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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



All communications for this department 

 should be sent to the Department Editor, 

 Mr. Harry G. Higbee, 13 Austin Street, 

 Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Items, articles 

 and photographs in this department not 

 otherwise credited are by the Department 

 Editor 



The Warbler and the Spiders. 



by m. b. townsknl)^ nashua, new 

 Hampshire;. 



This summer I made an interesting 

 ornithological observation. It occurred 

 at a summer cottage situated on a long 

 narrow peninsula that separates China 

 Lake, Maine, into two divisions. Birds 

 galore haunt the peninsula, flitting 

 through the birches and nesting all about 

 ■ — hermit thrushes, veeries, vireos, song 

 sparrows,phoebes,wood peewees, cuckoos, 

 wood warblers and many others, while 

 ospreys, loons, great blue herons and bald 

 eagles haunt the lake, living there on the 

 abundant fish. It is a veritable ornitholo- 

 gist's paradise. 



Many of the smaller birds are remarka- 

 bly tame, permitting a close approach and 

 coming fearlessly abotit the cottage. One 

 day, as we sat on the porch that extends 

 around three sides of the building, we 

 noticed a black-and-white warbler in the 

 immature plumage that denotes a voting 

 bird, come quietly on the porch and begin 

 to pick at the small spiders that infest the 

 place. The bird went about his work 

 systematicalh', coverinii' everv inch as he 

 progressed around the entire circuit of the 

 porch. The welis appeared to l)Other him 

 and every few moments he stopped and 

 cleaned his bill from the clinging silk. 

 His tamenoss "^trnck us ns remarkable. 

 We continued our conversation but he 

 paid no heed. The crncks nil explored, 

 he came hop])ing across the floor search- 

 ing everywhere, all abotit us, under our 

 chairs, and finally hopped on a round of 

 the chair upon which I was sitting and 

 stood there with perfect unconcern. Not 

 until he had cleaned out the spiders did 



he leave us and then only to fly to the 

 porch of the next cottage to continue his 

 good work. As tliese spiders are great 

 nuisances, biting sharply and rendering 

 sleeping in the porch a discomfort, the lit- 

 tle bird's good work was greatly appre- 

 ciated. The birds about the place are 

 strictly protected, and efforts are made to 

 avoid disturbing them. They never fail 

 to respond to such treatment. 



Song Birds that Seek a Human 

 Audience. 



BY MISS MARY A. ROE, WATERTOWN, NEW 

 YORK. 



As I read in the August number of The 

 Guide to Nature the interesting article 

 on. the brown thrasher, I realized how 

 seldom I have heard that bird sing, al- 

 though I often see him in the woods. But 

 this fact suggested a thought of .gratitude. 

 We humans should be thankful for the 

 social qualities of the robin, the catbird 

 and other songsters, including the mock- 

 ing birds of the South, all of which build 

 their nests near our dwellings and cheer 

 us with their sweet melodies. When I 

 was a girl in my home near the banks of 

 the Hudson, my father would not allow 

 a cat on the premises. Consequently, 

 nearly every shrub and tree near the 

 house was tenanted by song birds, includ- 

 ing the veery and the wood thrush that 

 paid us with their beautiful music, for the 

 English sparrow had not then arrived. 



Every one familiar with birds must 

 have noticed that, like human beings, 

 some are endowed with much greater 

 vocal power and variety of notes than 

 their comrades. They are aware of this 

 inft, and not only tolerate but often seek 

 a human audience. Two remarkable in- 

 Ftarces that recur to my memory illustrate 

 this quality. 



One May morning, as my father and I 

 were seated on the front porch of our 

 home, a catbird perched on a tree close 



