igo 



Bird - Lore 



my camera tripod. Then I focused my 

 camera, from the tripod, using the single 

 lens, on the hole, about three feet away, 

 and fastened a thread to the shutter. I 

 waited, holding the end of the thread, at 

 a distance of about twenty feet. The 

 female Wren (I imagine it was she, since 

 only one bird appeared) went right in 

 with food to feed her young, not minding 

 the click of the shutter in the least. Then 

 I moved the ladder and camera nearer, 

 and with the double lens got still better 

 pictures, releasing the shutter with the 

 bulb. In one of these the bird was so 

 tame that I had my hand, holding the 

 bulb, within a foot of it, with no attempt 



HOUSE WREN 



at concealment either. Thus I took seven 

 pictures of which two were spoiled by the 

 Wren moving and blurring the image. I 

 was unable to see the young, since they 

 were down inside the pipe. 



Earlier in the season, I found another 

 Wren's nest in an exactly similar location 

 to that just described. I attempted to 

 photograph the Wren, but my plates did 

 not turn out satisfactorily. 



Another interesting nest came to my 



attention, this time in a more unusual 

 place. This pair had built their nest in 

 a home-made, wooden mail-box on the 

 front porch of another house. The Wren 

 entered through the slot, which was 

 about three-quarters of an inch wide. The 

 lady of the house was so afraid that I 

 would frighten the birds so that they 

 would desert their nest that she refused 

 me permission to photograph it. — Win- 

 THROP Case, Hubbard Woods, III. 



Harris's Sparrow in Northwestern 

 Illinois 



On March 15, 1Q14, I visited a large 

 hedge-fence near where we live, to look 

 for new bird arrivals from 

 the South. 



Starting at the west 

 end, and walking east 

 along the south side, I 

 did not see anything but 

 a few Tree Sparrows and 

 two Bluebirds. When 

 near the east end, which 

 is in a slough, a flock of 

 about a dozen Bob-whites 

 was flushed, and, after 

 watching them disappear. 

 I again looked at the 

 fence and saw a large 

 Sparrow sitting on a limb 

 about ten yards from 

 where I was standing. 

 It had its breast toward 

 me and sat very quiet, 

 giving me an excellent 

 opportunity to observe it 

 with my field-glass. 



I noticed that the 

 bill was pinkish, the 

 crown, throat, lores, and breast, glossy 

 black; the belly white, and the sides 

 streaked with black. I observed it sev- 

 eral minutes, and then walked east of 

 where it was sitting, to get a side view, 

 when it flew toward the other end of the 

 fence. I immediately followed it, to try 

 to get a back or side view, but did not 

 get near enough until it reached the west 

 end, where there were a Goldfinch and 

 some Tree Sparrows sitting. There I 



