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Bird -Lore 



In conducting the skirmish practice, 

 the men are assigned to targets. They are 

 then formed in rear of the 6oo-yards 

 firing point, each man opposite his target. 

 At commands, the skirmish line advances 

 and fires a prescribed number of shots 

 at 600, 500, 400, 350, 300, and 200 yards. 



At the 400-yard firing point was one 

 of these firing mounds, on the far side of 

 which was the nest of a Meadowlark, 

 with the usual number of eggs. This 

 nest was directly in line with one of the 

 targets, so that the muzzle of the rifle 

 of the man lying on the mound was di- 

 rectly over the nest, not more than two 

 feet above it. 



At first, when the firing skirmish line 

 was about 100 yards distant, the birds 

 would fly away; but, as the practice con- 

 tinued, they got more and more accus- 

 tomed to the noise, and would allow the 

 men to approach nearer and nearer 

 before leaving the nest, to return at once 

 when the firing ceased at that point. 



As the time came for the eggs to hatch, 

 one of the birds would remain in the nest 

 throughout the firing, even when a gun 

 was being discharged directly over its 

 head and not more than two feet off. 

 The Marines always used great care on 

 their advance not to harm the nest, and 

 the man who drew the target which neces- 

 sitated his shooting over the nest con- 

 sidered himself in great good luck. 



Finally the eggs hatched, and the young 

 birds were brought up, so to speak, 

 under fire. The daily firing of rifles 

 directly over their heads did not disturb 

 them in the least. The birds left when 

 the young were old enough to look after 

 themselves, and their disappearance was 

 regretted by all the Marines, as they were 

 considered the mascots of the range. — 

 Robert L. Denig, St. Paul, Minn. 



Bluebirds in Dorchester County, Md., 

 During 1912 



The Bluebird is a common summer 

 and winter resident of Dorchester County. 

 Small flocks of 8 or 10 are quite common, 

 and were even common evervwhere dur- 



ing the winter of 1911-1912 until the cold 

 snap came in the first part of January. On 

 account of this protracted spell of cold 

 weather, I think it is quite probable that 

 thousands of Bluebirds perished. 



The season of 191 2 brought forth a 

 very meager supply of notes regarding 

 this species. On March 18, about 12.30 

 p.m., I saw a single bird, and, later in the 

 afternoon, a pair. I had supposed at 

 that time that the Bluebirds had migrated 

 further south at the beginning of the cold 

 snap, and that this was the beginning of 

 their spring migration. As the season ad- 

 vanced without seeing any more and with- 

 out finding any nests, my alarms increased. 

 However, on July 14, I found a pair nest- 

 ing in a hollow post quite distant from the 

 house. Thus ended the migration and 

 nesting period for 19 12. 



Later in the tall, October 50, if I re- 

 member right, I saw a pair sitting on a 

 telephone wire. Afterward, on one or two 

 occasions, I saw flocks of 8 or 10 flying 

 high and going south. 



The reports for 1913 seem favorable, so 

 far. On January 19 I saw 10 birds, and 

 on February 10 observed seven. On Feb- 

 ruary 13 I saw three different flocks of 

 five, six, and eight, respectively, all going 

 due north. So I think that in time the 

 Bluebirds will reestablish their former 

 numbers, although they suffered a severe 

 loss in the winter of 1911-12. — Ralph W. 

 Jackson, Cambridge, Md. 



The Starling in Massachusetts 



The first known record of the Starling 

 (Sturnus vulgaris) in Bridgewater was 

 obtained on January 16, 1913, when one 

 of these birds was seen perching upon the 

 spire of the Congregational Church. The 

 next day five Starlings were seen flying 

 about the church weather-vane. 



Since then these birds have been found 

 several times, but never more than five 

 together. While observing them one day, 

 I heard them give the notes of the Wood 

 Pewee, and also a perfect imitation of the 

 Blue Jay's cry. — Harold W. Copeland, 

 Bridgewater, Mass. 



