Il8 AsHBV, Birds in ihe Baltimore Woods, U.S.A. ^^^ 



F.nui 

 Oct. 



" nicw," inort' like the ci\- of a luwly-boiii kitten than tlic 

 " meow " of an adult cat. Many tliink that this is tlie most 

 gifted singer of the American woods, and Mr. Brown informed 

 me that it imitates the songs and calls of the other native birds. 

 Its plumage is a dark leaden-grev : in shape it is more slender 

 than a Starling, and longer in the tail. A series of whistles coming 

 from an oak tree on the other side of the creek broke in upon the 

 Cat-Bird's sweet melody. There was something distinctly Aus- 

 tralian and familiar about it — two or three low notes, and then a 

 series of whistles with an upward inflection, quite a fair imitation 

 of our Pallid Cuckoo of Australia, and, but for the beginning and 

 the tinal note, which is a low one, the similarity was very close. 

 It was the Yellow-billed Cuckoo {('occyziis americaniis). Tliis 

 Cuckoo actually makes a nest and incubates its own eggs : it has 

 not degenerated as far as its Australian relative. In the thick, 

 low bushes, also on the other side of the creek, a Song-Sparrow 

 {Melospiza mclodia) poured out its sweet little trill. 



We here crossed the creek into an open grassy held rising into 

 a ston^- hillside. We quickly spotted a pair of Plovers, keeping 

 out of our way by means of a series of short runs, which action, 

 together with the bobbing of the head, is so typical of the Black- 

 breasted Plover of Australia. The general colour of the plumage 

 was yellowish-brown, black crown, two black bands on the white 

 breast, white neck ring, and rufous rump. These birds are known 

 as " Killdeer " {Oxyechiis vociferus), from their call. 



After getting through a fence we entered a thick wood without 

 anv under-busli. The trunks of the trees were fine straight boles. 

 While oaks of several species predominated, there were ash, 

 hickory, pecan nuts, beech, and others. Taking a seat on a 

 fallen log, wc listened to the strange coughing notes of the 

 American Crow {Corviis hrachyrhyitchos). In outward appearance 

 he much resembles the Australian bird, except there is not the 

 same sheen on the wings, but our bird would do well to adopt 

 some of the notes of his American brother. In a tree close by 

 a young Red-headed Woodpecker {Melanerpes erythroccphalus) \\-as 

 calling for food, which its handsome parent soon supplied. This 

 species is one of the most handsome and common of the Wood- 

 peckers. It has a crimson head and throat, black back, wing 

 coverts, and primaries, and secondaries pure white, and light- 

 coloured abdomen. The calls are loud, the most common being 

 a whirring cry. In another patch of the wood we saw a pair of 

 Flickers {Colaptes aitratus). These striking birds are large 

 relatives of the true Woodpecker, and, altlunigh the beak is less 

 powerful, their habits are very similar. While this species has a 

 few bright red feathers on head and neck, its most striking feature 

 is the rich golden colour of the under side of the primaries ; it 

 gives to the bird when in flight a handsome yellow appearance, 

 and accounts for one of its names — "Golden-winged Wood- 

 ])ecker." The length of the bird is 13 inches. 



On skirting an old mill pond in the hope of seeing some Herons 



