96 



Bird - Lore 



Brooklyn, N. Y. — On January 8, I 

 saw, in Forest Hill Park, Brooklyn, a bird 

 which was undoubtedly a Grosbeak. It 

 was about the same size and shape as a 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, but the bill 

 was even heavier and larger than theirs, 

 and wax-yellow in color. The body was a 

 grayish olive with a decidedly yellowish 

 cast, almost bright yellow on the rump and 

 lighter and yellower on the breast and 

 sides. The outer wing feathers looked to 

 be black their entire length, but the 

 inner feathers, the secondaries, had a good 

 deal of white in them, so that they had 

 the appearance of being striped cross-ways 

 with white. The tail was black, but also 

 had white on it. The head was more 

 grayish, also a grayish mark along the 

 sides and breast. The bird had the clumsy 

 movements of a Grosbeak — hopped along 

 the branches. It w s in a dogwood tree, 

 and was feeding on the buds at the ends 

 of the twigs. 



It showed absolute unconcern at our 

 presence, and kept right on eating even 

 when we came directly under it. It gave, 

 occasionally, a note like a thrilled chur-r-r, 

 very soft and low. 



Unfortunately, some boys saw us look- 

 ing at it and came under the tree. I tried 

 to interest them in the bird, and, upon 

 leaving they promised me they wouldn't 

 harm it. We were no sooner out of hailing 

 distance, however, before they began to 

 throw stones at it. 



It then flew into another tree not far 

 away, and its note then was a single note, 

 rather sharp and high, as if alarmed. 



Could it have been an Evening Gros- 

 beak? I have a picture of a pair of these 

 birds, and it was not like the picture of 

 the male. It had no black cap and 

 its forehead was not yellow, and the 

 secondaries were black and white; and 

 yet the bird was much yellower than 

 the picture of the female. — Mary W. 

 Peckham, Member of Bird Lovers' Club, 

 Brooklyn. 



[Mrs. Peckham's bird, which very 

 evidently was an Evening Grosbeak, is the 

 first bird of this species to be recorded 

 from Long Island. — Ed.] 



Delaware, O. — In our bird notes for the 

 past eleven years we have our first record 

 of the Evening Grosbeak. These strangers 

 from the far North were first noticed on 

 January 28 and March 2. I find them still 

 with us. They appear to be very fond of 

 dried wild cherries, on which we find them 

 feeding daily. — Harry and Lilian Hipple. 



Winter Notes from Northern New Jersey 



On January 29, while I was motoring 

 past some fields near the station at Far- 

 Hills, N. J., which is five miles from Ber- 

 nardsville, and twelve miles from Morris- 

 town, N. J., I heard the full summer 

 song of a Meadowlark, which I imme- 

 diately recognized, though I did not see 

 the bird. I never knew before that Mead- 

 owlarks sang in winter. I have seen them 

 several times this winter, but have not 

 heard them until the 29th. Other birds of 

 interest that I have seen this winter are: 

 Northern Shrike, one, seen on December 

 26, 1910; Acadian Owl, one was caught 

 by a man who simply picked the little 

 Owl off a fence-post, in December. We 

 kept it about a week, when it died, and 

 I think, as it was so easily caught, that 

 it was hurt when captured. 



A flock of Redpolls stayed in a ravine 

 about two weeks around December 15, 

 and fed on the seeds of birch trees, of 

 which there was a grove. 



For about a week, around December 20, 

 a flock of about a dozen Bluebirds lived 

 about our house, and ate the seeds of a 

 vine that grows on the house. A great 

 deal of the time they stayed with English 

 Sparrows. — John Dryden Kuser, Ber- 

 nardsville, N. J. 



Brooklyn Birds 



During the year 1910, 134 species of 

 birds were seen by members of the Bird 

 Lovers' Club of Brooklyn, within the 

 limits of that city. Of these, 112 were 

 observed in Prospect Park. The following 

 are worthy of special notice: 



Great Black-backed Gull, Laughing 

 Gull and Bonaparte Gull, seen in the upper 

 bay in the spring. 



