THE 00L0QI8T 



113 



ed to our firesides again, might not be 

 with us today without its aid. Think 

 of those giant transports that carried 

 our army over tliere, ever plunging 

 tlarough the angry seas. Without 

 camouflage tlieir dangers would would 

 have been increased a hundred-fold. ' 



Camouflage is not a new idea. In 

 fact it is a very old one and bird stu- 

 dents, ornithologists if you wish, have 

 known it for so long that they regard 

 it as old as the often mentioned hills. 

 We call it protective coloration with 

 the birds though, but still it is the 

 same thing. Birds and beasts have 

 always used it and all through nature 

 it appears. It is more noticeable in 

 some than in others. Take the whip- 

 poorwill for example. Here it is al- 

 most perfect, as you know how hard it 

 is to distinguish this bird from a back- 

 ground of dead leaves in which it 

 usually hides its nest. Its feathers 

 seem to be colored exactly right to en- 

 able it to blend into its surroundings. 

 There are many other examples and 

 of course, quite a number of ex- 

 ceptions. I think one of the best ex- 

 ceptions is the crow for his uniform 

 of black, while not a striking color, 

 easily distinguishes him when flying 

 or in winter against the snow. 



Now that peace has come, or is in 

 the act of coming, camouflage will 

 drop somewhat into the discard, but 

 there are a great number of peace 

 time uses for it. All bird lovers ought 

 to be especially interested in the 

 camouflaging of bird houses and feed- 

 ing devices. This goes, the idea of 

 painting the houses and feeding sta- 

 tions a dull color such as grey or 

 brown, one better. It gives a person 

 a chance to show what a really good 

 painter he is Branches and leaves 

 can be made to appear on the devices 

 and they can be hidden in a great 

 many more ways than they have been 

 hidden before. Perhaps it is one of 



the houses which are being made with 

 the bark intact. Then a little more 

 bark can be added to make it appear 

 as though it was naturally growing 

 from the tree. 



There are a great many ways of 

 using camouflage in connection with 

 bird houses. More than I can write 

 about in such a brief space, but each 

 different proposition would need its 

 own solving and I think that half of 

 the fun of doing a thing is flguring it 

 out oneself. As for the cost of ma- 

 terial it wouldn't cost anything as un- 

 doubtedly there are some little dabs 

 of paint left over from this job and a 

 little from that job, and I am sure 

 that if you will look in the cellar or 

 wherever you keep such paints, you 

 will find enough assortment of dabs 

 to rival a paint shop. Now get busy 

 on the houses you are taking down 

 for the winter and when you clean 

 them out try your hand at 'making 

 them appear as what they ain't.' 

 Camouflage carry on. 



Phalarope and Montana Red-wing 



My North Dakota article in the Aug- 

 ust issue of this good little magazine 

 having proven of interest, I am 

 prompted to add somewhat to what 

 has gone before. I have long been 

 especially interested in the Phalarope. 

 The curious sex-inversion, with its de- 

 cidedly amusing phenomena, always 

 impresses one to a high degree. I 

 have found the sitting males highly 

 nervous and excitable; flushing from 

 their eggs as far as thirty feet from 

 the invader. Indeed, no less than 

 twice the past season I have been 

 compelled to put up a flag, at the first 

 flushing; and then return, sometimes 

 as much as twice to flush the bird 

 again. And I know of no bird-parent 

 that makes so great a fuss ; even when 

 the sets of eggs are incomplete. 



One's natural expectation of find- 



