556 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



Forty and fifty years ago the crow blackbirds would settle 

 down in the cornfields when the corn was in milk and in a few 

 hours do great damage to the crop. So great was the destruction 

 that farmers found it necessary to be on the qui vive and drive 

 them from the fields whenever they appeared. 



With the clearing of the land, particularly with the reclama- 

 tion of the wooded swamps in which these birds found their most 

 congenial nesting sites, plus the continuous war of destruction that 

 was waged against them, the crow blackbirds are now so reduced 

 in numbers as to do practically no damage anywhere. And now 

 that the swamps are largely gone they find their best nesting sites 

 in the pine and other coniferous trees planted about the farmers' 

 yards. 



105. PURPLE FINCH 



CARPODACUS PURPUREUS (Gmeliii) 



A rather rare spring and fall visitor. One heard November 

 22, 1900. February 13-24, 1901, a flock seen along the lake shore 

 feeding on rose hips. November 9-11, 1904, a flock of several seen 

 near the railroad station at Culver, seven on a telegraph wire and 

 others in a pine tree. September 22, 1907, one noted west of the 

 lake. September 6, 1913, saw and heard one flying northwest in 

 front of Chad wick hotel, and on llth, saw and heard six to eight 

 flying over in the morning, going northwest. 



A beautiful bird and a delightful songster. 



106. ENGLISH SPARROW 



PASSER DOMESTICUS HOSTILIS Kleinschmidt 



This disreputable bird is all too common, but fortunately it has 

 not yet become established in numbers about the cottages around 

 the lake. In the town of Culver, at the Academy, and about the 

 icehouses, it is abundant. Common about many of the farmhouses 

 of the surrounding country. 



Recent study of the European sparrow by a German ornitholo- 

 gist led him to recognize several distinct forms for which he pro- 

 posed subspecific names. The form occurring in England and the 

 United States, he described as Passer domesticus hostilis. 



107. CROSSBILL 



LOXIA CURVIROSTRA MINOR (Brehm) 



A rare spring and fall visitant. Noted on November 22, 1900, 

 October 31 to November 6, 1906, the latter record being of a flock 



