22 



THE O0LOG1ST. 



aci'oss and about 3 wide. At the time 

 •of my visit it was covered with water 

 ■about 3 feet deep, and the marsh grass 

 •and rushes were about 3 feet above the 

 water. In the finer marsh grass I saw 

 -a number of small nests mostly Marsh 

 Wrens but did not find eggs in any of 

 them. 



One thing has always puzzled me 

 •and that is how a Galinule will call and 

 seem just under one's feet and still be 

 80 rods away and at first I was often 

 fooled by them. Several times I heard 

 •a call exactly like a tin-key hen's '-put 

 •put" and the sqeaks, squalls, groans 

 and howls coming from tke:marsh early 

 in the morning and late at night would 

 {give the impression that the birds are 

 not at all happy. 



Great numbers of Black-crowned 

 Night Herons nest in a "town"out in the 

 swamp and I was able to get some very 

 fine sets. 



The shore birds seemed to be entirely 

 wanting. I only saw a few Sandpipers 

 on an island in the river. 



A few ducks nest here yet, and as I 

 saw a few Great Blue Herons I think a 

 •careful search would reveal a heronry 

 and perhaps some Cormorants in it too. 



Least Bitterns were very abundant 

 and just beginning to make nests when 

 I was there, but next year I hope to be 

 with them at the right time. 



A. C. Murchison, D. D. S. 



BIRDS AS PETS. 



One Way of Taming Them. 



There are very few of us who do not 

 admire pets of some sort. We orni- 

 thologists take birds as ours. When 

 w r e go out collecting, our note book is 

 always with us (or should be) — and as 

 we sit down under some tree probably 

 for a rest, we cannot help but study the 

 habits of the feathered beauties as they 

 •come down close beside us. Here you 

 will find that by dotting down the hab- 



its of the different species that it will 

 interest you and will prove to you in 

 the futute for reference and pass time. 



Too much can not be said in regard to 

 the note book. There is always plenty 

 to write down — note the food and local- 

 ity — different birds select, — all of which 

 will be of use to you in collecting at 

 another time. 



It was in this way that I began to 

 designate the birds that would make 

 the best pets, and now, no matter 

 where I am I can't help but observe 

 any bird that may be in sight, and it 

 seems that of late years the birds are 

 tamer than they used to be, giving me a 

 finer opprotunity to study them closely, 

 but on the other hand it may be that in 

 studying them in this way they have 

 come to my notice more. 



A few notes on the subject might be 

 of interest. 



While out walking this spring I came 

 across a flock of Pine Siskins feeding 

 on dandelion seeds. I walked among 

 them slowly, and much to my surprise, 

 I stood no farther than four feet from 

 some of them, and they kept on eat- 

 ing, occasionally stopping to look at 

 their visitor. About the same time a 

 pair of Evening Grosbeaks were eating 

 last fall maple seeds close by the edge 

 of a walk; I stopped as I was passing, 

 they weut off a few feet farther but 

 gradually came back and resumed eat- 

 ing as if no one was present. 



A pair of Green-backed Goldfinches 

 nested near our residence and I could 

 see they were becoming tamer as I 

 Avatched them from day to day. One 

 afternoon while standing by a bunch 

 of dandelions, the female flew right 

 down at my feet and began to eat. It 

 remained there for some time before 

 leaving. 



I can safely say I tamed some Violet- 

 green Swallows this season. A male 

 and two females nested in a poultry 

 coop in our yard. I would spare an 

 hour each day bv sitting on the back 



