Sherman on Observations at YVeedseed Inn. 3 



Woodpeckers go when they go in the barn ?" The hole gives 

 entrance to a nesting-place four by fifteen inches with a depth 

 of eighteen inches. This space is covered by a removable 

 board in which is a peep-hole commanding a good view of the 

 interior, a rare place for observation. The question of each 

 year is "What bird will take possession of the Flicker's hole?" 

 English Sparrows certainly will if not watched and routed. 

 Sometimes a Flicker raises a brood there, another year a Wren 

 will raise two broods in one summer. The favorably located 

 nests of Phoebe, Flicker, Wren, and Brown Thrasher have each 

 yielded sufficient topics of interest for a story by itself. 



Many of the common birds nest about the place, but their 

 nests are not always found. One year a Bob-white had a nest 

 containing fourteen eggs not more than ten feet from the 

 plowed ground of the garden in which people worked daily. 

 Unfortunately a mowing machine ran over the spot and de- 

 stroyed the nest before mankind discovered it. 



During migration days Weedseed Inn entertains its share of 

 guests. Early in the spring one may look for a day now and 

 then when a pair of Hermit Thrushes spends the whole day 

 here, moving about until the gathering gloom of night hides 

 them from view, but they are never seen the following day. 

 On other days the maple trees are covered with Rusty Black- 

 birds, enough to fill four and twenty pies, and the air is stirred 

 with music, enough to fill a whole country side. For about a 

 week in both spring and fall a dozen or more of Wilson's 

 Snipe prod and paddle in the marshy spots of the ravine, and 

 the question arises, "Are they not the same birds that tarry 

 each season?" One spring day comes to mind when the trees 

 fairly • swarmed with warblers. I then had little experience in 

 naming the birds and could identify but few of them. 



The hour in which I identified the greatest number of birds 

 was from 7:30 to 8:30 o'clock on September 24, 1904. Al- 

 most all of them were seen from one window. The birds ob- 

 served there were the Flicker, Phoebe, Blue Jay, English Spar- 

 row. White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Aleadowlark. 

 Philadelphia Yireo, Bell's Yireo, Myrtle Warbler, Palm Warb- 

 ler, Brown Thrasher, House Wren, Chickadee, Bluebird and 

 Robin. A few minutes after half past eight Vesper Sparrows 

 and a Brown Creeper were seen, but a Catbird that nested in 



