THE OOLOQI8T 



with his keel perpendicular, a nervous 

 little Carolina Wren steps as lively 

 as though he were hunting for the New 

 Year. His song is wonderful in vol- 

 ume coming as it does from so small 

 a "system." Every morning he calls 

 at the pump near the side of our cot- 

 tage and I believe he has designs up- 

 on the same "emergency pipe" which 

 la'st year was rendered inefficient by 

 the introduction of a gallon of rye 

 stems, corn husks, cherry stems and 

 blue grass from which five juvenile 

 Carolinas graduated. 



The sun is bright, temperature only 

 50 degrees, and we are exactly in the 

 center of the State, geographically 

 speaking. Approaching the pond ad- 

 joining the pasture, Killdeers behave 

 suspiciously as usual and seven of 

 them are manifesting a keen rtelighL 

 in teasing my little dog which regard- 

 less of his out-stretched legs is no 

 closer to them than when the chase be- 

 gan ten minutes ago. Back and forth 

 across the pond they hover. Winter 

 wheat is six inches high and large 

 flocks of Horned Larks wind their waj 

 through the furrows. Already I have 

 picked from the ridge, by the spring, 

 four flint arrow heads and how easy 

 it is to reflect, meditate and recall the 

 published achievements of Audubon, 

 Daniel Boone and Henry Clay in this 

 beautiful stretch of uneveness. 



Proceeding to the hemp fields we en- 

 counter small groups of Meadow Larks 

 that sail atid flutter alternately and 

 silently to some cover of dried blue 

 grass. 



Thorny hedges enclose many to- 

 bacco patches and corn stubbles, zig- 

 zagging midst the prickly stems are 

 the grateful Mockingbirds usually in 

 twos. Almost anywhere from weed 

 patches to big timber Chickadees utter 

 their titles and readily convince you 

 they are the founders of the optimists' 

 club. 



Touching only the high spots of a 



sod covered bottom land we "jumped* 

 a jack snipe fleetest of feathered resi- 

 dents in this community. I can hear 

 several Bluebirds above us. They are 

 an asset to any farm landscape. Hun- 

 dreds of corn ears lie about the 

 stubbles and the Crows have about the 

 easiest picking of any birds. About 

 3 p. m. huge flocks of Crows are wing- 

 ing their way to the East evidently 

 headed for some old roost among the 

 knobs. 



At intervals during the month Short 

 Eared Owls, Red Shouldered Hawks, 

 Marsh Harriers may be noticed about 

 the timbered ravines and old meadow. 

 Quail are seclusive at this season of 

 the year, many have gained the con- 

 fidence of the land OM^ners who supply 

 them with dainty morsels from the 

 farmer's larder 



Nuthatches are spasmodic in their 

 habits and cannot be expected with 

 any degree of regularity. 



Sentence will be suspended today at 

 sundown, upon water fowl and most 

 Ducks which sought refuge in old Ken- 

 tucky will unquestionably enjoy 

 another flight to our Northern tier of 

 States and the provinces of Manitoba, 

 Saskatchewan and Alberta. 



So absorbed have our local hunters 

 been in seeking the fuzzy Cottontail, 

 possum and both red and gray foxes, 

 that cur streams are w^ell populated 

 with both pond and deep water Ducks. 

 Gerard Alan Abbott, 

 Lancaster, Kentucky. 



A FROZEN HERON 



I have what I consider a rather re- 

 markable occurrance to relate. On 

 Dec. 12, 1921 two young men came to 

 me and told me about a bird they had 

 observed the day previous while on 

 their trap line and said that they had 

 seen it several times. Their descrip 

 tion caused me to believe it must be a 

 Green Heron but as these birds leave 

 here between October 2nd and the 



