Hee tmeAt Cel eur: ON wb Ocisl belotN 7 
at the Arboretum after New Year’s and we found the saw-whet again, but 
this time higher in a tree, and when we used the same tactics on it there 
was disappointment in store. Instead of watching those of us in front, it 
kept its eyes turned on Karl so steadily that he was unable to see whether 
it was banded or not. 
Still another day we went back and saw a saw-whet, but it was well 
out of reach, though we could see it well enough to compare the faces of 
this and a gray-phase screech owl a short distance away. The saw-whet 
shows no ears, whereas the screech owl had definite ear tufts. This was a 
delightful day to be out of doors for we were to see five American crossbills 
—three females and two males. They were in the top of a tall bare tree 
when found, but soon began to be restless and flew down to a tree that had 
many pine cones on it. They were easy to find again for we could hear them 
cracking the seeds out of the cones. This fiock was first seen there January 
1, and were still there on the 14th. A nice flock of 30 to 40 pine siskins were 
still in a grove of black alders, in company with cardinals, juncos, chicka- 
dees, tree sparrows, and two song sparrows. 
The loon was scarce according to our records for the spring and fall. 
We saw only one, November 17, at Maple Lake. 
Chicago, Illinois 
fi ft ff 
Karly Days in I[lhnois 
THROUGH THE courtesy of Mr. A. William Schorger, of Madison, Wis., a 
letter that has been for some years in the possession of Miss Lelia Bascom, 
also of Madison, has been sent to us because of some rather interesting 
references to conditions in Illinois 75 years ago. The letter was written at 
Normal, Ill., by Miss Bascom’s uncle, and is dated October 13, 1867. Mr. 
George Bascom, who had married and moved from Vermont to Illinois the 
previous year, had this to say: 
“* * * * T think I shall get along pretty well now. My corn is pretty 
good and I guess it will sell for six or seven hundred dollars, and I have got 
wheat enough to make our own bread and have enough to sow next year. 
I have had some talk with a man by the name of Nickols about renting his 
farm another year. It is a 160 acre farm and has about 130 acres of plowed 
ground in it. It is within four miles of Towanda, a station on the C., A., & 
St. L. R. R. and about 10 miles from here. He asks $500 for the use of it 
and will throw in the use of a corn planter and corn plower and a harrow, 
and let me have my firewood. I think on the whole that it is the cheapest of 
any place that I have seen. * * * * 
“IT have been out east to look at raw prairie two or three times but 
have about given up buying. It costs so much to build and to fence the 
prairie, and then you could not raise any crop the first year. When I was 
out east the last time I shot a big black duck and brought home. We had 
him stuffed and baked and had some sweet potatoes with him, and we made 
out a good ‘square male’ as the Irishman said. When I was out there I could 
have bought all of the wild geese that I wanted that the hunters had shot 
for 15 cents a pair. They are very plenty out there now. Also plenty of 
