^otes from Jf telD anti ^tutip 



The Annual Bird-List of the Massachu- 

 setts Audubon Society 



Many members of the Massachusetts 

 Audubon Society made a careful study of 

 Massachusetts birds during the year 1913 

 and reported upon the check-lists. The 

 observer seeing and recording the largest 

 number of species was Miss Annie W. 

 Cobb, 30 Massachusetts Avenue, Arling- 

 ton, who reports 197. Nearest her, on the 

 list, is Anna Kingman Barry, 5 Bowdoin 

 Avenue, Dorchester, with 169. Royal E. 

 Robbins, 61 Monmouth Street, Brookline, 

 follows with 127; Mrs. George W. Kaan, 

 162 Aspinwall Avenue, Brookline, in; 

 Helen W. Kaan of the same address, 92, 

 and Eleanor E. Barry, 91 Hillside Avenue, 

 Melrose, 87. Edwin H. Merrill, 33 Walnut 

 Street, Winchendon, reports 32, but it is 

 interesting to note that these were all 

 seen within the limits of Winchendon. 

 Quite a number of birds not common in 

 Massachusetts are reported by these 

 observers. A Hooded Warbler — a male 

 in full breeding plumage — was seen for a 

 number of days on Boston Common in 

 October by several observers. Acadian 

 Chickadees were noted by several, and 

 also Cape May Warblers. The Blue-gray 

 Gnatcatcher and the Mockingbird were 

 also seen. The blanks for these lists are 

 supplied free by the Massachusetts 

 Audubon Society. — Winthrop Packard, 

 Secretary-Treasurer. 



Birds and Windows 

 I 



In the May-June Bird-Lore is an 

 account of the curious actions of a Robin 

 flying repeatedly against windows. Nearly 

 all questions relating to natural history 

 have an answer — it is merely a question of 

 searching out the right one. 



The same thing occurred here in the 

 early nesting-season, and I am satisfied 

 as to the solution of the problem. 



(2 



On numerous occasions I have seen 

 Tree Sparrows, Chickadees, etc., which 

 feed in the yard in wintertime, fly against 

 the windows with such force as to stun 

 themselves. One bird I picked up dead 

 beneath a plate-glass window. 



This is liable to occur if birds become 

 suddenly alarmed for in the window there 

 is reflected more or less clearly, according 

 to the quality of the glass, sky, trees, 

 fields, etc., which to the bird seems an 

 avenue of escape. Now the Robins in 

 question were not trying to break into 

 the house or escape to Elysian fields, but 

 fighting their own reflections which they 

 supposed to be determined rivals. The 

 window here was fixed so that it ceased to 

 act as a reflector and the battle ceased. 

 I remember a pet Mockingbird that used 

 to race back and forth on the mantlepiece 

 and scold at his reflection in a mirror for 

 half an hour at a time. — W. L. Skinner, 

 Proctorsville, Vt. 



II 



In reply to Mr. Clarence B. Wood's 

 query in the May-June issue of Bird- 

 Lore, I would say that a very short time 

 ago I saw a male Cardinal act almost 

 exactly as did his Robin. 



In a trumpet vine on the side of my 

 home, over three stories high, was located 

 a Cardinal's nest (rather an unusual site 

 for a Cardinal). The female had been 

 incubating for some time when the nest 

 was discovered, and the male was ob- 

 served in and about the vine at all hours. 

 One evening in the last week of May while 

 at work in the garden, my attention was 

 attracted by many excited hissing chirps, 

 followed by some object continually 

 striking the glass of a small garret window 

 some three or four feet from, and sHghtly 

 below, the nest. 



Upon examination it proved to be the 

 male Cardinal who for some seemingly 

 unknown cause was flying continually 

 with considerable force against the glass 



75) 



