24 ' JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Chickadees on his Finger. — I had quite a pleasurable ex- 

 perience with some Chickadees lately. While taking a walk along 

 a road near a strip of woodland looking for birds, I saw about a 

 dozen of these birds flying about. I stretched out my hand and 

 snapped ray thumb and finger at thera, when, to my great surprise, 

 one of the birds flew from a tree and lit on my middle finger, looked 

 at me a few seconds, then flew away. I repeated the action several 

 times again, when a second bird came and lit on the same finger. 

 Several of the birds attempted to alight on my head. I was much 

 pleased with the confidence displayed by the birds. I could easily 

 have caught the first bird, by placing my forefinger over his feet as 

 he sat on my middle finger. It seems to me this is quite an unusual 

 event among birds and well worth reporting. 



H. W. Jewell. 

 Farmington, Jan. i6. 



An Increased Interest in Ornithology in Portland. 

 — It is very pleasing to note the great deal of interest that is being 

 manifested in bird life about Portland. Not only is this interest keen 

 with the adults, but it also shows itself ver\^ marked in our school 

 children. I think this is due, to some extent, to the public meet- 

 ings held at the rooms of the Natural History Society through the 

 winter months, and to the work of its individual members. Prof. 

 Ivce's lantern slides add much that was needed with our bird talks. 

 The slides are instructive and interesting, and there can be no doubt 

 that this method of showing the birds as we find them in their homes 

 and haunts is more entertaining generally than a lecture would be 

 w^ithout them. It seems to me that it would be very profitable for 

 the Audubon Societies of the State to own a set of good lantern 

 slides that might be sent from place to place to illustrate the lectures 

 given. The slides are very popular and are bound to bring good 

 results. In my opinion, a great deal of the interest now shown in 

 bird life can be traced directly to Mr. Wm. H. Brownson. Mr. 

 Brownson has worked hard in spreading bird knowledge, giving a 

 great deal of his spare time to addressing school-teachers, pupils. 



