r66
continuing a week was the cause of the death at one hundred and titty young and several old birds. Did the old birds know that it would be too late to rebuild and rear broods? None of thetn attempted this. Yet this year’s misfortune did not deter tlletn from hart-hing second broods. although only nineteen days earlier than last year’s mishap,
“At the bird-house of john Reese, two miles west of town, fort_ five dead young were found. and he told me this morning that he had plentv of birds just coming out. Joseph Patton, who bought a Martin house of me in tgoz, took fifteen dead birds out of
his l10x on jtlne r5. antl tound seven othch II living. Auras Allison. cast nf hert, hall a colony in an old hox
s
three miles
near his old resident-e, which he wished to divide by inducing sortie of the birds to come [0 an elegant box of forty rootns be erected near his new residence, some hun- dreds of yards trout the old. Nonc ot the birds built in tire new box until after the rain, nhcn rhe whole t-olony moved to his new box. built nests and raised young.
"All other boxes in use in this town, which I have been able to see lately. still contain young birds all apparently about the same age as those at my otvn houses. All of which goes to show that where the old birtls escaped death. pretty generally. second broods were hatched.“
Under date of Septcrnher 9. Mr, Jacobs adds: "Since sending my observations on the Martins I have taken the final notes for the fall. and present them herewith
"August 27 illatle watched the birds come in evenings and go out mornings, as usual. until August 2.4, when I was called away to Pittsburg. returning tn-night. The birds came home. btlt my father did not know in what numbers.
"August alt—the morning hirds were away by daylight. unnoticed. In the even- ing about titty birds came. but only a few entered the houses for the night.
"August 29.71" the morning, one old
male was noted about 9 o‘clock soaring over the town
“ Thi this (all
was the last seen of the birds here
Bird - Lore
Economic Value 01 Game Birds
A despatch from Cheyenne, Wyo., to the New York "Herald" says:
"The devastation of the ranges along the Big Laramie and North Platte rivers by vast swarms ot grasshoppers can be traced di— rectly to the killing ot the Sage Chickens in those districts.
s The Chickens have been practically ex- terminated, and their disappearance was fol- lowed promptly by thc appearance of the grasshoppers.
" The insects have done incalculable darn-l age during the last three years, and the ranchrnen, realizing the cause at the inva— sion, are considering plans for propagating Sage Chickens and reEstablishing them on the range.
“The next Legislature will be asked to pass a law protecting Chickens at all times Their increase is to be encouraged in every Other parts ot the state where Chickens are becoming scarce are begin» ning to learn the satire lesson.
ll Everywhere Chickens are scarcerthis year than ever before, and grasshoppers are more plentiful. Sage Chickens consume enor— mous quantities of insects, and there is little doubt that within a year they will be protected."
way-t
Red Crossbills in New Jersey, in July
In the northern part of Somerset county, N. L. where I was spending- my vacation this summer, 1 had the pleasure ct finding a flock of six Crosshi|lst They were first observed on July r9, around some ccdar trees which flanked both sides of a roadwav They were very tame, and I was able to t down within six feet of them and watch them. Two were males, showing quite a quantity of red in their plumage. When startled they would fly a short distance away, uttering twittering notes as they flew.
About an hottr after I first saw them, I went to look for them again and found them in exactly the same trees. Early the next morning they were in the same neighbor- hood. but during the day they disappeared and were not seen again—Gnome E. Hlx, A'l-‘w Tar/t, A’. Y.
