ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 37 



this never to be forgotten day. we saw at least twelve hundred waxwings, 

 probably a good many more. The flocks contained from thirty to perhaps 

 a hundred birds each, sometimes appearing every few minutes, at others 

 an hour or so elapsing between arrivals. They were not wandering flocks, 

 searching the countryside for food, but in full migration, the flocks follow- 

 ing one another as if on a beaten path. 



On this and two preceding days large numbers had appeared in Jack- 

 son Park. Chicago, and a few lingered throughout the first week in Decem- 

 ber, small flocks being seen almost daily. Here they were very tame and 

 allowed a close approach as they fed on various dried berries. This food 

 supply being limited the birds soon disappeared. 



The next Bohemians seen were at Gary, Ind., in a dead tree top of a 

 dune, at sunrise Dec. 21st. On subsequent trips to the Dunes I failed to 

 locate them till Mr. Edward R. Ford and I found them on Jan. 18th. 

 Many small flocks and one of thirty or forty were seen feeding on the dry, 

 currant-like berries of the chokeberry, which are found in great quan- 

 tities in the low country in the south part of the Dunes proper, between 

 Dune Park and Mineral Springs. Scattered here and there in these great 

 feed patches are small dead trees where part of the birds rest while others 

 feed nearby. Their love of companionship is shown clearly here, the birds 

 frequently lining up on some small limb till it will hold no more, others 

 equally desirable nearby remaining bare. A flock of twenty-two were 

 seen in this same region on Feb. 1st. 



Towards evening on Jan. 18th, four Evening Grosbeaks were seen in 

 the swamp at Mineral Springs. Although only four o'clock in the after- 

 noon the birds had already gone to roost, being found sitting bolt upright, 

 half resting against the trunks of thick cedar trees, well scattered. One 

 female was found about fifteen feet up a small cedar, and a few 7 feet 

 higher sat a blue jay, also close to the trunk, a position that may prove 

 very advantageous in case of an attack by an owl. Hulls of poison sumac 

 berries scattered about on the snow indicated that a larger flock had been 

 feeding nearby, but no more could be located in the deepening gloom. 

 Two were seen at Dune Park on Feb. 1st, Although of regular occurrence 

 in the dunes they have been rare this year. 



Redpolls are also rare this winter compared to some seasons, though a 

 few have been seen on each trip to the Dunes. A flock of about forty 

 were seen feeding on alder seeds in the swamps Of Mineral Springs on 

 Dec. 7th. This swamp is a favorite resort of the winter birds of the Dune 

 region. Wild grapes, woodbine, poison sumac, alder and hundreds of 

 acres of weeds nearby furnish abundant food, while the tangle of shrubs 

 and evergreens furnish ideal shelter. 



Pine Siskins appeared in immense numbers around the swamp in early 

 October, spending their time in the tamaracks and nearby weed fields. On 

 October 9th, literally thousands were seen in whirling flocks, streaming 

 back and forth between the weeds and trees. A few lingered till Nov. 

 9th, after which none were seen. They were also seen in Jackson Park, 

 Chicago, in small numbers. 



Snow Buntings, as usual, were common on the lake shore near Dune 

 Park for a short time in early November. At sundown on Nov. 2nd three 

 large flocks of from thirty to fifty birds each were seen and studied at close 



