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Bird-Lore 



to conceal myself. The parent birds became 

 quite brave in trying to drive me away; 

 after noticing that I remained perfectly quiet 

 they became more daring as time passed, and 

 finally so daring as to peck me in the face. 

 These birds were many times within the 

 striking distance of a rattlesnake. 



I next took my position near a Robin's 

 nest containing young. After I had re- 

 mained quiet for some time, the female came 

 very close — close enough for the rattler's 

 forward cast. 



I have repeated these observations in the 

 field, with thesame results. I therefore have 

 concluded that snakes have no charm, but 

 that the snake in search of food or in its 

 wanderings approaches a young bird or a 

 bird's nest. The parent birds, in trying to 

 drive the intruder away, become more daring 

 until finally they come within striking 

 distance. I have had one experience, and in 

 this case the snake remained perfectly quiet 

 while the bird was Hying about it. The 

 snake, however, was not a venomous 

 one. — J. Parsons Schaeffer, East Green- 

 ville, Pa. 



Photographing a Red-tailed Hawk's Nest 



Bird-lovers have their 'Mecca,' some 

 favored place where bird life is abundant 

 and undisturbed and where flower and 

 beauty of surroundings add their charm. 

 Our 'Mecca' is all of this, where an upland 

 farm runs down to a perpendicular ledge, 

 ioo feet high beneath which brush lots run 

 into a swamp and woodland. 



Beneath the ledges a colony of Hooded 

 Warblers had nested for years, and Black- 

 throated Green, Worm-eating, Blue-winged 

 and most all of the common birds nest 

 freely. In the midst of this place in a tall 

 chestnut tree a pair of Red-shouldered 

 Hawks repaired their nest year after year, 

 and when in 1904 we found the nest re- 

 paired and a new kind of scream came down 

 to us as a large Hawk flew high above, 

 we were loath to believe it could be a 

 Red-tailed Hawk, until from the top of the 

 ledge we had seen the sun strike the red- 

 dish tail feathers, as the birds flew scream- 

 ing back and forth, and had found a tail 

 feather beneath the nest, for it is very rarely 



that the Red-tail nests in this vicinity. 

 This spring (1905) the same birds (pre- 

 sumably) repaired the same nest and we 

 determined to photograph the nest and 

 young if possible, so on May 14, we made 

 the attack with climbing irons and ropes. 

 There was no possible chance to work from 

 the nest tree, but a straight chestnut stood 

 some fifteen feet away and this I climbed, 

 though not without some misgivings, for I 

 was not at all sure but that the old birds 

 might attack me. 



As I climbed, the screaming birds flew 

 higher and higher until they were almost 

 out of sight in the blue; and in fact, it was 

 very difficult at any time to get near enough 

 to see the old bird on the nest, as she would 

 leave her nest at the first sight of us. At a 

 height of fifty-four feet I could look into the 

 nest, and only one newly hatched, downy 

 chick was there; so, tying myself to a limb 

 above and resting on the spurs, I strapped 

 my tripod to the trunk and, using my coat 

 as a focusing cloth, secured the picture of 

 the nest and chick, while my friend photo- 

 graphed me and the nest from the ground; 

 which shows well both the height of the 

 nest and the difficulties under which my 

 picture was obtained. — Wilbur F. Smith, 

 South Norivalk, Conn. 



Notes from Plainfield, New Jersey 



Least Flycatcher. — This species has been 

 far less numerous this year than usual. The 

 Kingbird also appears to be less common 

 than it was a few years ago. 



Carolina Wren. — On June 10 I found the 

 first nest of this species ever known of here. 

 The four young left the nest safely on June 

 22. As far as I know, this family of Caro- 

 lina Wrens is the only one within eight or 

 ten miles of Plainfield, although it is not 

 improbable thaf there are a very few others. 



I first met with this Wren in the vicinity 

 of Plainfield on July 4, 1898. It steadily 

 increased in numbers from that date until 

 February, 1904, during which month the 

 heavy snows cut off the food supply and all 

 perished from starvation and cold with the 

 exception of the pair mentioned above and 

 possibly a few others.— W. DeW. Miller, 

 Plainfield N. J. 



