104 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
in evidence as soon as the ice had partly melted in low-lying 
pools and runlets ; the herons made circling flights around the 
lofty tree tops whereon could be seen. the dilapidated remainsof a 
few of their twig-woven nests of bygone seasons; the hereditary 
nest sites of this class of native birds are being rapidly destroyed 
by the operation of firewood cutters and employees in our local 
lumber camp. These ornithic waders, as well as hosts of the 
small warblers and several species of the most melodious 
thrushes, have become much rarer than they were twelve or 
fifteen yearsago. The hermit thrush and Wilson’s thrush have 
already ceased to cheer us with their melodious notes, unless 
we choose to take a walk of a mile or two to such scanty wild 
forest nooks as have not yet been much invaded by the wood- 
man’s levelling efforts. 
However there is some compensation provided in the or- 
nithic changes resulting from the land being devoted to the 
production of cereals and the various productions of orchards. 
The advent of the vast number of ‘‘ Bob-o-links ’’—the 
multiplication of Orioles—varieties of finches, wrens, larks and 
the fruit-loving wax-wing—chatterers and the warbling vireos 
have filled up the vacancy that would have been so noticeable 
by the absence of the songsters so adapted to the primitive 
woodlands. The total extinguishment of the wild pigeons is 
a remarkable instance of the dependency of certain forms of 
life on external conditions independent of climatic changes ; 
also the much earlier annihilation of the wild turkey so common 
in the beech and maple woods of the pioneer times is an inter- 
esting chapter of bird history There have been heard just 
lately (March 27th) many expressions of gladness at the punc- 
tual arrival of song birds, attendant on the recent mitigation of 
the cold in our atmosphere; the warm wave that reached this 
locality on the 17th inst. prompted arrival at daybreak on the 
t8th in our groves and orchards of considerable numbers of the 
spring blue birds, song sparrows, and the portly migratory 
robin; a few of the pewit flycatchers also showed themselves 
in the house verandas and the grackle tribe were just as eager 
as the last mentioned to make good their presence in their last 
