THE OOLOGIST 



77 



I expected. I saw Robins, Phoebes, 

 Juncos, English Sparrows, Mourning 

 Doves, Blue Jays, Downy and Hairy 

 Woodpeckers, all seemed very hungry 

 and some the worm and insect eating, 

 except the Woodpecker, quite weak. 

 During the worst part of the storm, I 

 saw a Downy in a tree, in the lea, 

 dressing his feathers and occasionally 

 looking for food. Some good hearted 

 citizen fed some of the birds. I don't 

 think many perished except perhaps 

 young atid eggs, for no setting bird 

 could maintain her post of duty thirty- 

 three or more hours in such a storm 

 and live without food and exercise. 



April 20th Saw a flock of about 

 twenty Canada Geese, that probably 

 were driven south by the recent bad 

 weather, going north, today fly low, 

 working high. Saw a Purple Martin. 

 Geo. W. H. vos Burgh, 

 Columbus, Wisconsin. 



OLD FRIENDS 



On the morning of May 20th while 

 clicking my old typewriter at the 

 store's back window, I heard a sweet 

 twitter that instantly recalled boy- 

 hood days 



Hurrying out I found perched on 

 the electric wires just over the plat- 

 form, a pair of old pioneer-day "Eaves 

 Swallows." Even in our early oologl- 

 cal days we were wont to distinguisli 

 these birds from the cousins, the Barn 

 Swallows, both from the habit of con- 

 structing their bottle-shaped mud 

 nests under the eaves and by the 

 square tails. We dubbed the Barn 

 Swallows "fork-tails." 



This particular pair were darting in 

 atid out the open ways and occasional- 

 ly clung to the sides of the barn and 

 garage. Each morning since, they 

 have spent the early morning hours 

 circling around my barn and then 

 about nine o'clock hiked to the slough 

 a mile west to feed and dip. 



Coming back each day as they have, 



has raised my hopes that they have 

 selected quarters to be near the Philo 

 bird man thereby causing my pride 

 ego to develop another notch and 

 causing my heart to rejoice. 



The last time I have seen Cliff Swal- 

 lows in these parts was when I col- 

 lected a set June 8th, 1908 at an old 

 barn near the village which was for- 

 merly an annual rendezvous for hun- 

 dreds of these old fashioned birds. 



Cliff Swallows may still be numer- 

 ous in some localities but their ap- 

 pearance in central Illinois is now to 

 be considered a rare visit. 



Isaac E. Hess. 



THE LONG-EARED OWL 



It seems to be a habit with the 

 Long-Eared Owls to assemble in small 

 flocks at the beginning of the winter, 

 and in some sheltering pine or Hem- 

 lock tree as a rendezvous from which 

 he searches the surrounding fields for 

 food. 



Last year a lar-?e Spruce tree in our 

 park was chosen and any day up to 

 the middle of March five or six of 

 these owls could be seen with ear 

 tufts erected and eyes nearly closed, 

 sitting near the top of the tree. The 

 ground beneath was literally covered 

 with pellets containing the hair and 

 bones of meadow mice. Not a feather 

 was to be found in the debris, showing 

 conclusively that birds do not form 

 any part of their food. This winter 

 another bunch of six birds are occu- 

 pying a hemlock tree a little farther 

 out of town, and in the heart of a large 

 nursery where no doubt their services 

 will be beneficial, picking up any 

 field mice that may show themselves 

 among the small trees. 



During the day time they seem to 

 confine themselves to a single tree 

 during the entire winter, though 

 other.^ just as large and sheltering 

 stand near by and when disturbed 



