Notes from Field and Study 



349 



one inform us? — Mary Hyatt, Stanford- 

 ville, N. Y. 



A Centenarian Bird-Lover 



The enclosed verses were written by 

 an old lady of ioo years, Mrs. Mary A. 

 Hunt, who has since died at 106 years of 

 age. 



Perhaps they will interest your readers. 

 — Mrs. M. R. Merriman, Beloit, Wis. 



THE SNOW-BIRDS 



Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! 



Twitter! Twitter! Twitter! 



What is all this fuss about? 



What can be the matter? 



See, the snow is falling fast, 



Hear the north wind's chilling blast! 



See the tall trees bending low 



'Neath their feathery weight of snow. 



Still there comes that clitter-clatter 



What on earth can be the matter? 



Ah, I see, it is the snow-birds 

 Hopping, clinging in the breeze. 

 Are they made of India rubber 

 That their little legs don't freeze? 

 O, you silly little snow-birds, 

 Why not do as others do, 

 Fly away to lands more sunny 

 Where the bees are making honey, 

 Where you'll find the nicest berries, 

 Pearly rice and ripe, red cherries? 

 Ah, I know without more words, 

 'Tis because you are snow-birds ! 

 — Mary A. Hunt. 



Winter Notes from Andover, N. J. 



On December 8, 1919, we had in our 

 yard four Pine Grosbeaks, one of which 

 was in the full rosy plumage of the adult 

 male. They seemed to be feeding on the 

 seeds of a spruce tree near the house, some- 

 times flying to the ground within a few 

 feet of our windows. Although the old 

 spruce offered them an abundance of cones, 

 they remained only two days. A flock of 

 eleven Evening Grosbeaks have been daily 

 visitors to the large maple trees in our 

 driveway for the past month, but not one 

 mature male is among them. Their large, 



blunt bills take heavy toll of the maple 

 seeds, then the whole flock fly to the 

 ground close to our windows, seeming quite 

 willing to exhibit themselves to our admir- 

 ing friends who come purposely to see 

 them, for, being quite rare, they are 

 attracting much notice. 



To add further interest to our bird- 

 study this year, on March 2, we saw at 

 Slaters' Lake, nearby, a Whistling Swan 

 in full adult plumage, 35 American Mer- 

 gansers, and about 20 Herring Gulls, the 

 last mentioned rarely coming to us as we 

 are about fifty miles from the seacoast. — 

 F. Blanche Hill, Sec. Sussex County Na- 

 ture Study Club, Andover, N. J. 



Some Florida Records 



So early do many species of birds leave 

 South or Central America and start out 

 upon their return flight to northern nest- 

 ing grounds, that at first sight it seems 

 proper to include them among the winter 

 residents of Florida. 



Such was my thought when, on Feb- 

 ruary 6, 1920, I observed eight purple 

 Martins flying about a large Martin-house 

 which had been closed in the fall to keep 

 out the undesirable Sparrow, and had not 

 yet been opened. This was in the town of 

 Sanford, Fla. 



The Painted Bunting, which has recently 

 been reported through Bird-Lore as 

 wintering in Florida, I found at Palmetto, 

 near the north shore of the Manatee 

 River, on January 15, and also at Stuart, 

 where a male and two females were seen 

 on March 10. 



The Ruby-throated Hummingbird was 

 noted as early as January 20 at Lakeland, 

 yet we are told that this little jewel of the 

 bird kingdom winters south of the United 

 States. 



Other records of possible interest are: 

 Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus), a 

 single individual at Arcadia, December 5, 

 1919; American Pipit, large flocks on celery 

 and cabbage fields at Sanford, January 3 1 to 

 February 20; Ovenbird, Arcadia, Decem- 

 ber 24, 1919. Surf Scoter (Oidemia per- 

 spicillata), a single specimen male, on the 



