^otes from JTielti anli ^tutip 



A Census from France — An Addition lo 

 the Eighteenth Christmas Census 



Northeastern France. — Dec. 12; 10 

 A.M. to 4:20 P.M. Cloudy; wind light; 

 temp, about 40°. Partridge, 71; Wood 

 Pigeon, 4; Skylark, 38; Rook, 800; Carrion 

 Crow, 5; Jackdaw, 100; Magpie, 32; Jay, 

 11; Starling, 83; Goldfinch, 2; Chaffinch, 

 i; Yellow Bunting, 41; Wren, 3; Tree 

 Creeper, i; Marsh Tit, 7; Blue Tit, 3; 

 Great Tit, 15; Redbreast, 4; Blackbird, 3. 

 Total, 19 species, about 1,225 individuals. 

 — E. W. Calvert, Canadian Expedi- 

 tionary Forces. 



The Warbler Wave of the Spring of 

 1917 at Branchport, N. Y. 



The weather last May was very un- 

 seasonable at Branchport, N. Y., and the 

 Warblers were a week late, the bulk arriv- 

 ing May 20. Even then it was cold, and I 

 think it was on this account that they were 



'itr^^' 







THE BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER 

 Photographed by Verdi Burtch 



so tame and kept in the lower branches of 

 the trees and even on the ground instead 

 of in the tree-tops as usual. 



Many Cape Mays and Tennessees were 

 seen. This was unusual, as some migra- 



tions pass without our seeing a single one. 

 The streets were full of Redstarts and 

 Blackburnians. The Redstart, in parti- 

 cular, was noticed by many people who 

 usually take no interest in birds, and many 

 came to me asking about the beautiful 

 little black-and-orange-colored bird that 

 they had seen. 



A friend who was working on a new 

 cottage by the lake said that a Redstart 

 alighted on his shoulder, also on his hat 

 and on a rule that he held in his hand, 

 then it flew up and hung before his face 

 on rapid-beating wings. A neighbor 

 brought to me a beautiful male Black- 

 burnian which he found fluttering against 

 the window in his barn. Another neighbor 

 brought a dead male Chestnut-side that 

 her cat had brought in; and I have no 

 doubt that hundreds were killed by cats 

 while they were so close to the ground. 



May 20 a male Blackburnian spent 

 nearly the entire day on my lawn and in 

 the garden. He was very busy all of the 

 time, hopping over the ground like a 

 Chipping Sparrow and seemed to be pick- 

 ing up minute insects. It was difficult to 

 get a photograph of him, not that I could 

 not get near enough, for he came up very 

 close to me, even passing between my feet. 

 The trouble was that he came too close, 

 and although I had him on the ground- 

 glass many times, sharp and life-size, and 

 made my exposures in 7^ second, he was 

 so lively that when I developed my plates 

 I found my Blackburnian out of focus. 

 Many times he was within a few inches of 

 my hand as I was on my knees holding my 

 camera near the ground. I used eight 

 plates in all, at a distance of from 2 to 

 6 feet, and got just one good picture. — 

 Verdi Burtch, Branchport, N. Y. 



Spring Notes from a New Hampshire 

 Farm 



"There is a gorgeous riot of color fly- 

 ing up in front of the tractor; come to the 

 meadow and see!" 



(154) 



