The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-08
MORE ABOUT BIRDS
SOME FEATHERED FRIENDS WHO
SPENT THE WINTER HEREABOUTs.
The State GeOlOgist Adds His InfOr-
nation to a Recent Journal
Article.

last week concerning the coming of the
birds has caused considerable comment
among the amateur ornithologists of the
city. Some have taken exceptions to it ana
point out what they claim to be errors in
1t. State Geologist Blatchley in speaking
of the article said:
The article in the Journal of Wednes-
day headed Birds Coming Back was EVIL
IDENTITY. written by some one who studies
BIRDS largely IN books and not IN nature,
as IL contained a number OF statements
which are sadly at fault. True, the birds
are coming back and will continue coming
until the 10Th of May or later, but fun
forty kinds OF them spent the entire win
Ter IN Marion county. Among these were
here already; the blue jay expected next
week, and four kinds of Wocdpeckers which,
according to his statement. nave come
THESE are among the most common and the
most characteristic birds seen by the field
ornithologist between November and March,
and no winter day is too dull and dreary,
no sky too leaden and cherries, no north
wind too harsh and biting for them to be
on the lookout for food.
among the other birds which were here
all winter" he continued, land could have
been readily seen If a person had gone to
sheltered from the icy breath or King
Boreas, were the yellow bird or Americas
gold finch, the cardinal red bird. the tufted
titmouse the black-capped c~hickadee, the
white bellied nuthatcn, the quail, the song
sparrow ". tree sspaT + ~ ana ahss, STATE ha coi 6aed
in especial search of birds, and had peered
into every. nook and corner where they
seen, even on the coolest lays of Janu-
airy, several species of hawks and owls and
a few robins. blue birds and fickers, so the
statement of your writer that last fall
the native birds all left this section of the
country for the South must be taken
In 1880, Mr.. A. w. Butler listed 800 birds
as belonging to the avi-fauna OF Indiana,
and several additional species have been
taken in the State since then. OF these,
ninety-eight undoubtedly nest within a
which distance will probably include the
this locality of your writer, IN Wnlcn, ne
says s,b 'about forty ,5yk ai1Iepeh 70 V moet per many
nest But by far the greater number or
birds which appear in Marion !. county Wilt
larly to the far North to nest and as
regularly return to the South to spend the
winter months, and are therefore seen IN
this vicinity only for a few days in spring
and again for a short time in the fall. To
the ornithologist this class forms the most
striking and most interesting part of our
bird fauna. Being with us for so short a
time and stopping now here, now there, we
their habits of feeding. Their nesting habits
and their daily life in summer must be
region to which they go. and OF many
species these facts are not. yet known.
Among these migrants are w sis d dp,eks o and
water fowl clad in plumage or as varied
colors as were found in Joseph's coat, warb-
lers in suits of gold and black, and the
bobolink in his more modest coat of buff,
black and white. yet making up for his lack
of gay dress by, his merry song-ali aa-
journey to the far north, ana IN autumn
retreating with him again towards the
.sDuring the remainder of the month Of
April and the first half of May, a vast
army of these spring migrants will sweep
grove and woodland with their brilliant
of MAY scarcely any birds except those
nesting here will be seen until mid
begin. The average rate of advance north
ward has been found to be about twenty
three miles q day. This ADVANCE Is I more
o during the day to feed. Among these
migrants one of the most interesting
three species of which occur in Marion
county. The summer yellow bird-the only
true a warSler ah men'l cited-b bs ene an ~f averaee
in size; and as twenty-six OF the thirty
three stop, for but a few days " with tho US
who are not especially interested in birds.
In the first week of May the warblers are
TO be seen in the tops of trees fitting
hitler and thither in active, constant
scare; search d for rd 5hs5r them fylng usually rooa; a before eve its
eggs are laid, will prevent thousands later
on. Many of these birds frequent orchards
where canker worms. coddnng moths ana
them abundant food. and the good results
of their short stop with us cannot be over
1T has been ascertained that there are
certain great roadWays 9r pal lrsa aion nsm Mnlrn
These are river valleys asiu mountain
ranges which trend north and south; BY
abled to guide themselves oftentimes over
thousands of miles of territory to the
the previous. summer was spent, The
regularity of the time of arrival of a
note. For example. for four successive
years the little blue-gray gnat-catcher mas
made its appearance IN central indiana on
showing that it can Judge of the day of
the year almost as we'll as can some be
ings higher in the scale Of animal life.
This gnat-cateher is one of the smallest
and liveliest Of our summer residents 1t
frequents open woodlands and orchards;
covering its small Cylindrical nest with
a coat of lichens so that it may be as near
ly as possible the color of the limb on
which it rests
sThe two orioles and the catbird arrive
and the house wren about the same date.
So that the wrens which have come in
must have lost their reckoning. or have
been specimens of the great Carolina wren,
Among the familiar birds which have
already arrived on time are the brown
thrush. or Northern mocki1g bird, and
ing the only North American bird which
does not mate or build a nest for itself,
eggs in any nest which it finds handy.
the young being tended wholly by the
foster parents. and often crowdin out
or smoothering the legitimate offspring of
the owners of the nest.
MANY other arrivals have been noted
and many have doubtless winged their way
to the far north unseen by human eye.
but from now on he who will visit regular
ly the woods and fields, can gather many
facts concerning the coming OF the birds
which will be OF far greater value to him
than If gotten from books, magazine
articles or even newspapers.
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