38 THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 
Mergansers were observed on the lake. Of the latter, males are in 
the majority. 
The high point of the bird year for me was the discovery of two 
Clay-colored sparrows feeding on seeds we had scattered on our drive. 
We had long looked for this bird unsuccessfully; the two were about 
our place for five days, coming close to door and window on the brick 
porch where food was scattered. 
A Catbird I banded in June of 1934 (an adult male) was back at 
our food shelf May 14. Robins built again in a low tree close to the 
door. On May 4 the eggs were missing. Some time later a Mourning 
Dove was seen examining the nest where a white egg was afterwards 
found. This was seen to be punctured shortly, and then it also van- 
ished. We suspect a squirrel as one was seen hunting through the tree 
a week or so later. 
In the past two years we have had the following birds nesting in 
boxes about our place: Wren, Flickers, Chickadee (1934), Bluebird, 
Sparrow Hawk, Crested Flycatcher (1935), Starling, Purple Martin. 
The entire summer population numbers between forty and fifty 
species. Our winter list is made up of the following: Rough-legged 
Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Screech Owl, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, 
Blue Jay, Crow, Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, 
Starling, Junco, Tree Sparrow. The Red-headed Woodpecker has not 
passed the winter with us since 1931. 
Lincoln Sparrows paused on October 8 the past fall, the song lead- 
ing to their discovery. We have seen them nearly every spring and 
fall for several years. 
The clamor of Crows cailed our attention to a Barn Owl being 
mobbed by about twenty of them on November 14. 
RUTH WorkK (Barrington, III.) 
Last spring when the Baltimore Orioles returned and began hunt- 
ing a homesite, I put threads of many colors and textures on the rustic 
fence surrounding the garden. 
Mrs. Oriole used any and everything, cotton strings both hard 
and soft twists, and woolen yarns in all colors, but she definitely proved 
that she preferred the neutral tones, always taking the white and 
creams first, then tans, yellows and browns, then blues, greens and 
purples, and if no others were available she would use the reds. 
The site chosen for her nest was a very low-hanging limb over 
the garden which afforded a splendid view of the building operations. 
After making a skeleton framework, she filled in solidly the north and 
east sides first. The finished home was a veritable “Joseph’s Coat”! 
I discovered that she had lined it with the soft combings from the 
dog’s winter coat when I saw a saucy little Wren dropping the hairy 
lining to the ground, singing lustily while he destroyed his neighbors’ 
home. The orioles were so discouraged they abandoned the nest, much 
to my sorrow. I hope to repeat the experiment next year. 
JOSEPHINE P. HIGGINS (Barrington, III.) 
