Norwich bulletin., 1920-04-10

.sthe nest again. or the hen pheasant Twill break up housekeeping.
 l A small brush fire made a cautious hen desert her we'll incupated clutch
 of nine eggs.
 l When Audubon medals Of the first fclass are coined, one should be given 1 to L. E. Rawson for continued /, services for the preservation of the birds. MT Rawson's speciality. 1t will 1 from the old seltar hole den with bare
 hands, threshing and stamping life from the old cellar hole den with bare carcasses into the fertilizing heap 1 the only place where snakes can do
 ,ariy good. We cannot all eat black 1 snake chowder. which more than
 once was on the menu of two Pres. 1 ton farmers. Mr. R-s score card showed fifty snakes three years ago, ty-five last spring. In the first raid
 this year, April I, a trio of constric-
 tors were caught one measuring five ] feet and six inches, and one five feet and seven inches in length
 ! Other hibernaters. were very early lsafield. A dozen | woodchucks were
 seen in March, two ehuckers having tsought sanctuary. under the school house. Red squirrels, who make no i provision for hard winters, were on top of the drifts in February, but
 chipmunks. who lay up store of corn and nuts, did not come out till
 March 10th. Three grey squirrels that coziIy wintered in an apple tree l hole within ,25 feet of the school house. obeyed the hot impulse and
 scurried away to leafy summer houses in the tall woods and to feasts
 on the sap filled maple buds. Nature
 last October was provident with
 acorn and walnuts, and the melting
 drifts now disclose plenty of Shacl
 for all the rodents. The resident
 birds of prey, made no barnyart
 raids this winter, though horned
 land the barred owls were very noisy
 in the decidupus woods in the early part of March, groshawk-th'
 usual winter terror to poultry-wa:
 little in evidence, and not snow. fowl seen.
 ,1 The Easter parade of birds was no success either in numbers or prope spirit on account of squalls of snoy and rain. The four cold days iron , April 3ds to April 7th kept back othe ], thrushes from coming up to join tn f robins, other fyeatchers from appear 7 ing to help the hardy phoebe in hi La-o . lows from coming to aid the tre r swallow. The whitebellies came Q l 1 March 18th, and were welcomed b r our very first sleighbell chorus froi e the peepfrogs. It will be a very Ion X fortnight before the main body e Northern warblers comes trooping b :, Feretellfng other feathered move s ments, a few triangles Of geese ha1 q ventured along. The very first bird e | breed except the capteres was tf q starling who went to housecleanir g and carrying in material for her ne t March 25th, using last years ho q which she stole from the bluebird e Our home pair of black ducks can y back in the warm March weather, al ?. many times for two days flew To IT. back and forth over the house, dsIacl le ling loudly as if undecided whether s again breed. with us or to move alon = The schoolboys have done their | n by building bird homes. And the bo ;;e say that these tenements. are. only 70 .o be rented to just married couples ,,e wrens, bluebirds, and tree swallow 'g No starlings. English sparrows, ,S red squirrels need apply. The oh ~ = dren will be apt Nto hold us to O s proposal to go over. to the Hibba ly colony of cave swallows in May a ,e see the lively masons at work plaste ,e ing the front doors of their poue of like homes. It will be interesting - Edrop a feather from few feet in [ r. air, and see if it is possible for t n- 1 feather to reach the ground before in dozen. swallows dart for it and t ,lz quickest. of the aviators seizes it a ne carries it to her nest in babel Id loud twitterings.