98 



Bird - Lore 



In the vicinity of these ponds many of our 

 most interesting 'finds' are made, and 

 the summer of 1918 was one of the best 

 yet experienced. This was probably due 

 to the fact that one of our members camped 

 there for some weeks, and each morning 

 paddled around in a canoe to see what inter- 

 esting changes had taken place over 

 night. 



On August 8, a Long-billed Marsh Wren 

 was found, although the location was 

 rather different from that usually favored 

 by these birds. It was not seen again. 

 This is only the third time this Wren has 

 been reported from our county. 



On August 11, a Black-crowned Night 

 Heron, in the juvenal plumage, was noted. 

 It remained for several days and was seen 

 by a few fortunate ones. This bird is 

 decidedly rare with us. 



A family of Least Bitterns, consisting 

 of the parent birds and four youngsters, 

 was also located. They made a very pretty 

 group as they squatted among the willows 

 along the shore, or walked sedately away 

 through the bushes to avoid the prying 

 eyes of those who wished to study them 

 more closely. 



On Oct. 22, 1918, a Barred Owl was 

 seen, also at the ponds. This is the first 

 record of the Barred Owl for many years. 



On April 19, 1919, an adult Bald Eagle 

 was observed, and about two weeks later 

 the nest was discovered in a large button- 

 wood tree. This is the first time in many 

 years that the Bald Eagle has nested in 

 our county. They succeeded in raising 

 two young, but we heard afterward that 

 they had both been shot. We can only 

 hope that the old birds have escaped. 



A Carolina Wren spent the summer of 

 1919 with us, living in the north end of 

 the city. It was first noted on May 29, 

 and after that its ringing song could be 

 heard almost every day. We never learned 

 whether it had a mate or not. 



Previous to 19 19 we had only one record 

 of the Hudsonian Chickadee. This winter 

 two specimens have been taken in the 

 country just north of London, and a third 

 bird has come into the city and has visited 

 the food-shelves of several of our members. 



It appears on our Christmas Census. 

 It mixes more or less freely, with the other 

 Chickadees, but can easily be picked out 

 of the flock by its more sluggish move- 

 ments. Is this characteristic of "Hudson- 

 icus"? 



On Dec. 28, 1919, a crisp winter morn- 

 ing with several inches of snow on the 

 ground, a White-throated Sparrow was 

 heard to sing quite merrily several times 

 from a Norway spruce hedge along one of 

 our city streets. The occurrence was 

 reported, and one of our members went 

 around later in the day and whistled to 

 it. The White-throat answered quite 

 readily. These birds will sometimes 

 brave our Canadian winter, but to hear 

 one singing with Maytime vigor on a 

 winter morning, with the thermometer 

 not far from zero, was decidedly startling. 

 — C. G. Watson, Secretary Mcllwraith 

 Ornithological Club. 



A Pennsylvania Mocker 



It may be of interest to note that a 

 Mockingbird is wintering in Newtown, 

 Bucks County, Pa., surviving the cold 

 weather, no doubt, because of being well 

 fed and looked after by one or more 

 members of the Newtown Nature Club. 

 All the members of this club are endeavor- 

 ing to feed the winter residents here, but 

 without much success because of the 

 Starling which has become a most obnoxi- 

 ous pest, driving away our native birds, 

 appropriating the hole nesting-sites, and 

 even killing birds. Any information re- 

 garding what is being done about the 

 Starling in other localities will be grate- 

 fully appreciated by both the Newtown 

 and Yardley Nature Clubs. Mrs. C. C. 

 Peters, Newtown, Pa. 



Evening Grosbeak in New Jersey 



During the heavy snowstorm of the 

 first week in February there arrived at 

 my home in Point Pleasant. Ocean County, 

 \. J., two Evening Grosbeaks, a male and 

 a female. This is the first time, to my 

 knowledge, that these birds have been 



