A PRIZE ESSAY 



Bird Notes for April' and May 



BY ARCHIE WALKER (ased lo years), Andrews, N. C. 



LOUISIANA Water-Thrush came April ist. Every spring it nests 

 in an old pasture by a branch back of our house. 



Rusty Blackbird came on the 5th of April. At first I saw just 

 one, he was walking on the limb of an apple tree, I watched him till he 

 flew to an oak across the road where I saw several others, one sat high up 

 in the tree and kept watch, his song sounded like a wagon screaking. 



A Vireo was in our orchard on the 6th of April. It was very small, had 

 two wing-bars, and a white eye-ring, and was catching insects like a 

 Flycatcher. 



Four wild Ducks were on a neighbor's pond on the 8th of April, when 

 they flew I saw white on their wings. 



On the gth of April I saw the Brown Thrasher, next day he was sing- 

 ing the sweetest I nearly ever heard ; we went under the tree and he sat 

 there a long time singing the same as if we hadn't been near. 



The Black and White Creeping Warbler came on the lOth, we saw it 

 get a worm out of a hole in a limb. 



On the 17th we saw a crooked long- necked bird that I think was a 

 Little Green Heron. 



The White-eyed V^ireo came on the i8th, it sings very much like the 

 Chat but is smaller and not as yellow underneath. 



The same day I heard Cat Bird going like a cat crying but did not get 

 to see it for a week. 



The Myrtle Warbler was the first to come. Soon after others came, 

 but were so high up in the trees we could not tell what they were. 



On the 18th we saw two brown birds we took to be Wood Thrushes, 

 which we call the " Quillaree." They were feeding on the ground with 

 a Flicker. 



We saw and heard several Log-cocks and heard Oven-birds in the 

 laurel. After awhile I saw one walking on the ground. It made me 

 think of a Titlark, only it did not tilt its tail. 



We saw a large bird somebody had killed in a marshy field by a river. 

 It looked something like the Little Green Heron, only it was much 

 larger and a different color. It was an American Bittern. They call it 

 the Indian Hen here. 



On the igth of April I heard the sweetest new song in the spruce 



( 130) 



