32 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



Car bond ale 



Miss Mary M. Steagall writes under date of March 13 as 

 follows : 



The winter residents were numerous. There were the usual 

 number of Bluejays, English Sparrows, Meadowlarks, Bob- 

 whites, Slate-colored Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees and 

 Field Sparrows. The Cardinal Grosbeaks averaged about one 

 pair to each city block, as did also the Downy Woodpecker. The 

 female Cardinal has not the reputation for song, yet she was often 

 heard giving her "Tee-hew, tee-hew, tee-hew/' back and forth 

 with her mate. 



Each mocking bird selected as his feeding ground a laden 

 persimmon tree, and greedily guarded it against all intruders. 

 They, too, were about as numerous as the bearing persimmon 

 trees. 



Pairs of Bluebirds seemed busy all winter selecting holes for 

 their homes this spring. In these holes they began building 

 about the first of February. 



The Robins, who seemed to disappear with the last of the 

 year, began their return by the first of February. On the fif- 

 teenth of February they averaged about six or eight to the city 

 block, and by the last of the month they were building their 

 nests. All early nests are placed in the crotches of the trees. 

 Later when the leaves begin to appear they will build on the 

 branching limbs. 



During the winter an occasional Brown Creeper, Hairy 

 Woodpecker, or White-breasted Nuthatch was seen in the trees. 

 The Tufted Titmouse whistled melodiously from the treetops on 

 all pretty days. The American Crossbills twittered daily from 

 the evergreen windbreak south of the town. 



The migrations were not followed as carefully as would 

 have been most profitable, but a few facts have been observed. 



The Canvas-back, which has scarcely been seen for the last 

 five years, has been a very common visitor. On the twenty-sixth 

 of December the first flock were seen. They were in company 

 with a number of Redheads. By February hundreds of them 

 were seen going north. One large flock seen at this time con- 

 sisted of Mallards, Canvas-backs, Pintails and American 

 Scaup Ducks. Beginning with the Mallards, their abundance 

 is indicated by the order in which they are mentioned. Just 

 now there are seen every day on the lake nearby hundreds of 

 Mallards, Teals, both Blue- and Green-winged, Canvas-backs, 



