Bird - Lore 



tains with no cultivated fields, while the 

 remainder of the circle is made up of fer- 

 tile farms from which almost all varieties 

 of grain and insect food could be obtained. 

 It had been the habit of these birds for 

 eleven years to stay until the October 

 and November frosts had taken away their 

 nightly covering of maple leaves, and then 

 for several days on their evening return to 

 tell of their intended departure by circling 

 over their accustomed roosting-place, 

 making continuous cries, settling in the 

 partly bare trees, then rising and going 

 through the same program for several 

 times. But last year, after gathering in 

 their usual numbers and manner, they left 

 unceremoniously and took up their abode 

 in a valley beyond a mountain four miles 

 east, and never ventured back to their 

 old haunts. This change was not brought 

 about by the shot-gun or season, for there 

 was no shooting at their roost and no dif- 

 ference in the rainfall of the two places, 

 but I attribute it to a scarcity of their 

 food-supply in their old haunts. — O. C. 

 Brewer, Pulaski, Va. 



Our Duty to Our Bird Tenants 



I wish to second Mr. Bennett's motion, 

 in the last issue' of Bird-Lore, that a 

 movement be inaugurated for obviating 

 the feline pest that is so prevalent in our 

 cities. The dog, that is acknowledged 

 man's most faithful friend, dare not show 

 his face on a city street, unless he has 

 a license tag attached to his collar; while 

 mongrel cats — black, white, gray, yellow 

 and spotted, big, little, old, young and 

 indifferent — slink about our alley-ways 

 and back yards, their every movement 

 emblematic of distrust and thievishness, 

 a constant menace to the few birds that 

 are emboldened to live in the city, and thus 

 indirectly a bane to the small gardener. 



If the cat nuisance is got rid of, we will 

 take heart and put some bird-boxes in our 

 back yard, where birds come each spring 

 in search of a nesting-site, which we are 

 now careful to see is not provided; for 

 how could we enjoy the exuberant song 

 of our Httle feathered neighbor (at our 



invitation), when we knew that it was 

 eventually to become the requiem of his 

 little ones, that, in their helplessness, 

 must inevitably fall into the clutches of 

 the stray cats that daily prowl about the 

 premises ? 



One who, under existing conditions, 

 as we have found them, would encourage 

 birds into his city yard, surely cannot have 

 the welfare of those birds at heart. — Edgar 

 BoYER, Sparks, Nevada. 



Pittsford, N. Y., Notes 



On April 13, near here, I saw several 

 flocks of Juncos, and among them was 

 one with a snow-white head and neck. 

 Otherwise it looked like the other mem- 

 bers of the flock. On the same day I saw 

 a Towhee singing in some lilac bushes, 

 very near a house in the village. — Mrs. 

 Anna E. Agate, Pittsford, N. Y. 



Snowbuntings in Vermont 



On February 6, a large flock (probably 

 200) of Snowflakes appeared in our village. 

 It is the first record for three years, and 

 perhaps longer. Last winter, there were 

 large flocks of Pine Siskins and Redpolls, 

 with a few Goldfinches andWhite-winged 

 Crossbills; but none was seen this past 

 winter. The Siskins were first noticed 

 May 28, 1907, and they stayed until the 

 middle of July, 1908. — Eliza F. Miller, 

 Bethel, Vt. 



A Winter Catbird 



I wish to record the occurrence of a 

 Catbird in Brockton, Mass., in winter. 

 I first saw it December 19, 1909. Up to that 

 time the season had not been very severe, 

 the coldest being about 15°, and holding 

 steadily near that temperature for some 

 time. The bird was in an old, upland 

 pasture overgrown with junipers, birches, 

 young pines, huckleberry and bayberry 

 bushes, with numerous tangles of horse- 

 briers. 



During the week before Christmas the 

 temperature fell to 12°, with but little 



