124 



tHE OOLOaiSt 



An October Medley of Birds 



One morning in October along a 

 weed willow brush and butternut tree 

 grown swale I found an interesting 

 medley of birds. 



Robins came from the Northward 

 in sixes and dozens and fluttered 

 around the thickets with excited 

 "Yipps." 



Bluebirds, evidently a family, flitted 

 about uttering a thrush-like trill, dart- 

 ing at each other around the butternut 

 tree and they took turn inspecting a 

 hole in a limb. 



Golden Crowned Kinglets frisked 

 their tiny selves from limb to limb 

 and tree to tree, exhibiting their gol- 

 den crowns in flashes as they clung 

 to the bottom of limbs and peared in- 

 to decayed crevices and places around 

 dead limbs. 



Purple Finches — a company of about 

 20 were down in the leafless growth 

 of willow whips,- but quickly dashed 

 away at my approach, flying in a most 

 erratic manner. 



White-throated Sparrows were com- 

 mon all along the thicket, uttering 

 subdued whistles and "chinks" as they 

 cavorted with each other. Song Spar- 

 rows tried to sing but gave it up when 

 Robin guyed them with a mellow "tot- 

 tot-tot." 



Slate-colored Juncos were represent- 

 ed by four or five individuals all in 

 sober dress. 



Myrtle Warblers were heard con- 

 tinually but only saw four or five 

 birds, however, I heard them uttering 

 their characteristic "chip" all day. 



Crows cawed and flopped and con- 

 gregated in nearby pines. 



Chipping Sparrows were full of vim, 

 dashing at each other, chasing Blue- 

 birds playfully and I saw one chase a 

 Robin for rods uttering excited 

 squeaks. I do not recall seeing the 

 chipping sparrow so full of activity, 

 they flashed at each other, darted at 



Bluebirds who seemed to slightly re- 

 sent their being so "fresh " 



Among all this excited and flutter- 

 ing throng of "migration fevered" 

 birds a Downey Woodpecker calmly 

 pecked and pecked and said never a 

 word. 



C. F. Stone, 

 Branchport, N. Y. 



ABROAD 



Our friend, R. L. Moore, of Vernon, 

 Texas, sends us a marked copy of the 

 "Cunard Daily Bulletin," of Oct. 6th, 

 pujjlished abroad the Aquitania from 

 which we assume that he is either on 

 his way to or from Europe; probably 

 after that Great Auk's Egg that is 

 known to be on the market over there. 

 We wish him success. 



The Bulletin contains the following 

 article: 



The Bird of Beauty 



Assurance that the flamingo, bird of 

 beauty and mystery, will escape ex- 

 tinction is contained in a letter re- 

 ceived by John Oliver La Gorce, vice- 

 director of the National Geographic 

 Society, from H. E. W. Grant, colonial 

 governor of the Bahamas, which says: 



"You will be glad to hear that an 

 order in council has been pa'ssed giv- 

 ing complete protection to the flamin- 

 go. This glory of our marshes owes 

 your expedition a debt of gratitude." 



The action of the Bahamas council 

 was taken following an expedition 

 which trailed the flamingo, the most 

 beautiful of the world's larger birds, 

 to its last stand, took motion pictures 

 of the timorous birds, brought about a 

 realization of how near they were to 

 becoming extinct in the new world 

 through annihilation by native sponge 

 flshermen, who hunted them down for 

 food purposes at the nesting and 

 moulting season. 



The first American naturalist to lo- 

 cate and study the gorgeous flamingo 



