Monthly Bulletin 9 



vireo, barn swallow, cowbird, black-throated green warbler and downy 

 woodpecker. 



It was just five-thirty as the great orange-red sun appeared above 

 the horizon and rose majestically behind the spires of Sharon village. 

 This seemed to be a signal for the birds, and with one accord they seemed 

 to join their songs in a mighty anthem to greet the giver of light. 



From our place upon the ledge we had identified thirty species of 

 birds before sunrise. Thirteen more were added to this list before break- 

 fast, by a short walk about the farm buildings and on the hillside just 

 below. These were the blue jay, bluebird, chipping sparrow, song spar- 

 row, rufifed grouse, golden-winged warbler, parula warbler, chimney swift, 

 black-billed cuckoo, purple finch, vesper sparrow, Blackburnian warbler 

 and house wren. 



Parties soon began to arrive for the day, and little groups strolled 

 about in dififerent parts of the sanctuary watching for the birds. During 

 the forenoon about the farmhouse, the kingbird, goldfinch, ruby-throated 

 hmnmingbird and red-shouldered hawk, were added to this list, and later 

 in the day, the blue-headed vireo, red- winged blackbird, nighthawk and 



veery. 



The foregoing list of fifty-one species of birds represents simply my 

 own observations, made either alone or in company with Rev. Mr. Towns- 

 end, of Nashua, N. H., who spent the night with me here at the old farm. 

 These were all identified in a walk of less than two miles for the day, 

 as I spent most of the time in the vicinity of the farmhouse and in show- 

 ing others about the place. At, the same time a dozen difi^erent kinds of 

 ferns were noted; seventy-six species of trees, shrubs, and vines were ob- 

 served, and eighty-one different flowers and flowering plants were identi- 

 fied — most of these on our little walk before breakfast. I mention these 

 simply to show the wonderful variety and profusion of wild life in this 

 spot, which seems in every way so admirably fitted for a bird sanctuary. 

 Many more species might be added to these lists by a little investigation, 

 as several parts of the sanctuary were not visited at all; and some of 

 these, like the swale, the open marsh and pond, the thick woods, and the 

 little streams, each have their own peculiar attractions and seem to gather 

 about them certain forms of life not found in other parts. 



An interesting observation made here, which touches upon the value 

 of birds about a place, was the fact that every tent caterpillar nest which 

 I examined on this day had been either torn open or punctured with 

 holes and the caterpillars eaten. Every web was empty, although a few 

 days previous some of these had been filled with caterpillars of con- 

 siderable size nearly an inch in length. These larger nests (which 



were torn open) were probably cleaned out by the cuckoos, which appear 

 to be quite plentiful about these grounds. 



