THE BIRD STUDY BOOK 



Wild Ducks, which began to drift ashore yesterday. 

 The wildfowl came into the bay in enormous flocks 

 about the middle of November and have since been 

 seen flying about or feeding in the shallow water, as 

 is usual at this time of year. As no such amount of 

 oil, it is believed, was ever let loose into the bay at 

 one time before, and as Ducks along the shore, dead 

 from poisoning, have never been seen before, it is 

 reasonable to connect the two occurrences." 



Hunting Winter Birds. — Birds are to be found in 

 winter in nearly every neighbourhood, and it is 

 astonishing under what adverse natural conditions 

 one may find them. As I write these lines on a dark 

 February afternoon, here in New York City, I can 

 see through the window a Starling sitting ruffled up 

 on the bare twig of an elm tree. Every minute or 

 two he calls, and as he is looking this way perhaps 

 he is growing impatient for the little girl of the house 

 to give him his daily supply of crumbs. A few min- 

 utes ago there was a Downy on the trunk of the same 

 tree, and out over the Harlem River I see a flock of 

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