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Bird - Lore 



so close that I instinctively swerved. He 

 flew back to his perch, and in a minute made 

 another dart, almost brushing me with his 

 wings. This time we realized that he flew at 

 us purposely and for a second feared we 

 might be stepping on a little bird. We moved, 

 however, and the Pewee moved also, this 

 time alighting on the ground almost at our 

 feet. He seemed utterly unafraid, gobbling a 

 green bug or two as though showing his 

 accomplishments and cocking his head to 

 look at us in most friendly fashion. Again 

 and again he circled around us or flew to our 

 feet, until, finally, I knelt, and, talking to 

 him gently, held out my hand with one finger 

 outstretched as a perch. For a few seconds 

 he fluttered around me, then made a dart and 

 pecked my finger with his sharp little bill. 

 Three times this happened, and each time he 

 alighted not more than a foot or two from me. 

 After more advances he flew to a high tree 

 farther down the hill and we thought he had 

 gone. While we stood watching a Warbler, 

 however, he returned and this time brushed 

 my finger with his wings. Our little flirtation 

 (he really did flirt, always keeping near me 

 and yet never perching on my finger as I 

 coaxed him to do) must have lasted fully 

 fifteen minutes, and it was only the fact that 



1 could not stay longer that ended our 'affair.' 

 He was still watching me when my com- 

 panion and I separated and I continued my 

 way down the hill. — Beateice Sawyer 

 RosSELL, Albany, N. Y. 



Robin and Snake 



A few weeks ago my attention was at- 

 tracted by the actions of a female Robin, 

 apparently having difficulty in the killing of 

 a large worm. On my approach she flew up 

 in a neighboring apple-trte, carrying a snake 

 in her bill! She soon flew down onto the lawn 

 again when, after some vigorous blows of her 

 bill, the snake was killed It proved to be a 

 common garter snake and measured a trifle 

 over ID inches in length, with body well 

 matured. Its neck had been broken. Is 

 this unique? While I handled the snake the 

 Robin perched on a fence about lo feet away, 

 intently watching me. 



Being much interested, I had proposed 

 awaiting further developments, but was 

 imavoidably called away, and on my return, 

 some time afterward, the snake could not be 

 found. Query — Did the Robin take away 

 the dead snake for food purposes? — W. A. 

 Marshall, Rear Admiral, U. S. N. (Retired), 

 Jamestown, R. I. 



THE SEASON 



XXVIII. August 15, 1921, to October 15, 1921 



Boston Region. — Evidences of the begin- 

 ning of an unusually early autumn migration 

 were apparent at the end of the period cov- 

 ered b)' the summer report from this region. 

 During the last two months the birds ha\-e 

 continued to pass through in an almost unin- 

 terrupted stream, many species arriving 

 before their average dates and some species 

 appearing in numbers far above normal. 

 Perhaps the most striking event of the 

 migration was the enormous number of Black- 

 poll Warblers that, day after day, during 

 September, passed southward, making leis- 

 urely, but steady progress through whatever 

 country afforded food and protection. A 

 Blackpoll migration of such prominence has 



not been noted here for several years, and its 

 magnitude is especially surprising this au- 

 tumn because the bird was poorly repre- 

 sented in its passage northward last spring. 

 On four days in September, the i8th, igth, 

 2oth, and 24th, the Blackpolls sang freely, 

 an occurrence of sufficient rarity to merit 

 mention. It has often appeared to me that 

 unusual behavior of this kind is not a local 

 departure from the normal, but has its origin 

 in some condition at work over a wide area. 

 Juncos and White-throated Sparrows came 

 early and are still well represented. In mid- 

 September a flight of Towhees appeared in 

 remarkable numbers and surpassed any 

 migration of this bird in recent years. During 



