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Bird - Lore 



in a thin, almost squeaky tone, nearly as 

 high-pitched as a Kingbird's voice. I 

 thought when I first heard the notes and 

 stepped aside to identify the bird, that 

 a Goldfinch was singing very softly under 

 his breath. There were the same little 

 trills, and, in between, the same sustained 

 notes, the whole suggestive of the Gold- 

 finch, but very quietly and gently given. 

 It was as if a Goldfinch who had lost much 

 of his power and all of his energy were 

 whispering his song into the ear of his 

 lady-love." 



The following note shows that this 

 strange deportment is not confined to 

 the courting season. 



"Aug. i8, 1909. — The Vireos have been 

 about the place much of the day. A young 

 bird sat on a bare branch and gave its 

 theet, theet call. An adult (with full-length 

 tail, but body feathers molting) alighted 

 near. The young bird reached toward it 

 with open bill. The old bird drew itself 

 up so that it was tall and thin, its feathers 

 tight about its body, then rocked back 

 and forth, pointing its bill first to one 

 side and then to the other of the young 

 bird, as they sat facing each other. It 

 was as. if the parent were casting a spell 

 over its young." — Winsor M. Tyler, 

 M.D., Lexington, Mass. 



Hooded Warbler at Hartford, Conn. 



On May 2, 191 2, in Keney Park, Hart- 

 ford, Conn., I had the pleasure of seeing 

 a Hooded Warbler, it being the first and 

 only one seen in this vicinity so far as I 

 can ascertain. 



My father and I were at the park just 

 at daybreak, hoping to see the early 

 migrants, but there were not many about. 

 Finally we saw a Warbler flitting about 

 in the underbrush and birches, but it 

 moved so quickly that we were at first 

 unable to indentify it, and we followed it 

 for quite a distance before we discovered 

 that it was a Hooded Warbler, a bird we 

 had long hoped to see. 



At last it perched on a small limb of a 

 young oak tree, and began to preen itself, 

 when we had an opportunity to study it. 



Its hood of black coming to a rounded 

 point on its breast, and the black eye 

 nearly in the center of the yellow on its 

 head, gave it a peculiar effect, but a 

 rather pretty one. The yellow on the head 

 and breast seemed very bright in contrast 

 with the black hood. 



It did not sing while we were watching 

 it. 



Two of our friends came along just in 

 time to see it; so there were four of us who 

 had the pleasure of seeing this rare bird. 



We looked about in the hope of dis- 

 covering more of them, but this one seemed 

 to be alone. He did not stay long in that 

 vicinity, but went north rapidly and was 

 soon lost to sight. Warblers have been 

 very plentiful here this spring, and a great 

 many varieties were seen. — Everett D. 

 Dow, Member of Hartford Bird Study 

 Club. 



Notes on the Bluebird and Robin 



We were interested in the item in the 

 May-June Bird-Lore, asking "Where 

 are the Bluebirds?" In 1909, and 1910 

 we had in our box a pair that raised two 

 broods each year. They returned in 19 n.. 

 and the eggs were laid only to be thrown 

 out by English Sparrows. Too late we 

 learned that it was because the vine had 

 grown near the opening of the box, thus 

 affording the perch necessary to the 

 English Sparrows, but not to the Bluebirds. 

 After the vine was removed, the Sparrows 

 never entered the nest. The Bluebirds 

 left, and raised a brood in a hole in a 

 neighbor's apple tree. This year we put 

 up more nesting-boxes, but no Bluebirds 

 claimed them. In 191 1, they had notice- 

 ably increased, hereabouts, but this year 

 we have seen very few, and have won- 

 dered why. Since our experience with 

 English Sparrows we have taken down 

 several of their nests from neighbors' 

 houses, and have shot a few in our own 

 yard, but we are not yet free from them 

 The neighbor who sheltered our Bluebirds 

 also takes down Sparrow nests and shoots 

 the birds. 



A white-marked Robin, with a mate of 



