230 



Bird - Lore 



of Hermit Thrushes were uttering their 

 subdued chuck from every wooded place. 

 A flock of about 35 Purple Finches that 

 have been under observation all winter in 

 a secluded wood were found on this date 

 in full song. This is the first known local 

 record of the singing of this bird. On the 

 20th a few Willets and Greater Yellow-legs, 

 with a single Golden Plover, were seen on 

 a bar in the Missouri River, and on the 

 same date a large flock of Redheads, with 

 a few Canvasbacks, were reported. On the 

 21st Green Herons and Bank Swallows 

 arrived in numbers, and the last of the 

 Hermit Thrushes were seen. By the 23d 

 Harris's Sparrows were everywhere, even 

 in city yards and along the boulevards, in 

 strange contrast to their scarcity of the 

 past few seasons. Lark Sparrows were 

 heard singing for the first time this year, 

 and the arrival of the Crested Flycatcher 

 and Kingbird was noted. Among the War- 

 blers seen or heard on this date were the 

 Sycamore, Cerulean, Black-throated Green, 

 Parula, and Black and White. Two nearly 

 completed Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher nests 

 were found in bare trees, and a Bluebird's 

 nest containing four eggs was found. A 

 flight of about 2,000 Barn Swallows was 

 noted on the 24th, and on this day the 

 first Red-eyed, White-eyed and Yellow- 

 throated Vireos were heard. Redstarts ar- 

 rived, a few late Fox Sparrows were heard 

 singing, and five Upland Plover were seen 

 within the city limits. Not until the 27th 

 did the Catbird arrive, unusually late for 

 this region. The Baltimore Oriole and 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak arrived on the 

 28th, and a large flight of Ducks was re- 

 ported from Courtney. Unusual numbers 

 of Blue-winged Teal, Shoveller, and Gad- 

 wall, with a few late Mallards and Pintails 

 were seen. Grasshopper and Savannah 

 Sparrows were common on the 29th, and 

 the first Orange-crowned Warblers, Sum- 

 mer Tanagers, and Maryland Yellow- 

 throats arrived. A Bittern was flushed 

 from a rocky ledge in deep woods, recall- 

 ing the characteristic trait of this species 

 when on migration to fly straight over the 

 country irrespective <>f water-ceurses. 

 Unlike last yearal this time, when vege- 



tation was out in full, only a trace of green 

 was to be seen in the low vegetation in 

 early May, and the woods had more the 

 aspect of winter. It seemed strange, and 

 was indeed most unusual, to see parading 

 through the bare woods such species as 

 the Yireos, Flycatchers, Orioles, and War- 

 blers. Fortunately, insect food was 

 abundant, and all nature seemed normal 

 save the leafless trees. 



The unusual throngs of Harris's Spar- 

 rows everywhere present in this region this 

 spring have afforded abundant opportunity 

 to study and attempt to record their varied 

 songs and call-notes. First, there is a 

 high-pitched, wavering whistle, sometimes 

 delivered sharply and without a quaver, 

 followed usually by a minor note either up 

 or down the scale, though more often up. 

 When several birds are thus whistling in 

 concert, each individual may take a dif- 

 ferent pitch, or several may be on the same 

 pitch, but the ensemble gives an impression 

 of querulous minors most unusual among 

 birds and most delightful to hear. There 

 may be one note with no following minor, 

 or there may be one, two, three, or four 

 notes following in the same pitch, as indi- 

 cated by Nuttall; but I have never heard 

 five. Then there is a grating, burring 

 whistle followed by a series of low, guttural, 

 rattling notes impossible to render in 

 words. There is also a very musical, low, 

 sweet song, conversational in quality, which 

 is also preceded by a burst of character- 

 istic whistling, often of a chuckling nature. 

 The familiar alarm note is a metallic zink 

 of rather coarse timbre, and sometimes 

 quite rasping, but always with a cheerful 

 ring. The Sparrow tsep, so often heard in 

 winter, is sometimes indistinguishable from 

 that of several others of the group, but is 

 again delivered in a loud and sharp man- 

 ner characteristic of this species alone. On 

 the whole, the vocal performance of this 

 bird is altogether delightful, and well worth 

 going a long way to hear. 



On May 2 the bottom timber along the 

 Missouri River was found to be swarming 

 with newly arrived Sparrows, Warblers, 

 and other migrants. The bluffs and farm- 

 ing regions beyond were also prolific of 



