The nidiologist. 



149 



to Drs., Shufelt, Prill and other physicians 

 who are interested in ornithology. Driving 

 up to the house, a low double log cabin in 

 the midst of an unfenced clearing, three or 

 four men and a half dozen dogs, mostly of 

 the "yaller" breed, rushed out to greet us. 

 Going in, I found about twenty-five per- 

 sons, men, women and children, standing 

 and sitting about in the two small rooms. 

 It was Sunday and the coming of a doctor 

 had been noised about the settlement and 

 everybody had come in to have their ills, 

 real and imaginary, prescribed for. Before 

 getting away not less than ten had been 

 given medicine, and my supply of quinine 

 and cathartic pills nearly exhausted. 



In the meantime my companion, who is 

 a dentist, had been given the history of all 

 the toothaches of the neighborhood reaching 

 back for a score of years and was also 

 regaled with the merits and virtues of the 

 various coon and squirrel dogs that lay 

 around in everbody's way. Finally, we 

 started across the clearing for the "big 

 timber. " 



We had with us a noble Gorden Setter 

 dog. Hitherto he had stuck closely to 

 the buggy but now when fifty yards out 

 from the house he caught the scent of a 

 bevy of quail out in the low weeds, and 

 jumping over the wheel to the ground, was 

 proceeding to "wind" them up. The pack 

 of curs at the house catching sight of him 

 at once gave chase. In a few seconds an 

 indiscriminate mass of bull-hound-bird-cur 

 and yaller dog were surging and rolling 

 over the ground in an indiscribable conflict. 

 In the confusion our dog slipped out and 

 making for the buggy jumped to a place of 

 safety. As we drove into the woods, two 

 hundred yards away, a last look toward 

 the cabin showed the dogs still fighting 

 with a little crowd of men and women pull- 

 ing and hauling at them by legs and tails. 



As we neared the woods a great flock of 

 Cardinals flew from the copse of horseweeds 

 that grew along the margin of the clearing. 

 A score arose from the dead weeds and flew 



into the trees — then fifty — then more and 

 more, until we estimated the number at 

 not lessthan one hundred. 



Old males in the full crimsoned plumage, 

 young males not yet in the full red, and 

 females in their less gaudy dress, scolded 

 us on every side for disturbing them while 

 at their repast of weed seeds. Associated 

 with them were Tree Sparrows, Juncos, 

 Chickadees and the Tufted Titmouse .Fur- 

 ther in the woods we found in one flock six 

 Flickers and a Red-headed Woodpecker, all 

 of which had probably remained during the 

 winter. W^e at once commenced searching 

 for old nests, pounding upon every old 

 hollow tree and snag that had a cavity large 

 enough to conceal an Owl. We soon 

 flushed a Barred Owl from an old stub, but 

 knowing they would not nest for two 

 months yet this species excited but little 

 interest in us. The trumpeting notes of 

 the great Pileated Woodpecker almost elec- 

 trified Dr. M. and a few minutes afterward 

 a female came flying through the great trees 

 followed by the male, and alighting on an 

 elm near by, gave us a fine vie'w of this 

 almost extinct species. My companion is 

 an enthusiastic collector of bird skins and 

 if he had had his gun, notwithstanding the 

 fact that it was Sunday, Mr. Ceophloens 

 pileatiis would have come down. How- 

 ever he comforted himself with the ipromise 

 that at no distant day he would again visit 

 these woods and lay for Mr. Dogcock. We 

 continued our search over a greater part of 

 this forest area and had about concluded we 

 were to be disappointed in finding a nest of 

 the Bilbo. 



The ground was covered with about two 

 inches of snow and this was crossed in 

 every direction with thousands of tracks of 

 the rabbit, squirrel, mink and fox. The 

 Red-bellied. Hairy and Downy Wood- 

 peckers were everywhere; as also were the 

 White-breasted Nuthatches. Two Ruffled 

 Grouse were flushed by our dog. 



Away over on the rivers bank, a half 

 mile from where we had left our horse, we 



