June 1891.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



87 



A Lazy Day. 



Last Sunday (March 27, 1891) was one of my 

 red letter days. I had had a hard week, and 

 the morning was so balmy and spring-like that 

 I sauntered out to the bluff, lay down at full 

 length under a pine tree, and cultivated my 

 lazy all day long. A half mile of marsh, just 

 putting on the bright spring green, stretched 

 away to Broad River. The blue water was as 

 smooth as glass and the white shell banks on 

 the opposite shore were reflected upon its 

 surface, making them appear twice their ordin- 

 ary width. On either side the wooded bluff 

 edge was filled with birds, and I watched them 

 and listened to their songs the livelong day. 



Tlie Parulas were out in force and were, in 

 fact, the prominent feature. I have noticed 

 that those that come here to stay arrive con- 

 siderably in advance of their fellows. I 

 noted a pair Februaiy 19th, and they have 

 stayed here close behind the house ever since. 

 To-day the main Hight is passing. Singly and 

 by twos and threes they would join my little 

 pair and then pass along, Hying a few rods at a 

 time, singing and feeding among the freshly 

 budding tree-tops, and even after they have 

 pas.sed out of my sight I could bear their 

 voices growing fainter in the distance, as they 

 continued their course to the northward. It 

 was the most distinct daytime migration of a 

 species that I have ever had the good fortune 

 to witness. 



High over my head in the pine some Yellow- 

 throated VVarblers were merrily sporting wiih 

 only apparently an occasional thought for the 

 grub question. Not so the Pine Creepers, 

 thouiih. They are sufficiently talented to sing 

 and eat, too, and it seemed as if that particular 

 tree must be loaded with insects adapted to 

 their dainty palates. 



Just to the left a dogwood was in full bloom, 

 and it seemed as if a Cardinal knew what a 

 beautiful picture he made among the white 

 blossoms against the background of blue 

 water. Again and again during the day he 

 would flit out of the low bushes and perch 

 upon this tree. In and out among the blos- 

 soms he would skip, ascending a little more 

 each time until he reached the topmost spray. 

 There, daintily balanced with elevated coat, 

 he would pour out his full, rich voice in a 

 flood of melody, while his demure little mate 

 among the lower bushes seemed by her sym- 

 patlietic chirp to urge him on to fresh efforts. 

 It's singular how .so conspicuously colored a 

 bird as the Cardinal can hide himself when 



occasion requires. At the least suspicion of 

 danger he is out of sight in an instant, and a 

 close search w ill often result in finding that he 

 has only changed his position an inch or two 

 and placed a leafy twig between you and him. 



But I see I shall p.ass all reasonable space of 

 a magazine article if I chronicle in this fashion 

 all the birds that I noted on that delightful 

 day. 8o I will just mention Chickadees, 

 Towhees, Crows (both species), White- 

 throated, .Song and Savannah Sparrows, one 

 Yellow-breasted Chat (second appearance, 

 but even this very early). Brown Thrush, Eed- 

 eyed Vireo, Green Heron, Clapper Rail, Great 

 Blue Heron, Forster's Tern, Red-shouldered 

 Hawk, Uowny Woodpecker, Sapsucker, Marsh 

 Hawk, Meadow Lark, Carolina Dove, Mocker, 

 Wren, Maryland Yellow-throat and Yellow- 

 rump. 



And, to conclude, this was one of the few days 

 that I have been out without a gun and not 

 noted some rare or curious specimen that I 

 desired to collect. 



Wiilli'r lloxie. 



Nesting of the Louisiana Water 

 Thrush in Philadelphia Co., Pa. 



In a criticism in the O. it O. some time ago 

 (Vol. XIV, p. l.iS), Mr. Thos. H. Jackson 

 states that there is no authentic instance of 

 the Louisiana Water Thrush nesting in Chester 

 Co., Pa. Since the species undoubtedly nests 

 occasionally in Philadelphia, a less desirable 

 locality, one would think, it is probable that it 

 will be found breeding also in Chester County. 



I was shown a set of this species, taken 

 about the end of May, 188:!, from a nest on the 

 ground on a steep, wooded hillside on the 

 VVissahickow Creek. 



On June 18, 1886, a young man showed me a 

 nest containing four lialf-fledged birds. It 

 was in a cavity in a bank, just under the top 

 soil, along a popular walk by the creek, three 

 or four hundred yards from the site of tlie 

 other nest. The numerous travellers along 

 the narrow path must have brushed the nest 

 frequently, and it is surprising that it had not 

 been discovered before. Wlule we were stand- 

 ing by the nest one of the old birds approached 

 and continued to tilt and utter a loud "chip" 

 of concern while we remained there. 

 I //. K. Jamison. 



! Manayunk, Philadelphia, l"a. 



