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Bird - Lore 



flock of Tree Sparrows feeding about the weeds and briars at the edge of a 

 little run. They are always cheerful, and even on this gray morning indulge in 

 little snatches of canary-like song expressive of their good will, though far from 

 the varied strains that they will take back to Hudson's Bay with them next 

 April. On the opposite side of the little gully are some alders, and just as we 

 discover a flock of small, dark-colored birds feeding on the catkins, they are 

 off with an excited chatter that pronounces them Redpolls. Why they should 



A WINTER ROBIN FINDING FOOD ON THE SUMACH, "THE 



TREE OF LAST RESORT" 



Photographed by A. A. Allen 



be so wild at this time of the year when they are so tame in the spring, I have 

 yet to discover, and my fondest hopes of discovering Greater Redpolls or 

 Hoary Redpolls among them are always shattered by having them depart thus 

 wildly before I can get a good look at them. We write down just plain 'Redpoll' 

 and continue to think that some looked larger and some much lighter colored 

 than the rest and wonder if after all, all three subspecies were not represented 

 in the flock. 



Now we come to the old orchard. A few frozen apples still cling to the 

 trees, and we hope to find a flock of Cedar Waxwings or at least a few Starlings 



