. Bird lore . ough none of them is as distinctlyblack and white as all will be in the spring when the brown veiling of thefeathers wears off. They are rather erratic in their movements and suddenly,without the slightest warning, as though by some innate understanding, thewhole flock of Buntings and Larks brisks off, mingling their twitters andsharp tse-tse notes. We continue down the fence-row and soon hear the convivial notes of a 368 Bird - Lore flock of Tree Sparrows feeding about the weeds and briars at the edge of alittle run. They are always cheerful, and even on this gray morning indulg
. Bird lore . ough none of them is as distinctlyblack and white as all will be in the spring when the brown veiling of thefeathers wears off. They are rather erratic in their movements and suddenly,without the slightest warning, as though by some innate understanding, thewhole flock of Buntings and Larks brisks off, mingling their twitters andsharp tse-tse notes. We continue down the fence-row and soon hear the convivial notes of a 368 Bird - Lore flock of Tree Sparrows feeding about the weeds and briars at the edge of alittle run. They are always cheerful, and even on this gray morning indulge inlittle snatches of canary-like song expressive of their good will, though far fromthe varied strains that they will take back to Hudsons Bay with them nextApril. On the opposite side of the little gully are some alders, and just as wediscover a flock of small^ dark-colored birds feeding on the catkins, they areoff with an excited chatter that pronounces them Redpolls. Why they should p---%«;-*-.:A^4rUW-C;. A WINTER ROBIN FINDING FOOD ON THE SUMACH, THE TREE OF LAST RESORT Photographed by A. A. Allen be so wild at this time of the year when they are so tame in the spring, I haveyet to discover, and my fondest hopes of discovering Greater Redpolls orHoary Redpolls among them are always shattered by having them depart thuswildly before I can get a good look at them. We write down just plain Redpolland continue to think that some looked larger and some much lighter coloredthan the rest and wonder if after all, all three subspecies were not representedin the flock. Now we come to the old orchard. A few frozen apples still cling to thetrees, and we hope to find a flock of Cedar Waxwings or at least a few Starlings The Audubon Societies 369 but luck is not with us. Even the hollow tree that has always sheltered aScreech Owl stands empty. A sharp call from a thick patch of sumac at oneside of the orchard, however, gives us a start. It has such a familiar sound,yet one that we have
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