jjBtotes; from JFielli anti ^tutip 



A Robin's Defense of Its Nest 



In the latter part of July, 1902, I was 

 visiting at a farm in East Douglass, Mass. 

 A few rods from the farmhouse was an 

 apple orchard, through which extended a 

 long trellis covered in most parts with a 

 luxuriant grape-vine. This trellis was about 

 six feet high, and several young fowls were 

 in the habit of using the top rail, where it 

 was comparatively free from leaves, as a 

 roosting place during the night. For two 

 evenings, just before dark, the sharp cries 

 of a Robin and the squawking and fluttering 

 of half-grown chickens were heard coming 

 from this place in the orchard, but no par- 

 ticular notice was taken of it. I decided to 

 find out what happened, and. on the next 

 evening, took a place on the piazza from 

 which a good view of the place could be had. 

 First appeared the chickens, three of them, 

 and finally they got settled on the top rail of 

 the trellis. Then, uttering sharp cries, a 

 Robin swept downward from an apple tree, 

 and, flying violently against one of the 

 chickens, knocked it fluttering and squawk- 

 ing to the ground. After a short interval 

 the Robin made another descent, and, hover- 

 ing over the backs of the remaining chickens, 

 administered several sharp pecks which 

 brought forth cries of pain. Athirddown- 

 wardsweep sent another chicken to the earth . 

 The last chicken was not to be moved, how- 

 ever, for after several more attacks, the Robin 

 gave up, probably frightened by the great 

 commotion he was creating. The two 

 fallen chickens contented themselves with a 

 lower perch and the Robin disappeared. 

 Curious to know the cause of all this, we 

 went to the trellis and found on the top rail, 

 about twenty feet from where the chickens 

 roosted, a nest containing several young 

 Robins. Very likely, the parent Robin 

 thought the chickens were too near for safety, 

 and sought thus to defend his home. 



The next day a cat found the nest and 

 destroyed the young. — Cl.\rence M. 

 Arnold, Woonsocket, R. I. 



Dove's Nest on the Ground 



I do not know how common it is to find 

 Mourning Doves' nests on the ground, but 

 I observed one for two weeks this summer 

 while the young birds were in it, late in 

 July and early in August, which lay out in 

 the open in an apple orchard, at a distance 

 from the nearest tree and quite unprotected. 

 We have found two other Mourning Doves' 

 nests in trees in the same orchard, in one of 

 which the young birds are still remaining, 

 and to judge from the number of these 

 birds I have seen this summer, there were 

 probably several other nests in the neighbor- 

 hood. — E. H. Crosby, Rfiinebeck, N. 1'. 



An Odd Nest-site of the Chimney Swift 



I have been interested by the article re- 

 lating to the nesting habits of the Chimney 

 Swift, published in the last number of 

 Bird-Lore. In Mr. Embody's "Birds of 

 Madison County, New York," issued last 

 year, I noticed similar mention of a pair, 

 which, for a number of years, built their 

 nests in a barn at Lake Earlville. These 

 were of the usual type, and always "fastened 

 to the side boards very near the peak of the 

 roof." 



Another record of an unusual site is also 

 furnished by Madison County: In 1895, 

 Judge A. D. Kennedy, since deceased, 

 wrote me of the breeding of a pair in an old 

 well on a farm near Brookfield, the nest 

 being placed some four feet from the surface. 

 — William R. Maxon, Washington, D. C. 



Starling in Massachusetts 



In your notice of Mr. R. O. Morris' 

 "Birds of Springfield" mention is made of 

 the disappearence of the European Starlings 

 after their release in this vicinity. On 

 October i, 1899, I saw a male of this species 

 feeding with a flock of House Sparrows on 

 the Catholic church lawn on North street, 

 Pittsfield, Mass. It was in beautiful plumage 

 and looked vigorous.— John Denwood, 

 Fall Ri-ver, Mass. 



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