Town Birds. 53 



ing, in their sober garb of olive brown, the observation of those who 

 only know them in the brilliant black and gold or Summer. Pine Sis- 

 kins too may be looked for whenever and wherever the white cedars 

 have cones, in the seeds of which they seem especially to delight, and 

 wherever such small game abounds, one has not far to seek their hand- 

 some and voluble but deceitful enemy the Shrike. Hawks too are more 

 or less common according to the food supply, and my note-book gives 

 me both winter and summer records of the Sparrow Hawk in the busiest 

 parts of the city. 



A hawk was captured alive last fall at the City Hall square, and 

 kept some time in confinement, but proving an undesirable pet, it 

 passed from one owner to another and at last made its escape. I did 

 not ascertain its species, but a remarkably tall legend connected with 

 its final disappearance might readily suggest the possibility of its having 

 been a Fish-hawk. 



Even such a man-hater as the Ruffed Grouse, or as we commonly, 

 but I believe incorrectly, call him, the Partridge, occasionally pays the 

 city a visit, and has been known to fly through the glass of a window 

 and land on the dining room table, a place to which, under the strin- 

 gency of the present game laws, he usually finds his way by a less d.'rect 

 route, and, I might add, under a different name from either of the 

 above. 



Turning now to the summer birds, many are almost too common 

 to need mention : such, for instance as the omnivorous and belligerent 

 House Sparrow, for whom the name English, or even European, is now 

 more of a misnomer than ever, since he has annexed the whole Ameri- 

 can continent. The Robin and the Song Sparrow may be heard and 

 seen in all parts of the city, and the Night Hawk and Chimney Swift, 

 in their season, are familiar objects to a 1 who even glance upward. 

 One of the former seated on a flat roof forms the subject of a very good 

 photograph, edited (if I may use the tern) by one of our members, who 

 was quick enough to take advantage of the situation from the back 

 window of a Sparks Street studio. Tree Swallows and Purple Martins 

 are only a little less conmon. both species being regular summer boarders 

 at the Albion Hotel, which has long sinceceased toentertain other guests 



