186 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF BIRD LIFE 



By Berton Mercer. 



In looking backward over past years and occurrences, the scenes and 

 events of early childhood come up vividly before me, and my first ob- 

 servations of the beautiful in nature, especially my first acquaintance 

 with the more common birds around our home, are indelibly stamped 

 on memory's pages, and it is my purpose here to record some of the 

 impressions and experiences of those early days. 



Among the birds which I first learned to know and love, the Robin 

 stands pre-eminent. Well do I remember looking for them each re- 

 turning spring, and with what delight I watched them coming across 

 the lawn in search of earth worms, and the manv good laughs we had 

 when they almost stood on their tails in their endeavor to draw large 

 worms from the ground. Another occupation which aroused deep in- 

 terest, was the collecting of dead grass and other material with which 

 to build their nests; with what joy did we gaze upon the beautiful blue 

 eggs in the nest, and later, the pleasure experienced in watching the 

 parents feeding the little robins. Above all do I remember their sweet 

 songs at twilight and dawn during the .early spring time. 



The Snow birds (Juncos) were also among my first formed friends. 

 I saw more of these little birds during the winter season than any other 

 species. We never failed to scatter a daily supply of bread crumbs, 

 bits of meat, fat etc., around our porches and shed, during severe win- 

 ter weather when a great portion of their regular food was covered 

 with snow and ice, and derived great pleasure in watching them as 

 they came in little flocks, eating their meal amid friendly nods and 

 chirpings, and leaving hundreds of tiny foot prints in the vicinity. 

 Such dainty little fellows with their white vests, black coats and yellow 

 bills. The Chipping Sparrows or "house chippies" as we called them, 

 were another favorite and one closely connected with early recollections 

 on account of their tameness and constant presence around our dwell- 

 ing during the spring and summer. We fed and protected them and 

 were rewarded by having one or more nests placed near by. And 

 these little nests — what marvels they were — invariably made of fine 

 roots and fibres and lined with horse hair, so smooth and round inside, 

 all the work of their little beaks and feet, and the speckled eggs, how 

 pretty they looked in these cups. 



Another little feathered friend who claims a prominent place in 

 memory, is the well-known House Wren; in fact they seem like mem- 

 bers of our family, returning each year about the same time and build- 

 ing their nests in little boxes right at our doors. Their happy song 

 was a source of constant pleasure and their winning little ways and 



