Vermont Bird Club 29 



It is evident that many birds that winter farther south or in 

 other sections of Florida stop in Lake Helen as a way station on their 

 journey northward. My note book gives the following data: Feb. 20, 

 white-bellied swallow; Feb. 22, purple martins; March 3, tufted tit- 

 mice; March 5, sparrows in big flocks; March 11, many warblers, robins 

 flying high and calling loudly; March 30, great-crested flycatchers; April 

 13, yellow-billed cuckoo; April 23, flock of blue birds (the only ones 

 I saw in Florida) ; April 24, hundreds of warblers, many in song; 

 April 25, summer tanagers. 



If it is true that the song of the South Parula warbler ushers in 

 the Florida spring, then it came last year March 11th, a day long to 

 be remembered, since after a thunder-storm at night with a reigular 

 deluge of rain, the morning dawned gloriously fair and with it the 

 arrival of many new birds, the Parula and its oft repeated warble 

 among the rest. Previous to this date I had only seen and heard 

 myrtle and pine warblers. Associated with them were kinglets. 



On May 1st we turned our footsteps homeward and on May 4th 

 spent a day at the famous old plantation "The Hermitage" in Savan- 

 nah. There in the giant live oaks, in the deserted gardens among 

 tangled vines and shrubs, in bordered walks that led to the Savannah 

 River, we saw and heard a great number of birds, many evidently 

 migrants, while others were at home in this bird paradise. Orchard 

 orioles were there in great numbers as well as brown thrashers, sum- 

 mer tanagers and cardinals in full song, warblers of many hues and 

 of tantalizing notes, including the yellow-breasted chat, which I saw and 

 heard for the first time, bobolinks, sparrows, and blackbirds, in gay 

 coats and merry outpourings, together made this a scene and a day as 

 bright as they themselves. 



BLUE BIRDS 



F. H. H.U{T. Rutland 



April 6th, 1913, we saw a pair of bluebirds near the house (No. 

 11 Kendall Ave., Rutland, Vt.) that seemed to be looking for a place 

 to build a nest. The writer made and put up two boxes, one on the 

 southwest corner and one on the northwest corner of the house — up- 

 stairs. We did not see the birds again until April 12th, when they 

 were around the house nearly all day, and on the 13th they began a 



