The Audubon Societies 377 



Quickly and thoroughly the tiny feathered gleaners take the unnoticed harvest, 

 at the same time, ridding the land perhaps of some dreaded pest. The reason 

 we so seldom notice the birds in the harvest-season is because they are scat- 

 tered here and there in small groups, usually most of them having donned the 

 inconspicuous post-nuptial plumage before the journey south. 



Some of the permanent residents have a wide range of diet, as one may dis- 

 cover by following the movements of the Blue Jay. Not infrequently at this 

 time of year, the Crow, in small or large numbers, may be seen hunting grass- 

 hoppers in pastures or mow-fields, a fact which every farmer should take into 

 account. The vigilant Chickadee keeps an eye on its favorite insect prey, and 

 locates the eggs of the numerous family of plant-lice, particularly of those 

 which oviposit on apple, birch and willow trees. The eggs of the fall canker- 

 worm, too, and cocoons of tiny moths, are greedily sought and much relished 

 by this useful bird. 



While the woodchuck is taking its last nap in the open, and the muskrat is 

 beginning its preparations for winter, migratory birds are passing south daily, 

 some in scattered groups, others in large flocks. Shrill crickets and rasping 

 katydids or piping tree-frogs keep up an uninterrupted evening chorus, other- 

 wise one might more frequently hear the calls of the flying travelers, especially 

 on clear nights. Now is the time when bears are fattening for their winter 

 sleep, and squirrels and raccoons — the one by day, the other by night — are 

 visiting cornfields in search of the cultivated delicacy they so much prize. 



It is a season of change and provisioning against the needs of winter. We 

 recall the stores of nuts, the snugly-lined holes and lodges, the curiously-formed 

 hibernacula, and the long, leisurely flights of the various mammals, insects and 

 birds of which we have read in books; and who does not wish to see these things 

 for himself instead of looking at them on a pictured page! 



No better fall study can be made than exploring the harvest-fields of the 

 birds; for, with their discovery, will come a knowledge of many plants, insects, 

 mammals and invertebrate creatures along the shores, the river- valleys, in 

 meadows, fields and forest, throughout the country, and even within the limits 

 of large city parks. 



SUGGESTIONS 



1. Where do toads go during September? 



2. What animals are mating? Which are living unmated? Do the young follow the 

 mother or the father after the family separates? 



3. What snakes are born now? Do any snakes lay eggs, and if so, when? 



4. Observe ants. What kind of winter home do they make? 



5. Do fishes change their habitat in the fall? 



6. What kind of food is the deer likely to find now, and where? 



7. Study the habits of wasps, bees and hornets. 



8. What is the difference between a chrysalid, a pupa, and a cocoon? 



9. What are Cecropia moths doing? Locusts and grasshoppers? 



10. How many generations do plant-lice have during a year? 



