Notes from Field and Study 



107 



base of the tail. Big brilliant eyes, set in 

 a circle of white, too big by far for the tiny 

 head. Long legs, like the stems of maiden- 

 hair, complete the gnome effect. 



When he went from bush to bush, he 

 flew straight up, hovered as though taking 

 his bearings, then swooped to the mark 

 like a Kingfisher to his prey. One confid- 

 ing little chap lights within arm's length. 

 Now I'll have him. His business is so en- 

 grossing he forgets to be afraid, if he ever 

 knew how. And why should such a little 

 fellow be afraid — who would harm so small 

 a thing as he? Come to think of it, barring 

 the Hummer, he is the smallest grown-up 

 bird I have ever seen. I wonder — ? Oblig- 

 ingly he dips his head, the wind raises a 

 feather or two from its top, and lo, there 

 is the trade-mark. Just a brushful of bril- 

 liant red, safely hid from the commonplace 

 crowd as my lady would carry her most 

 valued jewel — a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. 

 Kinglet! Why, did you think he was a 

 bigger bird? You'll go to the foot in the 

 word-analysis class shortly. 



After a couple of years of acquaintance, 

 during which I considered myself lucky if 

 after a couple of hours' patient watching 

 he showed his beauty spot, one day fortune 

 smiled. A company of friends were watch- 

 ing his antics in mating time. He and his 

 pretty sweetheart were playing in some low 

 shrubbery by the river's edge, when, of a 

 sudden, there grew from the top of his 

 head the most beautiful filigree crown of 

 blood-red frost. The delight and wonder 

 of it ! For minutes the slender sticks held 

 aloft the brilliant crest. Then feather by 

 feather it melted till every hint of the 

 transfiguration was gone. He was again 

 the commonplace gnome it must have 

 puzzled his bride to distinguish from his 

 brothers. 



He is a globe-trotter and visits Iowa 

 twice a year, in April or May and again 

 in September. He commonly stays a 

 couple of weeks at each visit, but he is 

 weather-wise and comes and goes when the 

 climate prompts him. 



His feeding-call is noisy for his size, but 

 his song, which he gave me the day we 

 played Peeping Tom at his declaration of 



love, is a real warble — a series of sweet 

 notes and trills in a tone of voice that suits 

 his size and daintiness. He has a double 

 cousin who is a little grayer of olive and 

 who takes his name from his crown of 

 orange. This crown is framed in black and 

 is always on exhibition. 



The Kinglets are clannish and the two 

 famines consort always, though the Orange- 

 crowned is apparently the hardier as well 

 as a trifle the larger, as he comes ahead of 

 his more brilliantly decorated cousin. — 

 Therese Judd, East San Diego, Calif. 



An Albino Wood Thrush 



During the several years that I have 

 been interested in bird-life it has been my 

 constant expectation and desire to discover 

 an Albino, having never seen one except in 

 photographs. Until July, 1916, my hopes 

 had not materialized. On July 28 I started 

 out to visit the bird-haunts and met some 

 workmen soon after starting, who, know- 

 ing of my interest in birds, called to me 

 and inquired, "What kind of a bird is it 

 that is entirely white, has pink eyes, and 

 is nearly as large as a Robin, but has a 

 shorter tail?" Only those with a keen love 

 for new things in bird-lore can know the 

 real thrill of pleasure that went through 

 me at that moment. The very thing that 

 had been sought for so long a time was 

 now, it seemed, within reach, as the loca- 

 tion in which this strange white bird had 

 been seen several times recently was only 

 a short distance from my home. 



But, alas, I had heard of the freak too 

 late, since several long waits and faithful 

 searchings failed to reveal our white friend. 

 It had been seen in a low woodland near a 

 small stream in company with "other birds 

 of the same size, of a brown color above 

 with round brown spots on a light-colored 

 breast." This description, of course, gave 

 a positive clue to the identity of our strange 

 bird, as I knew it could be none other than 

 the Wood Thrush; but my chief desire was 

 as far from being satisfied as before, though 

 I must confess that the pleasure I had in 

 searching for the bird with the hope and 

 expectation of discovering it at any time, 



