Hall — Ox \\'esterx Adiroxdack Birds. 1"21 



But we are inclined to think, contrary to Professor Eaton's 

 conclusion from his month's investigations about Mt. Marcy, 

 that human occupancy is not so much a menace as a protection 

 to much of the bird life in these regions. We certainly found 

 both species and individuals most numerous along the lakes 

 and carries most frequented by resorters ; and it was about lum- 

 ber camps, rather than in the heart of the woods, that we 

 learned to look for our most interesting "birding." It is true 

 that boys carry rifles, shotguns, and revolvers into the woods, 

 and they probably have materially reduced the numbers of large 

 woodpeckers, herons, Ospreys, Loons, grouse. Black Ducks, 

 Wood Ducks, and similar birds once a noticeable feature of this 

 S'Xtion. So far as our observations extended, however, small 

 birds suffer far less from the summer resorter's rifles than do 

 the red squirrels that are undoubtedly the greatest obstacle to 

 the stocking of these woods with thrushes, sparrows, wrens, 

 flycatchers, vireos, and warblers. 



It would certainly be an interesting and valuable study to 

 trace the development of bird life during the next ten vears in 

 this rapidly settling section. 



Opportunity for careful study was not as good on our trip 

 as I had hoped for, for the length of the journey made it neces- 

 sary to set up camp a dozen times, and this operation, with the 

 daily routine when established, and with the long stretches of 

 paddling through waters barren of bird life, used up a sur- 

 prising am.ount of our time. On side trips, however, to Lime- 

 kiln and Little Moose lakes, Brown's Tract and Clear ponds, 

 and Bald, Black Bear, West, and Blue Mountains, as well as on 

 the "carries," and on our exceedingly pleasant paddles on Ra- 

 quette River. I was able to spend some time in noting the birds, 

 though even here I hardly felt like trespassing too long on my 

 partner's forbearance, since he was not a bird enthusiast. How- 

 ever, some notes upon the birds we saw may interest others, 

 since the field is one not yet thoroughlv covered bv ornitholo- 

 gists. 



At Fulton Chain station are the holes of a large colony of 

 swallows, presumably the Cliff Swallows, since we saw many 

 of these, as well as of Tree Swallows, at various points along 

 the route. Their butterfly-like flitting over the lakes at first 



