Notes from Field and Study 



111 



The next time, Mrs. Luedtke accom- 

 panied the trio of male members to the 

 red bird's haunts. It was a beautiful 

 afternoon during the latter part of Janu- 

 ary. The ground was covered with four 

 inches of new, white snow. The air was 

 still, fresh and warm, with the sun shi- 

 ning most of the time. We were separated 

 some sixty rods at the extreme, strain- 

 ing every nerve to locate the object of 

 our tramp. At last! The very thing we 

 hoped and wished for happened. A series 

 of yells from Mrs. Luedtke told more 

 graphically than word, pen, or picture, 

 to the three of us with experience (although 

 we were many rods away), that the red 

 bird had been sighted. We are not sure 

 whether it was the presence of the lady 

 or the increased confidence in us because 

 of former visits, but this day the red 

 bird let us all come to within four rods 

 of him. With our glasses all focused upon 

 him simultaneously, we looked and 

 looked to our heart's content, at the bril- 

 liant plumage, the strong pink bill, the 

 fiery, tall crest, and the black throat and 

 black circle about the bill. The aristo- 

 cratic Cardinal! A few times he deigned 

 to talk to us in sweet, low monosyl- 

 lables. Of course, we did not expect 

 him to sing at this season, but hope to 

 hear him next May. We have looked for 

 his mate, but so far have seen nothing 

 of her. 



Mrs. Hagerty and Mrs. Sprague have 

 been with us a number of times, but each 

 time we were unable to find the red bird. 

 They enjoy talking to us about hallucina- 

 tions and delusions and all sorts of mental 

 disturbances, — even "brain storms." We 

 listen serenely, and patiently await their 

 turn at vocal demonstrations. 



Just how or why the Cardinal came to 

 southern Minnesota to spend the winter is 

 a mystery to us. Why he should locate 

 where he did, after once here, is not so 

 hard to explain. A field of unhusked 

 sweet corn, adjoining the heaviest wooded 

 strip of land on the east shore of Hall and 

 Budd Lakes, is reason enough. In the 

 woods are many planted cedars and ever- 

 greens of various kinds. This makes as 



good a shelter as can well be provided by 

 nature in this climate. 



Our January was a very mild one, but 

 last week one night the mercury went to 

 1 8 degrees below zero, and we were greatly 

 concerned about our Cardinal. Much to 

 our joy, we found him last Sunday after- 

 noon, February 7, in one of the densest 

 cedars, very much alive and seemingly 

 very contented. — Dr. and Mrs. T. P. 

 Hagerty, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Sprague, 

 and Dr. and Mrs. G. H. Luedtke, 

 February 11, 1914, Fairmont, Minne- 

 sota. 



Bird Notes from Kennett Square, Pa. 



Having been a regular subscriber to 

 Bird-Lore since 1907, and having enjoyed 

 reading the contributions from various 

 subscribers, I think it is my duty to con- 

 tribute a few notes and observations 

 from this section of Chester County, Pa. 



(i) The first Starlings observed in the 

 vicinity of Kennett Square, in south- 

 eastern Chester County, were observed 

 by me on the afternoon of March 8, 1913. 

 Two of them were on the steeple of a 

 church, and were identified and closely 

 observed through bird-glasses. Although 

 they were about seventy-five feet from 

 the ground, their notes could be heard 

 plainly, and consisted of various short 

 medleys resembling the song of the Yel- 

 low-breasted Chat. While the birds were 

 under my observation, I heard one utter 

 a short collection of notes which sounded 

 exactly like the notes of a Guinea-hen. 

 Another song sounded like that of a Red- 

 winged Blackbird, and, from what I 

 could hear of its various songs, I concluded 

 that the Starling is a mimic, like the 

 Mockingbird and Chat. The Starlings 

 are now regular inhabitants of the steeple, 

 although I have not seen them elsewhere. 



(2) On December 11, 1913, I was given 

 an Acadian or Saw-whet Owl, which had 

 been taken from a cat that had killed it 

 that day. As this Owl is a rather rare 

 visitor to this section, this note may be 

 interesting to any reader of Bird-Lore 

 who lives in this part of Chester County. 



