BIRD CURIOS. 29 



plover's nest was found by my farmer neighbor on 

 the ninth of April. It was on the ground in an 

 open field, with not so much as a spear of grass for 

 protection. 



That year the crow blackbirds arrived from the 

 south in February, all bedecked in holiday attire, 

 the rich purple of their necks scintillating in the 

 sunshine. You have perhaps observed the droll an- 

 tics of these birds as they sing their guttural 0-gl-ee. 

 It is amusing to see them fluff up their feathers, 

 spread out their wings and tails, bend their heads 

 forward and downward with a spasmodic movement, 

 and then emit that queer, gurgling, half-musical 

 note. It would seem that the little they sing re- 

 quires a superhuman — more precisely, perhaps, a 

 super-avian — effort, coming aqueously, one might 

 almost say, from some deep fountain in their wind- 

 pipes. These contortions do not invariably accom- 

 pany their vocal performances, but certainly occur 

 quite frequently. The red-wings also often behave 

 in a like manner ; and both species always spread 

 out their tails like a fan when they sing, whether 

 they fluff up their plumes and twist their necks or 

 not. 



Another bit of bird behavior gave me not a little 

 surprise during the same spring. It started this 

 query in my mind : Is the white-breasted nuthatch 

 a sap-sucker ? It has been proved by Mr. Burroughs 

 and Mr. Frank BoUes, I think, that the yellow- 

 bellied woodpecker is. But how about the frisky 

 nuthatch, so versatile in ways and means? Here is 



