Relation of Summer Birds to Western Adirondack Forest 439 



are not common, no'r represented by many individuals. The absence 

 of a certain group of them, including- the Acadian Chickadee, Gray- 

 cheeked Thrush, Blackburnian Warbler, Parula Warbler, Pine 

 Siskin, Raven, Canada Jay, American Three-toed Woodpecker and 

 Canada Spruce Partridge classed as belonging to the Canadian 

 fauna, can be accounted for when we remember that they prefer the 

 purely coniferous associations. To these birds the broadleaf trees 

 are an effectual barrier, and they scarcely occur even in mixed for- 

 ests in which the deciduous trees are in the minority. Moreover, 

 the conifers in their climax growth have little attraction for the 

 species of this group, which seem to prefer swamps, bogs, thickets 

 of second growth, and other altered aspects of the forest rather 

 than the original or " virgin " woods. The absence of these birds 

 in summer at Cranberry Lake indicates the predominance of the 

 so-called Alleghanian influence there. On the other hand, the long 

 list of warblers in this lake district gives it a somewhat Canadian 

 aspect ; but it is idle here to speculate on the question of the limits 

 of zoological zones. 



The scarcity of birds of prey is noticeable, and has been com- 

 mented upon elsewhere. Woodpeckers abound, for many features 

 of the region make it an attractive habitat for these birds. The 

 extensive burns are littered with standing dead trees and stubs 

 suitable for their nesting holes, and the mixed forest contains the 

 food sought by these woodland foragers. Flycatchers are also numer- 

 ous and well sustained. The alder swamps teem with water-bred 

 insects, as do the bogs ; the Sphagnum is a breeding place for mos- 

 quitoes and small flies, midges, " punkies " and various other pests; 

 and the decaying stumps, ground litter, and low growth of burns and 

 clearings harbor hordes of insect prey. Of the finch family I find 

 one group well represented, and another group but meagerly so. 

 The first group includes those feeding on the tree seeds and shrub 

 fruits ; the second consists of sparrows of the open fields and 

 meadows. In the former association we have the Purple Finch, the 

 Crossbills, Goldfinch, White-throated and Chipping Sparrows, Junco, 

 Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. To 

 the sparrows of fields, pastures and short-grass meadows, the region 

 offers no suitable conditions, and hence they are represented only 

 sparingly and locally at the lower elevations. 



*Bluebird. Sialia sialis sialis (Linn.) 



Length 7 inches. Above, azure blue ; below, reddish brown ; vest white. 



The Bluebird was not seen by me at Cranberry Lake, but I am 

 told that a pair had nested at Barber Point previous to my visit. 

 The Bluebird was well known to the generation now passing, but 

 has not been so familiar to the youth of today. Once it nested in 

 every village and farm garden ; then it gradually forsook these 

 domestic scenes and made use of fence posts along secluded roads 



* Indicates a species not directly observed by the author, but reported by 

 others from this region. 



