After  this  age  the  photographing 
of  these  birds  becomes  a  science  by  itself —  requiring  cool,  sunny 
days,  abundant  patience,  and  no  end  of  plates.  The  mosquitoes  and 
the  blue-bottle  flies,  both  being  faithful   retainers  at  the   Marsh  Hawk's 


48 


Bird-  Lore 


courts  ;  the  intense  lieat,  which  makes  the  birds  loll  and  fidget  ;  the 
pleasant  effluvium,  evidencing  garter-snakes,  and  such  like,  and  above 
all,  the  habit  the  birds  have  of  sneaking  away  just  as  one  has  them 
nicely  posed, —  these  are  some  of  the  amenities  of  this  sort  of  pho- 
tography. Yet  there  are  compensations.  Call  it  hypnosis,  or  what  you 
will,  the  young  birds,  until  thirty-five  days  old.  when  the  feathers 
are  quite  fully  grown,  show  themselves  to  be  most  patient  sitters, 
even  when,  to  speak  Irishly,  they  are  lying  on  their  backs.  All  this, 
if  one  keeps  his  eye  upon  them.  Thus,  one  four  weeks'  old  bird  lay 
on  his   back  not   less  than  twenty  minutes   in  the   blazing   sun  with  his 


MARSH     HAWKS,    24    DAYS    OLD 

eyes  wide  open,  the  blue-bottles  buzzing  about  his  head,  and  the 
mosquitoes  plying  their  beaks  upon  his  cere.  At  this  age  the  young 
birds  seem  to  become  quite  inured  to  the  sun,  yet  the\"  now  spend 
most  of  their  time  at  some  distance  from  the  nest  —  from  ten  to  fifty 
feet — the  paths  that  the}'  several!}'  and  collectively  use  becoming 
by  this  time  well  beaten  and  strewn  with  pellets  and  the  cast-off 
elements  of  their  plumage. 

At  about  thirty-four  days  the  first  real  attempt  at  flight  begins. 
No  longer  now.  when  the  young  bird  is  traced  to  his  lair,  will  he 
throw  himself  upon  his  back,  in  open-beaked  defiance  ;  but  he 
rises  at  once  just  from  under  one's  feet,  and  flaps,  not  ungrace- 
fully, along  the  grass  or  bush-tops.  At  about  forty  days  from  birth 
the  young  make  fairly  long  flights,  rising  even  above  the  tree-tops, 
amid  which   some   of    them   have  been   reared. 

Such  is  the  life-history  of  a  young  Marsh  Hawk — from  egg  to 
air.  Thirty  days  in  the  shell,  and  forty  days  a'growing — after  who 
knows    how    man}-     days    of    site-surveying    and    nest-building,     in    all 


How   a  Marsh   Hawk   Grows 


49 


nearly  threu  months  of  domestic  toil  and  devotion  on  the  part  of  its 
parents.  No  wonder  that  both  the  parents  and  the  young  should 
cling  to  the  dear,  familiar  spot.  No  wonder  that  the  parents  should 
return,  year  by  year,  to  the  hunting  range  they  know  so  well  ;  and 
that  even  the  young,  when  freed  from  the  trammels  of  their  lairs, 
should  yet  come  back,  for  days,  as  I  have  seen  them  do,  and 
haunt  the  spot  wherein  they  gained  their  bulk,  strengthened  their 
sinews  and  fortified  their  wings  for  freedom.  Yet  the  daily  length- 
ened flight  transforms  the  hasty  flapping  of  the  short-tailed  tyro 
into  the  steadier  poise  of  the  practiced  wingster  :  and  soon  the 
brown  birds,  old  and  young,  have  left  the  gray  ones  to  brave  the 
autumn  air — and    have  gone  afar  to  fatten  on   the  southern  fields. 


MARSH    HAWKS,    34    DAYS    OLD 


The   Egret   Hunters   of   Venezuela 

BY   GEORGE    K.    CHERRIE 

Curator  of  Birds,  Brooklyn  Institute  of 
Arts  and   Sciences 

'HE  country  on  both  sides  of  the  River  Apure 
and  its  tributaries  is  low  and  flat,  with  innu- 
merable swamps  and  marshes.  This  country  of 
llanos  is  the  Egret  country,  comparatively  few 
plumes  being  collected  in  the  valley  of  the 
Orinoco  proper.  The  center  of  the  plume 
industry  is  at  San  Fernando  de  Apure,  where 
-r^^^^  almost   every   business   house,    of   whatever   char- 

acter, has  a  prominent  sign  before  its  door  of  "  Aqui  se  compra 
PLUMAS"  (Plumes  are  bought  here).  I  have  visited  San  Fernando 
twice  during  my  stay  of  a  year  and  a  half  in  this  region,  and  each 
time  counted  about  fifty  bungos  which  were  employed  by  their 
owners  in  plume  hunting. 

These  plume  hunters'  bungos  are,  as  a  rule,  long,  light  dugout 
canoes,  with  an  arched  covering  like  a  wagon  top  for  full  a  third  of 
their  length,  made  of  light  matched  lumber  so  as  to  keep  provis- 
ions and  plumes  dry.  This  word  regarding  the  style  of  covering,  or 
carosas  of  these  canoes  may  not  be  amiss,  inasmuch  as  the  ordinary 
carosa  is  made  of  palm  leaves  and  would  soon  be  torn  and  become 
leaky  by  the  constant  pushing  through  the  tangle  of  the  forest 
swamps. 

The  methods  employed  by  some  of  the  native  plume-hunters 
may  explain  some  of  the  stories  about  plumes  only  being  gathered 
at  the  heronries  after  being  molted  by  the  birds.  An  ordinar}' 
native's  household  furniture  consists  of  a  few  pots  and  pans,  ham- 
mocks, and  a  blanket  for  each  member  of  the  family  ;  a  small  native 
cedar  wood-box,  or  trunk,  containing  the  family  wardrobe  and  val- 
uables. These  are  all  easily  embarked  in  a  bungo,  with  provisions 
of  casava  and  dried  salt  meat.  The  hunter  and  his  family  embark 
and  work  their  way  up  or  down  the  river  and  back,  through  the 
swamps  and  marshes,  to  the  heronries,  where  they  live  until  their 
provisions,  or   the   Herons,  are  exhausted. 

While  in  the  heronries  the  man  shoots  every  Egret  that  he  can 
possibly  secure,  while  the  women  and  children  employ  themselves 
by  picking  up  such  plumes  as  are  to  be  found  under  the  trees  and 
along  the  edges  of  the  ponds  and  marshes.  Every  sort  of  plume 
is  taken,  good,  bad  and  indifferent  :  long  and  short,  dirty  and  clean. 
At  the  houses  of   the   principal   plume  merchants  in   San   Fernando 

(50) 


The   Egret   Hunters  of  Venezuela 


51 


one  will  see  a  long  table  where  the  plumes  are  being  carefully  sorted 
into  various  grades,  according  to  their  length  and  condition.  These 
grades  are  then  made  up  into  little  bundles,  an  inch  and  a  half  or 
two  inches  in  diameter,  and  tied  at  the  base.  In  order  to  permit  of 
this  sorting,  the  plumes  taken  from  freshly  killed  birds  are  not 
removed,  as  they  are  by  Florida  phimers,  by  the  cutting  away  of  a 
patch  of  skin  from  which  they  grew, 
but  are  pulled  out  either  singly  or 
in  little  bunches,  or  sometimes  they 
are  cut  off  close  to  the  skin. 

Concerning  the  Egret  farms  said 
to  be  established  in  Venezuela,  the 
only  farming  of  the  kind  I  saw  or 
heard  of  was  of  the  same  character 
as  the  numerous  Parrot  farms  I  ob- 
served !  In  nearly  every  native 
house  one  sees  from  one  to  half  a 
dozen  Parrots,  and  it  is  also  not 
uncommon  to  see  two  or  three 
Egrets  picketed  in  front  of  a 
rancho  ;  a  string  two  or  three  feet 
long  being  tied  around  one  leg 
and  attached  to  a  stake  ;  while,  to  make  escape  more  difficult,  the 
wings  are  usually  cut  off  at  the  carpal  joint. 

Nearly  every  river  steamer  from  San  Fernando  carries  from  one 
to  a  dozen  of  these  maimed  birds  to  Bolivar  or  Port-of-Spain, 
Trinidad,  to  be  disposed  of  to  tourists  or  others,  who  have  not  an 
opportunity  to  secure  the  birds  for  themselves.  The  soiled,  worn  and 
dirty  plumes  from  these  captive  birds  are  sometimes  taken,  but  Egret 
"farming"   is   no   more  of  an   industry  than   is   Parrot    "farming." 

Two  of  several  small  river  steamers  that  were  formerly  employed 
solely  in  plume  hunting  were  owned  by  Americans  who,  to  my  per- 
sonal knowledge,  had  gone  out  of  the  business  and  were  employing 
their  boats  as  freighters,  for  the  reason  that  Egrets  are  becoming  so 
scarce  that  it  is   no  longer  profitable  for  them   to  hunt   them. 

[Mr.  Cherrie's  observations  in  regard  to  the  collecting  of  molted  plumes  show  on 
what  a  slender  basis  of  fact  rests  the  assertion  of  milliners  and  others  that  "as  Egrets' 
plumes  are  now  gathered  from  the  ground,  the  birds  no  longer  being  killed,  they  may 
be  worn  by  the  most  tender-hearted  woman."  The  truth  is,  that  the  gathering  of 
shed  plumes  has  absolutely  no  bearing  on  the  question  of  the  destruction  of  Herons.  The 
hunter  and  his  assistants  pick  up  all  the  plumes  they  find  and  shoot  all  the  birds  they  can, 
the  ultimate  result,  in  any  case,  being  extermination  of  the  plume-bearing  birds. 

The  myth  of  the  Egret  "farm"  is  also  illumined  by  Mr.  Cherrie's  article,  but,  like 
many  another  attractive  lie,  it  will  doubtless  survive  all  attacks  make  upon  it. — Ed.] 


Hrnni  a  iiioiintcil  specime 
SNOWY    HERON,   OR    EC.RET,    IN    NESTING 

PLUMAGE 


JTor  Ceacljers^  anD  Students; 


Bird   Work    at   Wellesley   College 

BY   MARION    E.    HUBBARD 

Instructor  in   Zoolo,a;y  at  Wellesley  College 

'^T~)IRD  study  at  Wellesley  is  a  part  of  the  course  in 
Yj  general  biology,  and  consists  of  field  work,  of 
lectures  and  of  laboratory  practice  throughout  the 
second  half-year.  Though,  however,  it  is  conducted  by 
the  department  of  zoology,  and  for  the  benefit  of  those 
students  who  elect  that  course,  the  lectures  are  open  to 
a  11,  and  there  exists  throughout  the  college  a  genuine 
interest  in  the  subject. 
The  facilities  for  this  work  at  Wellesley  are,  for  a  college,  unique. 
Lake,  river  and  brook,  grassy  field  and  marshy  meadow,  deep  wood 
and  cultivated  estate,  orchard  and  clearing,  hillside  and  swamp, 
make  the  situation  singularly  attractive,  and  tempt  many  birds  of 
many  kinds.  Those  which  may  easily  be  seen  within  a  radius  of 
half  a  mile  from  the  main  building  number  8g,  and  the  list  of 
those  recorded  within  a  radius  of  8  miles  includes  244.*  This 
wealth  of  material  would  justify  the  devoting  of  time  to  a  pursuit 
so  delightful  in  itself,  were  there  no  educational  advantages  involved. 
But  when  we  remember  that  bird  study  has  been  demonstrated  to 
be  one  of  the  best  of  fields  for  the  training  of  that  accurate  obser- 
vation and  that  clear  thinking  which  every  beginner  in  scientific 
work  must  cultivate,  the  reason  for  its  forming  a  part  of  a  course 
on   general    biology  is  made  clear. 

Not  less  desirable  than  the  mental  training  afforded  by  this 
pursuit  is  of  course  the  cultivation  of  a  spirit  of  friendliness  and 
protection  toward  these  'brothers  of  the  air.'  All  studies  in  natural 
history  tend  to  develop  in  us  the  humane,  but  birds  appeal  so 
naturally  and  so  powerfully  to  the  gentler  side  of  our  natures  that 
they  need  only  be  known  to  win  love  and  protection.  To  interest 
women  in  living  birds  is  the  surest  way  to  kill  their  interest  in 
dead   ones. 

These,  then,  are  the  objects  of  the  work, —  the  training  of  a 
quick  and  accurate  eye,  the  developing  of  a  thoughtful  mind,  and 
the  rousing   of    a  chivalrous  spirit.       And    yet,  while   these  aims  con- 


*See  Morse's  "  Birds  of  Wellesley  and  Vicinity,"  pp.  7  and  51. 

(52) 


Bird   Work   at   Wellesley   College  53 

stitute  the  justification  of  the  course,  and  form  the  mainspring  of 
the  methods  of  procedure,  it  must  be  confessed  that  when  the  time 
for  action  comes,  pedagogical  motives  fly  to  the  winds,  and  our  only 
desire  is  to  make  other  people  see  how  much  they  miss  by  having 
no  acquaintance  with  these  friends.  After  all,  if  one  really  knows 
the  birds,  does  not  that  signify  all  the  rest  ?  They  themselves  are 
the    best    educators,   they  are   their  own   most  eloquent   advocates. 

The  chief  aim  being,  then,  to  know  the  living  bird,  the  greatest 
emphasis  rests  on  field  work.  The  -walks'  form  the  characteristic 
feature  of  the  course.  Once  or  twice  in  the  early  spring  the  girls 
by  turns  go  out  in  squads  of  8  or  g  with  the  instructor  in  charge, 
and  when  the  warm  days  of  May  and  June  arrive,  sometimes  a 
whole  division  of  25  to  30  moves  out  of  doors  for  its  class  appoint- 
ment, to  follow  the  sights  and  sounds  of  which  those  days  are  full. 
Most  of  the  field  work  goes  on,  however,  independent  of  the 
instructor,  and  so  thorough  is  it  that  no  Wellesley  landscape  in  the 
spring  would  be  complete  without  somewhere  a  motionless  figure, 
gazing    through  opera   glass   intently  into  space. 

The  outdoor  work  is  likely  to  be  vague  unless  steps  are  taken  to 
render  it  definite.  One  device  which  may  be  adopted  is  the  use  of 
charts  for  guiding  and  recording  observations.  We  employ  at 
Wellesley  three  such  charts  :  the  first  presents  and  names  the  vari- 
ous colors  with  which  the  ornithological  student  needs  to  become 
familiar  :  the  second  deals  with  the  seasonal  distribution,  showing 
in  a  graphic  way  the  times  of  arrivals  and  departures  ;  and  the 
third  is  used  as  a  check  list.  This  last  one,  ruled  in  squares,  con- 
tains at  the  top  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  class,  and  at  the 
side  the  names  of  the  birds  which  occur  within  a  radius  of  5  to  10 
miles  from  the  college  as  a  centre.  Each  girl  enters  in  the  column 
below  her  name,  in  line  with  the  name  of  the  bird  which  she  has 
seen,  the  date  of  her  observation.  Before  she  completes  the  course, 
she  must  have  identified  in  the  field  a  certain  number  of  species. 
This  total  varies,  of  course,  with  the  changing  conditions  of  different 
seasons  :  last  year  it  was  40, — a  small  number,  it  is  true,  but  small 
because  experience  had  shown  that  it  is  better  to  demand  fewer 
than   the  majority  can  see.* 

An  excellent  museum  and  an  adequate  library  do  much  to  sim- 
plify the  task  of  identification.  Just  outside  the  laboratory  stands  a 
small  case,  in  which  are  kept   bird   books,  ranging   from  such  classics 


*  It  may  be  objected  that  to  make  any  requirement  takes  away  from  the  interest  and  spontaneity  of 
the  work.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case,  as  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  while  pressure  must  exist 
for  the  few,  it  is  needless  for  the  majority,  who  observe  more  than  the  number  fixed.  To  forego  one's 
morning  nap  is  not  merely  heroic,  but  is,  in  the  case  of  many  who  do  it,  indicative  of  genuine  interest 
in  the  subject. 


54  Bird -Lore 

as  Wilson  and  Audubon,  through  encyclopedias  like  Newton's,  to 
those  works  which  in  recent  years  have  sprung  up  in  answer  to  the 
call  for  'handbooks.'  Beside  it  is  a  reading  table  on  which  lie 
BiRD-L(iRE  and  other  magazines,  as  well  as  the  publications  of  the 
Audubon  society.  Each  student  possesses  one  book,  either  the 
'Birds  of  Wellesley  and  Vicinity,'  or  one  containing  keys  for  identi- 
fication. 

Formal  instruction  is  embodied  in  weekly  lectures,  to  which  come 
others  than  those  who  are  members  of  the  class.  The  object  of 
these  talks  is  to  arouse  an  interest  in  the  birds  so  great  that  it 
will  be  satisfied  with  nothing  short  of  personal  acquaintance  with 
them  in  the  field.  They  give,  therefore,  only  such  hints  of  the  time 
and  place  for  finding  them,  of  their  characteristic  notes  and  habits, 
as  will  equip  the  student  for  outdoor  work.  Beginning  in  February 
with  the  winter  population, — permanent  residents,  winter  residents 
and  visitants, — they  constitute  with  the  advance  of  the  season  a 
running  calendar  of  the  successive  arrivals.  Besides  serving  as  formal 
introductions,  they  aim  also  to  make  the  student  more  thoughtful, 
by  presenting  subjects  of  more  general  interest, — as  migration,  nest- 
ing, the  adaptation  of  structure  to  habit  and  environment,  and 
classification.  Mounted  specimens  illustrate  these  talks,  but,  since 
they  cannot  easily  be  seen  across  the  room,  they  are  supplemented 
by  colored   crayon   pictures  drawn   two  or  three  times   life  size. 

A  second  means  of  facilitating  the  field  work  is  the  frequent 
laboratory  practice  in  description  and  identification.  After  each  lec- 
ture specimens  of  the  arrivals  for  that  week  are  arranged  in  small 
glass  cases,  which  admit  of  their  being  viewed  from  all  sides.  They 
are  then  placed  where  they  will  be  accessible  to  all,  and  the  col- 
ored pictures  hang  near,  so  that  each  one  has  a  chance  to  become 
familiar  with  every  bird.  At  irregular  intervals  their  names  are 
covered,  they  are  rearranged  in  the  cases,  and  there  follows  a  test  in 
rapid  identification  which  is  either  the  delight  or  the  despair  of  the 
would-be  ornithologist.  The  student  learns  at  the  start,  and  remem- 
bers by  later  practice,  how  to  describe  correctly  a  bird's  appearance. 
She  learns  in  addition  how  to  identify  by  the  aid  of  keys,  partic- 
ularly such  as  can  be  used  in  the  field.  These  exercises  in  the 
laboratory,  by  training  the  eye,  save  much  time  in  the  recognition 
of  birds,  and  this  is  essential  for  one  so  busy  as  is  the  college  girl. 
Besides  this  '  rapid-fire  '  practice  in  description  and  identification, 
there  are  at  intervals  quizzes,  both  oral  and  written,  which  cover 
points  of  structure,  of  adaptation  to  habit  and  environment,  and  the 
general   characters  of    the  most   important   orders  and    families. 

Since  Wellesley  is  naturally  so    favored,   it    is   worth   our   while   to 


Bird  Work   at  Wellesley   College  55 

make  it  as  far  as  possible  a  veritable  paradise  for  birds.  We  try, 
therefore,  not  only  to  keep  them,  but  also  to  make  the  grounds  even 
more  attractive  than  nature  formed  them.  The  edict  has  gone  forth 
that  all  cats  walking  upon  the  grounds  do  so  at  their  own  peril. 
Red  squirrels  and  English  sparrows  are  made  to  feel  at  times  that 
a  price  is  set  upon  their  heads.  A  generous  friend  has  given  in  the 
last  two  years  a  large  number  of  bird-attracting  trees,  which  have 
been  set  out  in  some  of  the  favorite  resorts.  Holes  in  one  of  the 
large  barns  will  offer  a  home  for  Swallows,  and  bird  houses,  it  is 
hoped,  will  attract  those  whose  eyes  are  open  for  the  sign, 
•To  Let.'  On  one  or  two  spots  stand  shelters  where,  especially  in 
the  winter,  the  birds  may  find  food,  these  shelters  answering  the 
purpose  of  the  •  soup  kitchens  '  in  our  large  cities.  There  exist,  in 
addition,  numerous  private  charitable  enterprises,  which  have  in 
many   cases    made    the   recipients   (juite    tame. 

It  is  comparatively  easy  to  arouse  enthusiasm  on  this  subject, 
but  the  rub  comes  in  adding  to  it  definite  knowledge  and  the  spirit 
of  ihoughtfulness.  The  lack  of  these  elements  is  what  makes  the 
bird  -faddist.'  It  is  all  very  well  to  wax  eloquent  over  the  Bluebird 
and  the  Chickadee,  but  it  must  be  somewhat  dampening  to  enthusi- 
asm not  to  know  a  Bluebird  from  a  Bluejay  or  a  Chickadee  from  a 
Nuthatch.  The  same  difiiculties  beset  bird  study  at  Wellesley  which 
we  meet  in  the  study  of  general  biology,  and  which  probably  exist 
in  the  study  of  any  subject  anywhere, — namely,  indefiniteness,  whether 
in  observation  or  in  knowledge,  and  thoughtlessness  as  to  what  is 
seen. 

There  is  no  absolute  remedy  for  these  defects,  but  they  may  be 
reduced  to  a  minimum  by  directing  carefully  and  rather  minutely  the 
observations,  and  by  insisting  constantly  upon  accurate  results.  After 
the  ordinary  methods,  both  in  the  field  and  in  the  laboratory,  any 
device  which  will  secure  the  desired  end  is  welcome,  especially  if  it 
brings  in  variety.  The  little  game  of  guessing  a  bird  by  a  descrip- 
tion of  its  markings  or  structure  or  habits,  or  the  reverse  of  this, 
guessing  b}'  the  -twenty-question'  method,  is  admirable,  for  it  requires 
as  much  ready  knowledge  in  a  college  girl  as  it  does  in  primary 
children.  This  3"ear  the  field  notes  will  include  answers  to  a  posted 
set  of  questions,  dealing  with  the  structure  and  habits  and  relations 
of  some  of  our  common  representatives.  These  questions  will  serve 
the  double  purpose  of  showing  the  student  how  to  work,  and  of 
givmg  her  definite,  tangible  material  for  the  understanding  of  some 
of  the  more  general  subjects  of  interest  in  ornithology.  Each  student, 
moreover,  will  '  adopt  '  one  bird,  to  study  it  fully,  in  its  structure, 
its   habits,    its  nesting,    its   food,    its    song,    and    its   relation   to  its  own 


56  Bird -Lore 

family  and  order.  From  this  as  a  center  will  radiate  the  knowledge 
of  other  birds,  both  of  individuals  and  of  their  relations  with  one 
another  and   with   the  rest  of    nature. 

Bird  study  at  Wellesley  is,  of  course,  not  ideal,  either  in  its 
methods  or  in  its  results.  Even  when  we  make  allowance  for  im- 
provement in  the  future,  by  the  introduction  of  other  and  new  ideas, 
we  must  remember  that  the  best  bird  work  takes  time  and  a  sense 
of  leisure  which  under  present  conditions  we  cannot  expect  in  a 
college.  But  though  the  course  is  imperfect,  it  is  worth  the  effort. 
if  only  because  it  brings  to  so  many  girls  a  fresh  and  a  keen  delight, 
and  because  it  opens  to  them  an  endless  field  of  pleasure  for  their 
after-college   days. 

Spring   Migration  Tables 

GIVING  AVERAGE  DATES  OF  ARRIVAL  OF  BIRDS  AT  PORTLAND.  CONN.,  AND  OBERLIN.  O. 


SPRING    MIGRATION   AT    PORTLAND,  CONN. 

BY    JOHN    H.     SAGE 

FEBRUARY  15  to   28 
Woodcock,   Purple  Grackle,   Robin. 

MARCH  I  tn   10 
Hooded   Merganser,   Flicker,    Phcebe,   Red-winged   Blackbird,   Song  Sparrow,   Fox 

Sparrow. 

MARCH  10  to  20 

Black    Duck,    Canada    Goose,    Wilson's    Snipe,   Mourning    Dove,   Cooper's    Hawk, 

Meadowlark,   Purple   Finch. 

MARCH  20  to    jr 

Wood  Duck,  American  Golden-eye,  Buffle-head,  Old-squaw,  Horned  Lark,  Cow- 
bird,  Rustv  Blackbird. 

APRIL  I  to  10 

Horned  Grebe,  Baldpate,  Green-winged  Teal,  American  Bittern,  Great  Blue 
Heron,  Wilson's  Snipe,  Marsh  Hawk,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Osprey,  Yellow-bellied 
Sapsucker,  Kingfisher,  Vesper  Sparrow,  Savanna  Sparrow,  Chipping  Sparrow,  Field 
Sparrow,   Tree   Swallow,   Pine    Warbler,    Ruby-crowned  Kinglet,    Hermit  Thrush. 

APR/L  10  to  20 
Holboell's  Grebe,  Pied-billed  Grebe,  Broad-winged  Hawk.  Swamp  Sparrow,  Purple 
Martin,  Barn  Swallow,  Bank  Swallow,  Yellow  Palm  Warbler,  Louisiana  Water  Thrush. 

APRIL  20  to  JO 
Green  Heron,  Black-crowned  Night  Heron,  Spotted  Sandpiper,  Bald  Eagle,  Short- 
eared  Owl,  Whip-poor-will,  Nighthawk,  Chimney  Swift,  Kingbird,  Least  Flycatcher, 
White-throated  Sparrow,  Towhee,  Red-eyed  Vireo,  Warbling  Vireo,  Yellow-throated 
Vireo,  Blue-headed  Vireo,  Black  and  White  Warbler,  Myrtle  Warbler,  Black-throated 
Green  Warbler,   American  Pipit,   Brown  Thrasher,   House  Wren. 

MA  y  I  to  10 
American  Coot,  Solitary   Sandpiper,  Bartramian   Sandpiper,  Pigeon  Hawk,  Yelluw- 
billed  Cuckoo,  Black-billed  Cuckoo,  Ruby-throated  Hummingbird,   Crested  Flycatcher, 
Wood  Pewee,  Bobolink,  Baltimore  Oriole,  Orchard  Oriole,  Grasshopper  Sparrow,  Rose- 


spring   Migration   Tables  57 

breasted  Grosbeak,  Indigo  Bunting,  Scarlet  Tanager,  White-eyed  Vireo,  Worm-eating 
Warbler,  Blue-winged  Warbler,  Golden-winged  Warbler,  Brewster's  Warbler,  Nash- 
ville Warbler,  Parula  Warbler,  Yellow  Warbler,  Black-throated  Blue  Warbler,  Black 
and  Yellow  Warbler,  Chestnut-sided  Warbler,  Black-poll  Warbler,  Blackburnian 
Warbler,  Prairie  Warbler,  Ovenbird,  Water  Thrush.  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  Yellow- 
breasted  Chat,  Redstart,  Catbird,  Wood  Thrush,  Wilson's  Thrush,  Olive-backed 
Thrush. 

.'If A  V   10    to    20 

Greater  Yellow-legs,  Least  Sandpiper,  Turnstone,  White-crowned  Sparrow,  Tennes- 
see Warbler,  Cape  May  Warbler,  Bay-breasted  Warbler,  Wilson's  Warbler,  Canadian 
Warbler,  Blue-gray  Gnatcatcher,  Long-billed  Marsh  Wren,  Gray-cheeked  Thrush. 

MA  Y  20  to  JO 
Semi-palmated  Plover,  Mourning  Warbler. 

SPRING    MIGRATION    AT    OBERLIN,    OHIO 

BY    LYNDS    JONES 

MARCH  I  to  10 
Killdeer,  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Rusty  Blackbird,  Meadow  Lark,  Bronzed  Grackle, 

Robin,  Bluebird. 

MARCH  10  to  20 

Canada  Goose,  Mourning  Dove,  Belted  Kingfisher,  Cowbird,  Fox  Sparrow,  Towhee, 

Loggerhead  Shrike. 

MARCH  20  to  30 

Great  Blue  Heron,  Phoebe,  Vesper  Sparrow,  Hermit  Thrush. 

APRIL  I  to   lo 
Pied-billed  Grebe,  Pectoral  Sandpiper,  Chipping  Sparrow,  Field  Sparrow. 

APRH^  10  to  20 
Bartramian    Sandpiper,    Spotted    Sandpiper,    Yellow-bellied    Sapsucker,     Chimney 
Swift,    White-throated    Sparrow,    Barn    Swallow,    Swamp    Sparrow,    Myrtle    Warbler, 
Purple  Martin,  Brown  Thrasher,  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

APRIL  20  to  JO 
Wilson's  Snipe,  Solitary  Sandpiper,  Kingbird,  Crested  Flycatcher,  Least  Fly- 
catcher, Bobolink,  Baltimore  Oriole,  Grasshopper  Sparrow,  Cliff  Swallow,  Bank 
Swallow,  Scarlet  Tanager,  Red-eyed  Vireo,  Warbling  Vireo,  Black  and  White  Warbler, 
Blue-winged  Warbler,  Nashville  Warbler,  Yellow  Warbler,  Black-throated  Green 
Warbler,  Palm  Warbler,  Ovenbird,  Maryland  Yellow-throat,  Redstart,  House  Wren, 
Catbird,  Wood  Thrush,  Wilson's  Thrush,  Olive-backed  Thrush. 

MA)'  I  to  5 
Orchard  Oriole,    Rose-breasted   Grosbeak,   Indigo  Bunting,   Yellow-breasted  Chat, 
Yellow-throated  Vireo,   Cerulean  Warbler,   Blackburnian  Warbler,  Green-crested  Fly- 
catcher. 

MA  Y  5  to   10 

White-crowned  Sparrow,  Parula  Warbler,  Tennessee  Warbler,  Cape  May  Warbler, 

Bay-breasted   Warbler,    Black-throated    Blue   Warbler,    Magnolia   Warbler,  Canadian 

Warbler. 

MA  Y  10  to   15 

Yellow-billed    Cuckoo.    Black-billed    Cuckoo,   Ruby-throated    Hummingbird,  Wood 

Pevvee,  Black-poll  Warbler,  Mourning  Warbler. 

MA  )  ■  /5  to  20 
Least   Sandpiper,   Traill's  Flycatcher. 


The  Wise   Old    Crow 

GARRETT    NEWKIRK 


Not  all    the    people   know 
The  wisdom  of    the  Crow  : 
As  they  see   him  come  and  go, 
With  verdict    brief, 
They  say.    "You   thief!" 
And  wish   him  only  woe. 


That    he's  selfish  we  admit, 
But    he  has  a   lot  of   grit, 
And   on   favor  not  a   bit 

Does   he  depend  ; 

Without  a  friend. 
He  must  live  by  mother-wit. 


The   Crow  is   rather  shy. 

With   a   very  watchful    eye 

For  danger  coming   nigh, 
And   any  one 
Who  bears  a   gun 

He's   pretty  sure  to  spy. 


The  clever   farmer's    plan 
Is   to  make  a  sort   of    ban. 
By  stuffing  clothes  with    bran, 

Topped  with  a  tile 

Of   ancient   style, 
■ — A  funny  old   scare-crow  man. 


The   Crow  looks  on  with  scorn, 
And   early  in  the   morn 
Pulls  up  the   farmer's  corn  : 

He    laughs  at    that. 

The  queer  old    hat, 
Of    the  scare-crow  man  forlorn. 


A  YOUNG  Observer  who  read  the  '  Hints  to  Young  Bird  Stu- 
dents,' published  in  Bird-Lore  for  August,  iSgg,  writes  as 
follows:  •'!  read  an  appeal  signed  by  several  prominent 
ornithologists,  among  them  Mr.  Brewster,  calling  upon  the  boys  and 
girls  in  general  to  be  more  careful  about  their  collecting  of  birds 
and  eggs.  I  read  this  appeal  with  interest,  and  decided  that  it 
applied  to  me  also  :  so  I  have  determined  to  leave  eggs  strictly 
alone  and  study  the  habits  of  birds  instead.  I  have  a  great  respect 
for  the   birds  of   America." 


(58) 


J^otes^  from  Jptelti  ants   ^tuDp 


Note  on  the  Blue-Winged  Warbler  in 
New  York  City  in  Winter 

On  December  lo,  1899,  I  was  surprised 
to  see  in  the  hemlock  woods  at  Bronx 
Park,  New  York  city,  a  Blue-winged 
Warbler  [Hehninthophila  fi'jiiis)  hopping 
about  in  the  bushes  in. a  perfectly  con- 
tented manner.  It  was  not  at  all  shy, 
so  I  had  no  difficulty  in  seeing  it  as 
much  as  I  chose.  On  receiving  the 
February  number  of  Bird-Lore,  I  saw 
that  a  bird  of  the  same  species  had 
been  found  dead  at  the  same  place 
about  a  month  later.  As  these  birds 
generally  leave  the  latitude  of  New  York 
earl}'  in  September,  I  think  it  more 
than  probable  that  the  same  specimen 
was  seen  in  December  and  found  dead 
in  January.  —  Floyd  C.  Noble,  A^eiv 
Yo7-k    City. 

Notes  on  the  Food  of   the  Chickadee 
and    Screech  Owl 

Birds  are  sometimes  accused  of  injur- 
ing trees,  eating  fruit,  or  otherwise  harm- 
ing man,  when,  if  the  matter  were  inves- 
tigated, the  facts  would  be  found  quite 
the  opposite. 

One  winter  day,  while  passing  some 
willows,  I  saw  a  Chickadee  picking 
vigorously  at  —  apparently  —  the  buds. 
Surprised  that  this  bird  should  prove 
injurious,  I  examined  some  of  the  buds 
more  closely.  In  the  angle  formed  where 
they  lay  upon  the  stem,  nearly  all  had 
a  row  of  tiny  black  insects,  while  those 
at  which  the  Chickadee  had  been  at 
work  were  cleared  of  these,  though 
themselves  uninjured. 

Again,  an  acquaintance  shot  two 
Screech  Owls  as  the  first  step  toward 
destroying  a  little  colony  of  them  that 
was  "driving  away  the  small  birds"  from 
the  village  lawn  near  b}-.  Upon  opening 
the  stomachs,  they  were  found  to  con- 
tain only  harvest-flies,  fifteen  in  all,  and 
every  one  in  the  pupa  form  in  which 
they     leave     the     earth.      Probably     the 


English  Sparrows  from  the  streets  had 
far  more  to  do  with  the  driving  away  of 
the  birds,  but  the  Owls,  busy  destroying 
the  injurious  harvest-flies,  got  the  blame. 
— IsABELL.\    McC.    Le.mmon,   Etiglezuood, 

^^  •  y. 

Two  Notes  from  the  Berkshires 

On  December  3,  1899,  I  was  in  the 
woods  along  the  Housatonic  River  ob- 
serving the  '  hoards  '  of  White  and 
Red-breasted  Nuthatches,  when  I  heard 
the  familiar  rattle  of  a  Belted  Kingfisher. 
Following  the  call,  I  scared  the  bird  from 
some  willows  on  the  bank.     It  was  alone. 

Later  in  the  day  I  saw  a  strange 
Woodpecker  on  a  tree  higher  up  the 
river.  It  flew  at  once  toward  the  woods, 
calling  at  every  '  swoop.'  I  followed  it, 
and  as  I  was  crossing  the  open  meadow 
another  one  flew  over  my  head,  calling 
like  the  one   I  was  following. 

Their  call,  which  they  uttered  on  the 
trees  as  well  as  on  the  wing,  consisted  of 
one  syllable.  In  the  woods  they  were  shy, 
and  kept  well  to  the  tops  of  the  trees. 

From  the  glimpses  I  had  of  them 
and  the  description  I  made,  I  am  con- 
vinced they  were  Arctic  Three-toed 
Woodpeckers.  One  had  a  yellow  head 
patch. — John  Denwood,  Piltsfield,  Mass. 

Additional  Notes  on  the  Season's 
Flight  of  Crossbills 

We  have  continued  to  receive  many 
notes  on  the  unusual  abundance  of  Cross- 
bills during  the  present  winter,  from 
vvhich  we  abstract  the  following  in  re- 
gard to  the  White-winged  Crossbill : 
John,  H.  Sage  writes  from  Portland, 
Conn.,  that  on  February  12  he  saw  more 
than  a  thousand  of  these  birds,  with 
about  as  many  Pine  Finches  ;  George  P. 
Ells  reports  them  from  Norwalk,  Conn., 
under  date  of  March  7 ;  nine  birds 
appeared  in  the  Norway  spruce  trees  at 
Englewood,  N.  J.,  on  February  21,  where 
from    three    to   thirteen  have   since   been 


(59) 


6o 


Bird -Lore 


observed  daily  ;  and  William  L.  Baily, 
Samuel  H.  Barker  and  Witmer  Stone 
report  their  abundance  in  the  vicinity 
of  Philadelphia,  where  they  were  first 
observed  late  in  December.  South  of 
this  point  no  reports  of  White-winged 
Crossbills  have  been  received,  Dr.  Fisher 
writing  from  Washington  that  none  have 
been  observed  in  the  region  about  that 
city.  At  McConnellsville,  Ohio,  C.  A. 
Morris  reports  that  three  White-winged 
Crossbills  were  observed  on  November 
19,1899. — Fk.^nk    M.   Chapman. 


NEST     OF    YELLOW    WARBLER 

An  Interesting   Nest 

A  correspondent  recently  requested  us 
to  identify  a  nest  which  she  had  found 
in  a  willow  bush  on  one  of  the  Thousand 
Islands,  and  which  she  described  as  pen- 
sile, with  a  cover,  and  having  the  en- 
trance at  one  side  !  This  was  evidently 
so  unlike  the  nest  of  any  of  our  eastern 
birds  that  we  asked  to  have  it  forwarded 
for  examination,  the  results  of  which, 
with  a  photograph  of  the  nest,  are 
appended :  The  nest  was  undoubtedly 
built  by  a  Yellow  Warbler.  Probably 
before  it  was  fully  completed,  since  there 
appears  to  be  no  lining,  a  Cowbird  laid 
an  egg  in  it.  This  caused  the  Warbler 
to  build  a  platform  or  second  bottom 
over  the  unwelcome  egg,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  placing  a  second  nest  on  the  first 
one.  This  second  nest,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  was  never  completed,  and  its  bot- 
tom formed  the  "  cover  "  to  the  first  nest. 


Subsequently,  a  deer  mouse  —  probably 
—  discovered  the  concealed  egg  or  eggs 
and  reached  them  by  making  an  opening 
in  the  side  of  the  nest,  traces  of  his 
feast  being  still  evident  in  the  shape  of 
dried  albumen  on  the  floor  of  the  nest. 
— Frank   M.   Chapman. 

The  Bird  Protection  Fund 

The  treasurer  of  the  fund  for  the  pro- 
tection of  Gulls  and  Terns  reports  that 
subscriptions  amounting  to  $477  have  been 
received  in  sums  from  one  dollar  to  one 
hundred  dollars. 

The  bird  statutes  of  Maine,  Massachu- 
setts, New  York,  New  Jersey,  Maryland 
and  Virginia  afford  protection  to  all  species 
of  Terns  during  the  breeding  season,  and 
arrangements  are  now  being  made  in  each 
of  these  states  to  employ  responsible  and 
fearless  wardens  to  enforce  the  bird  stat- 
utes, and  it  is  believed  that  before  the 
next  breeding  season  opens  suitable  guar- 
dians will  be  secured  for  each  of  the  few 
remaining  colonies. — William  Dutcher, 
jjj  Manhattan  aTeniie,  Xeif  i'ork  City, 

Bird  Slaughter  in  Delaware 

From  Milford,  Delaware,  comes  the  news 
that  a  New  York  house — "Al.  Richardson 
&  Co." — has  placed  an  order  in  that  town 
for  20,000  birds,  to  be  delivered  within 
two  months.  A  strong  effort  is  being 
made  by  Mr.  Witmer  Stone,  Chairman  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  Committee  on  Bird  Protec- 
tion, to  prevent  this  destruction  of  bird- 
life  by  enforcing  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Delaware,  and  it  is  hoped  that  every  one 
who  can  assist  Mr.  Stone  will  communi- 
cate with  him  at  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  Philadelphia. 

The  Hoar  Bill 
Senator  Hoar  has  apparently  again  failed 
to  secure  the  passage  by  Congress  of  his 
bird  protective  measure.  The  clause  pro- 
hibiting the  importation  of  the  plumage  of 
foreign  birds  has  aroused  the  opposition  of 
a  number  of  prominent  naturalists,  who 
assert  their  belief  that  the  enactment  of 
this  law  would  result  in  an  increased  de- 
mand for  the  plumage  of  nati\"e  birds. 


ilooft  jBtetD0  ant}   9^et)ieto0 


The  Birds  ok  Berkshire  County,  Massa- 
chusetts. By  Walter  Faxon  and 
Ralph  Hoffmann.  Reprinted  from  Col- 
lections of  the  Berkshire  Historical 
and  Scientific  Society.  Vol.  HI,  pp. 
109-166,  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  Feb.  23,  1900. 

The  authors  state  that  the  "  information 
which  they  have  obtained  concerning  the 
birds  of  Berkshire  county  is  the  result 
of  several  summers'  study  in  various 
parts  of  the  county,  particularly  at  North 
Adams  and  Stockbridge,  and  of  visits 
made  to  the  same  places  in  winter. 
Repeated  visits  have  also  been  made  in 
the  spring  and  autumn,  especially  to 
Lanesboro,  where  the  broad  valley,  serving 
as  a  highway  for  migrating  birds,  ofters 
exceptional  facilities  for  the  observation 
of  transients."'  They  have  also  "supple- 
mented their  personal  knowledge  with 
whatever  trustworthy  information  they 
could  obtain  from  others,"  and  have 
availed  themselves  of  the  published  records 
of  previous  writers  whose  works  are 
enumerated  in  a  bibliography  containing 
forty  titles  and  occupying  the  concluding 
six  pages  of  their  paper. 

An  introduction  of  eight  pages  gives  a 
clear  and  comprehensive  description  of 
the  chief  topographical  features  of  Berk- 
shire count}'  and  of  its  faunal  character- 
istics, with  particular  reference  to  the 
Canadian  element  of  the  higher  atti- 
tudes. 

The  list  proper,  occupying  pages  9  to 
53,  enumerates  197  species,  the  times  of 
arrival  and  departure  and  manner  of 
occurrence  of  which  are  briefly  stated. 

The  authors'  names  are  an  assurance 
that  their  paper  adequately  and  accurately 
sets  forth  the  existing  knowledge  of  the 
birds  of  their  chosen  field,  and  our  only 
criticism  would  question  the  advisability 
of  introducing  nomenclatural  novelties 
into  a  paper  of  this  kind,  or,  for  that 
matter,  into  a  paper  of  any  kind  without 
a  word  of  explanation  for  their  adoption. 
— F.   M.   C. 


Prelimlnarv  Catalogue  of  the  Birds 
OF  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  with  Brief 
Notes  on  Some  of  the  Species.  By 
T.  Gilbert  Pearson.  Journal  of  the 
Elisha  Mitchell  Scientific  Society,  XVI, 
PP-   33-51- 

Professor  Pearson  presents  this  list  as  a 
basis  for  more  extended  observations  on 
the  birds  of  the  region  to  which  it  relates. 
It  enumerates  134  species,  each  of  which 
is  briefly  annotated.  Due  conservatism 
is  shown  in  excluding  species  of  doubtful 
occurrence,  and  the  Spizclla  pallida  re- 
corded by  Atkinson  from  Chapel  Hill  in 
1887,  is  shown  to  be  a  Swamp  Sparrow  ! 
— F.  M.  C. 

Gleanings  from  Nature.  By  W.  S. 
Blatchley.  Indianapolis,  The  Nature 
Study  Publishing  Co  ,  1899.  i2mo.  pp. 
348;    numerous  illustrations.      $1.25. 

This  is  a  true  outdoor  book,  with 
chapters  on  fishes,  snakes,  plants,  birds, 
caves  and  cave  animals,  and  essays  on 
walks  afield  under  such  titles  as  '  Har- 
bingers of  Spring,'  'A  Day  in  a  Tama- 
rack Swamp,'  etc. 

The  bird  student  will  find  some  sixty 
pages  devoted  to  '  Twelve  Winter  Birds, 
while  throughout  the  volume  references 
are  made  to  the  birds  observed,  and 
under  the  heading  of  '  A  Feathered 
Midget  and  its  Nest  '  is  an  excellent 
account  of  the  nesting  of  the  Blue  Gray 
Gnatcatcher.  The  book  seems  well  de- 
signed to  increase  the  pleasure  and 
interests  of  an  outing. — F.    M.    C. 

Birds  in  Horticulture.  By  William  E. 
Praeger.  A  paper  read  before  the 
State  Horticultural  Society,  at  Spring- 
field, 111,,  December  26,  1899. 

The  author  of  this  paper  is  evidently 
thoroughly  familiar  with  his  subject  and 
presents  the  results  of  the  studies  of 
economic  ornithologists  and  entomologists 
in  such  a  graphic  and  convincing  manner 
that  no  one  can  read  his  remarks  without 
being  impressed  by  the  incalculable  value 
of  birds  to  our  agricultural  interests. 
—  F.    M.   C. 


(61 


62 


Bird  -  Lore 


iiirti  Hore 

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.  II 


April,  1900 


No.  2 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

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twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth  avenue.  New 
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Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
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Macmillan  AND  COMPANY,  Ltd.,  Londoii. 

Copyrighted.  1900,  by  frank  m.  chapman. 


Bird-Lore's  Motto : 

A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  Worth  Two  in  the  Hand. 


The  amendment  to  the  law  designed  to 
protect  non-game  birds  by  making  the 
possession  of  their  plumage  an  actionable 
offense,  which  was  introduced  into  the 
New  York  assembly  on  January  15,  1900, 
by  Assemblyman  Hallock,  representing 
the  New  York  State  Audubon  Society, 
has  been  heartily  endorsed  by  those 
genuinely  interested  in  the  preservation 
of  our  birds,  and  as  strongly  opposed  by 
others  who  imagined,  rightly  or  wrongly, 
that  it  would  interfere  with  their  own 
selfish   interests. 

One  critic,  a  collector  of  bird  skins 
for  alleged  scientific  purposes,  stated 
that,  in  his  opinion,  this  measure  was 
"a  high-handed  attempt  to  confiscate 
the  property  of  numerous  bird  lovers 
throughout  the  country,"  and  congratula- 
ted himself  that  his  collection  of  2,000 
birds'  skins  was  not  within  the  State  of 
New  York. 

No  less  solicitous  of  their  own  welfare 
were  the  numerous  women  who  asserted 
that  the  passage  of  the  law  would  make 
them  liable  to  fine  should  they  wear 
the   feathers  of  prohibited   birds. 

These  protests,  however,  amounted  to 
nothing   as  compared   with  the  very  def- 


inite and  practical  opposition  which  the 
proposed  amendment  encountered  from 
Assemblyman  Doughty,  of  Nassau  county, 
a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Fisheries 
and  Game.  Mr.  Doughty  very  plainly 
said  that  he  thought  the  passage  of  this 
amendment  would  interfere  with  the 
business  of  his  constituent  and  personal 
friend,  Mr.  Wilson,  of  Wantagh,  Long 
Island,  and  that  he  should  therefore  do 
all  he  could  to  defeat  it.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  this  Wilson  is  one  of 
the  largest  dealers  in  native  birds'  skins 
in  this  country  ;  and  he  it  is  who  sends 
out  bird-slaughtering  expeditions  along 
our  coasts  (see  Bird-Lore,  December, 
1899,  page   198,  and  February,    igoo,  page 

II)- 

Mr.  Dought3''s  opposition  was  found 
to  relate  to  the  supposed  protection 
by  the  amendment  of  Gulls  and  Terns 
These  birds,  it  seems,  are  Mr.  Wil- 
son's especial  desidera/a  at  present,  and 
as  his  business  interests  are  of  more  im- 
portance to  his  representative  than  ab- 
stract questions  of  bird  protection,  Mr. 
Doughty  re-affirmed  his  intention  of  de- 
feating the  amendment.  If,  however,  its 
proposers  would  except  Gulls  and  Terns 
from  its  workings  he  would  urge  a  favor- 
able and  prompt  report  on  it  by  the  As- 
sembly Committee  on  Fisheries  and 
Game. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  amendment 
affects  only  those  birds  the  killing  of 
which  is  prohibited  at  all  seasons,  and, 
as  under  the  section  of  the  law  relating 
to  web-footed  wildfowl.  Gulls  and  Terns 
may  be  killed  on  Long  Island  from 
October  i  to  May  i,  they  do  not  come 
within  the  provisions  of  the  amendment. 
As  a  means,  therefore,  of  saving  the 
measure  from  certain  defeat,  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  Audubon  Society 
accorded  Mr.  Doughty  a  nominal  victory 
by  conceding  a  point  of  no  legal  signifi- 
cance. 

In  the  Senate,  however,  the  words 
"Gulls  and  Terns"  were  stricken  out; 
the  Assembly  accepted  the  change,  and 
there  is  every  prospect  of  the  bill  being 
passed. 


"  i'uit  cannot  -with  a  scalpel  find  the  poet' s  soul. 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relatins  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries" 

New  Hamphire. Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street.  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.  j. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Maryland Miss  Anne  Weston  Whitney,  715  St.  Paul  Street,  Baltimore. 

Wheeling.  W.  Va.  (branch  of  Pa.  Society) Elizabeth  I.  Cummins,  1314  Chapline  street.  Wheeling. 

South  Carolina Miss  S.  A.  Smyth,  Legare  street,  Charleston. 

Florida Mrs.  C.  F.  Dommkrich,  Maitland. 

Ohio Mrs.  D.  Z.  McClhlland,  5265  Eastern  .Ave.,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana .Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa Mrs.  T.  L.  Wales,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Prckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

Texas Miss  Cecile  Seixas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 


Fees    and    Pledges 

Among  the  many  perplexing  problems 
that  confront  the  organizers  of  bird  pro- 
tective societies,  none  are  more  fruitful 
sources  of  discussion  and  amiable  dis- 
agreement than  the  question  of  to  have, 
or  not  to  have,   fees  and  pledges. 

It  is  a  question,  moreover,  that  may  not 
be  overlooked  or  set  aside,  as  it  involves 
two  of  the  fundamentals  of  organization. 
Advocates  for  and  against  have  equally 
plausible  arguments,  I  grant,  and  yet, 
personally,  I  believe  in  fees — graded  fees 
—  and  I  do  not  believe  in  pledges — that 
is  to  say  direct,  cast  iron  ones.  These 
qualifications  need  an  explanation,  and  it 
will  be  more  simple  to  consider  the 
subjects  separately  —  pledges  first. 

In  asking  people  to  cooperate  in  the 
cause  of  bird  protection,  the  different 
methods  of  protection  are  usually  fully 
set    forth,  and   it  must    be  evident  to  the 


dullest  adult  mind  that  feather-wearing 
and  nest-robbing  are  two  acts  totally 
incompatible  with  Audubon  membership. 
Understanding  this,  and  yet  signifying 
the  desire  to  join  the  society,  is  it  either 
necessary  or  wise  to  force  the  applicant 
to  sign  a  pledge  ?  Whatever  may  be  said 
for  the  system,  one  fact  I  know,  and  that 
is  that  there  are  hundreds  of  consistent 
people  who,  of  their  own  volition,  have 
abandoned  the  use  of  any  feathers  other 
than  ostrich  plumes  and  the  wings  of 
food  birds.  Is  it  logical  to  ask  them  to 
publicly  promise  not  to  do  something 
that  they  have  no  intention  of  doing  ? 

Then,  too,  there  is  something  disagree- 
ably coercive  to  the  American  mind  in 
signing,  or  promising  away,  even  the 
smallest  fraction  of  its  liberty  of  action. 
Some  of  the  most  intelligently  temperate 
people  I  know,  with  the  most  decided 
ideas  upon  the  liquor  traffic  question, 
would  as  soon    cut   off    their    right    hands 


(63) 


64 


Bird  -  Lore 


as  sign  a  total  abstinence  pledge  or 
encourage  their  children  so  to  do.  As  in 
this,  so  it  is  in  Audubon  matters,  and 
the  only  way  to  do  permanent  good  is,  on 
one  side,  to  educate  the  moral  nature  so 
that  it  will  not  desire  to  do  the  wrong 
act,  and  on  the  other  to  work  for  the 
establishment  and  enforcement  of  laws 
that  shall  punish  those  who  do  the  wrong. 

I  emphasize  enforcement  :  as  to  legis- 
late for  laws  that  manifestly  cannot  be 
enforced  is  about  as  senseless  a  task  as 
the  traditional  one  of  sweeping  the  wind 
off  the  roof. 

The  only  case  in  which  the  signing  of 
a  card,  other  than  one  containing  name 
and  address  and  general  interest  of  the 
would-be  member  in  the  motives  and 
work  of  the  society,  seems  desirable,  is 
that  of  the  Associate  Junior  members,  and 
the  reason  for  this  comes  more  properly 
under  the  head  of  fees. 


Two  out  of  half  a  dozen  reasons  are 
sufficient  to  back  the  assertion  that  it  is 
better  to  have  fees — of  a  variet}'  of 
grades  to  suit  varied  purses.  Both  reasons 
are  intensely  practical.  i.  Money  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  if  the  Audubon  Societies 
are  to  do  anything  more  than  preach. 
2.  People  feel  a  more  keen  personal 
interest  in  an  object  to  which  they  have 
contributed  something,  no  matter  how 
small. 

The  oft  repeated  plea  comes  in  at  this 
juncture,  "Is  it  logical  to  ask  people, 
especially  children,  to  pay  for  giving  up 
something?"  Yes,  perfectly  logical,  if 
they  regard  the  matter  in  the  true  mis- 
sionary spirit,  which,  together  with  the 
idea  of  economic  value  of  birds,  is  the 
real  hold  that  Audubon  work  has  upon 
the  public. 

"But  people  may  desire  to  join,  and 
lack  even  the  money  for  a  small  fee,"  is 
the  next  objection.  Any  adult  can  give 
a  small  fee.  Children,  of  course,  in  many 
cases,  may  not  have  more  than  a  semi- 
occasional  "candy  penny"  of  which  the 
sternest  Audubonite  would  refuse  to  rob 
them,    for    a    childhood    deprived   of     its 


striped  peppermint  stick  can  only  result 
in  crabbed  old  age.  The  graded  fee 
system,  ranging  from  $25  to  nothing,  has  a 
niche  for  this  penniless  class. 

The  fee  system  under  which  the  Con- 
necticut Society  has  run  successfully  for 
the  two  years  of    its  life   is  as  follows : 

Patrons — Those      members     who     pay 

$25  at   one  time. 
Sustaining    Members — Those    who    pay 

J55    annually. 
Members — Those  who  pay  |i  once    for 

all  and  no  annual  dues. 
Teachers — Those  who  pay  25  cts.   once 

for  all  and   no  annual  dues. 
Juniors — Those    who    pay   10   cts.    once 

for  all  and   no  annual  dues. 

These  five  classes  receive  equally  the 
certificate  of  membership,  which  is  print- 
ed on  India  paper  and  is  suitable  for 
framing,  and  the  Juniors  in  addition,  now 
have  the  Audubon  button.  A  sixth  class 
has  been  recently  added,  copied  from  a 
similar  grade  of  the  New  York  Society, 
Associate  Junior  Members,  who  sign  a 
card,  "I  promise  not  to  harm  our  birds 
or  their  eggs  and  to  protect  our  birds 
whenever  I  am  able  "  No  fee  is  re- 
quired, and  in  lieu  of  the  certificate,  an 
Audubon  button  is  given  as  a  reminder 
of    the  work. 

This  sixth  grade  has  not  been  current 
long  enough  to  judge  fairly  of  the  results, 
but  several  cases  have  come  to  my  notice 
of  "We  would  rather  pay  and  get  the 
certificate,   please." 

The  money  so  raised,  given  cheerfully 
and  without  pressure,  has  enabled  the 
Connecticut  Society  to  issue  satisfactory 
Bird  Day  Programmes  (last  year  to  4,500 
teachers),  equip  three  expensive  free  lec- 
ture outfits  with  lanterns,  colored  slides, 
etc.,  and  pay  all  current  expenses  it't't/t- 
out    begs-ing-. 

If  all  societies  can  collect  sufficient 
money  by  graded  fees  to  furnish  them- 
selves with  a  regular  campaigning  plant 
and  wage  the  pleasant  and  profitable  bat- 
tle of  instruction  in  each  Audubon  State, 
in  ten  years  either  their  work  will  be  so 
well  done  that    there  will    be    no   further 


The   Audubon   Society 


65 


need  for  it,  or,  failing  this,  there  will  be 
nothing  to  protect.  In  either  case  the 
time  is  nozc,  and  the  price  of  success  is 
not  only  an  expenditure  of  sense,  senti- 
ment, practical  economics,  legal  ardor, 
but    hard-headed,  cold  cash ! 

Fellow  Audubonites,  face  this  issue ! 
Do  not  spend  so  much  time  in  crawling 
around    it   and   nibbling   the  edges. 

A  well  known  public  educator  of  St. 
Paul  writes  me,  "We  have  now  so  much 
available  material  for  nature  study  in 
our  schools  that,  within  about  ten  years, 
we  should  have  the  spirit  of  destruction 
changed  into  a  spirit  of  protection."  Yes, 
and  the  Audubon  Societies  must  have 
fees  in  order  to  mould  this  material  into 
an  attractive  shape  that  will  appeal  to 
the  child,  through  its  eye  for  the  beau- 
tiful, and  not  in  a  study  form,  to  add  its 
weight  to  the  intolerable  burden  of 
"  lessons. 

When  the  societies  can  do  this  they 
will  have  forgotten  such  things  as 
Pledges.— M.  O.  W. 

Reports  of  Societies 

ILLINOIS   SOCIETY 

The  work  of  the  Illinois  Audubon 
Society  has  gone  steadily  on  during  the 
past  year.  There  are  regular  monthly 
meetings  of  the  directors  held  during 
eight  months  of  the  year,  with  meetings 
for  members  and  the  general  public  in 
the  spring  and  fall.  The  speakers  at  the 
public  meetings  this  last  year  have  been 
Rev.  Jenkin  Lloyd  Jones  and  Mr.  Frank 
E.  Sanford,  of  our  own  Society,  and 
Prof.   O.   G.   Libby,  of  Wisconsin. 

New  branch  societies  have  been  formed 
in  several  towns,  but  this  part  of  our 
work  grows  slowly,  the  southern  part  of 
the  state  being,  as  yet,  entirely  untouched. 

Bird  Day  is,  unfortunately,  not  estab- 
lished by  law,  but  was  observed  by  many 
of  the  schools  where  the  teachers  were 
personally  interested  in  the  work.  It  is 
possibly  a  (Question  to  be  considered 
whether  the  school  work  of  the  humane 
societies  with  their  "Bands  of  Mercy," 
and    the    work    of     the    Junior     .\udubon 


Societies  might  not  be  united  to  the 
advantage  of  both,  a  multiplicity  of 
pledges  being  unadvisable  for  children. 

During  the  year  new  bird  laws  have 
been  passed  by  our  state  legislature, 
conforming  in  many  points  to  the  model 
laws  suggested  by  the  A.  O.  U.  Bird 
Protection  committee.  While  we  are 
thus  fortunate  in  having  reasonably  good 
laws,  the  question  of  enforcing  them 
seems  a  difficult  one.  "Test  cases"  will 
probably  come  sooner  or  later  that  will 
decide  whether  they  are  a  "dead  letter" 
or  a  "living  epistle." 

Thanks  to  the  graceful  and  active  pen 
of  one  of  our  directors,  the  subject  of 
bird  life  is  brought  often  to  the  notice 
of  the  public  through  the  columns  of  the 
press,  one  recent  result  being  the  posting 
by  two  active  bird  lovers,  of  warnings 
to  "all  concerned,"  to  leave  unmolested 
the  game  up  and  down  the  wooded 
banks  of   the  Desplaines  river. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that,  in  spite  of 
game  laws  and  Audubon  Societies,  birds 
are  shot  by  men,  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  stoned  by  boys  and  worn  by 
women.  While  we  hear  that  the  hats 
and  bonnets  of  our  women  of  the  "  middle- 
west"  are  not  quite  as  bad  as  those  of 
our  eastern  sisters,  they  are  worse  than 
they  have  been  for  years ;  though,  per- 
haps,  one  sees  fewer  song   birds. 

Our  present  membership  embraces 
some  772  adults  and  nearly  6,000 
children,  the  latter  being  seemingly  as 
difficult  to  count  accurately  as  the  birds 
themselves. 

Since  our  spring  meeting,  April  13, 
we  have  sent  out  over  1,500  leaflets  and 
are  about  sending  out  some  1,200  more. 
Only  one  new  leaflet  has  been  issued 
by  the  society  during   the  year. 

Mary  Drummond,    Sec'y. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA  SOCIETY 

The  South  Carolina  Audubon  Society 
was  organized  at  Charleston,  January  4, 
igoo,  with  a  membership  of  thirty-six. 
Miss  Christie  H.  Poppenheim  was  elected 
president,  and  Miss  L.  A.  Smyth,  of  Le- 
gare  street,  Charleston,  secretary. 


66 


Bird-  Lore 


references: 

Imf^rtpr^  and  Traders  National  Bank.  New  York. 
Sterner  Bros  .  Bankers,  Birmingham.  Ala. 
Henrv  Stern  &  Co..  Boston.  Mass. 
Henry  Stern  &  Co  ,  New  Orleans. 
Crescent  City  Moss  Ginnery-.  New  Oriea 
Chas-  Kahn.  Jr.  &  Son.  Cincinnati,  01 
Peter  Schneider  Sons  i  Co     N.V 
lohn  H    Lvon*  Co.    N.Y. 
R.  Weiden.  N   V 
Ceo.  B.  Ritchie  4  Co.  N   Y 

Below^  1  hand  you  prices  for  the  fol 
est  market  price  on  the  arrival  of  goods. 

LAUGHiNT.  GULL,    prims,  I1M7  CBrtd,  Clean  and 

KOYAL  TERNS,  

AVILSON      ■■  ■■       ••        ■'       ■■     " 

SE.A.  SWALLOW,  •■      ""       ' 

WHITE  SEA  PIGEONS 

BLACK  SEA  '       " 

HERRING  GULL,(or  Storm  Gulls) 


ESTA8LISHE0  1854. 


-E^ 


LOUIS  STERN, 

COMMISSION      MERCHANT 


BIRDS  SHOULD  LOOK  LIKE 
THIS  WHEN  CURED. 


New  York,  September  7ih,  1899. 

lowing  articles  in  our  market.     I  always  obtain  for  Shippers  the  high- 
1  want  for  immediate  shipment  the  very  largest  Grey  Gulls. 

Blaclilieaded  Le.iet  Terns  JinillB.  liCelV  Cired,  Cleai  aiid  dTT  lOHIld  Stins.  25 

'.  12 
■  50 
•  2.5 
1030 
15 
15 


dry  round  sKiiis,   35 
"    •■      ••     35 


Oreylicaded 

BARN  OWLS, 

OWLS  of  other  species,  (only  large  size)     "     "      '     '• 
pREBE  SKIMS,  accordinc  to  size  and  condition   " 
HERRING  and  LAUGHING  GULL  WINGS,  per  pair, 
ROYAL  TERN  WINGS.  "     •' 


If  you  are  not  familiar  with  curing  ROUND  BIRD  SKINS,  as  picture  of  bird  shown  above,  cut  the  whole 
wing  off  close  from  the  body  and  take  out  wing  bone,  and  then  cut  open  the  other  joints  and  remove  all  the 
meat — then  sprinkle  with  either  plaster  or  arsenic  on  the  wing  in  its  original  shape  closed,  and  exposei  same 
until  dry.  Be  sure  and  do  not  bVeak  or  spread  the  wing,  and  do  not  ship  bodies  after  cutting  wings  off  the 
following  birds,  only  Herring,  Laughing  Gull  and  Royal  Terns. 

Express  Birds  and  Grebe  Skins  packed  either  in  light  cases,  or  packed  nicely  and  wrapped  in  burlap,  so  as  to 
reduce  expense  in  expressing,  and  you  can  also  forward  small  lots  of  birds  by  mail  wrapped  either  in  heavy 
paper  or  light  cloth  and  well  tied.  I  also  solicit  your  valued  shipments  for  HQNEY,  WAX,  WHITE  HERON. 
(White  Crane)  EGRET  PLUiV\ES,  LARGE  BLUE  CRANE  SKINS  WITH  WINGS,  ALLIGATOR  SKINS. 
BEEF  HIDES,  GOAT,  SHEEP,  DEER  SKINS  and  FUR.  Also  GREEN  TURTLE  and  SALT  WATER  TER- 
RAPIN to  be  shipped  about  the  n;iddle  of  November  next. 

lam,  yours  respectfully, 

LOTJIS    STERTT^ 
101  BEEKMAN  STREET,  New  York  CHy. 

l^*DON'T    SHIP     FOLLOWING  :    S:rall  Blue  Crane,  Night  Heron,  Brown  Egret,  Surf  Snipes,  Water  Turkey  and  Grosbeak. 


Fac-siiiiile,  slightly  reduced,  of  message-side  of  postal  card  sent  out  by  feather  dealer  to  Post- 
masters. It  was  the  wholesale  distribution  of  this,  and  similar  circulars,  which  induced  the 
Biolo.^ical  Survey,  through  the  Department  of  Agriculture,-  to  appeal  to  the  Postmaster  General  to 
prohibit  Postmasters  from  assisting  feather  dealers,  with  the  gratifying  results  set  forth  below  by 
Dr.  Palmer,  of  the  Biological   Survey. 


Protest  against   the   Collection  of    Plume 
Birds  through  Postmasters 

Some  weeks  ago  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  received  information  that 
preparations  were  being  made  to  collect 
plume  birds  in  large  quantities  in  the 
Gulf  States,  and  that  cards  had  been 
sent  out  by  a  certain  New  York  dealer 
to  postmasters  in  the  South,  soliciting 
Gulls,  Grebes,  Owls,  and  other  species 
now  in  demand   for  the  millinery  trade. 

On  January  27,  1900,  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
Postmaster  General  referring  to  the  dis- 
tribution of  these  cards,  and  requesting 
that  postmasters  be  warned  against  aid- 
ing or  engaging  in  the  slaughter  of  birds. 
Attention  was  called  to  the  State  laws 
protecting  birds,  and  especially  to  the 
acts  of  Florida  and  Texas  prohibiting 
the   killing  of  plume  birds. 

The  Postmaster  General  promptly  issued 
an  order,  directing  the  attention  of  post- 


masters to  this  letter,  in  which  they  were 
"  expressly  enjoined  against  being  parties 
to  any  transaction  that  violates  State  law." 
The  order  and  letter  were  published  in 
full  in  the  '  Postal  Guide '  for  February, 
and  thus  brought  to  the  notice  of  post 
office  officials  throughout  the  country. 

One  energetic  postmaster  in  Maine  at 
once  contributed  an  article  on  protecting 
plume  birds  to  his  local  paper,  and  some 
of  the  daily  papers  in  Philadelphia  and 
Washington  commented  on  the  novel 
plume-bird  order.  Thus  through  the 
medium  of  the  Post  Office  Department, 
the  attention  of  nearly  75,000  postmasters 
has  been  called  to  the  laws  protecting 
birds  and  the  methods  of  the  plume 
trade,  while  the  general  public  has  re- 
ceived another  warning  of  the  urgent 
necessity  for  more  effective  measures  to 
prevent  our  plume  birds  from  being 
exterminated  in  the  interests  of  the 
millinery   trade. — T.   S.  Palmer. 


'^•" 
-^#^ 


™?r\^".>r-^  *^-.?^   /?►>  ">J  't-' 


<^'^. 


M 


RUFFED    GROUSE    ON    NEST 
Photographed  from  nature,  by  E.  G.  Tabor    Meridian,  N.  Y. 


l&irti  =  tore 


A    BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official    Organ    of   the    Audubon    Societies 


Vol.  II 


June,  1900 


No.  3 


Song-Birds    in    Europe    and   America* 

BY   ROBERT    RIDGWAY 

Curator  of   Birds,  I'nited   States   National    Museum 

T  has  been  repeatedly  stated  by  writers  who  have  had 
the  opportunity  of  making  the  comparison,  that  the 
United  States  is  very  deficient  in  song-birds  as  com- 
pared with  Europe  —  the  British  Islands  in  particular. 
One  writer f  even  goes  as  far  as  to  say  that  "it  may 
be  safely  asserted  that  in  the  midland  counties  of 
England  the  Skylark  alone,  even  in  the  month  of  March,  sings  more 
songs  within  the  hearing  of  mankind  than  do  all  the  songsters  of 
the  eastern  United  States" — which,  of  course,  is  an  exaggeration. 
The  same  writer  says:  "It  is,  no  doubt,  very  patriotic  to  prove  that 
the  woods  and  fields  of  North  America  are  as  vocal  with  bird  song 
as  those  of  England.  The  attempt  has  been  made,  but  it  is  only 
necessary  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  stay  a  month  in  the  British  Islands, 
and  then  return,  taking  frequent  country  walks  on  both  sides  of  the 
water,  to  become  convinced  that  the  other  side  has  all  the  advantage 
in  quantity  of  bird  song.  Let  us  grant  that  the  quality  is  equal  — 
though  it  is  difficult  to  understand  where  in  America  the  peer  of  the 
Nightingale  can  be  found  —  let  us  grant  that  the  United  States 
possesses  a  list  of  song-birds  larger  than  that  of  the  British  Islands 
—  all  this  does  not  prove  that  the  quantity  of  bird  song  is  greater. 
In  England  bird  voices  are  everywhere.  The  Chaffinch  is  more 
abundant  than  the  Sparrow  save  in  the  centers  of  cities,  and  his 
cheery  notes  can  be  heard  at  all  times  ;  the  Robin  Redbreast  is 
common  in  suburb  and  village,  and  is  not  chary  of  his  voice  ;  and  as 
for  the  Skylark  —  it    is    hard    to    go  anywhere  in    the  country  without 


*  Parts  of  this  article  were  published    in   the  Audubon  Magazine,  Vol.  I,  1SS7,  page   127,  but  so 
much   has    been  added  and  eliminated  that  in  its  present  form  it  is  essentially  a  different   paper. 
tW.   H.  Lockington,  in    Tlie  Churclinnui. 


70  Bird  -  Lore 

hearing  them.  How  is  it  here  ?  Does  any  one  pretend  that  bird  song 
is  common  in  the  suburbs  of  our  cities  ?  Do  Robins  and  Catbirds, 
our  most  plentiful  singing  birds,  often  treat  us  to  a  song  as  we  sit 
on  the  piazza  of  our  semi-detached  cottage,  or  as  we  walk  adown 
the  tree-lined  streets  ?  " 

It  is  not  stated  in  the  article  from  which  the  above  is  quoted 
where  the  writer's  observations  in  this  country  were  made  except 
that  a  "Pennsylvania  wood"  is  incidentally  referred  to.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  believe,  however,  that  he  can  have  had  much,  if  any,  experi- 
ence with  more  favored  portions  of  our  country,  for  his  allegation 
certainly  will  not  hold  good  for  a  large  number  of  localities  both 
east  and  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  however  applicable  it  may  be  to 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  larger  eastern  cities.  His  comparison 
is  also  unfair  in  that,  while  questioning  the  existence  in  America  of 
any  "peer  of  the  Nightingale,"  he  neglected  to  inquire  where,  in 
England  —  or  the  rest  of  Europe,  for  that  matter — can  be  found 
even  an  approach  to  our  Mockingbird,*  although  since  it  is  tacitly 
granted  that  in  the  two  countries  the  quality  of  bii'd  song  "is  equal," 
we  can  afford  to  pass  this  by. 

When  we  consider  the  unquestionable  fact  that  in  the  eastern 
United  States  the  number  of  species  of  song-birds  is  about  twice  as 
great  as  that  belonging  to  the  entire  British  Islands,  there  must,  if 
the  statement  be  true,  be  some  reason  why  bird  songs  are  so  much 
more  often  heard  there  than  here.  The  explanation  seems  to  me 
very  simple,  three  very  different  conditions  which  actually  exist  in 
the  two  countries  being  alone  sufficient  to  produce  the  alleged  result. 
These  are:  (i)  the  far  more  densely  populated  area  of  England, 
rendering  it  almost  impossible  for  a  bird  to  sing  without  being 
heard  ;  (2)  the  greater  protection  there  afforded  song-birds  in  thickly 
settled  districts;  and  (3)  the  conspicuous  differences  of  climate,  the 
moist  and  cool  summers  of  England,  permitting  birds  to  be  abroad 
and   tuneful  throughout  the  day,  while  our  dry  and  scorching  summer 


*The  special  merit  of  tlie  Mockingbird's  song  is  popularly  supposed  to  consist  in  its  imitative 
character,  but  this  is  far  from  being  true.  The  Mockingbird  is  not  so  confirmed  an  imitator  as  he 
is  given  credit  (or  discredit)  for;  and  many  individuals,  and  the  very  best  songsters,  of  the  species 
rarely,  if  ever,  imitate.  Their  own  notes  are  so  infinitely  varied  that  persons  not  sufficiently  familiar 
with  birds'  notes  erroneously  suppose  many  of  them  to  be  imitations. 

A  Patagonian  species  of  Mockingbird  [ATimus  tritirus)  may,  or  may  not,  be  superior  to  ours  as 
a  songster.  I  very  much  doubt  if  its  song  excels  that  of  the  best  performers  among  our  species. 
This  is  what  an   Englishman  has  to  say  regarding  it  : 

"  When  I  first  heard  this  bird  sing  I  felt  convinced  that  no  other  feathered  songster  on  the  globe 
could  compare  with  it  ;  for,  besides  the  faculty  of  reproducing  the  songs  of  other  species,  which  it 
possesses  in  common  with  the  Virginia  Mockingbird,  it  has  a  song  of  its  own  which  I  believed  to  be 
matchless;  and  in  this  belief  I  was  confirmed  when  shortly  after  hearing  it  I  visited  England  and 
found  of  how  much  less  account  than  this  Patagonian  bird,  which  no  poet  has  ever  praised,  were 
the  sweetest  of  the  famed  melodists  of  the  Old  World."  (W.  H.  Hudson,  Argentine  Ornithology, 
Vol.  I,  p.  9.) 


Song-Birds  in   Europe   and   America  71 

days  compel  our  songsters  to  seek  shelter  and  repose  soon  after  sun- 
rise, their  singing  being  mostly  done  during  the  early  morning  hours, 
when  people  are  sleeping   most  soundly  ! 

In  many  thinl}^  populated  sections  of  our  country  thousands  of 
bird  songs  are  rarely  heard  by  human  ears.  In  the  vicinity  of  all 
our  cities,  as  well  as  most  if  not  all  of  the  smaller  towns,  the  laws 
protecting  song-birds  are  practically  a  'dead  letter,'  the  surrounding 
fields  and  woods  being  almost  daily  raided  by  the  professional  pot- 
hunter, the  bird  snarer,  or  boys  with  guns  or  bean-shooters.*  In 
England,  on  the  other  hand,  birds  have  for  many  generations  been 
rigidly  protected,  until,  in  their  almost  absolute  immunity  from  the 
perils  to  which  they  are  in  this  country  chiefly  exposed,  a  much  larger 
number  have  become  accustomed  to  have  confidence  in  mankind. 
Laws  protecting  all  kinds  of  song-birds,  and  their  nests  and  eggs, 
are  there  enforced  with  a  strictness  which  is  absolutely  unknown  in 
any  portion  of  the  United  States  ;  and,  in  numerous  carefully  po- 
liced public  parks  and  thoroughfares  and  extensive  private  grounds, 
which  ample  wealth  and  long  cultivation  have  made  a  veritable 
paradise  for  birds,  they  live  in  full  knowledge  of  their  security,  with 
little  to  check  their  natural  increase.  The  extreme  scarcity  of  pred- 
atory birds  and  mammals,  which  have  been  for  a  long  time  nearly 
exterminated  throughout  England,  has  also  assisted  to  bring  about 
that  affluence  of  bird-life  which  is  so  justly  the  pride  of  the  English 
people. 

The  same  abundance  of  bird-life  could  easily,  by  the  same  means, 
be  secured  in  the  United  States.  If  anyone  should  doubt  this,  let 
him  try  the  experiment  and  he  will  soon  be  convinced.  I  have  done 
so  for  ten  years,  and  the  result  was  entirely  satisfactory  from  the 
beginning,  although  the  area  upon  which  I  could  experiment  was 
necessarily  limited  to  my  own  grounds  (only  about  half  an  acre  in 
extent),  and  the  birds  have  had  much  to  contend  with  in  the  abun- 
dance of  English  Sparrows  which  continually  harass  the  more  domes- 
tic species,  the  frequent  destruction  of  their  eggs  and  young  by  red 
squirrels  from  an  adjacent  pine  woods,  and  assassination  by  their  arch 
enemies,  the  house  cat  and  small  boy,  to  which  many  birds  that 
my  wife  and  I  had  learned  to  know  and  love  have  fallen  victims. 
All  suburbs  are  more  or  less  a  "dumping  ground"  for  superfluous 
city  cats  ;  ours  is  no  exception  to  the  rule,  for  these  worse  than 
useless  creatures  have  at  times  fairly  swarmed  in  our  neighborhood. 
Of  course  we  have  done  the  best  we  could  to  protect  the  birds  from 
these  enemies,    and  with   some  success.      We   have  also   done  all    that 


*This   is  certainly  true  of  the  suburbs  of  Washington,  where  the  police   force  is   not  sufficient 
to  properly  patrol   the  outskirts  of  the  city. 


72  Bird  -  Lore 

we  could  to  attract  them  to  our  place  :  boxes  and  gourds  (with  holes 
too  small  to  admit  the  English  Sparrow)  were  placed  here  and  .there 
—  the  former  on  the  veranda  and  on  posts,  the  latter  hung  up  in 
trees;  shrubs,  trees,  and  vines  which  bear  their  favorite  fruits  have 
been  planted  freely  ;  and  during  the  hot  and  dry  season  we  place 
numerous  pans  and  dishes  in  the  shelter  of  the  shrubbery,  and  these 
are  kept  filled  with  water  for  them  to  drink  and  bathe  in.  The 
result  could  scarcely  have  been  more  satisfactory,  for  the  birds  were 
quick  to  discover  the  preparations  we  had  made  for  them,  and  each 
season  they  have  increased  in  numbers  and  become  more  tame.  We 
have  House  Wrens,  Brown  Thrashers,  Catbirds,  Chipping  Sparrows, 
and  Song  Sparrows  nesting  within  our  grounds,*  and  each  morning 
and  evening  dozens  of  Wood  Thrushes,  Vireos  and  other  species 
from  the  adjacent  woods  and  thickets  visit  the  bathing  dishes,  several 
often  disputing  for  the  first  bath.  Here,  in  full  view  of  the  capitol 
dome,  Washington  monument,  and  other  prominent  buildings  of  the 
city,  not  less  than  thirty  species  of  song-birds  make  their  summer 
home  in  our  immediate  vicinity  ;  not  all  of  them  are  conspicuous 
songsters,  but  several  of  them  are  of  the  first  rank  and  most  of  them 
are  fairly  common.  Each  morning  in  May  and  June  and  part  of 
July  we  are  awakened  by  a  veritable  flood  of  bird-melody,  so  loud, 
so  rich,  so  ecstatic,  that  sleep  would  be  impossible  except  to  those 
who  have  no  ear  for  sweet  sounds  or  whose  slumber  is  so  deep 
that  nothing  short  of  a  thunder-clap  or  earthquake  would  break  it. 
This  matin  chorus  is  made  up  of  many  voices.  There  are  Wood 
Thrushes  (half-a-dozen  or  more).  Brown  Thrashers  (several),  Cat- 
birds (several),  a  Robin  or  two,  three  or  four  House  W^rens,  a 
Carolina  W^ren,  Cardinal,  Chewink,  Summer  Tanager,  Yellow-breasted 
Chat,  Red-eyed,  White-eyed,  and  Yellow-throated  Vireos,  Maryland 
Yellow-throat,  Goldfinches,  Song  Sparrow,  and  Field  Sparrow;  also 
songsters  of  lesser  merit,  as  Prairie  Warbler,  Chipping  Sparrow  and 
Ovenbird,  though  these  are  scarcely  to  be  heard  at  all  amid  the  din 
of  louder  voices.  Besides  these  songsters,  several  other  birds  are 
heard  whose  notes  are  conspicuous,  as  the  tender-voiced  Wood 
Pewee,  the  cooing  Dove,  and  the  querulous  Great-crested  Fly- 
catcher. In  all,  more  than  twenty  species  of  true  songsters  and 
fully  three   times  as   many  individual   singers. 

This    matin   chorus   begins  with   the  break   of  dawn  and   ends  after 


*<)u  the  afternoon  of  June  26,  1S9S,  in  company  with  two  oinitholo'jical  friends,  I  made  a  cen- 
sus of  the  birds  seen  in  my  yard  during  about  .lialf  an  hour's  observation.  Exactly  twenty  species 
were  counted,  the  list  being  as  follows:  Hummingbird,  Wood  Pewee,  Wood  Thrush,  Brown 
Thrasher,  Catbird,  House  Wren,  Prairie  Warbler,  Ovenbird,  Warbling,  Red-eyed,  White-eyed, 
and  Yellow-throated  Vireos,  Summer  Tanager,  Goldfinch,  Chipping  Sparrow,  Indigo  Bird,  Cardinal, 
Chewink,  Crow  Blackbird,  and  Flicker.  Besides  these  four  others  (Crow,  Fish  Crow,  Turkey 
Buzzard,  and  Chimney  Swift)  were  seen  flying  overhead  or  near  by. 


Song-Birds   in    Europe   and    America  73 

sunrise.  I  have  never  timed  its  duration,  and  can  only  say  that  the 
bird  songs  heard  by  people  who  are  astir  at  the  ordinary  morning 
hours  can  give  no  idea  of  the  richness  of  the  full  orchestra.  By  the 
time  the  sun  has  risen  high  enough  to  sensibly  increase  the  heat  the 
concert  has  quite  subsided,  and  is  not  renewed  till  dawn  of  the  follow- 
ing day.  Only  three  or  four  species  persist  in  singing  during  our  hot 
summer  days  ;  the  Summer  Tanager  is  the  most  conspicuous,  both 
from  the  vigor  of  his  song  and  the  richness  of  his  coloring  —  I  have 
often  seen  him  perched,  at  midday,  on  the  summit  of  a  tall  tree,  his 
rich  vermilion  plumage  resplendent  in  the  full  glare  of  the  blazing 
sun,  as  he  carolled  his  robin-like  song.  The  Red-eyed  Vireo  is 
another,  who  sings  cheerfully  all  day  long  as  he  carefully  searches 
for  worms  and  spiders  among  the  leafy  branches.  The  Yellow-breasted 
Chat,  too,  amuses  himself  (and  others)  with  his  odd  cat-calls  and 
whistlings,  the  Indigo  Bird  sings  his  sprightly  ditty,  and  the  Field 
Sparrow  his  plaintive  chant.  But  during  the  day  bird  songs  are 
with  us  intermittent  or  desultory,  and  there  is  nothing  like  the  chorus 
of  early  morning.  Unless  the  weather  be  showery,  there  is  only  one 
prominent  regular  evening  songster.  Then  the  Wood  Thrush  is  at  his 
best.  As  the  Thrushes  begin  to  quiet  down  the  Ovenbird,  or  Golden- 
crowned  Thrush,  begins  his  exquisite  vesper  warble  (often  repeated 
through  the  night),  so  utterly  different  from  his  monotonous  day- 
time song  that  one  not  knowing  the  singer  would  never  suspect  that 
it  was  the  same  bird.  All  through  the  night,  whether  moonlight  or 
dark,  clear  or  rainy,  the  Chat  seems  to  be  wide  awake  ;  perhaps  he 
sings  in  his  sleep  ;  however  this  may  be,  no  bird,  not  even  the  Night- 
ingale itself,  can  be  a  more  regular  and  persistent  nocturnal  songster  ; 
indeed  this  bird  does  most  of  his  singing  at  night,  though  unfortu- 
nately his  performance  is  anything  but  melodious.  During  the  breed- 
ing season  other  songsters  occasionall}'  break  the  stillness  of  night 
with  a  brief  outburst  of  song,  as  if  unable  to  repress  their  happiness 
even  during  sleep :  but,  unlike  the  Chat,  the}'  do  not  go  beyond 
one   or   two    such    ebullitions. 

In  other  parts  of  our  country  the  writer  has,  on  many  occasions, 
heard,  earl}^  on  mornings  in  May  and  June,  grand  concerts  of  bird 
music,  which  probably  would  challenge  comparison,  both  as  to  quality 
and  quantity,  with  any  to  be  heard  in  other  portions  of  the  world, 
excepting,  probably,  the  highlands  of  Mexico,  which  are  said,  and 
probably  with  truth,  to  be  without  a  rival  in  both  number  and  quality  of 
songsters.  The  following  list  is  copied  from  my  note-book,  and  was 
made  during  the  progress  of  such  a  concert,  the  birds  named  singing 
simultaneously  in  my  immediate  vicinit\\  The  localit}'  was  not  a 
particularly  favorable    one,  being    two    miles    from    a    small  village,  and 


74  Bird -Lore 

at  least  three-fourths  of  the  surroundings  either  heavy  forest  or 
wooded  swamp.  The  date,  May  12,  and  the  locality  southwestern 
Indiana  :  Four  Cardinals,  three  Indigo  Buntings,  numerous  Ameri- 
can Goldfinches,  one  White-eyed  Vireo,  one  Maryland  Yellowthroat, 
one  Field  Sparrow,  one  Carolina  Wren,  one  Tufted  Titmouse,  one 
Gray-cheeked  Thrush,  one  Yellow-breasted  Chat,  one  Louisiana  Water 
Thrush,  one  Red-eyed  Vireo,  and  two  Mourning  Doves — in  all  thirteen 
species,  and  at  least  twice  that  number  of  individuals.  And  here 
is  a  list  of  birds  heard  singing  together  one  day  in  June,  about  the 
edge  of  a  prairie  in  southern  Illinois  :  Two  Mockingbirds,  one  Brown 
Thrasher,  three  Yellow-breasted  Chats,  one  Warbling  Vireo,  one  Bal- 
timore Oriole,  several  Meadowlarks,  numerous  Dickcissels  and  Hen- 
slow's  and  Grasshopper  Sparrows,  one  Lark  Sparrow,  one  Robin,  one 
Towhee,  one  Catbird,  one  Wood  Thrush,  one  Ovenbird,  one  Summer 
Tanager,  several  Tufted  Titmice,  one  Red-eyed  Vireo,  one  Bell's 
Vireo,  one  White-eyed  Vireo,  one  Cardinal,  one  Indigo  Bunting,  two 
Maryland  Yellowthroats,  one  Field  Sparrow,  and  one  Prairie  Horned- 
Lark —  the  latter  a  true  Lark,  singing  while  suspended  in  mid-air, 
exactly  in  the  manner  of  a  Skylark  ;  in  all,  twenty-five  species  and 
certainly  not  less  than  fifty  individuals.  Is  such  a  rich  medley  of 
bird  music  often,  if  ever,  excelled  in  England  ?  It  is  true  that 
neither  the  Skylark  nor  the  Nightingale  nor  the  Song  Thrush  were 
included,  but  they  were  each  represented,  and  well  represented,  too  : 
the  first,  if  not  by  the  Prairie  Lark,  whose  manner  of  singing  is 
identical,  but  whose  song  is  comparatively  feeble,  then  by  the 
Meadow^lark,  of  which  Wilson  —  himself  a  Scotchman  —  says  that, 
although  it  "cannot  boast  the  />07cu'rs  of  song"  which  distinguish  the 
Skylark,  "yet  in  richness  of  plumage  as  zot'//  as  sweetness  of  voice 
*  *  *  stands  ciiiinentlx  its  superior''  (italics  our  own )  ;  the  second 
by  the  Mockingbird,  whose  song  is  unrivalled  for  its  combination  of 
richness,  variety,  compass,  volubility  and  vivacity  ;  and  the  third  by 
the  Brown  Thrasher,  whose  energetic,  powerful  and  untiring  melody 
is  said  to  closely  resemble  in  modulation  that  of  the  Song  Thrush. 
Not  less  than  half  a  dozen  of  the  remaining  species  are  songsters  of 
very  pronounced  merit,  probabh'  equaling,  in  one  quality  or  another 
of  song,  the  best  of  European  singers,  excepting  that  celebrated  trio, 
the   Nightingale,  Song  Thrush  and   Skylark. 

What  Dr.  Livingstone  has  said  of  African  songsters  applies  equally 
well  to  those  of  the  eastern  United  States,  where  the  summers  are  of 
tropical  character.  "The  birds  of  the  tropics,"  says  he,  "have  gen- 
erally been  described  as  wanting  in  power  of  song.  I  was  decidedly 
of  opinion  that  this  was  not  applicable  to  many  parts  of  Londa, 
though   birds    there   are   remarkably  scarce.       Here  [on   the   Zambesi, 


Song-Birds  in   Europe  and   America 


75 


below  the  falls]  the  chorus,  or  body  of  song,  was  not  smaller  in 
volume  than  it  is  in  England  *  *  *  These  African  birds  have  not 
been  wanting  in  song  ;  they  have  only  lacked  poets  to  sing  their  praises, 
which  ours  have  had  from  the  time  of  Aristophanes  downward.  Ours 
have  had  both  a  classic  and  a  modern  interest  to  enhance  their  fame. 
In  hot,  dry  weatJicr,  or  at  midday  w/ien  the  sun  is  fierce,  all  are  still ;  let, 
however,  a  good  shower  fall,  and  all  burst  forth  at  once  into  merry 
lays   and  loving  courtship." 

In  the  eastern  United  States,  however,  the  true  period  of  bird 
song  is  the  early  morning.  The  outburst  of  melody  which  follows  a 
shower  at  midday  or  evening,  joyous  though  it  be,  is  no  more  to  be 
compared  with  it  than  the  tuning  up  of  an  orchestra  with  the  full 
performance.*  This  oratorio  of  our  birds  seems  to  be  a  serious 
business  with  them,  as  if  the  observance  of  a  religious  duty, —  a  matin 
greeting  to  the  orb  of  day. 


*Not  only  do  our  birds  sing  more  vigorously  and  ioyously  in  the  early  morning,  but  their  songs 
are  at  that  time  far  more  perfect  than  those  heard  during  full  daytime.  I  find  this  entry  in  my 
note-book  :  "  May  26,  1888.  Was  awakened  about  4.15  a.  m.  by  the  song  of  a  Robin,  which  continued 
with  only  momentary  pauses,  as  if  for  breath,  till  4.30  (actual  time),  when  it  suddenly  ceased  and 
the  Catbirds  began  practicing  their  pieces.  The  morning  dark  and  misty,  with  dense  fog  covering 
the  lowlands  and  all  out-of-doors  thoroughly  saturated  by  the  steady  drizzling  rains  of  several  days 
past.  As  heard  thus  early  in  the  morning,  the  Robin's  song  is  really  worth  listening  to,  being  free 
from  those  interruptions  and  harsh  interpolations  which  characterize  it  at  other  times." 


YOUNG    LEAST    FLYCATCHERS    AND    NEST 
Photographed    roni  nature,  by  P.  H.  Feabody,  in  Kittson  Co.,  Minn. 


The    Kingfishers'    Home    Life 


BY  WILLIAM    L.  BAILY 

With  photograplis  from  nature  by  the  author 

HOLE  in  a  bank  seems  a  strange  place  in  which  to 
build  a  nest,  but  although  one  may  know  it  to  be  the 
home  of  a  Kingfisher,  he  little  imagines  the  singular 
course  of  the  passage  leading  to  the  room  at  the 
other  end,  and  is  hardly  aware  of  the  six  long  weeks 
^•^  of  faithful  care  bestowed  by  the  parent  birds  upon 
their  eggs  and  family. 
Early  in  April  we  may  hear  the  Kingfisher's  voice,  sounding  like 
a  policeman's  rattle  as  he  patrols  the  stream,  and  we  often  see  him 
leaving  a  favorite  limb,  where  he  has  been  keeping  watch  for  some 
innocent  minnow  in  the  water  below.  Off  he  goes  in  his  slaty  blue 
coat,  shaking  his  rattle  and  showing  his  top-heavy  crest,  his 
abnormal   bill  and  pure   white  collar. 

The  mother  bird,  as  usual  with  the  sex,  does  most  of  the  work 
at  home.  The  hole  is  generally  located  high  up  on  the  bank,  is 
somewhat  less  than  four  inches  in  diameter,  and  varies  from  at  least 
five  to  eight  feet  in  length.  It  slightly  ascends  to  the  dark,  myste- 
rious den  at   the  other  end, — dark   because  the  passage  generally  bends 


YOUNG    KINGFISHERS,    TWO    DAYS    OLD 


once  or  twice,  thereby  entirely  excluding  the  light.  The  roof  of  the 
passage  is  vaulted  from  end  to  end,  merging  into  a  domed  ceiling 
almost  as  shapely  as  that  of  the  Pantheon.  Such  a  home  is  built 
to   stav,  and   if  undisturbed  would  endure  for  vears.      Two  little  tracks 


76) 


The   Kingfishers'   Home   Life 


77 


are  worn    by  the  female's   feet    the    full    length  of   the    tunnel,    as   she 
passes  in  and  out. 

The  Kingfisher's  knowledge  of  construction,  her  ingenious  manner 
of  hiding  her  eggs  from  molestation,  and  her  constancy  to  her  young, 
arouse    our    interest    and    admiration.      We   must    also    appreciate    the 


NINE    DAYS    OLD 


difficulty  with  which  the  digging  is  attended,  the  meeting  of  frequent 
stones  to  block  the  work,  which,  by  the  way,  may  be  the  cause  of 
the  change  in  direction  of  the  hole,  but  which  I  was  inclined  to 
believe  intentional  until  I  found  a  perfectly  straight  passage,  in 
which  a   brood  Avas   successfully  raised. 

To  get  photographs  of  a  series  of  the  eggs  and  young  was  almost 
as  difficult  a  task,  I  believe,  as  the  Kingfisher  had  in  making  the 
hole.  It  was  necessary  to  walk  at  least  four  miles  and  dig  down  to 
the  back  of  the  nest,  through  the  bank  above,  and  fill  it  in  again 
four  times  without  deranging  the  nest  or  frightening  away  the  parent 
birds.  But  we  are  well  repaid  for  the  trouble,  for  the  pictures 
accurately  record  what  could  not  be  described. 

A  photograph  of  the  seven  eggs  was  taken  before  they  had  even 
been  touched,  and  numerous  disgorgements  of  fish  bones  and  scales 
show  about  the  roomy  apartment.  The  shapely  domed  ceiling,  as 
well  as  the  arch  of  the  passage,  is  constructionally  necessary  for  the 
safety  of  the  occupants,  the  former  being  even  more  perfect  than 
the  pictures  show.  What  is  generally  called  instinct  in  birds  has 
long  since  been  to  me  a  term  used  to  explain  what  in  reality  is  in- 
telligence. 

Some  writer  has  mentioned  that  as  soon   as   the  young   Kingfishers 


78 


Bird-  Lore 


are  able,  they  wander  about  their  little  home  until  they  are  able  to 
fly,  but  evidently  his  experience  was  limited.  My  four  pictures  of  the 
young  birds  were  taken  by  lifting  them  out  of  their  nests  and  placing 
them  in  a  proper  place  to  be  photographed  in  the  light,  but  the  first 
two  pictures  were  taken  in  the  positions  in  which  they  were  naturally 
found  in  the  nest.  The  first,  when  they  were  about  two  days  old, 
was  obtained  on  the  21st  of  May,  i8gg,  and  the  young  were  not 
only  found  wrapped  together  in  the  nest,  but  the  moment  they  were 
put  on  the  ground,  one  at  a  time,  though  their  eyes  were  still 
sealed,  they  immediately  covered  one  another  with  their  wings  and 
wide  bills,  making  such  a  tight  ball  that  when  any  one  shifted  a 
leg,    the  whole    mass   would   move   like  a  single   bird.      This   is  a  most 


luLM.     KINGFISHERS,    SlXim-.S     1  m  i  r>     wi.,, 

sensible  method  of  keeping  warm,  since  the  mother  bird's  legs  are 
so  short  that  she  could  not  stand  over  them,  but  as  the}'  are  pro- 
tected from  the  wind  and  weather  they  have  no  need  of  her.  Their 
appearance  is  comical  in  the  extreme,  and  all  out  of  proportion. 
This  clinging  to  one  another  is  apparently  kept  up  for  at  least  ten 
days,  for  a  week  later,  when  nine  days  old,  they  were  found  in 
exactly  a  similar  position. 

When  the  young  were  first  observed  they  were  absolutely  naked, 
without  the  suggestion  of  a  feather,  and,  unlike  most  young  birds, 
showed  no  plumage  of  any  kind  until  the  regular  final  feathering, 
which  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  adult,  began  to  appear.  The 
growth  of  the  birds  was  remarkably  slow,  and  even  when  nine  days 
old  the  feathers  were  just  beginning  to  push  through  their  tiny 
sheaths,  but  so  distinctly  showed  their  markings  that  I  was  able  to 
distinguish    the    sexes    by    the    coloring    of    the    bands    on    the    chest. 


The   Kingfishers'   Home   Life 


79 


They  did  not  open  their  mouths  in  the  usual  manner  for  food,  but 
tried  to  pick  up  small  objects  from  the  ground,  and  one  got  another 
by  his  foot,  as  the  picture  shows.  I  took  two  other  photographs  the 
same  day,  showmg  several  birds  searching  on  the  ground  with  their 
bills,    as  if  they  were  already  used  to  this  manner  of  feeding. 

When  the  birds  were  sixteen  days  old  they  had  begun  to  look 
like  formidable  Kingfishers,  with  more  shapely  bills  and  crests,  but 
as  yet  they  evidently  knew  no  use  for  their  wings.  They  showed 
little  temper,  though  they  appeared  to  be  somewhat  surprised  at 
being  disturbed. 

My  next  visit  to  the    hole    in  the   bank  was  when   the   birds  were 


YOUNG     KINGFISHER,    TWENTY-THREE    DAYS    OLD 

twenty-three  days  old,  and,  to  ascertain  whether  they  were  still  at 
home,  I  poked  into  the  entrance  of  the  hole  a  long,  thin  twig,  which 
was  quickly  accepted  by  quite  a  strong  bite.  Taking  the  precaution 
to  stop  the  hole  with  a  good-sized  stone,  I  proceeded  to  my  digging 
for  the  last  time  on  the  top  of  the  bank.  This  time  I  found  the 
chamber  had  been  moved,  and  I  had  some  difficulty  in  locating  it 
about  a  foot  higher  up  and  about  the  same  distance  to  one  side. 
The  old  birds  had  evidently  discovered  my  imperfectly  closed  back 
door,  and  either  mistrusted  its  security,  or  else  a  heavy  rain  had 
soaked  down  into  the  loosened  earth  and  caused  them  to  make 
alterations.  They  had  completely  closed  up  the  old  chamber  and 
packed  it   tightly  with  earth  and  disgorged  fish  bones. 

The     skill    with    which    they    met    this    emergency  was    of    unusual 


8o 


Bird-  Lore 


interest,  showing,  again,  the  ingenuity  and  genuine  intelligence  which 
so  often  surprises  us  in  the  study  of  birds.  Their  home  was  kept 
perfectly  clean  by  its  constant  care-taker.  One  of  the  full-grown 
birds,  with  every  feather,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  entirely  developed, 
sat  just  long  enough  for  me  to  photograph  him,  and  then  flew  from 
the  branch  where  I  had  placed  him,  down  the  stream  and  out  of 
sight,  loudly  chattering  like  an  old  bird.  One  more  bird  performed 
the  same  feat,  but  before  I  was  able  to  get  him  on  my  plate.  The 
rest  I  left  in  the  nest,  and  no  doubt  they  were  all  in  the  open  air 
that  warm,    sunn}'  day,    before  nightfall. 


Swallows   and    Feathers 


BY   LAURA   G.    PAGE 


HEN  the  Swallows  returned,  in  the  spring  of  1897, 
they  found  me  an  invalid  in  a  New  Hampshire 
farm  house.  Every  pleasant  morning  from  the 
sunny  piazza  which  fronted  the  south  and  looked 
out  upon  the  barn,  some  rods  away  across  the 
dooryard,  I  idly  watched  the  birds  as  they  flew  in 
and  out  the  great  barn  door  or  slipped  through  a 
broken   pane   in  the  window  above. 

One  morning,  soon  after  their  arrival,  a  few  of  them  flew  down 
near  the  ground  several  times  and  tried  to  pick  up  a  small  feather. 
Then  it  occurred  to  me  to  try  to  help  them.  From  a  basket  of 
feathers,  in  the  woodshed  close  by,  I  took  several  and  placed  them 
on  the  grass  a  few  yards  from  the  piazza.  No  sooner  had  I  resumed 
my  seat  than  they  were  discovered.  One  Swallow  had  seen  them  and 
was  flying  swiftly  back  and  forth  above  them,  though  lacking  the 
courage  to  try  to  get  one.  After  a  moment  he  flew  away  to  the  barn, 
and  soon  came  back  with  two  others  close  behind  him.  He  had 
evidently  been  to  summon  help.  Thus  reinforced,  the  three  at  once 
set  about  getting  the  feathers.  First,  one  would  dart  swiftly  across 
the  yard,  diving  close  to  the  ground  as  he  went,  and  the  others 
would  follow  in  quick  succession.  This  they  repeated  several  times 
before  one  succeeded  in  seizing  a  feather.  Then  he  triumphantly 
flew  with  it  high  into  the  air  and  headed  for  the  barn,  with  both  the 
other  Swallows  in  hot  pursuit.  But  he  eluded  them  and  disappeared 
through  the  door  with  his  prize.  After  a  few  moments  a  company  of 
Swallows  came  out  of  the  barn  and  headed  directly  for  the  feathers, 
where  the  manceuvers  were   repeated. 


Swallows   and   Feathers  8i 

After  this  I  regularly  provided  feathers  for  them,  and  many  an  hour's 
entertainment  did  they  furnish  me,  for  I  never  tired  of  watching  them. 

They  seldom  failed  to  see  a  feather  as  soon  as  it  was  placed  on 
the  grass,  and  would  begin  to  fly  back  and  forth  above  it.  At  first 
they  were  a  little  shy  and  flew  so  rapidly  they  often  missed  their 
aim,  but  soon  they  learned  to  slacken  speed  as  they  dived  for  the 
feathers  and  would  seize  one  nearly  every  time.  I  gradually  decreased 
the  distance  from  the  piazza  until,  finally,  they  would  come  within 
three  feet  of  me  for  them.  They  always  took  them  on  the  wing, 
never  alighting   to  pick   them  up. 

It  was  an  interesting  sight  when  the  successful  bird  was  chased 
by  the  rest  of  the  crowd.  They  usually  came  in  squads  of  from 
three  to  six,  and,  in  trying  for  the  feathers,  would  fly  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, one  after  the  other,  each  diving  to  the  ground  as  he  passed 
by.  But  as  soon  as  one  bird  got  a  feather  the  others  would  all 
leave  the  field  and  give  chase,  and  many  a  time  they  would  press 
him  so  hard  that  in  turning  this  way  and  that  to  evade  them,  the 
feather  would  slip  from  his  beak.  Then  there  was  a  whirling  and 
scrambling  for  it  I  Sometimes  the  owner  would  catch  it  again,  but 
more  often  another  bird  would  snatch  it  and  fly  away,  only  to  be 
pursued  in  his  turn.  I  have  seen  a  feather  dropped  and  seized  three 
or  four  times  before  the   barn   door  was   reached. 

When  the  wind  blew  it  was  hard  for  a  Swallow  burdened  with  a 
feather  to  make  headway  against  it.  Often  it  avouM  be  wrested  from 
his  grasp  and  go  sailing  away  in  the  air,  only  to  be  caught  again 
and  borne  onward.  Sometimes,  if  the  bird  had  a  firm  hold  of  it,  he 
would  be  turned  completely  around  and  even  forced  to  fly  backward 
for  a  moment. 

One  of  the  small  'shoe-shops'  so  common  throughout  some 
sections  of  New  Hampshire  thirty  years  ago,  stood  not  far  from  the 
piazza,  and  to  this  low  roof  the  Swallow  would  frequently  carry  his 
prize  ;  here  he  would  stop,  turn  the  feather  about  or  lay  it  down 
while  he  took  a  firmer  hold  of  it,  seizing  it  squarely  in  the  middle. 
The  other  birds  would  alight  on  the  roof  near  him,  watching  intently 
but  not  offering  to  touch  it,  until  he  was  again  on  the  wing,  when 
they  would  instantly  give  chase. 

Their  selection  of  feathers  was  especially  interesting ;  every 
Swallow  tried  for  the  largest.  When  several  were  put  out  at  one 
time  the  smallest  ones  Avere  always  left  till  the  last.  In  regard  to 
color  they  were  equally  particular.  At  first  I  selected  for  them  the 
softest  and  downiest  feathers,  whether  brown  or  black  or  white ; 
but  the  birds  invariably  cliose  the  white  ones  and  often  refused  the 
dark   colors   altogether. 


82  Bird -Lore 

After  a  time,  instead  of  placing  the  feathers  on  the  ground,  I 
would  toss  one  into  the  air  for  them  as  they  approached.  This 
pleased  them  best  of  all,  and  they  seldom  missed  one  unless  the 
wind  carried  it  back  under  the  piazza,  when  in  their  frantic  attempts 
to  catch  it  ere  it  fell,  the  whir  of  wings  would  beat  almost  in  my 
face.  One  day  I  saw  a  Swallow  sitting  on  the  weather  vane  which 
surmounted  the  barn,  and  tossed  out  a  feather,  wondering  if  he  would 
notice  it.  The  instant  it  left  my  hand  he  darted  like  an  arrow 
across  the  dooryard,  seized  it  before  it  touched  the  ground,  and  made 
off  with  it   to  the   barn. 

My  appearance  on  the  piazza  was  the  signal  for  their  approach. 
They  seemed  to  be  watching  for  me  and  would  start  at  once  toward 
the  house,  making  a  peculiar  noise.  Many  a  morning  on  going  out 
I  have  found  them  flying  to  and  fro  before  the  door,  calling  for 
me,  and  the  instant  a  feather  was  tossed  in  the  air  they  would  all 
dive  for  it,  often  coming  close  to  me.  Several  attempts  to  have 
them  take  one  from  my  hand  were  never  quite  successful  ;  they 
would  look  longingly  at  it  and  fly  back  and  forth  almost  near  enough, 
but  in   the   end   their  courage   always  failed   them. 

They  were  chiefly  Barn  Swallows,  with  their  chestnut  throats, 
glossy  blue  backs  and  forked  tails,  that  came  about  the  door.  Oc- 
casionally a  White-bellied,  or  Tree  Swallow,  or  a  Bank  Swallow, 
in  his  dusky  coat,  would  joiii  the  procession,  circling  swiftly  before 
me  ;  and  a  few  times  Eave  Swallows  were  seen  among  the  rest, 
the  whitish  crescent  on  the  forehead  making  them  easily  conspicu- 
ous. 

A  surprisingly  large  number  of  feathers  were  carried  off.  One 
lady  remarked  that  if  they  were  all  used  for  lining  the  nests  the 
young  ones  would  certainly  be  smothered.  The  morning  was  the 
busiest  time,  though  occasionally  the  birds  would  come  for  them 
late    in    the    afternoon. 

For  nearly  three  weeks  this  activity  continued,  but  toward  the 
end  of  May  their  visits  became  less  frequent  and  with  the  coming 
of  summer  their  time  was  given  to  feeding  the  young,  whose  heads 
could    be   seen    protruding   from    every   nest    in    the    barn. 


^^^.^ 


How  to  Conduct  Field  Classes 

BY   FLORENCE    MERRIAM    BAILEY,    Washington,    D.    C. 

S  far  back  as  1886,  when  the  Audubon  movement 
was  just  beginning,  the  Smith  College  girls  took 
to  'birding. '  Before  the  birding  began,  however, 
behind  the  scenes,  the  two  amateur  ornithologists 
of  the  student  body  had  laid  deep,  wily  schemes. 
"Go  to,"  said  they;  "we  will  start  an  Audubon 
Society.  The  birds  must  be  protected  ;  we  must  persuade  the  girls 
not  to  wear  feathers  on  their  hats."  "We  won't  say  too  much 
about  hats,  though,"  these  plotters  went  on.  "  We'll  take  the  girls 
afield,  and  let  them  get  acquainted  with  the  birds.  Then,  of  inborn 
necessity,  they  -will  wear  feathers  never  more."  So  these  guileful 
persons,  having  formally  organized  a  Smith  College  Audubon  Society 
for  the  Protection  of  Birds,  put  on  their  sunhats  and  called,  "Come 
on,  girls  !  "  This  they  did  with  glee  in  their  hearts,  for  it  irked  them 
to  proclaim,  "Behold,  see,  meditate  upon  this  monster  evil,"  while  it 
gave  them  joy  to  say,  "Come  out  under  the  sun-filled  heavens  and 
open  your  soul  to  the  song  of   the  Lark." 

This,  then,  was  the  inspiration  of  the  bird  work  that  started  up 
and  spread  so  surprisingly,  and  was  carried  on  with  such  eager 
enthusiasm  in  those  early  days  at  Smith.  And  this  must  be  the  in- 
spiration of  all  successful  field  work,  wherever  it  is  done.  A  list  of 
species  is  good  to  have,  but  without  a  knowledge  of  the  birds  them- 
selves, it  is  like  Emerson's  Sparrow  brought  home  without  the  river 
and  sky.  The  true  naturalist,  like  Audubon,  will  ever  go  to  nature 
with  open  heart  as  well  as  mind. 

Feeling  this,  the  organizers  of  the  Smith  work  persuaded  John 
Burroughs  to  come  to  give  it  an  impetus.  When  he  took  the  girls 
to  the  woods  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  so  many  went  that  the 
bird  had  often  flown  before  the  rear  guard  arrived,  but  the  fine 
enthusiasm  of  the  man's  spirit  could  not  be  missed.  No  one  could 
come  in  touch  with  it  without  realizing  that  there  was  something  in 
nature  unguessed  before,  and  worth  attending  to.  And  when  the 
philosopher  stood  calmly  beside  a  stump  in  the  rain,  naming  uner- 
ringly each  bird  that  crossed  the  sky,  the  lesson  in  observation, 
impressive  as  it  was,  was  not  merely  one  in  keenness  of  vision.  His 
attitude  of    stillness  under    the  heavens  made  each  one  feel    that   '  by 

(83) 


§4  Bird- Lore 

lowly  listening'  she  too  might  hear  the  right  word — the  message 
nature  holds  for  each  human  heart. 

This  is  important  to  emphasize  now,  when  bird  work,  undertaken 
at  first  by  nature  lovers  in  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm,  is  now,  from  its 
value,  coming  to  take  rank  with  other  nature  studies  and  be  reduced 
to  their  formal  basis.  In  learning  the  Latin  names,  let  us  not  forget 
the  live  bird.  The  advance  of  ornithology,  as  well  as  our  own  good, 
demands  this,  for  while  the  Latin  names  are  already  set  down  in  the 
books,  the  knowledge  of  the  life  histories  of  even  our  common  birds 
is  painfully  meager.  Sympathetic,  trustworthy  observation  and  record 
of  the  habits  of  the  living  bird  is  what  is  most   needed  now. 

Individual  work  is,  of  course,  richest  in  results,  but  the  enthu- 
siasm roused  by  field  classes  should  lead  to  that.  In  individual  work 
the  habits  of  the  student  will  prevail.  In  field  classes  the  plan  fol- 
lowed will  be  modified  by  the  possibilities  in  each  case,  for  the 
classes  will  not  always  be  formal  ones,  connected  with  a  university 
course.  At  Smith,  for  instance,  where  the  work  was  wholly  apart 
from  the  curriculum,  it  was  impossible  for  the  two  leaders  to  take 
out  all  those  who  wanted  to  go  birding,  so  picking  out  the  best 
observers,  the  leaders  gave  them  special  training,  so  that  they  were 
able  to  take  out  classes  themselves.  While  perilous  in  one  way — 
may  the  birds  forgive  the  names  given  them  ! — this  plan  succeeded 
in  giving  a  larger  number  an  insight  into  nature  work,  and  when  at 
the  end  of  the  spring,  the  girls  exclaimed  with  earnest  gratitude  that 
their  eyes  and  ears  had  been  unsealed,  that  a  new  world  had  been 
opened   to   them,    it   seemed    that   the    work   had    not    been   in   vain. 

And  since  the  college  days  I  have  learned  that  even  a  single 
walk  afield  may  be  worth  while.  On  one  such  walk  in  New  England, 
taken  while  the  dew  was  on,  at  half  past  six  by  the  town  clock,  the 
class  included  a  man  on  a  bicycle,  two  women  in  a  carriage,  and  a 
blind  lady.  But  the  songs  identified  for  the  quick-eared  blind  lady, 
and  the  new  interest  put  within  the  reach  of  those  who  could  only 
ride   to    the   woods,    was    surely    worth    the    effort. 

Regular  classes  are,  of  course,  much  more  satisfactory  in  every  way, 
for  the  student  teacher  is  always  haunted  by  the  desire  for  results. 
When  one  can  choose,  field  classes  should  begin  in  early  spring, 
not  too  early,  when  the  distracted  leader  drags  her  class  miles  over 
hill  and  dale  to  find  one  Junco,  and  comes  home  with  a  horrible 
feeling  that  it  was  all  her  fault  the  birds  disregarded  the  calendar  ! 
Not  too  early,  but  not  too  late.  Just  earl}'  enough  to  find  a  few  of 
the  first  spring  birds,  enough  to  arouse  enthusiasm  without  giving 
the  discouragement  that  comes  to  a  beginner  with  the  later  confusion 
of  tongues.      In   this  event,    even   if  the  class  meets  but  once  a  week, 


How   to   Conduct   Field   Classes  85 

a  good  object  lesson  will  be  given  in  migration,  and  the  excitement 
of  the  new  arrivals  discovered  at  each  outing  will  often  lead  to 
individual  migration  work   between  the  meetings  of  the  class. 

If  one  must  begin  field  work  after  the  bulk  of  the  birds  have 
come,  concentrate  attention  upon  those  most  in  evidence,  or  upon 
those  which  will  make  the  most  distinct  impression  upon  the  be- 
ginner. If  you  have  a  Scarlet  Tanager  and  a  flock  of  Warblers  to 
choose  from,  let  the  class  look  at  the  Tanager.  They  will  in  spite 
of  you,  unless  forcibly  removed,  but  it  is  much  better  that  they 
should.  The  wonderful  color  of  the  Tanager,  his  curious  call,  his 
thrilling  song,  the  marvelously  protective  leaf  tints  of  his  mate,  if  she 
be  near,  will  make  an  indelible  impression  upon  them,  and  by  rousing 
interest,  lead  eventually  to  the  patient  study  of  the  obscure  tree-top 
haunting  Warblers.  It  requires  no  little  moral  effort  for  a  class 
leader  to  stand  quietly  and  look  at  even  a  Tanager  when  the  trees 
are  alive  with  Warblers  she  is  eager  to  study,  but,  as  in  bringing 
up  children,  the  training  you  have  to  give  yourself  is  the  biggest  part. 
You  must  hold  in  abeyance  all  your  own  student  instincts,  and  if 
your  class  is  at  the  Chipping  Sparrow  stage,  be  content  to  fix  your 
eyes  on  a  Chipping  Sparrow  in  the  path  when  a  bird  you  have 
never  seen  before  is  disappearing  over  the  tree-tops.  The  one  vital 
point  is  to  keep  ilie  elass  interested,  and  if  the  interest  would  be 
killed  by  half  an  hour's  chase  after  a  bird  in  the  underbrush,  you 
must  not  go.  Simply  devote  yourself  to  supplying  material,  the 
plainest  of  everyday  birds,  if  they  are  the  ones  best  fitted  to  the  stage 
of   training   reached   by  the  observer  at   that  time. 

The  familiar  rule,  "Go  to  a  good  birdy  place  and  sit  down  till 
the  birds  come,"  is  one  of  the  best  of  all  field  rules — with  modifica- 
tions. You  cannot  expect  the  beginner  to  penetrate  to  the  heart  of 
the  woods  and  sit  contentedly  two  hours  gazing  up  at  a  hole  in  a 
tree  trunk  while  the  owner  is  brooding  her  eggs  out  of  sight  inside, 
and  her  mate  roaming  the  forest  ;  but  by  interspersing  a  judicious 
amount  of  tramping,  even  with  the  certain  knowledge  that  unnoted 
birds  are  flying  before  you  in  all  directions,  your  class  will  be  well 
content  to  sit  down  and  let  the  birds  gather  in  the  birdy  places 
which  you  have  chosen  for  them.  And  3'ou  need  not  begrudge  the 
tramping,  for  to  some  classes  whose  acquaintance  with  afternoon  teas 
is  greater  than  with  briar  patches,  jumping  ditches  and  creeping 
under  barbed-wire  fences  is  valuable  training. 

The  quiz  method  in  field  work,  as  in  the  class  room,  is  the  best. 
Stimulate  thought ;  don't  cram  your  pupils  with  statistics.  But  while 
teaching  them  to  see  for  themselves,  teach  them  to  see  the  right 
things   and,    in    obedience    to   the   pedagogical    rules,    by  constant  com- 


86  Bird  -  Lore 

parison  and  repetition,  and  every  possible  device,  impress  the  im- 
portant characters  of  the  different  families  and  species.  Compare 
tirelessly  the  red  cap  of  the  Chipping  Sparrow,  the  spot  on  the 
breast  of  the  Song  Sparrow,  the  rufous  back  and  red  bill  of  the 
Field,  the  white  throat  and  striped  crown  of  the  White-throat  ;  the 
trill  of  the  Chippy,  the  flowing  song  of  the  Song  Sparrow,  the  charac- 
teristic whistles  of  the  Field  and  White-throat  ;  contrast  the  short 
wings,  strong,  conical,  seed-cracking  bills,  and  labored  flight  of  the 
Sparrows  with  the  long  wings,  weak,  fly-catching  bills,  and  free  flight 
of  the  Swallows  ;  calling  attention  to  the  musical  songs  of  the  Spar- 
rows and  the  monosyllabic  notes  of  the  Flycatchers,  and  carrjdng 
out  similar  comparisons  for  each  family  seen  in  the  field. 

Out  of  doors,  so  many  birds  are  of  necessity  seen  in  passing, 
that  when  field  classes  are  not  connected  with  house  classes  it  is  a 
great  help  to  carry  a  box  of  skins — as  much  as  possible  those  which 
will  probably  be  seen  on  the  day's  walk — and  before  coming  home 
review  the  birds  seen  by  sitting  down  in  the  woods  to  examine  the 
skins.  It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  carry  a  bird  book  afield — the  pocket 
edition  of  Chapman's  Handbook  admirably  serves  this  purpose — 
that  the  observer  may  look  up  doubtful  points  for  himself  while  his 
mind   is   still   full  of   questions. 

Although  the  quiz  method  is  the  best,  when  the  birds  are  flying 
about  rapidly  one  cannot  always  wait  for  the  untrained  observer  to 
seize  upon  the  important  characters.  At  such  times  a  quick  word 
will  concentrate  attention  upon  the  salient  feature,  and  the  young 
observer  can  do  his  part  afterwards  by  a  note  book  sketch  or  mem- 
orandum. As  a  Brown  Creeper  rocks  his  way  up  a  tree  trunk  in 
sight  before  passing  on  to  one  out  of  sight,  quickly  call  attention  to 
his  protective  tree  trunk  color,  the  adaptation  of  his  curved  bill 
and  his  long  pointed  tail,  comparing  him  with  the  Sparrow  seen  before 
■ — the  other  brown  bird — brown  for  his  life  on  the  ground  and  among 
the  weeds,  comparing,  also,  the  Creeper's  long,  curved,  insect-extract- 
ing bill  with  that  of  the  Sparrows,  and  his  climbing  tail  with  the 
steering  apparatus  of  the  Sparrow.  Then,  for  individuality,  his 
systematic  method  of  hunting,  with  that  of  the  Woodpeckers.  A  line 
in  the  note  book  will  show  the  curve  of  the  bill,  a  slanted  arrow 
between  two  vertical  lines  the  oblique  flight  from  the  top  of  one  tree 
to  the  bottom  of  the  next.  A  horizontal  breast  line  and  an  outline 
tail  with  white  outer  tail  feathers  opposite  the  name  Junco  will 
suggest  the  marking  that  disguises  the  Snowbird's  form  and  also 
his  directive  tail  mark  ;  a  chip-churr  opposite  the  name  Tanager  and 
the  words  red  and  green  will  bring  to  mind  the  characteristic  call 
and    the    sexual    coloration    of    the    pair ;     a    musical    phrase    opposite 


Bird  Study  at  Wood's  Holl — Marine  Biological  Laboratory     87 

the  name  Chickadee  will  interest  the  musical  student,  while  a  rough 
outline  sketch  of  the  crest  of  the  Waxwing,  erect  and  flattened,  will 
recall  the  bird's  striking  expression  of  emotion.  Brief  notes  like 
these  will  serve  to  keep  the  observers'  minds  alert,  and  taken  with 
their  list  of  species  seen,  give  something  to  distinguish  and  classify 
their  birds  b}',  on  the  return   home. 

Even  with  the  superficial  stud}'  of  the  field  class,  one  will  get 
hints  of  individual  variation  in  song  and  habit.  When  in  the  field 
during  the  nesting-  season,  the  class  leader  should  keep  as  large  a 
calling  list  as  possible,  only  taking  care  to  guard  the  feelings  of 
the  timid  householders.  Nothing  gives  such  a  good  idea  of  the  bird's 
range  of  expression  in  movement,  call,  note,  and  song,  and  of  its 
general  intelligence  and  individuality,  or  awakens  such  sympathetic 
interest  in  bird  life,  as  consecutive  visits  to  a  young  family.  These 
should  be  from  the  time  of  the  building,  when  the  happy  pair  are 
seen  working  together  with  rare  skill  upon  their  home,  through  the 
brooding,  when  the  male  feeds  his  mate  and  sings  to  her  on  the 
nest,  or  takes  her  place  while  she  rests,  to  the  days  when  the  two 
are  again  working  together  caring  for  their  hungry  nestlings,  and 
risking  their  lives,  if  need  be,  to  guard  them  from  harm. 

I  remember  the  delight  of  a  class  of  Miss  Porter's  girls  at 
Farmington  over  the  discovery  of  a  Kingfisher's  nest  in  the  river 
bank,  and  their  enthusiasm  over  the  pretty  Redstart  who  would  sit 
calmly  in  her  nest  over  our  heads  as  we  looked  up  admiringly  at 
her.  And  I  also  remember  the  satisfaction  of  a  class  of  Hull  House 
girls  in  their  summer  vacation  home,  over  the  old  stub  where  the 
Red-headed  Woodpeckers  were  feeding  their  young.  While  study- 
ing nests,  a  good  way  to  rouse  interest  in  individual  work  is  to  get 
the  students  to  take  photographs  of  the  birds  on  their  nests,  for 
a  great  deal  must  necessarily  be  learned  of  'bird  ways,'  before  any 
good   photographic   results   can  be   obtained. 


Bird   Study  at  Wood's   Holl  Marine   Biological   Laboratory 

'T'HE  Nature-Study  course  to  be  inaugurated  during  the  coming 
summer  at  Wood's  Holl  includes  a  course  on  birds  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Montgomery,  Jr.,  assisted  by  Drs.  Whit- 
man and  Herrick  and  Messrs.  Stone,  Dearborn  and  Chapman.  It  will 
include  field  and  laboratory  work  and  lectures.  In  field  work  partic- 
ular attention  will  be  given  to  the  habits  of  birds,  their  songs,  modes 
of  flight,  etc.,  and  each  student  will  be  required  to  keep  a  journal  of 
observations. 


JTor    ^oung    0bstx)otxs 


e-i 


mm  OKmm  ©f  oicbc  osseL 


Sir     Richard    Cecil    was    a     knight    of    very    high 

degree. 
he   came   to    preach    some    English    fad    in    North 

Amerikey; 
But   a    clever    Indian    medicine    man    transformed 

him   to   a   bird. 
With   the   funniest,  drollest,  dryest   note   that   ever 

yet  was   heard: 
And    now   he   sings    the    livelong   day,    from    mul- 
lein  top   or   thistle. 
The   first   of   his   intended   speech,  "Oh    1   am 
Dick.  Dick   Cissel." 

,  ERNEST    SETON-TMO;nPSON. 

Jr 

'en 


ly 


(88) 


J^otes;  from  JftelD  anti  ^tudp 


A  Home-Loving  Osprey 

For  several  years  the  Ospreys  whose 
nest  is  here  figured  built  in  a  dead  oak, 
in  the  pasture  on  the  left,  about  a  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  road  shown  in  the 
photograph,  but  when  the  property  re- 
cently came  into  the  possession  of  a  new 


ospreys'  nest 

Photographed  from  nature  by  H.  S.  Hathaway 

owner,  he  had  the  tree  cut  down,  and  in 
the  spring  of  iSgg  the  birds  started  a  nest 
on  a  pole  nearer  to  the  house  than  the  one 
on  which  it  is  placed  in  the  picture. 

On  this  pole,  however,  there  was  a 
'converter,'  which  the  nest  so  interfered 
with  that  the  owner  had  to  tear  the  nest 
down.  Then  the  birds  repaired  to  the 
pole  occupied  in  the  photograph.  I  have 
learned  that  they  did  not  rear  a  l:>rood, 
but  seemed  very  nervous,  and  would  sit 
only  for  short   periods. 

The  nest,  as  may  be  seen,  is  on  a 
highway  leading  from  the  main  road  to 
the  shore,  and  is  placed  on  a  pole  carry- 
ing electric  light  wires  to  the  house  in 
the  photograph.  It  is  situated  at  War- 
wick Neck,  R.  I. — H.  S.  Hathaway, 
Proi'idcnci\    A'.    I. 


Nesting   of  the  Prothonotary  Warbler 

One  of  the  most  common  birds  of 
northeastern  Louisiana  is  the  Prothono- 
tary Warbler.  It  can  always  be  found 
in  considerable  numbers  along  the  nu- 
merous bayous  and  lakes  in  this  part  of 
the  State,  but  particularly  in  the  large 
cypress  swamps.  I  have  found  it  nesting 
in  all  kinds  of  places.  The  most  common 
place,  however,  is  in  knot-holes  in  fallen 
cypress  logs.  I  have  found  the  nests, 
also,  in  holes  and  corners  in  a  large 
barn,  also  in  rail  fences,  deserted  Wood- 
pecker holes,  and  in  bird  boxes. 

These  birds  are  very  sociable,  and  come 
around  the  farm  houses  very  often  to 
build  their  nests.  A  good  nesting  place 
is  very  reluctantly  deserted,  and  the  birds 
will  build  their  nests  in  the  same  hole 
year  after  year,  even  though  disturbed. 

Three  nests  in  particular,  I  remember, 
were  robbed  year  after  year,  two  by 
snakes  and  one  by  a  cat.  The  first  one 
was  under  a  large  bridge,  where  there 
was  a  square  hole  in  one  of  the  posts, 
three  feet  above  the  running  water  ;  the 
second  was  in  a  square  hole  in  a  large 
post,  supporting  a  Pigeon  house,  and  the 
third  was  in  a  hanging  flower  box  at 
the  end  of  the  piazza. 

The  nests  of  the  Lettuce  Bird,  as  it  is 
commonly  called  here,  are  made  from 
green  moss,  feathers,  and  any  sort  of 
soft  material.  The  outside  is  always 
covered  with  green  bark  moss,  and  it  is 
lined  with  horse  hair  — Albert  Ganier, 
Vicksbiirg,  Miss. 

The  House  Wren  as  a  Depredator 

Ti'Offlodytcs  aedon  has  made  for  him- 
self a  bad  name  in  my  immediate  vici- 
nage. One  object  in  telling  of  his  bad 
deeds  is  to  find  out  if  they  are  peculiar 
to  this  individual,  as  I  trust  may  prove 
true,  or  whether  other  observers  have 
had  a  like  experience. 

My  Wren  is  a  depredator  ;  not  a  rob- 
ber,   but    a    spoiler.     He    does    not    take 


go 


Bird-  Lore 


other  birds'  eggs  and  eat  them.  He 
pierces  them  with  his  sharp  little  bill 
and  throws  them  out  of  the  nest. 

My  direct  knowledge  of  this  fact  comes 
from  his  treatment  of  the  Chipping  Spar- 
row. I  have  seen  the  Wren  throw  the 
eggs  of  the  latter  out  of  the  nest.  My 
Wren-box  is  nailed  against  the  lattice  at 
the  west  end  of  a  back  piazza,  where 
this  lattice  meets  the  side  of  the  house. 
The  place  is  really  more  a  covered  walk 
than  a  piazza,  having  on  its  outer  side  a 
long  trellis  covered  with  the  wild  ampe- 
lopsis.  The  Chipping  Sparrows  have 
taken  this  as  a  favorite  building  place, 
sometimes  two  pairs  of  them  having  their 
nests  there  at  the  same  time.  But 
whether  these  confiding  'chippies' 
build  nearby  to  the  brown  spit-fire  or 
farther  away  —  even  twenty  feet  off  — 
he  or  she  will  not  suffer  them  to  go 
unmolested. 

The  Wrens  have  also  taken  the  eggs 
from  the  nest  of  a  Chipping  Sparrow 
which  built  quite  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  house. 

Besides  this  direct  evidence,  I  have 
also  other  which  is  circumstantial,  but 
such  circumstantial  evidence  as  the  bird- 
lover  learns  to  put  a  high  value  upon. 
It  is  this :  My  Bluebirds  chase  the 
Wren, —  crying,  "stop  thief,  stop  thief!" 
whenever  they  see  him  in  the  open.  So 
also  does  my  Baltimore  Oriole,  who  re- 
turns to  his  elm  on  my  premises  every 
year.  That  the  Robins  do  not  chase  the 
Grackles  without  reason  we  know  and 
they  know,  to  our  mutual  sorrow.  I  fear 
that  the  inference  must  stand  in  the 
case  of  these  other  birds  and  the  House 
Wren.  It  is  becoming  a  serious  issue 
with  me  just  what  to  do.  I  love  the 
rollicking  song  of  my  fidgety  Wrens.  But 
I  love,  also,  the  quiet,  patient  Sfizella 
socialis,  even  if  she  does  seem  to  be 
lacking  in  gumption  as  to  the  locating 
of  her  nest,  and  even  if  one  does  feel 
occasionally,  as  he  does  with  some  une- 
motional people,  as  if  he  would  like  to 
stick  a  pin  point  into  her  and  wake  her  up. 

My  Bluebirds  also  left  me  last  summer, 
the    first    time    in    four    years.      I    have    a 


strong  suspicion  that  the  small  marauder 
of  this  paper  had  something  to  do  with 
their  failure  to  return,  and  the  question 
is  whether  I  shall  be  compelled  to  take 
down  my  Wren-box. — John  Hutchins, 
Litchfield,  Conti. 

A    New   Camera   for   Bird    Photographers 

Bird  photographers  will  be  interested 
to  learn  that  essentially  the  same  type 
of  camera  described  by  Mr.  Rowley,  in 
Bird-Lore  for  April,  has  been  placed  on 
the  market  by  the  Reflex  Camera  Com- 
pany, of  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 

The    Bird    Protection    Fund 

Since  the  report  of  the  Treasurer  of 
this  fund,  in  Bird-Lore  for  April,  addi- 
tional subscriptions  have  been  received, 
and  the  fund  now  amounts  to  $1,300. 

Every  colony  of  Gulls  and  Terns  that 
has  been  found  from  Virginia  to  Maine 
has  been  provided  with  a  protector,  and 
will  receive  all  the  protection  that  the 
laws  of  the  various  states  in  which  they 
are  located  afford  them.  For  one  large 
colony  of  Herring  Gulls  and  Terns  in 
Maine,  a  warden  has  been  employed  who 
devotes  his  entire  time  to  the  work.  At 
all  the  other  colonies,  only  so  much  of  the 
warden's  time  is  engaged  as  will  afford 
the  necessary  protection. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
all  of  the  Gulls  and  Terns  that  breed 
between  Virginia  and  Maine  will,  this 
year,  be  permitted  to  raise  their  young 
without  being  disturbed. 

It  is  purposed  that  all  of  the  breeding 
colonies  shall  be  visited  at  the  height  of 
the  breeding  season  by  some  member  of 
the  American  Ornithologists'  Union,  who 
will  inspect  the  work  done  by  the  pro- 
tectors, and  note  the  condition  of  the 
colonies  — William  Dutcher,  545  Mati- 
hattan  ai'enue,  lYezv    York   City. 

Arbor  and  Bird  Day  Proclamation 
The  Governor  of  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin has  issued  an  elaborately  printed 
Arbor  and  Bird  Day  proclamation  well 
calculated  to  attract  attention  to  the 
importance  of  the  occasion  which  it 
announces. 


ilooft  J^etos^  antj   l^etoieto^ 


British  Birds'  Nests,  How,  Where,  and 
When  to  Find  and  Identify  Them.  By 
R.  Kearton,  F.  Z.  S.  ,  with  an  Introduc- 
tion by  R.  BowDLER  Sharpe,  LL.D. 
Illustrated  from  photographs  by  C. 
Kearton.  Cassell  &  Co  Ltd.  London, 
Paris,  New  York  and  Melbourne.  1898. 
8vo,  pp.  XX  -p  368.  Numerous  half- 
tones. 

Our  Rarer  British  Breeding  Birds. 
Their  Nests,  Eggs  and  Summer 
Haunts.  By  Richard  Kearton,  F.  Z.S. 
Illustrated  from  photographs  by  C. 
Kearton.  Cassell  &  Co.  Ltd.  London, 
Paris,  New  York  and  Melbourne,  1899. 
Bvo,  pp.  xvi  -|-  149.  Numerous  half- 
tones. 

In  the  first  of  these  volumes,  under  an 
alphabetical  arrangement,  the  authors  de- 
scribe and  present  photographs  from  na- 
ture of  the  nests  of  the  British  birds  with 
whose  breeding  habits  they  were  familiar 
at  the  time  of  its  publication.  In  the  sec- 
ond volume  are  included  pictures  of  the 
nests,  eggs  or  breeding  haunts  of  nearly 
sixty  species  not  pictorially  represented  in 
their  earlier  work,  in  the  gathering  of 
which  the  authors'  journeys  in  England, 
Scotland,  Ireland  and  Wales,  footed  up  a 
total  of  about  10,000  miles. 

The  second  work  is,  therefore,  virtually 
a  supplement  to  the  first,  and  the  two  to- 
gether constitute  a  practically  complete 
guide  to  the  subject  of  which  they  treat. 
The  amount  of  labor  involved  in  securing 
the  material  for  these  books  can  be  appre- 
ciated only  by  the  experienced  ;  but  that 
it  is  justified  by  the  results  must  be  ad- 
mitted by  everyone  who  compares  these 
actual  representations  of  the  breeding 
haunts,  nesting-sites,  nests  and  eggs  them- 
selves, with  the  stereotyped  phraseology 
and  often  execrably  colored  lithographs  of 
egg-shells  of  the  older  oologies. 

In  their  later  volume  the  authors  write 
from  a  broad  experience  of  the  need  and 
methods  of  bird  protection  ;  and  in  nu- 
merous instances  do  not  mention  the  lo- 
calities in  which  they  have  found  certain 


reams;  liiids  ' 

dabchick's  nest  uncovered 

rare  species  breeding,  for  fear  they  will  be 
exterminated  by  egg  collectors.  What 
a  comment  on  the  greed  of  the  average 
oologist !  —  F.  M.  C. 


(91) 


92 


Bird -Lore 


California  Water  Birds. —  No.  IV. 
Vicinity  of  Monterey  in  Autumn. 
By  Leverett  M.  Loomis.  Proc. 
Calif.  Acad.  Sciences.  Third  Series. 
Vol.    II,    No.    3,    pp.    277-322. 

In  this  paper  Mr.  Loomis  continues 
his  valuable  studies  of  the  movements 
of  Water  Birds  off  the  coast  of  Cali- 
fornia, the  period  covered  being  from 
September  18  to  November  14.  A  de- 
tailed account  of  the  observations  made 
is  presented  under  dates  and  is  followed 
by  certain  "conclusions"  on  various 
phenomena  of  bird  migration  under  the 
headings  '  Migration  Northward  After 
Breeding  Season,'  'Guidance  by  Physical 
Phenomena,'  'Guidance  by  Old  Birds,' 
'Cause  of    Migration.' 

Mr.  Loomis'  well-deserved  reputation 
as  a  careful  and  discerning  field  orni- 
thologist makes  his  observations  an  im- 
portant contribution  to  our  knowledge  of 
existing  conditions  of  bird  migration,  but 
in  theorizing  on  the  origin  and  manner 
of  migration,  he  falls  into  the  common 
error  of  attempting  to  explain  the  origin 
of  a  habit  whose  root  is  fixed  in  a  past 
geological  age,  and  whose  growth  has  been 
governed  by  a  thousand  influences  we 
know  not  of,  by  its  present  day  manifes- 
tations—  the  last  buds  on  the  branch 

A  study  of  the  origin  of  bird  migration 
must  begin  with  the  origin  of  flight 
itself:  a  faculty  which  provided  the  bird 
with  a  means  of  extending  its  range 
into  regions  made  habitable  by  increased 
solar  heat  during  a  portion  of  each  year. 
From  this  as  a  starting  point  and  with 
the  aid  of  data  as  yet  to  be  furnished 
by  the  paleontologist,  climatologist, 
geologist,  and  psychologist,  the  ornitholo- 
gist may  perhaps  reason  from  cause  to 
effect.  In  the  meantime  we  cannot  have 
too  many  studies  of  just  the  kind  Mr. 
Loomis   is   making.  —  F.    M.    C. 

Bird  Studies  With  a  Camera.  With  In- 
troductory Chapters  on  the  Outfit 
and  Methods  of  the  Bird  Photog- 
rapher. By  Frank  M.  Chapman.  Illus- 
trated with  over  100  photographs  from 
nature  by  the  Author.  D.  Appleton  &  Co. , 
New  York  City.  1900.  i2mo  Pages 
xvi-f-2i8.  Numerous  half-tones.  $1.75. 
The    Author  of  "  Bird    Studies  With   a 


Camera"  is,  without  doubt,  the  best 
equipped  writer  in  the  country  to  handle 
the  subject  of  bird  photography,  he 
holding  the  same  place  in  America  that 
the  Kearton  Brothers  occupy  in  Great 
Britain.  With  a  pleasing  modesty  in  his 
preface,  he  claims  for  his  book  nothing 
more  than  ' '  a  contribution  to  an  end, ' '  yet 
no  amateur  or  professional  photographer 
who  reads  its  pages  will  fail  to  obtain 
many  valuable  hints  which  will  prevent 
hours  of  wasted  time,  and  loss  of  material 
and  effort. 

The  introductory  chapter  treats  of  the 
scientific  value  and  charm  of  bird  photog- 
raphy, followed  by  an  exhaustive  review 
of  "The  Outfit  and  Methods  of  the  Bird 
Photographer."  An  intelligent  study  of 
this  chapter  will  not  fail  to  direct  any  one 
who  attempts  nature  study  with  a  camera 
into  a  much  smoother  path  than  he  could 
find  for  himself. 

The  remaining  chapters  are  devoted  to 
the  field  experiences  of  the  author  while 
securing  the  large  series  of  bird  photo- 
graphs with  which  the  volume  is  illus- 
trated. 

These  experiences  are  told  in  such  a 
pleasing  and  explicit  way  that  the  reader 
involuntarily  wonders  why  hr  has  never 
seen  these  charms  in  nature,  and  mentally 
thanks  the  author  for  showing  him  how  to 
get  nearer  to  nature's  heart. 

The  volume  merits  a  place  in  every 
home,  because  it  advocates  a  love  for  and 
intimate  knowledge  of  wild  bird-life,  and 
also  because  it  will  prove  a  boon  to  the 
thousands  of  amateur  photographers  of 
this  country,  by  introducing  them  into  the 
hitherto-  unknown  paradise  of  animate 
nature. — W.  D. 

Book    News 

The  April  number  of  '  The  Mayflower,' 
published  by  John  Lewis  Childs  at 
Floral  Park,  L.  I.,  appears  with  a 
department  devoted  to  bird  study,  in 
which  the  editor  takes  a  strong  and 
commendable  stand  on  the  question  of 
the  destruction  of  birds  for  millinery 
purposes. 


Editorials 


93 


Btrtiilore 

A  Bi-monthly  Magazine 
Devoted  to  the   Study  and   Protection  of   Birds 

OFFICIAL    i>K(;AN    of  IHF-    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

Edited   by  FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN 
Published  by  THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 


Vol.  II 


June,  1900 


No.  3 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Englewood,  New  Jersey,  or  66  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  and  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 

COPYRIGHTED.  19OO,  BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto: 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  IVorth  Two  in  the  Hand. 


On  page  98  we  print  a  communication 
from  the  Millinery  Merchants'  Protective 
Association,  the  importance  of  which  is 
obvious.  It  is  addressed  to  William 
Dutcher  and  Witmer  Stone,  as  represen- 
tatives of  the  American  Ornithologists' 
Union,  and  to  the  Audubon  Societies, 
through  the  editor  of  this  magazine. 
As  the  Audubon  Societies,  unfortu- 
nately, have  no  Federated  Committee  to 
which  this  matter  could  be  referred  for 
action,  it  will  be  necessary  for  each 
Society  to  consider  the  Milliners'  prop- 
osition independently  It  is,  therefore, 
requested  that  the  matter  receive  the 
prompt  and  careful  consideration  which 
it  so  evidently  deserves,  and  that  the 
result  of  such  consideration  be  communi- 
cated to  the  Editor  of  Bird-Lore  for 
transmission  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Milliners'  Association. 

Without  attempting  to  weigh  the  mer- 
its of  the  proposed  agreement,  we  would 
call  the  attention  of  the  Audubon  So- 
cieties  to    two   points  : 

First.  No  definite  time  is  mentioned 
when  the  plumage  of  North  American 
birds  will  not  be  used  by  milliners,  but 
on  calling  the  attention  of  the  Secretary 
of    their    association    to    this  omission,   he 


states  that  two  fall  seasons  will  be  re- 
quired to  fully  dispose  of  the  stock  on 
hand,  and  names  January  i,  1902,  as 
the  final  date  when  North  American 
birds  will  be  used  by  the  members  of 
the    Milliners'   Association. 

Seco)id.  The  Audubon  Societies  are 
asked  only  to  use  their  best  efforts  to 
prevent  the  passage  of  laws  prohibiting 
the  use  of  the  feathers  of  the  "barnyard 
fowl,  edible  birds  and  game  birds  killed 
in  their  season,  and  all  birds  which  are 
not  North  American  birds."  Doubtless 
many  members  of  the  Audubon  Socie- 
ties believe  that  foreign  birds  are  fully 
as  deserving  of  protection  as  are  North 
American  birds,  and  without  for  a  mo- 
ment denying  the  justice  of  the  claim, 
we  would  ask  them  whether  it  is  pos- 
sible for  us  to  make  laws  protecting 
foreign  birds,  and  if,  as  we  believe,  it 
is  not,  should  we  sacrifice  North  Amer- 
ican   birds  to  a    fruitless   principle  ? 

We  cannot  hope  to  abolish  the  trade 
in  feathers,  but  if,  by  a  concession,  we 
can  so  control  it  that  our  native  birds 
shall  be  exempt  from  its  demands,  we 
shall  have  afforded  them  a  measure  of 
protection  we  had  not  expected  to  secure 
in    this   generation    nor    the    next. 

We  therefore  bespeak  for  the  Milli- 
ners' proposition  such  fair  and  unbiased 
treatment  as  will  enable  us  to  avail  our- 
selves of    its    benefits 

AssEMBLV.MAN  Hallock  descrves  the 
thanks  of  all  bird  lovers  for  his  efforts 
in  securing  the  passage  of  the  amend- 
ment to  the  law  protecting  non-game 
birds,  which  makes  the  sale  or  possession 
for  sale  of  any  part  of  certain  protected 
birds  an  actionable  offence.  The  enforce- 
ment of  this  law  will  assure  complete 
protection  for  song-birds  from  the  de- 
mands of   commerce. 

The  Lacey  bill  passed  Congress  by  a 
vote  of  141  to  27.  The  bill  (No.  6634) 
has  been  referred  to  the  Senate  Com- 
mittee on  Interstate  Commerce,  and  it 
is  hoped  that  all  bird  lovers  will  write 
Hon.  Shelby  M.  Cullom,  Chairman  of 
this  Committee,  urging  its  passage  with- 
out  amendment. 


"  Vou  cannot  7vilh  a  scalpel  Jind  the  poeV s  soul, 
Nor  vet  the  tvild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  .of   their  Secretaries' 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street,  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Delaware Mrs.  Wm.  S.  Hilles,  Delamore.  place,  Wilmington. 

Maryland Miss  Anne  Weston  Whitney,  715  St.  Paul  Street,  Baltimore. 

South  Carolina Miss  S.  A.  Smyth,  Legare  street,  Charleston. 

Florida Mrs.  C.  F.  Dommerich,  Maitland. 

Ohio Mrs.  D.  Z.  McClklland,  5265  Eastern  .Ave.,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa  ■ Mrs.  T.  L.  Wales,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Pkckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Kentucky Ingram  Crockett,  Henderson. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

Texas Miss  Cecile  Sei.xas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 

Encouraging    Items  such    a    meeting    in    Boston,    immediately 

In  the  last  issue  the  question  of  pledges  before    the    convention    of    the   American 

and  fees  was  touched  upon,  and  the  deci-  Ornithologists'  Union,  which  will  be  held 

sion  based  upon  personal  experience  was  ^^  Cambridge,  Mass  ,  in  November. 

given  in  favor  of  fees.     It  gives  me  great  ^^^  those  to  whom  the  matter  has  been 

pleasure  to  find  that  the  matter  at  issue  is  broached   are    heartily   in  sympathy  with 

likely  to  stir  up  an  amicable  difference  of  the   movement,   and    I  should  be  glad  to 

opinion,  and  I  gladly  open  the  columns  of  receive  general  expressions  of  opinion  on 

this  department  to  a  discussion  of  the  mat-  this  matte.-  also,  as  a  very  general  interest 

ter,  Mr.  Witmer  Stone  leading  on  behalf  is  necessary  if    the  conference  is  to  fulfil 

of  the  Pennsylvania  Society  in  defence  of  its  purpose  of  bringing  in  personal  touch 

the  fee  system.  the  friends  of    bird  protection  to    discuss 

Who  will  follow  with  an  equally  decided  the  best  methods  of  furthering  its  welfare. 

and  tersely  expressed  plea  for  the  other  t       •      •    j     j      1        •        i.  j    xu 

.  .  It    is,   indeed,  cheering    to    record    the 

side  ?      Such   discussions    are   of    infinite  ■     ,•  r  ^  •  ,.•       • 

organization  01  two  new  societies  in  very 

value    to    Audubonites    as   antidotes    to   a       .  ^      ^  v-  j     ,.  ^  -n- 

important  bird  states,     fc-very  one  cogni- 

possible  stagnation  of  ideas  and  methods.  ^    t  ^\.     ^       j     t  ^u 

^  ^  zant  of  the  trend  of  the  spring  migration. 

Apropos  of  the  interchange  of  ideas,  it  as  well  as  the  recent  attempt  at  wholesale 

was  suggested  several  months  ago,  in  these  slaughter  in  the  interest  of  the  millinery 

columns,  that  an  Audubon  conference  would  trade,  must  realize  the  cause  for  rejoicing 

be   helpful.     It    is  now  proposed   to  hold  that    the   accession    of    Delaware   brings. 

(94) 


The   Audubon   Societies 


95 


Kentucky,  also,  with  its  memories  of  Audu- 
bon and  James  Lane  Allen's  Cardinal,  has 
fittingly  joined  the  ranks,  beginning  its 
work  by  sending  out  printed  warnings  and 
freely  posting  the  Bird  Laws  and  the 
penalty  for  breaking  them. 

This  is  the  season  for  garden  classes 
and  walking  bird  clubs  of  young  people. 
If  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  the  services  of 
a  professional  bird  student  as  a  guide,  an 
amateur,  who  knows  but  a  score  or  two  of 
birds,  if  he  is  sure  of  his  knozvledge ,  may 
give  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  his  friends, 
whose  lists  of  positive  acquaintances  in  the 
bird  world  can  be  counted  on  the  ten 
fingers. 

The  Pennsylvania  Society  has  had  the 
good  fortune  to  receive  a  bequest  of  ^i,ooo 
from  Miss  Gregg.  We  wish  to  remind  our 
friends  anywhere  that  it  is  not  necessary 
that  they  should  die  in  order  to  remember 
the  Audubon  Societies,  and  that  we  shall 
be  doubly  pleased  to  receive  gifts  of  $i,ooo 
or  under  during  the  lifetime  of  the  donors. 

M.  O.  W. 

The    Question   of   Fees 

All  Audubon  Society  directors,  I  am 
sure,  read  with  much  interest  the  article 
in  April  Bird-Lore  relative  to  fees  and 
pledges,  and  the  argument  in  favor  of  fees 
as  a  means  of  paying  expenses  of  the  socie- 
ties "  without  begging." 

So  far  as  I  am  aware  the  Pennsylvania 
Society  is  the  only  one  that  does  not  have 
regular  fees,  though  many  admit  teachers 
and  scholars  free.  As  I  was  personally 
responsible  for  the  free  membership  plan 
adopted  by  our  society,  I  trust  you  will 
allow  me  a  few  words  in  explanation  of 
our  course  and  its  results. 

At  the  time  the  Pennsylvania  Audubon 
Society  was  organized  there  was  but  one 
other  such  society  in  existence,  and  it  was 
much  harder  to  obtain  members  than  it  is 
today,  when  the  principles  of  bird  pro- 
tection are  better  known.  The  success  of 
the  movement  rested  mainly  upon  the 
acquisition  of  a  large  membership,  and  it 
was  felt  that  fees  would  defeat  this  object. 
It  was  further  considered  that  those  who 


could  afford  to  pay  fees  would  contribute 
voluntarily,  and  experiment  proved  the 
correctness  of  this  view.  The  only  "  beg- 
ging" that  the  society  has  done  has  been 
to  state  in  its  general  circulars  that  its 
expenses  were  met  by  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions, just  as  other  societies  print  their 
lists  of  fees.  One  plan,  no  doubt,  works 
better  in  one  community  and  another  in 
another,  but  the  agreement  is  certainly  not 
all  on  the  side  of  a  fee  sytem. 

The  Pennsylvania  Audubon  Society  has 
now  some  5,000  members,  and  its  annual 
reports  speak  for  themselves  as  to  its 
success. 

The  graded  membership  whereby  some 
members  get  certificates  and  circulars,  and 
others  (school  children)  get  only  buttons, 
has  one  disadvantage,  which  I  do  not 
think  has  been  noticed  in  the  Bird-Lore 
articles,  viz.  ;  what  becomes  of  school  chil- 
dren members  after  they  cease  to  be 
school  children?  The  Pennsylvania  Society 
has  now  a  number  of  young  ladies  in  its 
membership  who  joined  as  school  children. 
Would  they  not  have  been  lost  to  the 
society,  in  many  cases,  if  they  did  not 
receive  at  least  a  yearly  communication 
from  headquarters  ?  In  the  Pennsylvania 
Society  ez'ery  member,  from  school  chil- 
dren to  patrons,  gets  the  society's  report, 
with  a  ticket  to  the  annual  meeting,  and 
there  is  probably  nothing  that  will  keep 
alive  the  interest  of  a  widely  scattered 
membership  so  well  as  this  feeling  of  per- 
sonal contact  with  the  central  office  that 
is  fostered  by  these  yearly  communica- 
tions. Sincerely  yours, 

WiTMER  Stone, 
Pres.  Pennsylvania  Audubon  Society. 

Reports   of   Societies 

DELAWARE    SOCIETY 

The  Delaware  Audubon  Society  was 
organized  on  Saturday,  April  7,  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Mrs.  William  S.  Hilles,  Delamore 
place,  by  the  election  of  the  following  offi- 
cers :  President,  Arthur  R.  Spaid ;  Secre- 
tary, Mrs.  William  S.  Hilles;  Treasurer, 
Mrs.  Job  H.  Jackson  The  Board  of  Direc- 
tors will  consist  of  12  members,  four  from 


96 


Bird-  Lore 


each  county,  and  those  selected  for  New 
Castle  and  Kent  are  :  For  New  Castle, 
Walter  D.  Bush,  Edward  Bringhurst,  Jr., 
Elwood  Garrett  of  this  city,  and  Miss  Hetty 
Smith,  of  New  Castle  ;  for  Kent,  Mrs  J. 
B.  Turner,  Mrs.  R.  L.  Holliday,  John  H. 
Bateman  and  Mrs.  Fulton. 

A  constitution  was  adopted,  following 
the  lines  of  that  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Society,  the  objects  of  the  organization 
being  the  protection  of  birds  and  the  dis- 
couraging of  their  use  in  wearing  apparel 
and  for  the  purposes  of  ornament. 

About  thirty  persons  attended  the  meet- 
ing, and  others  may  join  the  society. 

FLORIDA    SOCIETY 

Maitland,  Fla.,  Marcli  2,  igoo. 

An  informal  meeting  of  persons  inter- 
ested in  the  forming  of  a  F'lorida  Audubon 
Society  was  held  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
L.  F.  Dommerich,  at  2:30  p.  m.  There 
were  present  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dommerich, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kingsmill  Marrs,  Mr.  W.  C. 
Comstock,  Mrs  S.  N.  Bronson,  Mrs.  C.  H. 
Hall,  Mrs  J.  Vanderpool,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
T.  P.  Baumgarten,  Mrs.  Harry  Beeman, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  M.  Ward,  Mrs.  W.  S. 
Harney  and  Mr.  W.  Wilson-Barker. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Mr  L.  F.  Dom- 
merich, Rev.  Geo.  M.  Ward  was  made 
temporary  chairman,  and  on  further 
motion  Mrs.  L.  F  Dommerich  was  asked 
to  serve  as  secretary.  Mrs.  Dommerich 
was  called  upon  to  state  the  object  of  the 
meeting,  A  brief  abstract  of  the  case  as 
presented  is  as  follows  :  Attention  was 
called  to  the  destruction  of  song  and  plu- 
mage birds  in  this  state,  and  to  the  work 
that  had  been  done  in  other  states  in  the 
work  of  protecting  our  feathered  friends. 
Letters  were  read  from  parties  interested 
in  the  formation  of  such  a  society  in  this 
state,  and  the  most  encouraging  statements 
were  offered  regarding  the  promised  sup- 
port, both  financial  and  moral,  which 
would  be  forthcoming  should  such  a  society 
be  formed.  Mrs.  Dommerich  further 
stated  that  liberal  subscriptions  had  al- 
ready been  received  towards  the  expenses 
of  such  a  society. 

It  was  decided  that  it  was  the  unanimous 


sense  of  this  meeting  that  a  society  be 
formed  in  our  own  state.  On  motion  of 
Mr.  Dommerich,  a  committee  of  five  was 
appointed  by  ihe  chair  to  present  a  con- 
stitution and  by-laws,  together  with  a  list 
of  officers,  for  a  Florida  Audubon  Society. 
The  committee  appointed  consisted  of 
Messrs.  Dommerich,  Baumgarten  and 
Wilson-Barker,  and  Mrs  Marrs  and  Mrs. 
Bronson.  After  consultation,  the  above 
committee  made  its  report,  offering  for 
the  adoption  of  our  society  the  by-laws  of 
the  New  York  State  Society,  suggesting 
such  changes  in  the  wording  as  were  neces- 
sary to  make  said  by-laws  applicable  to  this 
state.  On  the  list  of  officers  the  com- 
mittee reported  as  follows :  President, 
Rt.  Rev  H.  B.  Whipple,  D.D.,  LLD., 
Bishop  of  Minnesota,  Maitland.  Honorary 
vice-presidents.  Governor  Wm.  D.  Blox- 
ham,  Tallahassee;  Mr.  Andrew  E.  Doug- 
lass, St.  Augustine ;  Mr.  Kirk  Munroe, 
Cocoanut  Grove.  Chairman  Executive 
Committee,  Rev.  Geo.  M.  Ward,  Winter 
Park.  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Mrs  L. 
F.  Dommerich. 

On  motion  of  Mrs.  Dommerich,  it  was 
voted  to  send  a  copy  of  the  report  of  this 
meeting  to  the  vice-presidents  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Executive  Committee  who 
were  not  present  on  March  2,  and  to  the 
various  editors  in  the  state.  On  motion  of 
Mr.  Baumgarten,  it  was  voted  to  name  as 
date  for  the  annual  meeting  the  first 
Tuesday  in  March.  The  report  of  the 
committee  on  constitution  and  by-laws, 
the  list  of  officers  and  the  date  of  the 
annual   meeting  were  adopted 

On  further  motion,  a  committee  of  five 
were  appointed  by  the  chair  to  draft  a  bill 
to  be  presented  to  the  next  Legislature. 
The  chairman  appointed  Rt.  Rev.  H.  B. 
Whipple,  D.D  ,  LLD.,  Messrs.  Baum- 
garten and  Marrs,  Mrs  Dommerich  and 
Mrs    Comstock. 

On  motion,  it  was  voted  to  purchase  a 
suitable  number  of  the  pamphlets  issued 
by  the  New  York  Society,  describing  the 
work  of  said  Society,  to  be  mailed  with  the 
copy  of  our  constitution  to  parties  desired 
as  members. 

On  further  motion,    it  was  voted  that  a 


The   Audubon    Societies 


97 


letter  be  sent  to  the  vice-presidents  and 
members  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
embodying  the  wishes  of  the  Society  to  the 
following  effect :  namely,  that  they  should 
seek  to  increase  the  membership  of  the 
Florida  Society,  and  arouse  as  much  inter- 
est as  possible  in  the  work  of  protecting 
our  feathered  friends,  and  to  interest  per- 
sons in  their  own  town  to  form  a  local 
society,  and  to  interest  all  children  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  to  urge  that  the  city  or 
town  where  they  reside  pass  necessary 
ordinances  to  protect  the  birds,  and  further 
that  all  such  officers  report  progress  to  the 
meetings  of  the  state  society. 

On  motion  of  Mr  Baumgarten,  the  meet- 
ing adjourned  to  the  call  of  the  Executive 
Committee. 

Maitland,  Fla.,  March  jo,  igoo. 
Mr.  Frank  M    Chapman. 

My  Dear  Sir — I  have  been  asked  to 
send  you  a  brief  account  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Audubon  Society  of  Florida. 

We  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mrs 
L.  F.  Dommerich  for  the  interest  which 
she  has  awakened  for  the  protection  of 
the  birds  of  Florida.  No  state  or  terri- 
tory in  our  country  has-  been  as  richly 
endowed  in  plumage  and  song  birds  as 
this  state.  It  has  been  the  meeting  place 
of  tropical  and  northern  birds. 

At  my  first  visit  to  Florida,  fifty  years 
ago,  I  saw  at  almost  every  turn  on  the 
St.  John's  river,  the  Pink  and  White 
Curlews,  and  scores  of  other  brilliantly 
plumaged  birds.  Within  the  past  twenty 
years  I  saw,  on  one  occasion,  in  the  woods 
bordering  on  Lake  Jessup,  not  less  than 
two  thousand  Paroquets. 

Many  of  these  beautiful  creatures  are 
no  longer  to  be  found,  unless  in  the  Ever- 
glades. The  murderous  work  of  extermi- 
nation has  been  carried  on  by  vandals, 
incited  by  the  cupidity  of  traders  who 
minister  to  the  pride  of  thoughtless  people. 

Our  best  work  will  be  through  the 
teachers  of  the  public  schools,  for  they 
can  reach  the  hearts  of  the  children,  who 
wantonly  destroy  both  birds  and  eggs. 

We  have  been  delighted  at  the  enthusi- 


asm and  interest  exhibited  by  the  people 
of  Florida  in  this  blessed  work. 

Our  Saviour  taught  us  that  these  feath- 
ered friends  and  companions  of  men  are 
a  special  object  of  our  Heavenly  Father's 
care.  And  should  he  not  have  his  chil- 
dren's help  in  their  protection  ?  With 
high  regards.       Yours  faithfully, 

H.   B.  Whipple, 

Bishop  of  Minnesota. 

MINNESOTA    SOCIETY 

Our  work  goes  on  with  many  bright  and 
cheery  incidents,  which  show  a  gradual 
gain  for  the  good  work  of  bird  protection. 
Many  new  branches  have  been  established 
throughout  the  state,  and  many  letters 
received  from  persons  interested  in  the 
work  shows  that  the  circulars  sent  out 
are  doing  good.  Bird-Lore  should  be 
credited  with  much  of  it.  Last  spring 
we  had  Olive  Thorne  Miller  with  us,  and 
her  lecture  course  was  well  attended,  giv- 
ing us  valuable  assistance.  While  there 
are  some  discouraging  days  caused  by  the 
want  of  interest  shown  by  some  good 
women,  who  still  wear  upon  their  hats 
the  bodies  of  our  beautiful  birds,  we 
notice  that  the  custom  is  decreasing, 
and  Bird-Day  law  is  introducing  into  our 
schools  the  study  of    ornithology. 

John  W.  Taylor,  Pres. 

KENTUCKY    SOCIETY 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  write  of 
the  formation  of  the  Audubon  Society  of 
Kentucky.  We  have  taken  hold  of  the 
work  at  once,  directing  our  efforts  first 
toward  giving  our  birds  protection  under 
the  law  as  it  exists  in  our  statute,  and 
toward  the  encouragement  of  a  healthy 
sentiment  in  the  schools  for  bird  life. 

We  have  bought  a  large  chart  for  use  in 
the  schools,  and  we  propose  two  public 
meetings  a  year  in  addition  to  our  educa- 
tional and  social  meetings  from  time  to 
time.     Interest  is  manifested  already. 

We  think  we  have  made  a  happy  choice 
in  our  president  and  vice-president,  estima- 
ble ladies,  discreet  and  tactful,  and  withal 
touched  with  the  value  of  our  work. 

Ingram  Crockett,  Sec. 


98 


Bird-  Lore 


A    Letter    from    Governor    Roosevelt 

The  following  letter  from  Governor 
Roosevelt  was  read  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  New  York  State  Audubon  So- 
ciety, held  June  2,  1900,  at  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History : 

Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman, 

Chairman  Executive  Committee. 

Jl/y  dear  Mr.   Chapman  : 

*  *  *  It  was  the  greatest  pleasure 
to  sign  the  Hallock  bill.  Let  me  take 
this  chance  of  writing  a  word  to  you  in 
behalf  of  the  work  of  your  Society.  It 
would  be  hard  to  overestimate  the  im- 
portance of  its  educational  effects.  Half, 
and  more  than  half,  the  beauty  of  the 
woods  and  fields  is  gone  when  they  lose 
the  harmless  wild  things,  while  if  we 
could  only  ever  get  our  people  to  the 
point  of  taking  a  universal  and  thor- 
oughly intelligent  interest  in  the  preser- 
vation of  game  birds  and  fish,  the  result 
would  be  an  important  addition  to  our 
food  supply.  Ultimately,  people  are  sure 
to  realize  that  to  kill  off  all  game  birds 
and  net  out  all  fish  streams  is  not  much 
more  sensible  than  it  would  be  to  kill  off 
all  our  milch  cows  and  brood  mares.  As 
for  the  birds  that  are  the  special  object 
of  the  preservation  of  your  Society,  we 
should  keep  them  just  as  we  keep  trees. 
They  add  immeasurably  to  the  wholesome 
beauty  of  life.     Faithfully  yours, 

(Signed)  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

An    Agreement* 

Entered  into  between  the  members  of  The  Mil- 
linery Merchants'  Protective  Association  and 
others,  regarding  the  importation,  manufac- 
ture and  sale  of  North  American  birds.  Made 
Saturday,  April  21,  1900. 

The  undersigned  importers,  manufac- 
turers and  dealers  in  raw  and  made  fancy 
feathers  do  hereby  pledge  themselves  not 
to  kill  or  buy  any  more  North  American 
birds  from  hunters  or  such  people  who 
make  it  a  business  to  destroy  North  Ameri- 
can birds.  However,  we  shall  continue  to 
manufacture,  sell  and  dispose  of  all  such 
North  American  birds  and  their  plumage, 
as  we  now  have  in   our  stocks  and  ware- 


*See  Editorial,  page  93. 


houses,  and  shall  so  continue  until  Congress 
shall  make  such  laws  which  shall  protect 
all  North  American  birds,  and  which  laws 
shall  be  approved  by  the  Audubon  Society 
and  the  Ornithological  Union,  and  also  do 
justice  to  the  trade.  This  does  not  refer 
to  plumage  or  skins  of  barnyard  fowl, 
edible  birds  or  game  birds  killed  in  their 
season,  nor  to  the  birds  or  plumage  of 
foreign  countries  7iot  of  the  species  of 
North  American  birds.  Furthermore,  it 
shall  be  our  solemn  duty  not  to  assist  any 
dealer  or  person  to  dispose  of  any  of  their 
North  American  birds,  if  same  have  been 
killed  after  this  date. 

Any  member  of  this  organization  violat- 
ing this  pledge,  upon  conviction  shall  be 
fined  the  sum  of  $500  for  each  offense. 
However,  as  there  are  several  dealers  who 
are  not  members  of  this  organization  and 
over  whom  we  may  not  have  any  influence  ; 
therefore,  should  we  find  that  these  dealers 
are  selling,  killing  or  buying  North  Ameri- 
can birds,  we  shall  do  all  in  our  power  to 
have  them  brought  under  the  penalties  of 
the  various  laws  already  existing. 

In  return  for  this  pledge,  we  expect  the 
Audubon  Society  and  the  Ornithological 
Union  to  pledge  themselves  to  do  all  in 
their  power  to  prevent  laws  being  enacted 
in  Congress,  or  in  any  of  the  States,  which 
shall  interfere  with  the  manufacturing  or 
selling  of  plumage  or  skins  from  barn- 
yard fowl,  edible  birds  and  game  birds 
killed  in  their  season,  and  all  birds  which 
are  not  North  American  birds. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  be  in- 
structed to  transmit  a  copy  of  this  agree- 
ment to  Messrs  Frank  M.  Chapman,  of 
the  Museum  of  Natural  History  ;  William 
Dutcher,  of  the  New  York  Ornithological 
Union,  and  Witmer  Stone,  Chairman  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Ornitho- 
logical Union,  advising  them  of  the  action 
of  the  Association  and  asking  their  co- 
operation in  carrying  out  the  same. 

Signed  :  Thomas  H.  Wood  &  Co., 
L.  Henry  &  Co.,  Alfred  L.  Simon 
&  Co.,  George  Silva  &  Co  ,  Wurz- 
burger  &  Hecht,  A.  M.  Levy,  Max 
Herman  &  Co.,  Jos  Rosenthal  & 
Son,  Blumenthal  &  Stiner,  Lowen- 
fels  &  Heilbroner,  Philip  Adelson  & 
Bro. ,  H.  Hofheimer  &  Co.,  David 
Spero,  George  Legg,  Zucker  & 
Josephy,  and  many  others. 


^    2 


I^ix^-loxt 


A   BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official  Organ   of  the   Audubon    Socicties 


Vol.  II 


August,  1900 


No.  4 


The    Orientation    of    Birds'' 

BY    CAPTAIN    GABRIEL    REYNAUD.    French    Army 

Translated  from  the  French  by  Mrs.  Clara  J.  Coxe 

HE  question  of  the  orientation  of  animals  has  given 
rise  to  many  controversies,  and  the  ideas  expressed 
on  this  subject  may  be  summed  up  in  two  theories. 
Some,  with  Spaulding,  Russell,  Wallace,  and  Croom 
Robertson,  think  that  the  faculty  of  orientation 
should  be  attributed  to  a  particular  acuteness  of  the 
live  senses  inherent  in  animals,  they  having  ideas  which  only  reach 
us  through  the  medium  of  instruments  of  precision.  Others  consider 
that  orientation  brings  into  play  a  sixth  sense,  independent  of  the 
first  five.  Flaurens,  Romanes,  Henry  Lordes,  Goltz,  Pfiiiger,  Mach, 
Crum  Brown,  and  Brand  admit  that  this  sense  exists  and  has  its 
seat  in  the  semi-circular  tubes  of  the  ear. 

These  two  opposed  theories  are  each  supported  by  unquestionable 
facts,  apparently  giving  reason  for  the  two  schools.  Now,  there  can- 
not be  contradiction  regarding  facts. 

If  one  unique  law  governs  all  the  acts  of  orientation,  these  acts 
must  all  occur  in  the  same  way.  If,  when  placed  in  different  condi- 
tions, the  animal  has  recourse  to  different  methods  of  orientation,  it 
indicates  that  the  law  which  it  obeys  is  no  law. 

We  have  bent  all  our  attention  to  the  observation  of  the  facts. 
We  have  verified  that  our  predecessors  are  not  in  harmony  with  each 
other,  because  the  observations  which  had  served  them  as  a  point  of 


*At  the  time  this  paper  was  written  for  Bird-Lore,  Captain  Reynaud  was  in  charge  of  the 
Homing  Pigeon  Service  of  the  French  Army.  He  subsequently  was  called  on  to  establish  a  '  Pigeon 
Post '  for  the  Compagnie  Generale  Tra:nsatlantique,  and  in  the  interests  of  this  company  has  twice 
visited  this  country.  His  initial  experiments  in  this  connection  are  mentioned  in  this  article. 
Later,  we  hope  to  receive  from  him  a  detailed  account  of  his  important  attempts  to  increase  the  use- 
fulness of  the  Homing  Pigeon  through  careful  training  and  selection. — Ed. 


I02  Bird -Lore 

departure  were  incomplete.  Before  entering  upon  the  theory  it 
might  be  as  well  to  inquire  a  little  into  the  practical  working  of 
orientation.  The  act  of  orientation  is  extremely  difficult  to  observe. 
When  an  animal  goes  astray  we  know  generally  where  he  has  been 
lost  ;  but  we  do  not  know,  very  often,  by  what  way  he  has  reached 
that  particular  place.  If  we  let  loose  a  flock  of  Carrier  Doves  we  soon 
lose  sight  of  them,  and  we  only  find   them  again  in  the  Dove  cote. 

Between  the  point  of  departure  and  the  point  of  arrival  there  is 
a  lacune  for  the  observer.  It  is  this  gap  we  think  we  have  suc- 
ceeded in   filling. 

Basing  ourselves  on  laws  purely  hypothetical  at  the  beginning, 
we  have  succeeded  in  reconstituting  the  complete  itinerary  of  animals 
closely  observed,  to  follow  them,  in  a  way,  step  by  step.  We  have 
equally  studied  the  fault  of  instinct,  the  error  of  orientation,  and  we 
have  verified  that  the  puzzled  animal  obeys  the  rules,  confirming  the 
laws  which  we  are  going  to  formulate. 

We  had  at  our  disposal  a  grand  field  for  observation.  M.  le 
Ministre  de  la  Guerre  gave  us  the  task  of  constructing  a  movable 
Pigeon  cote,  which  represents  the  practical  illustration  of  our  theor}'. 
Finally,  La  Compagnie  Transatlantique  requested  us  to  organize  a 
Carrier  Pigeon  post  to  be  utilized  for  the  service  of  their  steamships. 
To  the  numerous  experiences  on  land  and  sea  we  have  added  very 
interesting  observations,  of  which  the  results  have  been  communicated 
to  us  by  credible  witnesses. 

To  sum  up,  we  bring  a  great  number  of  facts,  man_v  of  which, 
controlled  by  the  ofBcial  reports  of  the  commissioners  representing 
the  Minister  of  War,   have  the  character  of  veritable  discoveries. 

We  have  grouped  the  acts  of  orientation  in  two  categories  :  near 
orientation,  attributed  to  the  exercise  of  the  five  senses,  showing 
observation  at  work  and,  in  a  certain  sense,  reasoning  and  intelli- 
gence ;  and  distant  orientation,  an  act  purely  mechanical,  accomplished 
by  means  of  a  subjective  sense  to  which  we  give  the  name  of  the 
Sense  of  Direction. 

In  each  of  these  two  cases  the  mechanism  of  orientation  obeys 
distinct  laws. 

In  the  study  of  mathematics  we  often  employ  a  method  which 
consists  in  considering  as  proved  a  proposition  presented  as  a 
problem  and  in  drawing  a  deduction  from  it. 

We  will  do  the  same.  Let  us  admit  as  a  hypothetical  law  that 
the  instinct  of  orientation  is  a  faculty  tliat  all  animals  possess  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  of  resuming  tlie  reverse  scent  of  a  road  once 
crossed  by  them,  and  then  let  us  use  it  to  explain  certain  facts  not 
explicable  in  any  other  way. 


The   Orientation   of  Birds 


103 


Let  us  attend  in  thout^ht  a  /-r/rasr  of  pigeons.  Many  hundi-eds  of 
birds  coming  from  the  Pigeon  cotes  of  the  same  region  are  set  at 
libert}'  at  the  same  time.  The)'  set  out  together,  divide  for  travel- 
ing in  two  or  three  groups,  then,  as  soon  as  they  reach  the  known 
horizon,  scatter  themselves,  and  each  of  them  flies  directly  to  his 
own  home. 

A  certain  number  of  carriers  do  not  answer  to  the  call,  others 
come  home  the  folloAving  days.  The  "pigeon-flyer"  limits  himself 
to  registering  the  loss  of  some  and  verifying  the  tardy  home-comers, 
without  trying  to  penetrate  the  reason  of  the  fault  of  instinct.      How 


ri(,EON     CARS     OF     THE     FRENCH     ARMY 


could  we  ask  of  the  bird  his  secret  that  a  sudden  rapid  flight  con- 
ceals from  us?  Instinct  is  at  fault,  the  bird  must  wander  at  random, 
counting  on  chance  alone  to  find  his  way  back  again. 

We  cannot  share  such  an  opinion  for  the  following  reasons : 
The  bird  astray  through  fault  of  instinct  is  not  for  that  reason  in 
revolt  against  the  general  law  of  preservation  which  regulates  all  his 
actions.  On  the  contrar}',  he  feels  very  keenly  the  call  of  instinct 
which  incites  him   to  search  for  his   own   Pigeon  cote. 

He  sees  very  clearly  the  end  in  view,  but  the  means  of  reaching 
it  are  momentarily  at  fault.  He  then  displays  all  the  activity  of 
which  he  is  capable,    and   tries   many  aerial  tracks,   one  after  another. 


I04  Bird -Lore 

The  'law  of  reverse  scent'  will  permit  us  to  follow  him  on  his 
wayward  course,  and  to  re-establish  his  itinerary.  When  we  sur- 
prise the  lost  Pigeon's  secret,  we  will  verify  that  chance  does  not 
play  any  part  in  the  movements  of  the  bird. 

In  i8g6  we  attended  a  ^  lac  her'  of  Pigeons  that  came  from  the 
Pigeon  cotes  of   Mons  and  Charleroi. 

The  two  flocks  of  Pigeons  having  been  set  at  liberty  by  chance 
at  the  same  time,  from  two  different  points  of  the  freight  station, 
reunited  in  the  air  and  formed  at  the  time  of  their  departure  one 
flock.  The  weather  was  extremely  unfavorable,  mist,  rain  and  a  con- 
trary wind  contributing  to  retard  the  home-coming  of  our  winged 
travelers.  A  first  fault  of  instinct,  eas}'  to  explain,  was  noticed  on 
their  arrival ;  two  Pigeons  from  Mons  are  captured  at  Charleroi,  and 
three  Pigeons  from  Charleroi  are  taken  at  Mons.  In  short,  about 
forty  Pigeons  did  not  return  to  their  homes  the  same  evening  they 
were  set  at  liberty. 

The  departure  from  Orleans  had  taken  place  with  a  perfect 
gathering  of  the  whole  number  of  Pigeons  ;  the  birds  taking  their 
direction  first  showed  the  way  to  follow  to  their  companions, 
and  some  of  these  followed  their  guides  blindly,  to  the  extent  of 
entering  with  them  their  unfamiliar  Pigeon  cotes. 

However,  at  Orleans,  an  observer  verified,  between  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  and  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  arrival  of 
about  thirty  Pigeons,  which  perched  themselves  on  the  roof  of  the 
station.  Night  came  and  we  succeeded  in  capturing  nine  :  five 
from  Charleroi,  and  four  from  Mons.  We  set  them  at  liberty  again. 
This  verification  permits  us  to  suppose  that  the  thirtj^-two  Pigeons 
which  came  back  to  Orleans  had  all  lost  their  way  when  they  were 
released  in  the  morning.  The  morning  of  the  next  day,  from  five  to 
seven  o'clock,  they  all  disappeared,  one  after  the  other,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  North.  About  thirt}'  of  the  belated  ones  returned  the 
same  day  to  Charleroi  and   Mons. 

These  comings  and  goings  explain  themselves  quite  naturally  by 
the  'law  of  the  reverse  scent.'  Our  winged  voyagers  forming  one 
flock  at  their  departure  from  Orleans,  were  not  long  about  dividing 
themselves  into  many  groups.  We  have  pointed  out  that  to  come 
back  they  had  to  struggle  against  the  bad  weather.  Now,  in  this 
regard,  the  Carrier  Pigeons  are  not  all  armed  with  the  same  ability  to 
fight  the  elements.  The  small  Pigeon,  called  the  'Liegeoise,'  flies 
with  great  velocity  during  normal  weather. 

The  very  stuffy-looking  Pigeons  called  '  Auversoise, '  endowed 
with  considerable  muscular  power,  cannot  rival  the  Liegeoise  during 
fine  weather,   but    is  very  superior    to    him  when    it    is    necessary,   for 


The   Orientation   of  Birds  105 

example,  to  struggle  against  a  violent  wind.  It  is,  then,  very  natural 
that,  endowed  with  different  degrees  of  ability,  our  Pigeons  leaving 
together  in  perfect  unison,  should  have,  little  by  little,  become 
separated  from  each  other  on  the  route. 

A  Pigeon  from  Mons,  finding  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  band  of 
companions  flying  toward  Charleroi,  followed  them  as  far  as  their 
destination.  Then  seeing  each  one  of  them  disperse,  in  order  to 
regain  his  own  home,  he  remained  alone,  lost  on  the  roofs  of  an 
unknown  city.  Now,  Mons  is  not  far  from  Charleroi,  and  it  would 
be  sufficient  for  our  traveler  to  raise  himself  in  the  air  to  see,  perhaps, 
his  natal  roof.  He  does  not  do  so  ;  having  in  the  course  of  his 
preceding  journeys  contracted  the  habit  of  using  only  the  sixth 
sense  for  distant  orientation,  he  does  not  dream  for  an  instant  of  util- 
izing his  sight.  Resuming  in  an  inverse  sense  the  road  followed  to 
come  to  Charleroi,  he  arrives  at  Orleans  at  the  point  where  he  had 
been  liberated  that  very  morning.  Tired  with  the  long  trip  accom- 
plished during  the  day,  he  rests  there  one  night.  The  next  day  he 
takes  his  bearings  and  finds  again  the  'reverse  scent'  of  the  road 
practiced  two  days  before  in  the  railway  train,  and  reaches  Mons. 
The  thirty-two  Pigeons  which  reappeared  at  Orleans  the  evening  of 
the  release,  only  to  disappear  the  next  day,  very  likel}'  followed  the 
same  rule  of  conduct. 

The  example  we  have  just  cited  is  assuredly  interesting.  We  have 
based  our  statements  on  real  occurrences,  then  when  facts  failed  on  sim- 
ple conjecture,  to  explain  the  comings  and  goings  of  the  Pigeons.  We 
have  consequently  in  our  deductions,  if  not  certainty,  at  least  a  great 
probability,  which,  however,  does  not  quite  satisfy  us.  We  think,  there- 
fore, we  ought  to  present  a  few  cases  more  conclusive  than   the  first. 

A  Pigeon  belonging   to  a  colombophile  of  Grand-Couronne  alighted 

in  the  garden  belonging  to  M.  le  G6n6ral  M ,  at  Evreux.      We  were 

to  go  that  same  day  to  Rouen.  We  carry  away  the  lost  Pigeon  and 
set  him  at  liberty  in  the  station  of  Grand-Couronne  near  his  Pigeon 
cote.      The  Pigeon  takes  his  bearings  and  returns  to  Evreux,  at  M.  le 

Gdn^ral  M .      Caught  again,  he  is  this  time  expressed  in  a  postal 

package  to  his  owner.  Allowed  to  go  free  in  the  cote,  he  no  longer 
thinks  of  returning    to   Evreux. 

The  Pigeon  stopping  to  eat  and  rest  at   M.  le  G^n^ral   M 's  did 

not  consider  for  one  instant  that  unknown  house  as  a  new  home:  it 
represented  to  him  a  point  of  journey  followed  before  and,  conse- 
quently, must  be  a  point  of  departure  for  future  investigation. 
After  a  few  hours  of  rest  he  will  set  out  again  from  there  to  resume 
the  'reverse  scent'  of  the  aeriel  path  that  led  him  to  Evreux.  He 
only  thinks  of  finding   again  his   lost  home. 


io6  Bird- Lore 

We  take  him  in  a  railway  car  to  Grand-Couronne,  and  we  free 
him  at  a  few  steps  from  his  cote.  But  the  sense  of  distant  orientation, 
the  sixth  sense,  is  alone  in  working  order,  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
first  five.  The  bird  takes  up  again  his  reverse  scent,  passes  in  sight 
of  his  dwelling  as  if  hypnotized,  ivithout  seeing  it,  and  reaches 
Evreux  once  more  at  the  point  through  which  passed  that  itinerary 
which  he  is   trying  to  re-establish. 

His  calculation  is  baffled;  brought  back  to  his  owner's  home  and 
given  his  freedom,  he,  this  time,  is  brought  to  himself.  The  five 
senses,  awakened  by  stronger  sensations,  resume  the  upper  hand  and 
the  sixth  sense,   becoming  useless,  ceases  to  work. 

There  is  at  Orleans  an  enclosed  Pigeon  cote  having  no  external 
issue  for  the  little  prisoners.  The  Pigeons  that  are  shut  up  in  it, 
and  that  come  from  the  military  Pigeon  cotes  at  Paris  and  from 
the  North,  live  there  in  semi-obscurity  and  in  absolute  ignorance 
of  what  passes  outside.  When,  after  a  month  or  two  of  captivity, 
they  are  to  be  set  at  liberty,  every  precaution  is  taken  to  carry  them 
away  for  the  release  many  kilometers  from  their  transient  cote,  to 
which,  besides,  they  are  not  attached  by  any  agreeable  remembrance. 
Now,  we  have  stated  elsewhere  that  very  often  Pigeons  know  how 
to  find  that  house  without  even  knowing  its  outside  appearance. 
They  perch  themselves  on  the  roof,  then,  after  a  short  stop,  they 
take  their  bearings  and  disappear  in  order  to  go  back  to  the  cote 
where  they  were  born. 

The  laio  of  reverse  scent  allows  us  to  explain  the  conduct  of  the 
Pigeon.  He  is  carried  away,  set  at  liberty,  let  us  say,  at  the  station 
of  Aubraes,  takes  up  the  reverse  scent  and  hovers  about  the  cote  of 
exclusion,  which  represents  to  him  the  end  of  the  itinerary  by  which 
he  has  been  brought  to  Orleans.  It  is  then  from  there  that  he  will 
set  out  to  take  up  in  an  inverse  sense  the  road,  the  remembrance  of 
which  has  remained  deeply  engraved  on  his  memory. 

We  could  multiply  examples  of  the  same  kind  to  show  that  the 
Pigeon  astray  always  comes  back  to  the  point  of  his  release.  We 
may  be  convinced  of  this  truth  by  glancing  at  the  roofs  of  railway 
stations  of  Paris,  Orleans,  Blois,  Tours,  Poitiers,  Bordeaux,  etc., 
where,  every  Sunday  during  the  fine  weather,  people  set  at  liberty 
hundreds,  and  sometimes  thousands,  of  Pigeons !  On  Monday  we 
would  notice  the  return  of  numerous  Pigeons  lost  the  day  before, 
that,  not  having  succeeded  in  their  first  trial  in  finding  their  natal 
roof,  are  going  to  make  a  second  attempt,  and  sometimes  a  third, 
in  order   to   find  the   right   road. 

When  set  at  liberty  the  day  before  the  Pigeon  took  his  flight, 
he    fled    swiftly    from   that    point   of    departure    to   which,    apparently, 


The  Orientation   of  Birds  107 

no  interest  attached  him.  With  one  powerful  sweep  of  his  wings 
he  has  crossed  four  or  five  hundred  kilometers,  perhaps  more, 
in  the  wrong  direction.  Perceiving  his  error,  he  knows  how,  thanks 
to  a  mysterious  instinct,  to  take  up  again  his  reverse  scent  and  find 
the  point  of  departure,  of  which  he  has  hardly  caught  a  glimpse  in 
the  morning.  The  combined  action  of  the  five  senses  cannot  explain 
such  a  return.  The  lost  dog  acts  absolutely  in  the  same  manner. 
When  taken  away  in  the  railwa}'  train  to  a  hunting  ground  entirely 
unknown  to  him,  if  he  happens  to  go  astray,  he  comes  back  to  the 
point  where  he  saw  his  master  for  the  last  time,  and  stations  him- 
self there  until  someone  comes  to  find  him,  or  else,  resuming  his 
reverse  scent,  he  reconstitutes  in  an  inverse  sense  his  itinerary 
through   which    he   has   been   brought,    and   finds   again   his  home. 

The  migrations  of  birds  have  been  the  object  of  observation  too 
well  known  for  us  to  dilate  upon,  and  we  will  limit  ourselves  to 
explaining,    with  the  aid  of  our  theory,   some  evident  truths. 

The  migratory  bird  is  subject,  like  his  species,  which  invariably 
inhabits  the  same  region,  to  the  law  of  cantonment.  Only,  he  has 
two  domains,  one  summer  residence,  the  other  for  winter.  We  know 
that  the  same  Swallows  come  every  year  to  occupy  the  same  nest 
and  to  live  in  the  same  canton.  The  same  fact  is  true  regarding 
Storks  and  many  other  birds. 

When  the  time  for  departure  has  sounded,  birds  of  the  same 
kind  living  in  the  same  region  assemble  together  for  the  journey. 
Those  w^hich  have  already  made  the  passage  take  the  head  of  the 
flock  and  follow  in  an  inverse  sense  the  itinerary  which  brought  them 
to  their  present  quarters.  The  younger  birds,  born  since  the  preced- 
ing trip,  limit  themselves  to  following  their  elders.  And  when,  a  few 
months  later,  it  will  be  a  question  of  returning,  they  will  be  in  their 
turn  capable  of  finding  their  way  unaided. 

The  migratory  bird  born  in  our  climate  not  having  yet  made  any 
journey,  that  for  any  reason  whatever  fails  to  leave  with  the  other 
birds,  renounces  emigrating.  It  is  this  way  wounded  Woodcock,  not 
in  a  condition  to  undertake  a  long  journey,  resign  themselves  to 
living  in  our  country  until  the  following  spring.  The  same  thing  has 
been  remarked  concerning  Peewits,  Curlews,  Storks,  or  Swallows 
held  in  captivity  at  the  time  of  the  departure  of  their  comrades. 
Some  of  these  birds  endure  the  rigors  of  the  climate  ;  others, 
notably  the  Swallows,   succumb  to  it. 

Thus,  then,  it  is  a  sort  of  tradition  that  migratory  birds  transmit 
to  each  other  from  generation  to  generation  the  indication  of  their 
aerial  passage.      These  passages  once  traced  are  immutable. 

The  itinerary  of  the  Quail,   which  arrive  from  Africa  in   Provence, 


io8 


Bird -Lore 


or  of  the  Woodcock,  which  find  their  landing  place  in  Jersey,  is  well 
known   to   the  peasants,    who  capture   them    by  the   thousand. 

It  would  be  sufficient  for  the  poor  birds  to  baffle  their  enemies 
only  to  change  the  route  of  their  direction  a  few  kilometers.  But 
they  cannot  do  so  ;  they  are  fatally  bound  to  the  aerial  way  followed 
in  the  preceding  journey  and  cannot  leave  it  without  losing  them- 
selves. 

It  is  just  so  with  other  animals.  Fish  are  cantoned.  Certain  of 
them  have,  like  the  migratory  birds,  two  or  three  domains  that  they 
occupy  successively.  To  go  from  one  to  another  they  emigrate  in  a 
mass,  and  follow  routes  of  which  the  traces  are  subject  to  the  rules 
we  have  set  forth  for  the  migration  of  birds.  The  relentless  war 
that  fishermen  with  a  knowledge  of  their  habits  make  upon  them 
has  never  caused   them   to  change   their  itinerary. 

Our  theory  of  orientation  seems,  therefore,  applicable  to  animals 
of  all  kinds.  It  permits  us  to  arrange  and  explain  in  a  very  satis- 
factory manner  a  number  of  facts  observed  and  known  for  a  long 
time. 

(  To  be  concluded.  ) 


CATBIRD     ON     NlJsF 
Photographed  from  nature  by  A    J.  Pennock,  at  Lansdowne,  Pa  ,  July, 


A    Study   of    a    Lincoln's    Sparrow 

BY    WILLIAM    BREWSTER 

,T  Concord,  Massachusetts,  in  the  spring  of  iSgg,  I 
liad  a  rare  opportunity  of  studying  the  habits  and 
notes  of  a  Lincoln's  Sparrow,  The  bird  appeared  May 
15th  in  a  thicket  of  bushes  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
log  cabin  where  I  was  living,  and  remained  there  until 
the  22nd,  spending  apparently  the  whole  of  this  period 
within  a  space  a  few  yards  square.  On  the  edge  of  the  thicket, 
in  a  bed  of  ferns  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  cabin  door,  I  scattered 
daily  a  quantity  of  millet  seed.  This  convenient  supply  of  a  food 
irresistible  to  most  of  the  Sparrow  tribe  had,  no  doubt,  much  to  do 
with  the  prolonged  visit  of  the  Lincoln's  Finch,  although  the  weather, 
during  his  entire  stay,  was  too  cool  and  threatening  to  be  favorable 
for  migration. 

He  was  shy  at  first  and  at  all  times  alert  and  suspicious,  but  he 
showed  a  nice  and,  on  the  whole,  wise  discrimination  in  his  judg- 
ment of  different  sights  and  sounds.  He  soon  learned  to  disregard 
noises  made  within  the  cabin,  as  well  as  the  rumble  and  roar  of 
trains  passing  along  the  railroad  across  the  river  ;  but  if  our  door 
was  suddenly  thrown  open  or  if  a  footstep  was  heard  approaching 
along  the  path  he  at  once  deserted  the  millet  and  retreated  into  the 
thicket,  dodging  from  bush  to  bush  and  keeping  behind  anything 
that  would  serve  as  a  screen  until  all  became  quiet  again,  when  he 
would  reappear  at  the  fern  bed  and,  after  a  short  reconnoissance,  resume 
his  interrupted  meal.  However  busily  engaged  he  might  be,  no  sight 
nor  sound  escaped  him.  If  a  Chipmunk  rustled  the  dry  leaves  on 
the  neighboring  hillside  he  would  erect  his  body  and  crane  up  his 
neck,  turning  his  head  slowly  from  side  to  side  to  watch  and  listen. 
There  were  many  Chimney  Swifts  flying  about,  and  when  one  passed 
low  overhead,  with  a  sound  of  rushing  wings,  the  Sparrow  would 
cower  close  to  the  ground  like  a  frightened  Partridge  or  Woodcock 
and  remain  motionless  for  a  minute  or  more.  But  if  nothing  oc- 
curred to  excite  his  apprehensions  he  would  continue  to  feed  busily 
and  unconcernedly  until  his  appetite  was  satisfied.  Truly  an  alert, 
keen-witted  little  traveler,  quite  alive  to  all  the  possible  as  well  as 
obvious  dangers  that  surrounded  him,  but  too  experienced  and  cool- 
headed  to  give  way  to  those  senseless  panics  which  so  often  seize 
upon  many  of  our  smaller  birds. 

Some  of  the  seed  had  sifted  down  under  the  leaves,  and  for  this 
our  bird  scratched  diligently  like  a  Fox  Sparrow,  making  first  a 
forward    hop   of    about    two    inches,    then    a   vigorous    backward    jump 

(109) 


no 


Bird-  Lore 


and  kick  which  scattered  behind  him  all  the  leaves  on  which  his 
feet  had  for  an  instant  rested.  In  this  way  he  would  quickly  clear 
a  considerable  space,  to  which  he  would  then  devote  his  attention 
until  he  had  picked  up  all  the  uncovered  seeds  and  rolled  them, 
one  by  one,  between  his  slightly  opened  mandibles  to  remove  the 
husks,  after  the  manner  of.  most  seed-eating  birds.  He  was  invari- 
ably silent  when  feeding,  but  within  the  recesses  of  his  favorite 
thicket  he  sang  more  or  less  freely  at  all  hours,  oftenest  in  the 
early  morning  or  when  the  sun  had  just  emerged  from  behind  a 
cloud,   usually    from    some    perch    a  yard    or    less    above    the    ground, 


LINCOLN  S     SPARROW 
About  ]-2  natural  size.     From  a  mounted  specimen  in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History 

but  not  infrequently  on  the  ground  itself  as  he  rambled  from  place 
to  place,  hopping  slowly  over  the  dry  leaves.  His  voice  was  divinely 
rich  and  sweet  at  times,  but  invariably  so  low  as  to  be  inaudible  at 
a  greater  distance  than  forty  or  fifty  yards.  It  is  impossible  to  treat 
briefly  and  at  the  same  time  accurately  of  his  song,  for  it  included 
several  themes,  some  of  which  differed  comparatively  slightly  from  one 
another,  while  others  were  widely  dissimilar.  After  spending  much  time 
studying  and  comparing  them,  I  noted  and  classified  them  as  follows: 

I.  A  simple,  level,  woodeny  trill  repeated  at  short,  regular  inter- 
vals, usually  indistinguishable  from  the  summer  song  of  the  Junco 
but  sometimes  possessing  a  resonant,  lyrical  quality  approaching  that 
of  the  Yellow-rumped  Warbler's  song. 


A    Study   of  a   Lincoln's   Sparrow  m 

2.  Trills  similar  to  those  just  described  but  connected  by  un- 
broken series  of  short,  soft,  liquid  notes,  among  which  the  tsiip  call 
common  to  both  the  Junco  and  Lincoln's  Sparrow  were  frequently 
interpolated,  the  whole  forming  a  protracted  and  very  musical  medley 
almost  exactly  like  that  given  by  the  Junco  in  early  spring.  This 
song  should  perhaps  be  regarded  as  a  mere  variation  of  No.  i,  but 
as  the  bird  never  changed  from  one  to  the  other  I  have  kept  them 
apart. 

3.  A  rapid  warble,  at  times  flowing  smoothly  and  evenly  and  ex- 
ceedingly like  the  song  of  the  Purple  Finch,  at  others  brighter  and 
more  glancing,  the  notes  rolling  over  one  another,  as  it  were,  and  sug- 
gesting those  of  the  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet ;  again  with  a  rich  throaty 
quality  and  in  form,  as  well  as  tone  closely  like  the  song  of  the 
House  Wren  ;  still  again  guttural  and  somewhat  broken  or  stuttering, 
like  that  of  the  Long-billed  ^larsh  Wren.  Although  the  first  and 
last  of  these  songs  were  very  unlike,  I  have  put  them  all  under  one 
head,  because  the  bird  often  used  them  all  during  a  single  singing 
period  and  frequently  changed  from  one  to  another  by  insensible 
gradations. 

4.  Song  in  slow,  measured  bars  separated  by  brief  intervals, 
the  cadences  alternately  swelling  and  dying  softly,  some  of  the 
notes  trilled  or  shaken,  the  whole  resembling  in  general  form  as 
well  as  in  manner  of  delivery  the  songs  of  Bachman's  Finch  and 
the  Hermit  Thrush,  and  possessing  not  a  little  of  the  same  spiritual 
quality. 

Some  of  these  songs  were  fixed  and  uniform  at  all  times  ;  others 
varied  within  the  limits  I  have  just  indicated  ;  all  resembled  and 
two  or  three  exactl}'  reproduced  the  songs  of  other  species  of  birds. 
Indeed,  not  one  can  safely  be  regarded  as  original  either  in  form 
or  tone.  Those  classified  under  different  numbers  were  never  inter- 
changed save  after  protracted  periods  of  silence,  the  particular  theme 
selected  on  each  occasion  being  repeated  with  little  or  no  variation 
until  the  bird  ceased  singing,  while  it  was  sometimes  made  to  serve 
for  a  whole  forenoon.  I  can  think  of  no  other  bird  which  sings  in 
this  way,  borrowing  his  songs  from  half  a  dozen  other  species, 
never  intermingling  them  nor  combining  them  with  notes  of  his 
own,  but  selecting  one  for  one  hour  or  occasion,  another  for 
another. 

With  such  a  repertoire,  even  though  it  be  borrowed  or  stolen, 
Lincoln's  Sparrow  might  easily  rank  as  the  first  among  North 
American  singing  birds  were  it  not  that  his  voice  has  so  little  power 
that  its  remarkable  beauty  and  flexibility  cannot  be  appreciated 
unless    one    is   very    near    the   singer.      It    is    quite    possible,    too,    that 


112 


Bird -Lore 


the  particular  bird  about  which  I  have  been  writing  was  an  ex- 
ceptionally gifted  performer,  although  at  least  two  of  the  songs 
which  I  have  attempted  to  describe  have  been  heard  by  other 
observers. 


ij^.:-:    .    ,— 


FLICKER     AT     NEST-HOLE 

The  same  site  had  been  used  for  two  previous  seasons,  in  one  of  which  the 
was  artificially  enlarged  by  "some  boy" 

Photographed  from  nature  bj'  A.  L.  Princehorn,  at  Glen  Island,  N.   Y.,  June  16.  1899 


The    Birds  that    Pass  in  the    Night 


BY    HARRY    S.    WARREN 


PON  the  request  of  ]\Ir.  H.  A.  Winkenwerder,  of 
the  University  of  Wisconsin,  I  made  arrangements 
to  take  observations  with  the  telescope  at  Detroit 
upon  nocturnal  bird  migration,  using  the  moon  for  a  field 
of  vision,  during  the  full  moon  in  May.  The  moon  would 
be  at  full  at  eight  a.  m.  on  the  14th,  INIonday,  but, 
anticipating  cloudy  weather,  we  made  our  observations  on 
Sunday  evening,  the  13th,  which  was  clear  and  warm, 
with  a  very  light  southwest  wind.  As  it  was  rather  late  in  the 
migrating  season,  we  expected  poor  results,  but  a  glance  at  the 
tabulated  figures  below  will  show  that  we  were  pleasantl}'  disap- 
pointed. 

There  were  four  principal  facts  we  wished  to  establish  by  these 
observations :  the  number  of  birds,  the  direction  of  flight,  their 
speed,  and  relative  size.  In  order  to  obtain  this  data  we  numbered 
the  four  cardinal  points  on  the  field  of  vision,  and  for  every  bird 
that  passed  we  wrote  down,  on  blanks  prepared  for  the  purpose, 
the  point  or  fraction  of  a  point  at  which  he  entered  and  that  at 
which  he  left  the  field,  the  relative  speed  at  which  he  passed,  and 
the  comparative  size  of  the  bird,  as  well  as  any  further  data  observed 
for  each  individual.  The  observations  covered  the  time  from  8.15  p.  m., 
which  was  the  time  the  moon  came  clearly  into  vision,  to  12  midnight, 
and  this  time  we  divided  into  fifteen-minute  periods  so  as  to  ascertain 
the  number  of  birds  passing  at  any  period  of  the  evening,  as  shown 
below.  To  make  the  work  easier  we  changed  watches  every  fifteen 
minutes,  one  person  using  the  telescope  and  the  other  writing  down 
the   data. 

The  telescope  used  was  a  6-inch  refracting  instrument,  equatorially 
mounted,  with  an  8-foot  focus ;  and  the  eye-piece,  a  forty-power 
Clark  lens.  The  number  of  birds  passing  during  each  period,  their 
directions  of  flight,  their  speed  and  comparative  size  are  shown  in 
the    following    tables : 

Detroit,   Michigan,   May   13,    1900. 

rr  ^  \  Max.,  70°  at  8  p.  m. 

Temperature  : -j  j^j^^  66°  at  12  Midnight. 

Atmosphere,  fair  ;    wind,  light,  southwest. 

.    .       8 


umber  of  birds  seen 

from 

8.15  to 

8.30 

"      " 

" 

8.30  to 

8.45 

"           "     "           " 

■ ' 

8.45  to 

9.00 

"     "           " 

" 

9.00  to 

9-15 

First  hour 33 


(113) 


114 


Bird-  Lore 


Number  of  birds  seen  from  9.15  to  9.30 

9.30  to  9.45 

9.45  to  10.00 

10.00  to  10.15 

10.15  to  10.30 

10.30  to  10.45 

10.45  to  11.00 

11.00  to  II.  15 

II. 15  to  11.30 

11.30  to  11.45 

11.45  to  12.00 


9 
10 

8 

10 
6 

4 

7 


Second  hour 4^ 


Third  hour 


27 


Fourth  period 10 


Total  number  seen  from  8.15  to  12.00 iii 

DIRECTIONS     OF     FLIGHT 

Number  of  birds  traveling  northeast 74 

north-northeast 13 

east-northeast       11 

north-northwest 5 

"  "        "  "  north 4 

"  "        "  "  northwest 3 

"  "        "  "  southeast i 

SPEED 

Number  of  birds  traveling  very  rapidly 75 

moderately .    .  22 

slowly 12 

very  slowly  .    , 2 

RELATIVE     SIZES     OF     BIRDS 

Small  (Goldfinch) 66 

Medium  (Robin) 27 

Large  (Crow) 15 

Very  large 3 

COURSES     OF     FLIGHT 

One  hundred  and  eight  birds  kept  their  direct  courses  while  passing  over  the  field  of 
vision. 

One  bird  came  in  moving  southeast  and  curved  back  to  northeast,  changing  its 
course  about  45°. 

Two  birds  flew  in  a  curve  ;  one  changing  its  course  from  northeast  to  east,  and  one 
from  northeast  to  north. 


IDENTIFICATIONS,     ETC. 

No.  12  (original  list)  had  the  flight  of  a  Hawk  or  Owl.  No.  28  had  the  wings  spread 
like  a  Hawk  soaring.  No.  31  wing  motions  were  plainly  seen,  but  no  identification 
could  be  made  on  account  of  uncertain  distance.  No.  34  had  wavy  motion  of  flight  like  a 
Goldfinch.     No.  46  passed  slowly,  the  wings  beat  rapidly  and  the  neck  was  seen  stretched 


The   Birds   that   Pass   in   the    Night  115 

out  like  a  Duck,  Loon,  or  Grebe.  The  slow  passage  was  ev-idently  caused  by  distance. 
No.  61  had  flight  like  a  Goldfinch.  No.  72,  wing-motions  were  plainly  seen.  No.  94 
passed  very  slowly;  this  was  evidently  a  large  bird  at  long  range,  as  it  occupied 
three  seconds  in  passing  over  the  field  and  the  wing-motions  were  plainly  seen. 

We  probably  missed  about  one-tenth  of  the  birds  passing  over 
the  field  while  changing  watches  and  changing  eyes  at  the  telescope, 
for  it  is  impossible  for  the  eye  to  focus  steadily  upon  the  bright 
surface  of  the  moon  for  more  than  about  five  minutes,  without  ex- 
hausting the  receptive  power  of  the  retina,  so  that  a  change  of  eyes 
is  imperative.  Being  novices  at  the  work,  we  probably  missed  more 
birds  at  first  than  after  we  had  had  the  experience  of  a  couple  of 
watches;  still  it  will  be  noticed  that  more  birds  were  recorded  for 
the  first  two  hours  than  later  in  the  night,  which  is  proof  that  more 
birds  were  moving  early  in  the  evening.  The  number  dropped  off 
perceptibly    at    about    10.30. 

The  Cartwright  observatory,  where  these  observations  were  made, 
is  located  back  about  three-fifths  of  a  mile  from  the  Detroit  river, 
which  at  tiiis  point  is  about  a  mile  in  width,  and  the  telescope  was 
pointed  out  over  the  river  at  an  angle  of  about  30°.  The  fact  that 
we  were  looking  out  directly  over  the  river  undoubtedly  explains  the 
general  easterly  flight  of  the  birds  noted.  We  would  naturally 
expect  a  more  direct  northerly  course  of  these  spring  migrants,  but 
the  birds  were  evidently  following  up  the  broad  moon-lit  course  of 
the  Detroit,  which  here  runs  from  east-northeast  to  west-southwest, 
and  we  estimated  that  these  birds  were  somewhat  more  than  half 
a    mile    above    the    river. 

There  are  so  many  unknown  quantities  in  making  estimates  from 
these  observations,  that  it  is  impossible  to  arrive  at  any  positive 
conclusions  except  as  to  the  number  of  birds  passing  over  the  field 
of  vision  and  their  direction  of  flight.  For  instance,  a  bird  that  we 
noted  as  appearing  to  be  in  rapid  flight  might  either  be  actually  ia 
rapid  flight  at  long  range  or  might  be  in  comparatively  slow  flight 
at  short  range.  In  either  instance  he  would  pass  the  field  of  vision 
quickly.  Here  the  unknown  quantity  is  distance,  which,  given,  we 
could  readily  estimate  actual  speed.  Then  a  bird  flying  at  right 
angles  to  the  direction  of  sight  would  appear  to  be  moving  faster 
than  one  moving  obliquely  toward  or  from  the  point  of  observation. 
A  bird  appearing  large  might  be  either  a  large  bird  at  long  range 
or  a  small  bird  at  short  range.  Again,  if  a  bird  flying  east  should 
move  upward  or  downward  but  a  few  feet  while  crossing  the  field 
of  vision  it  would  register  the  same  result  in  the  telescope  as  though 
he  were  moving  northerly  or  southerly,- — that  is,  of  course,  when 
the    moon    is   low   in    its   orbit,  as   it   is   in   the   spring   elliptic.       There 


ii6 


Bird  -  Lore 


are,  however,  rare  instances  where  the  conditions  are  such  that 
identification  of  a  bird  as  to  its  order,  or  even  more  detailed  identi- 
fications, are  possible,  and  it  is  this  chance  which  buoys  up  the  en- 
thusiasm while    keeping    your    patient    vigil. 

When  the  small  cone  of  atmosphere  between  the  eye  and  the 
moon  is  compared  with  the  entire  dome  over  any  point  of  observa- 
tion, the  mind  may  grasp  the  extent  of  this  movement  of  the  birds 
that  pass  in  a  night  in  any  longitude,  and  when  this  is  again 
multiplied  by  the  number  of  nights  in  the  migrating  season,  and 
again  by  the  width  of  our  land  from  the  cliffs  of  Newfoundland  to 
the  Golden  Gate  of  the  Pacific,  some  conception  may  possibly  be 
had  as  to  the  vast  importance  in  the  economy  of  nature  of  this 
movement  of  the  feathered  army  as  it  sweeps  northward  on  its 
summer    campaign. 


/^^ 

■-SJ:^ 

■  "•''  ^ 

"- 

V-^^ 

.■.  "■-'. 

r  ■ 

^    r-v-.^^s 

■4:'-- 

■^ 

./,\^-v:$; 

^. 

\- 

^^'^:r^ 

'■ 

-  "':i 

NiGHTHAWK     AND     YOUNG 
Photographed  from  nature  by  Robert  R.  Peebles,  at  Stamford,  Conn.,  June  3,  1900 


Two    Notes    by    a    Young    Observer 

EDMUND   B.  DIBBLE.  St.  Paul,  Minn,  (ased    13) 

A  Word  about  Bluejays.  —  One  morning  when  out  on  the  lawn  I 
saw  a  Bluejay  fly  quietly  into  a  tree,  look  around,  then  hop  up  near 
a  Robin's  nest.  He  looked  around  again,  then  hopped  up  to  the  rim 
and  leaned  over  as  if  to  take  out  an  egg,  but  a  Robin  which  hap- 
pened to  fly  up  to  the  nest  just  then  saw  him  and,  redoubling  its 
speed,  flew  against  the  Bluejay's  neck  and  (whether  to  try  to  hold  it- 
self up  or  pull  the  Bluejay  down  I  do  not  know)  held  on.  Both 
tumbled  to  the  ground,  and  for  a  moment  the  Bluejay  'didn't  know 
what  struck  him.'  Then  the  other  Robin  came  and  began  pecking 
at  the  Jay's  eyes,  whereupon  Robin  No.  i  let  go  and  began  pecking 
too.  The  Jay  seemed  to  think  things  were  getting  too  warm  for  him 
and  started  for  the  woods  near  by,  where  I  could  hear  the  cries  of 
both  him  and  the  Robins  who  had  followed  him. 

Last  year  a  Bluejay  robbed  a  Sparrow's  nest  just  outside  my 
window.  I  awoke  one  morning  to  hear  a  great  outcry  among  the 
English  Sparrows  and,  going  to  the  window,  saw  a  Jay  just  gulping 
down  something.  Then  he  leaned  over  and  lifted  a  young  bird  up, 
but  I  tapped  on  the  window  and  he  dropped  the  bird  and  flew  away. 
When   I   looked  in   the  nest  one  bird  was  missing. 

The  Feeding  of  Young  Honied  Larks.  —  One  afternoon  (May  ii), 
desiring  to  know  how  many  times  the  Horned  Larks  brought  food 
to  their  young,  I  posted  myself  where  I  could  watch  them.  Although 
I  was  too  far  away  to  distinguish  what  they  gave  the  young,  I  could 
see  the  little  fellows   open  their  yellow  mouths   to  receive  the  food. 

I  started  my  watching  at  just  four  o'clock,  and  below  are  the 
times  at  which  the  birds  brought  the  food  for  about  one  hour:  4.01, 
4.oi>^,  4.06,  4.10,  4.ii>^,  4.14,  4.20,  4.24,  4.2914,  4.31,  4.37>4,  4.39>4, 
4.41,  4.46,  4.50,  4.52,  4.553-2,  4-58,  5.00,  5.02.  It  will  be  seen  that 
this  made  twenty  times  in  about  one  hour  or,  on  an  average,  every 
three  minutes. 

At  the  first  glance  this  may  seem  extraordinary,  but  as  there  were 
four  young  ones,  each  would  be  fed  only  once  every  twelve  minutes. 
But  think  of  the  number  of  insects  destroyed  in  a  season.  The 
parents  work  from  twelve  to  sixteen  hours  a  day,  and  raise  three  or 
four  broods  of  four  or  five  birds  each  in  a  season.  Just  think  how 
soon  the  insects  would  become  unbearable  if  it  were  not  for  our 
feathered  friends  !     Man  alone  could  do  almost  nothing  against  them. 

(117) 


jBtotes  from  jftelU  mh  ^tulip 


Early  Breeding   of    the   Pine   Siskin 

Small  flocks  of  Pine  Siskins  have  been 
frequent  visitors  at  my  home  for  several 
weeks.  On  April  14,  1900,  I  observed 
them  as  before,  and  while  enjoying  their 
presence  I  heard  an  unusual  sound  which 
instantly  reminded  me  of  young  birds. 
I  took  my  glass  to  find,  if  possible,  the 
cause  of  the  outcry,  when,  only  a  few 
feet  from  where  I  was  standing,  I  saw 
a  parent  Siskin  feeding  its  young  and 
near  by  sat  another  waiting  to  be  fed. 
There  may  have  been  still  more  young 
in  the  evergreen  trees  close,  by  but  I 
was  only  sure  of  two.  They  were  quite 
small  and  looked  like  little  round  balls 
of  feathers. 

On  the  morning  of  April  17  Mr.  Hor- 
ton  observed  them  in  the  same  location 
while  being  fed  by  the  parent  bird. — 
Mrs.  Wm.  C.  Horton,  President  of 
Brattleboro  Bird  Club,  Brattlcboro, 
Verinont . 

An  Oriole  Tragedy 

Some  time  ago  two  boys  brought  a 
nest  to  my  office  which  they  had  found 
in    their    wanderings   afield.      It    was    the 


\ 


\    / 


■%,;-.«■  :y:, 


AN    ORIOLE    TRAGEUV 


finely  woven  pendent  of  the  Baltimore 
Oriole,  made  entirely  of  twine,  a  mate- 
rial which  proved  fatal  to  the  little 
architect,  for  there  she  was  hanging  pa- 
thetically by  the  neck  from  the  lintel 
of  her  own  doorway,  her  nestlings  starved 
within.  As  far  as  I  know  this  accident 
is  unique  in  that  it  occurred  after  the 
period  of  incubation.  Let  us  hope  that 
the  struggle  was  soon  ended,  that  the 
unfortunate  mother  was  not  long  com- 
pelled to  listen  in  impotent  distress  to 
the  appealing  cries  of  her  starving  young 
until  kind  death  at  last  brought  relief 
— -J.  HoLBROOK  Shaw,  M.D.,  riymoittJi, 
Mass. 

The  Newport  Robin 

Many  summer  visitors  to  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  are  acquainted  with  the 
establishment  of  Mr.  Charles  E.  Ash,  of 
No.  3  Market  Square  Mr.  Ash  and 
his  son  are  devoted  to  pets.  Mike,  an 
old  Barbary  Ape,  was  the  recipient  of 
much  attention  from  visitors,  and  doubt- 
less promoted  a  better  understanding  of 
human  character  among  the  thoughtful 
ones.  But  the  monkeys,  dogs,  cats  and 
squirrels  were  not  always  the  favorites. 
A  common  Crow  that  said  "papa"  and 
'■hello"  was  in  high  favor  with  the  chil- 
dren ;  and  a  wonderful  Robin  that  whis- 
tled a  march  to  the  step  of  the  police 
squad  marching  to  and  from  the  neigh- 
boring police  station  was  certainly  one 
of  the  best  known  and  most  popular 
individuals  of  the  feathered  tribe  in 
America. 

This  Robin  closed  a  long  and  happy 
career  before  my  arrival  in  Newport. 
He  lived  on  a  busy  thoroughfare,  where 
a  tiny  fountain  played  into  a  marble 
trough  in  which  horses  slaked  their  thirst 
in  front  of  a  police  station  and  the 
Robin's  cage;  but  he  never  saw  a  grassy 
lawn  or  a  green  tree,  having  been  taken 
from  a  nest  built  in  a  post  on  Bellevue 
avenue  when  a  very  wee  bird,  by  Mr. 
Charles  E.  Ash,  Jr.,  who  told  me  that 
the  male  parent  of  this  Robin  was  the 
finest  singer  of  any  he  had  ever  heard. 


(118) 


Notes  from   Field   and  Study 


119 


Mr.  Ash's  pets  have  received  consider- 
able attention  from  naturalists,  and  biog- 
raphies of  some  of  them  have  frequently 
appeared  in  the  local  press ;  but  none 
other  has  been  so  much  talked  of  and 
written  about  as  the  Newport  Robin — a 
thoroughbred  patrician  bird  from  Belle, 
vue  avenue.  This  male  Robin  was 
taken  from  the  nest  when  scarcely  feath- 
ered and  placed  in  a  cage  which  hung  in 
the  office  of  the  market,  and  there  he 
learned,  from  the  musically  inclined  cus- 
tomers and  from  his  master,  such  airs  as 
'Yankee  Doodle,'  'Sweet  By-and-By, 
'Marching  Through  Georgia,'  'Over  The 
Garden  Wall,'  'Johnnie,  Get  Your  Gun,' 
'Here  She  Goes -There  She  Goes,'  and 
many  others,  one  of  his  acquirements 
being  the  campaign  air:  'What's  the 
matter  with  Harrison;  He's  all  Right,' 
and  all  rendered  in  perfect  tune  and  with 
a  sweetness  surpassing  the  finest  flute  or 
piccolo. 

At  first  Mr,  Ash  thought  of  his  little 
prisoner  simply  as  a  companion  during 
the  extreme  early  hours  at  which  the 
market  had  to  be  opened,  and  was  sur- 
prised one  day  at  hearing  him  whistling 
one  of  his  own  favorite  airs.  But  after 
that  he  took  a  little  more  pains  and 
spent  his  leisure  moments  in  teaching 
the  Robin  different  tunes,  and,  finding 
him  an  apt  scholar,  encouraged  customers 
to  whistle  in  his  presence  until  he  be- 
came the  wonder  of  all  who  have  ever 
heard  him  whistle  He  never  gave  the 
chirping  whistle  peculiar  to  the  Robin, 
but  continually  repeated  notes  gathered 
from  his  admiring  friends.  He  developed 
an  aptness  for  mimicry  quite  equal  to 
the  best-bred  Mockingbird,  and  a  talent 
for  sweet  music  which  quite  surpassed 
that  of  the  latter. 

The  home  of  this  feathered  wonder 
■was  a  large,  handsome  wire  cage,  pre- 
sented him  by  his  honor.  Mayor  Powtl. 
The  Robin  preferred  this  cage  to  free- 
dom, and  seemed  to  love  the  society  of 
man  and  to  be  perfectly  contented.  In 
In  fact,  he  made  his  escape  once  and 
returned  of  his  own  free  will  after  an 
absence    of     about     an     hour.       Another 


time  he  left  his  cage  and  wandered  from 
tho  market  and  was  picked  up,  com- 
pletely exhausted,  by  a  Judge  of  the 
probate  court,  who  took  hitn  back.  Once 
he  paid  a  visit  to  a  favorite  officer  at 
the  police  station.  But  cmbonpoiiit  de- 
veloped during  the  latter  years  of  the 
decadeof  his  life, and  rendered  him  so  liable 
to  accidents  abroad  that  he  was  never 
allowed  to  leave  the  narrow  confines  of 
his  home  He  received  about  the  same 
treatment  and  food  as  a  Mockingbird, 
but  rejected  all  opportunities  to  bathe 
oftener  than  every  other  day  and  then 
insisted  upon  having  his  tub  of  fresh 
water. 

This  bird  was  the  pride  of  his  owner, 
who  refused  tempting  pecuniary  induce- 
ments to  part  with  him  ;  but  all  visitors 
to  the  Robin's  cage  were  cordially  wel- 
comed by  Mr.  Ash,  who  delighted  in  hav- 
ing his  pet  seen  and  heard,  that  all 
might  comprehend  his  really  wonderful 
talent. —  E.  A.  Mearns,  Ft.  Adams,  Nezi'- 
fort,  K.  J. 

A   Yonkers    Robin 

Two  years  ago  this  summer,  at  Yonkers, 
N.  Y. ,  the  ice-man  carried  into  a  kitchen 
an  unfledged  Robin  picked  up  in  the  street. 
Kind-hearted  Bridget  fed  and  cared  for  the 
foundling,  after  trying  in  vain  to  restore  it 
to  the  nest.  It  was  placed  in  a  large  cage 
until  old  enough  to  enjoy  the  freedom  of 
the  house.  Once  a  female  Robin  flew  to 
the  window-sill  with  a  worm  ;  and  when- 
ever the  cage  was  put  out-of-doors  Robins 
visited  it  and  talked  to  the  little  one  One 
day  five  of  its  relatives  lighted  on  the  cage, 
as  if  meditating  a  coup  d'  elal. 

The  bird  would  have  been  released  in 
due  time,  but  for  a  catastrophe.  One  luck- 
less night,  the  cage  having  been  left  out,  a 
'self-supporting  cat'  clawed  poor  Robin, 
wounding  him  desperately,  and  perma- 
nently injuring  one  wing.  His  life  was 
saved,  but  the  wound  never  healed,  and 
whenever  the  bird  is  excited,  drops  of  blood 
exude. 

Robin  calls  for  his  oatmeal  each  morn- 
ing, and  will  not  be  quiet  until  fed  from 
the  spoon  of  the  master  of  the  house.     He 


I20 


Bird-  Lore 


is  fond  of  all  of  the  family,  even  the  dog,  a 
Gordon  setter,  on  whose  head  he  likes  to 
perch  ;  but  he  loves  best  his  '  Bebe,'  as  he 
calls  Bridget,  and  when  she  goes  out  for 
a  day  he  keeps  a  mournful  silence  until 
overjoyed  at  her  return.  He  has  all  the 
Robin  vocabulary  and  song,  besides  various 
whistles  and  tunes  taught  him  by  Bridget. 
He  modulates  his  calls  in  close  imitation  of 
his  teacher,  and  when  with  her  is  as  happy 
as  any  outdoor  bird,  perching  on  her  shoul- 
der and  responding  to  her  in  the  most 
winsome  manner. 

As  it  is  a  common  occurrence  for  adven- 
turous young  birds  to  fall  from  the  nest, 
perhaps  some  readers  of  Bird-Lore  will 
copy  Bridget,  and  add  their  experience  to 
the  ' '  Ethics  of  Caging  Birds.  " — Ella  Gil- 
bert Ives,  Dorchester,  Massachusetts. 

An    Albino    Robin 

When  the  Robins  returned  to  St.  Al- 
bans, Vermont,  in  the  spring  of  1897,  a 
pure  white  Robin  with  a  red  breast  came 
with  them.  This  '  woman  in  white  '  made 
its  home  in  an  orchard,  where  it  doubtless 
nested,  as  it  was  seen  carrying  building 
material  there.  Though  the  nest  could 
not  be  found,  the  bird  stayed  upon  the 
farm  through  the  summer,  becoming  very 
tame  as  the  months  passed,  and  coming 
to  the  door  for  crumbs  daily. 

The  following  spring  the  same  bird  was 
seen  upon  the  same  farm,  where  it  built 
a  nest  in  a  maple,  in  the  dooryard.  This 
little  house,  or  more  literally  this  little 
housekeeper,  attracted  so  much  attention 
that  she  deserted  the  nest,  after  three  eggs 
were  laid,  and  built  another  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  same  tree,  in  which 
four  young  Robins  were  duly  hatched. 
A  high  wind  soon  brought  both  nest  and 
young  to  the  ground.  A  third  nest  was 
then  made  in  the  same  maple,  in  which 
five  young  Robins  found  a  secure  home. 
Both  nests  and  young  birds  were  in  every 
way  normal ;  not  a  hint  in  a  single  feather 
betrayed  their  unique  motherhood. 

The  bird  did  not  return  in  the  spring  of 
1899.  In  April  of  this  year,  however,  it 
came  to  the  same  neighborhood,  and  has 
built  a  nest  in  an  apple  tree  upon  a  lonely 


hillside,  a  third  of  a  mile  from  its  former 
nesting  sites.  It  is  often  described  as 
"as  large  as  a  Dove,"  though,  after  much 
careful  observation,  I  am  certain  that  its 
color,  only,  makes  its  size  deceitful.  Its 
red  breast,  contrasted  with  the  pure  white, 
also  seems  much  redder  than  in  the  ordi- 
nary Robin.  Altogether  it  is  as  handsome 
a  bird  as  can  well  be  imagined,  its  pink 
eyes  being  noticeable  as  it  sits  upon  the 
nest,  and  its  color  making  it  easily  seen 
as  it  crosses  the  meadows  or  hops  about 
upon  the  opposite  hillside  in  search  of 
grasshoppers.  —  Nelly  Hart  Woodworth, 
.S",^.   Albans,    Vt. 

A  Successful  Bird  Club 

[The  following  account  of  the  formation 
of  a  Bird  Club  at  Newburgh,  N.  Y. ,  has 
been  prepared  at  our  request,  as  an  illus- 
tration of  the  interest  in  birds  which 
may  be  aroused  by  an  enthusiastic  leader. 
There  is  no  reason  why  ornithologists 
throughout  the  country  could  not  achieve 
the  same  success  which  has  attended  Mr. 
Robinson's  efforts  to  share  his  pleasures 
in  bird-study. — Ed.] 

Wherever  there  have  been  organiza- 
tions studying  the  course  laid  down  by 
the  Chautauqua  during  the  past  winter, 
the  subject  of  Birds  has  been  presented 
through  that  delightful  little  book  'Birds 
through  an  Opera  Glass.'  It  is  doubtfu^ 
if  there  was  any  gathering  of  people  who 
took  up  the  study  with  more  enthusiasm 
and  interest  than  the  Chautauqua  Circle, 
in  the  city  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y.  The  work 
was  under  the  direction  of  Francis  B. 
Robinson,  of  that  city,  who  has  been  a 
close  student  of  Nature  for  many  years, 
and  he  gave  the  preliminary  talk,  tracing 
the  development  of  bird-life,  and  noting 
the  birds  that  are  now  extinct  and  those 
that  are  becoming  so.  This  talk,  with  a 
lecture  on  'Expansion,'  took  up  a  long 
evening,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to 
devote  the  entire  evening  to  Birds  alone, 
and  Friday  evenings  of  each  week  during 
March,  April  and  May  were  used  for  this 
purpose.  The  study  was  pursued  syste- 
matically by  over  two  hundred  people, 
among  them  lawyers,  doctors,  ministers 
and  teachers,  and  each  active  member 
was  assigned  a  bird    to    report    on.     This 


Notes  from   Field   and   Study 


made  it  necessary  for  the  student  to  be- 
come familiar  with  the  bird  he  or  she  had 
been  assigned,  and  a  personal  knowledge 
of  the  subject  was  acquired.  The  Free 
Library  was  besieged,  and  all  books  on 
birds  were  brought  out  of  their  seclusion 
and  put  once  more  into  circulation  Many 
new  works  were  sought  at  the  book-stores, 
and  bird-literature  is  still  in  demand.  The 
second  evening  was  devoted  to  Crows, 
Robins,  Bluebirds,  Song  Sparrows,  Jays 
and  Blackbirds — all  birds  that  are  to  be 
found  at  that  season  of  the  year.  Then 
came  the  Sparrow  family,  with  the  Junco, 
Finches,  Cross-bills, Nuthatches  and  Wood- 
peckers, that  are  abundant  in  early  April. 
Then  the  Flycatchers  and  Thrushes,  and 
finally  an  evening  was  devoted  to  the 
Warblers,  some  twenty  fine  specimens 
being  shown  in  skins.  Within  the  ne.xt 
week,  members  had  identified  the  Mourn- 
ing, Chestnut-sided,  Black-throated  Blue. 
Black  and  White,  and  other  spring  mi- 
grants and  resident  birds  that  were  found 
in  the  shaded  streets  and  parks.  Excur- 
sions were  made  into  the  highlands  and 
country,  and  incidentally  a  love  of  flowers 
and  nature  was  imbued. 

The  beautiful  pictures  furnished  the 
academy  through  the  regents  by  the  Mu- 
seum of  Natural  History  were  shown  on 
the  first  of  June,  and  as  each  bird  was  pic- 
tured, its  haunts  and  habits  were  com" 
mented  upon.  On  the  gth  a  party  of  over 
sixty  people  took  the  delightful  sail  down 
the  Hudson,  and  journeyed  to  the  Museum 
of  Natural  History,  where  Mr.  Chapman 
directed  them  to  the  case  of  birds  which 
he  has  arranged  purposely  for  bird-stu- 
dents. A  beautiful  case  of  water-birds. 
land-birds  and  two  '  seasonal '  cases,  all  of 
the  birds  found  within  fifty  miles  of  New 
York  City,  were  of  special  interest  to  the 
class,  and  much  time  was  spent  in  this 
room.  Since  the  close  of  study  it  is  a  sub- 
ject of  remark  that  more  birds  have  been 
named  and  noted  in  the  past  few  weeks 
than  ever  before,  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
sight  to  see  gray-haired  students  in  the 
yards  and  country  roads,  opera  glass  in 
hand, watching  for  some  feathered  mystery 
to  appear.     Red-eyed,  Warbling  and  Yel- 


low-throated Vireos  are  especially  attrac- 
tive, and  their  strong,  clear  notes  may  be 
heard  all  day  long,  and  many  of  their  cup- 
shaped  nests  have  been  discovered.  Thus 
a  new  interest  in  outdoor  life  has  been 
unfolded  and  a  new  pleasure  found. 

Cowbird    in    a    Dove's    Nest 

On  May  25,  1899,  at  Rock  Hill,  Pa  ,  I 
found  fifteen  or  more  Doves'  nests  in 
one  orchard  While  looking  for  a  suita- 
ble place  in  which  to  put  my  camera,  I 
noticed  a  Cowbird  flutter  off  a  large 
Crackle's  nest,  and  on  examination  found 
the  nest  to  contain  only  a  Cowbird's  egg. 
Three  days  later  I  discovered  that  a 
Dove  had  deposited  two  eggs  in  this 
nest.  Circumstances  now  prevented  me 
from  visiting  the  nest  for  three  weeks, 
when    I  found   a  Cowbird  ready  to  fly 


YOUNG     COV/BIRD    AN"D    TWO    DOVE  S    EGGS 
IN     OLD    crackle's     NEST 

Although  I  watched  the  nest  for  some 
time  to  see  how  the  Doves  would  feed 
the  young  Cowbird,  they  did  not  return, 
and  I  regret  to  say  I  did  not  succeed  in 
learning  the  outcome  of  this  interesting 
case — Chas.    D.    Kellogg,    riiihidclphia. 


YOUNG    W'ARBLING    VIREOS    AND    NEST 
Photographed  from  nature  by  R.  W.  Hegiier,  Decorah,  la. 


RED-EYED     \-lKEO     OX     NEST 
Photographed  from  nature  by  F.  M.  Chapman,  at  Englewood,  N.  J.,  June  6,  1900 


TWO    \'  I  R  E  O  S'    NESTS 


iloofe  jBtetDs;  anti   3^e\)ieto0 


Bird  Homes.  The  Nests,  Eggs  and 
Breeding  Habits  of  the  Land  Birds 
Breeding  in  the  Eastern  United 
States  ,  With  Hints  on  the  Rear- 
ing AND  Photographing  of  Young 
Birds.  By  A.  Radclyffe  Dugmore 
Illustrated  with  photographs  from  na 
ture  by  the  author.  Doubleday  & 
McClure  Co.  8vo  Pages  xvi- 183 
50  half-tone  ills.,  and  16  colorotypes 
$2  net. 

This  attractive  volume  is  to  be  com. 
pared  only  with  Davie's  '  Nests  and  Eggs 
of  North  American  Birds',  from  which  it 
differs  in  arrangement,  the  descriptions 
being  grouped  according  to  nesting-site, 
and  not  systematically  as  in  Davie,  while 
Mr.  Dugmore  gives  a  short  description  of 
the  plumages  of  the  species  treated,  but 
generally  fails  to  mention  the  authority  for 
statements  not  based  on  his  own  experi- 
ence, and.  in  this  respect,  the  book  is  less 
useful  to  the  working  ornithologist  than 
Davie's.  In  its  illustrations,  however,  it 
is  immeasurably  superior  to  Davie's  book  ; 
in  fact,  we  can  conceive  of  no  better 
demonstration  of  the  superiority  of  the 
camera  over  the  pen  or  brush  in  depicting 
birds'  nests  than  that  furnished  by  a 
comparison  of  Mr.  Dugmore 's  beautiful 
plates  with  those  contained  in  Davie's 
'  Nests  and  Eggs.' 

Mr.  Dugmore  will  be  known  to  orni- 
thologists chiefly  by  his  illustrations  in 
Scott's  '  Bird  Studies'  In  the  present 
work,  however,  he  shows  a  far  clearer 
perception  of  the  true  value  of  the  camera 
to  the  ornithologist,  and  his  photographs 
as  here  reproduced  in  black  and  white 
are  so  eminently  satisfactory  that  we 
cannot  but  regret  the  attempt  to  produce 
any  of    them   in  color. 

Mr.  Dugmore  has  devoted  much  time 
to  rearing  young  birds,  and  his  notes 
on  the  habits  of  a  number  of  our  common 
birds  in  confinement  contain  no  little 
amount  of  original  and  valuable  informa- 
tion. His  position  in  regard  to  egg-collect- 
ing   is    in   accord   with    that    of    all    true 


ornithologists,  and  we  are  assured  that 
his  work  will  exert  a  widespread  influence 
in  creating  and  fostering  an  interest  in 
bird-study  and  a  proper  regard  for  the 
rights  of   birds. —  F.   M.  C. 

Nature's  Calendar.  By  Ernest  Inger- 
SOLL.  With  12  illustrations  from 
original  photographs  by  Clarence 
LowN.  New  York  and  London,  Harper 
&  Brothers  i2mo.  Pages  xii  -^  270. 
12    full-page    half-tones. 

'What  to  see  in  nature  and  when  to  see 
it,'  is  the  motto  of  this  book,  and  its 
author's  skill  with  the  pen  and  knowledge 
of  the  literature  of  natural  history  have 
served  a  good  purpose  in  presenting  in 
attractive  and  useful  form  a  large  amount 
of  information  concerning  the  seasons 
and  their  plant  and  animal  life. 

The  matter  is  arranged  under  months, 
a  general  description  of  the  characteristic 
phenomena  of  each  month  being  followed 
by  calendars  wherein  are  summarized  the 
statements  in  relation  to  Mammals,  Birds, 
Fishes,  Batrachians  and  Reptiles,  and 
Insects.  "The  dates  here  given,"  it  is 
said,  "refer  to  an  ordinary  season  about 
New  York  City,"  and  wide  margins  are 
left  (the  text  occupying  less  than  half  of 
each  page)  for  the  entry  of  the  reader's 
observations. 

Miss  Helen  Ingersoll,  the  author's 
daughter,  is  accredited  with  assistance  "in 
respect  to  local  botany."  Prof.  Clarence 
M.  Weed  is  responsible  for  the  parts  relat- 
ing to  insects,  and  for  information  in 
regard  to  mammals,  reptiles,  batrachians 
and  fishes  the  author  quotes  from  Merriam, 
Burroughs,  W.  E.  Cram,  De  Kay,  C.  C. 
Abbott,  John  Bell  (who  is  spoken  of  as 
"Thomas  Bell"),  Mearns,  Kirtland,  Allen, 
Hay,  Goode,  and  others  :  but  for  the 
part  relating  to  birds  he  gives  no  author- 
ity. This  is  the  more  to  be  regretted,  for 
it  is  this  portion  of  the  book  in  which  we 
are  here  especially  interested  and  in 
which  we  find  a  number  of  records  at 
variance  with    previously   published  data. 


124 


Bird -Lore 


Thus  the  White-crowned  Sparrow  is  said 
to  occur  in  March,  the  Blackburnian 
Warbler  is  spoken  of  as  among  the  earliest 
of  its  family,  and  is  said  to  arrive  the 
second  week  in  April,  a  date  which  is  also 
given  for  the  first  appearance  of  the 
Magnolia  Warbler,  but  the  Yellow  Palm 
Warbler  is  not  to  be  looked  tor  until  the 
fourth  week  of  the  month.  The  coming 
of  the  Yellow-throated  Vireo  is  set  down 
for  the  first  week  in  April,  and  the  Yellow- 
winged  Sparrow,  which  is  said  to  be 
"rarely  seen"  far  from  the  seashore,  is 
stated  to  reach  us  the  second  work  in  April. 
The  Chebec  is  alluded  to  as  possessing  an 
exquisite  voice,  and  is  said  to  nest  in 
bushes. 

This  lack  of  exactness,  of  which  other 
evidences  could  be  given,  detracts  from 
the  value  of  the  book  for  those  who  desire 
to  compare  their  own  records  with  those 
here  given  ;  but  the  general  reader  will 
find  that  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  bird-life 
of  the  year  are  described  in  an  instructive 
and,  in  the  main,  accurate  manner  ;  and  it 
is  to  the  general  reader,  rather  than  the 
enthusiastic  specialist,  that  the  book  is 
addressed. — F.  M.  C. 

Bulletin  No.  12  U.  S  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, Division  of  Biological  Survey. 
Legislation  for  the  Protection  of 
Birds  other  th.an  Game  Birds.  By  T. 
S.  Palmer,  Assistant  Chief  of  the  Bio- 
logical Survey.  Prepared  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dr.  C.  Hart  Merriam,  Chief 
of  Biological  Survey,  Washington,  Gov- 
ernment Printing  Office.  8vo.  Pages 
94-     Ills. 

Only  a  person  who  has  had  occasion  to 
ascertain  the  non-game  bird  law  of  a  given 
state  can  fully  appreciate  the  value  of  the 
service  which  Dr.  Palmer  has  rendered  to 
every  one  interested  in  bird-protective  leg- 
islation by  presenting,  in  one  volume,  the 
laws  (  or  absence  of  them  )  of  every  state 
and  territory  in  the  Union  and  of  the  Cana- 
dian provinces.  This  'Bulletin, '  however, 
is  not  only  of  value  as  a  reference  book  or 
'digest,  '  but  it  reveals  the  surprisingly  in- 
adequate laws  which  exist  in  most  of  our 
states  for  the  protection  of  non-game  birds, 
and  thus  furnishes  a  definite  point  of  de- 
parture in  the  attempt  to  secure  for  these 


birds  as  effective  legal  protection  as  is  gen- 
erally accorded  game  birds. 

But  Dr.  Palmer's  work  is  not  merely  a 
compilation,  over  one-half  of  it  being  de- 
voted to  a  '  General  Discussion  of  Protec- 
tive Legislation,'  where  are  authoritatively 
treated  such  moot  subjects  as  the  definition 
of  a  game  bird,  the  value  of  birds  of  prey, 
etc..  with  other  matter  relating  to  the 
needs  of  bird  protection,  destruction  of 
birds  for  millinery  purposes,  issuance  of 
permits  for  collecting,  licenses,  etc.  Here 
also  are  presented  histories  of  the  Hoar, 
Teller  and  Lacey  bird-protective  bills  and 
a  slightly  amended  and  annotated  reprint 
of  the  model  bird  law  proposed  by  the  Am- 
erican Ornithologists'  Union. 

We  cannot  be  too  grateful  to  Dr.  Palmer 
for  the  admirable  manner  in  which,  in  this 
Bulletin  No.  12,  he  has  evolved  order  out 
of  chaos  in  matters  relating  to  legislation 
for  non-game  birds. —  F.  M.  C. 

"Warblers'  Songs.  By  Lynds  Jones. 
Wilson  Bulletin  No.  30.  Oberlin,  Ohio 
January,  1900.     Pages  56. 

The  philosophic  student  of  birds'  lan- 
guage, will  find  in  this  paper  much  to 
interest  him,  while  bird-lovers,  to  whom 
the  Warblers  are  a  source  of  despair,  may 
receive  from  it  very  effective  aid  in  making 
identifications. 

It  was  a  very  happy  idea  of  Mr.  Jones 
to  thus  bring  together  between  two  covers, 
what  has  been  written  in  description  of 
Warblers'  Songs,  and  the  value  of  his 
paper  has  been  greatly  increased  by  the 
addition  of  his  own  observations  and  those 
of  the  members  of  the  Wilson  Ornitholo- 
gical Chapter,  who  have  assisted  him. 

An  '  Introduction  '  gives  the  reasons  for 
presenting  the  paper,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  material  contained  in  it  was 
secured,  and  is  followed  by  an  extended 
bibliography  and  discussion  of  the  types 
of  Warblers'  songs,  song-periods,  kinds  of 
song,  variability,  etc.  He  w^rites  feelingly 
of  the  difficulties  encountered  in  attempting 
to  describe  the  songs  of  most  Warblers, 
and  then  treats  serially  each  of  the  fifty- 
seven  species  and  sixteen  subspecies  of  this 
family  which  have  been  found  in  North 
America. — F.  M.  C. 


Book    News   and    Reviews 


125 


Catalogue  of  Canadian  Birds.  Part  I. 
Water  Birds,  Gallinaceous  Birds,  and 
Pigeons.  By  John  Macoun,  Natura- 
list to  the  Geological  Survey  of  Canada, 
Ottawa.     1900.     Pages  viii  +  2i3. 

The  author  of  this  important  work 
states  that  he  "he  has  endeavored  to 
bring  together  facts  on  the  range  and  nest- 
ing habits  of  all  the  birds  known  to  reside 
in,  migrate  to,  or  visit,  the  northern  part 
of  the  continent.  In  addition  to  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  he  has  therefore 
included  Newfoundland,  Greenland  and 
Alaska."  To  original  information  gathered 
during  the  past  twenty  years  in  explora- 
tions which  have  taken  him  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  that  secured 
by  Mr.  W.  Spreadborough,  who,  since 
1889,  has  been  at  work  under  his  supervi" 
sion,  he  adds  data  from  MS.  notes  of 
various  duly  accredited  observers,  and 
those  which  have  already  been  recorded 
by  the  more  authoritative  writers  on  the 
birds  of  the  great  region  embraced  by  his 
limits.  In  this  compilation  two  important 
papers  have  apparently  been  overlooked, 
viz.;  Blakiston's  'On  the  Birds  of  the 
Interior  of  British  America'  (Ibis,  1863, 
p.  39  et  seq),  a  fully  annotated  list  of 
250  species,  and  Merriam's  '  List  of  Birds 
Ascertained  to  Occur  Within  Ten  Miles  of 
Point  des  Monts,  Province  of  Quebec' 
(Bull.,  N.  O.  C.  VII,  1882,  p.  233  ct  scq), 
a  list  of  180  species. 

The  annotations  under  each  species 
consist  of  remarks  on  its  general  range 
and  notes  on  the  breeding  of  species 
known  to  nest,  with,  in  every  instance, 
the  authority  for  all  statements  not  based 
on  personal  observation,  and  a  list  of 
museum  specimens  with  data.  The  book 
is.  therefore,  an  invaluable  reference 
manual  for  those  in  search  of  information 
in  regard  to  the  birds  of  northern  North 
America,  and  we  note  with  pleasure  that 
the  second  and  concluding  part  is  prom- 
ised for  an  early  date. —  F.  M.  C. 

A  Monograph  of  the  Flicker.  By  Frank 
L.  Burns.  Wilson  Bulletin  No.  31. 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  April,  1900.     Pages  82. 

To  know  that  you  have  in  your  hand 
all    the   more   important    facts   concerning 


the  life-history  of  a  common  bird  affords 
one  a  sense  of  satisfaction  which  can  be 
appreciated  only  by  those  who,  in  search 
of  information  concerning  the  habits  of 
some  familiar  species,  have  been  obliged 
to  wade  through  a  library.  For  five  years 
Mr.  Burns  has  devoted  his  available  time 
to  securing  the  information  presented  in 
this  monograph.  Correspondence  with 
other  ornithologists,  whose  assistance  is 
fully  acknowledged,  search  in  the  literature 
of  ornithology,  and  personal  observation  in 
the  field,  have  resulted  in  making  what, 
as  far  as  we  know,  is  the  most  complete 
existing  biography  of  any  North  American 
bird.  Beginning  with  its  scientific  and 
vernacular  names  (of  which  the  astonishing 
number  of  124  are  listed)  the  author  treats 
his  subject  under  the  headings  :  '  Geograph- 
ical Range,'  'Winter  Range,'  'Breeding 
Range,'  'Migration,'  'Flight,'  'Roosting,' 
'Drum  Calls,'  '  Voice, '  'Mating,'  '  Nidifi- 
cation,'  'Eggs,'  'Incubation,'  'Young,' 
'Molt  and  Renewal,'  'Food,'  'Enemies,' 
'Measurements,'  'Plumage,'  'Hybridism,' 
'Atavism,'  'Conclusion.' 

It  is  not  possible  for  us  to  go  into  details, 
but  we  cannot  conclude  this  brief  notice 
without  congratulating  Mr.  Burns  on  the 
excellence  of  his  work,  and  thoroughly 
commending  his  method  of  presentation. 
When  our  bookshelves  contain  a  row  of 
biographies  on  our  birds,  similar  to  this 
one,  we  may  consider  ourselves  well 
equipped  to  further  elucidate  the  prob- 
lems which  such  a  close  study  is  sure  to 
present,  and  we  would  strongly  urge  every 
ambitious  ornithologist  who  is  undecided 
into  what  channel  to  turn  his  efforts,  to 
concentrate  them  on  a  single  species,  and 
in  due  time  the  science  he  loves  may  be  as 
deeply  indebted  to  him  as  it  is  to  Mr. 
Burns.— F.    M.    C. 

The  Avifauna  of  Louisiana.  By  Geo  E. 
Beyer.  Reprint  from  the  Proc.  of  the 
Louisiana  Society  of  Naturalists,  1897- 
1899      8vo,  pp.  1-45. 

This  is  an  exceedingly  welcome  contri- 
bution to  the  faunal  literature  of  a  state 
concerning  the  bird-life  of  which  we 
possess  very  little  published  information. 
Professor  Beyer  has  been  obliged  to  rely 


126 


Bird -Lore 


largely  on  his  own  researches,  and  his 
list  of  323  species  and  subspecies  is  evi- 
dence of  his  diligence  afield  When  we 
note,  however,  that  such  species  as  the 
Nashville,  Canadian,  and  Wilson's  Warb- 
lers and  Common  Tern  have  not  as  yet 
been  reported  from  Louisiana,  it  is  clear 
that  the  state  still  offers  a  profitable  field 
for  the  faunal  ornithologist.  Professor 
Beyer's  work  is  well  done,  but  we  would 
suggest  that  more  critical  examination  of 
his  material  would  perhaps  cause  him 
to  change  his  identification  of  several 
species;  among  them  "  Tynnfanuchiis 
arncricatnis,"  which,  as  he  records  it  only 
from  the  south-western  part  of  the  state,  is 
probably  T.  a.  al tzcaleri :  "Ammodramiis 
caudacutus,  which  is  doubtless  A.  nelsoni; 
and  '^Ammodramiis  maritimus,"  which 
presumably  is  A.  m.  fisheri.  These,  how- 
ever, are  minor  defects,  and  the  paper  as  a 
whole  bears  evidence  of  care  in  its  prep- 
aration, which  makes  it  a  trustworthy 
source   of   reference. —  F.  M.  C. 

Preliminary  List  of  Birds,  Resident, 
Visitant,  Migrant,  or  Accidental, 
Observed  in  the  Vicinity  of  Man- 
chester, N.  H.  Compiled  by  Fred- 
erick W.  Batchelder,  assisted  by 
Edward  H.  Fogg.  Proc.  Manchester 
Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Vol. 
I,   1899,   pp.    123-138. 

This  is  a  briefly  annotated  list  of  132 
species,  and  is  designed  to  form  a  work- 
ing basis  for  further  observation.  It  is 
an  outgrowth  of  the  activity  of  the  orni- 
thological section  of  the  Manchester  In- 
stitute and  the  '  Reports  of  the  Meetings' 
of  this  section  which  precede  the  'List' 
(pages  117-121)  should  prove  both  sug- 
gestive and  stimulative  reading  for  the 
members  of  other  societies  devoted  to 
the   study    of   birds.— F.  M.  C. 

Book  News 
Circular  No.  29,  of  the  Biological  Sur- 
vey of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
signed  by  James  Wilson,  Secretary  of  Ag- 
riculture, places  the  administration  of  the 
Lacey  Bill,  so  far  as  it  concerns  the  impor- 
tation and  preservation  of  animals,  in  charge 
of  the  Biological  Survey,  under  the  im- 
mediate direction  of  the  Assistant  Chief  of 


the  Survey, — an  appointment  which  all 
advocates  of  the  Lacey  Bill  will  regard 
with  unbounded  satisfaction.  This  circu- 
lar also  presents  the  Lacey  Bill  in  full  and 
explains  the  manner  in  which  it  is  pro- 
posed to  make  its  provisions  effective. 

Circular  No.  28,  of  the  Biological  Sur- 
vey, by  Dr.  T.  S.  Palmer,  Assistant  Chief 
of  the  Survey,  is  a  '  Directory  of  State 
Officials  and  Organizations  Concerned 
with  the  Protection  of  Birds  and  Game,' 
a  publication  which  admirably  supple- 
ments Dr.  Palmer's  Bulletin  No.  12,  no- 
ticed above. 

The  increasing  demand  on  the  part  of 
the  public  for  information  concerning 
local  bird-life  is  frequently  manifested 
now-a-days  by  the  appearance  in  the  press 
of  popular  articles  by  ornithologists,  whose 
signature  gives  to  their  contributions  a 
value  not  generally  to  be  found  in  news- 
paper natural  history.  Thus  we  have 
lately  received  copies  of  the  San  Juan 
(Porto  Rico)  'News,'  Detroit  'Free 
Press,  and  '  Prince  Edward  Island  Maga- 
zine,' containing  instructive  articles  on 
local  birds,  by  G.  B.  Pratt,  H.  S.  Warren 
and  John  MacSwain,  respectively. 

The  'Western  Ornithologist'  —  formerly 
the  'Iowa  Ornithologist' — is  published  on 
the  fifteenth  of  every  other  month  at  Avo- 
ca,  Iowa.  It  is  edited  by  Chas.  C.  Tryon, 
with  the  assistance  of  Carl  Fritz  Henning 
and  David  L.  Savage,  who  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated on  both  the  appearance  and 
contents  of  their  magazine. 

Mr.  Reginald  Heber  Howe,  Jr. 's  quar- 
terly '  Notes  on  Rhode  Island  Orni- 
thology,'which  is  published  by  the  editor 
at  Brookline,  Mass.,  contains  interesting 
records  from  the  state  to  a  study  of  the 
avifauna  of  which  it  is  devoted. 

We  learn  from  the  July  '  Iris  '  that  at 
a  recent  meeting  of  the  British  Ornitholo- 
gists' Club  a  resolution  was  unanimously 
carried  that  any  member  of  the  "  Union" 
who  should  become  respopnsible  for  the 
destruction  of  certain  birds,  which  the 
persecutions  of  egg-collectors  threaten  to 
exterminate  in  Great  Britian,  should  be 
severely  censured  by  the  "  Union." 


Editorials 


127 


Hirti'ilore 

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.  II  AUGUST,  1900  No.  4 

SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  or  66  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  AND  CoMPANV,  LTD.,  London. 

COPYRIGHTED,  1900,  BY   FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto : 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  IVorth  Two  in  the  Hand. 


Bird-Lore  is  printed  at  Harrisburg,  Pa. 
and  in  the  future  it  will  be  mailed  from 
that  city.  All  communications,  therefore, 
in  relation  to  the  publication  of  this 
magazine,  notices  of  change  of  address^ 
etc.  should  be  addressed  to  The  Macmillan 
Co.,  Crescent  and  Mulberr}- streets,  Harris" 
burg,  Pa. 

An  accumulation  of  notes  from  the  field 
and  publications  for  review  has  compelled 
us  to  omit  from  this  issue  the  Depart- 
ment for  'Teachers  and  Students.' 

The  position  taken  by  the  Audubon 
Societies,  thus  far  "heard  from,  in  regard 
to  the  proposed  agreement  with  the  Milli- 
nery Merchants'  Protective  Association,  to 
the  effect  that  to  sanction,  even  passively, 
the  killing  of  birds  anywhere  would  violate 
the  cardinal  principles  of  the  Societies,  is 
unanswerable,  and  renders  impossible 
further  negotiation  with  the  milliners, 
which  we  are  assured  would  have  resulted 
in  securing  for  our  birds  such  protection 
as  we  cannot  now  expect  to  give  them  for 
many  years.  Thus,  for  example,  when 
discussing  with  the  representatives  of  the 


milliners  the  proposed  agreement,  the 
editor  of  this  magazine  demanded  that 
the  term  '  North  American  bird  '  must  be 
interpreted  to  mean  any  species  of  North 
American  bird  without  regard  to  the 
country  in  which  it  was  found,  and  that 
birds  whose  feathers  could  not  be  distin- 
guished from  those  of  North  American 
birds  be  included,  the  demand  was  agreed 
to ;  and  when  it  was  explained  that  such 
agreement  meant  the  complete  abandon- 
ment of  aigrettes  and  the  practical  dis- 
continuance of  the  use  of  the  feathers  of 
Grebes,  Gulh,  and  Terns,  they  still 
accepted  this  interpretation  of  the  agree- 
ment. 

Now,  in  our  opinion,  when  houses 
representing  go  per  cent  of  the  millinery 
trade  in  this  country  propose  not  to  deal 
in  the  feathers  of  the  very  birds  which  we 
are  at  present  using  our  best  efforts  to 
protect,  the  proposition  is  at  least  worth 
considering.  We  do  not,  however,  intend 
to  discuss  the  matter  further,  for,  as  we 
have  said,  the  reply  made  by  the  Audubon 
Societies  thus  far  heard  from  is  unanswer- 
able, and  as  these  Societies  represent  a 
majority  of  the  more  active  Societies,  we 
sincerely  hope  that  their  verdict  will  be 
accepted  by  those  which  have  not  as  yet 
acted  on  the   matter. 

In  commenting  on  the  milliners'  pro- 
posed agreement  in  'The  Auk,'  the  official 
organ  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 
Union,  Dr.  J.  A  Allen  writes,  "This  appeal 
is  certainly  entitled  to  respectful  consid- 
eration, since,  on  the  one  hand,  it  guaran- 
tees on  the  part  of  a  powerful  association 
of  dealers,  that  the  killing  of  North 
American  birds  shall  at  once  cease,  and 
that  all  traffic  in  them  for  such  use  shall 
also  cease  after  a  certain  date." 

We  earnestly  hope,  however,  that  fhe 
American  Ornithologists'  Union  will  sup- 
port the  Andubon  Societies  in  the  stand 
they  have  taken,  for  nothing  could  be 
more  disastrous  to  the  cause  of  bird 
protection  than  lack  of  harmony  among 
its  advocates. 


"  Voii  cannot  with  a  scalpel  find  the  poet's  soul, 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  sons'." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 

DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

■With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries 

-,        rr „^v,;r^  Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

New  Hampshire 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr..  187  Bowen  street.  Providence. 

C  nnecticut      Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street,  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey..... Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.J. 

Pennsylvania  Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Coiumbia    ' .  .^  ! Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Delaware  Mrs.  Wm.  S.  Hilles,  Delainore  place,  Wilmington. 

Maryland Miss  Anne  Weston  Whitney,  715  St.  Paul  Street,  Baltimore. 

South  Carolina.'.'.'.'.'....'........ l^'SS  S.  A.  Smyth,  Legare  street,  Charleston. 

Florida  Mrs.  C.  F.  Dommerich,  Maitland. 

Qjjjij      Mrs.  D.  Z.  McClelland,  5265  Eastern  Ave.,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana  Amos  W.  Butler,  State  House,  Indianapolis. 

Tii!„„,v  Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Illinois ,,        ^     „    „  ^,     ,     , 

tq^^  Mrs.  L.  E.  Felt,  Keokuk. 

■Wisconsin.... Mrs.  George  W.  Peckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Kentucky  Ingram  Crockett,  Henderson. 

Tennessee M  rs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

fexas Miss  Cecile  Sei.xas,  2008  Thirty-ninth  street,  Galveston. 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 


Bird    Protection   and    the    Merchant 
Milliners 

This  year  is  full  of  significance  in 
matters  relating  to  bird  protection,  and 
a  nev/  impulse  seems  sweeping  over  the 
country  regarding  the  entire  matter. 
Moreover,  the  increased  interest  is  trace- 
able to  perfectly  sound  and  reasonable 
thinking,  brought  about  by  the  increase 
of  nature-study  and  the  systematic  circu- 
lation of  the  accepted  and  indisputable 
facts  concerning  the  relations  between 
birds  and  agriculture,  as  well  as  the 
attention  attracted  by  protective  legis- 
lation. 

To  bear  out  this  latter  statement,  I 
would  ask  every  officer  of  an  Audubon 
Society  to  read  Bulletin  No.  12  of  the 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Divi- 
sion of  Biological  Survey,  entitled  'Legis- 
lation for  the    Protection  of    Birds  Other 


than  Game  Birds.'  This  pamphlet  of 
nearly  one  hundred  pages,  written  by 
T.  S  Palmer  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Merriam,  gives  all  existing  laws,  so  that 
it  may  be  seen  at  a  glance  in  what  States, 
or  counties  of  a  given  State,  bird  laws 
are  either  absent,  defective,  or  efficient. 
A  thorough  reading  of  this  summary  is 
sure  to  bring  about  much  State  legislation 
as  well  as  lead  to  national  cohesion, 
for,  as  the  introduction  says,  'The  pro- 
tection of  birds  is  a  national,  not  a  local, 
question.' 

The  history  of  legislative  protection  is 
briefly  given,  beginning  in  1791,  when 
New  York  enacted  a  law  protecting  Heath 
Hens,  and  ending  with  the  text  of  the  Lacey 
Bill,  which  became  a  law  in  May  last. 
This  bill  gives  wide  discretionary  powers 
to  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
is  of    the  greatest    importance. 

Another  matter,  formulated,    doubtless, 


12S" 


The  Audubon   Societies 


129 


owing  to  the  legislative  attention  given 
bird  protection,  is  the  proposed  agree- 
ment between  the  Millinery  Merchants' 
Association  and  the  various  bird  protec- 
tive organizations,  which  was  published 
in  the  June  issue  of  this  magazine,  the 
Editor  requesting  that  opinions  regarding 
the  proposition  be  forwarded  him  for 
transmission  to  the  aforesaid  associa- 
tion. 

Owing  to  the  fact  of  its  being  the  vaca- 
tion season,  it  has  been  impossible  to  hear 
from  all  the  Audubon  Societies.  The 
New  England  Societies  —  New  Hampshire, 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Con- 
necticut, together  with  Wisconsin,  stand 
firmly  together  and  against  the  proposed 
agreement  in  toto  :  Connecticut  and 
Wisconsin  having  expressed  their  objec- 
tions in  detail  through  Mr.  Willard  G. 
Van  Name  and  Prof.  E.  A.  Birge,  of  the 
University  of  Wisconsin,  respectively, 
while  Mr.  William  Brewster,  the  President 
of  the  Massachusetts  Society,  a  thorough 
scientist  and  an  influential  member  of  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union,  is  also 
wholly  opposed  to  the  measure.  He 
writes:  "If  any  attempt  is  made  to  have 
this  agreement  accepted  by  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  I  shall  use  all  the 
influence  I  possess  to  defeat  it.  *  *  * 
It  does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  so  much  a 
question  of  expediency  as  of  absolute  right 
and  wrong.  No  such  compromise  is  pos- 
sible. " 

From  a  political,  as  well  as  an  ethical 
standpoint,  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that 
two  opinions  can  be  held  about  this 
matter,  either  by  the  American  Orni- 
thologists' Union,  representing  the  strictly 
scientfic,  or  the  Audubon  Societies,  the 
more  secular  but  equally  logical  side  of 
bird    protection. 

We  should  not  criticise  the  milliners, 
who,  having  a  perfectly  good  right  as 
business  men  to  protect  their  invested 
capital  in  any  way  not  in  I'iolation  of 
the  laze,  seek  to  prevent  the  enactment 
of  laws  prejudicial  to  their  own  interests, 
by  making  an  agreement  to  disarm  those 
by  whose  influence  the  law  is  most 
surely,     if    slowly,     drawing    about     their 


traffic.  But  should  we  not  bring  upon 
ourselves  and  our  work  deserved  reproach 
if  we  became  party  to  any  such  agree- 
ment? Almost  all  reforms  must  necessarily 
cause  temporary  inconvenience  to  some 
one,  but  that  objection  cannot  be  held 
against  the  bird-protective  reform  unless 
the  suppression  of  the  barbarous  trade 
of  the  plume-hunter  is  objected  to.  The 
millinery  trade  can  find  ample  scope  for 
its  capital  and  work  for  its  employees  in 
handling  ostrich  plumes  and  the  feathers 
of  numerous  species  of  domesticated  birds, 
the  supply  of  which  is  as  easily  regulated 
as  that  of  the  barnyard  fowl,  and  with 
the  use  of  which  no  one  will  interfere. 
W'e  are  not  seeking,  as  some  suppose,  to 
break  up  a  bread-winning  industry. 

The  case  may  be  summed  up  as  follows  : 
A  certain  number  of  importers,  manufac- 
turers and  dealers  in  raw  and  fancy  feathers 
are  wilhng  to  promise  not  to  buy  any  more 
feathers  of  North  American  birds.  They 
retain,  however,  the  right  to  manufacture 
and  sell  all  the  plumage  of  such  birds  now 
on  hand  until  such  sale  shall  be  stopped  by 
a  law  or  laws,  z^'hich  shall  be  approved  by 
the  A.  O.  U.  and  the  Aitdid>o?i  Societies 
and  also  do  Justice  to  the  trade !  In  re- 
turn for  this  most  curiously  worded  conces- 
sion, the  A.  O  U.  and  the  Audubon  Socie- 
ties are  asked  to  give  a  pledge  to  prevent 
the  enactment  of  the  very  laws  that  shall 
terminate  and  fix  the  time  when  the  per- 
mission to  sell  the  feathers  of  the  North 
American  birds  on  hand  shall  end ! 

We  are  further  asked  to  pledge  ourselves 
not  to  interfere  with  the  manufacture  or 
selling  of  the  plumage  or  skins  of  "  edible 
birds,  game  birds  killed  in  their  season, 
and  all  birds  which  are  not  North  Ameri- 
can. " 

What  birds  are  inedible  ?  What  is  a 
North  American  bird  ?  Is  a  bird  taken  in 
Brazil  during  its  winter  sojourn  an  Ameri- 
can or  a  Brazilian  bird  ?  Who  is  to  settle 
this  matter  of  citizenship,  who  furnish  the 
birds  with  passports,  who  give  them  pro- 
tective papers  of  citizenship  that  the  plume 
hunter  shall  respect  ? 

It  appears  that  there  are  some  few  peo- 
ple (merely  enough  to  furnish  the  usual  ex- 


I30 


Bird -Lore 


ception  that  proves  the  rule)  who,  in  the 
tirst  enthusiasm  at  the  knowledge  that  the 
milliners  had  offered  a  compromise,  read 
this  agreement  to  mean  that  if  we  would 
promise  to  allow  the  milliners  to  traffic  un- 
molested in  the  feathers  of  all  birds  not 
Xoi-th  Amcrudn,  they  would  in  turn  re- 
frain from  dealing  in  the  plumage  of  the 
native  birds.  They  hailed  this  as  at  least  a 
sure  means  of  saving  our  own  birds,  even 
though  it  put  a  premium  upon  the  slaugh- 
ter of  the  equally  valuable  species  of  other 
countries,  saying  "Foreign  countries  must 
look  after  their  own  birds ;  we  cannot 
sacrifice  ours  because  they  cannot  protect 
theirs.  "  Also  arguing  that,  as  it  seems  at 
the  moment  improbable  that  the  United 
States  will  pass  a  law  making  the  use  of  the 
plumage  of  foreign  birds  illegal,  there  can 
be  no  harm  in  promising  not  to  work  in 
favor  of  such  a  measure 

Considering  the  proposition  from  even 
this  ultra  practical  standpoint,  no  such  con- 
struction can  be  put  upon  it  as  it  is  worded 
We  are  asked  plainly  to  pledge  ourselves 
to  refrain  from  pushing  any  legislation 
which  the  millinery  trade  shall  consider 
unjust  to  itself. 

The  ethical  side  of  the  question  is  even 
more  plain,  but  of  equal  importance.  No 
Audubon  Society  that  is  true  in  spirit,  as 
well  as  in  letter,  to  its  platform  and  con- 
stituents can  sign  this  agreement ;  for  to 
■do  so  is  literally  saying  to  its  members, 
"We  will  not  interfere  with  you  even  if 
you  cover  your  hats  with  birds  so  louff  as 
ihey  are  marked  'killed  in  Europe  '  !  " 

As  I  have  always  said,  the  law  is  the  only 
path  by  which  satisfactory  protection  can 
be  given  to  the  birds  The  law  is  the  voice 
of  public  opinion,  sometimes  tardily  heard, 
but  sure  to  speak  at  last.  Public  opinion 
has  been  turned  toward  bird  protection 
largely  by  the  very  societies  who  are  now 
asked  to  pledge  away  their  legislative 
power  for  what?  A  mess  of  pottage  com- 
posed of  inedible  native  birds  ! 

The  fact  that  international  laws  may  be 
difficult  of  passage  is  no  reason  for  ceas- 
ing to  work  for  them.  "Every  man  for 
himself  and  the  devil  take  the  hinder- 
most,"  is  a  poor   motto  for   organizations 


such  as  ours.  It  was  this  spirit  that  op- 
posed bitterly  the  International  Copy- 
right bill  not  so  very  long  ago.  Not- 
withstanding this.  International  Copy- 
right is  now  a  law  ! 

Mabel  Osgood  Wright. 

Reports  of  Societies 

RHODE    ISLAND    SOCIETY 

(  Third  Annual  Report,  March  26,  igoo) 

In  the  third  annual  report  of  the  So- 
ciety, it  cannot  be  said  that  Rhode  Island 
women  have  given  up  wearing  feathers, 
or  that  our  boys  have  stopped  collecting 
eggs  ;  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a 
public  sentiment  in  favor  of  bird  protec- 
tion has  been  aroused  and  is  steadily 
growing,  not  only  in  our  state,  but  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Audubon  Societies 
exist  in  at  least  twenty  different  states, 
and  many  other  organizations  are  work- 
ing on  the  same  line. 

During  the  past  year  five  Bird  Commis- 
sioners have  been  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Rhode  Island,  and  from  the 
character  of  those  who  have  accepted  the 
office,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  laws  will  be  enforced.  A  com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  Audubon  Society 
will  do  what  is  possible  to  secure  better 
legislation  in  regard  to  certain  useful 
birds  which  are  now  unprotected,  such 
as  Hawks,  Owls,  Meadow  -  Larks,  and 
Gulls. 

The  Society  has  endeavored  to  keep  its 
aims  constantly  before  the  public  About 
fifteen  hundred  leaflets  have  been  dis- 
tributed. Thirteen  hundred  pictures  of 
birds,  copied  by  the  Massachusetts  Society 
from  their  calendar,  and  accompanied  by 
text,  have  been  purchased  and  sent  to  the 
superintendents  of  our  country  schools 
and  given  by  them  to  scholars  interested 
in  nature  study. 

The  present  Commissioner  of  Public 
Schools,  Mr.  Thomas  B.  Stockwell,  is  anx- 
ious to  promote  the  study  of  birds,  and 
at  the  request  of  your  secretary,  has 
kindly  written  a  letter  to  the  school  super- 
intendents of    the   state,   asking    them    to 


The   Audubon   Societies 


131 


call  the  attention  of  the  teachers  to  the 
purposes  of  the  Audubon  Society,  and  to 
bespeak  their  cooperation. 

The  exercises  appointed  by  Mr.  Stock- 
well  for  Arbor  Day  will  this  year  relate 
largely  to  birds ;  an  appropriate  plan, 
since  birds  are  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  forestry  and  agriculture. 

The  expediency  of  having  a  special 
Bird  Day  established  by  law,  or  of  com- 
bining Bird  Day  with  Arbor  Day,  is  still 
under  consideration  by  the  Directors  of 
this  Society. 

The  latest  report  from  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  alludes  to  the 
extraordinary  interest  in  bird  study  which 
has  recently  developed,  and  attributes  it 
to  the  introduction  of  nature  study  in  the 
schools,  and  to  the  efforts  of  the  Audubon 
Societies  in  the  cause  of  bird  protection. 
The  report  considers  the  chief  obstacle  to 
the  success  of  bird  study  in  the  schools  to 
be  the  lack  of  requisite  knowledge  on  the 
part  of  teachers. 

On  the  gth  of  last  October  a  millinery 
exhibition  was  held  by  this  Society  at  the 
Narragansett  Hotel.  The  milliners  en- 
tered cordially  into  the  scheme,  and  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  hats  were  exhibited  ; 
the  display  proving  conclusively  that  the 
plumage  of  wild  birds  can  be  discarded 
without  violating  the  laws  of  fashion. 
In  spite  of  unpleasant  weather,  the  par- 
lors were  thronged  with  visitors.  Four 
ribbon  prizes  were  awarded ;  but  it  is 
now  the  opinion  of  the  committee  in 
charge  that  prizes,  even  of  that  nature, 
were  a  disadvantage. 

A  lecture  upon  winter  birds  was  given 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Society,  on  Jan- 
uary 27,  by  Miss  Annie  L.  Warner,  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  lectured  at 
Sayles'  Memorial  Hall  on  the  i6th  in- 
stant upon  "Bird  Studies  With  a  Ca- 
mera." The  lecture  was  illustrated  by 
fine  stereopticon  views.  It  was  free  to 
the  public,  and  the  large  hall  was  filled 
to  its  utmost  capacity. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Kingston 
branch  was  well  attended,  and  addresses 
were  made  by   Dr.  George  W.  Field,  Pro- 


fessor Card  and  your  secretary.  Several 
informal  talks  have  also  been  given  by 
your  secretary  in  various  places. 

The  traveling  library  is  still  used  by 
the  branch  societies,  and  four  new  books 
have  been  purchased  by  the  committee. 

Our  membership  at  the  present  time 
numbers  nearly  four  hundred  and  fifty 
Of  this  number  one  hundred  and  eight 
persons  are  so-called  active  members  and 
pay  an  annual  fee  of  one  dollar.  As  it  is 
almost  entirely  by  means  of  the  fees  that 
the  work  of  the  Society  is  carried  on,  I 
would  urge  those  who  think  the  birds 
worth  saving  to  assist  us  by  bringing  in 
new  members.  This  is  not  a  difficult 
task,  for  man)'  are  interested  in  the 
cause  and  need  but  little  persuasion. 

The  young  people  are  not  so  well  rep- 
resented in  the  Society  as  could  be  wished. 
Parents  and  teachers  can  interest  them 
in  nature  study,  teach  them  the  useful- 
ness of  birds,  and  direct  them  in  correct 
paths  of  research. 

All  members  are  again  urged  to  protest 
against  the  use  of  wild  birds  and  their 
plumage  for  millinery  purposes,  and  to 
use  their  influence  in  every  possible  way 
to  advance  the  work  of  bird  protection. 
Annie  M.  Grant,  Sec. 

OHIO    SOCIETY 

{First  Annual  Report) 

The  Audubon  Society  of  the  state  of 
Ohio  has  completed  its  first  year  as  an 
organization.  Its  existence  as  a  society  is 
due  to  the  untiring  zeal  of  Miss  Clara  Rus- 
sell. Humble,  but  strenuous  efforts  on 
her  part  led  to  the  first  meeting  of  Octo- 
ber 8  in  the  Eden  Park  Shelter  House,  at 
which  Dr.  H.  T.  Keckeler  presided,  and 
finally  to  the  meeting  of  October  21,  1898, 
in  the  Lecture  Room  of  the  Natural  His- 
tory Society,  at  which  Mr.  Wm.  Hubbell 
Fisher  presided,  where  organization  was 
effected. 

Among  the  plans  devised  to  illustrate 
the  purposes  of  the  Audubon  movement 
was  to  give  from  tiijie  to  time  a  public  lec- 
ture, and  W.  H.  Venable  led  the  series  by 
delivering  an    address  before   the  Society 


132 


Bird -Lore 


and  its  friends  on  April   19,  in   the  Teach- 
ers' Club  Room. 

Another  plan  acted  upon  was  the  send- 
ing of  notices  to  the  principals  of  the  pub- 
lic schools,  proposing  the  celebration  of 
Bird  Day  in  conjunction  with  Arbor  Day. 
With  these  proposals  there  were  compli- 
ances, and  some  of  our  own  members  took 
part  in  the  exercises  held  in  the  suburbs 
on  that  day.  Later,  a  committee  called 
the  School  Committee,  was  appointed  to 
personally  visit  school  districts  where 
interest  in  the  purposes  of  the  Audubon 
Society  seemed  lukewarm,  and  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  Society  and  its  aims  was  still 
further  extended.  At  the  September  meet- 
ing, another  step  onward  was  taken  when 
the  members  voted  to  consider  some  sub- 
ject of  ornithological  interest  at  each 
monthly   meeting. 

It  may  be  stated  in  conclusion,  that 
while  this  Society  has  avowed  one  of  its 
purposes  to  be  the  prevention  of  cruelty 
and  wanton  destruction  of  birds  and  their 
nests,  eggs  and  haunts,  it  aims  to  do  so, 
not  by  prosecuting  but  by  educating. 

One  of  the  fondest  hopes  of  its  founder, 
Miss  Russell,  was  that  a  wide  dissemina- 
tion of  a  knowledge  of  birds  would  evoke 
such  an  interest  and  friendliness  for  them, 
that  women  could  not  thoughtlessly  wear 
their  plumage  and  men  and  boys  could  not 
wantonly  destroy  them. 

And  when  we  consider  that  the  majority 

of  the  Society's  members  are  educators  in 

either  morals  or  intellect,  it  seems  possible 

for  right  efforts  to  lead  to  its  achievement. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

Harriet  H.  Hastings. 

WISCONSIN  SOCIETY 

{T/iitd  AmiKai  Repoit) 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin Audubon  Society  the  executive  officers 
decided  that  in  no  other  way  could  they  do 
such  good  work  for  bird  protection  as  by 
arousing  the  interest  of  children  in  the 
matter,  and  finding  that  Mr.  L.  D.  Harvey, 
the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction, stood  ready  to  assist  them,  they 
threw  most  of  their  energy  into  this  chan- 


nel After  three  years  they  feel  that  re- 
sults have  justified  this  policy.  By  April 
I,  1900,  380  school  branches  had  been  or- 
ganized, with  an  aggregate  membership  of 
10,290.  In  this  way  the  Society  is  reach- 
ing not  only  the  children  but  their  parents, 
and  although  there  has  been  scarcely  any 
increase  in  the  adult  membership,  there 
can  be  no  question  that  a  very  wide-spread 
sentiment  of  opposition  to  the  fashion  of 
wearing  feathers  has  sprung  up,  and  that 
many  hundreds  of  women  who  have  not 
joined  the  Society  have  resolved  to  act 
hereafter  in  accordance  with  its  princi- 
ples. 

The  children  are  controlled  and  directed 
through  Miss  Boynton's  little  nature 
study  paper,  "By  the  Wayside,  for 
which  every  school  branch  must  subscribe. 
Each  issue  of  this  paper  contains  the  de- 
scription of  some  common  bird,  and  prizes 
for  observations  and  good  reports  are  given 
to  teachers  and  children. 

Through  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  George 
Gordon,  of  Milwaukee,  it  has  been  possible 
to  purchase  a  small  library  of  bird  books, 
which  have  been  placed  in  charge  of  Miss 
Bossert,  719  Franklin  St.,  Milwaukee,  who 
will  be  glad  to  receive  gifts  of  additional 
volumes  These  books  are  intended  for 
the  use  of  school  branches. 

In  March  a  series  of  illustrated  lectures 
upon  birds  and  wild  animals  was  given  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  Society,  in  different 
towns  of  the  State,  by  Mr.  Ernest  Inger- 
soll. 

All  persons  interested  in  bird  protection 
are  urged  to  become  Associates,  since  it  is 
upon  thip,  class  of  members  that  the  So- 
ciety depends  for  its  income. 

The  different  classes  of  membership  are 
as  follows : 

Patrons,  paying  $25. 

Life  Associates,  paying  $5 

Associates,  paying  $1  annually. 

Life  Members,  paying  25  cents,  and  not 
subject  to  further  assessment. 

Teachers  and  children  paying  no  fee. 
Elizabeth  Gifford  Peckham, 

Secretary. 

Milwaukee,  April  20,  1900. 


BOVVER    OF    SPOTTED    BOWEK-BIRD 

(Showing  sheep's  bones  used  as  decorations) 

Photographed  from  nature  by  A.  J.  Campbell 


A    BI-MONTHLY    MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY  AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official   Organ    of  the   Audubon    Societics 

Vol.  II  October,  1900  No.  5 


The    Bower-birds    of    Australia 

BY    A.    J.    CAMPBELL.    Melbourne 

Author  of  "Nests  and    Eggs  of  Australian    Birds" 
With   photographs   from   nature 


HE  bower-building  birds,  with  their  cultivated  tastes  for 
architecture,  are  amongst  the  most  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful of  Australian  birds,  while  some  of  their  eggs  are 
*j;J^f/^'  most  remarkable  in  appearance.  There  are  ten  or 
eleven  species,  medium-sized  birds  —  about  twelve  inches 
(more  or  less,  according  to  the  species)  in  length  —  compactly  built 
and  shapely.  Their  food  is  wild  berries  and  fruits  of  various  kinds. 
Occasionally  they  are  not  averse  to  the  cultivated  article,  therefore 
the  birds  are  not  altogether  in  favor  with  orchardists. 

The  Satin-bird  {Ptilonorhynchiis  jnolacciis')  — -  the  male  especially 
beautiful  for  his  lustrous,  satin-like,  blue-black  coat  and  lovely  violet 
eyes  —  dwells  in  the  forests  —  more  particularly  the  coastal  —  of  eastern 
Australia.  The  females  wear  a  grayish-greenish  mottled  dress,  as  do 
the  young  males,  but  differ  in  having  the  under  surface  a  more  yellow- 
ish tone.  The  males  do  not  don  their  shining  blue-black  coat  until 
the  third  or  fourth  year,   some  observers  say  the  seventh  year. 

Satin-birds  thrive  in  captivity.  They  are  not  excellent  whistlers, 
but  readily  learn  to  articulate  words  and  imitate  familiar  domestic 
sounds,  such  as  the  mewing  of  a  cat,  etc. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  notwithstanding  these  birds  are 
plentiful  in  parts,  their  eggs  are  rare  in  collections  —  the  eggs  of  all 
Bower-birds  are  rare  —  in  fact,  the  eggs  of  two  species  have  not  yet 
been  discovered. 

The  eggs  (usually  two,  occasionally  three)  of  the  Satin-bird  are 
of  a  rich  cream  color  blotched  irregularly  with  brown,  and  measure 
nearly    1 3/|'    inches    in    length.       The    nest,    which    is    usually    situated 


136 


Bird-  Lore 


about    twelve    feet    from    the    ground,    in    a    shrubby    tree    or   bush,    is 
loosely  constructed  of  twigs,  leaves,  etc. 

The  curious  play  house,  or  'lover's  arbor,'  is  built  upon  the  ground. 
It  has  apparently  no  connection  with  the  nests,  which  may  be  any 
distance  away.  One  of  these  bowers  I  collected  in  Gippsland, 
Christmas-tide,  1884.  It  was  situated  amongst  brackens  in  open 
forest.  There  was  a  cleared  circular  space  about  twent}-six  inches 
across,  in  the  ferns,  floored  with  twigs  well  trodden  down.  In  the 
center  were  erected  two  parallel  walls  of  pliable  twigs,  tapering  and  arch- 


BOWER    OF    THE    SATIN-BIRD 
Photographed  from  nature  by  D.  Le  S-uei 


ing  towards  the  top,  which  was  twelve  inches  in  height.  The  walls  were 
ten  inches  long  and  six  inches  apart.  In  the  avenue  and  roundabout 
were  placed  gay  feathers  of  Parrots.  It  is  strange  that  the  builders 
of  so  neat  a  structure  should  construct  a  slovenly  made  nest.  It  has 
been  ascertained  that  more  than  one  pair  of  birds  frequent  the  same 
bower,  which  is  really  a  'lovers'  bower' — a  rendezvous  for  match- 
making. 

The  illustration  of  a  Satin-bird's  bower  ///  situ  is  from  a  photo- 
graph by  my  friend  Mr.  D    Le  Souef. 

The  Spotted  Bower-bird  (  Clilainxdodcra  //laculata)  is  a  fine  species 
inhabiting  the  arid   and  dry  interior  provinces,  being  especially  at  home 


The   Bower- birds   of   Australia 


137 


on    sandy    pine    ridges    or   when    the    myall    and    brigalow   (species    of 
acacias)  flourish. 

This  bird  derives  its  name  from  the  beautiful  spotted  markings  of 
its  plumage,  which  is  of  various  shades  of  brown.  The  male  wears  on 
the  back  of  the  neck  a  band,  or  frill,  of  a  most  exquisite  shade  of 
rose-pink  —  a  rare  color  in  birds  and  only  occurring  in  one  other 
species  (not  a  Bower-bird)  in  Australia.  The  Spotted  Bower-bird  has 
a  harsh,  scolding  note,  but  it  is  not  generally  known  that  it  is  an 
accomplished  mocking  bird  and  can  mimic  the  vocality  of  many  birds 
of  the  bush,  barking  of  dogs,  etc. 


NEST    AND    EGGS    OF    THE    REGENT-BIRD 


A  farmer  friend  related  to  me  an  amusing  story  regarding  the 
mimicry  of  a  Spotted  Bower-bird.  His  neighbor  had  been  driving 
cattle  to  a  given  place  and  on  his  way  back  discovered  a  nest  in  a 
prickly  needle-brush  (hakea).  In  '  threading  '  the  needle-like  branches 
after  the  ncst  he  thought  he  heard  cattle  breaking  through  the  scrub 
and  the  barking  of  dogs  in  the  distance,  and  at  once  fancied  his  cattle 
had  broken  away,  but  could  see  no  signs  of  anything  wrong.  He 
heard  other  peculiar  noises,  and  glancing  at  his  dog  as  much  as  to 
say,  "What  does  that  mean?"  he  saw  the  sagacious  animal  with 
head   partly  upturned,  eyeing   a   Bower-bird   perched    in   the  next    tree. 

The  nest  is  somewhat  loosely  constructed  of  twigs,  and  is  usually 
placed   in  a  thick  bush  or  amongst  the  forked   branches  of  a  small   tree. 


138  Bird -Lore 

The  eggs  (two  or  three)  are  beautifully  and  wonderfully  marked, 
greatly  resembling  those  of  the  Regent-bird  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration. 

During  a  trip  towards  the  interior  in  September,  1893,  I  enjoyed 
the  opportunity  of  examining  many  play-grounds  of  Spotted  Bower- 
birds,  and  took  successful  photographs  of  some  (see  frontispiece).  A 
typical  bower  may  be  described  as  being  placed  on  the  ground  under 
a  clump  of  bushes  with  thistles  and  other  vegetation  growing  around. 
The  floor  inside  and  out  is  composed  of  twigs  well  trampled  down; 
exterior  portion  of  the  walls  made  of  twigs  placed  upright,  interior 
sides  composed  of  yellowish  grass-stalks  with  the  seeding  parts  upper- 
most. At  either  entrance  of  the  bower  is  placed  a  number  of  bones — 
knuckles,  ribs,  and  vertebrae — of  sheep.  In  one  instance  ninety  bones 
were  counted  at  one  entrance  and  ninety-two  at  the  opposite  end, 
while  inside  the  bower  itself  were  twenty-four  bones,  besides  other 
ornamentation,  such  as  seeds,  small  green  branchlets,  pieces  of  glass, 
etc.  I  know  of  one  bower  at  which  no  less  than  1,320  bones  were 
counted. 

The  average  dimensions  of  those  play-grounds  were — diameter  over 
all,  55  inches  ;  length  of  bower  or  avenue,  20  inches  ;  width  between 
the  walls,  7  inches;  height  of  walls,  12  inches;  thickness  of  walls  near 
base,  6  inches. 

Of  all  the  gorgeous  birds  that  emblazon  the  sub-tropical  scrubs  of 
Eastern  Australia,  none  exceeds  the  beauty  of  the  male  Regent-bird 
{Sei-icitli/s  mcliniis)  in  his  plumage  of  simple  black  and  gold.  The 
black  velvety  coat  is  strikingly  relieved  with  the  richest  of  bright 
yellow  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  back  of  neck  and  greater  part  of  the 
wings.  The  female  wears  an  aesthetic  brownish  olive  mottled  dress, 
suited  with  dark  brown  eyes  and  bill.  But  the  male  has  yellow-colored 
eyes  and  bill  to  match  his  glorious  golden  livery. 

During  an  excursion  to  the  luxuriant  scrubs  of  the  Richmond 
river  district,  I  found  Regent-birds  fairly  plentiful.  But  although, 
well  aided  by  a  hardy  companion,  I  prosecuted  a  vigorous  and  toil- 
some search  through  dense  labyrinths  of  humid  scrub  and  thorny 
brakes  of  prodigal  growth,  while  the  thick  foliage  of  the  taller  trees 
caused  a  perpetual  twilight  underneath,  yet  I  returned  without  dis- 
covering its  nest.  It  was  an  experience  akin  to  seeking  for  the 
proverbial  needle  in  a  hay  stack. 

One  evening  I  discovered  a  bower  on  the  bare  forest  floor  under- 
neath thick  scrub,  and  a  male  bird  gaily  tripping  through  it.  The 
structure  was  perfect,  but  not  so  large  as  those  I  have  seen  built  by 
other  bower-building  birds,  being  only  7  or  8  inches  high,  with  walls 
7  inches  broad  at  the  base,  and  an  average  width  inside  of  3)^  inches. 


The   Bower -birds  of    Australia 


139 


After  much  difficulty  a  photograph  was  taken   of  the   interesting  struc- 
ture (see  illustration j. 

The  last  discovered  species  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
Bower-birds,  is  the  Golden  Bower-bird  {Prionotii/ra  7icwtoniana),  which 
vies  in  its  golden  splendor  with  the  Regent-bird.  Its  home  is  the 
rich  palm  scrubs  of  Northern  Queensland.  The  rare  and  handsome 
bird  was  discovered  by  the  collector,  Mr.  K.  Broadbent,  and  was 
described  and  dedicated  by  Mr.  De\'is  (Queensland  Museum)  to  the 
venerable  ornithological   savant.  Prof.  Alfred   Newton. 


BOWER    OF    THE    REGENT-BIRD 
Photographed  from  nature  by  A.J.  Campbell 

An  authenticated  nest  and  eggs  of  the  Golden  Bower-birds  has 
not  yet  been  discovered.  But  regarding  its  wonderful  bowers — prob- 
ably the  most  astonishing  instances  of  bird-architecture  known  — Mr. 
DeVis  writes:  ''From  their  [collector's]  notes  and  sketches  it  would 
appear  that  the  bower  is  usually  built  on  the  ground  between  two 
trees  or  between  a  tree  and  a  bush.  It  is  constructed  of  small  sticks 
and  twigs.  These  are  piled  up  almost  horizontally  around  one  tree 
in  the  form  of  a  pyramid,  which  rises  to  a  height  varying  from  4  to 
6  feet.  A  similar  pile  of  inferior  height  —  about  18  inches  —  is  then 
built  around  the  foot  of  the  other  tree.  The  intervening  space  is 
arched    over   with    stems    of    climbing    plants,    the    piles   are   decorated 


140 


Bird-  Lore 


with  white  moss,  and  the  arch  with  similar  moss  mingled  with  clusters 
of  green  fruit  resembling  wild  grapes.  Through  and  over  the  covered 
run  play  the  birds,  young  and  old,  of  both  sexes.  A  still  more  inter- 
esting and  characteristic  feature  in  the  play-ground  of  this  bird  remains. 
The  completion  of  the  massive  bower,  so  laboriously  attained,  is  not 
sufficient  to  arrest  the  architectural  impulse.  Scattered  immediately 
around  are  a  number  of  dwarf,  hut-like  structures  — '  gunyahs,'  they 
are  called  by  Broadbent,  who  says  he  found  five  of  them  in  a  space 
ten  feet  in  diameter,  and  observes  that  they  give  the  spot  exactly  the 
appearance  of  a  miniature  black's  camp.  These  seem  to  be  built  by 
bending  towards  each  other  strong  stems  of  standing  grass,  and  cap- 
ping them   with  a  horizontal   thatch   of   light  twigs." 


SCREECH    OWL 
Flash-light  photograph  by  A.  J.  Penn'jck,  Lansdowne,  Pa. 


The   Orientation   of    Birds 

BY     CAPTAIN     QABRIEL     REYNAUD.    French     Army 
Translated  t'rtmi  the  French  by  Mrs.  Clara  J.  Coxe 

(Concluded from  page  loS) 

E  have  demonstrated  that  the  combined  working  of  the  five 
■^  senses  is  limited,  and  is  not  sufficient  to  explain  the  act 
of  distant  orientation.  The  latter  is  governed  by  a  par- 
ticular organ  that  we  have  called  the  sense  of  direction. 
This  sense  has  its  seat  in  the  semi-circular  tubes  of  the  ear.  Numer- 
ous experiments  have  proved  that  an}'  lesion  which  impairs  this  organ 
brings  an  immediate  disturbance  in  the  faculty  of  orientation  of  the 
injured  bird. 

The  semicircular  tubes  of  vertebrated  animals  are  made  up  of  three 
little  anserated  membranes  filled  with  a  liquid  called  endolympii.  These 
three  semicircular  conformations  are  independent  of  each  other, 
except  in  a  point  where  their  cavity  is  common,  or  where  they  issue 
in  a  little  sack  called  utriculc.  They  are  generally  situated  in  three 
perpendicular  planes. 

Next  to  the  wonderful  experiments  of  Flourens  in  1824,  and  the 
autopsies  of  Menieres,  their  operation  has  been  studied  by  Czermak, 
Harless,  Brown-Sequard,  Vulpian  Boetticher,  Goltz,  Cyan,  Brewer, 
Mach,  Exuer  Bazinski,  Munck,  Steiner,  Ewald,  Kreidl,  Pierre  Bonnier. 
We  know  now  that  their  function  is  directl}'  in  harmony  with  the  exer- 
cise of  equilibration  and  quite  independent  of  the  sense  of  hearing. 
j\Ir.  P.  Bonnier,  after  studying  in  all  the  animal  series  the  character 
of  the  organs  which  precede  the  labyrinthic  formations,  and  lastly 
these  themselves,  in  combining  the  records  of  comparative  anatomy 
and  physiology,  and  verifying  them  by  clinical  surgery,  has  been  able 
to  demonstrate  that  these  organs  lead  directly  to  what  he  calls  the 
sense  of  altitudes,  which  supplies  the  figures  or  images  of  position,  of 
distribution  and,  consequently,  movement  and  displacement    in  space. 

We  do  not  yet  know  in  any  very  precise :  way  the  physiological 
excitant  which  governs  the  semicircular  canals.  While  w^aiting  until 
new  researches  permit  us  to  settle  this  interesting  point,  we  will  try 
to  determine  the  method  of  the  operation  of  the  sense  of  direction. 
This  way  of  proceeding  has  nothing,  after  all,  illogical  in  it.  In  the 
natural  sciences,  as  well  as  in  others,  the  knowledge  of  effect  pre- 
cedes that  of  cause. 

The  animal  entering  upon  unknown  ground  takes  on  his  return  the 
reverse  scent  of  the  road,  more  or  less  sinuous,  followed  in  going  ;  arriving 
in  known  ground  he  directs  himself  to  reach  his  end  in  a  straight  line. 

The  Carrier  Pigeon  freed   at   500    kilometers  from    his  cote,  on  his 

{141) 


142  Bird -Lore 

return  skirts  along  the  railway  which  brought  him  to  his  place  of 
liberation  ;  he  is  there  guided  by  the  sixth  sense.  Having  in  this 
way  reached  the  known  horizon,  at  80  kilometers  from  his  dwelling, 
for  example,  he  ceases  having  recourse  to  the  sixth  sense  and  travels 
by  sight  straight  to  his  own  roof.  Other  times  the  Pigeon  does  not 
think  of  making  use  of  the  five  senses  on  arriving  on  unknown  ground. 
In  this  case  he  follows  his  reverse  scent  as  far  as  the  Pigeon  cote. 
He  passes  it  sometimes.  We  have  seen  him,  on  coming  back  from 
a  long  journey,  pass  at  40  or  50  meters  from  the  Pigeon  cote,  repass 
it,  and  enter  at  the  end  of  an  hour  or  two,  having  perhaps  crossed 
the  wrong  direction    in  this  way  from  30  to  60  kilometers. 

If  we  carry  away  at  10  kilometers  from  the  Pigeon  cote  a  Common 
Pigeon,  accustomed  to  use  exclusively  the  five  senses,  and  a  Carrier 
Pigeon,  trained  to  long  journeys,  we  will  make  an  interesting  dis- 
covery in  freeing  them  simultaneously. 

The  Common  Pigeon,  flying  by  sight,  will  generally  make  up  his 
mind  much  more  rapidly  than  the  Carrier,  which  will  take  his  direc- 
tion with  care  by  the  aid  of  the  sixth  sense. 

From  these  facts  we  may  conclude  that  the  sixth  sense  does  not 
combine  with  the  five  others.  It  enters  into  activity  in  the  zone 
where  the  five  senses  are  mute,  and  continues  sometimes  to  operate 
in  the   known  zone   to  the  exclusion  of  the  other  senses. 

It  seems  that  it  is  not  controlled  by  any  impressions  emanating 
from  the  route  followed,  and  that  it  is  in  some  way  a  subjective 
organ.  We  made,  with  regard  to  this,  a  very  curious  observation. 
When  we  transport  in  a  railway  car  a  basket  of  Pigeons  having 
already  the  knowledge  of  travel,  we  see  them  show  the  greatest  agi- 
tation when  we  arrive  at  a  station  where  they  have  once  been  released, 
whilst  they  remain  indifferent  to  other  stopping  places.  Now,  we 
will  admit  without  much  trouble,  that  a  Pigeon  shut  up  in  a  basket 
which,  in  turn,  is  enclosed  in  a  dark  car,  cannot  from  the  uproar 
tell  one  station  from  another.  His  sight  and  other  senses  are  no 
help  to  him,  since  he  is  as  completely  as  possible  isolated  from  what 
is  happening  outside.  However,  he  knows  in  a  very  exact  way 
where  he  is  by  connecting  it  with  his  point  of  departure.  We  were 
then  right  in  saying  that  an  animal  brought  from  a  distance  pos- 
sesses an  idea  about  his  location  quite  subjective,  independent  of 
the  medium  that  he  crosses  at  the  time. 

We  have  explained  that  the  animal  lives  cantoned  in  a  domain 
where  he  meets  with  everything  that  the  instinct  of  preservation  of 
the  individual  and  of  the  species  calls  for.  This  domain,  more  or 
less  extended  for  the  wild  beast,  is  reduced  for  the  Pigeon,  for  exam- 
ple,   to    the    four    walls    of    the    Pigeon    cote.        Does     he    not     indeed 


The   Orientation   of   Birds  143 

find  there,  as  the  fabulist  happily  expresses  it,  "good  supper,  good 
lodging,  and  the  rest  of  it  ?"  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  is  true  that 
local  knowledge  is  not  strictly  indispensable  to  assure  the  return  to 
the  lodging,  and  that  the  sense  of  distant  orientation  is  strictly 
sufficient  to  guide  the  animal,  we  will  admit  without  question  that 
it  is  possible  to  make  a  movable  Pigeon  cote  and  accustom  its  inmates 
to   a  nomadic  life. 

Let  us  suppose  that  we  have  transplanted,  with  all  its  belongings, 
a  Pigeon  cote  in  the  midst  of  new  surroundings,  without  the  least 
disturbance  being  brought  to  the  existence  of  its  inhabitants.  The 
latter  set  at  liberty  from  the  time  of  its  arrival  will  go  far  away, 
perhaps,    but  the  Law  of  Reverse  Scent  will  assure  their  return. 

We  remarked  before  that  the  straying  Pigeon  knows  how  to  find 
again  the  point  of  release  hardly  caught  sight  of  in  the  morning,  and 
to  which  no  agreeable  remembrance,  no  interest,  attaches  him.  With 
still  more  reason  the  inmate  of  a  movable  Pigeon  cote  must  try  to 
reconstitute  his  itinerary.  If  we  carry  him  away  a  distance  for  the 
release  he  will  come  back  to  find  his  home  at  the  precise  point  that 
it  occupied  when  he  left  it.  The  movable  cote,  arriving  in  a  new 
lodging  place,  would  be  in  a  condition  to  render  almost  immediate  ser- 
vice in  that  locality.  This  new  way  of  employing  messenger  Pigeons, 
unattainable,  according  to  the  ideas  we  have  held  up  to  this  time,  in 
matter  of  orientation,  is  only  the  strict  application  of  our  theory. 

Some  interesting  experiments  have  proved  in  a  conclusive  manner 
that  the  fidelity  to  the  natal  Pigeon  cote  could  be  reconciled  with  a 
nomadic  existence.  A  certain  number  of  Pigeons  are  born  and  brought 
up  in  a  wagon  arranged  as  a  Pigeon  cote.  They  have  no  other  lodg- 
ing than  their  rolling  habitation.  It  matters  little  to  the  Pigeon 
whether  the  wagon  stops  today  in  the  heart  of  a  valley,  looks  for 
shelter  tomorrow  in  a  forest,  or  settles  itself  for  some  time  in  the 
maze  of  houses  which  form  a  great  city.  If  we  should  carry  him 
away  some  distance  from  the  cote  for  the  release,  he  will  not  be 
guided  on  his  return  by  his  local  knowledge,  necessarily  very  slight, 
that  he  may  have  of  the  surroundings  of  his  wagon,  but  by  his  sense 
of  direction  which  gives  him  a  subjective  idea  of  his  position  relating 
to  the  cote. 

Practice  has,  on  all  points,  confirmed  our  theory.  We  have  had 
the  chance  to  make  some  very  interesting  observations,  and  we  will 
cite  some  facts  which  have  a  direct  reference  to  our  argument.  * 

*Our  experience  permits  us  to  settle  an  interestitiff  point.  According  to  M.  Dureste,  eggs  stirred 
with  a  certain  violence  for  a  long  time  do  not  hatch  out.  We  have  found  that  the  rolling  on  the 
highway,  on  the  pavement,  or  in  a  railway  car  when  the  car  sets  in  motion,  does  not  modify  in  any 
way  the  condition  of  the  hatching 

It  is  just  to  add  that  in  the  movable  Pigeon  cote  the  Pigeons  brood  with  the  same  regularity  as 
their  fellows  in  an  ordinary  Pigeon  cote. 


144 


Bird -Lore 


A  carriage  Pigeon  cote  is  stationed  for  twenty-four  hours  at 
Epernay.  Its  inmates  are  not  set  at  liberty,  whilst  the  Pigeons  in 
the  neighboring  carriages  are  set  free  for  two  hours,  then  carried 
farther  away  for  the  release.  The  next  da}'  our  carriages  have  all 
moved  near  Chalons,  with  the  exception  of  the  one  whose  Pigeons 
had  not  been  freed  at  Epernay.  These  birds  are  divided  among  the 
other  carriages,  which  are  modeled  exactly  like  the  first  they  occupied. 
At  Chalons  the  cotes  are  opened  and  Pigeons  are  set  at  liberty.  Some 
of  these,  which  had  made  the  journey  from  Epernay  to  Chalons  in  a 
strange  carriage,  set  out  for  Eperna\'  and    found    their  rolling  habita- 


PIGEON    CARS    OF    THE    FRENCH    ARMY 
Photographed  from  nature 

tion.  How  did  they  succeed  in  reconstituting  their  itinerary  in  the 
inverse  sense  from  Epernay  to  Chalons  and  find  again  their  carriage 
in  a  situation   of  which   they  could   not   know  the   surroundings? 

The  law  of  inverse  scent  alone  permits  this  fact  to  be  explained. 
We  have   repeated   this  curious  experiment   many  times. 

During  the  stationing  of  the  cote  at  the  chateau  de  Morchies  two 
Pigeons  strayed  away.  We  found  them  again  at  Bapaume,  a  pre- 
ceding lodging  place  of  the  Pigeon  cote.  One  was  retaken  ;  the 
other  escaped.  People  sent  word  to  us  of  his  passage  in  all  the 
localities  where  his  wagon  had  been  stationed.  He  arrived,  in  this 
way,  at  Houdain.  From  there  he  set  out  for  Evreux,  resuming  the 
reverse  scent  of  the  journey  made  a  few  days  before  in  a  railway  car. 
At  Evreux,  where  the  Pigeon  cote  had  been  stationed  for  many 
months,  we  succeeded  in  capturing  him.      This  itinerary  verified,    one 


The   Orientation   of   Birds  i45 

may  say,  step  by  step,  is  it  not  the  best  proof  that  we  can  appeal 
to  to  support  our  theory  ?  Thanks  to  the  Law  of  Reverse  Scent,  we 
can  abiiost  always  determine  the  precise  point  where  to  find  a  lost 
Pigeon.  We  succeed  in  this  way  in  limiting  our  losses,  which  would 
be  without  it  numerous  and  difBcult   to  repair. 

The  return  of  a  Pigeon  to  a  lodging  which  is  displaced  is  not 
an  exceptional  fact.  We  could  cite  many  examples  of  the  same 
kind   taken  from   the  history  of  birds. 

We  made  at  sea  some  experiments  which  confirm  our  theory. 
The  absence  of  guiding  points  and  the  suppression  of  all  local 
memory  rendered  the  releases  made  at  great  distances  from  the 
coast  very   interesting. 

On  the  other  hand,  observation  was  easier  than  on  land.  It  was 
always  possible  to  note  the  initial  direction  taken  by  the  Pigeons 
leaving  the  ship. 

We  left  for  New  York  with  a  number  of  Pigeons  taken  from  the 
colombophiles  of  Normandy.  The  25th  of  March,  the  day  of  sail- 
ing, we  set  at  liberty  ten  Pigeons,  successively,  at  distances  varying 
from   100  to  250  kilometers  from   Havre. 

All  the  Pigeons  acted  in  the  same  manner  ;  none  of  them  raised 
their  wings  to  fly  high  and  see  afar.  They  descended  almost  to  the 
level  of  the  water,  turning  two  or  three  times  about  the  ship,  and 
took  without  hesitating  the  reverse  scent  of  the  route  we  followed. 
They  all  reached   the   Pigeon  cote. 

The  next  day,  the  26th  of  March,  our  steamer  stopped  to  save 
the  crew  of  a  shipwrecked  vessel,  the  Bothnia.  We  sent  off,  through 
a  howling  tempest,  seven  Pigeons  carrying  dispatches  announcing 
the  event. 

Our  messengers  made  useless  attempts  to  take  the  route  from 
the  East,  the  reverse  scent  of  the  ship.  Carried  away  by  a  violent 
storm,  they  fell  on  some  vessels  or  even  took  refuge  on  the  coast 
of  Spain.  One  of  them  carried  his  dispatch  in  the  Gulf  of  Gascogne 
to  the   'Chatterton,'  and  our  message  reached  its  address. 

The  31st  of  August,  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  we  sent  out 
a  Pigeon  which,  after  much  hesitation,  flew  toward  the  East.  He 
reappeared  at  the  end  of  two  hours  to  rest,  and  then  set  out  again, 
outstripping  the  vessel  in  its  course.  He  arrived  at  Noroton,  in  Con- 
necticut,  one  day  before  our  entrance  in  the  harbor  of  New  York. 

This  fact  shows  that  the  bird,  obedient  to  the  sense  of  distant 
orientation,  has  a  very  precise  idea  of  a  direction  followed  before. 
After  having  taken  a  good  initial  direction,  our  bird  alters  his  mind 
and  commits  a  fault  of  instinct,  but  even  in  this  last  case  he  does 
not  wander    to   the    right    or    the    left    of    the    followed    route.      Thus, 


146  Bird  -  Lore 

it  seems,  he  can  only  move  himself  on  the  axis  of  the  same  route, 
and  there  is  for  him  only  two  solutions,   the  right  and  the  wrong. 

In  coming  back  to  France  we  sent  out  some  American  Pigeons, 
which  all  took  their  bearings  without  hesitation  over  the  wake  of 
the  vessel  and  took  up  the  reverse  scent  of  the  route  followed. 

On  nearing  Europe  we  sent  out  at  900,  600,  and  400  kilometers 
some  French  Pigeons  which  had  been  shut  up  on  board  the  vessel 
and  kept  to  be  released  on  the  return  trip.  We  noticed  that  all 
having  the  same  idea  of  following  the  route  took  their  initial  direc- 
tion over  the  wake  of  the  vessel,  flying  toward  New  York.  The 
greater  number  changed  their  minds  and  came  back,  afterward  out- 
stripping the  steamer  in  its  homeward  voyage.  But  the  losses  were 
greater  than  in  going,  reaching  the  proportion  of  20  per  cent.  These 
are  evidently  the  Pigeons  which,  skirting  closely  the  reverse  scent 
of  the  route  followed,    went  astray  in   the  open   sea. 

We  assert  once  more  that  the  land  does  not  appear  to  exercise 
any  attraction  for  our  messengers.  Sent  out  from  the  Scilly  Islands, 
from  the  island  d'Aurigny,  or  the  peninsulas  of  Cotentin,  they  all  follow 
the  same  direction  —  east,  west  —  some  going  in  advance  of  the  vessel, 
others  following  the  reverse  scent  of  its  route.  The  Pigeons  rise  a 
little  higher  than  at  the  time  of  leaving  France ;  the  weather  is 
clearer,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  have  recourse  to  the  sense  of  seeing 
in  order  to  take  their  bearings.  None  of  them  bent  his  flight  over 
the   land    in   sight. 

We  have  verified  by  a  late  experience,  very  easy  to  reproduce,  that 
observation  through  the  medium  of  the  five  senses  amounts  to  noth- 
ing in  guiding  them  back  to  the  Pigeon  cote.  Five  Pigeons  under 
the  influence  of  chloroform  are  transported  from  Orleans  to  Evreux. 
They  do  not  know  this  last  locality,  where  we  are  taking  them  for 
the  first  time.  They  are  watched  with  great  care  and  when,  two  days 
after,  they  appear  to  have  returned  to  their  normal  condition,  we  set 
them  at  liberty  and  they  return  as  usual. 

It  seems  that  the  chloroform  suppresses  the  exercise  of  the  five 
senses,  which  have  during  the  journey  registered  no  impression,  and  are 
mute   at  the  awakening. 

The  sense  of  direction,  on  the  contrary,  whose  action  is  based  on 
the  automatic  and  mechanical  registration  of  the  road  followed,  cou- 
tinued  to  work,  in  spite  of  the  chloroform,  absolutely  like  other  me- 
chanical functions — the  circulation  of  the  blood,  the  digestive  organs, 
and  respiration- — in  some  way,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  animal. 

We  have  vainly  sought  for  a  theory  in  the  works  of  naturalists 
which  explains  in  any  satisfactory  way  the  acts  of  orientation  accom- 


The   Orientation   of   Birds  147 

plished  by  the  animal.  Many  very  interesting  statements  have  been 
made  concerning  their  habits,  and  their  manner  of  Hving  ;  but  when 
it  is  a  question  of  tracing  back  effect  to  cause  the  observer  has 
generally  taken  a  false  direction.  Wrongfully  taking  himself  as  a 
term  of  comparison,  he  asks  what  he  would  do  in  order  to  accomplish 
a  certain   instinctive  act  occurring  among  beasts. 

It  is  just  in  this  way  that  some  colombophiles  attribute  the  return 
of  the  Pigeon  to  a  wonderful  local  memory.  In  his  daily  recreation 
the  animal  flying  above  the  Pigeon  cote  would  note  the  salient  in- 
equalities of  the  soil,  would  study  their  situation,  and  would  use 
them  for  guiding  points  to  his  dwelling,  tracing  in  this  way  a  veri- 
table triangulation  on  the  country  he  inhabits.  According  to  others, 
the  animal  would  base  himself  on  the  meteorological  record,  or  else 
would  acquire,  in  time,  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  local  magnetic 
currents.  Such  a  hypothesis  explains  one  mysterious  fact  by  other 
facts  still  more  mysterious.  Some  have  even  asserted  that  the  Pigeon 
takes  his  direction  according  to  the  course  of  the  stars.  We  think 
that  this  theory  is   fantastic,  and   must   be  rejected. 

The  animal  could  not  be  a  mathmetician,  geometrician,  electrician, 
or  astronomer.      The  explanation   we  advance  is   more  simple. 

We  have  stated  that  the  facts  of  orientation  group  themselves 
under  two  categories  :  (i)  near  orientation  and  (2)  distant  orientation. 
Near  orientation  is  based  on  observation,  employing  the  five  senses  — 
objective  organs.  It  puts  in  play  the  memory,  the  reason,  the  free 
will  of  the  animal.  It  chooses  one  solution  and  takes  the  shortest 
road  for  its  return. 

Distant  orientation  is  based  on  the  functional  activity  of  a 
subjective  organ  which  is  situated  in  the  semicircular  canals  of  the 
ear,  and  which  registers  mechanically  the  road  passed  over  ;  this  sense 
of  direction  given  to  the  animal  the  idea  of  its  position  for  returning 
to  the  points  of  its  departure.  The  return  is  governed  thus  by  the 
Law  of  Reverse  Scent.  The  animal  does  not  now  choose  its  route  ; 
there  is  but  one  solution  at  its  disposal  —  to  return  by  the  road  which 
it  came. 

Orientation  over  familiar  ground,  based  on  observation,  memory, 
reason  and,  in  a  certain  measure,  free  will,  is  an  intellectual  act ; 
Orientation  over  unknown  and  distant  land,  based  on  the  functional 
activity  of  an  organ,  is  an  impulsive  and  irrational   act. 

The  most  gifted  animals  in  regard  to  distant  orientation  are  not, 
in  effect,  the  most  intelligent,  but  are  those  which  possess  the  most 
powerful  means  of  locomotion.  Thus  it  is  that  birds,  infinitely  less 
intelligent  that  certain  quadrupeds,  have  over  the  latter  an  incontes- 
table superiority  for  distant  orientation. 


A    Pair    of    Killdeer 


BY    MRS.  HENRY    W.  NELSON 


ARLY  ill  June,  i8gg,  I  was  driving  in  a  park  in  western 
New  York,  when  my  attention  was  drawn  to  a  pair  of 
strange  birds,  who  circled  round  the  carriage,  sweeping 
down  near  the  ground  and  rising  again  with  anxious, 
distressed  cries.  They  were  beautiful  birds,  strikingly 
marked,  with  white  foreheads,  and  rings  around  the  throat  —  about 
the  size  of  a  light-bodied  Pigeon,  and  with  long  legs.  Presently  my 
eye  caught  a  movement  on  the  ground,  and  I  saw  what  looked  like  a 
little  chicken  running  along  at  full  speed.  I  was  out  of  the  carriage 
in  a  moment,  and  gave  chase ;  the  big  birds  were  evidently  the 
parents,  and  in  great  anxiety  as  to  my  intentions.  I  easily  overtook 
the  little  runner,  though  I  had  to  walk  fast  to  do  it,  and  then  down 
.he  dropped  on  the  ground,  seemingly  quite  exhausted.  I  was  filled 
with  remorse,  for  I  feared  he  had  been  forced  to  run  so  fast  as  to 
kill  him.  I  gently  picked  him  up,  noticed  the  long  legs,  the  three 
toes,  long,  slender  bill,  and  pretty  gray  and  white  coloring,  and  laid 
him  down  again,  venturing  only  faintly  to  hope  that  the  mother's 
care  might  revive  him.  As  I  retired  she  came  flying  up  and  cuddled 
down  over  him,  and  I  left  —  feeling  very  brutal.  The  gardener  told 
me  that  the  little  thing  had  been  hatched  only  three  hours  before  I 
He  had  watched  the  old  birds,  from  the  time  they  had  laid  their 
eggs  on  the  bare  gravel  drive  without  any  pretence  of  a  nest,  and 
had  moved  them  —  the  eggs  —  close  to  the  edge  of  the  turf,  to  pre- 
vent their  being  crushed  by  passing  vehicles.  They  were  Killdeer, 
a  species  of  plover  uncommon  in  our  neighborhood.  He  said  this 
pair  had  bred  in  the  park  for  three  years.  The  park  is  upland 
meadow-land  newly  planted,  with  no  water  near,  except  a  tiny  brook, 
dry  in  the  summer.  It  seemed  a  strange  place  to  choose,  and  the 
utter  publicity  of  the  nest,  where  the  eggs  might  be  crushed  by 
every  passing  wheel,  seemed  extraordinar}'. 

The  next  day  I  was  out  betimes  to  see  what  had  been  the  fate  of 
the  young  bird,  and  to  my  great  relief  he  was  running  about  so  fast 
that  I  did  not  attempt  to  pursue  him  again,  but  gave  all  my  attention 
to  the  parents,  and  their  ruses  and  maneuvers  were  fascinating  to 
watch.  Flying  so  close  that  I  could  almost  touch  her,  the  mother 
would  throw  herself  on  the  ground  two  or  three  yards  in  advance, 
raise  and  flutter  one  wing  quite  helplessly,  crying  piteously.  As  I 
drew  near,  away  she  would  fly,  only  to  repeat  the  performance  again 
and  again,  until  she  had  fairly  lured  me  to  a  good  safe  distance  from 
her    offspring,    when    up    she    rose    and    flew    far    away    triumphantly. 


A    Pair  of   Killdeer 


149- 


When  I  returned  to  look  for  the  young  bird  it  had  vanished.  The 
coachman  had  had  his  eye  on  him  only  a  moment  before,  and  "he  had 
just  sunk  into  the  ground,  ma'am  ! "  It  required  the  sharp  eye  of 
the  gardener,  who  came  up  at  the  moment,  to  detect  the  little  thing. 
"There  he  is,"  he  said,  pointing  downward;  and  at  my  feet,  just 
where  I  should  have  trodden  had  I  taken  the  next  step,  lay  the  bird, 
pressed  quite  flat  into  a  hollow  of  the  gravel.  He  had  learned  his 
mother's  tricks  and  was  pla3'ing  dead  !  He  allowed  us  to  pick  him 
up  and  examine  him  carefully,  without  a  sign  of  life. 

I  could  not  go  again  to  the  park  until  July  3  when,  to  my  delight, 
the  gardener  told  me  the  birds  were  sitting  on  a  second  batch  of 
eggs.      I    should    never    have    found    the   "nest"   if   the    man    had    not 


P^^ 


KILLDEER 
Photographed  from  nature 


marked  the  spot  with  a  wisp  of  straw  on  the  turf  near  by.  There 
were  three  eggs,  laid  on  the  bare  gravel,  matching  it  in  their  dark 
and  light  mottlings  so  as  to  be  almost  indistinguishable.  The  birds 
were  now  much  bolder  than  in  June,  quite  determined  that  I  should 
not  come  near  the  eggs  if  they  could  frighten  me  off,  and  it  occurred 
to  me  that  they  certainly  came  close  enough  to  be  photographed.  So 
at  7  o'clock  the  next  morning  I  was  on  the  spot,  accompanied  by  a 
friend  with  her  camera — a  4x5  "Hawkeye. "  There  was  no  adjacent 
tree  or  screen  of  any  kind,  but  we  easily  coaxed  one  of  the  birds  into 
coming  within  'snapping'  range.  As  we  gradually  approached,  both 
birds  grew  quite  frantic  in  their  efforts  to  lure  us  away,  drawing  nearer 
and  nearer.  When  we  persistently  stayed  close,  one  drew  off,  but 
the  other  evidently  made  up  its  mind  that  no  matter  what  the  danger 
was,  those  eggs  must  not  be  allowed  to  grow  cold.      I  felt  very  sorry^ 


15^ 


Bird-  Lore 


and  apologetic  as  it  fluttered,  played  wounded,  cried,  and  yet  con- 
stantly drew  nearer  to  us  and  the  nest.  Finally  it  lighted  on  the 
ground,  faced  us  boldly,  made  a  little  run  toward  the  nest,  and  paused 
breathlessly — a  splendid-looking  creature  as  it  stood  there,  head  erect, 
eyes  sparkling,  every  sense  on  the  alert.  The  camera  snapped  !  Up 
it  rose  but,  finding  no  harm  resulting,  tried  it  again  and  yet  again, 
till  it  made  a  final  run,  posed,  and  we  made  a  final  'snap,'  just  as  the 
bird  stood  over  the  eggs  !  We  were  sitting  motionless  on  the  gravel 
about  eight  feet  from  it.  I  was  glad  to  leave  the  poor  bird  in  peace 
after  that.  Meantime  its  more  faint-hearted  mate  had  never  ventured 
near  us.  About  fifty  feet  off  it  had  gone  on  industriously  and  per- 
functorily with  its  'play  acting,'  dragging  itself  on  the  ground  and 
crying  piteously,  but  not  really  risking  itself  in  the  least.  It  was 
curious  that  I  never  once  heard  the  kill-deer  cry  which  the  books  say 
they  give.  They  uttered  a  one-syllabled  cry  only ;  evidently  an 
alarm    note. 


YOUNG    BRONZED    GRACKLE 
Photographed    rom  nature  by  R.  W.  Hegner,  Decorah,  la. 


JFor  Ceacl)ers^  anti  ^tulientg 

The  Study  of  Birds  — Another  Way 

BY    OLIVE   THORNE    MILLER 

HERE  are,  of  course,  as  many  different  ways  of  studying 
birds  as  there  are  objects  to  be  gained  by  the  study. 
The  systematic  ornithologist,  the  economic  ornithologist, 
the  sportsman,  the  cultivator,  has  each  his  own  purpose 
and  his  own  way  of  becoming  familiar  with  our  little 
The  modern  bird-lover,  who  studies  neither  for  scientific 
nor  economic  purposes,  but  solely  to  make  acquaintance  with  the 
tribes  of  the  air,  adopts  the  manner  of  none  of  these,  but  has,  within 
the  last  few  years,  evolved  a  way  of  his  own.  It  is  most  commonly 
by  what  are  called  Field  Classes,  admirably  described  in  the  June 
number  of  Bird-Lore  by  Florence  Merriam  Bailey,  who  is  herself 
a  successful  conductor  of  them. 

The  way  I  have  evolved  from  my  own  experience  in  acquiring 
some  knowledge  of  the  birds  (which  I  did  by  myself,  without  a 
guide  or  the  help  of  even  a  color-key  to  identification),  and  later  in 
helping  others   in   the  same  delightful  study,  is  somewhat  different. 

To  begin  with,  I  regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  important  uses  of 
the  study  to  lead  the  student  to  Nature  herself ;  to  acquaint  him 
with  the  delights  to  be  found  in  woods  and  fields,  and  the  benefit  to 
mind  and  heart,  as  well  as  to  body,  of  close  friendship  with  the 
great  Mother.  This  can  be  accomplished  only  by  each  person  alone. 
In  a  crowd,  even  with  one  companion,  however  congenial,  it  is  im- 
possible to  get  into  a  state  of  harmony  with  Nature  that  shall  enable 
him    to  feel,  with  Whittier, 

"With  mine  your  solemn  spirit  blends, 
And  life  no  more  hath  separate  ends ;  " 

or,  as  Aldrich  puts  it : 

"A  sudden   tremor  goes 
Into  my  veins,  and  makes  me  kith  and  kin 
To  every  wild-born  thing  that  thrills  and  blooms." 

Therefore  I  insist  upon  each  person  who  is  not  satisfied  with 
merely  knowing  birds  by  sight  and  song,  but  wants  really  to  learn 
something  of  their  natural  lives,  and  their  habits  when  not  disturbed, 
making  his  studies  in  the  field  entirely  alone.  I  prepare  him  for  the 
work   by  an   introductory  course  of   instruction   in   house  classes.       My 

(151) 


152  Bird -Lore 

aim  is  to  make  him  acquainted  with  the  most  common  birds  of  the 
vicinity,  taking  the  familes  in  succession.  By  means  of  mounted 
specimens  he  makes  a  study  of  each  species,  as  to  size,  form,  color, 
and  markings,  at  the  same  time  receiving  some  account  of  manners 
and  habits  that  shall  ensure  easy  identification  in  the  field.  In  this 
way  a  student  learns  to  know  familiarly  about  one  hundred  species 
of  the  common  birds.  This  gives  him  a  good  start  for  individual 
work,  and  prevents  the  discouragement  of  facing  a  world  of  birds, 
without  knowing  one  to  begin  with.  I  know  from  my  own  experience 
how  disheartening  this  is,  and  I  know,  from  the  experience  of  others, 
how  many  are  discouraged  in  the  outset  of  this  most  delightful  of 
studies  by  these  preliminary  difficulties. 

So  much  has  been  said  about  my  use  of  mounted  specimens,  in 
the  face  of  my  opposition  to  the  killing  of  birds,  that  I  should  like 
here  to  define  my  position.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  never  objected 
to  the  killing  of  a  moderate  number  of  birds  for  really  scientific 
purposes.  What  I  oppose  is  the  destruction  for  mere  collections, 
for  sport,  for  selling,  for  the  unnecessary  multiplication  of  skins  and, 
above  all,  for  milliners'  use.  In  the  second  place,  no  bird  was  ever 
killed  for  me ;  nor  did  my  purchase  of  those  I  have  encourage  the 
killing  of  more,  because  I  bought  them  of  a  young  man  who  col- 
lected them  for  himself  and  then,  turning  his  attention  to  something 
else,  wished  to  sell  them. 

Besides  this,  the  collection  I  use  has  had  an  influence  from  Maine 
to  Minnesota,  interesting  hundreds  of  students  in  the  living  bird,  and 
inducing  them  to  discountenance  the  destruction  going  on.  No 
person — I  may  say  confidently  —  ever  went  out  from  my  classes 
with  a  gun,  and  I  have  had  many  boys  in  them.  In  fact,  it  is 
necessary  only  to  show  how  much  more  interesting  is  the  live  bird 
than  the  poor  dead  body,  to  arouse  their  attention  and  take  away 
their  appetite  for  destruction.  Therefore,  even  had  my  specimens 
been  killed  for  me,  I  should  consider  that  they  had  been  useful 
enough,  in  saving  the  lives  of  thousands  of  their  fellows  and  con- 
verting hundreds  of  boys  from  bird-murderers  to  bird-observers,  to 
justify  their  sacrifice. 

Having  given  my  class  this  general  knowledge,  with  the  dis- 
tinguishing marks  of  each  family,  and  some  acquaintance  with  its 
more  prominent  members,  I  take  them  out  in  small  parties  for  out- 
door observation,  to  teach  them  and  to  show  them  hozv  to  observe. 
Most  useful,  also,  I  regard  a  practical  lesson  in  the  use  of  the 
books,  identification  by  the  manuals  ;  and  another  in  taking  note 
of  and  properly  describing  the  points  of  a  bird. 

When   a   student  has   completed   the   course   of   ten   talks   which    I 


The  Bird  Course  at  the  Marine  Biological  Laboratory      153 

give  a  class,  he  is  well  grounded  in  the  study.  He  can  readily 
recognize  a  few  birds,  and  knows  where  to  look  for  them  ;  he  has 
learned  how  to  identify  and  name  any  others  without  difftculty  ;  how 
to  make  discoveries  for  himself ;  and,  above  all,  he  has  learned  the 
absorbing  charm  of  the  study  of  the  individual  bird,  and  the  delight 
of  a  close  acquaintance  with   nature. 


The  Bird   Course  at   the    Marine    Biological   Laboratory, 
Woods  Holl,  Mass.,  during  the  Summer  of  1900 

BY   THOS.  H.  MONTGOMERY,  Jr..  Ph.  D.,  Director   of  the   Course 

OR  the  first  time  in  its  history  there  was  started  this  year 
at  the  Marine  Biological  Laboratory  a  Nature-Study 
Course.  The  objects  taken  up  during  the  six  weeks  of 
the  course  were  cryptogamic  and  phanerogamic  plants, 
the  king  crab,  insects,  and  various  marine  invertebrates, 
the  toad,  and  birds.  It  is  concerning  the  bird-study  alone 
that  I  have  been  asked  to  prepare  a  brief  account  for  Bikd-Lore. 

The  field  work  consisted  of  three  mornings  spent  in  the  woods 
and  fields  near  the  laboratory,  and  of  one  day's  trip  to  the  breeding 
grounds  of  Terns  at  Penikese.  In  this  field  work,  as  in  that  of  the 
laboratory,  the  director  was  most  ably  assisted  by  Mr.  Leon  J.  Cole 
and  Mr.  Herbert  Coggins ;  and  in  the  field  the  students  could  be 
separated  into  groups,  taking  slightly  different  routes.  Further,  the 
attempt  was  made  to  post  the  students  of  each  group  apart  from  one 
another  and  at  favorable  places,  so  that  they  became,  to  some  extent, 
independent  observers,  and  could  see  as  many  birds  as  possible  with 
the  least  possible  noise.  The  noise  occasioned  by  a  large  party  of 
students  walking  together  through  underbrush  tends  to  frighten  the 
birds  most  effectively,  and  this  difficulty  was  obviated  by  the  above 
mentioned  method  of  "posting"  the  students,  while  the  instructors 
visited  in  succession  the  various  "posts."  One  mistake  was  made 
in  placing  the  Bird  Course  at  the  beginning  of  August,  when  the 
birds  sing  but  little  and  are  in  the  low  spirits  of  the  moulting  period. 
Another  year  this  course  will  be  placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  season. 
As  to  the  laboratory  work,  one  day  was  spent  on  the  gross  anat- 
omy of  the  Pigeon,  and  three  afternoons  on  the  study  of  bird-skins. 
On  two  of  these  afternoons  the  skins  were  studied  for  the  purpose 
of  identification,  on  the  third  for  the  correspondence  of  structure  with 
habit.  Two  entire  days  were  spent  on  the  study  of  living  Pigeons, 
under  the  direction  of  Professor  Whitman,  the  head  of  the  laboratory. 


154  Bird -Lore 

Using  as  material  his  splendid  collection  of  living  Pigeons,  of  which 
he  has  some  forty  species,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  Dr.  Whitman 
explained  the  mode  of  determining  the  genesis  of  different  structural 
characters,  illustrating  both  modes  of  reasoning  and  modes  of  obser- 
vation. 

The  lectures  were  on  "Color  and  Environment"  and  "Nests  and 
the  Influences  Governing  their  Site  and  Construction,"  by  Mr.  F.  M. 
Chapman;  on  "Migration."  by  Dr.  R.  H.  Wolcott  ;  on  "Moult" 
and  "Geographical  Distribution,"  by  Mr.  Witmer  Stone;  on  "Mater- 
nal Instincts,"  by  Dr.  F.  H.  Herrick  ;  on  the  "  Relation  of  Structure 
to  Environment,"  by  Mr.  Dearborn;  and  on  "Anatomy"  and  Influ- 
ences Produced  by  Food,"  by  the  director. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  this  course,  as  outlined,  was  essentially  dif- 
ferent, in  being  much  less  elementary,  from  probably  all  other  bird- 
study  courses  of  the  year  throughout  the  country.  The  students  in 
it  were,  for  the  most  part,  teachers,  and  some  of  them  not  only 
experienced  teachers  but  also  good  field  ornithologists;  and  the 
aim  of  the  course  was  to  present  suggestions  as  to  lines  of  work, 
rather  than  to  teach  methods  or  to  inculcate  facts.  From  such  a 
course  a  good  student,  one  open  to  suggestion,  might  derive  benefit, 
while  one  who  simply  expected  to  glean  a  series  of  facts  would 
probably  be  disappointed. 

One  thing  needs  to  be  strongly  emphasized,  namely,  that  nature- 
study  in  the  true  sense  ;  i.  e. ,  accurate  and  appreciative  observation 
of  the  behavior  of  organisms  in  their  natural  environment,  cannot 
be  taught.  The  nature-student,  that  is  to  say,  the  naturalist,  must 
be  to  a  great  extent  self-made  and  independent  in  his  work.  A 
course  in  nature-study  is,  or  should  be,  mainly  suggestive,  showing 
principally  what  are  the  more  important  and  fruitful  lines  of  work, 
and  how  this  work  is  to  be  carried  on  ;  the  remainder  rests  with 
the  student.  But  there  are  many  teachers  who  are  obliged  to  teach 
these  subjects,  and  yet  have  not  the  time  nor  opportunity  to  learn 
them  sufficiently  for  themselves  ;  for  such,  of  course,  some  teaching 
of  facts  is  essential.  In  a  course  for  experienced  teachers,  how- 
ever, the  suggestion  should  have  precedence  over  the  presentation  of 
the  fact,  and  this  has  been  attempted  in  our  course  of  this  year, 
with  what  success    the  students  themselves  can  alone  decide. 


The  Seventeenth  Annual  Congress  of  the  American  Ornithologist's 
Union  will  convene  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  on  November  12,  igoo. 
Public  sessions  for  the  presentation  and  discussion  of  papers  will  be 
held  on  November  13-15  from  1 1  to  i  and  2  to  5,  doubtless  in  one  of 
the  lecture  halls  of  Harvard  University,  and  to  these  sessions  all  per- 
sons interested  are  invited. 


My   Experience   with   a   Red-headed   Woodpecker 

BY   ALICK    WETMORE  I  age.  13  years).  North   Freedom.  Wis. 

HE  first  time  that  I  saw  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  on 
Sunday,  October  8,  i8gg.  As  I  was  going  along  a  ravine 
on  that  da}^  I  heard  a  loud,  tree -toad- like  ker  -  r-r  -ruck 
coming  from  the  top  of  a  tall  dead  stub.  I  looked  up 
and  soon  saw  that  the  owner  of  the  voice  was  a  young 
Red-headed  Woodpecker.  His  (?)  head  was  a  dusky  color.  He 
would  stick  his  head  around  the  tree  and,  after  giving  the  note, 
dodge  back.  I  thought  I  would  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  him,  and  a 
little  while  afterward  I  was  rewarded  by  seeing  him  get  an  acorn 
from  a  small  oak.  He  seemed  to  be  storing  acorns  up  for  winter  in 
holes  and  crannies. 

Once  he  lit  on  an  oak  limb  that  would  not  bear  him,  and  it 
swung  until  he  hung  back  down,  but  he  got  his  acorn.  While  he 
was  flying  off,  a  little  Junco  seemed  to  think  that  he  was  trespassing 
and  flew  at  him  in  a  rage  and  made  him  get  out  of  the  way.  I  went 
to  a  stump  nearby  and  got  an  acorn  and  found  that  it  was  whole.  A 
few  marks  on  the  shell  showed  where  he  had  hammered  it  into  the 
crevice.     He  always  seemed  to  go  to  the  same  tree  for  his  acorns. 

I  laid  down  on  the  bank  of  the  ravine  close  to  the  tree  in  the  sun 
to  watch  him,  but  he  was  suspicious  and  would  not  come  near  at 
first.  I  was  rather  surprised  to  see  that  he  could  easily  go  down  a 
tree  backwards,  lifting  his  tail  and,  after  hopping  down,  falling  back 
onto  it.  Everywhere  he  went,  he  expressed,  in  vigorous  notes,  his 
disgust  at  having  me  around. 

The  stub  he  liked  best  was  very  tall  and  had  a  crack  in  it  near 
the  top,  and  into  this  crack  he  hammered,  with  his  shiny  white  bill, 
all  the  acorns  that  he  possibly  could.  Some  of  them  he  cracked  in 
two  and  then  put  them  in  the  crack.  One  fragment  he  dropped  as 
he  lighted.  He  was  after  it  quick  as  a  flash,  and  chased  it  so  near 
the  ground  that  I  thought  he  would  dash  himself  onto  it  and  be 
killed,  but  he  turned  up  just  before  he  reached  it  and  flew  off  with- 
out the  acorn. 

In  a  cornfield  a  short  distance  away  I  found  some  nubbins  for 
him.  While  I  was  looking  for  a  place  to  put  them  up,  I  found  a 
hole  with  sixteen  acorns  in  it.  He  had  put  them  there,  for  I  could 
see   the  marks   of  his   bill   on   them   and  around    the  edges  of  the  hole 

(155) 


156  Bird -Lore 

were  a  few  small  dark  gra}-  feathers.  He  had  hidden  the  acorns  by 
putting  pieces  of  bark  over  them.  I  then  went  back  to  where  he 
was  and  saw  him  drinking  water,  like  a  chicken,  out  of  the  brooklet. 
After  returning  from  a  short  walk,  I  saw  him  carrying  a  large  piece 
of  bark  to  put  over  the  acorns  that  I  had  uncovered.  He  started 
from  the  base  of  his  stub,  but  as  the  bark  was  nearly  as  large  as  he 
was  he  could  not  carry  it  and  was  forced  to  drop  it.  As  it  was  then 
nearly  dark,  I  had  to  go  home  without  learning  where  he  stayed 
nights,  and  which,  indeed,  I  never  found  out. 

The  next  Sunday,  the  i6th  of  October,  I  did  not  have  much  time. 
When  I  reached  the  ravine  he  was  catching  insects.  He  was  in  the 
top  of  a  tree  and  would  fiy  out  after  the  insects  at  they  flew  by  but, 
growing  tried  of  this,  he  went  to  the  ground  after  an  acorn.  When 
I  went  to  the  hole  in  which  I  had  found  the  sixteen  acorns  before, 
I   now  took  out  forty  five. 

Sunday,  November  ig,  I  thought  I  would  pay  my  Red-head 
a  visit.  As  I  did  not  see  him  for  about  fifteen  minutes,  I 
thought  that  some  wandering  hunter  had  killed  him  ;  but  while  look- 
ing around  I  heard  a  welcome  kcr-r-r-ntck.  and  there  he  was  on  his 
favorite  stub.  After  taking  a  look  at  me,  he  flew  down  for  a  drink, 
with  a  loud  note  before  he  left  the  stub  and  shorter  ones  in  between 
drinks  to  call  attention,  and  well  he  might  !  His  somber  head  had 
turned  red  since  I  had  seen  him  last.  The  color  was  a  little  dark  in 
places,  but  was  fine  all  the  same. 

I  next  saw  him  on  Sunday,  November  26.  I  had  gone  to  my  usual 
place  of  study  and  was  watching  some  Pine  Siskins  when  he  appear- 
ed. He  was  rather  cross,  for  he  chased  a  Tree  Sparrow  until  it  took 
refuge  in  a  thick,  bushy  thorn-apple  tree.  Then  he  watched  until 
it  came  out  and  took  after  it  agan.  I  watched  him  sunning  him- 
self— for  it  was  quite  warm — and  then  went  over  to  the  hole  in  which 
I  had  found  so  many  acorns.  It  was  empty,  and  a  number  of  shells 
were  scattered  around  the  foot  of  the  tree. 

From  my  note-book  I  see  that  the  date  of  my  next  visit  was 
Sunday,  December  3.  It  was  cold  and  snowing  quite  hard.  I  put 
on  my  overcoat  and  went  down  to  see  him.  I  may  have  wanted 
to  see  him,  but  he  was  evidently  afraid  of  that  big  black  thing  in 
the  fence-corner.  He  scolded  and  bobbed  as  though  crazy  till  a  pair 
of  Blue  Jays  lighted  in  the  tree.  He  was  afraid  of  them  and  went 
around  to  the  other  side  of  the  trunk  and  kept  still  until  they  left. 

On  Monday  February  12,  I  saw  him  last.  He  was  across  the 
river  from  the  ravine  in  a  tree  after  acorns. 

I  know  that  he  is  still  here  and  alive,  and  I  intend  to  watch 
him  in  the  spring  when  he  sets  up  housekeeping. 


jBtote^  from  jftelti  mh  ^tuDp 


Notes  on  the  American  Golden-Eye 

The  Golden-eye,  or  Whistler,  is  one  of 
our  most  hardy  Ducks,  living  here  through- 
out the  winter,  sometimes  in  goodly  num- 
bers, passing  most  of  the  time  feeding 
and  swimming  about  the  air-holes  and 
sitting  along  the  edges  of  the  ice,  where 
they  preen  their  plumage.  They  resort  to 
one  place  at  night  to  roost,  that  is,  if 
swimming  about  in  the  water  may  be 
called  roosting.  The  Ducks  for  several 
miles  around  congregate  at  one  air-hole 
The  Whistlers  are  not  alone  in  roosting 
here,  as  they  are  joined  throughout  the 
winter  by  the  American  Merganser,  and, 
later,  by  the  Black  Duck.  When  coming 
in  to  roost,  they  fly  in  low  over  the 
water,  and  against  the  wind,  in  flocks  of 
from  two  to  twenty,  the  time  of  arrival 
being  from  about  sundown  until  dark. 
When  disturbed,  they  come  in  later. 
The  Whistler,  although  capable  of  seeing 
well  throughout  the  day,  is  handicapped 
by  being  unable  to  see  well  after  dark. 
Rarely  in  daylight  can  a  man  boldly 
approach  within  two  hundred  yards,  un- 
less he  resorts  to  strategy,  yet  at  night, 
by  noiselessly  approaching  in  a  boat, 
one  may  easily  get  within  twenty-five 
yards. 

It  is  interesting  to  watch  this  species 
during  the  courting  season,  which  begins 
here  in  central  New  Brunswick  late  in 
March  and  continues  throughout  April. 
Should  one  flock,  consisting  of  males,  old 
and  young,  and  females  be  swimming 
about,  and  observe  others  approaching 
on  wing  or  on  the  water,  the  adult 
males,  which  are  really  beautiful  birds, 
swim  out  in  advance  from  each  flock 
and,  as  they  advance,  will  occasionally 
throw  back  the  head  until  the  crest 
rests  on  the  back  and  the  bill  pointing 
about  straight  upward,  utter  a  note 
sounding  like  z-z-z-eet.  It  is  a  very 
difficult  sound  to  successfully  imitate, 
but    when    once    heard,   and    the    source 


observed,  it  is  not  likely  to  be  soon  for- 
gotten. 

After  this  introduction,  as  it  were,  the 
members  all  unite  in  one  flock  and  pro- 
ceed to  enjoy  themselves  in  Duck  fash- 
ion. The  males  also  perform  these  antics 
after  they  have  chosen  a  mate,  and  one 
may  frequently  see  the  male,  when  alone 
with  the  female,  throw  back  his  head 
and  give  vent  to  his  feelings  by  uttering 
this  pleasant  note,  which  I  have  only 
heard  in  spring-time. 

In  May,  or  early  in  June,  when  the 
female  is  engaged  in  incubating  her  half 
dozen  or  more  eggs,  the  male  is  ever  on 
the  lookout  for  enemies,  and  is  very  suc- 
cessful in  alluring  man  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  nest,  which  is  placed  generally  in 
a  hollow  stump,  or,  it  may  be,  in  an  old 
Crow's  nest. 

Right  well  does  the  writer  remember 
one  day  about  the  last  of  May,  while 
walking  along  the  tree-grown  shore  of 
an  island,  being  accosted  by  an  adult 
male,  which  flew  near,  making  a  piteous, 
whining  sound,  and  alighting  just  about 
forty  yards  away,  and  so  long  as  I  fol- 
lowed in  a  certain  direction  all  was  right, 
but  on  returning  to  the  place  where  he 
was  first  seen,  he  would  again  return 
and  repeat  the  performance.  After  fol- 
lowing him  for  some  distance,  he  took 
to  flight   and  disappeared. 

This  species  breeds  quite  abundantly 
in  the  northern  portion  of  this  province, 
and  the  southward  flight  begins  about 
the  first  of  October. 

The  adults  molt  in  July  and  August, 
and  at  this  time  are  often  quite  unable 
to  fly,  owing  to  the  loss  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  the  flight  feathers  at  one  time. 

These  Ducks  feed  by  diving  and  tak- 
ing their  food,  which  consists  chiefly  of 
small  molluscs,  from  the  bottoms  of  rivers 
and  lakes,  staying  under  water,  generally, 
from  one-half  a  minute  to  one  minute 
and  a  half. — Willie  H.  Moore,  Scotch 
Lake,   M.   B. 


(157) 


158 


Bird-  Lore 


A  Hummingbird  Experiment 

Our  trumpet-creeper  was  full  of  blos- 
soms, and  a  Hummingbird  visited  them 
many  times  a  day,  not  to  their  advan- 
tage, for  when  the  supply  of  nectar  ran 
low  she  would  slash  the  tube  of  the 
flower,  near  the  calyx,  insert  her  bill 
there,  and  usually  the  flower  would  fall 
when  she  flew  away. 

She  would  sit  on  a  low  spray  for  forty 
minutes  at  a  time,  sometimes  preening 
her  feathers,  but  quite  as  often  merely 
enjoying  life.  Then  she  would  make 
another  dash  at  the  flowers  and  feed 
with  renewed  energy. 

One  day  I  painted  a  trumpet-flower  in 
water-colors,  on  a  rather  stiff  piece  of 
Whatman  paper.  I  painted  it  as  a  real 
flower  would  look  if  slit  down  on  one 
side  and  spread  flat,  and  I  colored  both 
sides.  Then  I  cut  out  the  flower,  bent 
it  into  shape,  and  fastened  the  edges 
together.  Inside  the  tube  I  put  a  small, 
cylindrical  bottle,  and  tied  the  flower  to 
the  trumpet-creeper  in  an  almost  normal 
position.  The  little  bottle  I  filled  with 
sugar-and-water,  not  too  thick. 

To  my  delight  the  Hummingbird  visited 
that  flower  with  no  more  hesitation  than 
the  real  ones,  and  very  soon  preferred  it, 
and  I  had  to  fill  up  the  bottle  at  least 
twice  a  day. 

One  day  I  tried  holding  the  flower  in 
my  hand,  at  a  little  distance  from  the 
creeper,  and  the  Hummingbird  flew  to  it 
as  fearlessly  as  if  I  were  a  vine. 

r  left  the  painted  flower  on  the  trum- 
pet-creeper until  a  heavy  rain  washed  off 
most  of  the  color,  and  then  I  removed  it. 
There  were  very  small  insects  in  the 
sugar-and-water,  but  I  am  sure  that  the 
Hummingbird  preferred  the  latter,  for  she 
ate  much  of  it.  I  am  not  sure  that  she 
ate  any  of  the  insects. 

The  male  seldom  came  to  the  trumpet- 
creeper,  but  once  or  twice  he  also  fed 
from  the  painted  flower.  Most  of  his 
time  was  spent  in  slashing  off  the  spurs 
of  the  nasturtiums  to  get  at  their  nectar. 


We  had  hardly  one  perfect  nasturtium 
flower  all  summer  long,  owing  to  his 
attacks. — Caroline  G.  Soule,  Brooklhie, 
Mass. 

An   Interesting   Record 

While  examining,  recently,  Audubon's 
manuscript  journals  at  the  home  of  his 
grand  daughter,  Miss  Maria  R.  Audubon, 
whose  volumes  'Audubon  and  His  Journal' 
alone  adequately  present  the  life  of  the 
famous  ornithologist,  I  encountered  an 
interesting  record  which,  through  Miss 
Audubon's  courtesy,  I  am  permitted  to 
publish 

In  the  latter  part  of  March,  1837, 
Audubon,  with  his  son  John  and  friend 
Edward  Harris,  embarked  from  New 
Orleans  on  the  revenue  cutter  'Campbell' 
which  had  been  placed  at  his  service  by 
the  United  States  Government  for  a  cruise 
along  the  west  gulf  coast  to  gather  material 
for  the  'Ornithological  Biographies,'  three 
volumes  of  which  had  at  that  time  been 
published 

On  April  i,  they  anchored  in  the  South- 
west Pass  of  the  Mississippi,  and  in  his 
journal  recording  in  detail  the  observations 
of  that  day,  measurements  of  specimens 
collected,  etc.,  there  occurs  the  following 
interesting  entry;  " Fidigiila  histrionica. 
Harlequin  Duck.  —  Saw  a  pair  in  perfect 
plumage.     Quite  a  wonder." 

As  this  species  had  already  been  treated 
by  Audubon  (Orn.  Biog.  Ill,  1835,  612) 
the  fact  that  he  had  observed  it  in  Louis- 
iana does  not  appear  to  have  been  men- 
tioned by  him  in  his  works,  and  the  record, 
therefore,  is  evidently  not  alone  the  only 
known  instance  of  the  occurrence  of  the 
Harlequin  Duck  in  that  State,  but  in  the 
Southern  United  States.  As  the  species 
was  apparently  more  common  in  Audu- 
bon's time  than  it  is  now,  and  bred  further 
South  than  it  does  at  present,  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  its  distribution  in  winter  was 
then  more  extended. — Frank  M.  Chapman, 
American  Aluseum  of  A'atural  History, 
A'eu'    York   Citv. 


iloDfe  jBteto0  anti   3^ebietD0 


A  Review  of  Economic  Ornithology  in 
THE  United  States.  By  T.  S.  Palmer, 
Assistant  Chief  of  Biological  Survey. 
Reprint  from  Yearbook  of  Department 
of  Agriculture  For  1899.  Pages  259- 
292,  3  Pll.      I  Fig. 

After  tracing,  in  the  development  of 
the  Science  of  Ornithology  in  America, 
the  beginnings  and  growth  of  the  study  of 
the  economic  value  of  birds,  which  lead  to 
the  establishment  of  the  Division  of  Eco- 
nomic Ornithology  and  Mammalogy  (now 
the  Biological  Survey)  in  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  Dr.  Palmer 
reviews  the  work  of  this  Division  and  then 
presents  a  broad  general  survey  of  the 
commercial  value  of  birds  to  man.  The 
use  of  birds  and  their  eggs  for  food,  the 
employment  of  their  feathers  for  decorative 
purposes,  and  the  gathering  of  bird-guano 
are  here  discussed  in  the  light  of  numer- 
erous  statistics  of  the  utmost  interest  and 
importance. 

Having  thus  reviewed  the  strictly  eco- 
nomic status  of  birds.  Dr.  Palmer  consid- 
ers their  destruction  under  bounty  laws, 
their  preservation  under  protective  laws, 
and  also  the  introduction  of  foreign  birds. 

It  is  impossible  to  go  into  details,  but 
we  may  briefly  say  that  no  general  paper 
known  to  us  so  clearly  defines  the  bird's 
economic  standing.  It  abounds  in  facts 
and  figures  and  should  be  in  the  possession 
of  every  bird-student  and  especially  of 
these  advocates  of  bird-protection  who 
would  base  their  arguments  on  sound, 
logical  ground.  —  F.  M.  C. 

Abstract   of  the    Proceedings    of    the 

Delaware  Valley      Ornithological 

Club     of  Philadelphia.        No.     Ill, 

1898-1899  Published   by    the   Club. 

The  Delaware  Valley  Ornithological 
Club  meets  at  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  first 
and  third  Thursdays  of  each  month  from 
October  to  May,  inclusive.  The  average 
attendance  during  the  two  years  covered 
by  this  report  is  shown  by  it  to  be  about  20, 

( 


and  the  character  of  the  papers  and  notes 
presented,  with  the  discussion  thereof, 
prove  the  club  to  be  a  thoroughly  active 
organization,  doubtless  the  most  active 
local  bird  club  in  this  country. 

In  addition  to  abstracts  of  the  reports 
of  meetings,  this  publication  contains  the 
following  papers  presented  in  full :  'Birds 
of  the  Blizzard  of  1899,'  'Migration  Data 
on  City  Hall  Tower  '  by  William  L.  Baily, 
wherein  are  given  the  data  connected 
with  the  527  birds  of  56  species  which 
were  killed  by  striking  the  tower  from 
August  27,  1899  to  October  31,  1899,  and 
the  '  Summer  Birds  of  the  Higher  Parts 
of  Sullivan  and  Wyoming  Counties,  Pa.' 
compiled  by  Witmer  Stone,  an  extremely 
interesting  list  of  98  species  of  which  no 
less  than  13  are  representative  of  the 
Canadian  fauna. —  F.  M.  C. 

Check  List  of  the  Birds  of  Ontario  and 
Catalogue  of  Birds  in  the  Biological 
Section  of  the  Museum,  Department 
of  Education.  Toronto  By  C.  W. 
Nash.     8vo  ,  pages  58. 

The  author  lists  302  species  and  sub- 
species of  which  all  but  nine  are  represent- 
ed in  the  museum  of  the  Department  of 
Education  The  annotations  are  good  as 
far  as  they  go  but,  to  our  mind,  seem  too 
brief  for  the  large  area  covered,  and  the 
addition  of  definite  records  of  migration 
from  several  points  in  the  Province  would 
add  greatly  to  the  value  of  the  list  for 
students.— F.  M.  C 

Check  List  of  New  York  Birds.  By 
Marcus  S.  Farr.  Bulletin  of  the  New 
York  State  Museum,  No.  33  Vol  7. 
April,  1900.     8vo      Pages  409      25  cents. 

This  is  a  nominal  list  of  the  birds 
which  have  been  recorded  from  New  York 
State,  380  in  number,  published  in  advance 
of  a  more  detailed  work,  as  a  convenient 
check-list  for  students.  For  this  purpose 
it  is  printed  on  only  one  side  the  page, 
blank  pages  being  left  for  the  entry  of 
otes.     This    plan    of    preliminary    publi- 

159) 


i6o 


Bird -Lore 


cation  is  an  excellent  one,  and  should  bring 
to  Mr.  Farr  a  large  amount  of  additional 
information,  making  his  final  work  pro- 
portionately valuable. — F.  M.  C 

Book  News 

Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.  have  brought 
out  a  school  edition  of  Mrs.  Miller's 
admirable  '  The  First  Book  of  Birds ' 
(reviewed  in  Bird-Lore,  Vol.  i,  p.  167), 
which  is  sold  at  the  low  price  of  60  cents. 
This  book,  it  seems  to  us,  should  exactly 
fill  the  wants  of  the  kindergarten  and 
primary  teacher. 

For  a  surprisingly  frank  confession  of  its 
author's  pleasure,  if  not  in  the  killing  at 
least  in  the  hitting  of  birds,  we  refer  our 
readers  to  Mr.  Maurice  Thompson's  'In 
the  Woods  with  the  Bow,'  published  in 
'The  Century'  for  August  last.  For  no 
other  reason,  apparently,  than  that  they 
furnished  a  desirable  target,  such  species 
as  the  Blue  Grosbeak,  Sparrow  Hawk, 
Raven,  Least  Bittern,  and  others  became 
marks  for  his  skill.  At  one  time,  however, 
his  enthusiasm  as  an  archer  evidently 
carried  him  beyond  his  own  wide  bounds 
and,  on  the  departure  of  a  companion,  he 
wrote  "  I  felt  free  to  turn  myself  loose  and 
make  a  fine  stir  in  Arcadia.  The  wildest 
shooting  mood  was  upon  me,  and  what- 
ever moved  became  a  target  for  my  shafts. 
I  am  afraid  to  make  a  full  record  of  an 
hour's  business." 

We  commend  Mr.  Thompson  to  the 
game  wardens  of  the  state  in  which  he 
'turned  himself  loose.' 

If  we  may  judge  by  a  number  of  alleged 
photographs  of  birds  "from  nature,"  pub- 
lished recently  in  various  magazines,  their 
makers  have  adopted  the  eminently  prac- 
tical, if  scarcely  praiseworthy  method,  of 
placing  a  mounted  bird  among  natural 
surroundings,  where  its  picture  might  be 
made  at  leisure.  Such  photographs  are 
surely  "from  nature" — far  from  it. 

Readers  of  Mr.  Richard  Kearton's  val- 
uable works  '  With  Nature  and  a  Camera  ' 
and  '  Wild  Life  at  Home '  will  be  inter- 
ested to  learn  that  their  author  proposes 


to  visit  this  country  in  October  to  remain 
several  months  on  a  lecture  tour. 

The  September  number  of  '  The  Milli- 
nery Trade  Review  '  protests  against  the 
appointment  of  naturalists  as  inspectors 
of  animals  and  birds  in  connection  with 
the  enforcement  of  section  2  of  the  Lacey 
bill  on  the  ground  that  as  "zealots  in 
their  opposition  to  the  wearing  of  bird- 
plumage,  they  are  incompetent  to  serve 
in  such  capacity,  as  they  are  more  than 
likely  to  be  swerved  by  their  prejudices. 
Nor  are  they  competent  to  distinguish 
between  natural  and  made-feather  novel- 
ties after  leaving  the  foreign  factories." 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  inspectors 
appointed  will  not  have  an  opportunity 
to  confound  the  milliners  with  a  display 
of  ornithological  knowledge  but,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  the  section  of  the  Lacey  bill 
referred  to,  relates  to  living  birds  and 
not  to  their  plumage. 

The  American  Museum  of  Natural  His- 
tory now  publishes  a  popular  monthly 
magazine,  entitled  'The  American  Mu- 
seum Journal,'  which  is  designed  to  keep 
the  public  informed  of  the  progress  of 
the  Museum  as  shown  both  by  exhibits 
and  publications.  It  may  be  obtained 
from  Dr.  Anthony  Woodward,  Librarian 
of  the  Museum,   for  ten  cents  a  copy. 

The  notices  of  Professor  Jones'  'War- 
blers' Songs  '  and  Mr.  Burns'  '  Monograph 
on  the  Flicker,'  published  in  Bird-Lore 
for  August,  have  brought  us  numerous 
inquiries  in  regard  to  the  Wilson  bulle- 
tin, in  which  they  appeared.  This  excel- 
lent publication  is  issued  quarterly  at 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  under  the  editorship  of 
Prof.  Lynds  Jones,  from  whom  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  subscriptions,  back 
numbers,  etc.,   may    be   obtained. 

Houghton,  Miffllin  &  Co  ,  announce 
for  early  publication  '  The  Woodpeckers  ' 
by  Fanny  Hardy  Eckstorm.  Doubtless 
the  day  is  not  distant  when  we  shall  have 
special  monographs  treating  at  greater 
length  than  is  possible  in  a  general  work, 
each  family  of  North  American  birds. 


Editorials 


i6i 


A  Bi-monthly  Magazine 
Devoted  to  the  Study  and  Protection  of   Birds 

OFFICIAL    ORGAN     OF    THE    AI'DUBON    SOCIETIES 

Edited  by  FRANK   M.  CHAPMAN 
Published  by  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Vol.  II  OCTOBER,  1900 


No.  5 


SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  or  66  Fifth  avenue.  New 
York  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  and  Company,  Ltd.,  London. 


COPYRIGHTED,  1900,  BY  FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto: 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  Worth  Two  in  the  Hand. 

The  A.  O.  U.  and  the  Audubon  Societies 

The  proposal  to  hold  a  conference  of 
representatives  of  the  Audubon  societies 
in  Cambridge  during  the  Seventeenth  An- 
nual Congress  of  the  American  Ornitholo- 
gists' Union,  which  convenes  in  that  city 
on  November  12,  1900,  is  admirable,  not 
alone  through  its  promise  of  the  accom- 
plishment of  practical  and  desirable  re- 
sults in  matters  concerning  the  work  of 
the  Audubon  societies,  but  also  because  it 
will  emphasize  the  close  relation  which 
exists  between  the  societies  and  the  Union. 
With  the  more  isolated  members  of  both 
organizations  it  is  evident  that  this  affilia- 
tion is  not  suspected ;  indeed,  the  Audu- 
bonist  whose  aims  are  limited  to  regulat- 
ing the  millinery  of  her  neighbor  finds,  to 
put  it  mildly,  nothing  to  commend  in  the 
most  legitimate  efforts  of  the  ornithologist 
who,  with  equally  narrow  vision,  is  ofttimes 
led  to  make  his  critic  stand  as  a  type  for 
the  societies  she  so  misrepresents. 

An  associate  member  of  the  Union,  liv- 
ing in  California,  voices  this  prejudice  in  a 
recent  number  of  'The  Condor,'  wherein 


he  "  registers  a  kick  against  being  placed 
in  the  same  class  [of  A.  O.  U.  membership] 
with  Audubonists  and  fad  protectionists." 
His  definition  of  the  objectionable  Audu- 
bonist  as  a  woman  who  "declines  to  wear 
mangled  bird-remains  on  her  hat  or  as 
trimming  for  her  clothing,"  very  clearly 
exposes  his  ignorance  of  the  scope  of  the 
work  of  the  Audubon  societies,  an  ignor- 
ance which  we  have  found  to  prevail  most 
widely  in  regions  where  the  Audubon 
societies  are  least  active. 

Doubtless  there  are  "  fad  protectionists  " 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Audubon  societies, 
just  as  there  are  fad  collectors  of  birds' 
skins  and  eggs  among  the  members  of  the 
Union;  but  fortunately  both  are  of  too  little 
importance  to  aftect  the  harmony  born  of 
common  interests  which  does  exist  between 
the  Audubon  societies  and  the  A.  O.  U. 

The  original  Audubon  society  was  organ- 
ized by  the  Union,  and  at  the  present  time 
the  presidents  of  three  of  the  leading 
societies  are  prominent  members  of  the 
A.  O.  U.,  while  but  few  of  the  larger 
societies  are  without  representatives  of 
the  Union  on  their  executive  boards  who, 
be  it  added,  are  not  mere  figure-heads,  but 
active  workers.  As  further  evidence  of 
the  community  of  interests  of  the  two 
organizations,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
Union's  Committee  on  the  Protection  of 
North  American  Birds  is,  in  effect,  an 
Audubon  Society. 

It  is  not  alone  the  necessity  for  bird-pro- 
tection which  prompts  these  members  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  to  join  forces  with  the  Audu- 
bon societies,  but  because  they  recognize 
the  enormous  influence  which  these  so- 
cieties can  and  do  exert  on  the  advance  of 
ornithological  interests  in  this  country. 
Indeed,  we  assert  without  hesitation  that 
the  Audubon  societies,  with  their  40,000  or 
more  members,  popular  lecture  courses, 
circulating  libraries,  school  bird-charts,  and 
many  educational  schemes,  are  a  more 
potent  force  in  shaping  the  future  of 
American  ornithology  than  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  itself;  and  this  not 
because  their  members  decline  "to  wear 
mangled  bird-remains,"  but  because  they 


l62 


Bird -Lore 


realize  the  incalculable  importance  of  edu- 
cation, and  are  making  every  effort  to 
secure  for  the  youth  of  this  country  op- 
portunities to  learn  something  of  the 
beauty  and  value  of  bird-life  which  the 
previous  generation  lacked. 

We  would  make  no  comparison  be- 
tween the  Audubon  Societies  and  the 
Union  which  would  in  any  way  reflect 
on  the  work  of  either.  Both  have  their 
place,  and  when  their  relations  are 
properly  understood  it  will  be  seen  that 
they  stand  to  each  other  as  preparatory 
school  to  college.  It  is  the  province  of 
the  Audubon  societies  to  arouse  interest 
in  the  study  of  birds,  in  short,  to  make 
ornithologists;  it  is  the  province  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  to  enroll  them  in  its  member- 
ship after  the  school-day  period  has 
passed,  and  sustain  their  interest  through 
the  stimulation  which  comes  from  associ- 
ation with  others  having  kindred  tastes. 

The  ornithologist  who  counts  success 
through  the  number  of  his  'takes'  and 
'finds'  should  understand  that  we  are 
reaching  a  stage  in  the  study  of  North 
American  birds  where  the  field-glass  is 
of  more  importance  than  the  gun,  where 
observations  are  more  needed  than  col- 
lections. It  is  this  doctrine  which  mem- 
bers of  the  A.  O.  U.  themselves  are  try- 
ing to  inculcate  in  the  minds  of  budding 
ornithologists  (witness  their  circular  issued 
by  the  Pennsylvania  Audubon  Society  and 
published  in  Bird-Lore  for  August,  iSgg), 
and  to  close  the  ranks  of  the  Union  to 
what,  in  effect,  are  their  own  pupils, 
would  be  obviously  too  inconsistent  to  be 
worthy  of  a  moment's  consideration. 

Robbed  of  its  misconception  of  the 
aims  of  the  Audubonists,  and  we  confess 
to  a  certain  sympathy  with  the  plea  of 
the  writer  of  the  letter  we  have  quoted 
from  for  an  additional  class  of  members 
in  the  A.  O.  U.  The  suggestion  to  in- 
crease the  limit  of  active  membership 
from  fifty  to  sixty  or  seventy-five,  put 
forth  by  another  correspondent  of  '  The 
Condor'  seems   to  us    to    be   unwarranted 


by  e.xisting  conditions.  The  writer  men- 
tioned thinks  that  California  should  be 
better  represented  on  the  active  list,  but 
we  find  that  it  already  possesses  four 
active  members,  or  more  than  any  other 
state  except  Massachusetts  and  New  York 
and  the  District  of  Columbia.  However, 
he  admits  that  among  the  ninety  mem- 
bers of  the  Cooper  Ornithological  Club 
of  California  there  are  only  "two,  pos- 
sibly three,  who  would  fill  the  require- 
ments" demanded  of  candidates  for  active 
membership.  To  this  number  average 
current  opinion  would  add  probably  four 
or  five  candidates  from  the  East,  making 
a  total  number  of  eight  possible  claim- 
ants for  the  four  vacancies  in  the  active 
list,  certainly  not  a  too  severe  competi- 
tion for  "  the  highest  honor  to  which  any 
American  Ornithologist,  can  aspire." 

The  proposal  to  make  two  classes  of 
associate  members,  on  the  contrary,  has 
much  in  its  favor.  When  the  Union  was 
organized  there  was  far  less  interest 
in  the  study  of  birds  than  at  present, 
and  the  list  of  associate  members  was 
largely  composed  of  amateur  ornitholo- 
gists, any  one  of  whom  might  eventually 
become  a  candidate  for  active  member- 
ship. But  with  the  greatly  increased 
popularity  of  ornithology  there  has  arisen 
a  class  of  students  who,  while  they  do 
not  aspire  to  the  rank  of  active  member- 
ship, are  still  desirous  of  being  connected 
with  the  Union,  and  between  them  and 
the  associates,  whose  ambition  it  is  to 
become  active  members,  a  distinction 
might,  with  perfect  justice,  be  made  by 
the  creation  of  a  class  of  senior  associates 
limited  to  one  hundred  in  number. 

But,  in  any  event,  let  us  regard  with 
equal  fairness  the  technical  ornithologist 
absorbed  in  his  minute  study  of  speci- 
mens and  his  disentanglements  of  nom- 
enclatural  snarls,  and  the  ardent  bird- 
protectionist  who  perhaps  can  not  name 
a  dozen  birds  correctly.  Both  are  sin- 
cere, both  are  necessary,  and  a  mutual 
understanding  of  each  other's  aims  will, 
we  are  sure,  lead  to  mutual  respect. 


"  Vou  cannot  with  a  scalpel  Jind  the  poet's  soul. 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  song." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird-Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  depart- 
ment should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 


Notes 

The  ever-important  question  of  how  to 
retain  the  interest  of  those  already  banded 
together  by  membership  in  the  Audubon 
Societies  is  still  before  us,  and  seemingly 
as  far  from  being  settled  as  ever.  As 
yet  there  has  been  no  general  meeting 
of  workers  in  this  branch  of  bird -pro- 
tection, no  interchange  of  personally 
related  experience.  I  am  glad  to  be  able 
to  state  definitely  that  the  long-talked-of 
conference  is  to  be  held  this  fall,  and  I 
urge  as  large  a  response  as  possible  to 
the  hospitable  invitation  of  the  Audubon 
Society  of   the   state   of    Massachusetts. 

It  is  quite  fitting  that  this  Society 
should  be  the  first  to  act  as  host,  as  it 
has  been  the  pioneer  of  all  that  is  best 
in  the  work — at  once  progressive  and  con- 
servative. 


with  a  living  at  stake  to  be  more  moral 
than  the  woman  who  has  sufficient  means 
to  buy  her  headgear  ready  made? 

One  milliner  writes  :  "I  am  in  sympathy 
with  the  Audubon  movement,  and  I  think 
it  is  a  great  pity  that  the  dear  little  birds 
should  be  sacrificed  for  millinery  trimming, 
but  as  long  as  my  patrons  demand  them  I 
feel  it  right  to  use  them.  Stop  the  demand, 
and  the  milliners  and  dealers  will  soon 
forget  about  them.  *  *  *  It  is  my  plan 
to  have  a  great  many  hats  and  bonnets 
without  the  plumage  of  wild  birds,  and  if  I 
could  get  sufficient  support  from  members 
of  the  society,  I  would  do  away  with 
them  altogether. " 

This,  from  a  well-known  Boston  milli- 
ner, drives  the  nail  home,  and  is  a  clear  ex- 
pression of  the  sentiments  of  the  majority 
of  the  intelligent  trade. 


Some  time  ago  Professor  M.  A.  Willco.x 
made  the  suggestion  that  a  'White-List' 
of  milliners  be  obtained,  if  possible,  in 
every  city  and  large  town ;  this  list  to 
be  composed  of  the  names  of  those  who 
would  be  willing  to  keep  on  hand  some 
tasteful  hats  and  bonnets  from  which  all 
but  Ostrich  plumes  should  be  absent  or, 
in  short,  to  make  it  easy  for  customers 
to  obtain   'Audubonnets'  if  they  so  desire 

This  is  a  praiseworthy  experiment,  and 
I  should  like  every  secretary  to  endeavor 
to  send  a  list  of  names  by  November  i. 
Personally,  I  think  it  is  handling  the 
matter  by  the  wrong  end.  Women  should 
refrain  from  demanding  feathers  rather 
than  throw  the  responsibility  upon  the 
milliner,  who  must  keep  well  in  the  front 
with  novelties  in  the  push  of  trade-rivalry 
or  go  to  the  wall. 

Why    should    we    expect     the     milliner 


I  wish  to  call  particular  attention  to 
Bird-chart  No.  II,  issued  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts Society.  It  is  fully  the  equal  of 
No.  I,  and  the  two,  picturing  as  they  do 
fifty-two  of  our  common  birds,  with  accom- 
panying descriptive  text  by  Ralph  Hoff- 
mann, are  a  practical  answer  to  the  daily 
question,  "How  can  I  instruct  my  children 
about  the  birds  ?  We  do  not  live  near  a 
museum." 


The  Rhode  Island  Society  has  issued  a 
very  striking  poster  printed  on  heavy  card, 
bearing  a  picture  of  a  Tern,  and  urging 
women  to  refrain  from  wearing  the  plum- 
age of  both  Gulls  and  Terns.  Copies  may 
be  purchased  from  the  secretary. 

The  schools  are  again  in  session,  and 
the  season  for  teaching  via  the  book  opens 
as  the  season  of  observation  for  the  many 
draws  to  a  close.      This  is  the  time    that 


164 


Bird-Lore 


the  circulating  libraries  of  natural  history 
should  be  sent  upon  their  journeys  to 
the  remote  school-districts  to  bring  a 
breath  of  hope  and  summer  to  those  of 
whom  winter  makes  'shut-ins.'  These 
libraries  should  not  be  wholly  about 
birds,  but  comprise  books  on  other  na- 
tive animals  and  plants  as  well,  the 
better  to  show  the  interdependence  of 
all    nature.— M.    O.   W. 

The    Audubon    Conference 

Following  the  suggestion  given  in  Bird- 
Lore  of  a  recent  date  that  a  conference  of 
Audubon  Societies  be  held  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of 
the  A.  O.  U.  November  12-14,  the  Massa- 
chusetts Audubon  Society  announces  that 
it  has  sent  invitations  to  the  secretaries 
of  the  various  state  societies  asking  them 
to  send  delegates  to  such  a  conference. 
The  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of 
Audubon  Societies,  and  the  many  methods 
of  working  for  bird-protection  which  have 
been  in  use  by  them,  suggest  that  a  com- 
parison of  these  methods,  and  a  mutual 
interchange  of  opinions  on  this  subject 
would  be  of  benefit  to  all.  There  are  now 
twenty-two  of  these  societies  and  it  is 
earnestly  desired  that  each  will  send  at 
least  three  delegates  to  this  conference. 
The  Massachusetts  Audubon  Society  will 
cordially  welcome  the  delegates,  and  will 
make  arrangements  for  their  convenience 
and  comfort ;  they  also  herewith  extend  an 
earnest  invitation  to  all  Audubon  members 
and  bird-lovers  to  attend  this  meeting. 
The  committee  are  perfecting  arrange- 
ments to  make  this  first  convention  of 
Audubon  Societies  a  pleasant  and  profit- 
able occasion,  when  "members  may  meet 
face  to  face  and  feel  the  fellowship  that 
comes  from  the  spoken  word." 

For  details  of  the  conference  and  sug- 
gestions regarding  the  programme,  address 
Harriet  E.  Richards,  Secretary,  care  of 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History. 

The  Milliners'  'White-List' 

We  have  received  the  following  names 
of  milliners    who    are   willing    to   make  a 


specialty  of  bonnets  trimmed  without 
wild  birds'  feathers: 

BOSTON,  MASS.— R.  H.  Sterns  &  Co., 
Cor.  Temple  Place  and  Tremont  St.  ; 
Caroline,  4S6  Boylston  St  ;  Celeste,  415 
Boylston  St. 

WORCESTER,  MASS.— Edith  A.  Cash- 
ing, I  Chatham  St. ;  Mrs.  Harriet  A.  Green, 
ig  High  St.  ;  Mrs.  Ida  S.  Richards,  165 
Pleasant  St. 

MILLBURY,  MASS.— Mrs.  J.  M.  Cush- 
ing-Johnson,   271   Main  St. 

Reports   of    Societies 

RHODE   ISLAND   SOCIETY 

The  Audubon  Society,  in  conjunction 
with  the  Game  Association  of  this  state, 
succeeded  last  year  in  securing  the  pass- 
age of  a  law  creating  a  Bird  Commission 
of  five  members,  authorized  to  enforce 
the  statutes  relating  to  birds.  This  year, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  same 
societies,  and  with  the  help  of  the  Bird 
Commissioners,  the  Rhode  Island  bird 
laws  have  been  greatly  improved  and 
now  compare  favorably  with  those  of  any 
state.  The  close  season  for  game  birds 
has  been  lengthened,  and  all  other  birds 
are  protected  during  the  entire  year,  with 
the  exception  of  English  Sparrow,  Hawks, 
Owls,  Crows,  and  Crow  Blackbirds,  which 
"may  be  killed  at  any  time  by  any  person 
upon  his  own  land."  This  last  clause 
was  a  necessary  concession  to  the  views 
of  some  of  the  rural  legislators,  ard  we 
can  only  hope  that  in  the  near  future  it 
will  be  amended. 

One  section  of  the  law  imposed  a  fine 
of  f  20  for  every  Woodcock,  Quail,  or  Ruffed 
Grouse  sent  out  of  the  state  The  same 
penalty  is  imposed  for  disturbing  or  de- 
stroying the  nest  or  eggs  of  any  v;ild  bird 
without  a  license  from  some  scientific 
institution. 

In  order  to  give  publicity  to  the  new 
laws,  the  Audubon  Society  has  had  ab- 
stracts of  the  same  printed  upon  cloth  and 
posted  throughout  the  state. 

As  a  novel  method  of  appealing  to  the 
public,    this    Society    has    recently    made 


The  Audubon  Societies 


165 


use  of  an  advertising  card  in  the  street 
cars.  One  half  the  cards  is  devoted  to  a 
beautiful  half-tone  picture  of  a  Wilson's 
Tern,  and  the  other  half  to  an  appeal  to 
all  "Fair-minded  Women." 

It  is  hoped  that  other  societies  will 
make  use  of  these  cards,  which  are  suita- 
ble for  posting  in  any  public  place,  and 
which  may  be  obtained  from  the  under- 
signed at  cost. 

In  order  to  encourage  the  study  of 
birds  in  the  school,  four  prizes  of  cameras 
and  opera  glasses  were  recently  offered 
by  the  Audubon  Society  and  the  Humane 
Education  Committee  of  the  S  P.  C.  A. 
for  the  best  essay  upon  various  subjects 
relating  to  birds.  The  graduating  classes 
in  the  fifteen  grammar  schools  of  Prov- 
idence were  selected  by  the  superinten- 
dent of  schools,  Dr.  H.  S.  Tarbell,  for  the 
competition.  A  month  of  preparation 
was  allowed,  but  the  subjects  were  not 
given  out  until  the  hour  appointed  for 
writing  the  essay. 

About  150  of  the  best  papers  were  sent 
to  a  committee  of  this  Society,  who  e.\- 
amined  them  and  awarded  the  prizes. 
The  work  done  by  the  pupils  showed  an 
amount  of  interest  that  was  surprising 
and  encouraging,  and  the  Committee  de- 
cided to  make  honorable  mention  of  ten 
papers  for  which  they  awarded  subscrip 
tions  to  a  monthly  magazine  issued  by  one 
of  the  Humane  Societies. 

The  officers  of  the  Audubon  Society 
feel  that  a  busy  season  has  resulted  in  a 
distinct  advance  for  the  cause  of  the  birds. 
Annie    M.    Grant,    Secretary. 

CONNECTICUT   SOCIETY 

The  Annual  Report  of  the  Audubon 
Society  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  has 
been  issued  in  pamphlet  form,  and  will 
be  sent  to  the  officers  of  other  societies 
upon  application  to  the  secretary.  This 
society  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  the 
special  feature  of  the  past  year,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  free  illustrated  lectures,  being 
the  purchase  of  10  Natural  History  libra- 
ries of  10  books  each  to  be  circulated  in 
the  public  schools   through    the    kind   co- 


operation of  Mr.  C.  D.  Hine,  secretary  of 
the  State  Board  of  Education. 

The  following  letter  is  a  part  of  that 
sent  out  with  each  library  : 

Dear  Madam: 

You  will  receive  by  express  an  Audubon 
Library.  These  books  deal  with  natural 
history  and  particularly  with  birds,  the  ob- 
ject being  to  encourage  the  reading  of  all 
good  books  and  especially  to  arouse  interest 
in  the  nature  and  habits  of  common  birds 
and  the  benefits  which  these  birds  render. 
The  Audubon  Society  will  be  glad  to 
receive  reports  from  the  teachers,  giving 
an  account  of  the  use  of  the  books,  stating 
which  are  the  most  popular  and  enter- 
taining, in  general  the  effect  of  such  a 
library  in  school.  The  library  may  be 
kept  until  the  end  of  the  term.  It  comes 
to  you  free  of  expense,  and  when  returned 
the  express  will  be  paid  at  this  end. 
Yours  truly, 
Connecticut  Bc-^rd  of  Education. 

All  of  the  libraries  have  been  placed 
with  the  public-school  teachers  and  several 
have  written  to  show  their  appreciation 
and  enjoyment  of  the  books.  We  consider 
this  work  one  of  the  most  important  we 
have  accomplished,  and  hope  to  extend  it 
considerably  during  the  coming  year,  as 
there  is  already  a  demand  for  more  books. 

To  give  greater  identity  each  library 
bears  the  name  of  the  American  naturalist 
whose  books  are  most  prominent  in  it,  or 
a  title  otherwise  indicative  of  its  contents. 
The  Ernest  Seton-Thompson  Library,  The 
John  Burroughs  Library,  The  Olive  Thorne 
Miller  Library,  The  Teachers'  Library, 
The  Gardencraft  Library,   etc. 

The  Lecture  Committee  reports  as  fol- 
lows : 

"Last  summer  the  two  lectures  illus- 
trated by  slides  which  the  Audubon  Society 
had  circulated  during  the  previous  year 
were  re-used,  and  to  the  Farmers'  Lecture 
a  number  of  new  slides  were  added.  Also 
a  new  lecture  was  written  and  slides  pre- 
pared by  Mrs.  Wright,  the  president  of 
the  society.  This  lecture  was  intended 
for  little  children,  the  subject  being  '  The 


1 66 


Bird-Lore 


Adventures  of  a  Robin.'  During  the  fall 
months  there  was  some  demand  for  the 
lectures,  but  with  spring  came  more  appli- 
cations, and  from  then  till  now  they  have 
been  in  almost  constant  use.  The  com- 
mittee has  made  an  effort  to  have  the 
Farmers'  Lecture  used  in  the  granges 
throughout  the  state,  and  though  a  num- 
ber have  had  them,  still  not  so  many  as 
the  number  of  granges  would  warrant. 
The  schools  have  responded  largely  to 
notices  sent  to  them  in  regard  to  the 
lectures,  and  for  Bird  and  Arbor  Day 
there  were  twenty  applications  for  them 
Lecture  No.  H,  'Birds  about  Home,' 
has  been  used  fifty-two  times,  while  the 
Farmer's  Lecture  has  been  used  fifteen 
times,  and  Lecture  No.  Ill  sixteen  times, 
making  in  all  eighty-three  times.  Success 
has  been  obtained  by  a  local  secretary 
keeping  a  lecture  a  number  of  weeks,  and 
taking  it  to  the  different  schools  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  children  were  much 
interested,  and  a  number  joined  the 
society  as  a  result.  A  number  of  most 
appreciative  letters  have  been  received, 
and  there  seems  no  doubt  that  the  lec- 
tures have  done  great  good  in  arousing 
interest  in  the  cause  for  which  the  Audu- 
bon Society  is  working — the  protection  of 
birds." 

The    Audubon    Societies    at    the  General 
Federation  cf  Women's  Clubs 

Through  the  enterprise  of  the  Wiscon- 
sin Society,  Miss  Mira  Lloyd  Dock  was 
secured  to  speak  upon  Bird-Protection  June 
8,  at  the  General  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs  then  in  session  in  Milwaukee.  Miss 
Dock  took  '  The  Quality  of  Mercy  '  as  her 
text,  and  through  it  appealed  to  a  represen- 
tative audience  of  women  from  every  part 
of  the  country.  She  handled  the  subject 
in  a  way  that  showed  a  thoroughly  trained 
and  logical  mind.  The  work  of  the  Audu- 
bon Societies  was  presented  not  as  an  iso- 
lated affair,  not  as  a  fad,  but  in  its  relation 
to  all  the  other  movements  of  the  age  that 


make  for  righteousness,  in  the  way  of  les- 
sening the  amount  of  suffering  among  men 
and  animals. 

A  leaflet  containing  a  list  of  the  Societies 
for  Bird-Protection  at  home  and  abroad, 
and  various  notes  of  interest  was  distri- 
buted at  the  meeting,  which  cannot  fail  of 
doing  widespread  good.  The  State  Socie- 
ties contributing  toward  the  expenses  of 
this  lecture  were  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 
chusetts, Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  Illinois,  Wisconsin 
and  Ohio. 

A    Welcome     Superstition 

Mr.  Ernest  Seton-Thompson  writes  us 
from  abroad  of  a  growing  superstition  in 
Paris  against  the  wearing  of  'aigrettes,' 
which,  with  characteristic  originality,  he 
voices  in  rhyme,  as  follows : 

The  Dames  of  France  no  longer  wear 
The  phniies  they  used  to  prize  : 

They  find  that  Aigrettes  in  the  hair 
Brings  crows'  feet  in  the  eyes. 

E.  S-T. 

A  Remarkable  Bonnet 

The  observing  ornithologist  nowadays 
often  make  interesting  discoveries  in 
the  befeathered  monstrosities  with  which 
some  women  no  doubt  imagine  themselves 
becomingly  adorned ;  but  of  the  many 
which  have  claimed  our  attention,  in  none 
perhaps  was  the  plumage  of  different  birds 
so  confusingly  intermingled  as  in  a  hat 
seen  not  long  since  on  an  Eighth  Avenue, 
New  York  City,  car. 

It  contained  a  Black-cock's  tail.  Dove's 
and  Whip-poor-will's  wings.  Grebe's 
breast,  Paradise  Bird's  plumes,  a  bunch 
of  Aigrettes,  and  a  Hummingbird !  — 
F.  M.  C. 

Death  of  Miss  Seixas. 

We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of  Miss 
Cecile  Seixas,  secretary  of  the  Te.xas  Au- 
dubon Society,  who,  with  her  mother  and 
two  sisters,  perished  in  the  Galveston 
hurricane. 


FERRUGINOUS     ROUGH-LEGGED     HAWK 
Photographed  from  life  by  H.  W.  Nash,  Pueblo,  Colo. 


iSirli^lore 


A   BI-MONTHLY   MAGAZINE 
DEVOTED    TO    THE    STUDY   AND    PROTECTION    OF    BIRDS 

Official   Orqan    of   the    Audubon    Societies 


Vol.  II 


December,  1900 


No.  6 


Photographing    Ptarmigan 

BY  E.  R.  WARREN,  Crested   Butte.  Colo. 

With   photographs   from   nature   by  the   author* 

UR  White-tailed  Ptarmigan,  or  'Mountain  Quail,'  as  it  is 
commonly  called  in  this  state,  is  a  bird  of  such  alpine 
habitat  that  but  few  become  acquainted  with  it,  especially 
in  the  summer  season,  when  it  lives  at  timber-line  and 
higher.  In  the  winter  it  is  somewhat  better  known,  for 
it  then  descends  to  the  valleys,  driven  down  by  the  storms 
and  deep  snows,  although,  as  far  as  I  know,  never  below  or  out  of 
the  snow.  At  this  time  they  are  very  noticeable,  that  is,  if  one  runs 
across  them,  for  they  are  pure  white,  excepting  bills  and  eyes,  which 
are  black.  At  all  seasons,  so  far  as  I  have  observed,  unless  much 
persecuted,  they  are  fearless  of  man,  and  will  allow  one  to  approach 
very  closely,  so   closely   that   I   have   actually  touched  them. 

The  photographs  from  which  the  accompanying  illustrations  were 
made  were  taken  in  the  vicinity  of  Crested  Butte,  Gunnison  county, 
Colorado.  The  first  of  the  birds  in  the  summer  plumage  was  taken 
in  1899  at  ^^  elevation  of  over  ii,ooo  feet,  nearly  but  not  quite  tim- 
ber-line, and  in  one  of  our  high  mountain  basins.  The  birds  were 
in  the  habit  of  coming  daily,  at  about  noon,  to  a  mining  tunnel,  for 
the  sake  of  drinking  from  a  small  stream  of  water  which  flowed  from 
the  tunnel,  probably  the  nearest  water  they  could  find.  As  long  as 
there  is  snow  on  the  mountains  the  birds  do  not  go  for  water.  I 
have  seen   them  eat  snow  in  the  summer  as  well  as  in  winter.      There 


*Mr.  Warren's  beautiful  pictures  illustrate  perhaps  more  forcibly  than  any  photographs  Bird-Lore 
has  published  the  educational  value  of  the  camera  in  the  study  of  birds  in  nature.  Few  ornithologists 
are  privileged  to  see  Ptarmigan  in  their  haunts,  and.  with  the  exception  of  the  Scottish  species,  they  are 
never,  we  believe,  confined  in  zoological  gardens.  But  here  we  have  a  series  of  photographs,  which  not 
only  gives  an  excellent  idea  of  the  appearance  of  these  birds  in  life,  but  graphically  demonstrates  the  im- 
portance of  their  marked  seasonal  changes  in  plumage,  which  are  technically  described  by  Dr.  Dwight 
in  the  succeeding  article. 


lyo 


Bird-Lore 


were  old  and  young  birds ;  on  my  first  trip  I  found  a  hen  with  two 
young,  and  on  my  second  a  hen  with  four  young,  and  another  hen 
with  one  chicken  appeared  soon  after.  The  latter,  I  think,  were  those 
seen  the  first  trip,  but  one  had  been  killed  by  something,  very  likely 
a  Red-tailed  Hawk  I  saw  flying  about.  This  Hawk  was  the  cause 
of  the  picture  called  "Watching  the  Hawk,"  taken  the  first  trip. 
These  two  young  birds  were  very  tame,  and  after  being  followed 
about  some  time  had  settled  down  among  the  grass  and  stones 
on   the  hillside.       I  had   put   the   camera   down  about   four   feet   away 


WATCHING     THE     HAWK 


from  them,  and  had  the  stop  at  sixty-four  and  shutter  for  one-half 
second  exposure.  The  old  bird  was  about  twent}'  feet  away.  The 
chicks  were  in  a  nice  position,  the  slide  was  out  of  the  plate-holder, 
and  I  was  just  at  the  point  of  squeezing  the  bulb  to  make  the  exposure. 
The  hen  began  clucking  very  excitedly  as  if  alarmed,  and  those  young- 
sters flattened  themselves  out  among  the  rocks  and  grass  so  that, 
close  as  I  was  to  them,  I  could,  hardly  distinguish  them  from  their 
surroundings.  As  for  taking  their,  pictures  then,  it  would  have  been 
impossible.  The  camera  would  have  shot  over  them.  I  looked  to 
see  the  cause  of  the  trouble  and  saw  the  Hawk  sailing  along  close 
to  the  ground.      After  he  had  passed,  the  birds  raised  themselves   up 


■Copyright,  hy  E-  R.    Jl'ari-en 

PTARMIGAN    IN    NOVEMBER    JUST    AFTER    COMPLETING    WINTER    PLUMAGE 

The  conspicuousness  of  these  birds  in  white  winter  plumage  when  seen  against  a  dark 
background  is  an  eloquent  argument  for  the  necessity  of  their  seasonal  changes  in  plumage, 
the  value  of  which  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  photographs  on  the  preceding  page  and 
below,  where  birds  in  summer  and  winter  plumages  respectively  are  shown  with  appro- 
priate seasonal  surroundings. 


CopyrigJit,  by  E.  R    lVarre*f 


PTARMIGAN    IN    WINTER    PLUMAGE 


172 


Bird  -  Lore 


and  stretched  out  their  necks,  looking  after  him — then  I  took  the 
picture. 

After  quenching  their  thirst  at  the  tunnel  the  birds  would  start 
up  the  hill,  feeding  as  they  went  and  acting  much  like  a  flock  of 
domestic  fowls.  They  fed  on  grass  and  weed  seeds,  with  an  occa- 
sional fly  or  other  insect,  which  the  young  would  often  chase. 

The  picture  of  the  two  birds  in  winter  plumage  was  taken  in 
November,  1899,  near  the  summit  of  Mt.  Emmons,  just  across  from 
Redwell  Basin,  where  I  made  my  summer  pictures.  A  heavy  snow 
had    fallen    in    October,   but    after    that    the    weather   had    settled    and 


* 

Psii^l^'^ '  '^^r-i-idSH^BS^"' 

^" 

r  '-fftij^  -^^  .'^0s*i'^^^MKK&f^' ..  -J 

m>*t  I 

^**i5**wpyi»'^— V-*-   • 

^^vj^^^^^lT'  iij^i"*-  '<-"^<  -y^  ^^Ssf^^^^^^BSP  .^^I^^^^H^^^C^  1 

1 

PTARMIGAN    IN    SPRING    CHANGING    TO    SUMMER    PLUMAGE 

melted  the  snow  so  that  it  was  not  bad  traveling  ;  in  fact,  even  to 
the  very  top  of  the  mountain  there  were  bare  spots.  Here  I  found 
these  two  Ptarmigan,  young  birds,  I  think,  as  they  did  not  appear  to 
be  quite  full  grown,  and  possibly  some  of  those  I  had  photographed 
two  months  before.  Like  the  others  they  were  tame,  and  I  could  get 
as  close  as  I  wished  to  them,  the  bare  ground  giving  a  contrasting 
background  for  their  white  winter  plumage.  The  picture  of  the  bird 
in  winter  plumage,  on  the  snow,  with  part  of  a  man  on  skis  near  by, 
was  taken  in  the  valley  of  East  River,  about  four  miles  east  of 
Crested  Butte,  in  March,  1900.  Here,  among  the  willows  in  the 
river  bottom,  were  quite  a  good  many  Ptarmigan,  some  of  which 
were    quite    shy.       Snowshoes,    ten -foot    Norwegians,    or    skis,    were    a 


Photographing   Ptarmigan 


173 


necessity  here,  for  the  snow  was  three  to  five  feet  deep  and  there 
were  no  roads  or  trails.  The  birds  appeared  to  be  feeding  on  the 
willow  buds.  Judging  from  the  tracks  we  saw,  they  must  be  much 
harassed  by  coyotes,  for  we  observed  the  latter's  tracks  running  in 
every  direction  from  one  willow  clump  to  another,  as  if  beating  the 
ground  for   game. 

In  May,  igoo,  I  was  camped  on  the  south  slope  of  Mt.  Emmons, 
working  a  mining  claim.  The  snow  still  lay  on  the  higher  slopes, 
but  in  the  morning  would  be  hard  so  that  one  could  easily  walk 
on  it.  One  morning  I  walked  up  toward  the  summit,  near  where 
I  secured  the  winter  plumage  pictures,  and  found  one  bird,  in  the 
changing  plumage.  Its  head  and  neck  were  thickly  spotted  with 
black  and  brown,  while  there  were  numerous  brown  feathers  in  the 
back.  Below  it  was  still  white.  As  usual,  it  was  tame  and  I  could 
observe  it  closely.  Where  I  found  it  the  ground  was  partly  bare  and 
partly  covered  with  snow\  On  the 
bare  spots  it  found  grass  and  was 
nipping  off  the  heads  of  this,  and 
also  would  pick  industriously  at  times 
into  bunches  of  moss,  getting  the 
seeds  from   them. 

On  July  II,  I  had  my  greatest 
piece  of  luck.  I  had  gone  out  to 
look  for  Ptarmigan,  hoping  to  find  a 
nest  with  eggs,  and  was  coming  back 
along  the  crest  of  a  ridge  when  I 
saw  a  little  chick  running  a  few  feet 
in  front  of  me,  and,  looking  down,  I 
saw  the  old  bird  and  more  chicks 
almost  beside  me.  There  were  five 
young  altogether,  apparently  only  a 
few  days  old,  as  they  were  downy, 
and  the  quills  in  the  wings  were  only 
just  beginning  to  show.  With  this 
family  I  had  a  most  interesting  time. 
It  was  no  trouble  to  get  pictures  of 
the  old  bird,  for  she  would  stand  still 
and  allow  me  to  put  the  camera  down 
on  the  ground  two  or  three  feet  away, 
use  the  focusing  cloth  and  focus,  then  change  the  shutter  from  time  to 
instantaneous  exposures,  put  in  the  plate-holder  and  make  the  expos- 
ures. I  secured  pictures  of  her  thus  when  she  was  covering  her  whole 
family,  for  whenever   she   stopped  the  chicks  would  nestle  beneath  her, 


Copyrigh/.  by   E.  R.  Warren 


ADULT  FEMALE    PTARMIGAN    IN    SUMMER 
PLUMAGE 


174 


Bird-  Lore 


wlicii  I  inif^ht  have  (■,a])liii(<l  llif  wlioli'  family  by  putting  my  li^t  over 
lliciii.  lint  llit-y  were  iiKjsl  iiKlfpciidciii  little  fellows  and,  chirping, 
w(jiil(l  rim  al)()iit  vvliercver  they  pleasetl.  It  was  woiKlerful  to  see  them 
run  ovir  the  roiij^li,  rocky  ^^round  where  I  found  them.  This  was  at  an 
elevation  ol  about  12,000  feet  imd  on  a  ridj^e  the  n(jrth  side  of  whicli 
breaks  off  very  abruptly,  in  many  j)la(:es  in  |)erpendic,ular  dills.  Once 
I  saw  a  youii}^  one  fall  fully  seven  feet  d(jwn  amon^  the  rocks,  rolling 
over  and  over.  It  di<l  not  seim  to  be  at  all  hurt  or  frightened. 
When  it  SLO])|)(,-d  falling  it  ;it  once  started  back  up  the  hill  and  in  a 
minute  or  two  was  with  its  mother;  she  had  seen  the  fall,  but  had 
manifested  no  alarm.  The  birds  were  feeding  on  the  seeds  of  such 
grass  and  ])lants  as  grow  at  that  altitude,  a  si)ecies  of  moss  being, 
seemingly,  an   especial    favorite   with    them. 

Finally,  placing  the  camera  where  I  had  to  lie  down  at  full  length  to 
focus,  and  where,  if  i  had  rolled  t(j  the  lelt  ;i  little  w;iys,  1  would  have 
fallen  a  hundred  feet  (jr  more;  down  the  mountain,  1  put  in  the  plate- 
holder,  drew  the  slide,  then,  by  threatening  the  bird,  lujlding  my  hand 
over  her  h<ad,  I  induced  her  to  rise;  the  youngsters  came  out  from 
under,  and,  watching  the  right    lime,   T  caught   two  of   them  in  a  picture. 


Copyri,:ht,  hy  li.   K.  II 


IKMALE    1'TARMI(;aN    AND    CHICKS 


How    Ptarmigans    Molt"' 

BY  JONATHAN    DWIGHT,  Jr.,  M.  D. 

^  ■  ^  HESE  widely  distributed,  circumpolar  birds  are  a  pleasing  illus- 
L'Oi'fJ  tration  of  the   principle  of  protective  coloration,  even  their 

\  It,  method  of  molt  varying  so  from  that  of  the  other  Grouse 
as  to  adapt  their  plumages  more  perfectly  to  their  surround- 
ings. In  winter  we  find  them  in  snow-white  dress,  the  Willow 
and  Rock  Ptarmigans  {Lagopiis  lagopiis  and  Lagopus  rupestris') 
and  their  allies  having  jet-black  tails  which  are  nearly  concealed  by  the 
white  coverts  (Fig.  r).  The  White-tailed  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  Icuciirus^, 
peculiar  to  the  alpine  tops  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  is  absolutely  white. 
During  the  long  Arctic  winter  the  birds  so  blend  with  their  snowy 
environment  as  to  be  well-nigh  invisible  to  their  enemies,  but  with  the 
coming  of  the  brief  summer  their  white  dress  is  no  longer  protective,  as 
they  wander  over  the  brown  vegetation  or  gray  rocks  laid  bare  by  the 
sun.  Now  they  must  sit  upon  their  eggs  day  after  day  in  some  warm 
spot  and  presently  care  for  their  brood  in  latitudes  where  often  in  mid- 
summer snow-drifts  alternate  with  flowers.  And  so  it  is  that  a  pre- 
nuptial  molt  quickly  covers  the  upper  parts  of  their  bodies  an4  their 
breasts  with  brownish  or  dusky  mottled  feathers  that  hide  the  white 
wings  and  abdomen  (Fig  a').  This  molt  occurs,  usually  in  May,  with 
the  melting  of  the  snow,  which  takes  place  earlier  or  later  according  to 
latitude. 

After  the  duties  of  incubation  are  over,  early  in  July,  the  postnuptial 
molt,  common  to  all  species  of  birds,  begins  and  it  is  completed  in 
about  six  weeks.  The  white  wings  and  black  tails  (white  in  Z.  leii- 
curiis')  are  renewed  and  nearly  all  of  the  lower  surface  becomes  white, 
while  upon  the  head,  breast  and  back  reddish  or  dusky  feathers  appear, 
with  mottling  which  is  less  bold  than  the  nuptial  and  often  reduced  to 
a  mere  sprinkling  of  darker  color.  Females,  previously  distinguishable 
by  coarser  mottling,  also  don  this  dress,  the  preliminary  winter  plumage. 
A  supplementary  postnuptial  molt  now  follows  so  quickly  that  one 
molt  is  often  not  completed  before  the  other  begins.  The  latter  is 
partial,  but  it  involves  those  areas  upon  which  dark  feathers  have  grown, 
they  being  now  replaced  by  white  ones.  The  overlapping  of  the  molts 
is  shown  by  Fig.  b,  where  feathers  of  three  stages  of  plumage  may  be 
seen,  the  parti-colored  effect  being  due  chiefly  to  the  outbreak  of  molt 
at  various  definite  points  from  which  new  feather  growth,  as  in  other 
species,  regularly  radiates  along  definite  paths. 

The  purpose  of  the  preliminary  plumage,  apparently,  is  to  tide  the 
birds  over  the  autumn  or,  rather,  the  brief  period  that  in  Arctic  regions 

*See  also  an  important  paper  on  tliis  subject  by  Dr.  Dvvight  in  'The  Auk'  for  April,  1900. 

(175) 


176 


Bird-Lore 


corresponds  to  it.  The  transition  to  winter  dress  is  less  rapid,  however, 
than  the  abrupt  change  from  winter  to  summer,  and  the  parti-colored 
plumage  is  most  protective  when  the  face  of  the  country  is  partly 
brown  and  partly  powdered  white  by  the  snow  -  squalls  that  herald 
the  approach   of    winter. 

We  have  now  followed  the  adult   Ptarmigans  in  their  molts  through- 
out the  year,  and  will  find  that  they  differ  from  other  members  of  the 


SEASONAL     PLUMAGES     OF     PTARMIGAN 
From  specimens  in  the  American  Museum  of   Natural  History. 
a,  summer.     ^,  postnuptial  or  autumn      c,  winter. 

Grouse  family  only  in  their  more  extensive  prenuptial  molt  and  in  their 
peculiar  supplementary  postnuptial  molt.  Let  us  now  see  what 
happens  to  the  young  birds.  The  chicks  hatching  in  July  or  earlier 
are  thickly  covered  with  down.  The  juvenal  plumage  which  follows 
the  down  is  not  unlike  the  nuptial  dress  of  the  adults,  but  the  wing 
quills  (except  the  two  outer  primaries,  which  are  white)  and  the  tail  are 


Winter   Pensioners  177 

gray.  Shortly,  a  complete  postjuvenal  molt  occurs  and  a  preliminary 
winter  plumage  is  assumed,  which  is  nearly  identical  with  that  of  the 
adults.  From  this  stage  on,  the  sequence  of  molts  and  plumages  is 
the  same  in  adults  and  young  birds,  both  assuming  white  plumages  in 
winter  and  mottled  brown  ones  in  summer,  followed  by  the  intermediate 
reddish  stage,  which   is  grayish  or  dusky  in  some  species. 

The  minor  details  of  the  three  molts  of  adults  and  of  the  two 
peculiar  to  young  birds  are  extremely  interesting,  but  space  forbids  our 
going  deeper  into  them.  Enough,  however,  has  been  said  to  show  not 
only  how  the  Ptarmigans  molt,  but  why  they  molt.  The  plumage 
changes  seem  to  be  necessitated  by  the  conditions  under  which  they 
live. 


Winter    Pensioners 

BY   BRADFORD   TORREY 

With   photographs   troni   nature 

OUR  northern  winter  is  a  lean  time,  ornithologically,  though 
it  brings  us  some  choice  birds  of  its  own,  and  is  not 
without  many  alleviations.  When  the  Redpolls  come  in 
crowds  and  the  White-winged  Crossbills  in  good  numbers, 
both  of  which  things  happened  last  year,  the  world  is  not  half  so 
bad  with  us  as  it  might  be.  Still,  winter  is  winter,  a  season  to  be 
tided  over  rather  than  doted  upon,  and  anything  which  helps  to 
make  the  time  pass  agreeably  is  matter  for  thankfulness.  So  I  am 
asked  to  write  something  about  the  habit  we  are  in  at  our  house  of 
feeding  birds  in  cold  weather,  and  thus  keeping  them  under  the 
windows.  Really  we  have  done  nothing  peculiar,  nor  has  our  suc- 
cess been  beyond  that  of  many  of  our  neighbors  ;  but  such  as  it  is, 
the  work  has  given  us  much  enjoyment,  and  the  readers  of  Bird- 
Lore  are  welcome  to  the  story. 

Our  method  is  to  put  out  pieces  of  raw  suet,  mostly  the  trim- 
mings of  beefsteak.  These  we  attach  to  branches  of  trees  and  to 
the  veranda  trellis,  taking  pains,  of  course,  to  have  them  beyond  the 
cat's  reach  (that  the  birds  may  feed  safely)  and  at  the  same  time 
well  disposed  for  our  own  convenience  as  spectators.  For  myself, 
in  addition,  I  generally  nail  pieces  of  the  bait  upon  one  or  two  of 
the  outer  sills  of  my  study  windows.  I  like,  as  I  sit  reading  or 
writing,  to  hear  now  and  then  a  Nuthatch  or  a  Chickadee  ham- 
mering just  outside  the  pane.  Often  I  rise  to  have  a  look  at  the 
visitor.  There  is  nothing  but  the  glass  between  us,  and  I  can  stand 
near  enough   to   see   his    bead}^  eyes,  and,  so   to  speak,  the   expression 


178 


Bird -Lore 


of  his  face.  Sometimes  two  birds  are  there  at  once,  one  waiting  for 
the  other.  Sometimes  they  have  a  bit  of  set-to.  Then,  certainly, 
they  are  not  without  facial  expression. 

Once  in  a  while,  in  severe  weather,  I  have  sprinkled  crumbs 
(sweet  or  fatty  crumbs  are  best — say  bits  of  doughnut)  on  the  inside 
ledge,  and  then,  with    the  window   raised  a   few  inches,   have   awaited 


TORREV  S  BRANCH  ESTABLISHMENT 


callers.      If   the  weather  is   bad  enough   they  are  not   long    in    coming. 
A  Chickadee  alights  on   the  outer  sill,  notices  the  open  window,  scolds 
a    little  (the    thing   looks    like    a   trap  —  at   all   events    it    is   something 
new,  and   birds  are   conservative),  catches   sight  of   the  crumbs  (well 
now,    that's    another    story),    ceases    his    dee,   dee,    dee,    and     the    next 
minute  hops  inside. 

The  crumbs  prove  to  be  appetizing,  and  by  the  time  he  has  swal- 
lowed a  few  of  them  he  seems  to  forget  how  he  came  in,  and  instead 
of  backing  out,  as  a  reasonable  being  like  a  Chickadee  might  be 
expected  to  do,  he  flies  to  another  light  of  the  bay  window.  Then, 
lest  he  should  injure  himself,  I  must  get  up  and  catch  him  and  show 
him  to  the  door.  By  the  time  I  have  done  this  two  or  three  times 
within  half  an  hour  I  begin  to  find  it  an  interruption  to  other  work, 
and  put  down  the  window.  White-breasted  Nuthatches  and  Downies 
come  often  to  the  outer  sill,  but  only  the  Chickadees  ever  venture 
inside. 

These  three  are  our  daih'  pensioners.  If  they  are  all  in  the  tree 
together,  as  they  very  often  are,  they  take  precedence  at  the  larder 
according  to  their  size.  No  Nuthatch  presumes  to  hurry  a  Wood- 
pecker, and  no  Chickadee  ever  thinks  of  disturbing  a  Nuthatch.      He 


Winter   Pensioners 


179 


may  fret  audibly,  calling  the  other  fellow  greedy,  for  aught  I  know, 
and  asking  him  if  he  wants  the  earth  ;  but  he  maintains  a  respectful 
distance.  Birds,  like  wild  things  in  general,  have  a  natural  reverence 
for  size  and  weight. 

The  Chickadees  are  niuch  the  most  numerous  with  us,  but  taking 
the  year  together  the  Woodpeckers  are  the  most  constant.  My  notes 
record  them  as  present  in  the  middle  of  October,  1899,  and  now,  in  the 
middle  of  October,  1900,  they  are  still  in  daily  attendance.  Perhaps 
there  were  a  few  weeks  of  midsummer  when  they  stayed  away,  but  I 
think  not.  One  pair  built  a  nest  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  and 
depended  on  us  largely  for  supplies,  much  to  their  convenience  and  our 
pleasure.  As  soon  as  the  red-capped  young  ones  were  able  to  fly  the 
parents  brought  them  to  the  tree  and  fed  them  with  the  suet  (it  was  a 
wonder  how  much  of  it  they  could  eat),  till  they  were  old  enough  to 
help  themselves.  And  they  act,  old  and  young  alike,  as  if  they  owned 
the  place.      If  a  grocer's  wagon  happens  to  stop  under  the  tree  they  wax 


DOWNY     WOODPECKER 
Bromide  enlargement  X  3- 


indignant,  and  remain  so  till  it  drives  away.  Even  the  black  cat, 
Satan,  has  come  to  acknowledge  their  rights  in  the  case,  and  no  longer 
so  much   as  thinks  of  them   as  possible  game, 

I  have  spoken,  I  see,  as  if  these  three  species  were  all  ;  but,  not  to 
mention  the  Blue  Jays,  whose  continual  visits  are  rather  ineffective!}' 
frowned  upon  (they  carry  off  too  much  at  once),  we  had  last  winter,  for 


i8o  Bird -Lore 

all  the  latter  half  of  it,  a  pair  of  Red-bellied  Nuthatches.  They  dined 
with  us  daily  (pretty  creatures  they  are)  and  stayed  so  late  in  the  spring 
that  I  began  to  hope  the  handy  food  supply  would  induce  them  to  tarry 
for  the  summer.  They  were  mates,  I  think.  At  any  rate,  they  pre- 
ferred to  eat  from  the  same  bit  of  fat,  one  on  each  side,  in  great  con- 
trast with  all  the  rest  of  our  company.  Frequently,  too,  a  Brown 
Creeper  would  be  seen  hitching  up  the  trunk  or  over  the  larger  limbs. 
He  likes  pleasant  society,  though  he  has  little  to  say,  and  perhaps  found 
scraps  of  suet  in  the  crevices  of  the  bark,  where  the  Chickadees,  who 
are  given  to  this  kind  of  providence,  may  have  packed  it  in  store. 
Somewhat  less  frequently  a  Gold-crest  would  come  with  the  others, 
fluttering  amid  the  branches  like  a  sprite.  One  bird  draws  another, 
especially  in  hard  times.  And  so  it  happened  that  our  tree,  or  rather 
trees, —  an  elm  and  a  maple,  —  were  something  like  an  aviary  the  whole 
winter  through.  It  was  worth  more  than  all  the  trouble  which  the 
experiment  cost  us  to  lie  in  bed  before  sunrise,  with  the  mercury  below 
zero,  and  hear  a  Chickadee  just  outside  singing  as  sweetly  as  any 
Thrush  could  sing  in  June.  If  he  had  been  trying  to  thank  us,  he  could 
not  have  done  it  more  gracefully. 

The  worse  the  weather,  the  better  we  enjoyed  the  birds'  society; 
and  the  better,  in  general,  they  seemed  to  appreciate  our  efforts  on  their 
behalf.  It  was  noticeable,  however,  that  Chickadees  were  with  us  com- 
paratively little  during  high,  cold  winds.  On  the  i8th  of  February,  for 
example,  we  had  a  blizzard,  with  driving  snow,  the  most  inclement  day 
of  the  winter.  At  seven  o'clock  when  I  looked  out,  four  Downy  Wood- 
peckers were  in  the  elm,  all  trying  their  best  to  eat,  though  the  branches 
shook  till  it  was  hard  work  to  hold  on.  They  stayed  much  of  the  fore- 
noon. At  ten  o'clock,  when  the  storm  showed  signs  of  abating,  though 
it  was  still  wild  enough,  a  Chickadee  made  his  appearance  and  whistled 
Phd'be  again  and  again — "a  long  time,"  my  note  says  —  in  his  cheeriest 
manner.  Who  can  help  loving  a  bird  so  courageous,  "so  frolic,  stout, 
and  self-possest? "  Emerson  did  well  to  call  him  a  "scrap  of  valor. " 
Yet  I  find  from  a  later  note  that  "there  were  nothing  like  the  usual 
number  of  Chickadees  so  long  as  the  fury  lasted."  Doubtless  most  of 
them  stayed  among  the  evergreens.  It  is  an  old  saying  of  the  Chicka- 
dee's, frequently  quoted, "  Be  bold,  be  bold,  but  not  too  bold."  On  the 
same  day  I  saw  a  member  of  the  household  snowballing  an  English 
Sparrow  away  from  one  branch,  while  a  Downy  Woodpecker  continued 
to  feed  upon  the  next  one.  The  Woodpecker  had  got  the  right  idea  of 
things.      Honest  folk   need  not  fear  the  constable. 


JTor  Ceac|)er2^  anti  ^tutient^ 

Birds  and  Seasons 

FIRST   SERIES 

BEGINNING  with  this  number,  Bird-Lore  inaugurates  an  out- 
hne  course  of  bird-study  for  the  year,  which  it  is  hoped  will 
be  of  assistance  to  both  teachers  and  students.  '  Keys  '  and 
'  Manuals '  for  identification  of  at  least  the  more  common 
species  are  now  so  readily  accessible  it  is  assumed  that  the  student 
is  well  equipped  in  this  respect,  but  we  believe  that  the  value  of 
these  books  can  be  greatly  increased  by  the  addition  of  exact  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  the  manner  and  times  of  occurrence  of  the  birds 
of  definite  localities.  That  is,  given  a  text-book  for  the  purpose  of 
identifying,  and  the  student  can  have  no  other  more  desirable  book 
than  a  companion  volume  which  will  tell  him  just  what  birds  he  may 
expect  to  find  and  just  when  he  may  expect  to  find  them.  In  other 
words,  the  ideal  manual  would  be  one  on  the  birds  of  your  own 
immediate  vicinity. 

In  the  first  place,  therefore,  Bird-Lore  will  attempt  to  secure  for 
its  readers  information  in  regard  to  the  birds  about  their  homes,  and, 
as  a  contribution  toward  this  end,  it  will  present  lists  of  birds  from 
six  localities  in  the  United  States,  namely,  Boston,  Mass.,  by  Ralph 
Hoffmann  ;  New  York  City,  by  the  Editor  ;  Philadelphia,  by  Witmer 
Stone;  Oberlin,  Ohio,  by  Lynds  Jones;  Glen  Ellyn,  Ills.,  by  B.  F. 
Gault ;  San  Francisco,  by  Charles  Keeler. 

These  lists,  of  course,  cover  only  a  small  portion  of  the  ground,  but 
it  is  further  proposed  to  aid  students  in  this  respect  by  enabling  them 
to  secure  copies  of  desirable  local  bird-lists  which  have  been  published. 
Authors  often  have  duplicate  copies  or  'extras'  of  such  lists,  reprinted 
from  some  scientific  publication,  difficult  in  itself  to  secure,  which  they 
would  be  glad  to  dispose  of,  and  we  invite,  indeed  urge,  them  to  send 
us  the  titles  of  such  local  lists,  or  other  papers  on  birds  in  nature, 
with  the  prices  asked,  and  these  titles  will  be  published  in  Bird- 
Lore  without  charge. 

The  learning  of  a  bird's  name,  however,  is  only  the  first  step  in 
bird-study,  and  as  a  means  of  directing  the  student  into  certain  definite 
lines  of  work,  we  shall  suggest  appropriate  subjects  for  study  through- 
out the  year. 

Migration  is  undoubtedly  the  most  striking  phenomenon  of  bird- 
life,  and    to  its    influences    are   due    those   marked  changes  in  our  bird 

(iSi) 


i82  Bird -Lore 

population  which  make  no  two  months  in  the  bird  student's  year 
alike,  and  give  to  his  outings  a  perennially  renewed  interest.  Conse- 
quently, the  subject  which  has  most  naturally  suggested  itself  for  the 
year's  study  is  that  of  'Birds  and  Seasons.' 

Under  this  head  the  writers  we  have  mentioned  will  call  the 
student's  attention  to  the  more  significant  phases  of  bird-life  as  they 
are  controlled  by  season,  and  there  will  be  added  suggestions  for  lines 
of  study,  related  articles,  and  references  to  the  literature  of  the  subjects 
under  consideration.  Thus  we  may  take  up  in  their  due  time  the 
questions  of  the  relation  of  food  to  the  distribution  of  birds,  migra- 
tion, mating,  singing,  nesting,  molting,  etc. 

Such  a  plan,  it  seems  to  us,  should  be  of  value  not  only  to  the 
isolated  worker  but  to  the  members  of  bird  clubs  and  natural  history 
societies,  who  it  is  hoped  may  find  it  advisable  to  take  the  course  of 
study  here  suggested. 

In  this  connection,  we  would  call  the  attention  of  our  more  recent 
readers  to  Bird-Lore's  Advisory  Council,  composed  of  over  fifty  promi- 
nent ornithologists,  distributed  throughout  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  who  have  consented  to  respond  to  requests  for  information 
and  advice.  The  names  and  addresses  of  members  of  the  Council 
were  published  in  Bird-Lore  for  February,  igoo,  and  an  amended  list 
will  be  published  in  our  next  issue.         •• 

DECEMBER    AND    JANUARY    BIRD-LIFE    NEAR    BOSTON 
Bv  Ralph   Hoffmann 

There  is  practically  no  southward  or  northward  movement  of 
birds  between  Christmas  week  and  St.  Valentine's  Day.  A  bird  seen 
between  these  dates  is  either  a  regular  or  an  occasional  winter  resi- 
dent, a  chance  straggler  who  has  lost  his  way  and  his  migrating 
companions,  or  one  of  those  northern  visitors  whose  coming  no  one 
can  foretell.  Not  only  is  the  number  of  species  very  small  at  this 
season,  but  the  individuals  have  become  comparatively  very  scarce. 
In  the  deep  woods  we  walk  in  utter  solitude,  until  at  last  the  whirr 
of  a  Grouse  or  the  lisp  of  distant  Chickadees  breaks  the  stillness. 
For  the  rarer  winter  birds  we  must  look  into  sheltered  hollows,  or 
near  the  sea,  where  the  snow  soon  disappears.  Our  intercourse  with 
the  few  friends  that  are  left  now  gains  an  added  value.  We  make 
pilgrimages  to  some  wintering  Song  Sparrow,  and  feel  repaid  for  a 
long  walk  by  the  sight  of  a  Shrike  balancing  on  the  top  of  a  tree. 
The  squawk  of  a  Robin,  so  familiar  in  summer,  is  now  a  startling 
sound.  By  hanging  suet,  bones  or  broken  nuts  near  the  house,  we 
shall  attract  the  Chickadees  and  their  companions,  the  Nuthatches 
and    Downy   Woodpeckers,    and    all    soon    become    regular    and    most 


Birds  and   Seasons  183 

welcome  visitors.  Occasionally  there  comes  a  winter  when  some- 
thing impels  the  northern  wanderers,  the  Crossbills,  Redpolls,  and 
Pine  Grosbeaks  to  move  southward  in  force.  These  unfamiliar  vis- 
itors lend  to  winter  a  touch  of  the  excitement  which  characterizes 
the  time  of  migration.  There  are  strange  notes  in  the  air  and  flocks 
of  bright  colored  birds  with  an  engaging  mixture  of  restlessness  and 
confidence  ;  the  lean  and  barren  season  now  becomes  a  time  of 
plenty. 

PERMANENT     RESIDENTS 

Bob-White,*  Ruffed  Grouse,  Red-shouldered  Hawk  (many  other  Hawks  are  now 
and  then  met  with  in  winter),  Screech  Owl  (all  the  Owls  are  resident,  but  this  species 
is  commonest  near  man),  Hairy  Woodpecker,  Downy  Woodpecker,  Flicker,*  Blue  Jay, 
Crow,  Meadowlark,*  Goldfinch,  House  Sparrow,  Song  Sparrow,*  White-breasted  Nut- 
hatch, Chickadee. 

Note. —  Individuals  of  a  few  other  hardy  species  often  winter  in  favorable  localities,  e.  g.,  Swamp 
Sparrow,  Kingfisher. 

WINTER     VISITANTS 

Regular. — Herring  Gull f  (the  common  harbor  Gull;  several  other  species  occur 
off  shore).  Golden-eye  f  (the  common  harbor  Duck;  many  other  Ducks,  as  well  as 
Grebes  and  Loons  occur  off  shore).  Shore  Larkf  (regular  only  on  the  beaches),  Snow- 
fiakef  (occasionally  occurs  inland).  Tree  Sparrow,  Juncos,  Northern  Shrike,  Myrtle 
Warbler, f  Brown  Creeper,  Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 

Irregular. —  Pine  Grosbeak,  Purple  Finch,  White-winged  Crossbill,  American 
Crossbill,  Pine  Finch,  Redpoll,  Cedar  Waxwing,  Red-breasted  Nuthatch,  Robin 
(there  is  often  an  influx  of  Robins  and  Cedar  Waxwings  in  midwinter). 

Note.  — Individuals  of  a  few  other  species  often  winter  in  favorable  localities,  e.  g.,  White-throated 
Sparrow,  Winter  Wren. 

DECEMBER    AND    JANUARY    BIRD-LIFE    NEAR    NEW    YORK    CITY 
By  Frank  M.  Chapm.^n 

Although  during  the  winter  our  bird  population  is  reduced  to  the 
minimum,  the  comparative  advantages  of  ornithology  as  a  field  study 
are  then  more  evident  than  at  any  other  season.  The  entomologist 
has  hung  up  his  net,  the  botanist  laid  aside  his  vasculum,  but  the 
ornithologist,  putting  opera  glass  in  pocket,  takes  the  field  with 
the  certainty  of  meeting  some  feathered  friend,  and  the  always  encour- 
aging possibility  of  forming  a  new  acquaintance. 

Winter  begins  when  frost  seals  the  ground,  the  ponds  and  streams, 
and  snow  covers  the  earth.  Then  the  Woodcock,  Mourning  Dove, 
Kingfisher,  Rusty  Blackbird,  Cowbird,  and  the  \'esper,  Field,  Chip- 
ping and  Swamp  Sparrows  go  further  south  and  we  are  left  wath 
only  the  hardy,  permanent  residents  and  winter  visitants.  From  the 
date  of  the  departure  of   these  tardy  migrants  until,  late   in   February, 


*Occurs  regularly  in  winter  only  near  the  coast, 
t  Occurs  regularly  only  near  the  coast. 


184  Bird -Lore 

when  the  coming  of  the  first  Robni  or  Grackle  announces  the  birth 
of  a  new  bird  year,  no  evidences  of  a  regular  migratory  movement 
are  to  be  observed  ;  and  this  can  be  said  of  no  other  season. 

Bird-Hfe,  however,  is  by  no  means  at  a  standstill,  the  irregular 
wanderings  of  many  winter  birds,  such  as  the  Crossbills,  Redpolls, 
and  Pine  Grosbeak,  which  may  be  abundant  some  years  and  absent 
others,  always  giving  the  bird-lover  something  to  look  and  to  hope 
for.  Again,  we  may  find  in  some  sheltered  spot  a  waif  or  stray  of 
the  migration,  perhaps  a  Hermit  Thrush,  Dove,  or  Robin,  or  even  a 
Thrasher  ;  while  on  one  surprising  occasion  a  Blue-winged  Warbler 
was  actually  seen  in  January  (January  6,  1900,  Bronx  Park.  See  Bird- 
Lore,  igoo,  pp.  26,  59). 

Food  is  now  the  controlling  factor  in  a  bird's  life,  and  from  the 
Herring  Gulls  in  our  harbor  to  the  J  uncos  at  our  doorstep  the  move- 
ments of  birds  are  governed  by  the  supply  of  food. 

This,  then,  is  the  season  when,  by  catering  to  their  wants,  we 
may  establish  relations  with  birds  who  are  strangers  to  us  in  the 
summer.  Nor  should  we  confine  our  labors  to  our  dooryards,  but 
remember  the  Bob-Whites,  and  the  White-throated  and  Song  Sparrows, 
who  are  picking  up  a  scanty  living  in  the  fields  and  woods. 

PERMANENT     RESIDENTS 

Bob-White,  Ruffed  Grouse,  Red-shouldered  Hawk,  Red-tailed  Hawk,  Broad- 
winged  Hawk,*  Marsh  Hawk,  Sparrow  Hawk,  Duck  Hawk,*  Sharp-shinned  Hawk, 
Cooper's  Hawk,*  Bald  Eagle,*  Screech  Owl,  Long-eared  Owl,*  Short-eared  Owl,  Barred 
Owl,  Great  Horned  Owl,*  Downy  Woodpecker,  Hairy  Woodpecker,  Flicker,  Ameri- 
can Crow,  Fish  Crow,  Blue  Jay,  Starling  (local),  Meadowlark,  Song  Sparrow,  House 
Sparrow,  American  Goldfinch,  European  Goldfinch  (local).  Purple  Finch,  Cardinal* 
(local),  Cedar  Waxwing,  Carolina  Wren*  (local).  Tufted  Titmouse*  (local).  White- 
breasted  Nuthatch,   Bluebird. 

WINTER     VISITANTS 

Regula)-. —  Herring  Gull  (other  Gulls,  and  water  birds  are  found  in  the  Lower 
Bay  and  similar  favorable  places).  Rough-legged  Hawk,  Acadian  Owl,*  Horned  Lark, 
Prairie  Horned  Lark,  Ipswich  Sparrow  (coast  only).  White-throated  Sparrow,  Junco, 
Tree  Sparrow,  Northern  Shrike,*  Myrtle  Warbler,  Winter  Wren,  Brown  Creeper, 
Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 

Ifregidar. —  Goshawk,  Snowy  Owl,  Pine  Finch,  Redpoll,  Snowflake  (more  regular 
near  the  coast),  Lapland  Longspur,*  American  Crossbill,  White-winged  Crossbill,  Pine 
Grosbeak,  Red-breasted  Nuthatch. 

DECEMBER   AND   JANUARY   BIRD-LIFE   NEAR    PHILADELPHIA 

Bv  WiTMER  Stone 

December  and  January  in  this  vicinity  constitute  a  period  of 
'winter  rest'  in  bird-life,  between  the  disappearance  of  the  last  band 
of    late  fall   migrants  and   the   pioneer  spring  arrivals  from   the   south. 


♦Uncommon. 


Birds   and    Seasons  185 

The  lists  of  the  daily  observer  reach  their  lowest  ebb  at  this 
time.  The  total  number  of  species  present  is  much  greater  than  is 
generally  supposed,  but  the  birds  are  not  very  active  and  have  but 
little  to  say ;  while  the  observer  perhaps  is  cold  and  fast  loses  his 
enthusiasm  in  the  face  of  a  biting  wind   or  a  driving  snow-storm. 

Low  meadows  and  swamps  with  sheltering  thickets  are  the  most 
favorable  localities,  and  here  will  be  found  great  mixed  flocks  of  Tree 
Sparrows,  Song  Sparrows  and  Juncos,  with  perhaps  a  few  Field  and 
Swamp  Sparrows.  1  his  association  in  flocks  is  characteristic  of  most 
birds  at  this  season.  The  Meadowlarks  congregate  in  this  manner 
and  come  down  from  the  open  upland  to  seek  food  and  shelter  on 
the  broad  river  marshes ;  while  in  the  tree-tops  of  the  woods  and 
orchards  are  mixed  troops  of  Nuthatches,  Chickadees  and  Golden- 
crowned  Kinglets,  with  perhaps  a  Downy  Woodpecker  or  Tufted  Tit. 

Crows  are  probably  the  most  conspicuous  of  all  winter  birds, 
flying  morning  and  evening  in  long  black  lines  to  and  from  their 
roosts.  Winter  is  not  a  time  of  song,  but  we  have  some  exceptions 
to  the  rule.  Every  bright  sunny  day  the  clear  whistle  of  the  Caro- 
lina Wren  may  be  heard  in  the  sheltered  ravines,  and  the  voices  of 
the  Cardinal  and  Tufted  Tit,  which  he  seems  to  imitate,  are  by  no 
means  silent.  An  added  charm  that  this  season  possesses  is  the  ever- 
present  possibility  of  some  sudden  .flight  of  Snowflakes,  Crossbills, 
Redpolls  or  other  rare  visiter  from  the  north,  and  no  weather  is  too 
severe  for  the  bird-lover  when  such  acquaintances  may  be  formed. 
Southern  New  Jersey,  with  its  sheltering  pines  and  cedars  and  its 
deep  swamps,  is  a  great  winter  rendezvous  for  birds,  and  many  species 
winter  there  regularly  which  rarely  or  never  occur  in  Pennsylvania  in 
December  or  January. 

PERMANENT     RESIDENTS 

Great  Blue  Heron,  Woodcock,  Bob-White,  Dove,  Red-tailed  Hawk,  Red-shouldered 
Hawk,  Broad-winged  Hawk,  Cooper's  Hawk,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Sparrow  Hawk, 
■Great  Horned  Owl,  Screech  Owl,  Long-eared  Owl,  Barn  Owl,  Hairy  Woodpecker, 
Downy  Woodpecker,  Crow,  Blue  Jay,  Meadowlark,  Goldfinch,  House  Sparrow,  Song 
Sparrow,  Swamp  Sparrow,  Field  Sparrow,  Cardinal,  Cedar  Waxwing,  Carolina  Wren, 
Tufted  Titmouse,  White-breasted  Nuthatch. 

WINTER     VISITANTS 

Regular. —  Herring  Gull,  Rough-legged  Hawk,  Pigeon  Hawk,  Marsh  Hawk,  Short- 
■eared  Owl,  Junco,  Tree  Sparrow,  White-throated  Sparrow,  Pine  Finch,  Purple  Finch, 
American  Pipit,  Winter  Wren,  Brown  Creeper,  Black-capped  Chickadee,  Golden- 
crowned  Kinglet. 

/;-re^?^/ar  (omitting  Water  Fowl). —  Duck  Hawk,  Goshawk,  Acadian  Owl,  Snowy 
Owl,  Barred  Owl,  Horned  Lark,  Prairie  Horned  Lark,  American  Crossbill,  White- 
winged  Crossbill,  Pine  Grosbeak,  Snowflake,  Lapland  Longspur,  Redpoll,  Northern 
Shrike. 


i86  Bird- Lore 

More  or  less  regular  in  southern  Xezu  Jersey  in  zvinter,  oceasional  near  Phila- 
delphia :  Killdeer,  Turkey  Vulture,  Kingfisher,  Flicker,  Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker, 
Phoebe,  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Purple  Grackle,  Cowbird,  Vesper  Sparrow,  Savanna 
Sparrow,  Ipswich  Sparrow  (on  coast),  Sharp-tailed  Sparrow  (on  coast).  Myrtle  Warbler, 
Long-billed  Marsh  Wren,  Short-billed  Marsh  Wren,  Carolina  Chickadee,  Robin,  Her- 
mit Thrush,   Bluebird. 

DECEMBER   AND    JANUARY    BIRD-LIFE   AT    OBERLIN,   OHIO 

Bv   ProI'.  Lvnds  Jones 

Winter  does  not  come  upon  us  with  any  severity  until  late  in 
December.  It  is  rarely  true  that  snow  covers  the  ground  for  more  than 
a  few  days  at  a  time  during  the  entire  month.  Frequently  the  weather 
is  mild  until  well  toward  the  New  Year,  with  only  an  occasional  sharp 
day.  On  account  of  this  mildness  many  birds  which  go  southward 
when  winter  really  comes  remain  with   us  until  Christmas  time. 

January  is  also  a  varied  month,  frequently  opening  with  severe 
weather  and  snow-covered  landscape.  Toward  the  middle  of  the  month 
there  is  usually  a  thaw  which  may  take  away  all  the  snow  and  be  so 
spring-like  that  the  birds  begin  to  sing  and  mate,  but  none  come  up 
from  the  south.  It  is  during  the  last  week  of  December  and  the  first 
week  or  ten  days  of  January  that  the  most  of  the  winter  birds  visit  us, 
many  of  them  remaining  to  or  beyond  the  end  of  January.  Following 
the  thaw  the  winter  settles  down  again  in  even  greater  severity,  the 
month  closing  with  a  zero  temperature  and  not  a  little  snow.  But 
however  the  weather  may  be,  the  January  birds  are  permanent  residents 
and  winter  visitors,  none  of  them  birds  from  the  south.  Sometimes  an 
ice-storm  follows  the  January  thaw,  covering  everything  with  a  thick 
ice-coat,  and  then  the  birds  may  be  driven  south.  This  often  happens 
to  the  birds  of  prey,  especially  the  Hawks.  The  Owls  seem  able  to 
survive  in  any  weather. 

PERMANENT     RESIDENTS 

Herring  Gull,  Bob-White,  Ruffed  Grouse,  Mourning  Dove  (rare).  Marsh  Hawk 
(uncommon).  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  Cooper's  Hawk  (uncommon),  Red-tailed  Hawk, 
Red-shouldered  Hawk,  Broad-winged  Hawk  (rare),  Bald  Eagle,  Pigeon  Hawk  (rare). 
Sparrow  Hawk,  Barn  Owl  (rare),  Long-eared  Owl,  Short-eared  Owl  (rare),  Barred 
Owl,  Saw-whet  Owl  (rare).  Screech  Owl,  Great  Horned  Owl  (rare).  Hairy  Wood- 
pecker, Downy  Woodpecker,  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  Red-bellied  Woodpecker,  Flicker 
(not  common),  Prairie  Horned  Lark,  Blue  Jay,  American  Crow  (not  common), 
Meadowlark  (not  common),  American  Goldfinch,  Song  Sparrow,  Cardinal,  Cedar 
Waxwing  (not  common)    White-breasted  Nuthatch,  Tufted  Titmouse,  Chickadee. 

WINTER     VISITANTS 

Horned  Grebe  (rare),  Iceland  Gull  (rare),  Old-Squaw  (rare),  Goshawk  (rare). 
Rough-legged  Hawk,  Golden  Eagle  (uncommon),  Snowy  Owl  (rare).  Hawk  Owl  (rare). 
Horned  Lark,  Purple  Finch,  American  Crossbill,  White-winged  Crossbill  (rare).  Red- 
poll (rare).  Pine  Finch  (rare),  Snowflake,  Lapland  Longspur,  Tree  Sparrow,  Northern 
Shrike,  Winter  Wren,  Brown  Creeper  (uncommon),  Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 


r  Birds  and   Seasons  187 

SUMMER     RESIDENTS     WHICH     LINGER     UNTIL     DECEMBER 

Woodcock,  Killdeer,  Cowbird,  Red-winged  Blackbird,  Bronzed  Grackle,  White- 
throated   Sparrow,    Towhee,    Robin,   Bluebird. 

FALL     MIGRANTS     WHICH     PASS     SOUTH     IN     DECEMBER 

Mallard,  Canada  Goose,  Rusty  Blackbird,  Fox  Sparrow,  White-throated  Sparrow, 
American    Pipit,    Myrtle  Warbler,   Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

DECEMBER    AND    JANUARY    BIRD-LIFE    AT    GLEN    ELLYN    (NEAR    CHICAGO),    ILLINOIS 

Bv   Benjamin   T.  Gault 

A  marked  feature  of  our  winter  months  are  the  daily  movements 
of  the  Crows  as  they  go  to  and  from  their  roosts.  The  Downy  and 
Hairy  Woodpeckers,  with  the  White-breasted  Nuthatches  and  Chicka- 
dees, contribute  their  share  in  rendering  our  orchards  and  woods 
attractive,  while  the  Shore  Larks  and  Lapland  Longspurs  serve  well 
in  a  similar  capacity  for  our  fields. 

Visiting  the  osage  hedges  and  sprout-woodland  pastures,  we  may 
find,  to  our  delight,  small  parties  of  Juncos,  Tree  Sparrows  and 
Goldfinches  busily  plying  their  vocation  of  seed-gathering. 

The  Northern  Shrike,  Rough-legged,  Red-tailed  and  Red-shouldered 
Hawks,  together  with  the  Screech  and  Short-eared  Owls,  and  occa- 
sional Redpoll  Linnets,  are  more  or  less  in  evidence  during  these 
months. 

In  late  January  we  may  chance  to  hear  the  cheering  notes  of  the 
Meadowlark,  or  perhaps  stumble  upon  a  belated  or  over-zealous 
Red-headed  Woodpecker  or  Flicker,  or,  possibly,  in  some  sheltered 
retreat,  find  the  Robin.  However,  these  are  incidents  not  always  to 
be  expected  or  depended  on. 

A  reference  to  the  haunts  of  the  Prairie  Hen  has  been  omitted  ; 
altogether  of  a  local  nature,  one  must  sometimes  search  long  and 
diligently  to  find  it. 

Such  then,  briefly,  are  the  main  features  of  our  winter  bird-life, 
which,  to  be  more  thorough  and  explicit,  naturally  tabulate  themselves 
beneath   the  following  headings  : 

PERMANENT     RESIDENTS 

Ruffed  Grouse,  Prairie  Hen,  Cooper's  Hawk,  Red-tailed  Hawk,  Red-shouldered 
Hawk,  Barred  Owl,  Screech  Owl,  Hairy  Woodpecker,  Downy  Woodpecker,  Prairie 
Horned  Lark,  Blue  Jay,  Crow,  House  Sparrow,  Goldfinch,  White-breasted  Nuthatch, 
Chickadee. 

WINTER     VISITANTS 

Regular. —  Rough-legged  Hawk,  Short-eared  Owl,  Horned  Lark,  Lapland  Long- 
spur,  Tree  Sparrow,  Junco,   Northern   Shrike. 

Irregular.  —  Canada  Goose,  Long-eared  Owl,  Red-headed  Woodpecker,  Flicker, 
Meadowlark.  Rusty  Blackbird,  Evening  Grosbeak,  Redpoll,  Cedar  Waxwing,  Brown 
Creeper,  Golden-crowned  Kinglet,  Ruby-crowned  Kinglet,  Robin. 


i88  Bird -Lore 

DECEMBER    AND    JANUARY    BIRD-LIFE    ON     EASTERN    SIDE    OF   SAN    FRANCISCO     BAY 

Bv  Chari-ks   Keeler 

To  describe  the  bird  life  of  California  within  the  limits  of  the 
present  series  of  sketches  would  be  an  impossible  task.  This  great 
state,  stretching  in  a  broad  band  along  the  Pacific  coast,  diversified 
as  it  is  b}'  two  long  mountain  ranges  extending  in  a  general  northerly 
and  southerly  trend,  embracing  a  wide  interior  valley  and  cutting  off 
the  district  to  the  east,  which  is  left  an  arid  waste,  contains  a  greater 
number  of  faunal  zones  than  any  other  region  of  corresponding  size 
on  the  American  continent.  In  the  valleys  the  rigors  of  an  eastern 
winter  are  unknown  ;  in  the  mountains  the  snow-drifts  are  as  deep 
as  in  Canada.  Even  in  so  restricted  a  section  as  the  San  Francisco 
Bay  region  there  is  considerable  diversity  in  fauna  and  iiora.  Upon 
the  western  side  of  the  bay,  and  more  particularly  on  the  north- 
western shore,  the  redwood  forests  determine  to  a  large  extent  the 
distribution  of  both  plants  and  birds,  while  on  the  eastern  shore  the 
redwoods  are  confined  to  one  or  two  restricted  pockets  in  the  hills. 
It  is  to  the  birds  of  this  eastern  side  that  I  shall  confine  my  obser- 
vations. The  hills  here  rise  to  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more, 
with  a  gently  descending  plain  at  their  base,  reaching  down  to  the 
bay  shore  two  or  three  miles  away.  These  hills  are  treeless  save 
where  forests  of  eucalyptus  have  been  planted  and  are  covered  with 
grass  and  chaparral.  In  the  little  caiions  which  cut  through  the 
range  at  frequent  intervals  are  groves  of  superb  live-oak  trees  in 
the  lower  reaches  and  laurel,  scrub  oak  and  alders  higher  up. 

In  the  severest  winter  weather  the  thermometer  seldom  falls  as 
low  as  25°,  and  frosty  mornings  are  the  exception.  Rain  falls  at 
more  or  less  frequent  intervals  during  this  season,  but  showers 
are  almost  unknown  during  the  summer  months.  As  a  consequence 
of  the  mildness  of  the  winters,  birds  are  quite  as  abundant 
at  this  time  of  year  as  at  any  other,  and  the  list  of  permanent 
residents  is  comparatively  large.  Some  among  these,  such  as 
the  California  Brown  Towhee,  Spurred  Towhee,  the  Green-backed 
or  Arkansas  Goldfinch,  Plain-crested  Titmouse,  Wren-Tit,  California 
Bush-Tit,  California  Jay,  Anna's  Hummingbird,  Western  Meadow- 
lark,  Samuel's  Song  Sparrow,  and  the  Red-shafted  Flicker,  are,  so 
far  as  I  can  detect,  permanent  residents.  By  this  I  mean  that  there 
seems  to  be  no  evidence  that  the  individuals  which  nest  here  go 
away  for  the  winter  to  be  replaced  by  others  of  the  same  species. 
Of  course  this  is  a  difficult  point  to  prove,  but  there  is  every  indica- 
tion of  stability  with  these  species.  They  are  found  in  about  the  same 
places  all  the  year  round,  and  at  no  one  season  do  they  seem  more 
abundant    than    at    another.       To    have     learned    to    distinguish    them 


Birds   and   Seasons  189 

readily  will  be  a  solid  beginning  in  birdcraft  for  any  one  in  this 
region. 

In  addition  to  these  faithful  dwellers  in  our  hills  and  canons  are 
a  number  of  other  species  which  are  nearly  always  with  us,  but  in 
greater  or  less  abundance,  indicating  a  more  migratory  habit.  Among 
these  I  may  mention  the  Gambel's  Sparrow,  which  nests  here  rather 
sparingly,  but  comes  in  large  flocks  for  the  winter,  the  Lutescent 
Warbler,  Vigor's  Wren,  Western  Goldfinch,  California  Shrike,  Desert 
Sparrowhawk  and  Western  Red-tailed  Hawk.  The  two  Hawks  and 
the  Shrike  might  be  placed   in  the  first  list  with  almost  equal  propriety. 

In  the  months  of  December  and  January,  then,  the  above-mentioned 
birds  may  be  confidently  sought  for  in  the  cafions  and  gardens.  Asso- 
ciating with  them,  however,  is  a  host  of  winter  visitants  which  are 
equally  abundant  and  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the  rainy  season.  The 
most  numerous  and  constant  of  these  are  the  Golden-crowned  Sparrow, 
Oregon  Junco,  American  Pipit,  Audubon's  Warbler,  Dwarf  Thrush  and 
Ruby-crowned  Kinglet.  The  Western  Golden-crowned  Kinglet  is  less 
common,  although  at  times  it  may  be  found  in  considerable  numbers  in 
the  live-oak  trees.  Townsend's  Sparrow  is  with  us  all  winter,  but  its 
retiring  habits  make  it  a  less  conspicuous  element  in  the  midwinter 
company.  The  Red-breasted  Nuthatch  is  irregular  in  its  visits,  it 
sometimes  being  found  in  large  numbers,  and  again  being  wholly  absent. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  both  the  Western  Robin  and  the  Western 
Bluebird,  which  roam  the  country  in  large  flocks  and  pass  from  one 
locality  to  another.  They  are  usually  abundant  after  a  heavy  snowfall 
in  the  mountains.  The  Varied  Robin  is  perhaps  more  constantly  with 
us  during  the  winter  months,  but  is  so  shy  and  quiet  that  it  is  often 
overlooked.  Among  the  other  less  abundant  winter  visitants,  which 
are  nevertheless  not  rare,  are  Hutton's  Vireo,  Pine  Finch,  Say's  Pewee, 
Red-breasted  Woodpecker,  Gairdner's  Woodpecker,  California  Wood- 
pecker and  the  Cedar  Waxwing. 

Of  midwinter  birds  which  are  rare  or  accidental  in  their  visits  may 
be  mentioned  Lewis'  Woodpecker,  the  Evening  Grosbeak,  and  Town- 
send's Solitaire.  From  the  above  lists  it  is  evident  that  our  winter 
groves  and  canons  are  teeming  with  bird-life.  Some  among  these  De- 
cember and  January  species  may  even  favor  us  with  an  occasional 
snatch  of  song,  although  their  call  notes  are  most  frequently  heard. 
The  Golden-crowned,  and  Gambel's  Sparrows  are  constant  winter 
singers;  Samuel's  Song  Sparrow  often  sounds  its  ditty,  and  the  note  of 
the  Western  Meadowlark  is  heard  from  time  to  time  in  the  fields.  The 
Wren-Tit  sings  more  or  less  in  its  simple  fashion  the  year  through, 
and  its  characteristic  strain  may  be  heard  ever  and  anon  in  the  cafion. 
Thus  it  happens   that  we  may  find   intimations  of  approaching  spring 


igo  Bird -Lore 

throughout   the   winter,    and    evidences   of  joy   and   conviviality   in    the 
midst   of    December. 

SUGGESTIONS     FOR     THE     MONTHS'     STUDY 

Food  and  Distribiili'on. — Observe  relation  between  the  food  supply,  as  it  is  con- 
trolled by  temperature,  and  the  departure  of  the  last  migrants  (see  preceding  articles). 
Compare  the  food  of  migratory,  summer-resident  birds  with  that  of  winter  birds  ;  the 
former  being  insect-  and  fruit-eaters,  the  latter,  seed-  or  flesh-eaters.  Note  variation 
in  the  food  of  certain  birds,  such  as  the  Flicker,  Bluebird  and  Robin,  which,  insec- 
tivorous in  summer,  later  subsist  on  fruit,  including  winter  berries,  and  are  thus  some- 
times found  throughout  the  year  as  far  north  as  Massachusetts.  Are  these  birds 
represented  by  the  same  individuals  at  all  seasons  ?  What  permanent  residents  are 
resident  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word  ?  During  the  winter  the  relation  between  food 
and  distribution  is  especially  marked,  a  failure  of  the  food-supply  at  the  north  occasion- 
ally bringing  us  great  numbers  of  boreal  birds.  (See  Fisher  and  Loring,  Evening 
Grosbeaks  in  New  York,  '  Forest  and  Stream,'  XXXIV,  1890,  p.  64  ;  Brewster,  Evening 
Grosbeak  in  New  England,  Ibid. ,  p.  44  ;  Butler,  '  Some  Notes  Concerning  the  Even- 
ing Grosbeak,'  'The  Auk,'  IX,  1892,  p.  238;  Brewster,  'A  Remarkable  Flight  of  Pine 
Grosbeaks,'  'The  Auk,'  XII,  1895,  p.  245;  Chapman,  'The  Season's  Flight  of  Cross- 
bills,' Bird-Lore,  II,  1900,  pp.  25,  59.) 

The  presence  of  food  may  induce  birds  which  generally  winter  further  south  to 
remain  through  the  winter.  A  small  flock  of  Doves  passed  the  winter  at  Englewood, 
N.  J.,  feeding  exclusively,  as  far  as  was  observed,  on  the  grain  in  a  pile  of  chaff  from 
buckwheat,  winnowed  in  the  field.  Myrtle  Warblers  are  common  at  the  same  locality 
during  the  winter  when  there  is  an  abundance  of  bayberries,  but  when  there  are  no 
berries  there  are  no  Warblers. 

Observe  how  the  daily  wanderings  of  flocks  of  Juncos,  Tree  Sparrows,  etc.,  are 
governed  by  food.  Are  these  flocks  composed  of  the  same  individuals  ?  Have  they  a 
regularly  frequented  roosting  place  ?  Note  the  roosting  habit  of  Crows  (see  Stone, 
Bird-Lore,  I,  1899,  177). 

Food  thus  exerts  so  great  an  influence  on  a  bird's  range  at  this  season,  when  the 
supply  may  be  limited,  that  we  may  govern  at  least  the  local  distribution  of  birds  by 
supplying  them  with  proper  food.  (See  Torrey,  in  this  number  of  Bird-Lore;  Daven- 
port, in  Lange's  '  Our  Native  Birds  ; '  Merriam,  '  Birds  of  Village  and  Field  ;'  Bird-Lore, 
I,  1899,  pp.  19.  55.  185.) 

Ecofiomk  Value  of  IVinler  Birds. — At  this  season,  Hawks  and  Owls,  by  destroying 
harmful  rodents.  Sparrows,  by  eating  the  seeds  of  injurious  weeds,  and  Creepers,  Wood- 
peckers, Nuthatches,  Chickadees  and  Golden  Kinglets,  by  devouring  the  eggs  and  larvae 
of  insects,  are  of  inestimable  benefit  to  man.  (See  Weed,  '  Winter  Food  of  the  Chicka- 
dee,'  publications  of  the  New  Hampshire  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Durham, 
N.  H.;  Forbush,  Mass.  Crop  Rep.  for  July,  1895,  pp.  20-32;  Beal,  'Food  of  Wood- 
peckers," Bull.  No.  7,  Biological  Survey,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture;*  Judd,  'Birds  as 
Weed  Destroyers,' Yearbook  of  Dept.  of  Agriculture*  for  i8g8,  pp.  221-232;  Fisher, 
'Hawks  and  Owls  in  Relation  to  Agriculture.') 

Bird-Census. — The  comparatively  small  number  of  birds  present  during  the  win- 
ter, together  with  the  absence  of  foliage,  except  on  coniferous  trees,  make  it  possible 
to  estimate  the  number  of  individuals  occupying  a  given  area.  Such  estimates  are  not 
only  of  interest  in  themselves,  but  they  are  of  assistance  in  determining  the  economic 
value  of  birds.     (See  beyond,  'A  Christmas  Bird  Census. ') 


*For  all  government  publications  apply  to  the  Supt.  of  Documents,  Washington,  D.  C. 


Birds  and   Seasons  191 

In  this  connection  methods  of  recording  observations  are  of  importance  (See 
Pynchon,  '  Every-Day  Study  of  Birds  for  Busy  People,  Including  a  method  of  Recording 
Observations,'  Bird-Lore,  II,  1900,  p.  19). 

SUGGESTIONS    FOR    THE    MONTHS'    READING 

Thoreau,  'Winter,'  also  '  Winter  Animals'  and  'The  Pond  in  Winter'  in  '  Wal- 
den' ;  Burroughs,  'Winter  Sunshine,'  also  '  A  Snow-Storm'  and  'Winter  Neighbors' 
in  'Signs  and  Seasons';  Torrey,  'A  Florida  Sketch  Book,'  also  'Winter  Birds  about 
Boston'  in  'Birds  in  the  Bush,'  '  A  New  England  Winter, '  'A  Rambler's  Lease,'  and 
'  December  Out-of-Doors'  in  'The  Foot-Path  Way';  Bolles,  '  The  Land  of  the  Lingering 
Snow'  ;  Wright,  '  A  Winter  Mood  '  in  '  The  Friendship  of  Nature'  ;  Parkhurst,  '  Decem- 
ber '  and  '  January  '  in  '  The  Birds'  Calendar' ;  Keeler,  '  January  in  Berkeley  '  in  '  Bird 
Notes  Afield. ' 


1.     'What  Bird  is  this? 
Field  Description. — Length,  6.25  in.     Hind-neck,  rufous;   back  and   crown  black  and  buff;   outer 
ail-feathers  marked  with  white  ;  breast  black,  more  or  less  veiled  with  white  ;  belly  white.     Winter- 
Range — From  Middle  States  and  Colorado  northward. 

Note. — Each  number  of  Bird-Lore  will  contain  a  photograph,  from  specimens 
in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  of  some  widely  distributed,  but,  in  the 
eastern  United  States,  at  least,  little-known  bird,  the  name  of  which  will  be  withheld 
until  the  succeeding  number  of  the  magazine,  it  being  believed  that  this  method  of 
arousing  the  student's  curiosity  will  result  in  impressing  the  bird's  characters  on  his 
mind  far  more  strongly  than  if  its  name  were  given  with  its  picture. 


A   Christmas    Bird -Census 

IT  is  not  many  years  ago  that  sportsmen  were  accustomed  to  meet 
on  Christmas  Day,  'choose  sides,' and  then,  as  representatives  of 
the  two  bands  resulting,  hie  them  to  the  fields  and  woods  on  the 
cheerful  mission  of  killing  practically  everything  in  fur  or  feathers 
that  crossed  their  path — if  the}'  could. 

These  exceptional  opportunities  for  winning  the  laurels  of  the 
chase  were  termed  'side  hunts,'  and  reports  of  the  hundreds  of  non- 
game  birds  which  were  sometimes  slaughtered  during  a  single  hunt 
were  often  published  in  our  leading  sportsmen's  journals,  with  perhaps 
a  word  of  editorial  commendation  for  the  winning  side.  We  are  not 
certain  that  the  side  hunt  is  wholly  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  we  feel 
assured  that  no  reputable  sportsman's  journal  of  today  would  venture 
to  publish  an  account  of  one,  unless  it  were  to  condemn  it ;  and  this 
very  radical  change  of  tone  is  one  of  the  significant  signs  of  the  times. 

Now  Bird-Lore  proposes  a  new  kind  of  Christmas  side  hunt,  in 
the  form  of  a  Christmas  bird-census,  and  we  hope  that  all  our  read- 
ers who  have  the  opportunity  will  aid  us  in  making  it  a  success  by 
spending  a  portion  of  Christmas  Day  with  the  birds  and  sending  a 
report  of  their  'hunt'  to  Bird-Lore  before  they  retire  that  night. 
Such  reports  should  be  headed  by  the  locality,  hour  of  starting  and 
of  returning,  character  of  the  weather,  direction  and  force  of  the  wind, 
and  the  temperature  ;  the  latter  taken  when  starting.  The  birds 
observed  should  then  be  added,  following  the  order  in  which  they 
are  given  in  the  A.  O.  U.  'Check  List,'  with,  if  possible,  the  exact  or 
approximate  number  of  individuals  of   each  species  observed. 

Promptness  in  sending  these  lists  to  Bird-Lore  (at  Englewood, 
N.  J.)  is  urged  in  order  that  the  best  of  them  may  be  published  in 
our  February  number,  where  they  will  be  not  only  of  interest  to  other 
participants  in  the  'hunt,'  but  will  also  constitute,  in  a  measure,  a 
census  of  Christmas  bird-life. 


(192) 


Jfor    ^oung    0b^tx\)tv& 


The   Rev.  Mr.  Chickadee,  D.  D. 


By   FLORENCE   A.  VAN    SANT,  Jay.  Essex  County.  N.  Y. 


A  little  clergyman  is  he, 

With  black  and  white  cravat  ; 

He  bears  a  coveted  degree, 
And  wears  a  soft  silk  hat. 


With  happy  heart  and  merry  voice. 
He  braves  the  cold   and  heat  ; 

And  to  the  loved  one  of  his  choice, 
He  whistles   soft  and   sweet. 


So  overflowing  is  his  strain,  His  sect  is  congregational. 

That  he  could  dub  "D.D."  The  wild  woods  are  his  church. 

Young  theologues  with  meager  brain  The  wind  his  "choir  invisible," 

And  bump  of  vanity.  His  pulpit  is  a  birch. 

The  sermon  we  should  not  forget, 

"  Happy  and  cheerful  be. 
Have  diligence,  be  brave,  don't  fret," 

Says  Chickadee,  D.D. 


My    Exploit   with    a    Crossbill 

BY   NINA   NIGHTINGALE.  Wellesley   Hills.  Mass.  (Aged   q'A  years) 

ONE    day    some   time    in    January    I    went    to  play   with   a    friend. 
We   went   out   on    the   lawn    to    watch   some   birds   we   had    seen 
there.      When   we   got   out   we    tried    to   see   how   near   we   could 
get   without  frightening  them. 

I  followed  them  all  around  and  succeeded  in  getting  quite  near. 
They  would  sometimes  allow  me  to  touch  them,  but  I  could  not  pick 
them  up.  I  decided  they  were  Crossbills,  and  so  that  is  what  I  will 
call  them.  I  went  in  the  house  and  got  a  small  piece  of  bread  to 
crumb  for  them.  That  was  soon  gone,  though  the  birds  would  not 
touch   it.      I   got  another  piece  and   some  crackers,  which    I    sprinkled 

(193) 


194 


Bird -Lore 


about  the  lawn.  The  birds  ate  some  of  the  crackers,  but  none  of 
the  bread  crumbs.  I  kept  trying  to  catch  them  and  touched  them 
several  times,  I  did  not  run  after  them  and  make  them  fly  ;  I  just 
walked  about  after  them  and  tried  to  pick  them  up.  I  finally  picked 
up  one,  a  female,  as  I  could  see  from  the  coloring.  I  let  her  go 
very  soon,  as  she  seemed  to  be  afraid  of  me.  I  followed  the  birds 
everywhere  and  soon  found  out  that  the  males  were  a  great  trouble, 
because  they  kept  trying  to  entice  me  away  from  the  females. 

At  last  I  picked  up  one  of  the  males  and  he  sat  on  my  finger  and 
ate  cracker  crumbs  out  of  my  hand.  The  Crossbill  sat  on  my  hand 
and  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  until  I  carried  him  over  to  my  friend 
for  her  to  see  ;  then,  he  was  greatly  frightened.  I  let  him  go  as 
soon   as  she  had  seen  him. 


W 


Bird-Nesting   in   Winter 

HEN  the  leaves  fall  how  many  birds'  secrets  bare  limbs  tell ! 
This  is  the  time  for  collecting  birds'  nests  before  they  have 
been  wrecked  by   winter  snows  and  wind.      They  may   readily 

be  preserved  by  making  use  of 
the  simple  wire  nest-holder  de- 
scribed in  Bird-Lore  for  last 
December.  A  record  should 
be  kept  of  the  kind  of  tree  or 
bush  in  which  they  were  placed 
and  their  height  from  the 
ground,  as  an  aid  in  learning 
their  names. 

When  one  knows  the  com- 
moner nests,  such  as  those  of  the 
Robin,  Wood  Thrush,  Vireo  and 
Baltimore  Oriole,  a  census  may 
be  made  of  the  number  of  these 
birds  found  about  our  homes  by 
counting  all  the  nests  we  can 
find  ;  though  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  first  two  birds 
often  build  a  second,  and  some- 
times even  a  third  nest.  One 
3'oung  observer  wrote  Bird- 
Lore  that  he  saw  sixteen  Ori- 
ole's nests  on   the   trees  in  one 

BIRD-NESTING    IN    WINTER  City    block. 


£tott&  from  iTtelD  anU  ^tudp 


A    Blue   Jay  Tragedy 

The  Blue  Jay  and  limb,  with  a  portion 
of  the  nest,  from  which  the  accompanying 
photograph  was  made  were  found  by  Mr. 
H.  W.  McConoghy,  near  Lehman,  Pa.  In 
building  its  nest  the  Jay  had  procured 
a   strong   horse-hair,   which   was    used    to 


A     BLUE     JAY    TRAGEDY 

fasten  the  nest  in  a  forked  oak-limb.  In 
passing  the  hair  over  and  around  the 
limb  the  bird  made  a  hair  loop,  about 
ten  inches  long,  in  which  its  head  became 
entangled  and  death  by  strangulation  re- 
sulted.—  H.    M.    Beck,    IVilkesbarre,    J^a. 

Feeding    a    Shrike 

One  March  morning  a  Northern  Shrike, 
in  the  seclusion  of  a  store  doorway  on 
the  principal  business  street  of  Franklin 
Falls,  N.  H.,  was  so  engrossed  in  choking 
an  English  Sparrow  that  he  was  caught 
in    the    hands    of    a    passing    pedestrian. 

(I 


After  an  imprisonment  of  five  or  six 
hours,  the  bird  came  into  our  possession 
and  was  allowed  his  liberty  in  a  small 
room.  When  a  piece  of  raw  beefsteak 
was  given  him  his  mode  of  accepting  and 
using  it  proved  of  much  interest.  There 
was  not  a  trace  of  fear  in  any  of  his 
movements  during  our  whole  interview. 
When  we  approached  him  and  took  hold 
of  the  meat  in  his  beak,  he  would  tug  at 
it  vigorously  as  if  to  pull  it  from  our 
grasp.  We  did  not  at  first  divine  his 
needs,  as  he  hopped  about  the  room  seem- 
ingly in  search  of  something  that  could 
not  be  found 

The  man  present  had  on  high  storm 
overshoes,  while  another  pair  happened 
to  be  on  the  floor.  The  Shrike  appeared 
to  take  a  particular  fancy  to  these  articles 
of  wear  and  examined  first  a  shoe  on  the 
man's  foot,  then  one  on  the  floor.  In  a 
short  time  his  strange  actions  began  to 
have  meaning  to  us,  for  it  became  evi- 
dent that  he  desired  to  impale  the  meat 
on  the  buckle  of  the  shoe,  but  the  tongue 
of  the  buckle  was  not  sharp  enough  to 
hold  the  steak  that  was  repeatedly  drag- 
ged across  it.  Observing  this,  a  steel 
kitchen  fork  was  procured  and  held  out 
before  the  Shrike,  and,  without  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation,  he  hopped  upon  the 
hand  that  held  it,  jerked  the  meat  over 
the  tines,  and  began  to  eat.  Quick,  for- 
ward thrusts  of  his  partly  spread  wings 
added  force  to  the  work  done  by  his 
powerful  beak,  as  he  tore  off  mouthful 
after  mouthful  of  the  meat.  As  an  ex- 
periment, we  removed  the  meat  from  the 
tines  several  times  and  held  the  fork  some 
inches  away.  Each  time  the  Shrike  acted 
in  the  same  manner.  He  took  the  meat 
in  his  beak,  looked  about  until  he  saw  his 
substitute  for  a  thornbush,  then  he  hopped 
to  it,  worked  the  meat  in  position  and 
proceeded  with  his  dinner. 

Here  was  an  opportunity  for  a  photog- 
rapher of  bird-life,  and  we  determined  to 
keep  him  a  day  or  two  for  sittings.  Con- 
tinuing to  eat,  perched  on   the   hand  that 


95, 


ig6 


Bird -Lore 


held  the  fork,  but  without  restraint,  he 
was  carried  across  two  rooms  and  down 
a  flight  of  stairs,  where  a  large  packing 
box  was  made  ready  for  his  accommoda- 
tion, but  the  plan  proved  a  failure,  for  in 
the  morning  he  was  found  dead.  It  was 
thought  that  he  was  injured  by  a  severe 
choking  received  the  preceding  day  while 
his  captor  was  inducing  him  to  give  up 
his  grip  on  the  English  Sparrow,  and 
death  was  believed  to  have  resulted  from 
this  cause. —  Ellen  E.  Webster,  Frank- 
lin Falls,  M.  H. 

[Mrs.  Webster's  exceedingly  interesting  experi- 
ence should  dispose  of  the  absurd  theory  that 
Shrikes  impale  their  victims  in  pure  cruelty,  it 
being  evident,  in  this  instance,  at  least,  that  the 
combination  of  a  raptorial  bill  and  feeding  habits, 
in  connection  with  passerine  feet,  which  are  ap- 
parently not  adapted  to  grasping  prey,  forced  the 
bird  to  fasten  his  food  to  something  before  he 
could  tear  it  into  edible  pieces.— F.  M.  C] 

American    Ornithologists'   Union 

The  Eighteenth  Congress  of  the  Ameri- 
can Ornithologists'  Union  was  held  in 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  November  12-15,  1900. 
The  attendance  of  active  and  associate 
members  and  the  public  was  larger  than  at 
any  previous  Congress,  the  audience  at 
times  numbering  between  two  and  three 
hundred. 

In  addition  to  the  interest  aroused  by 
the  papers  presented,  a  list  of  which  is 
printed  on  another  page,  the  hospitality  of 
the  Cambridge  members  greatly  increased 
the  enjoyability  of  the  meeting  and  at  the 
same  time  afforded  opportunity  for  that 
social  intercourse  which  is  so  important  a 
part  of  conventions. 

On  the  evening  of  the  15th,  Mr.  Edward 
Waldo  Emerson  lectured  to  the  members 
of  the  Union  on  his  personal  recollections 
and  estimate  of  Thoreau,  at  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Brewster,  and  the  following  day, 
after  this  admirable  prelude,  a  number 
of  the  members,  under  Mr.  Brewster's 
guidance,  visited  many  of  the  places  about 
Concord  which  Thoreau  has  made  so 
familiar  to  all  nature  lovers. 

At  the  business  meeting  of  the  Union, 
held  at  Brewster's  Museum  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  i2th,  the  following  officers  were 


elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  President, 
C.  Hart  Merriam  ;  vice-presidents,  Charles 
B.  Cory  and  C.  F.  Batchelder  ;  secretary, 
John  H.  Sage  ;  treasurer,  William  Dutcher; 
councilors,  Frank  M.  Chapman,  Ruthven 
Deane,  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  A.  K.  Fisher,  E.  W. 
Nelson,  Thomas  S.  Roberts,  Witmer 
Stone.  As  ex-presidents,  J.  A.  Allen, 
William  Brewster,  D.  G.  Elliot,  and 
Robert  Ridgway  also  serve  as  councilors. 

There  were  no  candidates  for  active 
membership.  One  honorary  member.  Dr. 
A.  B.  Meyer,  two  corresponding  members, 
Count  E.  Arrigoni  degli  Oddi  and  Walter 
E.  Bryant,  and  sixty  -  seven  associate 
members  were  elected. 

At  this  meeting  notice  was  given  of  a 
proposed  change  in  the  by-laws  of  the 
Union  of  far-reaching  importance.  It  pro- 
vides for  the  increase  of  the  limit  of  active 
membership  from  fifty  to  seventy-five,  but 
prohibits  the  election  to  this  class  of  more 
than  five  members  annually.  It  desig- 
nates the  members  of  this  class  Fellows 
instead  of  Active  Members,  and  provides 
for  the  establishment  of  a  new  class  of 
members,  likewise  limited  to  seventy-five 
in  number,  who  shall  be  known  simply 
as  Members,  but  who  shall  not  have 
the  privileges  of  voting,  etc. ,  accorded 
Fellows.  Action  on  this  proposed  amend- 
ment will  be  taken  in  November,  1901 

The  more  important  features  of  the 
public  sessions  of  the  Union,  which  were 
held  in  the  Nash  Lecture  room  of  Harvard 
University  Museum,  were  memorial  ad- 
dresses on  Elliott  Coues  and  George  B. 
Sennett,  delivered  by  D.  G.  Elliot  and 
J.  A.  Allen,  respectively;  William  Butch- 
er's report  on  the  expenditure  of  about 
$1,000  of  the  Thayer  fund,  T.  S.  Palmer's 
account  of  the  methods  employed  for  the 
enforcement  of  the  Lacey  Bill,  and  the 
large  series — about  four  hundred  in  num- 
ber— of  excellent  lantern  slides  exhibited. 

Mr.  Dutcher  stated  that  he  had  secured 
the  services  of  twenty-three  wardens  and 
five  superintendents,  the  latter  being  mem- 
bers of  the  Union  who  volunteered,  and 
with  their  assistance  had  given  all  protec- 
tion afforded  by  law  to  the  water  birds 
breeding  from  Virginia  to  Maine. 


Jloob  jBtetD0  anti   3^ebietD0 


Audubon  Bird  Chart  No.  2.  Prang 
Educational  Co.,  Boston  and  New  York. 
Price,  $1.30.  With  Common  Birds: 
Second  Series,  by  Ralph  Hoffmann. 
Mass.  Audubon  Society,  Boston.  i2mo. 
Pages  20. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  know  that  the  excel- 
lent Audubon  Bird  Chart  No.  i,  issued  by 
the    Massachusetts    Audubon    Society,    in 

1898  (see  Bird- Lore,  Vol.  I,  p  27),  has 
met  with  a  success  which  has  warranted 
the  Society  in  issuing  this  Chart  No.  2. 
Like  Chart  No.  i,  it  contains  life-size 
figures  of  twenty-six  birds  reproduced  in 
color  even  more  effectively  than  those  of 
the  previously  published  chart.  This  chart, 
as  was  the  case  with  its  predecessor,  is  ac- 
companied by  a  pamphlet  by  Mr.  Ralph 
Hoffmann,  containing  well-written  biogra- 
phies of  the  twenty-six  birds  figured.  We 
especially  commend  these  Bird  Charts, 
with  their  accompanying  text-books,  to 
teachers,  as  the  most  satisfactory  invest- 
ments for  the  class-room,  from  an  orni- 
thologist's point  of  view,  of  which  we 
know.— F.  M.  C. 

Birds  of  the  Yukon  Region,  with  Notes 
on  Other  Species.  By  Louis  B. 
Bishop,  M.D.  North  American  Fauna, 
No.  ig,  pages  47-96,   Washington,    igoo. 

During  the  summer  and  early  autumn  of 

1899  Dr.  Bishop  accompanied  Mr.  Wilfred 
H.  Osgood,  of  the  Biological  Survey,  on  a 
^'biological  reconnaissance  of  the  Yukon 
River  region."  The  route  lay  over  the 
White  Pass  to  the  headwaters  of  the 
Yukon  and  thence  down  this  river  to  its 
mouth.  Dr.  Bishop  presents  an  introduc- 
tion on  the  general  features  of  the  bird-life 
of  this  little-known  part  of  our  country, 
tables  of  distribution,  and  a  well-annotated 
list  of  171  species  and  sub  species.  Three 
of  these — Cayiachites  ca)iadc?isis  osg'oodi, 
Sayot'fiis  saya  ynko)U')isis.  and  Cojitofus 
richardsoni  satiiratus — he  has  previously 
■described  as  new  ('  Auk,'  April,  1899). 

Dr.  Bishop  is  to  be  congratulated  on 
the  success  attending  an  expedition  which 
was  evidently  not  lacking  in  hardships, 
and  on  the  admirable  manner  in  which  he 
has  presented  its  results  — F.  M.  C. 

(197; 


Food  of  the  Bobolink,  Blackbirds,  and 
Grackles.  By  F.  E.  L.  Beal,  B.S., 
x\ssistant  Biologist.  Bull.  No.  13,  U 
S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  Division  of 
Biological  Survey.  Washington,  1900. 
Pages  77,  I  map,  3  cuts,  2  diagrams. 

In  this  Bulletin,  Professor  Beal  con- 
tinues his  important  studies  of  the  food  of 
North  American  birds,  taking,  for  inves- 
tigation, a  group  of  birds  which  are  as 
widely  condemned  by  the  average  agricul- 
turalist as  are  Hawks  and  Owls. 

While  it  does  not  appear  from  Professor 
Beal's  extended  researches  that  these  birds 
are  as  deserving  of  protection  as  are  the 
Hawks  and  Owls,  it  is  evident  that  their 
destructive  abilities  are  greatly  over-esti- 
mated. Indeed,  of  the  nine  species  whose 
food  has  been  studied  only  one  is  con- 
demned, and  this,  every  bird-lover  will 
regret  to  learn,  is  our  Bobolink,  of  which 
it  is  said,  "  Facts  force  the  belief  that  until 
some  practical  method  shall  be  devised  to 
prevent  its  ravages  upon  the  rice  crop 
there  can  be  no  other  conclusion  than  that 
the  good  done  by  the  Bobolink  does  not 
in  any  appreciable  measure  counte-bal- 
ance  the  harm.  " 

Lack  of  space  forbids  an  adequate  notice 
of  Professor  Beal's  paper,  which  should  be 
in  the  hands  of  everyone  interested  in 
learning  the  economic  status  of  our  birds. 
— F.  M.  C, 

Information  Concerning  Game  ;  Sea- 
sons, Shipments,  and  Sale.  By  T.  S. 
Palmer  and  H.  W  Olds.  Circular 
No.  31,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture, 
Division  of  Biological  Survey.  Wash- 
ington,   1900.     Pages  20. 

The  publication  of  this  pamphlet  fur- 
ther illustrates  the  wisdom  of  the  drawers 
of  the  Lacey  Bill  when  they  made  the 
Biological  Survey  responsible  for  its  en- 
forcement ;  and  it  will  not  be  the  fault 
of  the  Survey  if  the  public  remains  in 
ignorance  of  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

The  contents  of  this  circular  are  indi- 
cated by  its  title,  and  its  publication  by 
the  government  gives  to  it  an  authorita- 
tiveness  lacking  in  other  compilations  of 
the  game  laws. —  F.  M.  C. 


1 98 


Bird-  Lore 


Book  News 

In  the  future  we  propose  to  devote  part 
of  Bird-Lore's  increased  space  to  brief 
reviews  of  the  contents  of  the  leading 
ornithological  journals,  and  in  carrying 
out  this  plan  we  have  been  fortunate  in 
securing  the  assistance  of  ornithologists 
whose  cooperation  is  an  assurance  of  our 
success  in  presenting  a  critical  resume  of 
current  literature  relating  to  birds.  Thus, 
Dr.  J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  will  review  'The  Auk,' 
Dr.  T.  S.  Palmer,  'The  Condor,'  and  Dr. 
A.  K.  Fisher,  '  The  Osprey  '  and  '  Wilson 
Bulletin.' 

The  book  reviews  will,  of  course,  be 
continued,  and,  so  far  as  human  nature 
permits,  they  will  be  just  and  impartial, 
according  to  the  reviewer's  light  ;  con- 
demnation as  well  as  praise  being  given 
when  it  seems  deserved. 

The  attention  of  authors  of  local  lists 
and  other  papers  on  field  ornithology  is 
called  to  our  effort  to  place  them  in  com- 
munication with  students  to  whom  their 
publications  would  be  of  especial  assist- 
ance (see  page  i8i). 

The  Massachusetts  Audubon  Society 
has  issued  a  new  edition  of  its  attractive 
Audubon  Calendar,  which  contains  twelve 
colored  plates  of  birds  and  short  articles 
on  the  months  by  as  many  well-known 
writers.  Copies  of  it  may  be  obtained 
for  seventy-five  cents  from  Harriet  E. 
Richards,  Secretary,  234  Berkeley  Street, 
Boston. 

Bird  photographs  continue  to  occupy 
an  increasing  space  in  current  literature. 
The  New  England  Magazine  contains  an 
article  by  Sarah  J.  Eddy  entitled  '  The 
Robin's  Nest,'  illustrated  by  twenty-five 
excellent  photographs  which  graphically 
depict  the  life  of  the  nest  from  the  period 
of  incubation  until  the  young  were  old 
enough  to  fly  ;  and  the  first  number  of 
'  The  World's  Work '  publishes  twenty- 
three  photographs  by  A.  Radclyffe  Dug- 
more,  several  of  which  are  by  far  the 
best  examples  we   have  seen  of   this  skil- 


ful photographer's  work,  if,  indeed,  they 
are  not  the  best  things  of  the  kind  which 
have  been  made  in  this  country.  Copies 
of  the  first-named  article  may  be  ob- 
tained for  ten  cents  by  addressing  Box 
9,  Bristol  Ferry,  R.  I. 

The  program  of  papers  presented  at 
the  Eighteenth  Congress  of  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  held  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  November  12-15,  included  the 
following  twenty-seven  titles : 

In  Memoriam  :  Elliott  Coues.     D.  G.  Elliot. 
In  Memoriam  :  George  B.  Sennett.    J.  A.  Allen. 
The  Sequence  of    Molts   and     Plumages    of   the 

LayidcE     (Gulls     and     Terns).        Jonathan 

Dwight,  Jr. 

A  Study  of  the  Genus  SturneUa.  Frank  M. 
Ch.\pivi.\n. 

The  Pterylosis  of  Podargus  :  with  Further  Notes 
on  the  Pterylography  of  the  Caprimulgidte . 
Hubert  Lyman  Clark. 

The  Molt  of  the  North  American  Shore  Birds 
{LimicolcB).    Jonathan  Dwight,  Jr. 

Nesting  of  the  Yellow-headed  Blackbird.  Illus 
trated  by  lantern  slides.     Thomas  S.  Roberts. 

Among  the  Terns  at  Muskeget,  and  on  the  New 
Jersey  Coast.  Illustrated  by  lantern  slides. 
Wm.  L.  Baily. 

The  Season  of  iqoo  at  the  Magdalen  Islands  ;  with 
remarks  on  Bird  Photography.  Illustrated  by 
lantern  slides.     Herbert  K.  Job. 

Field  Notes  on  a  few  New  England  Birds.  Illus- 
trated by  lantern  slides.    William  Brewster. 

Dooryard  Ornithology.    John  N.  Clark. 

The  "American  Ornithologists'  Union  "  of  1840-45. 
Witmer  Stone. 

Notes  on  the  Spring  Migration  (1900)  at  Scar- 
borough, N.  Y.     Louis  Agassiz  Fuertes. 

Exhibition  of  Unpublished  Water-color  Paintings 
of  Birds.     Louis  Agassiz  Fuertes. 

Impressions  of  Some  Hawaiian  Birds.  H.  W. 
Henshaw. 

A  Visit  to  the  Birthplace  of  Audubon.  O.  Wid- 
mann. 

Natural  History  of  the  Alaskan  Coast.  Illustrated 
by  lantern  slides.     C.  Hart  Merriam. 

Notes  on  a  Nest  of  Massachusetts  Brown  Creep- 
ers.    Illustrated  by  lantern  slides.     A.  P.  Ch.'VD- 

BOURNE. 

Bird  Studies  with  a  Camera.  Illustrated  by  lan- 
tern slider.     Frank  M.  Chapman. 

Exhibition  of  Lantern  Slides  of  Birds'  Nests  and 
Nesting  Haunts,  From  Nature.     Members. 

Aptosochromatism.  A  reply  to  Drs.  Dwight  and 
Allen.     Francis  J.  Birtwell. 

On  the  Breeding  Habits  of  Leconte's  Sparrow.  P. 
B.  Peabodv. 

On  the  Value  of  Careful  Observations  of  Birds" 
Habits.    Edward  H.  Forbush. 

Breeding  of  the  Cerulean  Warbler  near  Baltimore. 
Frank  C.  Kirkwood. 

Report  of  the  A.  O.  U.  Committee  on  the  Protec- 
tion of  North  American  Birds.   Witmer  Stone. 

Results  of  Special  Protection  to  Gulls  and  Terns 
obtained  through  the  Thayer  Fund.  Illustrated. 
William  Dutcher. 

The  Enforcement  of  the  Lacev  .4ct.    T.  S.  P.'^lmer. 


Editorials 


199 


ilirti'ilore 

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.  II        DECEMBER,  1900  No.  6 

SUBSCRIPTION    RATES. 

Price  in  the  United  States,  Canada,  and  Mexico, 
twenty  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  a  year,  post- 
age paid. 

Subscriptions  may  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  at 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  or  66  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Price  in  all  countries  in  the  International  Postal 
Union,  twenty-five  cents  a  number,  one  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  year,  postage  paid.  Foreign  agents, 
Macmillan  and  Company.  Ltd.,  London. 

COPYRIGHTED,  igoo,  BY  FRANK    M.  CHAPMAN. 

Bird-Lore's  Motto : 
A  Bird  in  the  Bush  is  JVorth  Two  in  the  Hand. 


1900 

1900  has  been  a  red-letter  year  in  the 
annals  of  American  Ornithology,  and  while 
we  do  not  propose  to  review  in  detail  the 
advances  which  have  been  made  in  various 
departments  of  the  science  of  birds,  we 
may  count  our  blessings,  as  it  were,  by 
summing  up  the  more  important  features 
of  the  year's  work  in  the  fields  of  scientific, 
economic,  popular,  educational,  legislative 
and  protective  ornithology. 

In  the  field  of  science,  Dr.  Dwight's 
studies  on  the  molt  of  North  American 
birds  constitute  perhaps  the  most  impor- 
tant single  contribution  to  ornithological 
knowledge,  and  in  combined  faunal  and 
systematic  work  we  may  mention  Dr. 
Allen's  and  Mr.  Bangs'  papers  on  the  birds 
of  the  Santa  Marta  region  in  Columbia, 
Mr.  Stone's  report  on  the  Mcllhenny  col- 
lections from  Alaska,  a  report  on  the 
Peary  Greenland  collections  secured  by 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
Mr.  Loomis'  studies  of  California  water 
birds.  Professor  Beyer's  '  Birds  of  Louisi- 
ana,' the  first  part  of  Professor  McCoun's 
catalogue  of  Canadian  birds,  Dr.  'Bishop's 


'Birds  of  the  Yukon  River  Region,' and 
Captain  Reynaud's  suggestive  study  of  the 
'Orientation  of  Birds.' 

In  economic  ornithology.  Dr.  Palmer's 
'  Review  of  Economic  Ornithology  in  the 
United  States  '  and  Professor  Beal's  '  Food 
of  the  Bobolink,  Blackbirds,  and  Crackles' 
are  notable  papers. 

On  the  border  line  of  scientific  and 
popular  ornithology  are  the  camera  studies 
of  birds  which  not  only  present,  in  graphic 
form,  much  that  was  previously  known, 
but  add  to  our  existing  stock  of  information. 
The  ready  sale  of  the  books  on  bird- 
photography,  the  increasing  demand  for 
popular  literature  relating  to  birds,  the 
call  for  lectures  on  birds  culminating  in 
the  inclusion  of  eight  lectures  in  so  repre- 
sentative a  course  as  that  of  the  Lowell 
Institute,  all  attest  the  growing  interest  in 
popular  ornithology. 

The  rapid  development  of  nature-study 
and  the  important  place  accorded  birds  in 
nature-study  courses  are  well-known  facts 
which  have  been  emphasized  during  the 
past  year  by  the  inclusion  of  bird-study 
in  the  Chautauqua  course  and  in  the  com- 
paratively technical  course  of  instruction 
given  at  the  Woods  HoU  Marine  Biological 
Laboratory.  Nor  should  we  fail  to  men- 
tion here  the  important  educational  work 
of  certain  of  the  Audubon  Societies. 

It  is,  however,  in  legislative  and  pro- 
tective measures  that  the  most  important 
developments  of  the  year  are  to  be  found. 
Through  the  efforts  of  the  Audubon 
Societies  the  bird  laws  of  several  states 
were  greatly  improved,  and  to  the  sen- 
timent in  favor  of  bird  protection,  for 
which  the  Audubon  Societies  are  so 
largely  responsible,  in  connection  with 
the  united  influence  of  other  bird  and 
game  protective  associations,  may  in  part 
be  attributed  the  passage  by  Congress  of 
the  Lacey  bill,  doubtless  the  most  impor- 
tant act  for  bird  protection  ever  enacted, 
and  for  which  every  bird-lover  cannot  be 
too  grateful  to  Congressman  Lacey,  who, 
in  introducing  and  fighting  for  this  bill, 
did  so  not  alone  as  a  representative  of  his 
constituents,  but  as  a  representative  of 
the  birds. 


200 


Bird-  Lore 


The  far-reaching  possibilities  of  this 
law  are  being  realized  through  the  fore- 
sight which  made  the  enforcement  of  its 
provisions  the  duty  of  the  Biological  Sur- 
vey, where,  under  the  immediate  super- 
vision of  Dr.  Palmer,  it  bids  fair  to 
become  an  even  more  efficient  means  of 
bird  protection  than  its  most  ardent  sup- 
porters had  anticipated  ;  as  witness  the 
seizure  of  Gulls  in  Baltimore,  reported 
beyond  in  the  columns  of  the  Audubon 
Department. 

The  proposition  advanced  by  the  mil- 
liners to  the  Audubon  Societies  and  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union  is  pre- 
sumptive evidence  that  the  efforts  of 
these  organizations  to  protect  our  birds 
have  not  been  without  their  effect  on  the 
millinery  trade. 

Mr.  Stone,  chairman  of  the  Union's 
committee  on  bird  protection,  has  been 
commendably  active,  while  two  members  of 
the  Union,  Messrs.  A.  H.  Thayer  and  Wil- 
liam Dutcher,  have  made  a  record  in  prac- 
tical bird  protection,  which  it  is  hoped  will 
bear  fruit  in  funds  with  which  to  continue 
their  work  during  the  coming  year. 

From  every  point  of  view,  then,  this 
brief  enumeration  of  the  more  important 
developments  of  the  year  is  encouraging 
in  the  extreme,  and  almost  warrants  one's 
belief  in  the  speedy  approach  of  that  orni- 
thological millennium  when  the  value  of 
birds  to  man  will  be  common  knowledge. 

Bird-Lore  for  1901 

Bird-Lore  has  many  friends,  but  we 
believe  that  the  most  ardent  among  them 
does  not  realize  the  pleasure  it  gives  us 
to  announce  that  beginning  with  the  pres- 
ent number,  Bird-Lore  is  to  be  enlarged 
one-fourth.  Including  advertisements  of 
bird  books  and  magazines,  in  themselves 
of  interest,  each  issue  will  now  contain 
fifty  pages ;  a  total  of  300  for  the  year, 
with  about  seventy-five  illustrations. 

This,  however,  is  only  a  beginning,  for 
there  is  absolutely  no  limit  to  our  ambi- 
tion to  add  to  Bird-Lore's  value  and  at- 
tractiveness. With  the  present  increase  in 
size  we  are  enabled  to  carry  out  some  of 
our  plans  for  the  magazine's  betterment; 


but  we  have  in  mind  so  many  others  of 
which  we  are  sure  our  subscribers  would 
approve,  that  we  trust  they  will  share  our 
impatience  in  seeing  them  realized. 

Bird-Lore's  chief  feature  for  the  com- 
ing year  will  be  the  series  of  articles  and 
lesson-outlines  on  'Birds  and  Seasons,' 
the  first  instalment  of  which,  together 
with  an  explanation  of  its  objects,  will  be 
found  on  a  preceding  page. 

Should  this  attempt  to  establish  a  defi- 
nite course  of  study  prove  successful,  we 
hope  it  may  be  the  starting  point  in  the 
development  of  an  idea  which  includes  a 
school  of  popular  ornithology,  with  a  sum- 
mer encampment  where  both  class-room 
and  field  instruction  could  be  given  by  a 
corps  of  experienced  teachers. 

Lack  of  space  prevented  us  from  fulfill- 
ing some  of  the  promises  for  the  past 
year ;  they  will,  however,  be  redeemed 
during  the  next  twelve  months,  when  we 
shall  publish  Mr.  Burroughs'  account  of 
his  rarer  bird  visitors,  Ernest  Seton- 
Thompson's  illustrated  paper  on  '  How  to 
Know  the  Hawks  and  Owls,'  and  H.  W. 
Henshaw's  important  studies  of  Hawaiian 
bird-life. 

Of  unusual  interest  will  be  a  stenogra- 
phic report  of  an  address  on  Audubon 
delivered  by  Dr.  Elliott  Coues  before  the 
American  Ornithologists'  Union  in  1897, 
while  Miss  Maria  R.  Audubon  will  con- 
tribute several  letters  written  by  her 
famous  grandfather  to  his  son  John  —  her 
father  —  in   1827. 

Among  other  articles  we  may  mention 
Mr.  F.  A.  Lucas'  description  of  the  bird 
rookeries  of  Walrus  Island,  in  Bering  Sea, 
with  some  of  the  most  remarkable  photo- 
graphs we  have  ever  seen,  Dr.  T.  S.  Pal- 
mer's illustrated  sketch  of  '  Ostrich  Farm- 
ing in  America, '  Dr.  J .  Dwight,  Jr 's.  '  How 
Birds  Molt,'  and  Mr.  Montagu  Sharpe's 
'Bird  Protection  in  Great  Britain.' 

The  illustrations  will  not  only  be  more 
numerous  but  actually  better  than  those 
we  have  already  published,  and  will  in- 
clude numerous  photographs  illustrating 
an  account  by  the  editor  of  a  bird-nesting 
expedition  with  John  Burroughs. 


"  Vou  cannot  with  a  scalpel  find  the  poeV  s  soul. 
Nor  yet  the  wild  bird's  sottg." 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  (President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  the  State  of 
Connecticut),  Fairfield,  Conn.,  to  whom  all  communications  relating  to  the  work  of  the  Audubon 
and  other  Bird  Protective  Societies  should  be  addressed.  Reports,  etc.,  designed  for  this  department 
should  be  sent  at  least  one  month  prior  to  the  date  of  publication. 


DIRECTORY    OF    STATE    AUDUBON    SOCIETIES 

With  names  and  addresses  of   their  Secretaries 

New  Hampshire Mrs.  F.  W.  Batchelder,  Manchester. 

Massachusetts Miss  Harriet  E.  Richards,  care  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  Boston. 

Rhode  Island Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  187  Bowen  street,  Providence. 

Connecticut Mrs.  William  Brown  Glover,  Fairfield. 

New  York Miss  Emma  H.  Lockwood,  243  West  Seventy-fifth  street.  New  York  City. 

New  Jersey Miss  Anna  Haviland,  53  Sandford  Ave.,  Plainfield,  N.J. 

Pennsylvania Mrs.  Edward  Robins,  114  South  Twenty-first  street,  Philadelphia. 

District  of  Columbia Mrs.  John  Dewhurst  Patten,  3033  P  street,  Washington. 

Delaware. Mrs.  Wm.  S.  Hilles,  Delamore  place,  Wilmington. 

Maryland Miss  Anne  Weston  Whitney,  715  St.  Paul  Street,  Baltimore. 

South  Carolina Miss  S.  A.  Smyth,  Legare  street,  Charleston. 

Florida Mrs.  C.  F.  Dommerich,  Maitland. 

Ohio Mrs.  D.  Z.  McClelland,  5265  Eastern  .Ave.,  Cincinnati. 

Indiana W.  W.  Woolen,  Indianapolis. 

Illinois Miss  Mary  Drummond,  Wheaton. 

Iowa Mrs   L.  E.  Felt,  Keokuk. 

Wisconsin Mrs.  George  W.  Peckham,  646  Marshall  street,  Milwaukee. 

Minnesota Mrs.  J.  P.  Elmer,  314  West  Third  street,  St.  Paul. 

Kentucky Ingram  Crockett,  Henderson. 

Tennessee Mrs.  C.  C.  Conner,  Ripley. 

Texas 

California Mrs.  George  S.  Gay,  Redlands. 

The  week  beginning   November  12  was  expression  of  opinion  as  was  the  previous 

full  of  significance  for  bird  students.     The  social  intercourse,  but  one  thing  was  evi- 

meeting  of   the  American    Ornithologists'  dent,   that  the  usefulness  of    the  societies 

Union,  always  exhilarating,  seemed  doubly  and  their  power  of  retaining  the  interest 

so  owing  to  the  general  air  of  hospitality  of  members  is  in    direct  ratio  with    their 

that  prevailed  in  Cambridge.    Those  mem-  educational    and   law-making    trend,    and 

bers  of  the  Audubon  Societies,  also  mem-  that    emotionalism    in    members  is  a  dis- 

bers     of     the     American     Ornithologists'  tinct  disadvantage  to  a  society  and  bound 

Union,    had   many    opportunities   of    com-  to  repel  the  logical. 

ing  in  touch  at  the  receptions  so  graciously  Personally,  since  the  recent  report  of 
tendered  by  Mrs.  Brewster  and  Mrs.  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union  Pro- 
Frank  Bolles,  as  well  as  the  noontime  tective  Committee,  I  have  changed  my 
gatherings  for  luncheon  at  the  Colonial  mind  as  to  the  necessity  of  a  separate 
Club.  Owing  to  the  combination  of  the  conference  of  Audubon  Societies.  The 
two  meetings,  American  Ornithologists'  vast  distance  to  be  traveled  in  order  to 
Union  and  Aububon  Conference,  many  meet  at  any  one  place  will  always  prevent 
people  came  to  the  latter  who  would  anything  like  a  representative  gathering 
otherwise  have  been  absent,  so  that  the  from  all  sections.  Rather  let  two  mem- 
majority  of  working  societies,  with  the  bers,  having  the  qualifications,  from  each 
exception  of  Wisconsin,  were  represented,  society  join  the  American  Ornithologists' 
and  it  has  been  decided  to  endeavor  to  Union  as  associate  members.  Let  these 
make  such  meetings  annual.  members  meet  with   the   American    Orni- 

The  conference   itself   was  not  perhaps  thologists'     Union    Protective    Committee 

so  satisfactory  in  bringing  forth  a  general  annually  as  auxiliaries,  give  their  experi- 

(201) 


202 


Bird-  Lore 


ences  and  receive  in  return  the  results  of 
that  committee's  practical  work  in  up- 
holding the  law,  and  suggestions  for  their 
own  work  for  the  coming  year.  Such  a 
fusion  would  strengthen  and  unify  the 
■work  of  both  bodies  without  hurting  the 
individuality  of  either  and  be  thoroughly 
in  line  with  the  twentieth  century  spirit 
of   all  great  reforms — cooperation. 

M.   O.  W. 

The  Audubon  Conference. 

The  first  conference  of  State  Audu- 
bon Societies  was  held  on  the  afternoon 
of  November  15,  in  the  Geological  Lec- 
ture Room  of  the  Museum  of  Compara- 
tive Zoology,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  delegates 
being  present  from  the  New  Hampshire, 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecti- 
cut, New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
District  of  Columbia  and  Illinois  Societies. 

During  the  week  the  daily  sessions  of 
the  American  Ornithologists'  Union  had 
drawn  together  a  notable  company,  both 
of  scientists  and  bird  students  of  the  nov- 
ice class,  the  final  session  of  the  Ameri- 
can Ornithologists'  Union  in  the  morning 
having  been  devoted  to  reports  from  the 
committee  on  bird  protection  and  accounts 
of  the  application  of  the  law  under  the 
Lacey  bill  through  the  splendid  work  of 
T.  S.  Palmer,  Assistant  Chief  of  the  Bio- 
logical Survey,  so  that  the  time  seemed 
most  pertinent  for  a  meeting  of  the  Audu- 
bon Societies. 

The  meeting  was  opened  by  Dr  C.  S. 
Minot,  who  made  a  brief  introductory  ad- 
dress outlining  the  establishment  of  the 
various  state  societies  in  general  and  of 
the  Massachusetts  Society  in  particular. 
Dr  Minot  having  been  then  made  chair- 
man and  Mrs.  H.  T.  Grant,  Jr.,  secretary, 
the  meeting  was  called  to  order. 

Mr.  Ralph  Hoffmann  spoke  of  the  ob- 
jects of  the  conference,  of  the  desirability 
of  federation,  of  the  need  for  cooperative 
printing  and  of  the  stimulus  derived  from 
■contact  with  other  workers. 

He  read  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Peckham,  of 
the  Wisconsin  Society,  telling  of  her  work 
in  the  schools  and  urging  the  Societies  to 
use  a  little  publication  called  By  the  Way- 


side as  a  means  of  encouraging  nature 
study  among  the  younger  members. 

Mrs.  Wright,  of  the  Connecticut  Society, 
spoke  of  the  necessity  of  furnishing  local 
secretaries  with  material  to  instruct  and 
interest  those  of  whom  they  sought  to 
make  members,  saying  that  leaflets  were 
good  as  far  as  they  went,  but  the  reading 
of  a  leaflet  implied  interest  and  that  some- 
thing else  was  often  first  necessary  to 
awaken  that  interest.  As  a  practical  illus- 
tration of  the  educational  methods  prac- 
ticed by  the  Connecticut  Society,  Mrs. 
Wright  explained  their  free  traveling  lec- 
tures, reading  the  most  general,  '  The  Birds 
About  Home, '  and  showing  the  seventy 
finely  colored  slides  that  accompany  it. 

Mr.  Frank  M.  Chapman  spoke  on  'What 
Can  we  Do  for  Our  Members,'  and  citing 
in  illustration  the  remarkable  success 
which  had  attended  the  introduction  of 
bird-study  into  the  Chautauqua  course 
under  the  supervision  of  Mrs.  Florence 
Merriam  Bailey,  he  urged  that  the  Audu- 
bon Societies  use  their  organization  to 
form   classes  for  the  study  of  birds. 

Miss  Justus,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Society, 
told  how  this  method  had  been  tried  in  her 
state  by  the  formation  of  six  successful 
bird  classes  during  the  past  season. 

Dr.  T.  S.  Palmer,  of  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia Society,  described  the  methods  of 
that  society  in  fitting  nature-study  teach- 
ers for  their  work,  and  made  a  stirring 
address  to  the  Audubon  Societies  to  work 
together  to  better  the  laws  as  well  as  to 
see  that  they  were  enforced,  and  to  incul- 
cate the  feeling  that  the  bird  belongs  not 
to  the  individual  but  to  the  state. 

The  lateness  of  the  hour  prevented 
further  discussion  or  consideration  of  the 
subjects  of  Federation  and  Cooperation, 
and  upon  motion  of  Mr.  Chapman,  who 
on  behalf  of  the  New  York  Society  and 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
invited  the  societies  to  meet  in  New  York 
during  the  American  Ornithologists'  Con- 
gress in  November,  1901,  it  was  decided 
to  appoint  a  committee  whose  duty  it 
should  be  to  formulate  plans  for  the  fed- 
eration of  the  societies  and  to  report  at 
the  Audubon  Congress  of  1901. 


The  Audubon  Societies 


203 


Death  of  Mrs.  Dommerich 
In  the  death  of  Mrs.  C.  F.  Dommerich, 
which  occurred  in  New  York  city,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1900,  the  cause  of  bird  protection  has 
lost  a  staunch  and  efficient  supporter,  who 
had  chosen  for  her  field  of  work  a  state 
where  her  services  were  greatly  needed. 

It  was  through  Mrs  Dommerich 's  efforts 
that  the  Florida  Audubon  Society  was 
formed  in  March,  1900.  Under  her  lead- 
ership it  promised  to  be  an  organization  of 
more  than  usual  influence,  and  it  is  sin- 
cerely to  be  hoped  that  in  its  ranks  there 
is  some  one  who  will  carry  on  the  work 
which  Mrs.  Dommerich  so  successfully 
inaugurated. 

Seizure    of   Gulls   in    Baltimore 

Acting  under  advice  received  from  the 
U.  S  Biological  Survey,  the  Game  and  Fish 
Commission  of  Maryland  seized,  in  Oc- 
tober last,  2,600  Gulls  and  Terns  in  the 
possession  of  Dumont  &  Co.,  of  Baltimore. 
Under  the  provisions  of  the  state  law  the 
birds  were  confiscated,  no  defense  being 
made.  A  criminal  case,  to  determine 
whether  Dumont  &  Co.  are  liable  to  the 
fine  imposed  by  the  state  law,  of  from  $1 
to  $5  for  each  bird  found  in  their  posses- 
sion, is  still  pending. 

This  case  thoroughly  aroused  the  whole- 
sale feather  dealers  of  Baltimore,  who  re- 
quested Dr.  T.  S.  Palmer,  of  the  Biological 
Survey,  to  examine  their  stock.  As  a  result 
of  this  examination  they  promptly  with- 
drew all  prohibited  feathers,  including 
Grebes'  breasts  and  Herons'  aigrettes, 
and  each  firm  made  a  statement  to  the 
effect  that  hereafter  it  would  not  deal  in 
birds  protected  by  state   or  federal    law. 

In  this  instance  the  state  law  covered 
the  ground,  but  it  is  clearly  much  strength- 
ened by  the  support  of  the  Lacey  bill,  and 
it  is  evident  that  the  section  of  this  bill 
which  makes  a  bird  subject  to  the  law  of 
whatever  state  it  chances  to  be  in  will, 
under  Dr.  Palmer's  energetic  administra- 
tion, exert  so  restraining  an  influence  on 
the  trade  in  feathers  that,  fearing  to  in- 
volve their  customers  in  legal  difficulties, 
feather  dealers  will  eventually  abandon 
the  use  of  the  feathers  of  our  native  birds. 


Reports   of    Societies 

DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA  SOCIETY 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  was 
the  largest  and  most  successful  one  ever 
held. 

After  the  election  of  officers,  and  reports 
of  treasurer,  secretary,  and  committees, 
the  secretary  read  a  History  of  the  Audu- 
bon Movement  in  America,  beginning  with 
an  account  of  the  original  general  Society, 
followed  by  the  State  Societies,  in  the 
order  of  their  inception,  and  a  concise 
history  of  each  organization,  its  officers, 
membership,  main  objects,  and  most  suc- 
cessful lines  of  work. 

Mr.  Harry  Oberholser  followed  with 
'Glimpses  of  Audubon,'  an  interesting 
talk  about  the  famous  naturalist,  illus- 
trated with  a  number  of  views  of  his  first 
home  in  America,  and  pictures  from  his 
works. 

Mr.  Wood  gave  great  pleasure  and 
amusement  by  his  clever  imitations  of  the 
notes,  calls  and  cries  of  "our  friends  in 
feathers  and  furs." 

At  this  meeting  it  was  announced  that 
Mrs  George  Colton  Maynard's  book, 
'Birds  of  Washington  and  Vicinity,' had 
been  adopted  as  a  text-book  in  our  public 
schools,  500  copies  having  been  ordered 
for  that  purpose.  A  complete  set  of  the 
publications  up  to  date  of  each  Society 
has  been  bound  and  placed  in  our  free 
library,  as  well  as  a  full  set  of  the  papers, 
reports,  etc.,  of  the  Society  in  England  for 
the  Protection  of  Birds,  very  kindly  given 
to  us  by  its  honorary  secretary,  Mrs. 
Lemon.  Our  collection  of  expensive  books 
of  reference  placed  in  the  library  for  the 
use  of  teachers  and  students  grows  each 
year,  as  does  our  membership. 

One  hundred  bird  specimens  were 
bought,  and  used  by  individual  students 
and  by  members  to  illustrate  talks  and 
lectures. 

Classes  for  the  study  of  birds  were  held 
by  Dr.  Palmer  and  Mr.  Oberholser  in  the 
normal  school  during  the  spring. 

In  May,  June  and  July,  popular  talks 
were  given   by  Miss  Elizabeth  V.   Brown 


204 


Bird -Lore 


and  Mr.  Henry  Olds,  in  Takoma  and  Gar- 
rett Park,  suburbs  of  Washington. 

In  legislation  we  have  made  some  prog- 
ress, the  Audubon  Society,  in  cooperation 
with  the  Fish  and  Game  Association, 
having  prepared  an  amendment  to  the 
present  game  law,  based  upon  the  A.  O. 
U.  model  bird  law,  and  it  has  been  favor- 
ably reported  by  the  District  Committee, 
both  in  the  House  and  Senate  We  have 
printed  and  circulated  a  portion  of  the 
existing  District  game  laws. 

There  is  no  evidence,  so  far,  of  the  sale 
in  the  markets  of  Robins  as  game  birds, 
but  the  prevention  of  their  sale  requires 
eternal  vigilance.  Each  year  brings  added 
encouragement,  and  we  feel  especially 
pleased  that  our  efforts  to  have  the  study 
of  birds  hold  a  prominent  place  in  the 
nature  work  of  the  schools  has  been 
entirely  successful. 

Jeanie  Maury  Patten,  Secrdai-y. 

The  Destruction  of  Ptarmigan  for 
Millinery  Purposes 

Our  attention  has  been  called  to  some 
unquestionably  authentic,  and  1t=  ce  un- 
usually valuable  statis^'cs  in  regard  to 
the  destruction  fo'"  millinery  purposes  of 
Ptarmigan  or  Willow  Grouse  in  northern 
Russia,  contained  in  '  A  Russian  Province 
of  the  North '  by  Alexander  Platonovich 
Engelhardt,  governor  of  the  Province  of 
Archangel  (Lippincott,  iSgg). 

Governor  Engelhardt   states  that  while 


the  birds'  bodies  are  worth  about  one- 
half  a  cent  each,  their  wings  bring  a 
cent  and  a  half  a  pair,  and  to  supply  the 
feather  dealers'  unlimited  demands,  the 
birds  are  killed  in  such  enormous  num- 
bers that  a  single  shipment  from  Arch- 
angel, on  August  17,  1898,  consisted  of 
ten  tons  of  zvings  ! 

Among  the  tables  in  the  appendix  of 
this  volume  is  one  giving  the  govern- 
ment's record  of  game  killed  each  year, 
from  which  it  would  appear  that  the  ac- 
tive demand  for  the  wings  of  Grouse  or 
Ptarmigan  began  in  1894.  Thus,  we 
learn  from  this  table  that  in  1893  there 
were  recorded  as  killed  117,258  Willow 
and  Hazel  Grouse,  but  in  1894  the  num- 
ber was  428,094 ;  in  1895,412,802;  in  1896, 
652,530,  and  in  1897,  485,332.  In  four 
years,  therefore,  nearly  2,000,000  Grouse 
were  recorded  as  killed  in  the  single 
Province  of  Archangel  —  and  doubtless 
many  more  were  destroyed  of  which  no 
record  was  made. 

The  continued  destruction  of  these 
birds  at  this  rate  means  their  early  ex- 
termination, when  the  inhabitants  of  this 
comparatively  barren  region  will  have 
been  deprived  of  an  important  source  of 
food  supply,  which,  properly  used,  should 
prove  exhaustless. 

Sentiment  aside,  therefore,  the  destruc- 
tion of  Grouse  in  northern  Russia  for 
millinery  purposes,  raises  a  question  in 
economics  of  the  first  importance. —  F. 
M.   C. 


ptarmigan's  wing;  winter  plumage      length  7^7/4    in. 

Note  the  short  outer  first  feather.     In  the  Pigeon's  wing  the  first  three  feathers 
are  of  about  equal  length. 


AMNH    LIBRARY 


100102090 


€b