Page:Bird-lore Vol 03.djvu/145

 I30 Bird -Lore Now and then a Goldfinch flew bj', uttering his merry per-chic-o-ree as he flew. A Marsh Sparrow mounted a cattail and sang a low, sweet song. Then a Pectoral Sandpiper, hotl pursued by a Cowbird, alighted near me, where the Cowbird left it to feed in peace. Next a Yellowlegs came flying by. The Pectoral and Yellowlegs are the advance guards of the flocks of shore birds that come here later in the season. A Spotted Sandpiper which has been with us all summer and several Robins now came arountl mc, and numbers of Barn, Cliff and Bank Swallows and Chimney Swifts were flying to and fro over the marsh catching their evening's meal. August 4, I noted a Solitary and several Least and Semi-palmated Sand- pipers. The last two are the smallest of our Sandpipers, and are usually found together, when it is hard to tell them apart. The Semi-palmated is slightly the larger. August 7, Yellowlegs were common and it was interesting to watch them as they moved about with a jerking motion, saying cler-clerk, flying a few feet and alighting gracefully with their long and beautiful wings spread straight up for a second, then carefully closing them to their sides. They were continually on the move and saying cler and cler-clerk. Several Sa- vannah Sparrows were running about like mice at the edge of the cattails, and a Flicker flew over. August 13, the Pectorals and Leasts were common and noisy. A Sparrow Hawk was circling around overhead. At 5 P. M. I was sitting on the state fence when three Virginia Rails came stealthily out of the flags, dodging about among the tufts of grass, thrusting their slender bills deep into the soft ground in search of food. They were quite close to me and I noticed that one of them was slightly larger than the others, the plumage of the breast was streaked and the wing coverts were quite ru- fous. I saw them at this place several times during the following month. In the early morning of August 15 I was walking on the "fence," when 1 came to a family of five young Cliff Swallows. They were in a row perched on the rail of the fence overlooking the outlet. I was so close to them that I could see their little eyes glisten as they looked in- quiringly at me. King-birds were common, and I heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. August ig, at 5.30 a. M., a Louisiana Water Thrush was running on the mud close to the "fence." A Long-billed Marsh Wren climbed up a cattail to scold me. Heard a Warbling Vireo, Catbird and Baltimore Ori- ole. A Brown Creeper was creeping zigzag up the trunk of a tree near the marsh. 1 did not visit the marsh again until August 29, and noted but one new bird, a Semi-palmated Plover. My next visit was September 10, and I found the marsh nearly dry and