Notes from Field and Study 



355 



the birds. — Charles B. Floyd, Vice- 

 president, Brookline, Mass. 



Martins and Other Birds at Greens 

 Farms, Connecticut 



We banished the cat and the English 

 Sparrows, and had more birds nesting 

 about the home grounds than we had last 

 year. 



Wrens occupied four of the five boxes 

 put up, and their music encircled the 

 house. There were three nests of Robins, 

 one on the lintel of the front door, close 

 against the glass transom. The Kingbird 

 nested for the third season in the same 

 pear tree, and the Brown Thrasher in the 

 syringa in the garden. When I looked into 

 the Thrashers' nest after the eggs hatched, 

 the mother bird dived ofif a tree branch 

 overhead and struck me fairly in the back 

 of the neck. The young Thrashers spent a 

 good deal of time on the lawn close to the 

 house, and there was no cat to alarm 

 them. 



One of the old Robins got the habit of 

 pecking early and late at its reflection 

 in the glass of the cellar window, which is 

 on a level with the lawn. We finally tilted 

 the window to stop the continual pecking. 



Many Night Herons passed morning and 

 evening between their roost in the woods 

 across the road to the salt marsh opposite. 

 Their flight-calls were usually answered 

 in chorus by our Canada Geese. 



One morning, two Kingfishers came fly- 

 ing up the road with such noisy cries that 

 I rushed to the window. One of them 

 darted around the house and fell exhausted 

 on the lawn, while the pursuing bird 

 passed over the house and disappeared. 

 The fugitive remained on the lawn while 

 I finished dressing, and did not leave until 

 I tried to get close enough to see whether 

 it was a male or a female. I suspect that 

 it was a male, being chased by another 

 male. 



Barn Swallows occupied the barn, and 

 Chimney Swifts the chimney. Keeping 

 one of the barn doors propped open all 

 day encourages the Swallows. The Blue- 

 birds used only one of the two boxes put 



up; the first pair was discouraged by 

 Sparrows. 



Best of all, we had half-a-dozen pairs 

 of Martins. Last year, they left without 

 nesting, as the Sparrows held the Martin 

 house against all comers. By diligent use 

 of the long-barreled, dust-shot pistol, in 

 April, I banished the Sparrows for the sum- 

 mer and the pleasant gurglings of the 

 Martins paid many times for the trouble 

 of fighting the Sparrows. 



In this region, the holes of Martin 

 houses must be large enough to let Mart- 

 ins in and keep Starlings out; but the 

 Martins will not enter a one-and-seven- 

 eighths-inch hole unless there is a half- 

 inch hole just above it, to let in light. 

 The Martin's body in the small entrance 

 makes the compartment dark, and the 

 bird seems afraid to enter. After the half- 

 inch windows were bored, they entered 

 freely. I expected the Kingbirds close by 

 to make trouble for the Martins, but was 

 happily disappointed. 



Next spring, we will have another and 

 larger Martin house, and keep the dust- 

 shot pistol handy for Sparrow invaders. 

 It makes little noise, does not seem to 

 frighten Wrens, Bluebirds, or Swallows, 

 and the Martins pay no attention to it. 

 The shotgun makes too much noise and 

 alarms all birds. I know of nothing that 

 will banish Sparrows as effectively as 

 the shot-pistol. 



Get rid of the home-cat! One bottle of 

 Pasteur Rat Virus every four months will 

 clear out rats and mice better than a dozen 

 cats. We have demonstrated that to the 

 satisfaction of the neighbors, which is 

 more than was expected. — Charles H. 

 TowNSEND, Greens Farms, Conn. 



Food for the Birds 



Here is an example of what can be 

 accomplished by throwing out food to 

 the birds. 



In the storm of April i6, 1914, when it 

 snowed in central New Hampshire to the 

 depth of four inches, we swept a spot of 

 ground about twelve feet square, every 

 little while, and strewed cracked corn, or 



