220 Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



he must have his ears as well trained as his eyes. I shall 

 not forget my chase after a scarlet tanager and how he eluded 

 me. It was at Somerleaze. I was resting myself on the ver- 

 anda, when, for the first time I heard his song. It was new to 

 me. I took my glasses and went after it. When I got to the 

 tree from which I had heard it, the bird had flown. Presently 



I heard him from another tree, and again he eluded me. This 

 he did many times. Finally, however, I got sight of him, and 

 one can hardly understand how delighted I was that so delic- 

 ious a song should come from such a beautiful bird. The 

 song is much like that of the robin, and the singer continues 

 to sing it through August. The call note of the bird is "chip- 

 churr" and he says it as plainly as I can do it. 



At Buzzard's Roost, during the summer season, we have 

 quite a number of these birds. A favorite place for them is 

 among the trees on the north side of the hill where the beau- 

 tiful hepaticas grow. Quite occasionally they come to the yard 

 of the cottage to get food. Their food consists principally of 

 those kinds of insects that frequent and do injury to our forest 

 trees. Prof. F. H. King examined 29 specimens, and found 

 their principal food was as follows : 26 caterpillars, 47 beetles, 



II spiders, 7 grasshoppers. They also had eaten ants, ichneu- 

 mon flies, 6 diptera, 6 hemipterous insects and 1 dragon fly. 

 Curculios, elators, and leaf-chafers formed a part of the beetles 

 eaten. And this is the creditable story of this 



"Magic bird, but rarely seen, 

 Phoenix in our forest green, 



Plumed with fire and quick as flame 

 - Phoenix! else thou hast no name." 



