Notes from Field and Study 



307 



33. Prairie Horned Lark. A bird of ihe 

 open fields. Nests very early. 



34. Kingbird. Nests in the orchard and 

 in the big elms. A welcome visitor to our 

 apiary, in spite of its unsavory reputa- 

 tion as bee-eater. 



35. Crested Flycatcher. Loves the 

 quiet of the preserve, though on one 

 occasion one nested in a box I had put 

 up for Martins. (This however happened 

 in another location before we came to 

 Tamakoche.) 



36. Phoebe, Formerly common about 

 the outbuildings. The Si)arr()\vs have 

 succeeded in driving tlicm away entirely, 

 the past few years. 



37. Wood Pewee. \'ery common in the 

 preserve. 



38. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Our 

 only representative of this diminutive 

 family. 



39. Chimney Swift, .\lways nest in 

 our chimney. 



40. Whip-poor-will. Formerly common, 

 now only occasionally remain with us. 



41. Downy Woodpecker. Common in 

 the preserve. As yet, will not be induced 

 to occupy our bo.xes. 



42. Red-headed Woodpecker. Com- 

 mon in the grove about the house and 

 sometimes occupies the boxes we have 

 provided. (See Bird-Lore, March, April, 

 19".) 



43. Flicker. Very common, occui)y the 

 nest-boxes every year. 



44. Belted Kingfisher. Nests in the 

 high bank between the preserve and the 

 river. 



45. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Common in 

 the preserve and sometimes in the orchard. 



46. Black-billed Cuckoo. A regular 

 summer visitor. Rather shy, but has a 

 good appetite for caterpillars. 



47. Screech Owl. Common, occupies 

 our boxes regularly all winter, but retires 

 to the preserve to raise the famil)'. 



48. Cooper's Hawk. Nests along the 

 streams nearby, but frequents our pre- 

 serve and poultry-yard for food. The 

 Hawk most responsible for the general 

 distrust of the birds of prey. 



4Q. Red-tailed Hawk. Nests in the 



lireserve, and feeds on rodents, for the 

 most part, caught in the surrounding fields. 



50. Sparrow Hawk. Occupied one of 

 our boxes one year. Very proper in their 

 conduct. 



51. Mourning Dove. Still come to the 

 orchard and preserve, though not so 

 abundant as formerly. 



52. Bob- white. Formerly came about 

 the house and whistled from the garden 

 fence, but have been almost exterminated 

 by hunters and Cooper's Hawks. 



53. Green Heron. Common along the 

 streams. Nests in [)lum thickets, as a rule. 

 — Fraxk C. Pei.lktt, Atlanlic, Iowa. 



A Study of Mockingbirds 



Around our home, in Buena Vista, in 

 southern Alabama, is an interesting 

 colony of Mockingbirds which has af- 

 forded us much pleasure. 



During the latter part of March, 191 2, a 

 pair of these birds commenced building a 

 nest in an immense cloth of gold rose 

 vine which runs along the entire length of 

 our front veranda. 



We left home March 23, and for some 

 weeks the house was closed. When we 

 returned early in May, the eggs were 

 hatching. While the little birds were 

 preparing to leave the nest, their parents 

 began to construct a second home in an 

 oak tree about thirty yards in front of the 

 house. 



They fed the young in the nest in the 

 rose vine, and worked on the nest in the 

 oak at the same time, singing as lustily 

 all the while as if they had each just found 

 a mate. However, for some reason, they 

 did not finish the second nest. 



This year we have three Mockingbird 

 nests in the red oaks, and four nests in 

 the water oaks surrounding our home, also 

 one in a scuppcrnong vine in the orchard, 

 which joins the yard. 



But the pair which, this year, has given 

 us so much happiness in watching is one 

 that built first in a huge water oak just 

 outside the front gate, and, afterward, in 

 the cloth of gold rose vine on the front 

 veranda. 



