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Bird - Lore 



a good lesson for some of us in industry in 

 caring for our homes. My son thought to 

 assist them in their arduous work by 

 gathering sawdust to line their nest. They 

 seemed to appreciate his help, but spent 

 some time in tossing part of it out, as he 

 gave them more than they needed in their 

 business. We watched them with much 

 interest, fearing they would be frightened 

 away, but they kept on diligently until 

 satisfied that their selection was a good 

 one and their quarters clean, then settled 

 down to housekeeping. They relieved 

 each other faithfully during the sitting 

 operation. In a few weeks the young 

 made their appearance. Then came the 

 process of feeding, which impressed me 

 very much, as I thought pigeons were 

 the only birds that fed their young by 

 regurgitation. 



I had hoped to see how many were 

 hatched, but they flew away before I 

 realized they were ready for flight. It is 

 interesting to know that these birds will 

 build so near a human habitation. Now 

 their home looks quite desolate and 

 deserted, and makes one feel very lonely, 

 remembering this is the fate of all things in 

 life. 



The parent birds came about the first 

 of April, and the last one of the young 

 took its flight on the eighth of June. We 

 are hoping they were so well pleased and 

 comfortably housed that they may return 

 next year. In another tree nearby, some 

 Bluebirds tried to take possession of a 

 box, but the House Sparrows drove them 

 away. Maybe they will be more success- 

 ful another year. — Virginia S. Williams, 

 Takoma Park, Md. 



The Prairie Horned Lark in Summer 



In Bird-Lore for July and August, 

 Mrs. Arthur F. Gardner, of Troy, N. Y. , 

 writes very entertainingly of a visit from 

 the Horned Larks, and asks someone who 

 knows of them in their summer home to 

 write about them. 



Here on the plains of eastern Nebraska 

 we have the Prairie Horned Lark, which 

 is a little smaller and paler than the 



Horned Lark, but easily recognized as of 

 that species by the erectile feathers on 

 each side of the head. 



I have never found a nest, and have 

 seen the birds always along the highway, 

 where they pick up the grain spilled from 

 the farmers' wagons. They are very 

 friendly, often running along ahead of the 

 horse for some distance, or making little 

 flying trips very low, and dropping again 

 to feed. 



As this road is now a part of the great 

 Lincoln Highway, I seldom see my Larks 

 any more. — E. Louise Mace, Columbus, 

 Neb. 



Evening Grosbeaks and a Wood 

 Duck in Maine 



The Evening Grosbeaks stayed in 

 Bangor nearly all last winter. About the 

 middle of January they were first seen in 

 Hampden, by a friend of mine. March 17, 

 I saw one, for the first time in my life. 

 April I , I saw a large flock, of over a hun- 

 dred. They stayed in Hampden till 

 April 26; but I have not seen them since. 



April 30, I saw a beautiful male Wood 

 Duck, swimming in the water of the 

 Souadavabscook Stream, only a few feet 

 from me. This was only a mile from my 

 home, on the main road. We live five 

 miles below Bangor, on the Penobscot 

 River, and Hampden is a summer resort 

 of the city, with electric cars and hun- 

 dreds of autos. — Norman Lewis, Hamp- 

 den, Maine. 



Evening Grosbeaks and Others at a 

 Michigan Feeding-Station 



Early in December, 1915, within 25 

 feet of our dining-room window, I put up 

 two feeding-booths and, attached to the 

 window-sill, a feeding-tray. These I kept 

 supplied with sunflower seeds; in addi- 

 tion I put up three small wire baskets 

 and kept them filled with suet. At first 

 I could attract nothing but House Spar- 

 rows, with now and then a Chickadee. I 

 purchased a little .22 shotgun and got after 

 the Sparrows, during December killing 



