194 



Bird - Lore 



water comes from the drip of the ice-box. 

 Where this is convenient, it eliminates all 

 trouble with the ice-box overflow. 



Any boy could get a few feet of old 

 pipe and a few elbows from a plumber 

 for almost nothing. This he can run from 

 the drip underneath the ice-bo.x and out a 

 distance from the house, not less than ten 

 feet. The size of the pipe should be about 

 one-half inch in diameter, although this 

 is immaterial. It should be laid under the 

 surface of the ground to the drinking- 

 place, or grotto, as it should be called. 



The photograph shows the kind of 

 grotto built by the writer. It is con- 

 structed of concrete and stone. The base 

 is of concrete, with a basin left so that 

 the water is from one-half to about two 

 inches in depth. This difference in the 

 depth of the water is mainly to accom- 

 modate both large and small birds. The 

 rocks that are piled up and around are 

 securely cemented together. By looking 

 closely, you may see the pipe that carries 

 the water from the ice-box. There is also 

 a pipe that drains the water off when it 

 gets to the right height. 



A very good plan is to plant flowers 

 around the grotto, such as ferns, hepati- 

 cas, violets, and nasturtium. This relieves 

 the bareness of it, and it takes but little 

 time and money to make this a very 

 attractive drinking-place for the birds. — 

 R. T. Robinson, Normal, Illinois. 



Some Prospect Park Notes 



In the summer of 191 2, all the Ducks 

 in Prospect Park Lake were sold. A male 

 Black Duck had mated with a female 

 Mallard, and they raised a brood of seven. 

 These seven were not caught, and 

 remained in the lake until November 20. 

 About March 26, 1913, three of these 

 Ducks returned to the lake. We are sure 

 these three belonged to the seven that 

 left in November, 1912, because of 

 their markings. A pair mated and raised 

 a brood of thirteen. About August 8, 

 seven of the Ducks disappeared. The 

 general coloration of the nine remaining 

 is that of Black Ducks. One has the 



speculum and recurved tail-feathers of 

 the male Mallard, some have the Mallard 

 speculum, and some the speculum of the 

 Black Duck; all have reddish orange feet, 

 four have light greenish yellow bills, two 

 have orange bills mottled with greenish 

 black, and three have the bill of the 

 Black Duck. All have the under side of 

 the wings white. These Ducks have 

 become very tame. 



From December 25, 191 2 to January i, 

 1913, a female Wood Duck was in the 

 open water of the lake; another was seen 

 July 20. 



A Brazilian Cardinal {Paroaria cuciil- 

 lata) was in the park from May 9 to 13. 



On May 13 a male Summer Tanager 

 was seen in the park, and on September 

 24 a Mockingbird. 



After an absence of three years, a pair 

 of Wood Thrushes nested in the park; 

 besides these, an unmated male stayed 

 with us all summer. — Kate P. and E. W. 

 ViETOR, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



A Nest Census 



On January 15, 1914, 1 took a walk from 

 the old Round Tower at Fort Snelling, 

 Minn., past the soldiers' barracks and offi- 

 cers' quarters, a little over a quarter of a 

 mile. In the big elms lining the walks I 

 counted thirty-one birds' nests. Orioles 

 predominated, some Robins' nests, and 

 others that I did not know. These 

 thirty-one nests meant thirty-one pairs, or 

 sixty-two birds. With three young to a 

 nest — a low average — there were 93, or 

 155 birds total, in that quarter of a mile. 

 — E. I. Metcalf, Minneapolis, Minn. 



Trial of Von Berlepsch Nests 



Mr. Fred Adams, of Omaha, has a fine 

 home near a natural grove. That these 

 trees might be the better preserved from 

 insect attacks, he secured from the manu- 

 facturer twenty-five of the von Berlepsch 

 boxes. While the boxes are especially 

 fitted to European species, he is gratified 

 at his experience here. 



He presented one to the writer. It was 



