Monthly Bulletin 7 



BIRD DAY The Massachusetts Audubon Society, co-operating with 



AT AMHERST. the State Board of Agriculture, the State Grange and the 

 State Agricultural College will celebrate Bird Day at 

 Amherst, Mass., on the grounds of the Agricultural College on May 19th. 

 There will be eminent speakers on topics of great interest. There will be 

 an exhibition of bird-protection appliances and bird literature of all kinds. 

 The site of the celebration is a very beautiful one, and at the time of the 

 exhibition is particularly attractive to bird-lovers, as the Connecticut Valley 

 is a great highway along which passes the annual migration, which will be 

 just about at its height at that time. This meeting will be well worth the 

 attention of all interested in birds or in agriculture, and all who read this 

 are cordially invited to attend. 



A CHURCH- In the Department of Orinthology so ably edited by 



GOING ROBIN. iiarry G. Higbee in the "Guide to Nature" is a very in- 

 teresting story about a western Canadian robin. Up in 

 the Saskatchewan district, where trees are scarce, birds are numerous and 

 those which nest in trees sometimes have difficulty in finding appropriate 

 nesting sites. "One spring Sunday when the janitor of the little stone 

 church closed it for the week he accidentally left one of the windows open 

 for a few inches at the top. A robin, looking for a safe nesting location, 

 spied this opening and went in. On the following Sunday the congregation 

 saw on the ledge at tlie top of one of the pillars behind the pulpit a regu- 

 lation robin's nest, built according to all the plans and specifications of a 

 robin's nest architecture and all ready for occupancy. The nest was allowed 

 to remain and the window was left open so that the happy pair continued 

 their home-making undisturbed. When time came for the mother to devote 

 herself to the care of the eggs, the church service did not drive her from her 

 post of duty, but she remained quietly on the nest. Occasionally during 

 the service her mate brought her some dainty morsel of food. Interest in 

 this portion of the Sunday services increased with the arrival of the yoxmg 

 birds. The busy parents flying in and out with food and the calls of the 

 hungry little ones were a considerable test for both minister and congre- 

 gation." 



"THE CRAZY ROBIN Perhaps the most extraordinary story of a nesting 

 OF SOUTHBORO." robin comes from our own State. Rev. R. F. 



Cheney of Southboro, tells of a bird that decided 

 to build a nest on the town stone-crusher. Under the roof there were a 

 number of crossing beams, each crossing providing a cozy nook for a robin's 

 nest. To this place came a robin that really seems to have suffered from 

 mental aberration. It started a nest on one beam, then went to another and 

 another, and so on until ten nests in all had been started, each close by the 

 next one. These nests varied in completeness from a few sticks which were 

 but faint beginnings to two at least which were completed. In one of these 

 one egg was laid, in another three eggs. On the three eggs the mother bird 

 sat. They hatched and the young were brought up in regulation fashion. 

 We hear of robins that build double nests, but here is one that built or at 

 least started to build ten nests. So far as heard from this is the record on 

 nest-building for any one robin. 



The Wellesley Hills Birds Club begins a new year of prosperity and 

 energetic work with Professor Albert P. Morse as President. The region 

 is a fine bird country and the members of the Club have excellent oppor- 



