1897 
April 
Corvus americanus . During the latter half of the 
month, the Crows in the region about Ball’s Hill ha.ve 
been exceedingly loquacious, making all the various 
sounds which I have heard from them in former years and 
in addition a peculiar succession of low whining and 
mewing cries which are quite new to me. At times these 
cries resembled those of young kittens, at others of 
children talking and laughing in low tones. I have heard 
them many times and in different places, always when two 
birds were together, once when a pair were engaged in 
copulation (April 30th) in the top of a low pine on Davis’s 
Hill. Apparently, therefore, they are love notes. They 
are often followed by a succession of husky caws . 
D ryobates pubiscens . On April 1st I hung up some 
pieces of raatton fat in the oaks about my cabin. The 
Chickadees found it at once and came to it regularly 
thereafter. A Red-bellied Nuthatch also came occasionally. 
On April 9th a male Downy came and not a day passed after 
this when he did not visit it from one to five or six 
times, apparently earing his fill at each visit. He 
invariably alighted first on the branch just aboet the 
fat, perching crosswise and looking keenly about in every 
direction for a minute or more evidently to make sure 
that no danger threatened. Once satisfied on this score, 
he gave himself up wholly to the pleasure of his meal, 
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