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Bird - Lore 



Starlings. The Starlings have been noted 

 there every evening since that date except 

 on January 21, when I did not pass the 

 place. Since last fall I have occasionally 

 seen a few Starlings, from one to five at a 

 time, in the parks and suburbs of Balti- 

 more; but this is the first time I have 

 known of such large numbers coming right 

 into the heart of the city. — J. Hollowell 

 Parker, Baltimore, Md. 



Lark Sparrows near Grafton, W. Va. 



On June 18, 1916, two adult and two 

 young Lark Sparrows were seen in an 

 orchard about eight miles north of Graf- 

 ton. The birds were flying about in the 

 orchard and seemed perfectly contented. 

 Two young birds were in the trees. The 

 young birds were being fed by the adult 

 birds. The young birds had evidently been 

 hatched in the orchard or near-by. There 

 might have been more young birds but 

 only two were seen. These were the first 

 Lark Sparrows known to have visited this 

 section of the country. I feel sure that I 

 have never seen them before. We were 

 able to identify the birds as we could get 

 within thirty feet of them. I was in this 

 part of the country but one day, and there 

 was no one else to observe the birds later. 

 A month afterward I was in the same 

 orchard and no trace of the birds could be 

 found. — A. J. Dadisman, Morgantown, 

 W. Va. 



Bohemian Waxwings in Seattle, Wash. 



Bird-lovers of this section, especially 

 those along the lake-shore of this city, 

 have been treated to a rare sight which 

 we feel will be of interest to the friends 

 of birds everywhere. It was the presence 

 of Bohemian Waxwings by the thousand ! 

 The birds, accompanied by Cedar Wax- 

 wings, and by hundreds and hundreds of 

 Robins (the latter flying in flocks by them- 

 selves but following, apparently, wherever 

 the Waxwings led), were first seen on the 

 morning of December 30, 1916, when they 

 were noticed flying south. At intervals 

 thereafter, usually in the forenoon, these 



birds returned, and always, when in our 

 immediate vicinity, settled on tree and 

 house-top or even on telephone wires, 

 from which resting-places they made fre- 

 quent excursions into the numerous mad- 

 rona trees around. The berries, of course, 

 were the objective. While thus engaged 

 they afforded us excellent opportunities 

 for observation. Indeed, so close could 

 we get that it would have been possible 

 more than once to simply reach out and 

 stroke the Bohemian's smooth plumage, 

 but the Robin was less trusting. Though 

 some of his number were always equally 

 within reach, they were constantly giving 

 warnings which would cause big numbers 

 of all the birds to suddenly fly away, 

 apparently in fear. But always they re- 

 turned. And always the Bohemians 

 seemed to be more numerous than the 

 Cedar Wax- wings, or the Robins. Since the 

 Bohemian is supposed "not to come into 

 this vicinity," officers and members of our 

 local Audubon Society were disposed to 

 be suspicious of our identifications on the 

 first reports, but fortunately several of 

 them had occasion to see for themselves 

 and verify our statements now. 



Why the birds came is a mystery. No 

 one versed in bird-lore here will take it 

 upon himself to hazard an interpretation 

 of the phenomenon. If it was food they 

 came for, they left before the supply was 

 much decreased, for there are madronas 

 and alder trees whose berries are still un- 

 touched. And if the South was their 

 intended destination, why did they go 

 north again? The last flocks, numbering 

 several hundreds, were seen for the last 

 time on January 9, in the morning, and 

 after much calling, in the familiar lisping 

 way, and no end of circling about (but no 

 feeding at all) they went back into the 

 North. — J. Dean and F. D. Terry, Seattle, 

 Wash. 



Prairie Horned Lark in Maryland 



The notes of Mrs. Arthur F. Gardner, 

 of Troy, N. Y., in your July-August, 1916 

 number on the Horned Lark, remind me 

 of some observations made here in western 



