36 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



spaces about the lake and for this reason the possibility of at- 

 tracting the beautiful waterfowl has interested the citizens of 

 the community. 



"This body of water will be the largest in that section of 

 the state and it is the belief of those familiar with the habits 

 of the migratory water fowl that the creation of a refuge there 

 will result in the semi-annual visitation of thousands of wild 

 ducks and geese. Recently 0. M. Schantz, of the Audubon So- 

 ciety, visited in Decatur where he spoke before the Bird and 

 Tree Club, and he found a considerable interest in the plan to 

 ask the state to create a sanctuary on the lake which is about 

 to be created there. The newspapers are taking an active inter- 

 est in the campaign and the sentiment has been found to be 

 very favorable to making Decatur's new lake, which is right at 

 the city's door, a fully protected home for the water fowl. Of- 

 fers of donations of money for the feeding of the birds have al- 

 ready been made up by citizens and plans to take the matter 

 up with the state game department have met with assurances 

 of support from a number of officials. " 



Notes from tlie Field Revised to Dec. 15, 1921 



Carbondale 



From the Normal School at Carbondale, Miss Mary M. Steag- 

 all writes of the truce that prevails there . 



"We have a campus of about three acres where the students, 

 about a thousand in number, come and go, the children of the 

 Training School play, and the older boys play ball on several dif- 

 ferent diamonds ; yet the last of May we counted on the campus 

 two hundred of this year's bird nests. This count did not include 

 any except the nests found in the trees. There were perhaps 

 two or three dozen more Sparrows' nests in the vines and bushes 

 around the buildings, and in the eaves. 



"This year, we found, to our surprise, the Summer Tanager 

 nesting in the woods and cliffs of our section more frequently 

 than the Cardinal Grosbeak, which is supposed to be the 'red 

 bird' of our part of the, state. 



"In a wooded ravine, on the eastern side of Big Hill, October 

 30, I saw the American Woodcock feeding. We do not often 

 see them here, even in migration." 



Decatur 



The membership list of the Decatur Bird and Tree Club con- 

 tinues to grow rapidly. It now numbers 255 adults and 445 

 junior members. There is splendid co-operation and enthusiasm 

 in Decatur in regard to bird protection. Mention was made in 

 the last Bulletin of the assistance rendered by the Y. M. C. A. 

 in planning and carrying out an exhibit of nesting boxes. The 

 Library published a list of bird books to assist not only the 

 student but the general reader and children as well. The lead- 



