Notes from Field and Study 



363 



Grackles, which have been accustomed to 

 gather during the summer in large trees 

 on the lawns and bordering the highway. 



Washington Street is perhaps the finest 

 residential street in the city, running 

 along the top of a ridge well above the 

 Connecticut River. It is bordered by solid 

 rows of beautiful elms and maples, inter- 

 spersed here and there with trees of other 

 varieties, notably horse-chestnuts. These 

 trees form an arch extending in many 

 places entirely across the wide street. The 

 elms probably average eighty feet in height, 

 the maples somewhat less, and the horse- 

 chestnuts from fifty to sixty feet. In 

 these trees, particularly the horse-chest- 

 nuts and maples, in the block between 

 Ward and Park Streets, a distance of six 

 hundred feet, the birds have gathered for 

 the night, coming in small flocks from all 

 directions, but principally from the mead- 

 ows bordering the river, a mile or two 

 away. 



Within the last three or four years, the 

 flock has been greatly augmented by the 

 addition of large numbers of Starlings. 

 This year, the Starlings seem to be in the 

 majority. The birds, numbering probably 

 several thousand, began to come in just 

 before dark, and by seven o'clock all had 

 arrived, and from this time until about six 

 in the morning constituted a first-class 

 nuisance, whistling and chattering until 

 about 8 P.M., and beginning about 4 a.m., 

 making a tremenduous racket so that it 

 was difi&cult to sleep. Not less annoying 

 was the filthy condition of the walks and 

 lawns, and the damage to the clothing of 

 those passing along the street was not 

 inconsiderable. 



On several occasions during the last 

 ten or fifteen years, attempts have been 

 made to get rid of them. 'Scarecrows' 

 have been erected in the trees. Rockets 

 were used at one time and small roman 

 candles at another time. Once, the experi- 

 ment was tried of fastening a pulley high 

 up in a tree and drawing up a pail con- 

 taining a pack of fire crackers which were 

 set off with a fuse. None of these plans 

 was successful. 



The annoyance became so great this 



year that early in August one of the resi- 

 dents brought the matter to the attention 

 of the City Board of Health. This board, 

 having some doubt as to its jurisdiction 

 in the matter, suggested that application 

 be made to the police department for per- 

 mission to shoot the birds, there being a 

 city ordinance against the use of fire- 

 arms within the city limits. The trouble 

 with this suggestion was, that anyone 

 attempting to carry it out would encounter 

 the Connecticut statute prohibiting the 

 killing of any wild bird other than a 

 game-bird. 



At this juncture, the Board of Health 

 applied to the President of the Hartford 

 Bird Study Club for advice, receiving the 

 suggestion that an attempt be made to dis- 

 perse the birds by the use of roman can- 

 dles. In the meantime, the person making 

 the complaint had applied directly to the 

 mayor of the city for relief. The mayor 

 thought that the matter might come under 

 the duties of the Park Department and 

 so turned it over to the Superintendent of 

 Parks, whose name very appropriately is 

 Parker. Mr. Parker thought it would 

 more properly be a subject for the con- 

 sideration of the Street Department, and, 

 after consultation with them, the decision 

 was finally reached to turn the job over 

 to the City Forester. 



In the meantime, the Bird Study Club 

 had offered to make an effort to drive the 

 birds away. Their offer was very gladly 

 accepted and a plan suggested by them 

 was carried out. Twelve men provided 

 with roman candles were stationed at 

 intervals along the street, six on each side. 

 At a pre-arranged signal, each man was to 

 light a candle and discharge it into the 

 adjacent trees. The first night, an experi- 

 ment showed that candles of a very much 

 higher power must be used. A supply of 

 such candles was telegraphed for and the 

 following evening the plan outlined above 

 was carried out. The candles used were 

 ten-ball, weighing 56 lbs. to the gross. 

 The first volley, fired just as the birds 

 were well quieted down, drove the entire 

 flock out immediately. They soon began 

 to return in detachments and within 



