A PRIZE ESSAY 



Bird Notes for April and May 



BY ARCHIE WALKER (aged 10 years), Andrews, N. C. 



LOUISIANA Water-Thrush came April 1st. Every spring it nests 

 in an old pasture by a branch back of our house. 



Rusty Blackbird came on the 5th of April. At first I saw just 

 one, he was walking on the limb of an apple tree, I watched him till he 

 flew to an oak across the road where I saw several others, one sat high up 

 in the tree and kept watch, his song sounded like a wagon screaking. 



A Vireo was in our orchard on the 6th of April. It was very small, had 

 two wing-bars, and a white eye-ring, and was catching insects like a 

 Flycatcher. 



Four wild Ducks were on a neighbor's pond on the 8th of April, when 

 they flew I saw white on their wings. 



On the 9th of April I saw the Brown Thrasher, next day he was sing- 

 ing the sweetest I nearly ever heard ; we went under the tree and he sat 

 there a long time singing the same as if we hadn't been near. 



The Black and White Creeping Warbler came on the 10th, we saw it 

 get a worm out of a hole in a limb. 



On the 17th we saw a crooked long-necked bird that I think was a 

 Little Green Heron. 



The White-eyed Vireo came on the 18th, it sings very much like the 

 Chat but is smaller and not as yellow underneath. 



The same day I heard Cat Bird going like a cat crying but did not get 

 to see it for a week. 



The Myrtle Warbler was the first to come. Soon after others came, 

 but were so high up in the trees we could not tell what they were. 



On the 1 8th we saw two brown birds we took to be Wood Thrushes, 

 which we call the " Quillaree." They were feeding on the ground with 

 a Flicker. 



We saw and heard several Log-cocks and heard Oven-birds in the 

 laurel. After awhile I saw one walking on the ground. It made me 

 think of a Titlark, only it did not tilt its tail. 



We saw a large bird somebody had killed in a marshy field by a river. 

 It looked something like the Little Green Heron, only it was much 

 larger and a different color. It was an American Bittern. They call it 

 the Indian Hen here. 



On the 19th of April I heard the sweetest new song in the spruce 



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