368 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 
of the Chicago Ornithological Society it will be gladly given. We 
who are devoted to the study of ornithology should feel that we 
are in truth members of a fraternity, and should be desirous of 
helping one another as best we may. Encouragement is probably 
the most helpful thing we can give; so let us give it gladly. 
I shall now do my best to relate to you the story of our birds 
as their lives were revealed to me throughout the year, 1915. 
And what a fascinating story it was. Daily did I watch the 
movements and the habits of the many species of birds that passed 
or stayed near my Indiana home. Through bleak winter and 
balmy spring, through sweet summer and serene autumn, the 
birds are always with us. To become acquainted with them is 
to love them. They are truly friends, for which we may feel 
affection. 
In winter the Snowbirds fly before us darting at one another; 
the Blue Jay displays his beautiful coat as he passes from tree 
to tree; flocks of Crows are started in fields or woods, and their 
distant cawing is characteristic at this season; Tree Sparrows, 
Nuthatches, Chickadees and Brown Creepers may be seen not 
unfrequently on winter days. In March the first notes of the 
Song Sparrow and the Bluebird are the joy of the bird-lover; 
the first Robin is noted by every man and child; the loud whistle 
of the Meadowlark rings in our fields; Blackbirds appear, and 
are not unwelcome; April and May follow, when bird life reaches 
its climax, and then begins to recede. The month of June finds 
most of the birds rearing their first brood; in July families of 
birds are found feeding; in August nearly all the singing ceases, 
and the autumn migration begins. By September the migration 
is in full swing, and many species not seen since spring reappear; 
October is much like September, but seldom gives the diligent 
observer more than 50 species; November marks the close of the 
autumn migration, hardly ever affording as many as 25 species. 
With the advent of December, our feathered friends are so few 
that most people think there are none to be found. 
Our story starts in December, 1914, in which the following 
species were found: Crow, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, 
Red-headed Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Song 
Sparrow, Screech Owl, Brown Creeper, Tree Sparrow, Snowbird, 
Pine Grosbeak, Chickadee, and Vesper Sparrow. The total number 
of species seen was 14. 
