Notes from Field and Study 



291 



and the cunning Crows kept a little behind 

 and above until well out of my reach, 

 when they immediately began swooping 

 at him. The Flicker reached the thicker 

 timber, and then apparently went weakly 

 to earth behind some evergreens. I could 

 not follow. Another Flicker, the mate most 

 likely, flew after the three from place to 

 place. — J. W. LiPPiNCOTT, Bethayres, 

 Pa. 



A Reconstructed Baltimore Oriole's Nest 



The Baltimore Oriole takes up its sum- 

 mer residence in the 'Tower Grove Park' 

 district of St. Louis about April 25, and, 

 as an example of how some of the birds 

 which winter in the tropics travel north 

 by the calendar, in the spring of 1913, the 

 first male of this species was seen in this 

 locality on April 23, in 1914, on April 26, 

 and in 1915, on April 25. 



May 23, 1914, I noted a nest suspended 

 from the end of 'swamp cottonwood' limb 

 (this cottonwood being over fifty years old 

 and one of the largest trees in Tower Grove 

 Park), and overhanging the South Drive 

 at a distance of forty feet from the ground. 

 This nest dangled from the limb all winter, 

 and by early spring, this year, presented a 

 weather-beaten appearance. 



While walking through the park at 5 

 A.M., on May 16, 1915, I noticed a female 

 Baltimore Oriole gathering the tough 

 light-colored fiber which is found in such 

 quantities on the yucca, and flying with it 

 in the direction of the old cottonwood. 

 I made no effort to locate her nest at that 

 time, but a week later, in passing under the 

 wide-spreading limbs of this tree, I glanced 

 upward, to see how the old 1914 nest was 

 faring, and, to my great surprise, noticed 

 what appeared to be a new one where the 

 old formerly hung. Not being entirely 

 satisfied with this hasty observation, I 

 returned the next day armed with a pair 

 of eight-power French prism binoculars 

 in the company of two gentlemen much 

 interested in birds, and who had also seen 

 the old nest during the winter months and 

 early spring. 



We had a good look at the present nest 



through the glasses, and arrived at the 

 unanimous conclusion that the old nest had 

 been reconstructed, the only evidence of 

 the former one being the black (old) fiber 

 now interwoven with a little of the light 

 (new) fiber, which bound the edge of the 

 nest to the branch. 



While watching the nest, the female was 

 seen to enter it, the male carefully inspect- 

 ing it. 



I am interested in knomng if anj' of the 

 readers of Bird-Lore have ever observed a 

 similar nest, and is this habit peculiar to 

 the Baltimore Oriole? — Geo. F. Tatum, 

 St. Louis, Mo. 



Lark Sparrow on Long Island 



In support of the statement made in 

 Bird-Lore for March-April, 191 1 (p. 85) 

 that the Lark Sparrow is "working its way 

 eastward," I am sending two dates of its 

 occurrence. I first saw it on April 29, 191 1. 

 The bird being new to us, my friend and I 

 observed it for nearly twenty minutes. Its 

 loud, silvery notes, bright plumage, 

 sprightly actions, and character of sur- 

 roundings identified it beyond question. 

 Again, I renewed my acquaintance with 

 this handsome Sparrow, May 2, 1915, but 

 he did not favor me with his song again. 

 I am reporting this incident, thinking it 

 may be of interest to you and the readers 

 of Bird-Lore. — Maynard A. Nichols, 

 Patchogue, N. Y. 



Red Birds and Blue 



In July, 19 13, a pair of Cardinals built a 

 nest in a large hydrangea bush in our yard. 

 About ten days after we discovered it, the 

 wind blew very hard one afternoon and, 

 going to examine the nest, I found it blown 

 apart, and three little birds on the ground. 

 My father securely fastened a small flower- 

 pot with wires in the bush, as near the site 

 of the nest as possible, and placed the nest 

 and the birds in it. Some dried grass 

 beneath the nest kept it from sinking too 

 far down. The parent birds were very 

 excited, but late in the afternoon they went 

 to their new home and began to feed the 



