14 THEY A-U-DsU BON 1B UL aA Tela 
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changes in the light to green and copper, to velvety black, and back to a 
glowing amethyst again. In migration time the Annas are joined by five 
other kinds of hummingbirds. Think of them among the flaming eucalypti! 
There were many other land birds of these three winter months to be 
remembered. 
At our bird bath were Gambel’s sparrows and Audubon’s warblers (at 
this season every other land bird seems to be one of these species or the 
rosy house finch); Townsend’s warblers, brown towhees, mockingbirds, 
green-backed, Lawrence’s and willow goldfinches — such tame, gentle little 
fellows, sitting in a row on a hand rope near the bath — a Cassin’s king- 
bird, which is the common winter kingbird here; western bluebirds, and 
the ever-present Anna hummingbirds. Each had his own technique of bath- 
ing. The big blackbirds strutted and stalked through the water; the king- 
bird perched above it, dashing down jauntily to wet a wing, then up to 
his perch as airily as if he were catching fiies. And who do you suppose 
chased all of the big birds away and had the bath to himself? Of course 
it was the little Anna; and when he was in possession he did not take a 
real bath, after all. 
Elsewhere were a sage thrasher; Lincoln’s sparrows in large flocks 
with their color pattern bright in the sunshine and their legs very pink; 
fox sparrows so dark and gray I did not know them at first; green-tailed 
and spotted towhees, and a road runner in the chaparral at the edge of 
town; pipits in flocks up to 20 in the vacant lots between the houses along 
shore. Red-shafted flickers were always a surprise in flight when their 
red wing linings throw an aura of color about them. Black phoebes, horned 
larks, and western meadowlarks were about. Mourning doves, sparrow 
hawks and California shrikes were common in the village along telephone 
wires. Bush-tits, tiny, ragged gray birds as acrobatic as chickadees and 
sounding like juncos, traveled along the hedges everywhere. Cedar wax- 
wings liked the red pyracantha berries. Dusky warblers, tule yellow-throats, 
and red-winged blackbirds were in the marshes along with the avocets, 
snowy egrets and little blue herons. Eared grebes were common, but there 
were not many pied-bills. Green-winged teal instead of blue-winged and 
huge flocks of pintails and shovellers. All of these, mind you, within a 
radius of three miles of our cottage. Yet the natives (non-bird watchers) 
said there were not many birds there any more! 
948 Judson ave., Evanston 
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Bird Walks 
During the spring migration, when birds can be found almost every- 
where in large numbers, is an excellent time to interest beginners in 
ornithology. Those who thought that robins and English sparrows were 
the sum total of the bird world can get a provocative glimpse of the fas- 
cination of bird study. 
The Illinois Aubudon Society this spring helped dozens of persons get 
that glimpse through bird walks in the Chicago parks. Under sponsorship 
