148 



Bird - Lore 



Cf)riflitiori:. Iiavc prevail"!, flurini^ the rniUI 

 day.", of winter, a i)air of iSaJfl f',aj.;lc,s have 

 fomc to the HiiflHon River and rf^nnainefl in 

 tfie ferry pathway for several days, attracting 

 nruuh attention, ft was some stirf)rise to me 

 in ]y,imWK over on the ferry ['riday, Fefj- 

 riiary 24, to fmd eight Hald ICagies on the 

 ice— flix mature hirrls anri two immature. 

 CrowH a[)peared like (hi(kens beside their 

 hens, hut later, when we hatl a pair of eight- 

 power glasse:-; on the fiirrls, we were unable 

 to diseover th;it Way founrl any food, al- 

 thfjiigh Mergansers wvn- fliving and sfilashing 

 not f.'ir fiway. The eight birds were here for 

 one dfiy only but the fiair now here have been 

 leaving every evening beff)re dusk for the 

 Highlands south, flying towarrl Storm King 

 Mountain, The two mature Hald ICagles are 

 yet with us, but the gathering of eight bird.s 

 on the river seem", of enf>irKh imjjortance to 

 me to report to li/i'ii Loim,, for ii seems as if 

 the protection of these birds was now bearing 

 fruit, — Francis B. Roiunson, Navhurgh, 

 N. v., Februfiry 27, r922. 



Snowy Owl in New Yr^rk 



lOarly on the morning of Ftocmber 8, 

 i<)v.f, after I had taken a sui)f)ly f)f food out 

 lo my feeding-station for the birds' break- 

 f;i I, I Haw our neighbor's dog run out into 

 I Ik- i.iH (m.!::. in a meadow just across ihc 

 ro!i(l frfim my home. 'l"o my great surprise, 

 a large Snowy Owl ;irose from the grf)imd anrl 

 with slow, heavy flight flew diredly into the 

 dooryard and within about (> feel from where 

 I stood. I gf)l a sjjlendid view of him, and 

 being my first record, T was delighted, 'f'he 

 plumage was slightly mr)ttle(l with brown 

 on the breast and underparts, and tiic 

 brown m.'irkings were quite conspicuous 

 about the head and neck. The whole u|)per 

 parts were snowy white, induding wings 

 and tail. 



The Snowy Owl is very rare- here, and I 

 am told that this is the first specimen that 

 has been s(H!n here for years. The last rec ord 

 that can be remembered by the oUIest in 

 habitants was during the severe winter of 

 1883, when one was killed near here in ilic 

 month of I'Vbruary. —Julia Mim.kh, /fur 



urii, N. y. 



A Captive Hummer 



Mr. Ralph K. I^anforlh's account of the 

 flumrningbirfl tangled in cobwebs (Hird- 

 J/OKK, September-October, s(j2t) interested 

 me because T have seen the same thing. 



My house had been dosed for a few days. 

 T returned one afternoon and, at intervals 

 until dark, heard a faint metallic scjucak. 

 Thinking it something jarred by the wind, I 

 fjaifl no attention to it. Next morning J 

 heard the same sf)unfl, louder and more 

 insistent, and at once realizc:d that some 

 living thing was railing for help. After some 

 searching, f found, on the wood shed floor, a 

 f fummingbird, bound fast in cobwef)S, 

 seeming quite exhausted, 1 thought nearly 

 deafl. J worked over him for two hours, 

 clearing away the cobwebs very carefully 

 because he cried if J pulled tc)o hard. 



f jiut water before him and he fluttered or 

 timibiecl intc> the saucer, f couM not tell 

 whc:thcT by accidctnt cir c|c:sign. I could not 

 see that he cirank. 'I'hen f placed bc'fore 

 him a large trumpet creeper f]owc:r. That 

 he-. attackc:d eagerly, sucked at it for some 

 litric, ;iiic| plainly fc-lt much refreshed. 

 VVIic-n hc( oiilcl fly,'d)OUt the- room, f let him go. 



One- lit lie in' i'lciit piciiscci nic-; whenever 

 I lift him and went c)ut C)f sight, he cried 

 until I w<:nt back tc) him, then was quiet. 

 So c)ui'l<!y that atc)ni of life rc(C)gnizcc| a 

 friend. 



I would like to know how long a little; bird 

 can live without food or water, lie must 

 have l.'iiii c)n the- floor nearly twenty-four 

 hours at least and it may have been much 

 longer. — Ademne Wiu.is, Naples, Maine, 

 January 12, 1022. 



A One-legged Bather 



Have any of your readers ever had a one- 

 legge^d (Jraekle in their bird-baths? Our 

 bath is a combination of a ce;ment top 

 benight in a shoj), fit led over a bronze; vase 

 such as our grandmothers had in their front 

 yards, wilh purplish pink petunias growing 

 in them. It looks attractive standing be- 

 twee;n two old ajjplc trees which have grown 

 up to the third story windows of our house. 

 The branches form good drying places after 

 I he baths. 



