Recent Literature

the previous day, was hidden by the ice and with two inches of snow and sleet on top. Two Tree Sparrows (Spizella a. arbores), shunning the more protected feeding places, were seen to alight where they had apparently found the food on previous occasions. They scratched, but seemed to find nothing to eat in the snow. Then both birds crouched in the snow, half burying themselves. Every few minutes they straightened their legs and scratched the snow only to return again to their crouching position. From time to time a new Tree Sparrow approached and drove one or both away. The new arrivals at once took up the alternate crouching and scratching of those which had been displaced. It was not long before the regular pecking of the birds showed that they were eating. A few hours later I examined the spot and found an area of almost a square foot of ground entirely bare of snow and ice. The edges of the bare spot showed snow turned to ice and the ice was melted smooth as if by the warmth of the bodies of the birds. They had apparently melted the icy covering from the millet and had eaten their fill.--G. HAr(•ooD PAnKS, 141 Branford Street, Hartford, Connecticut.