ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 31 



Notes From LaGrange 



Mr. Edwin Hulsberg writes of observations made during the past sum- 

 mer at LaGrange and includes field records for the past few months. 

 He says in part : 



"During the past summer the larvae of the tussock moth were very 

 numerous in this region and I endeavored as far as possible to see to what 

 extent the various species of birds were helping to exterminate the pest. 

 A parasitic wasp seemed to be working havoc among the larvae but I found 

 to my satisfaction that the birds were helping materially to rid our suburb 

 of the pest. Cuckoos were more numerous, which sustains the theory that 

 this bird resorts to places where larvae are most abundant. From my rec- 

 ords of birds, both seen and heard, which I have kept for every day of the 

 past four years, I might show the wave of increase in the number of 

 cuckoos for the past summer, but it is sufficient to say that both species 

 were numerous. I studied one pair of black-billed cuckoos during the 

 nesting period. 



"It is a great pleasure to hear the call of the cuckoo. Even in the 

 night, as they doze, one can distinguish their call-note. These birds should 

 have the fullest protection. Another bird which I saw at the work of de- 

 stroying the tussock moth was that happy-go-lucky sprite, the chickadee. 

 This particular bird was feeding on the egg masses. The robin eats the egg 

 masses also but not to a great extent. Other birds such as the rose- 

 breasted grosbeak, the Baltimore oriole, the red-eyed vireo, and the blue- 

 jay were friendly co-operators in this work of extermination. 



"My notes show that downy woodpeckers were coming into town by 

 September 1. A long-eared owl was seen on Sept. 9. I saw a red-tailed 

 hawk, a woodcock, a bob-white and a golden-winged warbler on Sept. 3. 

 A Carolina wren was caroling away on Sept. 1 and 4. Winter wrens 

 seemed more numerous in the dense shrubbery than usual. I recorded them 

 on seventeen days in October. 



"One of the most unusual incidents this Fall was the big day for geese, 

 October 24. Coming just after our first snow storm, they occasioned much 

 argument and prophecy. One heard the old predictions about changing 

 weather and that we were to have piercing cold weather soon, etc. The 

 flight involved very large numbers of geese. I, myself, counted three hun- 

 dred and twenty-five in one hour's observation. Most interesting to me 

 was one flock of fifteen snow geese flying moderately high. Their honk- 

 ing reminded me of the noise of school children in the distance. 



"On October 27 a short-eared owl was disturbed in its slumber and a 

 late date for the bittern was secured. Myrtle warblers seemed to be more 

 numerous this Fall. Pipits were seen on Nov. 4. Lapland longspurs were 

 seen in great flights for several weeks. I saw jacksnipe as late as Nov. 22, 

 23, and 24, along Flag Creek. On Nov. 23 a saw-whet owl was observed. 

 The same day a marsh hawk was seen cruising about for mice. On the 

 following day I secured a record for the fox sparrow." 



