10 ToH'’E, A’vU D UTBO N *BvU LD Eee 
full as it was of fruited trees, berried shrubs, loaded vines and seeded 
flower stalks. Winter does not reign here but a kind of perpetual twilight 
springtide. The birds are in finest fettle, feeling as proud of their domain 
as though they owned it. Dozens of red-headed woodpeckers chase hundreds 
of other birds from the hunting quarters. When a great to-do among 
bluebirds was heard it was found they were protesting the presence of 
yellow-bellied sapsuckers among their favorite winterberry or deciduous 
holly. Such pretty anger was gorgeous to see. Rollicking Carolina wrens 
sing every bit as vigorously as in March, but robins, dozens of them, were 
hardly behind with their voices. Song sparrows sang lyrics now and then, 
and tufted titmice whistled bravely. It is here too that we heard pileated 
woodpeckers, those crow-sized, shy, wild spirits of the tall timber. 
In places like these your ordinary hiker seldom ventures. They are 
treacherous, wet marshes, and the recent ice formed over the water holes 
only serves to lure several of us on each trip to break through and get 
wet — up perhaps as high as the knees. So, because folks seldom venture 
where the birds lurk in winter they won’t believe you when you say you 
have been in a never-never land just across the river where life is rich 
and abundant. Robins in winter? Bluebirds? No, that is hardly believable. 
And next week they will go on feeling that the birds are all gone in winter. 
Listen awhile as we relate the sum total of these wintry expeditions into 
a wonderland of birds. Over forty different kinds were seen in the one 
tract alone, yet other tracts like it are all over the state. The number of 
individual birds was some 600 at least. It was here we heard lisping cedar 
waxwings, busy swallowing whole red haws from the green haw tree. 
Flickers were berrying too, but on hackberry trees. And thrushes, if you 
please, two hermit thrushes, at least, minded not the season at all, while 
they could get wild grapes and inkberries. Had we looked longer we might 
have seen a catbird as the Nature League at Springfield did when they 
made their Christmas census. 
All in all eighty-one different kinds of winged creatures were identified. 
This takes in nearly every bird except rare winter visitants which come 
when the snow stays long enough. The count tots up to 11,095. Some thirty- 
five persons took part in the toll, including Pere Marquette Nature Leaguers, 
Graftonites and members of the St. Louis Bird Club. Taking advantage 
of the example and work of the Illinois Natural History Survey, they were 
able to enjoy several unforgettable jaunts in the snow, and do a worth- 
while job at the same time. 
The list herewith follows. It is affidavited, notary publicized and 
inventoried to the hilt. Let no unbeliever cast his eyes over it, for he 
will be but strengthened in his unbelief. But let “men of good will” peruse 
it; and then go out in the gloriously bitter cold of winter and find in like 
manner what “was seen of so many.” 
Four double-crested cormorants, 1 black-crowned night heron, 200 (est.) 
Canada geese, 3000 (est.) mallards, 300 (est.) black ducks, 6 gadwalls, 
9 baldpates, 3 pintails, 30 blue-winged teal, 12 green-winged teal, 8 shovel- 
lers, 5 wood ducks, 400 (est.) ring-necked ducks, 3 canvas-backs, 37 scaup 
ducks, 58 American golden-eyes, 20 American mergansers, 1 red-breasted 
merganser, 5 sharp-shinned hawks, 2 Cooper’s hawks, 7 red-tailed hawks, 
