THE OSPREY. 



An Illustrated Monthly Magazine Devoted Exclusively to the Interests of 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



Vol. 1. No. 



GALESBURG, ILL., APRIL, 1897. 



$1.00 A Year. 



A Roost of Blackbirds. 



BY RICHAKD C. m'grEGOR, PALO ALTO, CAL. 



ABOUT the middle of November last, 

 three of us were out taking- a few 

 hours rest from university brain 

 work in company with our bicycles and 

 the fresh air, 

 and incidentally 

 taking- care of 

 some ducks. If 

 you will follow 

 the road back of 

 the University 

 and the stock- 

 farm, below 

 Adlanta Villa, 

 and go through 

 the gate just be- 

 yond Burke's 

 Ranche, follow- 

 ing the road over 

 the hill, you will 

 lindasmall water 

 reservoir, which 

 has been made by 

 throwing a dam 

 across a draw or 

 g-ully . This 

 pond is locally 

 known as Felt 

 Lake. 



By the devious 

 windings of the 

 wagon road this 

 pretentious pond 

 is probably some 

 six miles from 

 Palo Alto; as the 

 Blackbirds fly not over three. 



Well, as I was saying, three of us were 

 out for a little fresh air and wild ducks. 

 I was detailed to one side of Felt Lake, 

 while my companions went around the 

 other side to the head. I had not been 

 long squatted in the ditch wondering 



MABEL OSGOOD WRIGHT. 



where the ducks were, when I turned for 

 a shot. But these were not ducks, they were 

 only some Red-wing-ed Blackbirds whose 

 wing-s made such a noise and at the upper 



end of the lake I 

 could hear them 

 "cheering-" away 

 for further or- 

 ders. 



I determined to 

 come again with 

 note book and 

 pencil, ready to 

 take down a rec- 

 ord of the num- 

 ber of birds, etc., 

 for this was evi- 

 dently a Black- 

 bird roost. Fri- 

 day, December 4, 

 I took a careful 

 record of all pro- 

 ceedings which I 

 have arrang-ed 

 and given with 

 these notes. I 

 made a third vis- 

 it to the pond on 

 Sunda}^ Decem- 

 ber 6, but as no 

 new points were 

 made no record is 

 given. 



Friday, Decem- 

 ber 4, at three 

 o'clock, I climbed 

 on my wheel and in the course of half an 

 hour was at the lake. A flotilla of Coots 

 swam lazily near the bank; Tule Wrens 

 scolded in the reeds; Sparrows (^Mehspiza 

 and Zo)iotn'chia) thrashed about in the 

 brush, kicking up a great rumpus and 

 having- a general g-ood time. One Robin 



