30 THE AUD UBIOIN ©B UE REN 
April 6, Bluebirds are building. Found an Opossum with eight little 
possums in her pouch. Brown Thrashers are here and singing. April 7, 
received a five-foot Bull Snake. Young Great Horned Owls just hatched. 
Myrtle Warblers here. April 8, Shadbush and Dutchman’s Britches in 
bloom. April 9—Everything today seemed to burst into bloom—fruit trees 
and wild flowers. April 10, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are doing their usual 
damage. Grasshopper Sparrows, and White Throats are singing in the 
meadows and brush. April 12, Swifts are back after their winter in Cen- 
tral America. Likewise Whippoorwills, TTurnus and Skipper Butterflies 
are out. April 14—Saw my first Upland Plover in several years today. 
A Western Burrowing Owl was killed at Hamilton, Illinois. The bird 
was stuffed by Mr. Earl Lambert of Carthage College, and is in the school 
collection. This is the second specimen killed near Hamilton this spring, 
the other was brought to me for identification. (I believe these constitute 
the first state records.) April 15, Red-headed Woodpeckers and Water 
Thrushes appeared over night. April 16, Bank Swallows arrived. April 
17, House Wrens here—Little Gray Morel Mushrooms plentiful beneath 
the Elm trees. April 18, Yellow Violets, Sweet William, Jacob’s Ladder 
blooming. Bluebirds have four eggs. April 19—The warm rain produced 
many Morel Mushrooms. Young Killdeer already out of nest—second 
crop of Coprinus Mushrooms here. April 23, first Rose-breasted Gros- 
beaks. April 24, Red Birds have nest and three eggs, body of nest made of 
newspaper, grapevine tendrils and bark. April 25—Saw a Mockingbird 
today. April 26, Bobolinks and Great Crested Flycatchers here. April 28, 
Baltimore Orioles, Catbirds, and Wood Thrushes here. Young Bluebirds 
in nest. April 29, Kingbirds here, together with Dickcissels and Yellow 
Throats. May 1, Spotted Sandpipers appeared today. May 2, Night 
Hawks, Wood Pewee, Warbling Vireos, and Hummingbirds came today. 
May 4, Papaws in bloom, also Yellow Star Grass and Showy Orchis. May 
5, Prothonotary Warblers numerous. Stopped at White Hall High School 
and found a mounted White Ibis, killed near there on the Illinois River, 
about ten years ago. This is interesting, as other records seem somewhat 
dubious. (Complete data being secured.) May 8—Saw my first Brown 
Pelican on the Mississippi River. Worthen reported one at Warsaw years 
ago. As I have seen them many times on the Gulf and am thoroughly 
familiar with them, I am positive of the identification. May 10—Found a 
Marsh Hawk nest with five eggs. It had been plowed up, but the nest 
was reformed and the eggs placed in it. The mother returned to it, altho 
in the middle of a plowed field. May 11, Young Bluebirds ready to fly— 
Young Red Birds left nest—all were banded. The father bird does the 
greater part of the feeding. May 22, Wild Iris and Spiderwort in bloom. 
Blood Root seed pods breaking. ‘These seeds are carried by black ants, 
because of edible sticky pulp about them and are thus scattered and planted. 
