i6o 



Bird -Lore 



river for a winter abode. Perhaps the 

 constant firing at the proving-ground got 

 on his nerves! He is eating the berries 

 on a spikenard shrub near the house, and 

 also drinking at the bird-bath. Yester- 

 day (November 28, 191 7) we saw him 

 chasing three Cardinals who are our con- 

 stant visitors, much to our distress. — 

 Louise deF. H.4Ynes, Highland, N. J. 



On November 30, a mild, still day, a 

 Mockingbird was about our place all 

 morning. For some little time he was 

 resting on the bushes some 12 feet from 

 the plate glass window 



Four of us had a perfect view of him. 

 I have seen him several times during the 

 fall, but not close enough to be sure of his 

 identity until the 30th. — Mrs. Annie B. 

 McCoNNELL, Watch Hill, R. I. 



Cardinal in Wisconsin 



On December 24 a Cardinal was seen 

 here in the neighborhood of our smallest 

 lake — Wingra. The day was mild until 

 noon, but a raw, cold wind was blowing 

 from the north when, somewhere between 

 3 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the 

 Cardinal was observed. 



While this is the first time I have seen 

 this rare visitor, he has been seen by sev- 

 eral different people since late November. 

 On one of these days, in early December, 

 the thermometer registered 20° below 

 zero. — N. C. Otto, Madison, Wis. 



A Blackbird Chorus 



On a perfect Sunday afternoon in 

 spring, we went to the cottonwood trees 

 at the edge of the meadow and sat down 

 on some flat rocks in the sun. Almost 

 immediately a flock of Red-winged Black- 

 birds flew into the trees close by and began 

 an anthem. They did not seem to be in 

 any more of a hurry than we were, and 

 they gave us a concert wonderful to hear 

 and free of charge. We all sat watching 

 and listening, much as one would to a 

 symphony orchestra. In fact, we dis- 

 covered that it was a sort of orchestra. 



The accompanists struck up a three-bar 



introduction in two-part time, and, after 

 the third bar, others joined with soft 

 whistles. Instantly, the music was punc- 

 tuated with the liquid notes of the more 

 polished singers, while the steady accom- 

 paniment consisted mostly of a soft 

 chip - chip - chip - chip - chee-chip - chip - chip 

 chip-chee, the oka-ree — oka-lee rising above 

 the music of the orchestra e.xactly like the 

 notes of an opera singer or the voices of 

 the choir as they take up their parts in 

 the proper places. 



The finale was by the orchestra, in 

 several 'selectious,' with a crescendo 

 flourish, as of measures played after the 

 singers are through, and having a dis- 

 tinct time rhythm. Often there was a 

 pause by the entire company as if, hav- 

 ing finished a 'number,' they were rest- 

 ing before beginning another. 



We had noticed, when listening to them 

 at a distance, that they did not all sing 

 alike. There was a clearer and more defi- 

 nite note heard above the accompanying 

 chorus of chirps and whistles. 



It actually seemed as though the main 

 body acted as an orchestra while a few 

 birds did the real singing. They sang there 

 for fully half an hour, with little pauses 

 that strongly suggested the rests between 

 performances of an orchestra of stringed 

 instruments at any musical entertainment. 

 — Jessie I. Carpenter, Boulder, Colo. 



An Industry Awaits a Captain 



Birds benefit agriculture by destroying 

 caterpillars and other pests. The bird 

 population can be increased greatly by 

 simple means, one of which is the setting 

 out of nesting-homes, not so much to 

 facilitate nesting as to give protection from 

 cats, snakes, and other enemies, and a 

 refuge from extreme cold. The good done 

 thus has been made so clear that the 

 farmers in some parts of Europe have set 

 out nesting-homes of their own initiative. 

 Much information on this subject is 

 given in a little book 'How to Attract and 

 Protect Wild Birds' (National Association 

 of Audubon Societies). 



In order to have any appreciable ceo- 



