﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  57 
  

  

  Many 
  accounts 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  of 
  the 
  wholesale 
  destruction 
  of 
  English 
  

   sparrows 
  and 
  other 
  birds 
  by 
  heavy 
  rains, 
  when 
  large 
  basketfuls 
  of 
  these 
  

   birds 
  are 
  sometimes 
  gathered 
  under 
  the 
  trees 
  of 
  city 
  parks 
  after 
  the 
  storm 
  

   is 
  past. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  noticeable 
  fact 
  that 
  cold 
  or 
  wet 
  weather 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   weeks 
  when 
  grouse 
  chicks 
  are 
  young 
  will 
  leave 
  the 
  coverts 
  with 
  scanty 
  

   coveys 
  of 
  birds 
  when 
  the 
  shooting 
  season 
  begins, 
  and 
  similar 
  principles 
  

   apply 
  to 
  almost 
  all 
  our 
  native 
  birds. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  1906, 
  the 
  rails, 
  gallinules, 
  bitterns, 
  

   Swamp 
  sparrows, 
  Red-winged 
  blackbirds 
  and 
  Marsh 
  wrens 
  were 
  twice 
  

   driven 
  from 
  their 
  nests 
  and 
  their 
  eggs 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  high 
  water 
  which 
  

   prevailed 
  in 
  the 
  marshes 
  of 
  Ontario 
  county 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  abundant 
  

   rainfall. 
  During 
  the 
  same 
  season 
  a 
  great 
  calamity 
  befell 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Ontario 
  

   county 
  from 
  a 
  hailstorm 
  which 
  visited 
  that 
  locality 
  killing 
  both 
  old 
  and 
  

   young 
  birds 
  or 
  breaking 
  up 
  their 
  nests. 
  In 
  the 
  neighboring 
  county 
  of 
  

   Yates, 
  Messrs 
  Burtch 
  and 
  Stone 
  found 
  many 
  nests 
  destroyed 
  and 
  noticed 
  

   a 
  Wilson 
  thrush 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  while 
  incubating 
  her 
  eggs. 
  The 
  

   calamity 
  as 
  represented 
  by 
  farmers 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  was 
  

   undoubtedly 
  overestimated, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  satisfied 
  that 
  about 
  20 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  destroyed 
  in 
  a 
  belt 
  of 
  country 
  16 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  4 
  

   in 
  width. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  now 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  sportsmen 
  that 
  bobwhites 
  are 
  winter 
  killed 
  by 
  

  

  ■deep 
  snows 
  or 
  continued 
  sleet 
  storms, 
  as 
  then 
  they 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  

  

  necessary 
  food. 
  The 
  Bluebird 
  was 
  nearly 
  extirpated 
  in 
  many 
  districts 
  by 
  

  

  the 
  cold 
  wave 
  and 
  sleet 
  storms 
  of 
  1895 
  which 
  swept 
  over 
  the 
  eastern 
  United 
  

  

  States. 
  For 
  several 
  years 
  thereafter 
  this 
  bird 
  was 
  very 
  scarce 
  in 
  most 
  

  

  portions 
  of 
  the 
  northeastern 
  states, 
  and 
  only 
  recovered 
  its 
  former 
  numbers 
  

  

  in 
  1 
  90 
  1. 
  

  

  SUGGESTIONS 
  TO 
  BIRD 
  STUDENTS 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  numberless 
  good 
  books 
  on 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  eastern 
  North 
  America, 
  

   many 
  of 
  them 
  profusely 
  illustrated. 
  The 
  author 
  has 
  been 
  asked 
  many 
  

   times 
  to 
  name 
  the 
  best 
  book 
  for 
  the 
  bird 
  student. 
  This 
  task 
  is 
  too 
  difficult, 
  

   for 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  bird 
  students 
  are 
  as 
  varied 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  books. 
  

  

  