It was my good fortune to spend some months in a cozy little cottage in
a suburban district, the natural surroundings of which were such as to
at once appeal to a naturalist, aside from furnishing ample opportunity
for rest and quiet. The large lawn belonging to the property, with its
abundance of shade trees, fronted on the main avenue of a populous
corporate town, while in the rear was a strip of woodland, which in turn
was bordered by a clearing covered mainly by briars and thick low
bushes, its whole length being intersected by a winding brook.
Birds in the locality were quite numerous and some of them showed
remarkable tameness. During the hours of night time, giving voice as it
were to the weird lights and shadows around the house, we could hear the
mournful ditty of a screech owl whose home was in a nearby hickory tree,
while the first gray streak of each returning dawn was heralded by the
sweet songs of the robins. Flickers were frequently seen hopping around
in the grass near the roots of various trees; the notes of the
yellow-billed cuckoo were also heard in the thick foliage of the maples:
redeyed vireos kept up a continual warbling all day long and doubtless
had a nest in the vicinity, as we observed the mother bird feeding two
very young ones; the latter being perched in a low bush in the yard. The
happy song of the house wrens was always in evidence and three nests
were built under the porch roof. I personally observed one of the broods
leaving the nest and was surprised to see two of their number climb up
the straight trunk of a wild cherry tree—genuine woodpecker fashion—for
a distance of twelve or fifteen feet, where the limbs began to branch
out. However, they arrived at the top safely and remained there for the
balance of the day.
Humming birds often came and hovered over the many beautiful flowers in
the yard, and sometimes consented to alight for a few minutes for our
benefit. On one of these occasions a party of five (including my baby
daughter) approached to within three feet of the flower stalk upon which
our little visitor was perched; still it sat there, turning its wee head
this way and that, looking at us with fearless unconcern. At last it
gave a sharp chirp, flew, and was soon lost to sight. On one occasion in
the early morning, we were greeted with the familiar call “Bob White,”
which seemed to come from the woods in the rear of the yard. The call
was repeated several times, but we were unable to discover the author of
it. A tree of fine red cherries proved a great attraction for cat birds
and other feathered fruit lovers. But what we considered the greatest
privilege, and one which was exceedingly enjoyed, was the daily greeting
of the wood thrushes during the breakfast hour. What could be more
charming than to sit leisurely eating the morning meal and all the while
listening to the sweet, clear strains of the loveliest bird songs
pouring from the throats of the russet-brown vocalists just outside the
kitchen window, peal after peal, in endless volume and variation. In
addition to the birds already mentioned we sometimes heard the shrill
scream of the blue jay, also the notes of the king birds and crested
flycatchers, while from the distance, floating to us from across some
field or meadow, came the morning praises of a meadow lark or the well
known call of the kildeer. The crows also added their deep caw-caw-caw
to the chorus of woodland voices. The clearing above referred to proved
to be the home of two or three species of the warbler family, and a walk
through the vicinity the following winter revealed a number of nests.
They were all placed low, and one of them showed every indication of
having been built and occupied by an oven bird.
The usual wild flowers of the season were abundant and the surrounding
country at large was admirably suited for exploration and research;
hence our sojourn at the “Cottage” was one of great pleasure and
instruction.
Berton Mercer.
[Illustration: SILVER-SPOT BUTTERFLY.
(Argynnis nitocris nigra-caerulea).
Life-size.
FROM COL. MRS WILMATTE PORTER COCKERELL.]
Top row:
Female, upper surface.
Male, upper surface.
Bottom row:
Female, under surface.
Male, under surface.