Notes from Field and Study 



105 



the eaves, ran a fine, old, trumpet honey- 

 suckle. It had a stem as thick as its 

 owner's wrist and was the pride of her 

 heart when covered with its load of 

 golden-hearted, scarlet blossoms. One 

 day in early spring, when she had taken 

 the curtains down from the south window, 

 under the honeysuckle, two Sparrows 

 began to build their nest in the fork of two 

 branches. 



All went well with them until the cur- 

 tains were put back into the window, 

 then trouble began. The shade was dark 

 green and plainly reflected the two birds 

 in the window. Mr. Sparrow, thinking 

 that his reflection was an intruder in his 

 peaceful home, flung himself against the 

 glass and beat with all his might. Finally, 

 when tired out he flew to a neighboring 

 tree where Mrs. Sparrow was perched. 

 "Jack," she said, "let that Sparrow alone 

 until he touches you and help me build 

 the nest!" "No," he cried, "what is the 

 good of building a nest and then being 

 driven away. You remember last year we 

 had just finished our nest, and you had 

 laid the eggs, when our English cousin 

 threw them out of the nest and made it 

 into a home for himself. Then, of course, 

 we had to make a new one," and stirred 

 up by the thoughts of his wrongs, he flew 

 to attack the reflection in spite of the pro- 

 tests of his wife. 



Needless to say he made no impression 

 upon his antagonist. After beating against 

 the glass until he was tired out, he again 

 returned to Mrs. Sparrow, to rest. At 

 intervals he kept up the unequal contest 

 all day. He at length said to his wife "It 

 isn't any use, I can't drive him away, and 

 I won't work on a nest to be driven away 

 after all that trouble. But down in the 

 lower corner of the orchard there is a little 

 apple tree where we could build a nest in 

 safety." "Oh dear," said Mrs. Sparrow, 

 "I hate to leave this lovely honeysuckle, 

 but I suppose 1 must." 



So down in the orchard they built a 

 new nest and sang their sweet songs un- 

 disturbed, while the honeysuckle, whose 

 branches would have sheltered them so 

 lovingly, sighed as the wind whispered to 



it, "Why can't people let well enough 

 alone?" — Dora Worster Lewis, Bangor, 

 Maine. 



Broad-winged Hawk in the Christmas 

 Census — A Correction 



Unlike its relatives the Red-tailed and 

 Red-shouldered Hawks, the Broad-winged 

 Hawk is a highly migratory bird which 

 winters south to Venezuela and Peru. Its 

 status in the United States in winter is 

 somewhat uncertain, owing to the ease 

 with which small individuals of the larger 

 species may be confused with it. We noted, 

 therefore, not without a certain satisfac- 

 tion, that a record for this species at 

 Haverford, Pa., in the census just pub- 

 lished, was based on a bird 'found dead.' 

 However, a wing of this bird courteously 

 forwarded to the writer, and received after 

 the census had gone to press, proved that 

 it had been wrongly identified. — J. T. 

 Nichols, New York City. 



Young Barn Swallows Returning to 

 the Nest 



During our stay at the shore this sum- 

 mer, we were much interested in a family 

 of Barn Swallows that were nesting under 

 the eaves of the piazza. We were surprised 

 to notice that, after the young left the 

 nest, they all returned to it at night. As 

 many as could, would get into the nest, 

 while the others would cuddle up as close 

 to it as they could. They seemed to re- 

 gard the nest as their permanent home. 

 This they did for four nights. .\s we left 

 then, I don't know how much longer they 

 kept it up. — (Miss) .\. C. Tic kfr. M atta- 

 pan. .\fass. 



Notes on Grackles and Other Birds 



\ few days ago, in the western part of 

 New Jersey not far from Camden, Grackles 

 visited a garden, and tearing the pods open, 

 ale the peas. Not having heard of their 

 doing this before, I made some intiuiries 

 and found that they did the same thing in 

 the eastern jiart 'W Xiw Jersey last year 



