110 



THE OdLOdlSt 



latter two are very rare visitants to 

 this particular locality, but the Blue- 

 bird, which is found quite regularly 

 throughout December here, was only 

 observed on the 5th. The Sparrow, 

 Marsh and Sharp-shinned Hawks were 

 observed several times during the 

 month, but not a Barred or Long-eared 

 Owl has been seen. This latter con- 

 dition is rather unusual; both of these 

 sjecies have not missed being seen 

 for nearly twenty years past in this 

 locality. On the 29th a Screech Owl 

 was found nearly frozen, a note on 

 which appears in another article in 

 the Oologist. Louis S. Kohler. 



AN UNTIMELY END 



On December 28th a terrific ice and 

 sleet storm prevailed in Northern New 

 Jersey and enveloped every tree, wire 

 and shrub with a coating of heavy 

 ice. Just in the rear of my home in a 

 hollow, dead chestnut a family of 

 Flickers made their home during the 

 spring of 1922, and in early December 

 a Dark Phased Screech Owl used this 

 hollow cavity as a shelter during the 

 day and was seen about each night 

 near the barn, where numerous mice 

 were always present, owing to the 

 abundance of grain for the live stock. 

 This owl made numerous catches of 

 these rodents and fared quite well on 

 them. On the morning of the 29th, 1 

 happened near this hollow tree and 

 looking up at the nest entrance saw 

 at once it was sealed over with a sheet 

 of ice about an inch thick. Thinking 

 perhaps our little friend was impris- 

 oned within, I climbed up and broke 

 away the ice and sure enough the owl 

 was within, but so nearly dead from 

 want of fresh air that I carried 

 him into the house to warm him and 

 possibly resuscitate him. However, 

 in spite of my kindly efforts, he ex- 

 pired on the afternoon of the 29th, 

 and now is in the hands of a taxiderm- 



ist, and when finished will hold forth 

 in my museum. It is sad indeed to 

 lose his services as a mouse-trap, but 1 

 am compensated by having him with 

 me for all time in the cabinet. 



Louis S. Kohler, Richfield, N. J. 



"WILL WOODPECKERS FLUSH BY 

 POUNDING TREE?" 



If she is in there, she will come out. 

 Give that tree a rap or pound her good 

 and Woodpeckers will always come 

 out. This is what Sy Perkins said. 

 But it won't work. I rowed my boat 

 up to a dead tree with a hole in it and 

 I pounded several times. "Nothing do- 

 ing," said the farmer boy to me. 

 "There's none there." I said "Well, 

 let's see." I stood on the hood of the 

 boat and could hardly reach the hole. 

 I stuck my fingers down in the hole, 

 but pulled them out much faster than 

 I stuck them in, saying, "Darn that 

 sharp-billed devil!" Then I pounded 

 some more but the Woodpecker would 

 not come out. So I pulled some of the 

 bark away and could touch the bird 

 but she would not come out. So I 

 pulled her out and found that it was a 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker. There was a 

 nice fresh set of four eggs in this hole 

 that the farmer boy wanted me to pass 

 up. If anybody tells you that a Wood- 

 pecker, Owls or any hollow nesting 

 bird will come out when you pound on 

 the trees, tell them not every time. 

 Ramon Graham, 

 Ft. Worth, Tex. 



THE BIRDS REVENGE 



"Why was I born?" Dr. Crane in 

 The Pall Mall Gazette. It is supposed 

 that the Storks had a grudge against 

 the Cranes. — London Punch. 



