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Title: Bird-Lore, Volume I—1899

Author: Various

Editor: Frank M. Chapman

Release date: November 30, 2014 [eBook #47500]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024

Language: English

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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BIRD-LORE,
VOLUME I—1899 ***

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

Edited by
FRANK M. CHAPMAN

Audubon Department Edited by

MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT

VOLUME I—1899

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
ENGLEWOOD, N. J., AND NEW YORK CITY

Copyright, 1899
By FRANK M. CHAPMAN

INDEX TO ARTICLES IN
VOLUME I BY AUTHORS
Click on letter to jump to section
[ A ][ B ][ C ][ D ][ E ][ F ][ G ][ H ][ I ][ J ][ K ]
[ L ][ M ][ N ][ O ][ P ][ R ][ S ][ T ][ V ][ W ]

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

Babcock, C. A., 'Suggestions for Bird-Day Programs in the Schools,' 49.
Baily, William L., 'Three Cobb's Island Pictures,' 81.
Batchelder, Annie V., Sec'y, report of, 102.

Beal, F. E. L., Reviews by, 98, 133.
Beebe, C. Will, 'Two Nova Scotia Photographs,' 113.
Board, Nellie S., Sec'y, report of, 62.
Brown, Elizabeth V., 'A Bird-Day Program,' 52.
Burnett, Dr. D. L., 'A Musical Woodpecker,' 60.
Burroughs, John, 'In Warbler Time,' 3.
Butler, Amos W., Sec'y, report of, 66.

Chapman, Frank M., 'Birds Through a Telescope,' 132;
'Gannets on Bonaventure,' 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.

Day, Mary F., 'Home-Life in a Chimney,' 78.
Deane, Ruthven, President, report of, 66.
Dutcher, William, 'Loons at Home,' 40.

Eaton, Isabel, 'Bird Studies for Children,' 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,' 83;
'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, reports of, 101, 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 Catbird Study,' 87.

Robins, Julia Stockton, Sec'y, report of, 66, 204.
Robinson, Mildred A., 'A February Walk,' 94.
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 Portland, 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 Caterpillars,' 166;
'Humanizing the Birds,' 193.
Southwick, E. B., 'A Nut-hatching Nuthatch,' 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 Seton, '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 Phœbe, A Catbird Story,' 130.

Widmann, Otto, 'In the Spartina with the Swallows,' 115.
Webster, Ellen E., 'An Interesting Phœbe's Nest, 197.

Wood, George, photograph by, 21.
W[right], M. O., Editorials by, 29, 64, 100, 136, 170, 202.

INDEX TO VOLUME I
Click on letter to jump to section
[ A ][ B ][ C ][ D ][ E ][ F ][ G ][ H ][ I ][ J ][ K ][ L ]
[ M ][ N ][ O ][ P ][ Q ][ R ][ S ][ T ][ V ][ W ][ Y ]

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,
reviewed, 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,' reviewed, 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.
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, 161.
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, 19, 24, 56, 58, 77, 94, 97, 181, 182, 185,
187;
figured, 7, 10, 12, 13, 56, 189.
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, 166;
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.
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, 96, 181;
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 Merrimack 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, 128.
Maryland Yellow Throat, 55, 151.
Massachusetts, 27, 83, 91, 134.
Maynard, C. J., 62.
Maynard, Mrs. L. W., 25.
McCormick, A. I., 62.
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., 26, 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, 119, 126, 132, 177, 187.
Newton, Alfred, 199.
Newton, Dr. Heber, 31.
New York, 5, 39, 54, 55, 57, 132, 134, 149, 156.
Night-hawk, 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 Animal Friends,' 168.
'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.
Phœbe, 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, 128, 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;
Semi-palmated, 128;

Solitary, 55, 128.
Sapsucker, Yellow-bellied, 54, 128.
Scoter, American, 128;
Surf, 128;
White-winged, 128.
Sennett, George B., 198.
Sharpe, R. Bowdler, 61.
Shrike, Northern, 6, 128, 181.
Shufeldt, R. W., 142.
Siskin, Pine, 128.
Sketch Book of British Birds, reviewed, 61.
Skimmer, Black, figured, 81;
nest and eggs of, figured, 82.
Skylark, 157.
Slab-Sides, 5.
Snipe, Wilson's, 54, 128.
Snow Buntings, 180, 181.
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;

Sparrow War, 137.
Stake-driver, 124.
Starling, 57.
Stejneger, Leonhard, 195.
Stone, Witmer, 27, 28, 29, 61, 125, 127, 200.
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.
Teal, Blue-winged, 128;
Green-winged, 128.
Tern, Gull-billed, 82;
figured, 82;
Wilson'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;
Wilson's, 55, 128;
Wood, 54, 92, 128.
Torrey, Bradford, 202.
Towhee, 54.
Tree Trunk, Artificial, 108.
Tryon, Kate, 31.

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;
Yellow-throated, 55, 93, 128;
Warbling, 55, 128, 166;
White-eyed, 55, 91, 95, 166.
Virginia, 81, 206.

'Wabeno, the Magician,' reviewed, 199.
Warbler, Bay-breasted, 55, 128;
Black and White, 5, 54, 93, 128;
Blackburnian, 55, 128;
Black-poll, 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;
Mourning, 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
No. 1 February, 1899 20 c. a Copy
$1 a Year

COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN

February, 1899

CONTENTS
Frontispiece—John Burroughs at 'Slab Sides.'
From a Flashlight Photograph.
In Warbler Time. John Burroughs 3
John Burroughs at 'Slab Sides.' Illustrated 5
The Camera as an Aid in the Study of Birds. Dr. Thomas S.
6
Illustrated. Roberts
From a Cabin Window. Illustrated H. W. Menke 14
FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Bird-Studies for Children. Isabel Eaton 17
Winter Bird Studies. 19
FOR YOUNG OBSERVERS
Florence. A.
Our Doorstep Sparrow. Illustrated 20
Merriam
A Prize Offered. 23
NOTES FROM FIELD AND STUDY
An Accomplished House Sparrow. J. L. Royael 24
A Nut-hatching Nuthatch. Illustrated E. B. Southwick 24
Collecting a Brown Thrasher's Song. (With the
S. D. Judd, Ph.D. 25
gramophone)
A Cover Design. Illustrated 25
BOOK NEWS AND REVIEWS 26
Kearton's 'With Nature and a Camera;' De Kay's 'Bird Gods;' Mrs.
Maynard's Birds of Washington; Bird-Life; Teachers' Edition; The
Massachusetts Audubon Society's Bird Chart.
EDITORIALS 28
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT 29

Editorial; Reports from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and District of Columbia Societies.

⁂ The Publication Office is in the Mount Pleasant Building, 208
Crescent Street, Harrisburg, Pa.

⁂ All communications in regard to contributions, etc., and all
regular exchanges, should be addressed to the Editor, Frank M.
Chapman, Englewood, New Jersey.

⁂ The subscription price is One Dollar per annum. Subscriptions
and advertisements may be sent to the Publishers, The Macmillan
Company, Harrisburg, Pa., or 66 Fifth Avenue, New York; or to the
Editor, as above.

PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT
The April number of Bird-Lore will contain the conclusion of Dr. Roberts'
interesting paper on 'The Camera as an Aid in the Study of Birds,' with
photographs which surpass in merit even those presented in this issue; An
article by Miss Merriam, entitled 'Oregon Jays and Clark's Crows on Mt.
Shasta,' accompanied by photographs of the birds from life; A sketch of the
home-life of Loons, by William Dutcher, illustrated by the author, and an
illustrated account, by R. W. Hegner, of the manner in which he secured a
unique picture of a Bluebird.
For 'Teachers and Students' Prof. Lynds Jones, of Oberlin College, will
write on methods of bird-study, and a program suggesting appropriate
exercises for Bird-day in the schools will be given.
Ernest Seton Thompson has written and illustrated some verses 'For Young
Observers,' and there will be the usual departments.

JOHN BURROUGHS AT 'SLAB SIDES'
Flashlight photograph, by F. M. Chapman, October, 1896

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

Official Organ of the Audubon Societies

Vol. 1 February, 1899 No. 1

In Warbler Time
BY JOHN BURROUGHS
his morning, May 5, as I walked through the fields the west
T wind brought to me a sweet, fresh odor, like that of
fragrant violets, precisely like that of our little white sweet
violet (Viola blanda). I do not know what it came from,—
probably from sugar maples, just shaking out their fringe-like
blossoms,—but it was the 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 was 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! 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 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 myself
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, 'n-'n 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! 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 were 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 Tennyson says,
"When all the woods stand in a mist of green, and nothing 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 in front of my
window. It came down within two feet of my face, as I stood by the pane, and
paused a moment in its hurry and peered in at me, giving me an admirable

view of its form and markings. It was wet and hungry, and it had a long
journey before 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 Warbler 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 ending.
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. Burroughs acquiring
S possession of a small 'muck swamp' situated 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 apparently 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 hopeless tangle of
brush and bogs, without sign of human habitation. One year later its black bed
was lined with long rows of luxuriant 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 planning, 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.
Burroughs 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 sympathetic readers may
imagine him amid surroundings which are in keeping 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 delightful and profitable
way of spending leisure hours than by prying into the
secrets of Dame Nature with an instrument capable of
furnishing such complete and truthful information as the
camera. Delightful and fascinating, 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 widespread camera craze, is the development of a love for the beautiful
and artistic which may result, and along the line of study here suggested 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 illustrate 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. Supplemental 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
any bird. Words alone fail to tell the story so clearly, so beautifully, and so
forcibly. And, best of all, this can be accomplished 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-reaching as to bring home as trophies lifeless

bodies and despoiled habitations, to be stowed away in cabinets where dust and
insects and failing interest soon put an end to their usefulness. It is not
intended, of course, to reflect in any way upon the establishment of orderly and
well-directed collections, for such are absolutely necessary to the very
existence of the science of ornithology. To such collections the great body of
amateur bird students should turn 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
intelligently informed as to the many varieties of birds, and their wonderful
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 number of ornithological works of
recent date, and especially the pages of the
journal literature of the day, bear excellent
testimony to the merit and beauty of this
method of securing bird pictures. Attention,
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 CHICKADEE AT NEST-HOLE, WITH
of this branch of photography, for good FOOD FOR YOUNG
photographs 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 absolutely inexhaustible. No matter how well equipped in other respects,
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 say, 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 lighting 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 perplexed to determine the proper stop and the right
time of exposure. 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 beauty of the negative as a whole. But every
determined student 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 exposure too much to
be generally useful in bird work. The writer has used a 4 × 5 long-focus
'Premo' with Bausch and Lomb Rapid Rectilinear lens (Zeiss-Anastigmat,
Series II-A, 41/4 × 61/2), the focal length of the combination being about 61/4
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 they preserve quite clearly the color values.
A consideration of the actual field difficulties, rather than the more purely
photographic problems to be encountered, is more within the scope of the
present paper. To this end a rather detailed account is given of just how each of
the following groups of photographs 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, very 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 devotees 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 photographer, 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 contentment, 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. Success 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,—
Parus atricapillus, the scientists call him,—is
familiarly known to almost every one who has
given even casual attention to birds. Its generally
common occurrence throughout the United States,
CHICKADEE LEAVING NEST cheery, happy disposition, and lively notes as the
little band, for they usually travel in companies,
goes roaming through woodland and copse, endears it to all. All through the
long, dreary winter, with its short days and perpetual snow and ice, they are the
same sprightly, contented 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 your 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-like
things. 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, perhaps, is some deserted Woodpecker 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 softest 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 day, 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 many
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 Warblers, which were flashing
hither and thither across the channel, we skirted the shore closely, tapping on
all likely-looking stubs. Now the tapping brought to view a Downy
Woodpecker, then a beautiful Golden Swamp Warbler; sometimes
unexpectedly a great gray mouse scrambled out and plunged boldly into the
water beneath; but this time the blow was followed by a subdued hum from
within, and an inquiring, 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 brightly, 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 included 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 distance
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 carefully 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 twenty-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 life-like 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 necessary. One of the birds, the one we took to be the female, was a
little more courageous 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
larvæ. Surely personal traits and individuality are quite as well marked in the
bird world as higher in the scale! 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 coöperation between eye and hand, as the exit was generally
made with a dash; but the accompanying picture, with head just emerging, will
show that we were fairly successful.

YOUNG CHICKADEES. CHICKADEE FEEDING YOUNG

Having concluded from all indications, chief among which was the
immense number of huge caterpillars carried in to the young, that the latter
must be fairly grown, we decided to expose the nest and complete our
collection by securing the entire family. So carefully sawing away 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 outlook somewhat forbidding. They were pretty little youngsters, fully
grown, with clean, jaunty coats, and a grown-up 'chickadee-dee,' just like the
old folks. Though somewhat dazzled at first by the sudden flood of bright
sunlight, they were, after a little coaxing, induced to sit out on the veranda that
had been improvised for them; but, like youthful 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 contentedly 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 and 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 revealed,
and had not the plate been light-struck by one of the many aggravating
accidents likely to occur in the out-door work of the beginner, the picture
would have been the best of the series. The courageous parent is attending to
her maternal duties under circumstances which must appear most appalling.
The little fellow sitting so contentedly by has undoubtedly had his share of the
huge juicy caterpillars, and patiently recognizes that it is not his turn.
(To be concluded)

From a Cabin Window
BY H. W. MENKE

With Photographs from Nature by the Author
uring the winter of 1897-8 I prospected for Jurassic fossils
D in Carbon and Albany counties, Wyoming. When cold
weather and snow rendered field work impracticable 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 lends a level, prairie-like aspect to the landscape. I doubt if there is to be
found anywhere a more desolate country than this; at least such was my
impression when the novelty of my surroundings had worn off.

HORNED LARKS AND SNOWFLAKES

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 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, while I waited within the cabin for nearly
two hours for an opportunity 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 exposure. At
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.

HORNED LARKS AND SNOWFLAKES

By throwing oats on only one spot, and that close to the window, I soon
gathered quite a flock 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.
Maneuvers attendant upon focusing and inserting a plate-holder, of course,
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 until the next morning. The morning
came as bright and sunny as I desired. My 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.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS

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!

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 neighbors.
The birds can easily be coaxed to the piazza or the window-shelf by the

judicious offer of free lunch, and so a speaking
I acquaintance, perhaps even a life-long friendship, with them
may be gained.
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
Sparrows 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 world of birds; then, perhaps, the
Summer Yellow-bird in the park, commonly known as the 'Wild Canary,' and
then Mr. Goldfinch 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, which has been played with
most tumultuous enthusiasm and eager interest in a certain New York school of
poor children. The teacher says:
"Let's play 'I'm 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 waving wildly and several vociferous whispers are heard,
proclaiming in furious pianissimo: "I know," "I 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 corrections.
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 observation 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—nine 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 experience, in some way,
the information to be given, and then employing the play instinct by having
bird games of various kinds, both kindergarten 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.

Winter Bird Studies
lthough we have fewer birds during the winter than at any
other season, at no other time during 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 identifying birds,
is at the mercy of a 'key.'
Indeed, the difficulty now lies not in identification, but in discovery; unless
one is thoroughly familiar with a given locality and its bird-life, one may walk
for miles and not see a feather—a particularly 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 supply 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 will 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 larvæ.
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 which to hunt for birds'
nests in the winter. Then all tree and bush nests have a white cap, which

renders them more conspicuous.
When 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.

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.
on't think that I mean the House, or English Sparrow,
D 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 reddish brown cap, and a gray vest
so plain it 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.

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.
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 tree trunks, or even hang
their nests down 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, don't you think it would be a
good thing to build near them? Perhaps they would drive away the cats and
help protect your brood. Then on hot summer days maybe some little girl
would 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!
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 lawn 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 them. 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 you want for your nestlings are
in the garden, and the seeds you like for a lunch for yourself are on the weeds

mixed up with 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?

CHIPPY'S FAMILY.
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 first 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 brooding 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! It seemed as if the crumbs could drop clear down to their boots!
Wouldn't you like to feed a little family like that sometime?

A Prize Offered
We want the boys and girls who read Bird-Lore 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-Lore 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.

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 Sparrow 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
Canaries. 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
affectionate 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 accomplishments, and there was sadness
in our home when his little life went out.—John L. Royael, Brooklyn, N. Y.

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.
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 had been so crushed,
that it was impossible to determine whether the
web contained eggs or young.
While thus engaged, I saw a White-breasted
Nuthatch, with something in its beak, alight on
the trunk of a wild cherry tree. While running ACORN WEDGED IN BARK BY
about over the bark, the bird dropped what proved WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
to be an acorn, but immediately flew down and Photographed from Nature, by E.
picked it from the long grass, and returned to the B. Southwick
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 (Quercus palustris), and as no fruiting tree of
this species was nearer than the Island, in the river opposite, 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 off,
glued the acorn in its cavity, and the photograph shows the result.—E. B.
Southwick, New York City.

A Cover Design
This interesting sketch was contributed by a
prominent ornithologist as an appropriate 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 us to abandon its use,
but we do not, for the same reason, feel justified in
depriving the world of this remarkably artistic effort,
and therefore present it for the edification of our
readers, and we trust, to the delight 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. Everything 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, which 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 continued 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 perversity of dumb animals, I quickly
covered 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 cylinder, and when this had been accomplished, 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 succeeded the following 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., Washington,
D. C.

With Nature and a Camera. By Richard Kearton, F. Z. S. Illustrated by 180
Pictures from Photographs by Cherry Kearton: Cassell & Co., London,
Paris and Melbourne [New York, East 18th St.], 1898. 8vo. Pages xvi +
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 observation and photography by two
ornithologists 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 original 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, we should reply
that we believed it was because he was an observer rather than a collector.
Apparently 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 results of his labors, he has been
most ably seconded by his brother, whose photographs 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. We do not recall a
more adequately 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 Kay. With decorations by George Wharton
Edwards. A. S. Barnes & Co., New York. 12mo, pages xix + 249. Price,
$2.
So singular a combination of ornithologist 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 Woodpecker with Ares, the Owl with Pallas Athené?" And his
search for a reply to these questions has led him into many little-frequented by-
paths of early European 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 wholesale destruction to-day, and ventures the
hope that "recollection of what our ancestors thought of birds and beasts, of
how at one time they prized and idealized them, may induce in us, their
descendants, some shame at the extermination to which we are consigning
these lovable but helpless creatures, for temporary gains or sheer brutal love of
slaughter."
Birds of Washington and Vicinity. By Mrs. L. W. Maynard, with Introduction
by Florence A. Merriam. Washington, D. C., 1898. 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 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 Field Key to Our Common Land Birds,'
and attractively written biographical sketches of the breeding species. The
migrants and winter residents are treated more briefly, and an annotated 'List of
All Birds Found in the District of Columbia,' by Dr. C. W. Richmond, is given.
There are also nominal lists of winter birds, birds that nest within the city
limits, etc., and an 'Observation Outline,' abridged from Miss Merriam's 'Birds
of Village and Field.'
The book is, in fact, a complete manual 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' Edition. By
Frank M. Chapman. With 75 full-page plates and numerous text-drawings
by Ernest Seton Thompson. D. Appleton & Co. New York. 1899. 12mo,
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 Lessons,' 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'
Manual,' which contains the same text as the 'Teachers' Edition,' but lacks the
seventy-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 photographed in nature. The one
hundred plates are about equally divided in portfolios 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 educational 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 containing 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.

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 the United States, Canada, and Mexico, twenty cents a number, one
dollar a year, postage 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 a quarter a year, postage paid. Foreign agents,
Macmillan and Company, Ltd., London.

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

Advertisements should be sent to the Publishers at 66 Fifth avenue, New
York City.

COPYRIGHTED, 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 journal of ornithology
which should be addressed to observers rather than to collectors of birds, or, in
short, to those who study "birds 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 Committee 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 with their members."
It is to supply this want of bird students 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 Thompson, Otto Widmann, and numerous other students of bird-
life.
The Audubon Department, under Mrs. Wright's care, will be a particularly
attractive feature of the magazine, one which, we trust, is destined to exert a
wide influence in advancing the cause of bird-protection.
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 increase in the size of each
number.

"You 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
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.
Miss Harriet E. Richards, care Boston Society of
Massachusetts
Natural History, Boston.
Rhode Island Mrs. H. T. Grant, Jr., 187 Bowen street, Providence.
Connecticut Mrs. Henry S. Glover, Fairfield.
Miss Emma H. Lockwood, 243 West Seventy-fifth
New York
street, New York City.
New Jersey Miss Mary A. Mellick, Plainfield.
Mrs. Edward Robins, 114 South Twenty-first street,
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia.
Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten, 3033 P street,
District of Columbia
Washington.
Wheeling, W. Va.
(branch of Penn Elizabeth I. Cummins, 1314 Chapline street, Wheeling.
Society)
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.
Mrs. George W. Peckham, 646 Marshall street,
Wisconsin
Milwaukee.
Minnesota Mrs. J. P. Elmer, 314 West Third street, St. Paul.
This department will be devoted especially to the interests of active
Audubon workers, and we earnestly solicit their assistance, as our success in
making it a worthy representative of the cause for which it stands largely
depends upon the heartiness of their coöperation. Others also, who are lovers
and students of nature in many forms, but who have never, for divers reasons,
engaged in any bird protective work, may, through reading of the systematic
and effective methods of the societies, become convinced of the necessity of
personal action.
We intend at once to establish the more practical side of the department by
printing in an early issue a bibliography of Audubon Society publications, in
order that anyone interested may know exactly what literature has appeared
and is available. For this reason we ask the secretaries of all the societies to
send us a complete set of their publications, stating, if possible, the number of
each which has been circulated, and, when for sale, giving the price at which
they may be obtained.
We also request the secretaries to send us all possible news of their plans
and work, not merely statistics, but notes of anything of interest, for even the
record of discouragements, as well as of successes, may often prove full of
suggestion to workers in the same field, and aid toward developments that will
broaden and strengthen the entire movement. A movement in complete
harmony with the great desire of thinking people for a broader life in nature,
which is one of the most healthful and hopeful features of the close of this
century.
M. O. W.

Reports of Societies[A]
[A] The editor acknowledges the receipt from Mr. Witmer Stone, chairman of
the Committee on Bird Protection of the American Ornithologists' Union, of a
number of the following reports, which, before the establishment of an official organ

for the Audubon Societies, had been sent to Mr. Stone for inclusion in his annual
report to the A. O. U., from which, through lack of space, they were necessarily
omitted.

THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY
The Massachusetts Audubon Society has reissued the Audubon Calendar
of last year and it is having a good sale. The drawings were made especially for
the calendar by a member of the society: the originals are painted in water
colors on Japanese rice paper, and are very artistic bird portraits. The same
artist is now at work on drawings of new birds for a calendar for 1900, which
the directors hope will be reproduced by a more accurate and satisfactory
process.
The Bird Chart of colored drawings of twenty-six common birds, which the
Directors 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 Hoffmann. His sketches of the birds are delightfully written,
and the book is valuable in itself.[B]
[B] See note on this chart and pamphlet in Book News and Reviews.

The Directors have recently sent out a new circular mainly in Boston and
vicinity, which briefly describes the work undertaken and asks for further
coöperation from interested persons, and states that "in addition to our first
object, the support 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
enforcement of present laws.
3. Protection during the season for certain breeding places of Gulls, Herons
and other birds, which, without such protection 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 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 people in condemnation of the
custom. There is a noticeable decrease in the use of aigrettes and of our native
birds, excepting 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
protection 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 various kinds have been distributed, and it
is evident that the principles of the society are becoming well known and are
exerting an influence, even in that difficult branch of Audubon work, the
millinery crusade.
Annie M. Grant, Sec'y.

THE CONNECTICUT SOCIETY

A score of ladies met in Fairfield on January 28, 1898, and formed "The
Audubon Society of the State of Connecticut." Mrs. James Osborne Wright was
chosen president and an executive committee 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 programme 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 Agriculture,' issued
by the United States Department of Agriculture, were received by the secretary,
and 600 of these have been mailed to individuals.
The Society has had two lectures prepared, one by Willard G. Van Name,
entitled 'Facts About Birds That Concern the Farmer,' illustrated by sixty
colored lantern slides, and one by Mrs. Mabel Osgood 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
secretaries 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 expressage 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
photographic 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.
No admission fee is to be charged at any entertainment at which the outfit
is used, the intention of the Audubon Society 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 1, 1899, that the society has had
practical proof of the success of its experiment in sending out these free
illustrated 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,
November 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 auspices of Mrs. Walter M. Smith, the local secretary of that city.
Harriet D. C. Glover,
Cor. Sec'y and 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
members, including 9 patrons, 7 sustaining members, 356 members, 157 junior
members.
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 History, 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
Relation of Birds to Trees,' by Florence A. Merriam, in the annual Arbor Day
Manual of New York State, and Mr. Chapman, chairman of our Executive
Committee, reports that in connection with Professor Bickmore, of the

American Museum's Department of Public Instruction, and a committee
representing the science teachers of the fourteen normal colleges of the State,
he has prepared a course in bird study for the normal colleges for the present
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
Educational Value of Bird Study,' during their convention, held in New York
City, December 29-30, 1898.
That the good work accomplished cannot be gauged by the number of
members 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, Sec'y.

NEW JERSEY SOCIETY
We have at present 124 members and have distributed over 1,000 general
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, Sec'y.

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
already been adopted by the Pennsylvania 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,'[C] by Mrs. L. W. Maynard—200 pages 12mo, 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.
[C] See a review of this book in Book News and Reviews.

OHIO SOCIETY
Miss Clara Russell, corresponding secretary 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; corresponding 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, Wisconsin, and Minnesota Societies, will appear in the April number.
VOL. 1
No. 2 April, 1899 20 c. a Copy
$1 a Year

COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN

April, 1899

CONTENTS
Frontispiece—Least Bittern, Nest and Eggs. From a Photograph by E.
G. Tabor.
The Camera as an Aid in the Study of Birds. Dr. Thomas S.
35
Illustrated. Concluded from February Number Roberts
A Least Bittern Portrait. Illustrated E. G> Tabor 39
Loons at Home. Illustrated. William Dutcher 40
Photographing a Bluebird. Illustrated. Robert W. Hegner 43
Annie Trumbull
A Tragic St. Valentine's Day. 45
Slosson
Clark's Crows and Oregon Jays on Mount Hood. Florence A.
46
Illustrated. Merriam
FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Suggestions for Bird-Day Programs in the
C. A. Babcock 49
Schools.
Summer Boarders for Boys and Girls. 51
A Bird-Day Program. Elizabeth V. Brown 54
Migration Tables for April and May. Dr. A. K. Fisher 52
FOR YOUNG OBSERVERS
Frank M.
The Legend of the Salt. Illustrated. 55
Chapman
The February Walk Contest. 57
A February Walk in Central Park. Floyd C. Noble 57
Ernest Seton
The Myth of the Song Sparrow. Illustrated. 59
Thompson
NOTES FROM FIELD AND STUDY 60
Sparrow-Proof Houses. Illustrated. D. R. Geery; A Musical
Woodpecker, D. L. Burnett; An Ornithologist at San Juan.

BOOK NEWS AND REVIEWS 61
Sharpe's 'Sketch Book of British Birds'; Stone's Report on Bird
Protection; 'Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society'; 'Bulletin
of the Cooper Ornithological Club'; Maynard's 'Nature Study in
Schools'; A new book by Mrs. Miller; Ernest Seton Thompson's 'Wild
Animals I Have Known'; Clark's 'Bird Tablets'; A book by the
originator of Bird-Day.

EDITORIALS 63
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT 64
Editorial; A Letter from Governor Roosevelt; Reports from the
Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota Societies.

⁂ Bird-Lore is published at Englewood, New Jersey, where all
manuscripts intended for publications, books, etc., for review, and exchanges
should be mailed in care of the Editor, Frank M. Chapman.

PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT
The unexpectedly large demand for the first number of Bird-Lore has so
nearly exhausted the edition it has been deemed advisable to reserve the few
remaining copies for subscribers to the volume.
Bird-Lore for June will contain an article by Olive Thorne Miller entitled,
'The Ethics of Caging Birds'; a poem by Edith M. Thomas; the conclusion of
Miss Merriam's article; an account of a visit to Audubon's birthplace, by Otto
Widmann; unusually interesting papers on the Cardinal and Chimney Swift,
and some remarkable bird pictures, including one by Dr. Roberts.

LEAST BITTERN ON NEST
Photographed From Nature by E. G. Tabor. (See page 39)

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

Official Organ of the Audubon Societies

Vol. 1 March, 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 13)
urning reluctantly from the attractive little Chickadee
T 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 photographer, 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 alarm, "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 country lad and the bane of every would-be stealthy
Nimrod. So noisily persistent is its outcry that it has been dubbed by
ornithologists vocifera—Ægialitis vocifera—and a most appropriate
appellation it is.

KILLDEER ON NEST

Like many loquacious people, Mr. and Mrs. Killdeer have a rather lazy vein
in their make-up, and spend but little time or effort nest building. A little
depression lined with a few bits of stick or 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 corn-field, 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 blending perfectly
with the general color of the immediate surrounding—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 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 prepare the
way, for after only brief delay the anxious bird began running in a great spiral
steadily 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 farm-house, had been attached to
the lever arm releasing 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
exposure,—1/25 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. Carefully 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 suggested 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 my position flat on the ground in the middle of the
field, with a hot noon sun pouring down overhead, 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 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 peaceful 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 boyish antics, saluted us with the
withering remark, "About four years of age, I should think, instead of forty."
But we hoped that the end would 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, revealing 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.

KILLDEER, NEST, AND EGGS

A Least Bittern Portrait
BY E. G. TABOR

(See Frontispiece)
the morning of May 27, 1897, equipped with an extra
supply of patience and a 5 × 7 'Premo B' camera fitted
with rapid rectilinear lens, my plate-holders filled with
unexposed plates, and accompanied 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
surroundings), 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 anything 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 f 16, and an instantaneous exposure with
speed at 1/25" 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, 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 photographs of birds. Don't
conclude at once, when you see pictures of nests, or birds in
their wild state, that 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
Ornithologists' 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
photographic 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 failures, 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 experienced in
getting a negative of a nest of eggs, from which the accompanying 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.
Those of you who are familiar 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 maybe called a lake region, and is very beautiful. Most of
the lakes are surrounded with forests, in which the contrasting colors of the
evergreens 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 about 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 discovered 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 handling 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 danger. When I first saw the family group, both parents and the little one
were together; but immediately on the appearance 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 perfectly quiet until
I undertook to row toward their offspring, when 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 I 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 usual well known cry
of the species, but the little one then remained on the surface and was soon
joined by the parent birds.

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

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.

BLUEBIRD FLYING TO NEST

Photographing a Bluebird
BY ROBERT W. HEGNER

With Photographs from Nature by the Author.
uring the severe cold of January and February, 1895,
D 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 increasing 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 1898, at Decorah, Iowa, to obtain photographs of
them in their haunts, and secured two interesting negatives of the female, as

shown in the accompanying illustrations. The history of the case is as follows:
A pair of Bluebirds, after several previous attempts at housekeeping, 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 before the female left the nest and joined her mate, who had
been keeping 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 female flew straight into the hole. A snap-
shot, just before she reached the entrance, 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 position at the nest-opening;
but, finally, the snap of the shutter helped bring
to life one of my best bird-pictures.

BLUEBIRD AT NEST A knowledge of the bird's nesting habits is a
prime requisite in avian photography. Much
patience is needed, as failures are very numerous. A camera which may be
focused 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.

A Tragic St. Valentine's Day
BY ANNIE TRUMBULL SLOSSON

cold wave reached us at Miami, on Biscayne Bay, Florida, in the night of
February 12, 1899. It was preceded by severe thunder storms in the evening.
On the 13th, Monday, it was very cold all over the state, with snow and sleet as
far south as Ormond and Titusville. Our thermometers at Miami ranged from
36° to 40° during the day. As I sat in my room at the hotel, about four in the
afternoon, I saw 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 (Tachycineta 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 beautiful 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 sunshine, 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. Valentine Day, when, as the old song has it,
"The birds are all choosing their mates."

Clark's Crows and Oregon Jays on
Mount Hood [D]

BY FLORENCE A. MERRIAM
[D] Read before the American Ornithologist's Union, Nov. 16, 1898.

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 pensioners 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 cañon 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 forty 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 looking
off on the three wonderful 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- CLOUD CAP INN
crowned Sparrow, together with Townsend's
Solitaire and other interesting westerners, moved about in the branches of the
low timber-line pines; and Lewis' Woodpeckers, with their long, powerful
flights, crossed over the forested cañons 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 wayfarers 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 relatives 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 being gray. Speaking of the birds, CLARK'S CROW
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 was 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 myself 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 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 disrespectful, 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,
OREGON JAY if not actually graceful, and they worked rapidly,
with none of the profound deliberation shown at
times by the Nutcracker. The smaller pieces of food they 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 fellows were flying about the place at once.
(To be concluded.)

Suggestions for Bird-Day Programs
in the Schools
BY C. A. BABCOCK

(Originator of Bird-Day)
Bird-Day exercise, in order to have much value
A 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 upon each question 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 NEST-BUILDING 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
situation—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.

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.
Personal 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 'Wake
Robin;' Bradford Torrey's 'Birds in the Bush;' Olive Thorne Miller's
'Bird Ways,' 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
he Bureau of Nature Study of Cornell University offers to assist all boys
T 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 numerous designs for houses which may
be constructed for the occupation of the expected 'boarders.'

A Bird-Day Program
BY ELIZABETH V. BROWN

Washington Normal School

B irthdays, red letter days, memorial days, arbor days and bird days!
The two hundred days of the school calendar 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 school? If the child is symmetrically developed,
harmoniously educated, 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 important 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 birds 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 possible. All 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 pictures is not enough. Field work 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 activities 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; characteristic 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
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, classification, 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 suggestive 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 which 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.
Young.—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 Neighbors.—Spring, summer, fall and winter.
How Birds Travel.
How Birds Help the Farmers.

Invitations to the Birds.—Boxes put up for them; seed-cups, bits of
suet nailed to posts or trees.

CHALK TALKS
Stories may be told by teachers or pupils with accompanying
illustrations hastily sketched on the black-board 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 Maupassant; 'The Crane Express,' Child World; 'The Crow and the
Pitcher,' 'The Fox and the Crane,' 'The Crane and the Crows,' Æsop'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,' 'Little Birdies,' Tennyson; '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,' Phœbe 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. Witmer Stone, is necessarily omitted for lack of space.—Ed.

AVERAGE DATES OF ARRIVAL OF THE
COMMONER BIRDS AT SING SING, N. Y.,
DURING APRIL AND MAY

BY DR. A. K. FISHER
April 1 to 10
Pied-billed Grebe, Wilson's Snipe, Sparrow Hawk, Osprey, Kingfisher,
Fish Crow, Cowbird, Savanna Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow, Tree Swallow.
April 10 to 20
Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, American Bittern, Pigeon
Hawk, Yellow-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.
May 1 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 Yellow-throat, Yellow-breasted Chat,
Redstart, Wilson's Thrush, Olive-backed Thrush.
May 5 to 10

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 10 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, you must attend to if you would win his confidence 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 Sparrows. But Central Park, New York City, the place I refer to,
contains several retired nooks where birds are often abundant. A place known
as the 'Ramble' is a particularly good one for birds, and during the past winter,
when it was not too cold, I have often gone from my study in the near-by
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.

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

This is especially true of the Chickadees, who, under any circumstances,
seem to have less fear of man than most birds. When I 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 fly 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
e have been delighted with the interest aroused by our request for
W descriptions of February walks, and in imagination 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 mentions 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 difficulty, and, in
addition to the two chosen, we would especially commend 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, 90 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
BY FLOYD C. NOBLE

(Aged 14 years)
On February 18, 1899, 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, excepting 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 females, though 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 off 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 was 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, between 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 minutes were again in the 'hunting grounds.' But we found, to our
dismay, that others had monopolized our flock of chickadees! However, 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
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.

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 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 entirely.

Wren boxes should be stationary, 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
Made from a bark-covered
insulators of which are placed
Made of rough boards. Size, log, 8 inches long and 8
1
on short pieces of hard wood
6 inches high, 5 /2 inches inches in diameter, a hole 5
which are nailed directly to
1
square at the bottom, 3 /2 inches in diameter being
the post.
inches square at the top. bored from end to end,
Probably half a dozen leaving an outer wall 11/2
times, when on this road, I saw a male Downy inches thick.
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 performance was repeated and continued at
intervals until I was obliged to drive by and frighten the bird away.—Dr. D. L.
Burnett, South Royalton, 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
interesting illustration of how, under the most adverse circumstances, an
enthusiastic 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 identifiable description of
the singular Cuban Cuckoo, locally known as Arriero (Saurothera merlini).

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

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
Promoting Christian Knowledge, New York, E. & J. B. Young & Co. 4to.
Pages xx + 255. Numerous colored illustrations. 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 complete 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 classifies these according
to the manner of their occurrence, as follows: Species which have probably
escaped from confinement, 14; Indigenous species, 138; Visitors from the
South—regular, 70, occasional or accidental, 69; Visitors from the East—
regular, 5, accidental or occasional, 38; Visitors from the North—regular, 35,
occasional or accidental, 29; Visitors from the West—regular 1, occasional, 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
description or elaborate key. In many cases even American species of
accidental occurrence are figured, and, in this connection, 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
represented by Mr. Witmer Stone, the Chairman 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-collectors 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 becoming 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 contributors 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
protection of our birds. We have not space to notice it further here, but it may
be obtained by addressing him at the Academy of Natural Science,
Philadelphia, Pa., and enclosing six cents in stamps.
Two ornithological organizations established, in January, magazines for the
publications of their proceedings and papers relating to the avifauna of their
respective 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
'Bulletin of the Cooper Ornithological Club,' is edited by Chester Barlow, of
Santa Clara, California, with the assistance of Henry Reed Taylor and Howard
Robertson. The business managers are Donald Cohen, of Alameda, and A. I.
McCormick, of Los Angeles, California. Both journals are the outgrowth of a
demand on the part of the societies they represent for an official organ, and

they will undoubtedly 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 periodical, 'Nature Study in Schools,' conducted 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
indicates, 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 ornithological 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
Animals I Have Known' (Charles Scribner's Sons). Published late in October, it
went rapidly through several editions, and by January 1, or little more than two
months after its appearance, 7,000 copies had been disposed of.
The reason for this phenomenal success is not hard to find; it appears on
every page of the book, the text, illustrations, 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 biography 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.,
publishes 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 Prepare 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 Cambridge Natural History, Vol. IX,
Birds, by A. H. Evans (The Macmillan Co.); The Birds of Ontario in Relation
to Agriculture, 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.
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, postage 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 review, should be sent to
the Editor at Englewood, New Jersey.

Advertisements should be sent to the Publishers 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
previously unknown friends, who, with the utmost kindness, have expressed
their approval of the new publication and predicted 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
publication of Bird-Lore, the publishers had disposed of more copies than it
was supposed 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
sufficient support to ensure the passage of any desirable measure, the prospects
of securing needed legislation seemed to be excellent. 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 harmoniously presented.

One of the most dangerous enemies threatening our birds to-day is the man
who, under the mask of 'science,' collects birds and their eggs in wholly
unwarranted 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. W. 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 collected 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
characteristic 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.

"You 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
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.
Miss Harriet E. Richards, care Boston Society
Massachusetts
of Natural History, Boston.
Mrs. H. T. Grant, Jr., 187 Bowen street,
Rhode Island
Providence.
Connecticut Mrs. William Brown Glover, Fairfield.
Miss Emma H. Lockwood, 243 West Seventy-
New York
fifth street, New York City.
New Jersey Miss Mary A. Mellick,Plainfield.
Mrs. Edward Robins, 114 South Twenty-first
Pennsylvania
street, Philadelphia.
Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten, 3033 P street,
District of Columbia
Washington.
Wheeling, W. Va. (branch of Elizabeth I. Cummins, 1314 Chapline street,
Pa. Society) Wheeling.
Miss Clara Russell, 903 Paradrome street,
Ohio
Cincinnati.
Indiana Amos W. Butler, State House, Indianapolis.
Illinois Miss Mary Drummond, Wheaton.
Iowa Miss Nellie S. Board, Keokuk.

Mrs. George W. Peckham, 646 Marshall street,
Wisconsin
Milwaukee.
Minnesota Mrs. J. P. Elmer, 314 West Third street, St. Paul.

The Conducting of Audubon
Societies
It is one thing to organize a society or club and quite another to set it upon a
permanent footing and keep it in step with the constant requirements of
progression. At a time when a great majority look askance at the startling array
of societies that they are asked to 'join,' it behooves all Bird Protective bodies
to conduct themselves with extreme conservatism, that they may not bear the
stigma of being called emotional 'fads,' but really appeal to those whom they
seek to interest.
Many men (and women also) have many minds, and a form of appeal that
will attract one will repel another. It is upon the tactful management of these
appeals and the bringing of the subject vitally home to different classes and
ages, that the life of the Audubon Societies depends.
Leaflets have their influence with those who already care enough to take
the trouble to read them. Special exercises in schools have a potent influence
for good. But the best method of spreading the gospel of humanity, is that by
which it was first spread 1900 centuries ago, by personal contact and the power
of the human voice. A few spoken words are worth a score of printed ones. A
compelling personality is worth a well of ink in this Bird Crusade of 1899. Let
the heads of societies come in contact with the members as much as possible,
and gather them in local circles. Let those who are able to speak about birds do
so, and let those who lack the gift of words read aloud from the works of
others.
Whenever possible, urge local secretaries to hold bird classes during spring
and summer in their respective towns. If no one person knows enough to teach
the others let them club together, buy a few books, and, going out of doors,
work out the problems of identification as best they may, until every little
village has a nature study class working its way, Chautauqua-Circle fashion.

Remember one point, please. No society can succeed that is content to count
the quantity rather than quality of its members. One hundred intelligent
members who know how to spread the why and how of the crusade are worth
10,000 who have merely 'joined' because someone they were proud of knowing
asked them to and it was easier to say 'yes' than 'no,' especially as the saying
was all it cost. Also, no society succeeds that bores people into joining 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 discovered
long ago that he couldn't "spede" far without money, neither can the Audubon
Societies.—M. O. W.

A Letter from Governor Roosevelt
At the annual meeting of the New York State Audubon Society, held in the
American Museum of Natural History on March 23, 1899, 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 inability to be present, and addressed the
following letter to Mr. Frank M. Chapman, Chairman of the Executive
Committee:
My dear Mr. Chapman:—
I need hardly say how heartily I sympathize with the purposes of the
Audubon Society. I would like to see all harmless wild things, but especially all
birds, protected 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 success, the 'Hat

Show' attracting much attention to the work of the society, and 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 coöperation 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, Sec'y.

INDIANA SOCIETY.
In 1889 the Indiana Academy of Science 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
coöperation of the Indiana Horticultural Society.
In 1897 at different times several bodies were interested in the movement in
favor of bird protection. These appointed committees united in a call for a
meeting to be held at Indianapolis. 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 constitution 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 practical, even though it is not so much as some States are

accomplishing. I have not the enrollment or statement of publications issued,
but counting the issue of the State Department of Public Instruction, 20,000
copies of different articles, at least, have been distributed.
Amos W. Butler, Sec'y.

ILLINOIS SOCIETY.
The past year has shown a very marked improvement as the results of bird
protection and the general work of our Illinois Audubon Society. While the
fashion for decorating hats with feathers still continues, 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 Chicago 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 Society has had
two public meetings this year, which were well attended, and the interest in its
work 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 publishing same and calling attention to it
editorially.
On February 7, 1898, an Interstate Convention was held in Chicago,
represented by the game and fish wardens, and delegates appointed by the
legislatures of the six states which responded to the call. At the request of Mr.
Witmer Stone, I presented at this convention the text of a new law for the
protection of birds and their nests and eggs, as drafted by our committee on
Bird Protection. The convention agreed to submit the proposed law to each of
their respective legislatures.
Great credit is due to the efficient work which has been done in our state by
Warden H. W. Loveday and his deputies. Since the first of the year over one
hundred prosecutions and convictions have been made, for the wanton killing
and trapping of song and insectivorous birds by men and boys largely Italians
and Bohemians. In 1897 there were 580 convictions in the state for the illegal
killing and transportation 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 number of
arrests and seizures of game have been reduced over one-half.

On April 9, 1898, 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 hundred 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 species of birds,
compiled by Mr. Frank E. Sanford, Superintendent of the La Grange, Ill.,
Schools, was distributed. This is a most effective method to inspire the teachers
and in turn impart their love for birds to the scholars.
Ruthven Deane, President.

IOWA SOCIETY.
Under the auspices of the Keokuk Woman's Club, the Audubon Society of
Iowa was organized April 5, 1898.
The first work taken up was the establishment of Bird Day in the public
schools.
The second meeting 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 become 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. Board, Sec'y.

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 organizations 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 wonders for the first active year we have
had, and congratulate ourselves that the hardest work is done. We hope by April
1st to have a branch in every county in Minnesota."

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
In preparing this Manual, it has been the author's aim to propose, within the
comprehension 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 generally 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 interruption in
his work, which is, otherwise, due to the pupil's attempt to think and at the
same time hear, what the teacher says.

Recent Publications on Nature Study
Bailey's First Lessons With $.40 Wilson's Nature Study in
Plants. net Elementary Schools.
First Nature Reader 35 cents
"Extremely original and
Second Nature Reader 35 cents
unusually practical."
Teacher's Manual 90 cents
Ingersoll's Wild Neighbors. $1.50 Wright's Citizen Bird. $1.50

"Instructive as well as An interesting story, giving to the
delightful."—Popular Science children much accurate information
Monthly. about American birds.

Lange's Hand-Book of "Most delightful book on the
$1 subject yet printed in the United States.
Nature Study.

I wish every boy and girl could read
"The style of the book is fresh it."—J. M. Greenwood, Sup't Kansas
and inspiring." City, Mo.
Murché's Science Readers. Wright's Four-Footed
25 40 cents $1.50
Vol. I. Vol. IV. Americans.
cents. net.
25 50 cents Four-Footed American Mammals
Vol. II. Vol. V. treated in story form in the manner of
cents. net.
40 50 cents Citizen Bird.
Vol.III. Vol. VI.
cents. net. $2.50
Weed's Life Histories of Wright's Birdcraft.
$1.50 net
American Insects.
"An unusually attractive
book."—Dial.

PUBLISHED BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, New York

VOL. 1
No. 3 June, 1899 20 c. a Copy
$1 a Year

COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN

June, 1899

CONTENTS
Gannets on Bonaventure. Illustrated Frank M. Chapman 71
Clark's Crows and Oregon Jays on Mount Hood.
Florence A. Merriam 72
Illustrated
The Masquerading Chickadee. Verse Edith M. Thomas 77
Matins. Verse Rosa Meyers Mumma 77
Home-Life in a Chimney. Mary F. Day 78
Three Cobb's Island Pictures. Illustrated William L. Baily 81
The Cardinal at the Hub. Illustrated Ella Gilbert Ives 83
A Catbird Study. Illustrated Dr. Thos. S. Roberts 87
FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
On the Ethics of Caging Birds Olive Thorne Miller 89
A May Morning Fred H. Kennard 91
FOR YOUNG OBSERVERS
A February Walk. Mildred A. Robinson 94
Illustration—Robin on Nest. T. S. Hankinson 95
Robin Rejoice. Verse Garrett Newkirk 95
NOTES FROM FIELD AND STUDY 96
Inquisitive Magpies, J. Alden Loring; Songs of Birds, Frank E. Horack
BOOK NEWS AND REVIEWS 97
Evans' Birds; Weed on the Feeding Habits of the Chipping Sparrow,
and Food of the Chickadee; Fannin's Check-list of British Columbian
Birds; Dearborn's List of Birds of Belknap and Merrimack Counties,
N. H.; Book News.
EDITORIAL 99
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT 100

Editorial; Reports from Wisconsin and New Hampshire Societies; A
Message From Madame Lehmann; Two New Audubon Societies; Birds
and Farmers.

⁂ Bird-Lore is published at Englewood, New Jersey, where all
manuscripts intended for publication, books, etc., for review, and exchanges
should be sent.

PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT
Bird-Lore for August will contain an article by Bradford Torrey; A paper
on How to Photograph Wild Birds, by Richard Kearton, the most successful of
bird photographers; A poem by Garrett Newkirk; An account of a Mississippi
Swallow Roost, by Otto Widmann (whose paper on a visit to the birthplace of
Audubon is necessarily postponed); a report of the American Society of Bird
Restorers, by the organizer, Fletcher Osgood, and other interesting articles.

GANNETS ON BONAVENTURE ISLAND
Photographed from nature by Frank M. Chapman

A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND
PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Official Organ of the Audubon Societies

Vol. 1 June, 1899 No. 3

Gannets on Bonaventure
BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN

(See Frontispiece)
ANNETS (Sula bassana) 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, however, is the most accessible of the three localities
mentioned, and may be easily reached in a small fishing boat from
the neighboring village of Percé, where the famous Percé 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 11, 1898, 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 accompanying 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
BY FLORENCE A. MERRIAM

(Concluded from page 48)
lthough the Nutcrackers and Jays were
A masters of the feast, they did not altogether
monopolize it. Ground squirrels with
golden brown heads and striped backs would
look out at me from the rocks, and pretty little
striped-nosed chipmunks would pick up choice
morsels and climb nimbly back along the cliff
with them. Juncos often dropped in, pecked
CLARK'S CROW AND OREGON indifferently at the crumbs, slipped off the tin
JAY cans they tried to perch on, and flew off. Two
Photographed from nature by Florence A.
Lewis' Woodpeckers stopped one day and, flying
Merriam
down, clung awkwardly to the side of the cliff, as
if vaguely wanting to join in the proceedings, but
not knowing how, finally left. A single Steller's
Jay hung around the outskirts in the same way, the first day I was there. He
hopped about, looked this way and that, and pecked at the food perfunctorily,
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
successfully that on the last day when I visited the dining-room he and a
comrade were working away, apparently enjoying 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 solitary 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 fly 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, grasshoppers enough for all the 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 story to her, unhesitatingly
denominating the Jays '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 OREGON JAYS
keeping them from the table, he flew at them with Photographed from nature by Florence A.
a strange note of ominous warning when they sat Merriam
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 flew 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 (Pinus albicaulis), this might be a safe temporary cache, but
the winter gales that make it necessary to hold down the Inn with huge cables
would presumably leave little biscuit between 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 stormy indeed when
they cannot be seen sailing across the cañons 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, or fowl. On the other hand,
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 certainly
much less systematic than that of the
Jays. The Jays' movements were easy to
follow, for they were concerted and
regular. The Inn was on a ridge between
two cañons, and commanded the birds'
pathway. A band would come up from
CLARK'S CROW under the cliff at the top of the western
Photographed from nature by Walter K. Fisher cañon, cross over the ridge, and drop
down into the eastern cañon, where
they would fly over the tops of the firs 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-wé-ah. The regular
rallying cry was still different, a loud and striking two-syllabled ka-wheé. The
notes of Clark's Crow often suggested the rattling of the Red-headed
Woodpecker. 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 cañon storehouse. Sometimes 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. Finding a
number of the Nutcrackers 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 surprise, the man
promptly and decidedly shook his head! I didn't
know what to make of such apparent rudeness at
first, but it finally dawned on me that he could not CLARK'S CROW
understand English and, not being an ornithologist, Photographed from nature by Walter K.
from past experience with tourist cameras concluded Fisher
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! When he finally started to go, I got his picture as he turned
and looked regretfully over his shoulder 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 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 astonishing 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; they
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
CLARK'S CROW
whistling; and, emboldened by the prospect of a feast,
Photographed from nature by Walter
they would fly down and perch upon the carcass within
K. Fisher
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 became still more familiar, and, I am told, would
gather in the trees at daybreak and call until the family went out to feed them.

The Masquerading Chickadee [E]

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 branches are bare and the cold
earth is sleeping!"

With a dee, dee, 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 year,
And I followed a voice that was most
entreating:
Phebe! Phebe! (and yet more near),
Phebe! Phebe! 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! 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 Winter's ear,
And a Phebe! Phebe! for Spring and
Playtime!"
[E] "March 1, 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."—Thoreau.

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.

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 watching closely the
rearing of a family of Chimney Swifts. 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 completed,
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 bedchamber throughout the summer, the
Swifts never seemed to be annoyed by the close proximity of their human
neighbors. They were of a trustful disposition, and soon became accustomed to
being watched. Occasionally, when I looked in upon them at the beginning of
our acquaintance, 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 wall that became the stage for the enactment 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 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. Resting 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 breakfast, when I found that
there was excitement in the little home. A faint peep reached my ear, which
caused the mother anxious restlessness 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 appearance 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 cleanliness began to assert itself. The weak,
awkward little creatures would 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 feeding, and the process was 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 1 feathers began to appear. They grew rapidly, especially 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 flying. 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, clinging 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 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 I 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
ight out on the sandy beach, just above high
R 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, white breast,
BLACK SKIMMER 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 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.

NEST AND EGGS OF BLACK SKIMMER

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

GULL-BILLED TERN

After getting two good pictures of the Skimmer and her eggs, I turned my
attention to a Gull-billed Tern, and while standing over 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
is range being southern, Cardinal Grosbeak seldom travels through New
England; and, to my knowledge, has never established a home and reared a
family north of Connecticut until in the instance here recorded. Kentuckians
claim him, and with some show of right, since James Lane Allen built his

monument in imperishable prose. But, 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 mountains, 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 particular favor, and
soon became welcome at the homes of the neighborhood. With truly catholic
taste, he refused creature comforts from none, but showed preference for his
first abode.
It was March 5, 1898, 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 response. Into the syringa bush near the porch flew, with a whir
and a sharp tsip, a bird. How gorgeous he looked 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. Convinced that no hostilities were intended, he gave a long,
trustful look into the face of his benefactress and flew to her feet.
A gray squirrel frisking by stopped at the lunch-counter and seized an
'Educator' cracker.

CARDINAL AND GRAY SQUIRREL

The novel sensation of an uncaged bird within 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 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 heavenly 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 rendering "Peace … peace … peace!" "Three
cheers, three cheers," etc., to these sympathetic northern ears became "Louise,
Louise, Louise!" 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 acquaintance progressed
rapidly, a mutual understanding being plainly reached during the seventeen
days of cage courtship. Louis brought food to Louise, and they had all things in
common except liberty.

CARDINAL AND HOUSE SPARROWS

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-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 examination 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. 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
matchmaking would prove a failure. April 30, however, some responsive
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 delight. 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 (Cratægus pyracantha). Four
CARDINAL speckled eggs lay in the nest. These were hatched
June 9, 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, watching for prey. On June 28, the black cat
outwitted the allied forces, Señor 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 but temporary with our birds. On the 8th of August the
migratory instinct prevailed over ease, indulgence, friendship, 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 descendant 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.

CATBIRD AND NEST

T he 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 overhanging, leafy branches of small size. Its exceptionally
favorable 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 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 Anastigmat, Series II A, 61/2 × 41/4, focal length 53/8 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 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.

CATBIRD ON NEST

Only one of several time-exposures turned out perfect. It is here presented,
not only as the prize picture of some three hundred negatives 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 like to
B 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 are 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 circumstances, 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 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; plenty 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 comfortable 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 benefitted, 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
investigation 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 pasture 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 luxuriantly, and 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 grapevines, 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 civilization 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 speaking, 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 by, 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 under-brush at my feet.
I started in now on my hunt for the White-eye's nest, and for 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 Hawk, went off rapidly across the marsh, pursued by a pair of
vociferous Kingbirds; 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 flew,
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 in these thickets, was
warbling his incomparable song. At first he had been giving vent to his very
unmusical call of alarm, but, becoming 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 tse-tse-tse-ing 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 confusing medley I could make out the modest notes
of a Black and White Warbler, which had for years nested somewhere in this
pasture. 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
thanksgiving 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.

A February Walk (Prize 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 framework, eddying around the brown goldenrod stalks, and
then rushed on at topmost speed across the opposite meadow.

We were standing on the little bridge, watching 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; we 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 Nuthatch. 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, although we approached very near to them. One
little fellow seemed 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
rays 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!"

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
incident which I am about to relate occurred I was stopping at a ranch at the
southern end of Okanagan 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 get 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 hesitated, 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 advantage. 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 outside, 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, Owego, 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, and 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 companions, and had picked up some notes of
other birds in the neighborhood, but not one note of the Red-winged Blackbird
did he know.—Frank E. Horack, Iowa City, Ia.

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. Numerous 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 system proposed by Gadow, in which the Archæopteryx 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 introduction of twenty-two pages
treats of feathers, color, the molt, the skeleton, digestive organs, etc.,
classification, terminology, geographical variations, and migration, 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 freshness not often found in
compilations. The author, however, is handicapped by lack of space, and,
except in monotypic families, is, as a rule, obliged to generalize to such an
extent that the seeker for information 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
handbook 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 Sparrow, and the Winter Food of the
Chickadee. By Clarence M. Weed, New Hampshire College, Agricultural
Experiment Station.
In the first 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 without cessation till 7:50 in the evening,
bringing 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 11, 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) returned 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
interesting 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 eggs, that injure the trees and baffle the efforts of man for their
extermination.
In both papers we are shown the unpoetical 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 standpoint. 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
Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C.
This list forms a part—pages 13-55—of the 'Preliminary Catalogue of the
Collections of Natural History and Ethnology in the Provincial Museum.' It
enumerates 339 species and sub-species, with notes on their distribution, and
will prove exceedingly useful to students of the bird-life of this interesting
region, for a knowledge of the fauna of which we are so greatly indebted to Mr.
Fannin.—F. M. C.
A Preliminary List of the Birds of Belknap and Merrimack Counties, New
Hampshire, with Notes. By Ned Dearborn, Biological Laboratories, New
Hampshire College, Durham.
The author here presents the more important 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 interest 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 improvement in this forthcoming edition, our
credibility 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, containing 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 contributions 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. It would
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 popularizing the study of these
subjects."

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 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, twenty cents a number, one
dollar a year, postage 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.

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

Advertisements should be sent to the Publishers 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 Bush is Worth Two 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 Smithsonian 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 Ornithologists'
Union and of the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, and the
establishment of several natural history museums, have given a wonderful
impetus to the collecting of birds. Naturalists 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 thoroughly trained ornithologist or his personally directed assistants can
make collections which will be of real scientific value. Indiscriminate
collecting, therefore, particularly 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 ornithologists, 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
published in this number of Bird-Lore, and, without going into details, we
wish collectors of birds and their eggs would read carefully the articles entitled
'The Cardinal at the Hub' and 'Home-Life in a Chimney,' 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 Cardinal'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.

"You 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 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.
Miss Harriet E. Richards, care Boston
Massachusetts
Society of Natural History, Boston.
Mrs. H. T. Grant, Jr., 187 Bowen street,
Rhode Island
Providence.
Connecticut Mrs. William Brown Glover, Fairfield.
Miss Emma H. Lockwood, 243 West Seventy-
New York
fifth street, New York City.
Miss Anna Haviland, 53 Sandford Ave.,
New Jersey
Plainfield, N. J.
Mrs. Edward Robins, 114 South Twenty-first
Pennsylvania
street, Philadelphia.
Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten, 3033 P street,
District of Columbia
Washington.
Wheeling, W. Va. (branch of Elizabeth I. Cummins, 1314 Chapline street,
Pa. Society) Wheeling.

Miss Clara Russell, 903 Paradrome street,
Ohio
Cincinnati.
Indiana Amos W. Butler, State House, Indianapolis.
Illinois Miss Mary Drummond, Wheaton.
Iowa Miss Nellie S. Board, Keokuk.
Mrs. George W. Peckham, 646 Marshall
Wisconsin
street, Milwaukee.
Mrs. J. P. Elmer, 314 West Third street, St.
Minnesota
Paul.
Tennessee Mrs. C. C. Conner, Ripley,
Miss Cecile Seixas, 2008 Thirty-ninth street,
Texas
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 considering 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 absolute truth,
that the child may, through its own love of home, parents, and its various
desires, be able to appreciate the corresponding 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 plentiful. But when the out-
door season comes, little heads grow tired of books, and anything 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
inadvisable to tire children by taking them far afield until they have learned
to identify 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 distance, and perhaps partly
screened by foliage. The value of the out-door bird class is, that to be
successful it must teach rapid and accurate personal observation.
"Very true," you say, "but the birds will not stay still while the children
are learning to observe." Yes; yet this difficulty 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 distance, so that a sense of proportion and color value will be
developed unconsciously.
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 (1) Downy Woodpecker, (2) Flicker, (3) Chimney Swift, (4) Ruby-
throated Hummingbird, (5) Kingbird, (6) Bluejay, (7) Bobolink, (8) Red-
winged Blackbird, (9) 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) Bluebird. 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 administer 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 coöperation 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.
"In May, 100 circulars were sent to Milwaukee milliners, asking their
assistance in the work of reform, and announcing 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 coöperation of the State Superintendent 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
children of the state.
"The society is much to be congratulated in that, before it came into
existence, Bird Day had been established in Wisconsin. We can only
appreciate our good fortune in this respect by noting the difficulties 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 exceedingly small, so

that it brings in an amount quite insufficient to meet the expenses of
printing, buying and distributing 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 membership of 5,141, and writes that since
the publication of the report from which we have just quoted, "through the
coöperation of our State Superintendent of Public 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 secretaries 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 influence 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
children were present. A similar meeting was held in June, 1898, and it is
proposed to hold others from time to time.
With the same end in view, an 'Outline of Bird Study' was prepared for
use in the schools.
At the suggestion of the society, extracts 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 Protection,' and by Mrs. Harriet E.
Richards, secretary of the Massachusetts society, on the general work of the
Audubon societies.
The society has distributed nearly 7,000 leaflets and circulars, several of
them having 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 children
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 compositions on 'Birds,' the
compositions to be written as the result of personal observation, the contest
to close January 1, 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, Sec'y.

A Message from Madame Lehmann
At the second annual meeting of the New York State Audubon Society,
Madame Lilli Lehmann, whose love of animals 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 barbarism, 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 following message, the tenor of which, it will be noticed, is in close
accord with the views of the editor of this Department, 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 speak 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 example and the teaching to everyone that can bring us further in
civilization."

Two New Audubon Societies
We announce with pleasure the formation 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 coöperation 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 giving
much valuable information regarding birds as insect destroyers. These
statistics were from publications of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture and from
his own observations. 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 discussion 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.

… 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
the comprehension 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 generally 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 interruption in his work, which is, otherwise, due to the
pupil's attempt to think and at the same time hear what the teacher says.

Recent Publications on Nature Study
Bailey's Lessons with Wilson's Nature Study in
$1.10
Plants. Elementary Schools.
First Nature Reader 35 cents
Suggestions for Seeing and
Second Nature Reader 35 cents
Interpreting some of the
Teacher's Manual 90 cents
Common Forms of Vegetation.
Wright's Citizen Bird. $1.50
Bailey's First Lessons With $.40
Plants. net An interesting story, giving to the
children much accurate information
"Extremely original and about American birds.
unusually practical."
"Most delightful book on the
Ingersoll's Wild Neighbors. $1.50 subject yet printed in the United
States. I wish every boy and girl
"Instructive as well as
delightful."—Popular Science

Monthly. could read it."—J. M. Greenwood,
Sup't Kansas City, Mo.
Lange's Hand-Book of
$1
Nature Study. Wright's Four-Footed
$1.50
Americans.
"The style of the book is
fresh and inspiring." Four-Footed American Mammals
treated in story form in the manner of
Murché's Science Readers. Citizen Bird.
25 40 cents
Vol. I. Vol. IV. $2.50
cents. net. Wright's Birdcraft.
25 50 cents net
Vol. II. Vol. V.
cents. net.
40 50 cents
Vol.III. Vol.VI.
cents. net.
Weed's Life Histories of
$1.50
American Insects.
"An unusually attractive
book."—Dial.

PUBLISHED BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, New York

VOL. 1
No. 4 August, 1899 20 c. a Copy
$1 a Year

COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN

August, 1899

CONTENTS
Frontispiece—Nesting Site of Cliff or
H. W. Menke 106
Eave Swallows
Photographing Shy Wild Birds and
R. Kearton, F.Z.S. 107
Beasts at Home. Illustrated.
Two Nova Scotia Photographs.
C. Will Beebe 113
Illustrated.
In the Spartina with the Swallows.
O. Widmann 115
Illustrated.
Watching the Bittern 'Pump'. Bradford Torrey 123
FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Witmer Stone, J. A.
Allen, Robert
Ridgway,
Hints to Young Bird Students. 125
C Hart Merriam,
William Brewster,
and others
Fall Migration at Portland, Conn. John H. Sage 128
FOR YOUNG OBSERVERS
Mr. Flicker Writes a Letter. Verse.
Garrett Newkirk 129
Illus. by Ernest W. Smith.
Zip and Phoebe. Illustrated. Florence A. Van Sant 130

NOTES FROM FIELD AND STUDY 132
Birds through a Telescope, Frank M.
Chapman; The Cardinal in Maine, Ella
Gilbert Ives; A Useful Bird.
BOOK NEWS AND REVIEWS 133
Kearton's 'Wild Life at Home'; Mrs. Grant's Economic
Value of Birds; Nash's Birds of Ontario; Howe's 'On the Birds'
Highway'; Palmer's 'Danger of Introducing Noxious Animals
and Birds'; Judd's 'Birds as Weed Destroyers'; Beal's 'Economic
Relation of Birds'; Book News.
EDITORIALS 135
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT 136
Editorial; American Society of Bird Restorers; Massachusetts
Society; Connecticut Society; Tennessee Society.

⁂ Bird-Lore is published at Englewood, New Jersey, on the first of the
month, where all notices of change of address, manuscripts intended for
publication, books, etc., for review, and exchanges should be sent.

PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT
The most important paper in Bird-Lore for October will be an illustrated
article on the American Ornithologists' Union, by its first president, J. A.
Allen, which will be of especial interest to all bird students.

NESTING SITE OF CLIFF OR EAVE SWALLOWS, LITTLE
MEDICINE RIVER, CARBON COUNTY, WYO.
Photographed from nature by H. W. Menke, July 4, 1898

A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE
DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND
PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Official Organ of the Audubon Societies

Vol. 1 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
M number of Bird-Lore, and take the opportunity of
congratulating our naturalist and photographic chums
across the Atlantic upon having such a practical and highly
interesting magazine to help them in their enchanting
pursuits. Such a publication would 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 common 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 stigmatic lens, and an
adjustable miniature on the top, which is used as a sort of view-finder when
making studies of flying birds and mammals 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 attention. When the combination is in use, the photographer

focuses with his right hand, and, holding the air ball or reservoir of his
pneumatic tube in his left, squeezes it quickly and firmly directly he has
achieved a sufficiently clear and strong definition of his object upon 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 certainty, 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 absolutely impossible to figure many
timid birds at close quarters without some natural contrivance in which the
camera and its operator 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 diameter, and the
bottom one 27, so as to represent 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 succeeded 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 someone 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 feeding 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.
IN THE TREE-TOPS The whole was then covered with brown holland. To
From Kearton's 'Wild Life at
the outside we tied innumerable wisps of straw and
Home,'
rubbish, and as some sort of testimony to its efficacy, I
copyrighted by Cassell & Co.,
need only mention that we have succeeded in
Ltd.
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 hundred feet in length. The
guide rope is an inch and a half in circumference, 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 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 firma.

DESCENDING AN OVERHANGING CLIFF
From Kearton's 'Wild Life at Home,' copyrighted by Cassell &
Co., Ltd.

I have heard a lot of terrible tales about chafing ropes, but as 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 photographer is being hauled up
a cliff, and, after dropping a hundred feet or so, alighting plump 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.

PHOTOGRAPHING A CORMORANT
From Kearton's 'Wild Life at Home,' copyrighted by Cassell & Co.,
Ltd.

Upon setting forth to photograph the eyries of cliff-breeding birds, we
equip ourselves with (1) our ropes; (2) a stout crowbar; (3) a good, strong,
level-headed assistant (nervous or careless assistants should be studiously
avoided, as the one kind of man is as dangerous 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 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 backwards 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, focuses 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.
he slate-colored Junco or Snowbird breeds very
abundantly in the fields of Digby county, Nova 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 between 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.

NEST AND EGGS OF JUNCO

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 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 visible in numbers,
flying all day. But all do not depart from their usual custom of sleeping
during the day, as is shown in the accompanying photograph, taken about
11 A. M. one August day, 1898. 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 hardly 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.

NIGHT-HAWK ASLEEP

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!
The photograph of the Junco's nest and eggs was made with a 128
opening and a 4-second exposure, while that of the Night-hawk was
stopped at 64, with an exposure of two seconds.

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 extended, nearly level marsh, mostly
too wet and poor for cultivation, and covered with square miles of cord-
grass (Spartina cynosuroides). 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

1898, 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 by 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
Hirundinidæ and Icteridæ—the Swallow and Blackbird
families—who find in the spartina 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
White-breasts, 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 plenty. Here
is the place to look for the first White-breast 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 Swallows skimming the grassy ocean and the adjacent
lakes. If toward sunset you watch them closely, you will find that, though
they may linger long on some favorite hunting ground, the general trend is
toward one particular region, and if you will wait long enough, you will
find that they have all disappeared in that direction 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, likely creatures passing over, about and
around you, all governed by one idea, all driven by one common impulse,

all eager to reach the same aim, the common roost! 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?

TREE OR WHITE-BREASTED SWALLOWS
Photographed from nature by Edward Van Altena, Alpine, N. J., September, 1898

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 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 we can. By
previous observation we have located the whereabouts of our birds, and we
are now fast approaching their sanctum, all alive and alert for the expected
disclosures.
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 leave their perch down in the depths
of the spartina and fly with heavy wing through the cool and foggy layer
below into the clearer atmosphere 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 parties 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 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 clammy
dampness of the air. Short-bills 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 Swallows. 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,
covering 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 yards 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 convention.
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, fly and roost together, they 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 (Nelumbo lutea), 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 August and early

September; but, as their number decreases, that of the Whitebreasts
increases, reaching the 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
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 by stages, from roost to
roost, employing 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
TREE OR WHITE-BREASTED SWALLOWS
Whitebreasts for departing Eaves is
Immature birds on the ground gathering nesting
in the beginning almost
material, which they drop after carrying a short
imperceptible, but at last we see
distance, thus apparently giving a premature
that the one has taken the place of
exhibition of the nest-building instinct
the other entirely. The Roughwings
Photographed from nature by Frank M. Chapman, Leonia, N. J.,
become more numerous in early
August, 1897
September, and many remain, with
a few Barn Swallows, into October,
but the latter are never conspicuous at this roost. Martins 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. M., 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 aërial 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, playfully
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 meditation, 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 evening. 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 Swallows, 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 they continue their
course. Is it not strange that they seem to think that this is the only place for
Eaves to drink, though the lake is half a mile long?

'BIRD NOTES'—TREE SWALLOWS
Photographed from nature by Frank M. Chapman

Bobolinks also arrive in the marsh; small parties pass over, and their
pink is often in the air. It is now 5.30 P. 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 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 Bobolinks, 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 flowing from
all sides toward the oasis in the center. This is the moment when the
Whitebreasts, who for the last hour have been congregating 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 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, apparently 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 comes, 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 bewildered 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.

YOUNG EUROPEAN MARTINS AND NEST
Photographed from nature by "C. R."

Watching the Bittern 'Pump'
BY BRADFORD TORREY
ince I printed, in 'The Auk' (Vol. vi, p. 1), a description of the
Bittern's vocal performances, I have witnessed a repetition of
them on three occasions; and the story of my successes, such
as they are, may be encouraging 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 writings 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. Beginners' 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, 1889, 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
say, 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 seen my
bird of the year previous, and there, seated upon the railroad embankment,
as before, I watched a Bittern pump at short intervals 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, 1890) 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 migratory 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 roadside fence, reading,
when a carriage stopped and an unrecognized feminine voice said: "Do you

see that Heron behind you, Mr. Torrey?" The "Heron" was Botaurus
lentiginosus, 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 question
as to the relative 'carrying power' of the three notes or 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 investigation, 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-pud-
d'n, the creature appears to say, with an emphasis fairly to be called violent
upon the middle note. Why, 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 correctness 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.

Hints to Young Bird Students [F]

[F] From a leaflet prepared under the initiative of Mr. Witmer 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 from dead
ones.

has always been our experience that young bird students who have
just crossed the threshold of ornithology are glad to turn for a word
of advice and assistance to their older 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.
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 "oölogical"
magazines 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 advocate 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 extermination 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, abundance, 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.
These suggestions are not made with a faultfinding or sentimental
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 extermination 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 ornithology, and in

discouraging the waste of bird-life occasioned by this "fad" of egg
collecting.
WITMER STONE,
Conservator Ornithological Section, Acad. Nat.
Sci., Philadelphia.
J. A. ALLEN,
Curator Dept. Vertebrate Zool., Amer. 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 Agriculture,
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 Ornithologists' Union, 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 1 to 10
Least Bittern, Black-billed Cuckoo, Least Flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole,
Veery.
September 10 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, Hummingbird, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, Bank Swallow, Yellow-throated Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Yellow
Warbler, Redstart, Ovenbird, House Wren.
October 1 to 10
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, Phœbe, 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 1 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 1 to 10
Yellow Rail, Least Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Osprey, Blackburnian
Warbler, Yellow Palm Warbler, Canadian Warbler[A].
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[G], Myrtle Warbler, Magnolia
Warbler[G], Pine Warbler, Wilson's Warbler[G], American Pipit, Winter
Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Olive-backed Thrush.
October 1 to 10
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 10 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 1 to 20
Red-breasted Merganser, Mallard, Snowy Owl, Pine Siskin.
[G] Generally noted at Englewood, N. J., between August 20 and 31.—F. M.
C.

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 jaune,' (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,
Smooth and clean as it can be,
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.

Zip and Phoebe (A Cat-Bird Story)
BY FLORENCE A. VAN SANT
arly each spring I watch for the return of a Phœbe bird,
E which usually gladdens my heart by his appearance
about sundown of some bright day. He is alone,
because, according to most authorities, he travels in advance
of his mate; and when I ask with wonder, "Well Peter, where
is Phœbe?" with a quick dip of his tail and an expressive
twitter, he seems to say, "She will arrive on the next train."
For several years they have returned to the same nest
beneath the roof of my veranda, each spring re-lining the inside and
brightening 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.

'ZIP'

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
Phœbe 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.
While busy in the house one day, my attention was attracted by a loud
tapping at the window, and on looking up I saw Phœbe 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 Kingfisher will poise over the water when seeing a fish,
uttered sharp cries, fluttering her wings all the while, and telling me in bird
language 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 confidence, 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 accustomed 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 build, had lighted on the cornice over the
door not far from the nest, and both Peter and Phœbe 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 evidently 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.

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 61/2-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
assumption 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 101/8-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 segment 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 snowfall 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 restlessness re-appeared, Mrs. Stevens
wanted to let the bird fly, but yielded to the judgment of her husband, who
advised delay, lest cold and hunger overtake the little wayfarer. Nature,
however, avenged the violation of instinct; in a few days the Cardinal
drooped, refused to avail himself of liberty, and died.—Ella Gilbert Ives,
Dorchester, Mass.

A Useful Bird
In speaking of the economic value of certain of our birds, a lecturer,
quoting Professor Beal, said that in Iowa the Tree Sparrow was estimated to
destroy 875 tons of the seeds of noxious weeds annually.
As reported in a local paper, this statement read: "The Tree or Chipping
Sparrow destroyed, as discovered by scientific observation, 640,000 tons of
the eggs and young of harmful insects."

Wild Life at Home: How To Study and Photograph It. By Richard
Kearton, F. Z. S. Fully Illustrated by Photographs taken Direct from
Nature by C. Kearton. Cassell & Company, Ltd., London, Paris, New
York, and Melbourne, 1898. 12mo, pp. xiv + 188. Numerous half-
tones. Price, $1.50.
In this book, Mr. Kearton and his brother show that their patience and
ingenuity, as well as their field of work, are inexhaustible. It differs from
'With Nature and a Camera' chiefly in being addressed more especially to
photographers, 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 experience 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 admirably 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,
Ontario Department of Agriculture, Toronto.
In Mrs. Grant's paper we have an epitome of a great amount of useful
information. The horticultural and agricultural 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
regard to the usefulness of birds from an agricultural point of view. The
case of the birds of prey is very clearly and forcibly 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 observation. 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
increase 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 observations and experiments.
There can be no question that this is a valuable paper, and that it deserves a
wide circulation among agricultural people.
As to the merits of the illustrations with which it is embellished, there
may be differences of opinion.—F. E. L. 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 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 Virginia 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
localities 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. I.;
Washington, D. C.; Chevy Chase, Md.; Hubbardstown, 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 Agriculture for 1898, pp., 87-110; 1
half-tone plate and 6 cuts in the text.
Birds as Weed Destroyers. By Sylvester D. Judd. Yearbook of the
Department of Agriculture for 1898, pp., 221-232; 1 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, January 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 argument to be used where appeals to sentiment are of no avail. It
is, therefore, with great satisfaction that we receive these sound, convincing
papers on economic zoölogy.
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
—obviously the officials of the Biologic Survey of the United States
Department of Agriculture.
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 dispute that we trust every agriculturist in the land may become
familiar 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 discusses unprejudicedly birds' power for good or evil. He shows that
while insects, especially certain noxious species, have greatly increased
since the settlement 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
become convinced of one's kinship with the lower forms of life.

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 August, 1899 No. 4

SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
Price in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, twenty cents a
number, one dollar a year, postage 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.

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

Advertisements should be sent to the Publishers 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 Bush is Worth Two in the Hand.

The advice of a prominent ornithologist to beginners to collect all the
birds of a species they can get, has so long misrepresented the necessities of
the case and, at the same time, brought legitimate collecting 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
professional ornithologists of this country, representing the institutions
where ornithology is most actively studied, it may be accepted beyond
thought of dispute as representing the true attitude of scientific

ornithologists toward the question of collecting. 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 statement 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,'
published 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 caging of birds, it was not to be endorsed.
Particularly do they deplore what Mrs. Miller feels to be "a work of
charity,"—the rescuing of birds "from the discomforts 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 companionship of a caged bird, the humanizing
influence which may be exerted by association 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 illustrated 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. Nicholas' for September.

Dr. Coues having retired from the Editorship of 'The Osprey,' Dr. Gill,
who had withdrawn his name from recent numbers, assumes control.

"You 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 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.
Miss Harriet E. Richards, care Boston
Massachusetts
Society of Natural History, Boston.
Mrs. H. T. Grant, Jr., 187 Bowen street,
Rhode Island
Providence.
Connecticut Mrs. William Brown Glover, Fairfield.
Miss Emma H. Lockwood, 243 West Seventy-
New York
fifth street, New York City.
Miss Anna Haviland, 53 Sandford Ave.,
New Jersey
Plainfield, N. J.

Mrs. Edward Robins, 114 South Twenty-first
Pennsylvania
street, Philadelphia.
Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten, 3033 P street,
District of Columbia
Washington.
Wheeling, W. Va. (branch of Elizabeth I. Cummins, 1314 Chapline street,
Pa. Society) Wheeling.
Miss Clara Russell, 903 Paradrome street,
Ohio
Cincinnati.
Indiana Amos W. Butler, State House, Indianapolis.
Illinois Miss Mary Drummond, Wheaton.
Iowa Miss Nellie S. Board, Keokuk.
Mrs. George W. Peckham, 646 Marshall
Wisconsin
street, Milwaukee.
Mrs. J. P. Elmer, 314 West Third street, St.
Minnesota
Paul.
Tennessee Mrs. C. C. Conner, Ripley,
Miss Cecile Seixas, 2008 Thirty-ninth street,
Texas
Galveston.
California Mrs. George S. Gay, Redlands.

The Responsibility of the Audubon Society
Now that the Audubon Society is recognized as a factor in the higher
civilization of the day, it may be well to ask how far it realizes its
responsibility as a public educator.
"For the Protection of Birds," is a most reasonable and tangible
declaration of motive, but what next?
The male and female public is straightway asked to give up certain
habits that it has regarded as inherent rights,—in the cause of humanity and
agricultural economy.
So far so good; but should not these would-be teachers of good will to
animals, themselves be educated in consistent humanity, in order to keep
their doctrines above the ridicule level?

Upon the discrimination of its humanity depends the future of the
Audubon Society. A discrimination that shall render its workings logical,
and make it able to see that it must at least give as much as it takes. A
breadth of knowledge to realize that if the Society restricts the hat
trimmings of women, the egg-collecting habits of boys, and the "just to see
if I can hit it" proclivities of both boys and men, it is bound to give them
something beside "the consciousness of rectitude" in return. The very least
it can do is to help them to become as intimately acquainted with "the bird
in the bush" as they were with the egg in the pocket and the feather on the
hat.
It is here that the educational responsibility of the Audubon Society lies.
Instead of issuing tracts simply to decry feather-wearing, and to say that
something should be done, I would have each Society send out one or more
illustrated bird lectures to the remoter corners of its range, where people do
not have the privilege of hearing professional ornithologists. Also to the
groups of remote country schools whose scholars have no "key to the
fields" that lie so close at hand. I would have the Societies send small
circulating libraries of bird books in the same way. To introduce people to
the bird in the bush is the way to create a public sentiment to keep it there,
and to make it possible to obtain legislative authority for the enactment and
keeping of good bird laws, which are the backbone of protection.
Again, there should be no sort of conflict 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-collecting, etc., is amply proved by a leaflet issued in
May, by Witmer Stone,[H] 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.
[H] See page 125 of this number of Bird-Lore.

The Audubon Societies are responsible for meeting these liberal-minded
and progressive scientists half way. There must be anatomists and
embryologists to study the human body, why not then, also, of the feathered
brotherhood, only 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
Audubon 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 effectual 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, 1898, a committee organized by the American
Society of Bird Restorers presented to the Mayor of Boston in person the
following petition, signed by a host of representative Bostonians:
"To Hon. Josiah Quincy, Mayor of Boston.
"The undersigned petitioners hereby respectfully 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, imperatively 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 reduction 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 1890, the Mayor proceeded 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 Sanitary
Building, and from electric hoods. The nest-boxes, put up years ago by
misguided persons to accommodate 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 Common (all known to exist) were cleared out and effectively closed
with wooden stoppers, and much dead wood, inviting the breeding of the
Sparrow, was removed. 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 nests and 1,000 eggs were
destroyed. No young birds were found. The protest against the work, based
mainly on sentimental 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 overwhelming 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 committee sent to the
Mayor a letter expressing 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
probably invite and shelter the breeding of the Sparrow, and, with the
Common still uncleared, would hardly aid in restoring any native bird. He
was willing, under certain strict conditions, that the experiment should be
tried purely as an experiment, provided that every box should be instantly
removed upon proof that these perchless devices sheltered the Sparrow. He,
however, expressed little hope that any good would come of such a measure
beyond the absolute demonstration, once for all, and publicly, that perchless
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 Common. To
note how extensively this breeding 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. Department 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
success. 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
of bad weather, the room was crowded all day, and many hats were sold.
The newspapers reported it with illustrations; the milliners were pleased;
and the Audubon Society was talked about with renewed interest.
The Society has purchased the publisher's stock of the Audubon
Calendar colored plates, without the Calendar numbers, 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 Nebraska and Cornell University; also "A Letter to the Clergy,"
republished by the Wisconsin Society.
Harriet E. Richards, Sec'y.

CONNECTICUT SOCIETY
The second annual meeting of the society took place on June 1, 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: (1) 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 obtain legislation to
stop the spring shooting of shore and water birds; (3) the addition to the

societies' equipment of several small libraries of bird books, to be circulated
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 secretary-treasurer showed a
membership in the various classes of 814; also, receipts of 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, accompanied by sets of colored slides and oil-lanterns, are loaned
free to any responsible 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 management as the election of officers.
Mrs. H. S. Glover, the first corresponding secretary and treasurer, having
resigned, received 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 lecture by Mr. F. M. Chapman, upon
Photography 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 Society's work will be mailed upon
application.
Helen W. Glover, Sec'y.

TENNESSEE SOCIETY
It is with great satisfaction that we report the organization in the court
house at Ripley on May 26, of the Audubon 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 hampered by the

inability to protect the birds in their winter haunts and during the
migrations.
It is also gratifying to note the common 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
the comprehension 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 generally 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 interruption 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 manual we know to fit 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."
—Southern Educational Journal.
"It is decidedly practical, and will be welcomed by many teachers who
wish to respond in an intelligent way to the demand for nature study."
—Inland Educator.

PUBLISHED BY

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, New York.

VOL. 1
No. 5 October, 1899 20 c. a Copy
$1 a Year

COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY FRANK M. CHAPMAN

October, 1899

CONTENTS
Frontispiece—Founders of the American Ornithologists' Union 142
The American Ornithologists'
J. A. Allen 143
Union. Illustrated.
Photographed from nature by E.
American Bitterns. 149
J. Tabor and F. M. Chapman
The Angler's Reveille.
Henry van Dyke 150
Illustrated by E. W. Smith.
The Prairie Horned Lark.
Robert W. Hegner 152
Illustrated.
Screech Owl. Photographed
A. L. Princehorn 154
from life.
A Pleasant Acquaintance with a
C. F. Hodge 155
Hummingbird. Illustrated.
A Peculiarity of a Caged
H. M. Collins 157
Skylark.
FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
On the Ethics of Caging Birds Anna Harris Smith 158
—Letters to the Editor. C. F. Hodge 160
FOR YOUNG OBSERVERS
Oliver Twist—Catbird. Isabella McC. Lemmon 163

NOTES FROM FIELD AND STUDY 166
Birds and Caterpillars, Caroline G. Soule; An Odd Nesting Site, L.
H. Schwab.
BOOK NEWS AND REVIEWS 167
Mrs. Miller's 'The First Book of Birds;' Knoble's 'Field Key to
the Land Birds;' Hodge's 'Suggestions for the Study of Our
Common Birds;' Book News.
EDITORIALS 169
AUDUBON DEPARTMENT 170
Editorial: Illustration, Quills to Avoid; Audubon's Seal, illustrated;
Report of the Society of the District of Columbia.

⁂ Bird-Lore is published on the first of the month, at Englewood, New
Jersey, where all notices of change of address, manuscripts intended for
publication, books, etc., for review, and exchanges should be sent.

PUBLISHERS' ANNOUNCEMENT
Bird-Lore for December will contain, among other interesting articles,
'The Story of a Pet Sea Parrot,' by E. W. Nelson; 'A Search for the Reedy
Island Crow Roost,' by Witmer Stone; 'A Large Family,' by Frank M.
Chapman, all illustrated. An account of How the Central Park Chickadees
were Tamed by Anne A. Crolius, one of Garrett Newkirk's admirable bird
poems for children, etc., and a detailed Statement of the Plans of the
Magazine for 1900, including an announcement of special interest to all
bird students.

FOUNDERS OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION, 1883.
T. McIlwraith. J. B. Holder. D. G. Elliot. Chas. Aldrich. J. M. Wheaton. E. A. Mearns. H. W.
Henshaw. S. F. Baird. Geo. N. Lawrence. A. K. Fisher. Nathan C. Brown. Robert Ridgway, Vice
Pres. J. A. Allen, Pres. William Brewster. Elliott Coues, Vice Pres. C. F. Batchelder. R. W. Shufeldt.
C. B. Cory. C. Hart Merriam, Sec'y. M. Chamberlain. D. W. Prentiss. H. A. Purdie. C. E. Bendire.
E. P. Bicknell. H. B. Bailey.

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
BY J. A. ALLEN

(First President of the Union)
uring the sixteen years that have passed since the founding
of the American Ornithologists' 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 existed 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 Ornithological 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 in this field into more intimate
association and more thoroughly consolidating their interests. The advantages of such
consolidation seemed so evident that a call was issued August 1, 1883, dated
Cambridge and Washington, for "a convention of American Ornithologists, 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 expressed 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 coöperation 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 subscription 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 officially designated as the second
series of the 'Nuttall Bulletin.'
Between isolated workers in any field, jealousies and misunderstandings 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
important details, which led to confusion, and a tendency to array our ornithologists
into two somewhat hostile camps. This being recognized 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 committee 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 technicalities, and a new
impetus given to systematic investigation. Thus, through the work of this committee
alone one of the primary objects in view in founding the Union was most happily
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
certain 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
coöperation and into personal acquaintanceship as many as possible 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 committee, with Dr. C. Hart Merriam at its head, began at once to issue circulars
of instruction and schedules for the return 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
only 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 outgrew 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 Biological Survey. The data on the migration and geographical
distribution 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 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
1890, 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
inaugurated 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 circulars of inquiry, and made an elaborate
preliminary report to the Union, which report was later, as in the case of the data
accumulated by the Migration Committee, turned over to the Division of Economic
Ornithology and Mammalogy of the United States Department of Agriculture. Under
Dr. Merriam, the investigation was prosecuted with renewed activity, and a final and
authoritative report was issued by the Department of Agriculture in 1889. It is

needless to say that this impartially conducted report was strongly condemnatory 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 Audubon 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
protection was for several years immensely aided. Of late it has become 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 ornithology in America, as shown by
the increase in the number of observers who have become contributors to 'The Auk,'
and the constantly increasing number who have allied themselves to the Union by
membership therein. The constitution of the Union provides for four classes of
members; namely, (1) 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
ornithologists; (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
photograph is a picture of these founders, made up from separate photographs, it
being impracticable for the members to assemble to be photographed as a group.)
This has remained about the average number, 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 1898.
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 (1889), a separate
reprint of the Code alone (1892), the second edition of the Check-List (1895), and
nine Supplements 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 General 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

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-lirra, down the river,
Laughing water all a-quiver.
Day is near, clear, clear.
Fish are breaking,
Time for waking.
Tup, tup, tup!
Do you hear? All clear.
Wake 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 love,
Purely, purely, purely.
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 Yellow-throat,
Fluttering gaily beside you;
Hear how each voluble note
Offers to guide you:

Which way, sir?
I say, sir,
Let me teach you,
I beseech you!
Are you wishing
Jolly fishing?
This way, sir!
Let me teach you.

Oh come, forget your foes and 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'm alive, you see.
Sun shining, no repining;
Never borrow idle sorrow;
Drop it! Cover it up!
Hold your cup!
Joy will fill it,
Don't spill it!
Steady, be ready,
Love your luck!

The Prairie Horned Lark
BY ROBERT W. HEGNER

With photographs from nature by the author
t intervals throughout the winter, but more often after the first of
February, flocks of hardy little brown birds may be seen about Decorah,
Ia., 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 surrounding 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 9. 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 movements may be held
responsible for the destruction of the nest, as 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 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.

NEST AND EGGS OF HORNED LARK

HORNED LARK AT NEST

At my arrival on the bright, sunny morning of April 24, the Lark was at home,
and I had another opportunity of trying to 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 away. One little striped rascal began gnawing 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 sufficient 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 numerous. 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 camera, 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 University, Worcester, Mass.
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 the
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 distributed 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 way 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
acquaintance sake. No sooner was my 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 nasturtium 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 buttonhole, to the delight of everybody, none of the company having ever
seen a live Hummingbird so close by.

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, 1897

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
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 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
"demonstration." 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 improving 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 frequent 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 playfulness? I have been led to ask
myself this question by observing the extraordinary playfulness
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 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 consisted 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 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 themselves. These facts
being true, the inconsistency of her position is that she gives the slightest
encouragement to the bird traffic 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
traffic 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
probably 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. Another 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, however, 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 confinement 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 the care of cats or dogs, yet
how few mothers or teachers take pains to teach the right care of these common
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
seems 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
education, 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.

FEEDING A PET CEDAR
WAXWING
Which lives out of doors, all over

the house, and in his cage
Photographed from nature by C. F.
Hodge

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 earthworms 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 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 neighbor's 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 hanging the cage near the nest, where the
parents will feed it. Our children owe this work to the community, to themselves 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 children 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 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 æsthetic
and educational values. These might all be developed and enhanced by a proper use
of caged birds. Instead of collections of stuffed birds, the ethics and educational value
of which I wish might be discussed in BIRD-LORE, each city might have, possibly
maintained by some ornithological 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.

Oliver Twist, Catbird
BY ISABELLA McC. LEMMON
n July 9, 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
O 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 huckleberries, 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
earthworms 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 fondness for them.
By the 16th 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 1, 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 preferred 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 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 occasion, 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 migration 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, beginning
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-quarters 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 berries, but he tired of them at last, and bits of meat never passed for 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! shuffling up the water 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 usually 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 remember: 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.

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 numbers that it seemed to move in
a mass as one looked down upon it. Under these circumstances, birds might be
expected 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 taking 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 mountain-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 caterpillars 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 became 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 unwonted exercise the Chippies waxed
fat, but not as aldermanic as the Robins, which, earlier, gorged themselves on the
caterpillars until, as one observer said, "their little red fronts actually trailed on the
ground."—Caroline G. Soule, Brookline, 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 accommodation. I believe none of these were occupied, and this pair
deliberately preferred the Oriole's nest.—L. H. Schwab, Sharon, Conn.

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, Houghton, Mifflin &
Co. 1899. 12mo, pp. viii + 149.
Text-books based on successful experiences in teaching generally prove to be of
value, and the present volume is no exception 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 intelligent interest in bird-life before confronting the
inquirer with 'keys' and discouraging identification puzzles. She, therefore, begins
with the nest, and outlines the development of the bird, following 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 conception 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.
16mo, pp. 55, numerous 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 lithography, or
some inexpensive color process. 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 standpoint, 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 Drawings 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
Professor 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 indicated by the sub-titles 'The Bird Census,'
'The Food Chart' (A very useful compilation by Miss Helen A. Ball, showing
graphically the food of our commoner birds), 'Bird Study in the Schoolroom,'
'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 "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 opportunity 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 Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 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, recording 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 identified 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 time 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
ornithologists to take only such birds as they may require for their own use, and not
to collect 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 barbarous, for pecuniary gain."
We congratulate Mr. Barlow on the stand he has taken, and we congratulate all
bird-lovers on the fact that his declaration of principles adds another journal to the list
of those in which the egg-thief cannot boast of his exploits.
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, appreciating the significance of
the widespread and constantly increasing interest in birds, has decided to introduce a
volume on ornithology into its course of 'Required Reading,' Miss Merriams' '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 considered a step in
educational ornithology of unusual importance.
'The American' for August 26, commenting on the 'Hints to Young Bird Students,'
published in Bird-Lore for August, says: "This paper deserves the most serious
consideration 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"!

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
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 October, 1899 No. 5

SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
Price in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, twenty cents a number, one
dollar a year, postage 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.

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

Advertisements should be sent to the Publishers 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 Bush is Worth Two in the Hand.

At first thought there seemed to be little connection between the 'closet'
ornithologist, 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 only 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 chairman, Dr. C. Hart Merriam, sent out thousands
of circulars calling for observers to supply it with data on migration. Circumstances
have thus far permitted 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, as 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 overestimated, 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 American 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 which the bird may be
killed and its comparatively restricted range, must feel that at the present rate of
destruction its early extinction, 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
picturesque 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 distinctly strange and foreign, and its
presence lends a character to the view given by no other bird in Florida. Its loss
would, therefore, be irreparable, and we appeal to every lover of Florida to aid in its
protection.

"You cannot with a scalpel find the poet's soul,
Nor yet the wild bird's song."