134 



THE OOLOGISl 



found large numbers of migrants, 

 mostly Warblers. Mourning Warb- 

 lers were almost abundant. 2 or 3 

 were always in sight. I noticed among 

 others several late Myrtles, an oc- 

 casional Wilsons, and a number of 

 Bay-breasted. On this flat I saw a 

 number of small flycatchers mostly 

 Leasts. I saw 7 or 8 Yellow-bellied 

 and took 3 fine highly plumaged ones. 

 Also shot a nice fm. Tennessee warb- 

 ler. The only one I have noticed this 

 spring. I watched sharp for the Cape 

 May as often one can be picked up at 

 this place but I did not see any. Along 

 the bayou I sneaked up within 30 feet 

 of an old Blue heron and watched him 

 fishing awhile. 



On the next flat which is much high- 

 er. The timber is mixed chestnut, 

 beech, pine, hemlock, etc. At one 

 place is a heavy hemlock swamp. 

 Here I found numbers of Blackbur- 

 nian Magnolia and Black-th green 

 warblers. 1 looked awhile for nests 

 but was too early. (I got among 

 them later on) and all of interest I 

 saw among the thick hemlock was a 

 huge old Porcupine and a Barred 

 Owl. On this flat I saw plenty of 

 Thrushes (mostly Olive-backed.) Al- 

 so several pairs of Red-sh. Hawks and 

 during the morning I found 2 nests of 

 young nearly large enough to fly. A 

 Pileated woodpecker got quite noisy 

 but- kept well away. They, no doubt, 

 nest somewhere in the mountains 

 back of the flats as there is miles of 

 wild uninhabitated land. I saw a 

 great many red and several black 

 squirrels also several young wood- 

 chucks prowling about. Black-th. 

 blue warblers were plentiful in the 

 more open timber also a few Hoodeds. 

 Solitary Vireos were unusually plen- 

 ty. Altogether I saw 23 sjieeies of 

 warblers and 82 species of birds. The 

 migrants were later this s])ring than 

 ever before. I saw Myrtle, Bay-breast- 

 ed and Wilsons as late as .Tune 6th. 



R. B. Simpson. 

 Warren Co., Pa. 



RECESS-TIME. 



"Sometimes," the old physician 

 growled, looking after a departing 

 patient, "sometimes 1 think I'm be- 

 ginning at the wrong end — that I'd 

 better give up doctoring minds and 

 bodies,' and doctor school programs. 

 Do you know what I'd do first of all? 

 Insist upon every boy's having a hob- 

 by — root round till I'd found some- 

 thing he had an afflnity for, and set 

 him at it. You saw that man? Over- 

 worked lawyer — brain-fag. Prescrib- 

 ed six months" vacation. Do you 

 know what will happen? He'll go off 

 somewhere and mope round, bored 

 to death for a week or two, and then 

 go back to his office, and death — or 

 worse; and it all might have been 

 saved if he'd fever had time to acquire 

 a hobby." 



The case was unfortunately not at 

 all an uncommon one, yet the remedy 

 would have been easy — if only it had 

 been taken in time. In this age of 

 brain and eye-strain a sensible hobby 

 is one of the best investments a young 

 man can make. Women are more for- 

 tunate in this respect, since there are 

 scores of prettly hand occupations 

 which they "take to" naturally; but 

 the tendency of the average business 

 man is to grow more and more ab- 

 sorbed in his business as the years 

 pass, until, when the clock strikes 

 for recess, he has forgotten how to 

 go out and play. 



Suppose, upon the contrary, he had 

 made a hobby of geology, botany or 

 entomology, — 'had joined a mountain- 

 climbing club or invested in a camera 

 — he would have had exhaustless in- 

 terest with which to fill his enforced 

 idleness — if indeed the vacation had 

 been necessary at all. 



A hobby, the dictionary declares, 

 is any favorite plan or object which 

 a person pursues with zeal and de- 

 light. Rightly used, it often proves 



