Vermont Bird Club 33 



quented, in the breeding season, by the golden-crowned Itinglet and 

 various species of warblers. 



Benton's Pond, a shallow mill-pond within the village of Benning- 

 ton, having an island covered with reeds, is a veritable gold-mine for 

 the bird student. Not only do the swimming and the shore birds find 

 in its soft muddy bottom every viand suited to their taste, but the 

 swallows and the flycatchers pick up insects in the air above its sur- 

 face and the sparrows, vireos and warblers flit in and out among the 

 trees and bushes lining its banks. How great a resort this pond is 

 for the birds can be learned from the fact that of the 176 species of 

 birds observed in the Bennington valley, all but 28 have been seen on 

 or about this little pond, which is less than five acres in area. 



So far as I am aware, no other report of the birds of this region 

 has ever been given except the one by Mrs. Elizabeth B. Davenport of 

 Brattleboro, published in Bulletin No. 2 of the Vermont Bird Club. 

 Mrs. Davenport's report covers the two counties, Windham and Ben- 

 nington, but since she is a resident of Windham County, no doubt most 

 of her observations were made in that county, which may account for 

 the few ways in which her report differs from mine. She includes 

 several water-birds, as the herring gull, wood-duck, canvas back, buf- 

 flehead, American golden-eye, coot and kildeer, none of which are 

 to be found in my list. It is not surprising that these birds are to be 

 found along the Connecticut River and not in Bennington, where there 

 are no large rivers. But who can tell why the crested flycatcher, pine 

 grosbeak, American crossbill, Tennessee and mourning warblers are so 

 frequently seen in Windham County and are so rare in Bennington; 

 while on the other hand the red-headed woodpecker, Henslow sparrow, 

 rough-winged swallow, white-eyed vireo, bay-breasted and palm war- 

 blers are found more abundantly in the western county? Mrs. Daven- 

 port says: "The purple martin is more abundant on the western side 

 of Bennington County, but since the destruction by the long cold rains 

 of 1903 most of the old haunts are still deserted or sparingly occupied." 

 My observations, which began in 1903, support the latter part of her 

 statement, for I have never seen a purple martin in Bennington 

 County. 



List of birds seen in Bennington for the years 1903-1913 inclusive. 

 Record kept by Dr. and Mrs. Lucretius H. Ross. 



