r78 Bird-Lore
In the openings of a near-by tree- and bush-grown pond, if the resident Kingfisher does not give the alarm. a Black Duck with her brood may be seen, and, more rarely, one may catch a glimpse of a radiant Wood Duck floating on the clear brown water. At dusk the whistling of Woodcocks' wings and the momentary sight of the birds rapidly flying to fresh feeding grounds adds another gatnc»bird to the list
In the grassygrown fields, ready for the mower, and on the rolling plains, where sheep graze, are Meadowlarks, Vesper, Field, Savanna and Grasshopper Sparrows, with Kingbirds and Indigo Buntings in the border- ing tree lines.
From every side comes the splendid, vigorous whistle of Bob-white, and often the singer may be seen, perched on the top rail of a fence, replying in kind to a rival occupying a similar position on the other side of the field.
Approaching the borders of the woods, and where thicket growths encroached upon the fields, one was sure to have the always startling expe- rience of flushing an English Pheasant: and in the morning and evening the little, immature, bantam-like crow of cock Pheasants was a distinctly strange and foreign note.
In spite of its abundance, the novelty of this bird's appearance does not wear off. As, with a cacklc and a roar of wings, the bird seemed to burst from the earth, I invariably paused to watch the magnificent creature rise, rocket-like, and sail away into cover; nor did one think of moving until it was lost to view. The manner in which a cock Pheasant can conceal himself where there is apparently not sufficient cover for a Sparrow was a never»ending source of wondert Scarcely less astonishing than the flight of the adult Pheasants is the wing-power 0f the chicks. When evidently not more than two or three days old, they fly with a speed and certainty of aim which quickly carries them to the near-by shelter. The sitting females were exceedingly wary. leaving the nest with but little cause and returning with much caution. Several hundred Pheasants were released on Car- (liner‘s Island a dozen years ago. where they have so thrived that they are now numbered by thousands.
The woods, in addition to the Vireos, Scarlet ’I‘anagers. Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes and other comtnon species, held as tenants several Caro— lina Wrens, a southern species whose loud, ringing, musical whistles added an unexpected bird voice to the chorus of June songt Reaching the regu- lar northern limit of its range in northern New Jersey, this bird is known only as a rare straggler on Long Island; but it appears to have become permanently established on Gardinerls Island, where the conditions have evidently proved favorable to its increases Its characteristic notes gave form to mental pictures of some southern woods, made still more real by the guttural. lisping gurgle of the Parula Warblers nesting in the long. hanging streamers of usnea moss.
