42 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
or any exposed fleshy parts, as these are sure to fade soon after death. 
Notes of this sort must be checked at every opportunity from living birds, 
since in many instances the colors change immediately at death. Outlines 
or colored drawings of the whole birds are extremely helpful in studying 
the relations of the various feather tracts to one another and patterns 
formed by the markings of the feathers. A scientific study skin, however 
carefully prepared, often loses so much of this that it is impossible to 
reproduce the markings of the bird in correct relation without previous 
studies. In conjunction with this, sketches of the underside of the wings 
are necessary for paintings of birds in flight. “This is especially true in the 
case of hawks, with their striking patterns of spots and bars on the under 
surface of their wings, so characteristic in many cases that the species 
can be identified by them from afar. 
For the ultimate production of a painting of a bird in its natural sur- 
roundings, a suitable background is required. ‘This is perhaps the most 
dificult problem to a bird-artist. Where the subject of a picture is treated 
naturalistically, the setting of the picture should be treated so. “Che back- 
ground should faithfully reproduce the natural habitat of the bird; it 
should carry the depth and atmosphere of nature, but it must be subordi- 
nate to the bird. Thus constant observation of nature in her various 
moods of sky and water, trees and rocks, sunlight and shadow supple- 
mented by landscape sketches, studies of interesting twigs, weeds, lichens, 
all this is the field work of the bird-artist. 
leaves, flowers 
Whistling Swans at W aukegan 
‘There is a small pond back of the public service plant north of Wau- 
kegan which is a favorite resort for wintering wild fowl. Very few 
ducks have appeared this season, doubtlessly due to warm weather, but 
two Whistling Swans have found conditions to their liking and they have 
remained in the vicinity for two months. On January 13 I visited the 
pond with A. M. Bailey and E. G. Wright of the Chicago Academy of 
Sciences, and a short strip of motion film was made so we might have a 
permanent record of these fine birds wintering in the Chicago area. 
W. Is Byvon. 
