Bird Life in Southern Illinois 



415 



A pair of Phoebes built their nest underneath the projecting eaves of the cot- 

 tage at Bird Haven. The young were almost ready to leave the nest, when one 

 of these snakes, having observed them, crawled out along a projecting hori- 

 zontal limb of a nearby oak tree, dropped to the roof of the cottage, crawled 

 to the edge, and, reaching over seized and devoured all the young birds. 

 Needless to say the culprit was dispatched forthwith. On another occasion, 

 when some visitors came to Bird Haven, they were shown a Field Sparrow's 

 nest containing young, \yithin fifty feet of the cottage; returning, not ten min- 



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A BIT OF BIRD HAVEN. 



-THE THRASHER AND CARDINAL THICKET 

 (Prickly Ash; 



utes later, for another inspection, the nest was found empty. A brief search 

 of the immediate vicinity revealed the robber in the person of one of these snakes. 

 Many a nest, indeed, have I watched with interest that was at last found 

 empty, and, although the direct evidence was wanting, there can be little 

 doubt that in most cases at least a 'chicken snake' was the cause. This 

 reptile grows to a large size, often exceeding six feet in length, and unfortu- 

 nately is perhaps the most abundant of all our snakes. 



Third in importance among the causes destructive to bird-life on Bird 

 Haven, are trespassing hunters and boys. 'Unclimbable' fences and locked gates 

 are no protection, and numerous signs forbidding trespass, displayed in the 

 most conspicuous positions, are, apparently, looked upon as merely put up for 

 ornament! For example, it is ordinarily supposed that school teachers are 



