464 



Bird - Lore 



Swallows are so busy flitting back and forth that they have no time to bother 

 about housekeeping; and we can hardly blame them when with every click of 

 their bills we know some insect is destroyed. They always eat on the wing. 

 They all live together, and I have never heard of a Swallow living alone. They 

 have no song, but are just as much beloved by everybody as if they did have 

 one as beautiful as the Robin's. — Mary Kouwenhoven, 3 Kouwenhoven 

 Place, Brooklyn, New York. 



[One of the familiar birds of the country, the Barn Swallow ought to be known by 

 every boy and girl who is so fortunate as to live in the country. Even city children may 

 see the Bam Swallow in the parks or elsewhere during migration. Especially to be com- 

 mended is the observation of the "exquisite" effect of the sun shining on the Swallow's 

 breast. Nowhere in Nature can more beautiful color eiifects be seen than in the plumage 

 of birds. As to song, the Barn Swallow during the mating and nesting season gives a 

 most pleasing twitter, which may be called a simple song. One may easily recognize the 

 bird by it. The illustration accompanying this contribution was made at Cold Spring 

 Harbor, Long Island, where Barn Swallows nest regularly and in some numbers. — A. 

 H. W.] 



OBSERVING BIRDS IN WINTER 



I thought I would have to wait imtil next spring, when we move back to 

 the country before I would see any birds but Sparrows, for my home is in a 

 crowded town. But at different times during this winter I have seen a Shrike 

 which we boys have watched kill Sparrows. I have also seen White-breasted 



Nuthatches, which feed in the trees in 

 the street where I live. One day from 

 the front window of my house I saw 

 a little brown bird on a tree trunk on 

 the other side of the street. I ran 

 over, and was so busy following him 

 around the tree, that I didn't notice 

 the ash-box, and of course fell into it. 

 But it didn't frighten the brave little 

 Brown Creeper, who kept going up 

 around the tree. When I got up, he 

 flew to the bottom of another tree and 

 began going around up that. On the 

 morning of No\'ember 2, which was 

 foggy, I saw on one of our clothes- 

 posts a Downy Woodpecker which 

 . ,_ .^^ , seemed to be very busy at something. 



i^P ^B '■'W7 i^- ^ went out to see what he was doing, 



^ . ^^Sltttgg/lgg^^Httlg^ and found that he had started to drill 



DOWNY WOODPECKER'S NEST- HOLE a holc. I thought that he would give 



IN POST 

 Photographed by H. George Cottrell it Up, the pOSt WaS SO hard. But the 



1-^^^ 



