VoL 58™] General Notes. 139 



About the middle of June 1919, a pair of Hermit Thrushes took up their 

 abode near a cottage on the shore of Asquam Lake, Holderness, N. H. The 

 two ladies occupying the cottage are both musical and bird lovers. To the 

 song of the thrush, when near the piazza, they responded by cheery word, 

 song, or whistle in imitation of its song. Often times the piano and singing 

 brought the bird near, and when the music ceased the male burst forth into 

 song. The female was called " Mother " from the first, always in endear- 

 ing tones, and, when addressed thus, would follow along beside the foot 

 path, often within six feet of the ladies. In spite of the fact that near the 

 cottage was a camp of over fifty boys and young men, some of whom were 

 almost constantly passing along this path, the birds showed no fear. 



The Thrushes soon began to alight on the rail of the piazza, or on the 

 backs of the chairs, always giving forth their call for that attention which 

 they were sure to get. Late in July, while sitting on the piazza, the 

 writer saw the mother bird come with a leaf, alight on a chair, then fly up 

 into the place where the Phcebe usually nests, and deposit the leaf. Care- 

 ful inspection showed that she was building two nests, about two feet apart, 

 separated by a timber, and sometimes deposited her leaf in one nest, and 

 then again in the other. Suddenly she ceased to build, and we were expect- 

 ing her to deposit her eggs and raise her young, as she still kept up her social 

 relations with the family. 



One day while the writer was watching for results, he saw her with a 

 leaf pass up over the piazza, but she did not appear under it or near the 

 nests partly or wholly built. This called for a change in the place of obser- 

 vation, and she was discovered building another nest in the tin gutter under 

 the eaves of the second story and under the tip of an overhanging oak 

 branch. Here she completed her nest, laid her eggs and hatched her 

 young, only one of which she raised as a deluge of water in a heavy shower 

 drowned the others. 



This pecuhar nesting seems worthy of note and may call out similar efforts 

 by bird lovers to study the influence which kind treatment and attention 

 may have on the habits of birds, and especially any change in the habits 

 of their nesting. 



Another instance of that familiarity which kindly attention brings into 

 bird life happened in August of the same summer and on the same piazza. 



A large bouquet of wild flowers was always kept in a jar on a table on 

 the piazza. This attracted the attention of a Ruby-throated Humming- 

 bird which at first made occasional visits, and later several visits a day to 

 this bouquet, regardless of the number of people on the piazza. On its 

 arrival all became quiet to watch its method of probing the flowers for 

 food except for a light note, in imitation of its own, made by one of the 

 ladies. When the false foxglove was in bloom and the jar was filled with 

 them, the Hummingbird often visited them. 



One day, when more than a dozen people were on the piazza, the Hum- 

 mingbird came. One of the boys picked one of the blossoms and held it 

 out in his fingers and the bird buried head and beak in the flower. Then 



