Notes from Field and Study 



223 



ment as they busily chirp and devour the 

 seeds. — Mrs. H. W. Abraham, Appleton, 

 Wis. 



Bohemian Waxwing in Maine 



On June 3, 1920, I was watching a small 

 flock of Cedar Waxwings in an apple tree 

 close by my kitchen window, when, to 

 my surprise, I saw that one was a Bohem- 

 ian. I had never seen this species before, 

 but got the markings perfectly as it was so 

 near. On June 19, about 5 o'clock, the 

 Waxwings were here again, and what was 

 my astonishment to see the Bohemian still 

 with them! — Winifred Holway Palmer, 

 Machiasport, Maine. 



The Window Visitor 



During the month of July, 1919, a 

 neighbor reported to me that a Chipping 

 Sparrow, at various hours of each day, had 

 been rapping with its bill upon her window- 

 panes. She had noticed the pair of 'Chip- 

 pies' about the door-yard earlier in the 

 season, but had paid little attention to 

 them until the brighter colored of the two 

 took it upon himself to demand attention 

 by repeatedly rapping upon the glass. 

 Sometimes it was from the window-sill, 

 and often while hovering before the upper 

 panes. On one occasion he entered the 

 house through an open door, flew about as 

 though looking for something, then rushed 

 out again, to continue his window-tapping. 



On being told of this strange happening, 

 I went over to see the bird perform. The 

 next day this Sparrow was rapping at 

 my own windows. My efforts to entice 

 him into the house were in vain, and 

 neither could I find his nest or mate, 

 yet his window-rapping continued until 

 August 3. 



On May 1 2 of this year I was pleased to 

 find a pair of Chipping Sparrows building 

 a nest in a rambler rose bush a few feet 

 from my bay-window; but I was more 

 pleased when on May 15 the male of this 

 pair gave three distinct knocks with his 

 little bill upon my window-pane. Later he 

 continually gave his signal for attention 



and boldly faced my outstretched hand 

 extended to the glass in token of welcome. 

 Bread crumbs were placed upon the win- 

 dow-sill, and of these he would occasionally 

 partake; alternating with green aphids 

 that were beginning to multiply upon the 

 new shoots of the rose bush. 



On May 18 his mate had completed the 

 set of four eggs, and by Jane 5 both par- 

 ents were busy feeding their young. Yet 

 the male still finds time each day to give 

 a series of taps upon my window-pane, 

 and has also visited and signaled to my 

 neighbor across the way, his home of a 

 year ago. — Lester W. Smith, Meriden, 

 Conn. 



An Adaptable Robin 



A neighbor relates the following: A pair 

 of Robins built a nest on the ledge just 

 above her front door, which was within a 

 colonial porch about five feet square. She 

 was not particularly anxious to have it 

 there, but satisfied herself by having the 

 loose and long ends of grass and string that 

 dangled down cut off. For a few days after 

 that the birds did not appear, so she had 

 the gardener take it down; but no sooner 

 was this order obeyed than the female re- 

 turned and laid an egg on the hard wooden 

 ledge where the nest had been. She then 

 ordered the gardener to return the nest, 

 only to be told that he had burned it, but 

 he knew where there was a nest of the 

 previous year. That was secured and 

 placed on the ledge, and the egg was placed 

 in it. One of the birds returned, scolded 

 much, and set to work to repair the old 

 nest, also taking out the one egg. Later in 

 the day another egg was laid; and since 

 then housekeeping has gone on well. — 

 George Roberts, Jr., Lake Forest, Ills. 



The Warbling Vireo in Southern 

 Rhode Island 



The writer was interested in the sugges- 

 tion made by Dr. Tyler in Bird-Lore that 

 the decrease in the Vireos noted in the 

 Boston region may be due to the spraying 

 of the shade trees. 



