AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 63 



A MARCH DAY IN NEBRASKA 



March 16th was warm and summer-like and the birds showed their appre- 

 ciation of the fine weather. We were awakened in the morning by the songs 

 of the Robins and Bluebirds, and soon a flock of Blackbirds flew over, filling 

 the air with their melody. The Grackles are not much as soloists but are very 

 strong when singing in chorus. In the afternoon I took a walk. Passing 

 along an orchard bordered by a hedge, I heard the whistle of Harris Spar- 

 rows. These birds are very numerous in spring, but do not condescend to 

 spend either winter or summer with us. The Tree Sparrows, our most com- 

 mon winter birds, are singing their low, sweet song. 



Reaching a strip of timber bordering a stream, a different lot of birds 

 make thmeselves seen and heard. Chickadees are most numerous, thir calls 

 resounding from every direction. The clear whistle of the Cardinal comes 

 to my ear, and, from deeper in the woods, the ringing "pe-to" of the Tufted 

 Titmouse. The drumming of Woodpeckers is heard from everywhere. The 

 always present Downy and Flickers show themselves, and I think I hear the 

 calls of several other kinds but I cannot find them. But what is that tiny 

 bird running along the branches in the tree tops? — evidently a Nuthatch, 

 and, presumalby, from its small size, the brown-headed variety, but it is too 

 high to see distinctly. 



It is time to return and I choose a different route. By the railroad are 

 some large ponds. Here the air resounds with the call of the Killdeer Plover 

 and a single Mallard is swimming on the surface of the water. If I were 

 armed with a shotgun I might easily take home a trophy, but I do my hunting 

 with an opera glass. Crossing a strip of prairie, I hear the Meadowlarks 

 singing their spring songs. These beautiful birds stay with us all winter 

 but are usually silent until warm weather inspires them to pour forth their 

 melody. 



E. D. Howe, Table Rock, Neb. 



A BIRD OF CHANGED HABITS, 

 By Frank H. Sweet. 



The Wood Pewee is a small brown bird, about six inches in length, with 

 no claim to beauty either in form or color, and is no songster. It is less in 

 size than the common Pewee or Phoebe bird, and has a long, drawling note, 

 very unlike the quick, sharp note of the Phoebe. 



It is one of the fly-catchers, and has the habit of selecting some post 

 where it can have a good outlook for its prey. Here it sits, with wings and 

 tail drooping, ready to dash after a passing insect, which it seldom misses. 



