For Young Observers 131 



pines. We saw a little bird about the size of a Chickadee hanging on 

 the under side of a limb. It was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Afterward 

 we saw two in the orchard so close that we saw the red on their heads. 



The same day I saw a male Redstart in the plum trees, and a Summer 

 Yellow-bird and a Warbler that was new to me. It had a chestnut cap 

 and yellow under its tail, which it tilted all the time. I afterward saw it 

 feeding on the ground with Chipping Sparrows. It was a Palm Warbler. 



On the 20th we saw a flock of Purple Finches. We very much ex- 

 cited over them, as they were scarce to see. 



On the 22d I saw a Catbird near its old nesting-place, and on the 24th 

 saw it carrying straw to build another nest. 



The Baltimore Oriole was in our orchard on the 22d. 



On the 23d I saw about ten or twelve Indigo-birds. 



April 26th I saw a large bird at our pond. I think it was an American 

 Bittern. It would turn its head sideways and walk slowly out on the limb, 

 putting one foot over the other. 



On the 27th I heard a Chat singing, and I would mock it and it would 

 stretch its neck and said " Whoo!" 



On the 30th of April I saw the Cape May Warbler in the peach tree 

 by our dining-room window. The male and female were both there, and 

 we think they are the tamest Warblers we ever saw. They sit still longer 

 than the other Warblers, and don't seem to care a bit if you look at them. 



On the 2d of May I saw a Baltimore Oriole carrying strings to build 

 its nest. It is interesting to watch it tie them to the limb to hang their 

 nests by. 



They built a nest in the same tree last year, and took the strings from 

 the old nest to make their new one. I put out some strings on the fence, 

 but they did not take them, as they did last year, but on the 4th a Red- 

 start and a Summer Yellow -bird came and got them. 



The other birds I saw in April and May that do not stay all the year 

 were: Hummingbirds, Hooded Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Parula 

 Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Purple Martins, Solitary Sandpiper, Kingfisher, 

 Rough-winged Swallows, Orchard Oriole, Whip-poor-will, Chimney- 

 swift, Bullbats, Cuckoo, Cedar Birds, and a great many Warblers that I 

 didn't know. I would like very much to tell about the nests I've found 

 this spring, but it would make my paper too long, so I will give a list of 

 them: Catbird's nest with five eggs; Field Sparrow's nest, on the ground, 

 with three eggs; Chickadee's nest, in a fence-post, in a hole too deep to 

 see eggs; Carolina Wren's nest, on front porch, in a cigar-box, five eggs; 

 Bewick Wren's nest, in a hole in a chimney; four Chipping Sparrows' 

 nests, two Blue-birds' nests, three Baltimore Orioles' nests, Blue-gray 

 Gnatcatchers' nest, Chebec's nest, two Flickers' nests, and, the most 

 interesting of all, an Oven-bird's nest. 



