Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-02-21

the edges of a corn-stack which always
affords shelter for birds that prefer to
squat rather than perch, at least in winter.
The longsprr clings to the ground in
this same way, and She horned lark also,
and we can easily see that II would be
matter of heredity in species that are
natives, of countries offering such poor
perching accommodations in the matter of
| trees.
DR.. Coues thus describes the nest:
| ssThe few nests of the snowflake that l
/ have seen we're built with & great quantity
of kind of short, curly grass which
grows in the Arctic regions, mixed With
moss, the whole forming very sub
1 stantial structure, with walls an inch or
more thick, and small, deep cavity.
This is warmly lined with a quantity of
4 large feathers from some waterfowl.
They are built on the ground, often
( covered and hidden by tussocks of grass
1 or even slabs of rock. The eggs are ex
/ ceedingly variable in color as well as size.
/ The ground is white or whitish, some
times fiecked all over with neutral tint
| she'll markingsi overiaid by deep brown
/ spots. In other cases,
i we have heavy wreath of dull brown
| blotches around the larger end. Those
| who have seen thelsnowtiake ut home in
summer speak highly of its vocal ability,
and have also good word for the fidelity
of the bright bird to its mate and its
| young"
To us who may only see the snowflake in
| it's wanderings, itslchiet interest and i'm
| portance is that itsScoming brings bit of
novelty to the winter landscape, and that
| it is one of the most furtive of the great
tribe of weed warriors that, through. the
very necessities OF its existence, consumes
vast numbers OF sweed seeds before the
growing season quickens them to life.
| The careless landowner for the lack of
few days or even hours spent with a
scythe in bis pasture and old fields, in
vites the company of weeds that will not
| only choke his crops but rob the very soil
OF its fertility.
Then comes winter, and while the man
withdraws into his lhouse, and in storms
goes out only to feed the cattle, the bands
/ OF feathered workers that are great part
of natures scheme OFF economics, silently
appear, and without confusion fall to
| their allotted tasks: AThe crossbills and
pine grosbeaks, through their feeding, to
plant evergreen forests; the waxwings to
establish the pointed cedsrs on bare hill
sides, drape the bywsys with bittersweet
and mesh the thickets with catbriar; the
| myrtle wsrblers to spread the persistent
| greenery OF the ayberry, together with
many other berry bearing bushes; while
the gentle snowfakes in the hollows, al
ways keeping close to the ground, CLEAN
from the broken weed-staiks that have
been overlooked by their kinsmen in the
earlier season of plenty.
| 10 addition to this seed food, the snow
fake is known to eat the Larvae OF small
| insects and minute sheli-fish that attach
themselves to the leaves of water plants
and rushes upon the seeds OF which they
also feed1, so that there is reason in this
varied diet for the usual pau mp appear
ance of the bird.
Surely, il any bird could be expected to
receive hospitable treatment at human
hands, one would think it would be given
to these brave children of frost and snow,
the snowflake and slate-colored iunco, yet
myriads OF these have fallen into the
snares of the trappers for the sake of the
mere mouthtul of msat they furnish.
Nuttali tells OF the way in which they
were shot every winter on their return to
the Scottish highlands, their compact
manner OF flight making them easy marks
| for the fowler; while in other countries OF
Europe they were Systematically caught
in traps, when, after being kept and fed
upon millet until they had recovered from
the fatigue OF their long fight, they be-
came in flesh ami favor the rivals of the
famous ortolan.
| A man from our own hill country who
was boy twenty years ago, told me few
days since, as we stood watching the
| juncos picking up miIl-sweepings from
under my fesding-tres, that Eat home we
always used to catch lots of those gray
snogbirds every winter, in a box-trap.
Good eating they were, too-'bout as sweet
and tasty as reed birds (bobolink).
| 'Fwould be poor winter We boys didn't
| get couple o. hundred on EN-. Since the
blizzard year Qsss) they sort o. SHE'D off,
! oAiG ~" thdb hAf law HAS sci pump GOWN
on every sort o. snarin', the country fell
lers either has to take bad risks or do with
pork meat in winter. No more partridge
runs and rabbit falls, and gray squirrels
can sas yer and fire acorns at yer all they
like after December and yer can't shoot
| backl"
1t was new idea to me, tbs recent
sharing of the welcome winter birds that
so many of us labor to protect. Alack!
behind them the sweep of the blast to
which so many succumb from exhaustion,
with the haven of food and promised
shelter notwithstanding to trap, how
much greater must be the vital power of
nature than all the inventions OF man, or
else there would be no more juncos or
| snowfiakes to fall from the very storm