474 Bird - Lore 



up in such an interesting way by Mrs. Johnson, is not yet available, but will 

 appear in a later issue of Bird-Lore. 



As it is, while much more might be said of our work, we will abide by the 

 present demand — Conservation of space, time, and energy — while today the 

 working motto of our Society is, ^^Conserve everything beautiful for the delight 

 of men's eyes on their home-coming," hence the title of our lecture, ^The 

 Connecticut Homeland — Its Birds, Flowers and Trees^ for surely this is one of 

 the most vital ways of keeping the home-fires burning and the home-love alive. 

 ■ — Mrs. W. B. Glover, Secretary. 



District of Columbia. — At our annual meeting we had a most interesting 

 lecture by Dr. Oberholser, his subject being "Common Birds about Washing- 

 ton." In spite of the very upset condition of Washington, owing to the war, 

 we were able to hold our five bird-study classes under the valuable leadership 

 of Mrs. Florence Merriam Bailey, and to take our always delightful spring 

 bird-walks with such fine leaders as Dr. Palmer, C. R. Shoemaker, Mr. and 

 Mrs. L. D. Miner, and Mr. Raymond Moore. Just a few years ago the 

 latter was one of our Junior Members, now he has proved himself one of 

 our most careful and accurate observers. (Keep up the work among the 

 Juniors !) 



The walks were well attended, and a large variety (139) of birds was seen, 

 the most unusual being Laughing and Bonaparte Gulls, Barred Owl, Warbling 

 Vireo, Nashville and Tennessee Warblers, Wilson's Snipe, Black and Common 

 Terns, and Alder or Traill's Flycatcher. Cooperating with the powers that be, 

 we have secured a strip of land along Rock Creek, in the Zoological Park, as 

 a Bird Sanctuary, and, with the consent of the authorities, have placed a 

 number of nesting-boxes. Through the generosity of one of our members, and 

 the consent of the officers of one of our most beautiful cemeteries. Oak Hill, 

 we hope to make that another Bird Sanctuary. On Decoration Day a few of 

 us went there, and Dr. T. S. Palmer took us to the graves of six ornithologists, 

 or those interested in bird-protection, and gave us short, but interesting 

 accounts of the work accomplished by each. One day in August, a member of 

 our Executive Committee called me up and said, "Have you seen the Purple 

 Martins that gather near the Red Cross headquarters every evening? They 

 begin to gather about ten minutes before 8 and are gone by 8.30." Mr. Ober- 

 holser computed the number at about 35,000. 



A few evenings later my sister and I went down. It was just 7.45, and not a 

 bird was to be seen. I was bitterly disappointed and thought they must have 

 left. In a minute or two I saw one, then two, and by 7.50 they were coming 

 thick and fast, until the wires were black with them. A large gilt ball seemed 

 to be a favorite lighting-place, and they appeared to knock each other off the 

 ball in their desire to obtain a foothold on this desirable perch. After a few 

 minutes of restlessness they began rising, skimming, and circling around, and 



