Massachusetts Audubon Society 5 



and the bi-colored violet. The downy yellow violet and the bird-foot violet 

 may also be found here in their favorite haunts. 



The yellow adder's-tongue, the clintonia and the fringed orchis are other 

 favorites among the swamp flowers, — the latter two being somewhat later in 

 their time of blooming, — while beds of the delicate goldthread and the dwarf 

 ginseng also claim a share of attention and admiration from those who love 

 to seek out the forest flowers in their native homes. 



One hundred and fifty-one different trees, shrubs and vines have been 

 identified here, and off'er many interesting studies for the nature lover; and 

 several beautiful ferns — among them being the ostrich fern, the broad beech 

 fern, the rattlesnake fern, the maidenhair fern, the rusty woodsia and the 

 ebony spleenwort — may be found unfolding their delicate fronds in the 

 shady nooks and among the rocky hillsides of this beautiful spot. Here 

 Nature is allowed her own way as far as possible, and every effort is being 

 made to protect and preserve the plant growth as well as the birds. 



Come and enjoy, but do not molest. Study intimately the nesting birds 

 and the rare flowers without disturbing their homes: — then you have taken 

 with you not only the beauty of the flower and the bird, but a picture of the 

 green forest, the rustling wind and the singing brook which surrounds them, 

 and which is a vital part of their wild, free life; and as you hang these 

 pictures upon memory's wall, to admire and enjoy again and again, you 

 will have the added pleasure of knowing that these lives still continue in 

 their native haunts, to be admired and loved by all who seek to know them. 



EARLY SPRING AT THE SANCTUARY 



Report for Week Ending March 27, 1920 



By Harry A. Higbee, Superintendent 



A decided change has taken place during the past week at the Moose 

 Hill Bird Sanctuary. Winter has melted into Spring with a completeness 

 and suddenness which seems almost unbelievable. While the week previous 

 closed with two feet of snow covering many parts of the Sanctuary, the 

 ground is now almost bare. 



Robins are singing daily in the dooryard; song sparrows are abun- 

 dant; bluebirds are choosing their nesting-sites; woodcock are singing their 

 wonderful, ecstatic love songs in the orchards and alder swamps; butterflies 

 have been seen flying about the yard, and trees and shrubs are showing signs 

 of life after their long winter's sleep. This change seems almost miraculous 

 after our winter of unusual severity, with its lingering ice and snow. 



Our phcebe has returned this week to its haunt about the Duck Pond, 

 which is now open, and is inspecting its old nesting-site under the barn. The 

 same bird (apparently) has returned which for two years at least has occu- 

 pied the nest in Phoebe's Cave. 



Our pair of red-shouldered hawks have returned to their beloved haunts 

 in the Mohawk Woods, and may be seen or heard daily giving their exultant 

 cry, as they wheel and soar majestically about over the Sanctuary. 



Hylas are peeping in the swamps. Downy woodpeckers are mating in 

 the dooryard elms. Migrating flocks of fox sparrows, song sparrows, tree 

 sparrows and j uncos sweep through the dooryard, or pause for rest and food 

 among the sheltering shrubbery and on the food-laden porch. 



Other migrants are also in evidence. Silent flocks of crows have been 



