Notes from Field and Study 



269 



The wonder is that so many survive the 

 storms that are often frequent during the 

 nesting season. 



I had a large bittersweet vine winding 

 spirally round the trunk of a large tree. 



One day, when a storm was threatening, 

 a mother Robin coaxed her little one onto 

 the trunk of the vine. She tried to have it 

 go farther up around the tree. When she 

 did not succeed, she hopped up beside it 

 and pushed it up the spiral stalk until it 

 was around on the east side and close to 

 the trunk. The storm soon came from the 

 west but the little bird was safe and dry. 

 — L. Elizabeth Clark, Galesburg, III. 



Unusual Visitors at Feeding-Table 



With photographs by the author 



For several years we have maintained a 

 feeding-table in our back yard. We live 

 in a town of about five thousand inhabi- 

 tants, and our home is just two blocks 

 from the center of town, a corner lot 

 60 by 160 feet. We have four peach trees, 

 two plum trees, one cherry tree and a 

 large honeysuckle vine on back porch. On 

 lot adjoining, and along our line, is a 

 grape-arbor and a walnut tree, making 

 just a reasonable amount of perching for 

 the birds. 



The feeding-table is 2 by 3 feet, sup- 



ported by a bracket attached to a post, 

 under the outer branches of a peach tree. 

 We find it convenient for the birds to have 

 a perching-place before alighting on the 

 table, yet the Blue Jays and Woodpeckers 

 often fly direct to the table. On two of the 

 trees, and on top of the post on which the 

 table is attached, we have suet. For sev- 

 eral winters we have had for regular 

 boarders, Chickadees, Titmice, Cardinals, 

 Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, 

 Song Sparrows and Robins. 



Last winter and this we have had two 

 unusual visitors, and for this reason I send 

 you this article, together with the pho- 

 tographs, so that none may doubt the 

 truth of this statement. On February 6, 

 1916, a Towhee appeared on the table. He 

 seemed very shy at first, but on finding 

 plenty of feed whenever he wished, he 

 soon became accustomed to the sur- 

 roundings and remained with us until in 

 March, when it became warmer, and he no 

 doubt started out to find his mate. 



We have found several male Towhees 

 wintering in this locality each year in the 

 timber where they could find food and 

 shelter, but we have never known one to 

 appear in town at a feeding-table. 



On December 18, 1916, a Mockingbird 

 appeared on our feeding-table. To say 

 that we were delightfully astonished is 



MOCKINGBIRD EATING WALNUTS 



