104 



THE OOLOGIST. 



before completing its work and I viewed 

 the result after the disappointed stake- 

 driver had departed. Two of -the spines 

 were found almost wholly torn loose 

 and the other about in shape for the 

 feast. This bird had evidently reasoned 

 the matter out to its satisfaction and 

 thus avoided being impaled by the 

 deadly spines. But this was not the 

 case with a mature Great Blue Heron, 

 who had captured a pound and a half 

 catfish in a lagoon. The bird had at- 

 tempted to swallow the live fish without 

 destroying its set-trigger spines. Re- 

 sult—the Heron was found lying in the 

 shallow water with several inches of 

 the body and tail of its destroyer stick- 

 ing from its bill ;the body of the captured 

 fish being started down the captor's 

 gullet, but held there by the dorsal 

 spine, which had penetrated the throat 

 just back of the greedy bird's bill, and 

 in such a situ.ation that neither fish nor 

 bird could relieve itself, and both were 

 dead; truly, an unforseen tragedy of 

 the wilds. The smaU bullhead some- 

 times works its spine-impaling act on 

 fish-eating water snakes, as well as on 

 the birds. 



The Rails are interesting feeders and 

 it is a pleasure to see the trim fellows 

 patter through the marsh grass and 

 rushes. They feed on seeds, small mol- 

 luscs and crustaceans, as well as nymphs 

 and even the smaller minnows Their 

 movements art) active and sinuous on 

 the bogs and grass while the larger 

 members of the family — as the Gallinu- 

 les and Coots— swim ungracQfuUv and 

 gather food much after the manner of 

 the river Ducks 



Of all the pleasing birds while feed- 

 ing, the active shore birds are the most 

 engaging. If my readers know of a 

 sequestered lake where thesa sprightly 

 crea'.ures congregate after the nesting 

 saason, then I would sui^gest that an 

 afternoon be taken in August to observe 

 the Sandpipers and Plovers, as they gy- 

 rate about the lake or patter about and 



feed upon the sands. There is but slight 

 variation in the manner of securing the 

 food. Nearly all of the smaller waders 

 follow the same methods in feeding, and 

 whether upon the shore, as the Sand- 

 pipers and Tattlers, or among the Plov- 

 ers of the fields — as the Killdeer, G 'Iden 

 Plover or Upland Pluver — they all run 

 about actively and pick up their food in 

 the daintiest manner. Along shore the 

 Sandpipers may be seen traversing the 

 sands or even wading in the shallow 

 water and gleaning their small shelly 

 food. I have seen the Greater Telltale, 

 Lesser Yellow-legs and Semi palmated 

 Plover catching and eating minute min- 

 nows at the edge of the lake. The Spot- 

 ted Sandpiper, which I have watched 

 with great interest for over thirty years, 

 is a loveable little creature It feeds 

 upon minute animal Jife and has a wide 

 range in its diet, and searches for mol- 

 luscs, worms and insects among the 

 debris of the edges of the millpond and 

 on the low land surrounding ponds and 

 lakes. 



Among the Scratchers we find but 

 slight variation in food, and while the- 

 Grouse, Quail and Turkey feed mainly 

 upon seeds, still they all partake of an 

 insect diet in the summer months. The 

 Wild Pigeon and Mourning Dove are 

 among the most exclusively vegetable 

 feeders. All of the Scratchers are well 

 known from their counterparts of the 

 yard and farm. The Wild Pigeon often 

 feeds on acorns, both spring and fall, 

 and unlike the Ked-head Woodpecker, 

 Blue Jay and Grackle, it swallows the 

 acorns whole, tilling its crop to repletion 

 and giving its front a peculiar appear- 

 ance. 1 have shot Pigeons in the woods 

 and found them stufifed with acorns, 

 and again with beechnuts. The Rutted 

 Grouse is occasionally in the habit of 

 eating strong-scented buds, which give 

 a balsamic taint to the flesh, which is 

 anything but agreeable. The Spruce or 

 Canada Grous-^ is rarely good for the 

 table on account of this habit, and at 



