The Portland daily press., 1899-01-04

Charles Halleck In Forest and Stream.
Even the most casual observer In some
parts OF tho country cannot help remark
ing how entirely some species Of woods
birds have entirely abandoned their prim
tive rustic habits, and adapted them
selves to the environments Of civilized
man. acquiring entirely new tastes d.
specially notable In the suburbs OF St
Louis, known as the "west End" where
the houses are mainly of the better class,
detached and surrounded by ample lawns,
With trees, shrubbery. and frequent gar
len fountains. In numerous areas M
tive groves Of the shingle oak are re-.
tained, but the interspersing mass OF
foliage trees has all been introduced.
Many of these are NAPLES of different
species, erst lille grown to majestic size,
some of them 90 or 20 feet In height, but
VIII ose fronds were broken OF by the
great hurricane Of May. 1896. and rot
ting. left spaces and hollows desirable for
Nesting birds These seem to have beeo
incontinently pre-empted and occupied
as domiciles by various kinds Of wood
peckers, among which the golden. winged.
the hairy woodpecker, the red-headed
woodpecker, and the yellow-billed sap.
sucker are conspicuous. They are noisy
lot, and make eisbborhoods tiresome
with the chatter. There are bluejays In
colonies, crows, blackbirds, robins,
wrens, catbirds, redbirds. cardinals, lire
hangbirds, and orchard orioles, some rep
ressntatives Of which remain the whole
year round, becoming ABSOLUTELY fearless
of man, and depending IN severe weather
upon the sculleriss for subsistence, fore
gathering like domestic chickens. They
range nil over the West End district.
The golden winged woodpeoksr. which
is known elsewhere as the highholder.
flicker. and yellow hammer. IL called q
Whitaker" In Eastern Carolina, bo-
cause his most familiar notes sound like
whitaker. whitaker, whitaker, thrice
repeated. This call is varied in most
interesting and humorous manner by ao-
centuation of the sy tables SO that when
a part are hocking. as they often do,
among tie thick branches OF trees, where
it Is quite difficult to set them, they seem
TO say, (which Is Is? which Is itp which
IS itS' or (Which Is your which is your
which Is your Often they seem to call
ench other, "what cheeri what cheer
Fitzhughl Fitzhugh!" The sap.suokers
are even more oolloquial, and their jaun-
ty red caps and notified black and white
garb. as they fit from tree 70 tree, enliv-
en- city premises very much. The orchard
orioie ard the wren have several notes
In common, and the hooking birds imi-
tate every note and infection. The lat
ter are not common, and, imagine are
trapped for their store value. Orchard
orioles are known In North Carolina as
"Jorees
These feathered indiaenes of the woods
IND groves never leave their environ.
ments OF brick and mortar In the st
Louis suburbs. but have become absolute
ly citified. They are NJ mnoh house birds
az home-bred canaries. One often sees
them sitting on the peaks of the Queen
Anne" roofs, where they sQuawk for NJ.
teen minutes at time at intervals of a We
seconds or SO, varying their occupation by
occasionally prodding the joints Of the
slated roofs with their long bills. produc-
ing O metallic sound like that of an cleo
trio bell only less musical Sometimes
they insinunte their beak between the tin
roof plates and produce leaks when II
rains, SO the housewives say. And the
red heads bore into the telephone poles.
which the grubs have attaokcd. and often
ha MI axyk