AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



151 



111 ©lATSv"TH 

 II ¥§11© 



Address communications for this department to 



Meg Merrythought, 156 Waterville Street, 

 Waterbury, Ct. 



My Dear Young Folks: 



This month's vanguard of May's merry army of birds will coax you 

 to spend every spare moment in the greening fields and moist woods 

 to welcome each new-comer from its Southern home. Our little friends 

 who meet in this corner each month are so scattered over our broad 

 country that the time of the coming of the birds varies greatly; but we 

 of Connecticut have already welcomed the bluebird, the purple finch, 

 the phoebe, and the song and fox sparrows, and during April shall 

 keep a sharp lookout for the chipping, field, swamp, and white-throated 

 sparrows, the hermit thrush, martin, swallows, chebec, towhee, the 

 vireos, brown thrasher, and a few of the warblers. 



As most of the birds migrate at night, you may be surprised any 

 morning to find fiocks where the afternoon before there was not a bird 

 to be seen. 



This is a good month to listen to solos and to become familiar with 

 some of the bird songs. Let me urge you to take blank book and pen- 

 cil with you on your trips afield, and take Capt. Cuttle's advice," when 

 found, make a note of." It is not safe to trust to memory, but jot 

 down at once the birds seen, their size, shape, color, actions, flight, 

 song, etc., you will find it a help in learning the birds and for compari- 

 son in other years. One of our readers asks if the European Gold- 

 finches which are now naturalized in Central Park, New York, migrate 

 to the south in the Fall. Many — perhaps all — of them are permanent 

 residents. They were introduced from Europe into this country (near 

 Boston and New York) twenty-five years ago, and are sometimes found 

 in the company of their American cousins. 



We again ask our little friends to be patient if they do not receive 

 replies to their queries at once. The names which appear on the Roll 

 of Honor this month, are those who sent answers to the February puz- 

 zles, and the names of those who solve the puzzles in this number will 



