274 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 90 



The Nuthatches also do this. I have watched others do it 

 in the autumn but not in winter. 



The Nuthatches manage the corn very well indeed. The 

 grain is carried to one of the locusts where it is wedged firm- 

 ly in a crotch in the bark and hammered to pieces. This re- 

 minds me of thei-r habit of putting beech nuts into crotches of 

 bark to be hatched open. One bird has its separate fork which 

 it never fails to use. It will be a red letter day at Oakside 

 when a Red-breasted Nuthatch comes to the feeding station 

 in winter. So far I have seen them in spring or autumYi only. 



Sometimes there is a sudden shadow on the counter made 

 by the wide wings of a Hawk. The two Hawks I see in 

 winter are the Red-tailed Hawk and the Cooper Hawk, and 

 I usually see one individual of each species throughout the 

 winter. The Red-tailed Hawk that has been hunting over our 

 pastures and meadows is remarkable fo*r the brilliant red of 

 its tail. I have not been able to determine just what this 

 one lives on in the winter, but I rarely see it kill anything 

 larger than a mouse. We did at one time, however, find a 

 badly wounded Grouse which it had dropped as we fright- 

 ened it away. The deep wounds made by the talons of the 

 Hawk in the firm flesh of the Grouse testified to its strength. 



The Coope-r Hawk has ruined its reputation by coming too 

 near the house and dieting on young chicken. There is a 

 rapidly uttered, panic-stricken cry jthe Bob-Whites make 

 when they are chased by a Hawk. I hear it often and regis- 

 ter another complaint against Cooper Hawk. 



Mv winter friend, the Screech Owl, I seldom see since it 

 gave up its friendly habit of lodging in a hollow maple in 

 the ya-rd, but it has a remarkable voice and I hear it every 

 night — also a larger relative whose voice I do not know 

 well enough for certain identification. 



THe large number of fruitful beech trees I consider -respon- 

 sible for the covey of Ruffed Grouse that always winters in 

 our woods. They come often to the thickets nearest the 

 house and act out whole plays within the range of my glass. 

 One sunnv morning as a Grous'e crossed the lane, a Hawk 



