70 



THE OOLOGI9T 



casionally the binoculars can be well 

 used to pick out the color and direct- 

 ive markings of a flying bird. It may 

 be stated that the automobile parties 

 see a little of the landscape and noth- 

 ing of the birdlife of the passing coun- 

 try. 



The writer vividly remembers see- 

 ing his first Mocking Bird from a mov- 

 ing motor truck while getting a lift 

 along the Ohio River on Hillside 

 Avenue about eight miles below Cin- 

 cinnati. He alighted as soon as he 

 could get the driver to slow up with 

 his hurried thanks and explanation 

 that he had gone far enough and 

 would walk back. That return walk 

 showed him half a dozen Mocking 

 Birds and some beautiful Summer 

 Tanagers — both species were new to 

 him and the latter he had seen but 

 once before. 



Referring to the two mountain tours 

 about to be discussed no special effort 

 was made to see a large number of 

 birds because the writer was the 

 guest of the owner of the machine, 

 who was not particularly interested 

 in birds. When a new species was 

 seen a few notes were penciled on a 

 vest pocket card. On average run- 

 ning speed of fifteen miles an hour 

 was generally held which allowed one 

 to see something of the beautiful 

 mountain scenery and to note many 

 points of interest. 



On July 15 and 16, 1916, the first 

 automobile census was taken along 

 the way from McKeesport to Stoyes- 

 town, Pa., via Irwin, Greensburg and 

 Ligonier) and return — 120 miles over 

 the Lincoln Highway. Twenty-four 

 species of birds were noted as follows: 



Red Headed Woodpecker — The 

 black and white wing pattern is dis- 

 tinctive even when the color of the 

 head cannot be clearly seen. 



Flicker — Its "bounding" flight and 

 white rump are prominent field marks, 



Chimney Swift — This bird can easily 

 be told by anyone familiar with its 

 swift erratic flight. 



King Bird — This was the character- 

 istic bird along the mountain highway 

 east of about Greensburg. One was 

 seen every five or six miles. 



Crested Flycatcher, Crow, Cowbird, 

 Red-winged Blackbird, Meadow Lark, 

 Grackle. 



Goldfinch — The undulating flight and 

 color pattern of the male makes this 

 an easy bird to identify on the wing. 



Vesper Sparrow — The white outer 

 tail feathers of this bird can always 

 be caught. 



Chipping Sparrows, Field Sparrow, 

 Song Sparrow. 



Towhee — Its call note could be 

 heard above the noise of the machine. 



Purple Martin — Colonies of this 

 swallow were prominent on the prin- 

 ciple street of Ligonier and Stoys- 

 town. 



Barn Swallow — The deeply forked 

 tail with its "streamers" is the best 

 field mark of this bird which is com- 

 mon in the mountains. 



Maryland Yellow-throat. 



Hooded Warbler — One was seen in 

 a laurel thicket when a -stop was 

 made to get "gas" at the foot of a 

 heavy mountain grade between Ligon- 

 ier and Stoyestown. 



Catbird, Brown Thrasher, House 

 Wren, Robin. 



The second automobile census taken 

 on July 6 and 7, 1918, covered a trip 

 from McKeesport to Uniontown and 

 thence over the old National Pike to 

 Grantsville, Md. — 85 miles — where a 

 stop was made for the night. The 

 second day took a party to Cumber- 

 land, Md., and then north past Bed- 

 ford Springs to Bedford, Pa., anci over 

 the Lincoln Highway homeward to 

 McKeesport covering the ground in- 

 cluded in the previous trip — 147 miles 

 making a total of 232 miles for the 



