Jones — August Days With the Birds. 95 



AUGUST DAYS WITH THE BIRDS. 



BY LYNDS JONES. 



Because the ten-day camp was primarily a family plan car- 

 ried into execution from the l-ith to the 24th inclusive, should 

 not create prejudice against the work with the birds. A family 

 camp entails more labor and attention in the stages preparatory 

 to being comfortable than a purely stag bird camp, to be sure, 

 but it takes the birds some little time to adjust themselves to 

 the intrusion. Besides, camp preparation should never be al- 

 lowed to wholly eclipse the birds. 



A camp site on a grassy bench just below the level of the high 

 plain of the country, and some sixty feet above the river, called 

 Vermillion because its flood waters are stained red by the dis- 

 integrating red Bedford shale, with a clear spring, a spreading 

 oak, and the river valley bending to right and left, and little 

 else may be wished for — except fair weather. 



Meadows, wheat stubble, hay land, corn fields, gardens, or- 

 chards, fence tangles, pastures, on the uplands : berry, grape, 

 burning bush tangles, brush thickets, well grown trees, on the 

 steep slopes of the river valley ; shale cliffs, willow islands, 

 and across the river a deep and extensive w'oods with here and 

 there thickets of white cedar and white pine, constitute a well 

 diversified environment. Swamps and extensive water surface 

 are not found anywhere in the region. 



Midsummer temperatures prevailed. The mercury stood 

 about 70° during the night, and frequently reached 84° during 

 the day, once mounting to 80°. Breezes were light to brisk, 

 always from the southwest, .except during the numerous thun- 

 der squalls, when they became high and blew from every di- 

 rection except east. The sky averaged fair. There were no 

 dark days. 



^Mosquitoes, gnats, and horse flies there were, but in endur- 

 able numbers. Of the hosts of common flies no account need 

 be taken. Ants figured only in the vicinity of the sugar can. 



While the tent was being pitched a Turkey \"ulture called to 

 inquire about our garbage, but departed red-headed when he 



