THIRD ANNUAL MEETING 41 



about five feet from the groiind; but it was astonishing how soon 

 the birds found it and how liberally it was patronized all summer and 

 late into the fall. 



There is an inclosed porch on that side of the house which is used 

 us a sitting-room in the summer time. The birds soon became so 

 fearless that they paid no attention to anyone sitting there quietly 

 reading or working, and little to one moving about. 



Eobins, brown thrashers, catbirds, blue jays, and wrens were the most 

 frequent visitors, though sparrows, chickadees, warblers, vireos, gold- 

 finches, orioles, and rose-breasted grosbeaks came often. Flickers and 

 •downy woodpeckers would come sidling down the tree, and I even 

 saw a wood thrush there earl^- one morning. I think they visited it 

 ■every morning, as I often saw them near by and always heard them 

 singing there before rising, and again late in the evening. 



The Wood Thrush has been a summer resident at "The Syringas" for 

 several years. There were four pairs of them here the past summer. I 

 ■only know of two other places in this locality where they were found, 

 both down on the river. 



The blackbirds never came near, which surprised me, as they are 

 so numerous and so tame. Nor did the barn swallows, though one 

 pair built under the eaves of the house. 



The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is generally considered a shy bird, but he 

 -was one of the boldest and most frequent visitors. When he appeared 

 all other birds promptly retired to the trcetop. He leisurelj' drank 

 his fill or took his bath, paying no heed to my sister and I as long 

 as we sat quietly sewing. Then he would hop to a nearby limb, carefully 

 arranging his feathers, the other birds looking on i-espectfully. 



I think one reason wh}' the birds became so tame was that the 

 mulberry tree stood in a tangled rose garden with lilacs, osage oranges, 

 and other shrubs close by where they could retire if frightened. And 

 ■\ve had no cats! 



FROM A WOMAN'S STANDPOINT 



NULL HARRISO', YOEK 



(Abstract) 



^len studj^ the birds; women study about the birds. Men can go 

 freely into the field and follow the birds everywhere, while fashion 

 and conventionalitj^ debar women from the same privilege. The dis- 

 advantages under which women labor are responsible for the absence 

 of a woman's name in the roll of great ornithologists. And yet the 

 most popular "bird books" of the present day have been written by 

 women. 



The examination of recent fiction betraj-s the fact that manj' writers 

 neglect entirely the opportunity afforded by the use of birds, while 



