16 



THE OOLOGIST 



nerves a little by flapping their wings ? 

 I think so because their action would 

 have been entirely different had it 

 been a Duck Hawk or a Goshawk. 



Second. Mr. Burroughs also says 

 "Our Shrike, at times, murders little 

 birds and it is not the form or the 

 color of the eye of a bird of prey, and 

 probably deceives its victims," 



Here is an incident that shows birds 

 do recognize the Shrike as an enemy 

 and can distinguish one from a Blue 

 Jay, whose color pattern is somewhat 

 similar. On February 9, 1915, was 

 walking along a roadway that led thru 

 a bushy weedy tract of land. I had 

 noticed five or six Blue Jays in the top 

 of a small tree by the edge of the road 

 and was aware that some had flown as 

 I neared the tree, but thought nothing 

 of the matter. A road beyond the tree 

 was a bush, leafless of course, and 

 near its top sat a male Cardinal, I 

 wondered why it neither flew nor 

 moved and at a distance of from six 

 to eight feet I stopped. Had never 

 seen quite such a tame Cardinal be- 

 fore. The bird seemed turned to stone 

 and even his eye was set. I actually 

 began to think one of my bird student 

 friends had put a mounted specimen 

 there for my benefit, for I visited this 

 place almost daily. Finally I became 

 aware that the topmost Blue Jay had 

 not flown with the rest and raised my 

 glass to discover it to be a Northern 

 Shrike. Finding himself watched, the 

 Shrike flew, and instantly helter skel- 

 ter, went my frozen Cardinal in the 

 other direction and also a Song Spar- 

 row from the same bush but lower 

 down. The Sparrow had been so im- 

 movable I hadn't even noticed it. This 

 shows that at least two birds know a 

 Shrike from a Blue Jay even better 

 than I and that they know him to be 

 far greater to be feared than man. 

 And also that their chances of escape 

 lies more in immovability than by try- 



ing to fly on snow covered ground and 

 their natural covers leafless. 



Two little birds by plays that were 

 amusing. Was walking beach of Lake 

 Erie this fall looking for shore birds 

 and keeping a weather eye on the 

 Gulls and Terns that passed, in hopes 

 of picking up a new or rare species 

 when sure enough I saw one coming. 

 Could tell it was something different 

 by the flight. A gull, a tern of some 

 sort, no doubt. I put up my glass and 

 endeavored to follow the erratic flight, 

 which swiftly turned and twisted, now 

 up and then down to the waves, now 

 making a circle in the air and then as 

 suddenly making a "right angle turn 

 to the left." I watched in amazement 

 but as the bird passed I recognized an 

 old friend, a Bonapartes Gull, but 

 about a foot in advance was a wild 

 eyed Cicada trying to escape and the 

 Gull was only following the exacc 

 coure of the insect. The chase led out 

 on the lake and I know not which was 

 the victor. While I have Bonapartes 

 Gull on the brain, I am going to make 

 a statement that may not be believed. 

 I saw one fly backwards this fall. Not 

 very far though, much in the same 

 manner that a Hummingbird does be- 

 fore a flower. The bird was flying low 

 over the water and saw something 

 eatable on the crest of an incoming 

 wave. He poised almost motionless 

 for a second then moved backwards 

 in the air some eight inches I should 

 judge and then dipped and picked up 

 his morsel. Has any other observer 

 noticed this backward flight in other 

 than a Hummingbird? I connot re- 

 member of ever reading of the fact. 



My other amusing incident concerns 

 a Cape May Warbler. While watching 

 her with a glass she lighted not ten 

 feet away on a horizontal willow twig, 

 and while observing her she pointed 

 bill upwards and began moving her 

 head about so that the top of bill 



