Notes from Field and Study 



99 



seen in this locality, and their occurrence 

 is doubtless due to the extreme severity 

 of the winter. Since their arrival the}^ have 

 been daily ^^sitors, and the male is 

 extremely approachable, but the female 

 is wild and cannot be induced to join the 

 other birds when we feed them. 



It is a quite remarkable fact that while 

 the Cardinals, Fox Sparrows, Song Spar- 

 rows, Juncos, Pine Finches, Starlings, and 

 our other regular visitors seem to avoid 

 the society of the Blue Jay, the Evening 

 Grosbeak has no such compunction. The 

 male Grosbeak and a male Blue Jay sat 

 side by side on the limb of a wild cherry 

 tree opposite my window for almost an 

 hour without the slightest sign of battle. — 

 A. P. Richardson, Foiut Pleasant, AL J. 



Winter Notes from Ames, Iowa 



The weather of early December, 1919, 

 in Iowa, was the most severe that has 

 been recorded for several j-ears. In many- 

 parts of the state the thermometer hung 

 around zero for most of this time, and at 

 Ames on several occasions it recorded more 

 than 10 degrees below. During this 

 period most of the state was covered with 

 a deep blanket of snow, varying in thick- 

 ness up to 12 inches. Such a severe period 

 of weather so early in the season has doubt- 

 less had a modifying effect upon bird mi- 

 grations, especially upon the movements 

 of our rarer winter \'isitants. 



A feeding-station maintained at the 

 writer's house was earh- besieged with an 

 unusual number of visitors. The Blue Jay 

 and Hairy Woodpecker came to a window- 

 ledge shelf to feed, while male Downies 

 glutted themselves, unperturbed, only a 

 few inches away on the outside of the 

 window-pane. The feeding-station v-isitors 

 were much more abundant during the 

 month of December than during the more 

 open month of January or the iirst two 

 weeks of Februar}'. 



Brown Creepers have been unusually 

 abundant this winter at Ames. Out of a 

 record of 10 species and 144 individuals 

 for December 25, 8 were Brown Creepers; 

 of II species and 186 individuals recorded 



on December 28, 5 were Brown Creepers; 

 of 8 species and 38 individuals reported 

 for January 25, 5 were Brown Creepers. 



A flock of Bohemian Waxwings was 

 noticed on January 20. They were first 

 seen feeding on a few thorn-apples left 

 adhering on a tree just outside of the city 

 limits. After being observed a few minutes, 

 the flock flew into the city. At this time 

 37 birds were counted. The next day the 

 flock attacked a tree of wild crab-apples 

 in the same vicinity, but inside the city 

 limits. The tree was well loaded with 

 fruits perfectly formed but frozen and 

 bitter. Here these birds were seen not 

 only on the 21st, but some of them for 

 every day thereafter until Februar}^ 4. 

 As the}^ continued to feed on these fruits, 

 some of them became quite tame and 

 would sit or feed in the tree, even with 

 the observer only an arm's-length away. 

 This was true, however, of only a few 

 birds. Upon near approach, some of them 

 would always, and most of them would 

 usually, fly away at the alarm of a leader. 

 The large flock frequently broke up into 

 smaller flocks, yet no matter how fre- 

 quently di\'ided, they would later all get 

 together in one flock. All birds at first 

 were averse to feeding near the snow- 

 covered ground, with the result that by 

 January 28 the upper and middle branches 

 were completely robbed of their fruit, 

 while those near the ground were loaded 

 and untouched. 



On February 4, the flock disappeared, 

 and not a single Bohemian has been seen 

 at Ames since. An examination of the 

 crab-apple tree on the 7th showed that 

 hardly a single fruit had been left. The 

 lower branches had shared the fate of the 

 upper ones and were bare. In this flock, 

 which contained at one time about 50 

 individuals, not a single Cedar Wax-wing 

 was observed, and, it may be added, that 

 Cedar Waxwangs have not been recorded 

 here since January i. 



The white-winged Crossbill was seen 

 a few times during the winter. On 

 February 15, Dr. Charles Murray brought 

 a dead male to the Department of Zoology 

 for determination. Dr. Murray stated 



