JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 95- 



bright April morning, he sees perched on a bongh of an api)le tree 

 or a telegraph wire a happy fellow, clad in a coat of brown, wearing 

 on his yellow breast the Order of the Black Crescent, and blithely 

 caroling, "Spring 'o the Year! Spring 'o the Year!" 



A farmer upon whose land I found the Larks in the greatest 

 number told me that they came to his place five years ago. The 

 deadly mowing machines prevent the rapid increase of these dwellers 

 in the meadows, but if all farmers were as kind-hearted as is one of 

 whom I know, fewer young birds would perish. He, finding a nest 

 of unfledged young in his field, marked the spot and directed his 

 haymakers to leave a margin of grass around it so that the nestlings 

 should not be disturbed. If farmers generally would try to protect 

 the Larks they would soon become almost as numerous as they were 

 in the days when the tall grasses fell beneath the strokes of scythes 

 swung by the strong arms of the sturdy mowers. — Sara C. Eastman, 

 Portland. 



Notes from Farmington. — On July nth, I spent the day at 

 my old liome in Farmington, and as I lay in the hammock, I was 

 surprised to see my old pair of Catbirds, evidently nest-building. 

 On investigation, I soon learned they were just beginning a nest 

 in the grape-vines, near their usual site. On inquiry I learned that 

 they had not come back in the spring as usual, and that they had 

 only been back but a few days. They should have had young birds, 

 on the wing at this late date. The question arises : Had they gone 

 elsewhere and reared a first brood, then come here for the second 

 nesting, or had some accident prevented them from coming back at 

 the usual time. They have nested here, at the usual time in May, 

 since 1894. I was also pleased to note that a pair of Brown Thrash- 

 ers had nested near the house, and were feeding their young. This 

 is the second record of a Thrasher being seen in this locality. Once 

 only, I saw a Thrasher in the spring migration. I know of noplace 

 nearer than on the Sandy River, five miles away, where the thrasher 

 breeds. I was very much pleased to have them come up to so high 

 an altitude so far away from the stream and river, to join the Cat- 

 birds, in their unusual nesting site. Several pairs of Black-billed 

 Cuckoos were nesting near the house. 



On May 15th, while driving out into the country, with my fam- 

 ily, looking for wild flowers, I noticed beside the road, a female 

 .Woodcock standing under a small fir balsam. I alighted from the 

 buggy and slowly approached her. When within two feet, she 



