l6 JOURNAL OF MAINE nRMTHOLOGICAI. SOCIETY. 



lesson of patience, for amid all these discomforts every little while a 

 merry song ascends to the Giver of all good gifts. 



April 10. It snowed all night. This morning when I arose 

 there were many little birds in the trees in front of the house. Some 

 had already scratched where the food was yesterday until the ground 

 was in sight. I threw out some bits of bread. Soon the Juncos 

 and Song Sparrows were struggling all over the lawn. Suddenly 

 nearly all the birds took flight and disappeared. Simultaneously a 

 fine Northern Shrike swooped down on a J unco which he missed. 

 He made several other unsuccessful attempts and disappeared 

 around the house in pursuit of a Junco. Later a Junco, a female, 

 appeared with just two tail feathers. I wondered if it were she that 

 was pursued by the Shrike and if her chances in the spring mating 

 match are endangered. Later in the day, the little Junco lady 

 appeared again with her two tail feathers so awry that they appeared 

 as one. Fortunate lady that she does not possess a mirror ! Let us 

 trust that she has not an intimate and frank friend ! 



The Fox Sparrow, because of its size and dignity, takes pre- 

 cedence among the birds. He walks up, and, unless the treasure 

 is an unusually large piece of bread, the delinquent who possesses 

 it calmly surrenders it. If it is necessary, he delivers a vigorous 

 peck, but he seldom has to. He was so bad as not to wait his 

 turn at the suet tree to-day. The Song Sparrow that came to 

 the balm-of-Gilead for food was quite amusing. He was annoyed 

 by the cord that held the suet to the tree. As the cord would not 

 give way before the well-planned strokes of his beak, after pecking 

 at the cord he would dance upon it with all his might. He kept 

 this performance up for five minutes. Probably the dancing was an 

 effort to scratch on a branch. Roots on the ground that obstructed 

 his effort to obtain food gave way before such vigorous treatment, 

 I suppose he argued, why should not a root wound around a stick 

 in air. 



At 5 o'clock P. M., more than sixty birds were eating seeds or 

 suet beneath the window. The space covered with seeds was about 

 two yards long and one and one-half yards wide. Over this space 



