28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



with an intermittent brook flowing near one corner of the wood. This 

 grove covers not more than 30 acres of land. Sometime before 1860 it 

 was pastured by sheep and the entire growth of seedlings and small sap- 

 lings as well as the ground cover was practically killed out, so that one 

 passing along the highway at the edge of the wood could look the whole 

 length of the grove beneath the branches of the trees. After 1865 the 

 grove was again allowed to grow up and, as would naturally be expected, 

 there arose a thick growth of maple and beech seedlings with a slight 

 admixture of other forms. By the year 1880 there was a dense stand of 

 saplings from 8 to 20 feet in height, and around the edge of the wood as 

 well as in a few of the more open spots, a dense growth of red raspberry, 

 blackberry, elderberry and sumac. The stand of trees and saplings was 

 so dense that there was only a slight ground cover, except a continuous 

 coating of dead leaves throughout the summertime, and fair growth of 

 early spring flowers, such as Trillium, Sanguinaria, Dicentra, Dentaria, 

 Erythronium and Claytonia. Beginning with the year 1879-1880, the 

 author made a very careful study of this woodland recording minutely 

 everything he could observe in regard to its bird life. The species 

 found nesting in the wood at that time were the Ruffed grouse, Black- 

 billed cuckoo, Downy woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker, Flicker, 

 Least flycatcher, Crested flycatcher, Crow, Cowbird, Red-eyed vireo,* 

 Yellow warbler,* Chestnut-sided warbler, Hooded warbler, Redstart, 

 Ovenbird,* Song sparrow,* Field sparrow,* Goldfinch, Rose-breasted 

 grosbeak,* Indigo bird, White-breasted nuthatch, Wood thrush and 

 Veery. The species marked with a star were found about the edge of 

 the wood and in the raspberry thickets. Twenty years later I had an 

 opportunity of observing the bird life in this same wood. In the interim 

 the saplings had grown to tall poles and as one walked through the wood 

 he could see for a considerable distance in all directions. There was no 

 thicket within eight feet of the ground; in fact, very little foliage lower 

 than the height of twenty feet. The stand of poles had killed off all the 

 lower growths. I was interested to note that of the species found there 



