Monthly Bulletin 5 



FOLK-LORE OF BIRD SONGS. 



Lecturing before Princeton Pomona Grange at Ashburnham recently, 

 the Secretary was entertained after the meeting with several bright items 

 concerning what might be called the folk-lore of bird songs. His own story 

 of how the robin was said by the farmer folk of the Dorchester back woods 

 to sing "Kill him; cure him; give him physic," was supplemented by an- 

 other, which gave the robin's song as "Jonathan Gillett scoured the skillet, 

 scoured it bright and clean," Mr. Walter H. Sawyer, of Winchendon, also 

 gave the bobolink's song as "Wadde link, wadde link, we five beans four 

 corn pmnpkin seeds." He says the female bobolink's reply is, "Go to old 

 England swap watches, speculate, speculate." You need to say it quickly 

 to get the tinkling sequence of syllables. But does the female sing? Ought 

 not both phrases to be ascribed to the male? Also it seemed to the Secre- 

 tary that at least half a dozen others should be added to give the full song. 



There is without doubt a whole literature of entertaining material on 

 this subject stored away in the minds of our older New Englanders, and 

 it is a pity that it should be lost to the world, as it surely will be, as time 

 passes, if it is not recorded. The Editor wishes that any one who knows 

 any of these quaint traditions, however trivial they may seem, would send 

 them in. Some of them would, no doubt, be interesting for publication in 

 the Bulletin, but, whether for publication or not, they ought to be col- 

 lected and preserved. 



January 3, 1918. 

 The following notes about New England birds in December, are 

 from the State Ornithologist's Bureau of Information recently estab- 

 lished at the rooms of the State Board of Agriculture in the State 

 House. 



Iceland gulls have been reported from Rockport, Cape Cod and Block 

 Island. Wild geese and brant have been seen throughout most of the month 

 at extreme southeastern points in Massachusetts. A flight of swans, which 

 is the greatest on record in recent years, appeared in Maine and has been 

 noted along the Massachusetts coast from the South Shore to the Cape and 

 Martha's Vineyard. As many as twenty-five to thirty birds have been re- 

 ported in one flock, and a few have remained until about the last week in 

 December. Black ducks were seen during the early part of the month in 

 unusually large numbers. 



Early in the month a flight of goshawks and great horned owls passed 

 through Massachusetts; many of them remained through most of the month, 

 but more appeared in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Approximately fifty 

 goshawks have been reported as taken in this State. One taxidermist in 

 Rhode Island is said to have taken over fifty specimens. They have appeared 

 along the coasts and islands of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Block 

 Island. Great horned owls also appeared from the north, and they have 

 attacked the game on game farms and reservations, where practically no 

 great horned owls breed. A number have been killed and sent to taxi- 

 dermists. A dealer in taxidermists' supplies reports a great demand for 

 eyes for these owls. A few snowy owls have been seen and taken along the 

 Massachusetts coast and in Rhode Island, and several have been seen on 



