126 



THE OOLOGES'T. 



edges. The center is entirely made up 

 of tussucks so that one may walk 

 about without difficulty. 



At all seasons this swamp fairly 

 teems with bird life. White-throated 

 sparrows abound the edges all winter 

 where numerous swamp weeds still 

 hold their seeds. Tree sparrows are 

 also often seen in small flocks gather- 

 ing food, and occasionally hopping 

 to the top of an alder to send forth 

 their plaintive "Tulee". Field and 

 Song sparrows are abundant the year 

 round. The crows have become quite 

 tame this year, often feeding in the 

 dump pile at one end of the swamp 

 while I am working near them. The 

 Chicadees and Nuthatches find plenty 

 of suet on the sides of my swamp 

 blind. More than once I have come 

 out of the blind suddenly; startling 

 an industrious Winter wren so that 

 for the next two days I have been the 

 object of its continual scolding. Pur- 

 ple finches and Fox sparrows are com- 

 mon in the fall and early winter, feed- 

 ing on weed seeds and refuse from the 

 dump pile. The two birds most in evi- 

 dence in the swamp are the American 

 goldfinch and the Junco. I have often 

 watched a single pair of Goldfinches 

 call down a passing flock of thirty or 

 more, and then such a noise as there 

 is until all finally become interested 

 in the abundance of seeds. 



There is an old stump of a dead 

 maple at one end of the swamp. A 

 pair of Flickers drilled their hole in 

 it in 1906. During the winters since, 

 I have often watched Blue birds carry- 

 ing pieces of nesting material to this 

 cavity as though to build and raise 

 a mid-winter brood. Why is it so 

 many birds have these sudden inspir- 

 ations to build in winter and then 

 abandon the idea as suddenly as it 

 came to them? this old stump has 

 had different tenants every year since 

 the Flickers used it in 1906. In the 

 winter of that year the cavity housed 

 a pair of White-footed mice (Peromys- 

 cus leucopus), in the spring of 1907 it 

 was used by Blue birds and in the 

 spring of 1908 by a pair of House 

 wrens. 



During migration a great many wat- 

 er and shore birds use this swamp as 

 a resting place. Among those of in- 

 terest, which I have noted are the fol- 

 lowing: Canada Goose (Branta can- 



andensis,) three startled from the 

 water in March, 1906. Sora (Porzana 

 Carolina) a single bird seen in Octo- 

 ber, 1908. Wilson snipe (Gallinago 

 delictata) several pass through every 

 fall. I have never seen them in the 

 spring. Least sandpiper (Actodromas 

 minutilla) flocks of many birds noted 

 in spring of 1907 and 1908. Spotted 

 sandpiper (Actitis macularia) many 

 seen every spring and fall. One or 

 two pairs remain to breed. Killdeer 

 (Oxyechus vociferus) March 12, 1908 

 one pair noted. 



In the spring I am out constantly, 

 guarding the breeding birds of the 

 swamp from "Bands" of small boys 

 who are out first thing in the early 

 months armed with sticks and all man- 

 ner of death weapons. It goes hard 

 with all living things which cross 

 their path. However as a result of 

 constant guarding, forty nests were 

 constructed on this small piece of 

 property and thirty-seven successful 

 broods left the swamp in the spring 

 of 1908. 



P. G. HOWES, 



Stamford, Conn. 



Death's Harvest. 



We are sorry to be called upon to 

 chronicle the death of Charles K. 

 Worthen, the well known naturalist of 

 Warsaw, Illinois. 



During his lifetime Mr. Worthen 

 was probably the best known dealer 

 in scientific bird skins in the United 

 States. Shortly before his death, he 

 wrote the Editor that he had a stock 

 of some fifteen thousand. His deal- 

 ings were largely confined to those 

 who were scientists and more spe- 

 cially to those connected with public 

 institutions. 



Mr. Worthen left a record and repu- 

 tation for integrity, painstaking ac- 

 curacy and absolutely fair dealing 

 that it would be hard to equal and 

 which is as it should be, a priceless 

 heritage to those he leaves behind. 



Recently Dr. Vernon Gould of Roch- 

 ester, Indiana, departed this life. Mr. 

 Gould was a well-known ornithologist 

 and had a rank and standing as a 

 scientist that was enviable. In his de- 



