Notes from Field and Study 



211 



rows flying about perched in the same 

 tree with him, a fact which stands out as 

 another proof that our bird was not a 

 Shrike. 



When favored by such an uncommon 

 visitor, especially in winter, it is inter- 

 esting to look into the possible cause of 

 his visit. His fondness and need for 

 berries is doubtless the chief reason which 

 brings him to our midst. The lawns about 

 here are rich in varieties of winter food 

 for birds, of which the buckthorn berry 

 is the most abundant. On the east side of 

 the town, a hill gradually rises facing 

 southwest, the pleasant slopes of which 

 in early times were open pasture land. 

 Where once the quiet cattle grazed, and 

 wild fruit ripened in the sunshine, are 

 homes and shaded yards — typical bird- 

 lovers' yards, where shrubs and hedges 

 abound; where the wild cedar still fruits, 

 and the thick spruces make dense cover. 



As far as I can learn, the only record 

 made of the Mockingbird in this town, 

 other than those I have given, was in the 

 spring of 1912. Although I have not been 

 able to watch him personally for several 

 weeks, reports reach me of his having 

 been seen from time to time. One lady 

 saw him upon her porch railing. That 

 he will spend the winter with us seems 

 probable. We are looking forward to 

 hearing his song. — Mary Gibbs Hinds, 

 Watcrlown, Mass. 



The Arrival of the Martins 



I had lived in my new home but a few 

 months when, one April morning, I 

 answered a gentle tap at the side door 

 and found there an elderly man with a 

 handful of pussy willows, which he gave 

 me with a smile I have never forgotten, 

 and said, "The Martins arrived today." 

 He had seen me, he said, with bird-glasses 

 and camera, and knew he brought glad 

 news to my door. 



Time went on and I grew to know him 

 better, saw him at his work, cheerful and 

 happy, and in his own home singing with 

 his daughter the sweet old songs of long 

 ago. He made no pretence of being a 



naturalist, but knew and loved God's 

 great open with his whole soul, and very 

 modestly told me many interesting and 

 wonderful things, learned from years of 

 careful observation, and never an April 

 but what he repeated his first welcome 

 message to me, "The Martins arrived 

 today." 



He had kept carefully his Martin 

 dates for several years, and one day gave 

 them to me neatly copied from his 

 notebooks. 



Four years ago his work called him to a 

 distant city, and I have faithfully watched 

 for the Martins, and added my dates to 

 his, making a list extending over a period 

 of sixteen years as follows: 



April 22, 1899; April 21, 1900; April 15, 

 1901; April 17, 1902; April 21, 1903; 

 April 26, 1904; April 22, 1905; April 17, 

 1906; April 27, 1907; April 23, 1908; 

 April 18, 1909; April 22, 1910; April 27, 

 1911; April 26, 1912, April 23, 1913; 



April 16, 1914. — CORABELLE CuMMINGS, 



Norway, Mahie. 



The House Wren and Dry Sticks 



While not much of a naturalist, I love 

 birds and, having a large ship glass that 

 magnifies fifty diameters, I take great 

 pleasure in watching, at very close range, 

 such birds as will sit still long enough to 

 get a focus on them. 



I had not seen a House Wren for several 

 years around my premises until the 

 spring of 1914. Then, when one came, I 

 said to him, "I will put up a box for you." 

 Within a half hour he was carrying in his 

 nest material. As this faced the west so it 

 was well illuminated, I set my glass so I 

 could look squarely into the nest. Under 

 the box I made a shelf. I watched him 

 (or her) carry in the dry sticks. Finally 

 one was longer than the box, and she tried 

 a long time to get it in; then she would 

 go out on to the little shelf I fixed in front 

 and try to break it off. Then she would 

 fly off and get another, and again go 

 through the same operation. I saw it was 

 troubling her, so when she flew away I 



broke it in two and laid both pieces on the 



