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Bird - Lore 



Chickadees (two), Bluebirds (two); also 

 one nest each of Orchard Orioles, Flickers, 

 House Wrens (in a bird-box), Yellow- 

 throated Vireos, Scarlet Tanagers, Cat- 

 birds and Wood Pewees. The following 

 birds were also here all through the breed- 

 ing season, although their nests were not 

 actually found: Oven Birds (at least six 

 pairs), Red-winged Blackbirds (a colony 

 of them about a mile up the Peekskill 

 creek), Brown Thrashers (one pair), 

 Golden-winged Warblers (two pairs), 

 V'eery (one pair), Towhees (several pairs), 

 Phoebes, a flock of Starlings, Song Spar- 

 rows (in numbers), Field Sparrows (in 

 numbers), Crows, Goldfinches (in num- 

 bers), Swifts (a flock), Kingfishers (one 

 or two pairs), and Ruffed Grouse (one 

 pair). 



The birds which come to our winter 

 feeding stations are: Chickadees, Juncos, 

 White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Wood- 

 peckers, Hairy Woodpeckers and Brown 

 Creepers. 



The following Warblers were noted 

 during the spring migration, the dates 

 given being those on which the birds were 

 first seen: Pine Warbler (April 23), Oven 

 Bird (April 26), Black and White Creeper 

 (April 27), Redstart (April 28), Maryland 

 Yellow-Throat (April 2S), Worm-eating 

 Warbler (April 29), Parula Warbler (May 

 2), Chestnut-sided Warbler (May 3), 

 Myrtle Warbler (May 4 and probably 

 earlier), Black-throated Blue Warbler 

 (May 6), Black})urnian Warbler (May 4), 

 Northern Water Thrush (May 4), Black- 

 throated Green Warbler (May 5), Golden- 

 winged Warbler (May 9), Hooded War- 

 bler (May 9), Louisiana Water 'I'lirush 

 (May 10), Yellow Palm Warbler (May 10), 

 Yellow Summer Warbler (May 10), Mag- 

 nolia Warbler (May 15), Yellow-breasted 

 Chat (May 16), Canadian Warbler (May 

 17), Black-poll Warbler (May 17), Bay- 

 breasted Warbler (May 17), — in all, 

 twenty-three kinds. 



A pair of Northern Water Tlirushes 

 were seen daily during two weeks on the 

 edge of a swampy pond, about live- 

 minutes' walk from the house. 



A nf)rk of \\'hite throated Sparrows anfl 



a flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets linger 

 with us for several weeks every spring and 

 autumn. 



A flock of Hermit Thrushes passed 

 through, April 13, and a flock of Cedar 

 Waxwings, May 5. 



A Green Heron was seen wading in a 

 pond almost within sight of the house in 

 August. 



\\'hether from lack of observation, or 

 because the return route is slightly dif- 

 ferent, we have seen far fewer Warblers 

 in the autumn migrations than in the 

 spring. Observations have been made 

 for four or five years, l)Ut data were not 

 recorded l)efore last year. — Sister Su- 

 perior, St. Gabriel's School. 



Save the Underbrush 



The ravages of the gypsy moth have been 

 so serious in eastern Massachusetts that 

 not only all farmers, but many bird-lovers, 

 have cut down all of the underbrush on 

 their estates. They think it is desirable to 

 shave the ground as smooth as the sur- 

 face of a mill pond, and apparently con- 

 sider it a crime to let two trees stand 

 nearer than thirty feet apart. They have 

 changed the beautiful woods into lawns, 

 dotted with artificial bean-poles, stripped 

 of all branches to a height of twenty feet 

 above the ground, and left in rows just 

 so far apart. These excited people forget 

 that they are driving away the birds; for- 

 get that they are driving away the greatest 

 enemies the injurious insects have. The 

 few birds that are left live either in or near 

 groves of fir trees, which have not been 

 disfigured in the battle against the gypsy 

 moths. I therefore urge all the readers of 

 Bird-Lore to save patches of underbrush 

 here and there for the birds, and I recom- 

 mend that a local ornithologist be con- 

 sulted before any number of trees or 

 much underbrush be destroyed. To illus- 

 trate my point: \ gentleman who had a 

 few acres of woodland cleared of under- 

 brush and several trees happened to select 

 a spot which was frequented by the only 

 Woodcock that is known to nest within 

 miles of here. Harl this "entlcman tele- 



