10 TH ESA U DU -BtOONS B UL Eee 
at the head and body. I found a long stick to separate them, but neither 
contestant paid any attention to me. This continued until dark. The next 
morning, before breakfast, I dashed to the spot expecting to find at least 
one body, but the only sign of the struggle was the long stick. They settled 
it their way. 
Within easy driving distance of the park are Crab Orchard Lake, a 
national wildlife refuge, Ferne Cliffe State Park, and Little Grassy Lake. 
Miss Esther Bennett, director of the museum, Southern Illinois University, 
guided me to the nesting cliff swallows at Crab Orchard. Under a bridge 
were rows of the jug-like nests, each with a mother sitting on the eggs 
and a father flying in and out or resting alongside. This scene was one of 
the trip’s best moments. Ferne Cliffe (no lodge) has interesting trails 
leading up and around rock formations. Under one overhanging rock, 
forming a perfect background, were blooming hundreds of the exquisite 
jewel shooting-star (D. amethystinum) — a new wild flower for me. 
The last evening at the park, in taking a farewell walk, I stopped to 
listen when a brown thrasher began to sing in the top of a tall tree. The 
concert lasted thirty minutes without intermission. When the music ended 
abruptly there was a long, complete hush. I had the fleeting impression 
that all of the creatures nearby had stopped whatever they were doing to 
listen. A memorable experience. 
In conclusion, the trip was not marred by bad weather — it was mostly 
fair and mild. There were a few brief showers and only one full day of rain. 
6034 No. Maplewood Ave., Chicago 45 
a! fi fl 
DDT Sprays and Bird Mortality — III 
By PAUL H. LOBIK 
Dr. JULIAN A. STEYERMARK, curator of the herbarium at the Chicago 
Natural History Museum, recently added his criticism to the practice of 
spraying trees with DDT to curb Dutch elm disease. In an interview pub- 
lished in the Chicago Tribune, August 11, 1957, Dr. Steyermark pointed 
out that spraying kills thousands of songbirds but does not halt the spread 
of the disease. In spite of the sad experience in Elmhurst last year (see 
the Sept. 1956 Audubon Bulletin), Barrington sprayed its trees and killed 
large numbers of birds this summer. 
Dr. Steyermark said that each community must decide whether it wants 
to sacrifice its elms or its songbirds. He observes that there are many 
other shade trees as valuable and beautiful as the elm, and concludes that: 
“Inasmuch as we cannot replace the birds, but can replace the elms with 
other kinds of trees, and inasmuch as the birds help to control the balance 
of nature, it would seem ... unwise to make a fetish of trying to save 
the elm at all cost.” 
The original article on “Bird Mortality in Elmhurst” has generated 
some serious thinking in many parts of the country. The article has been 
