Eight Vintage Bird Illustrations by Allan Brooks

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Allan Brooks P FOX SPARROW National Audubon Society Allan Brooks TREE SWALLOW (young and adult) National Audubon Society Allan Brecks HERMIT THRUSH National Audubon Society Allan Brooks استلا BLUE-HEADED VIREO National Audubon Society T Quan Brooks. RED-HEADED WOODPECKER (adult and young) National Audubon Society QuanBrooks MOURNING DOVE National Audubon Society Allan Breaks BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER National Audubon Society Allan Brooks. MEADOWLARK National Audubon Society

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No. 34 Fox Sparrow This aristocrat among sparrows, on account of its size and unusual markings, is easily dis- tinguished from all its relatives. Its rusty, or fox- red color on the upper parts, together with the whitish rust-marked breast serve to make it stand out as unique among its kind. As if further to emphasize its outstanding characteristics, nature has endowed it with unusually large feet and claws. It is largely a ground feeding bird, spending most of its time scratching amongst the dead leaves for its food. During the migration it may be found in thickets and briar-patches, or in shel- tered ravines grown up with thick shrubbery and vines. Here on quiet days flocks of these birds may be heard scratching, often in company with juncos or other sparrows. The busy activities of the birds as they send the crisp, dry leaves flying in all directions would at times give the impres- sion that a flock of barnyard fowls had escaped into the woodlands. The nest is on the ground, or in low trees or bushes, of coarse grasses, lined with finer ma- terial, hair, moss and feathers. From four to five bluish eggs are laid, speckled and blotched with brown. Scientific name: Passerella iliaca iliaca. Length: 7 inches. Range: North America. Breeds from northeastern Alaska and northern Ungava south to Manitoba and south- ern Keewatin. Winters from Ohio and Potomac valleys south to central Florida and central Texas. No. 34 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid Printed in U.S.A. No. 38 Tree Swallow When the blustery days of March are over and milder April brings fresh arrivals among the birds, there comes leisurely drifting before the warm south wind the advance guard of the great army of tree swallows. Their pure white breasts offer an easy field mark, and at once distinguish them from other swallows. They migrate solely by day and their flight is usually more leisurely than that of other members of the family. Lazily and gracefully dipping and circling, they move forward in broad streaming lines. Immediately after the nesting season they begin to gather in ever-increasing numbers, myriads often flocking together preparatory to the south- ward migration. Before this flight begins they spend the weeks of late summer and early autumn foraging widely about the countryside. Often at dusk great numbers inay be seen swirling down out of the sky and dropping noiselessly into the reeds. When the southward movement is well under way, great flights often are to be noted along the coasts of the southern states. The nest is usually in a hollow tree, of grasses and feathers. From four to seven white eggs are laid. Scientific name: Iridoprocne bicolor. Length: 6 inches. Range: North America. Breeds from northwest Alaska and western Mackenzie and northern Ungava, south to southern California, Kansas, and Virginia. Winters from southern United States south to Cuba and Honduras. No. 38 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A. No. 48 Hermit Thrush The hermit is the earliest of our thrushes to arrive in the spring, for it comes while the trees are still leafless, and again it lingers in the autumn until the woods are quite bare. At such times it may be seen quickly and silently flitting through the forest aisles, sometimes alighting on the ground and again on some low perch. If ap- proached too closely it again takes flight, its shadowy, illusive form blending in with the russet leaves and the thicket's dusky tones. The call note of the hermit is a scarcely audi- ble, low chuck. Its song, however, is a notable performance, and poets and naturalists alike have vied with one another in attempts to do it justice. When heard at eventide in the quiet solitudes of the northern hemlock forests it possesses a serene clearness and sweet tranquility of tone which will scarcely brook comparison with other bird songs. The nest is on the ground, of mosses, coarse grasses, and leaves, lined with pine needles and rootlets. From three to four greenish-blue eggs are laid. Scientific name: Hylocichla guttata faxoni. Length: 7 inches. Range: Northern and eastern North America. Breeds from southern Yukon, southwestern Mackenzie, south- western Keewatin, to northern Quebec, central Alberta, central Minnesota, northern Michigan, Ontario, and moun- tains of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Winters from Massa- chusetts and Ohio and Delaware valleys south to Texas, Florida and Cuba. No. 48 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A. No. 39 Blue-headed Vireo The blue-headed or solitary vireo is a hand- some bird for, like the yellow-throat, it has de- parted from the ashen greys and plain olive drabs which are the accepted vireo colors, and has taken on a coat of olive green which, accentuated by white wing-bars, makes it stand out promin- ently among its relatives. This is the first of the vireos to return in the spring and it lingers latest in autumn. It is a bird of the woods and does not come about our homes like the red-eye and the warbling. It is, however, a gentle and confiding bird, and now and then manifests marked traits of tameness. The song of the solitary is typical vireo music and may be described as having some resemblance to the combined songs of the red-eye, the Phila- delphia and the yellow-throat. Vireos play a very important part in helping to keep down our great and ever increasing num- ber of insect pests, for ninety-one per cent of their food has been found to consist of insects. The nest of the blue-headed is suspended from a small forked branch and consists of pine needles, plant-downs, etc., neatly interwoven into a com- pact cup. From three to four white eggs, spar- ingly speckled with brown or black, are laid. Scientific name: Vireo solitarius solitarius. Length: 5 inches. Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from Central Canada and Quebec south to Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Winters from Gulf States to northern Nicaragua. No. 39 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A. No. 22 Red-headed Woodpecker This handsome bird with its tri-colored coat is regarded by many as the Beau Brummel of all our woodpeckers. A book might well be written about its interesting habits and sprightly ways. The red-head is one of the most versatile members of the family and conforms its ways of living to a great variety of conditions. Although it is a real aristocrat among wood- peckers, it has departed somewhat from the family traditions and has become an expert fly- catcher. It is interesting to watch its sallies for insects, as from a dead limb it pitches into the air in hot pursuit of some vagrant beetle or fly. Its versatility enables it to live like an epicure, and its fondness for fruits and nuts is well known. The cultivated fruit it takes is more than paid for by the enormous number of insect pests it destroys. The red-head's taste for nuts leads it at times to store them for winter use. During seasons of bountiful beech-nut crops large quan- tities are safely hidden away in little hollows and cavities of the dead treetops. In such seasons, no matter how severe the weather, it does not migrate. The nest is generally in a dead tree. Four to six white eggs are laid. Scientific name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Length: 934 inches. Range: Southern Canada and United States east of Rocky Mountains. Resident, only in colder portions of its range. No. 22 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A. No. 17 Mourning Dove The mourning dove much resembles, except in size, the now extinct passenger pigeon, of which it is a close relative. Owing to its wide distribu- tion and comparative abundance it is one of that small number of birds which is known by almost everyone. They feed mostly on the ground and destroy enormous quantities of seeds of weeds. The young doves are fed at first on "pigeon milk" secreted by the parents; later they are fed worms, insects and seeds. Although gregarious, during the breeding sea- son doves appear in pairs. The nest is a makeshift affair of small twigs, usually placed on the lower branches of a tree, although it is occasionally built on fences, stumps, or on the ground. Two white eggs are laid. Scientific name: Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Length: 12 inches. Range: Throughout North America from southern Canada, southward across the continent to southern states, Mexico and Panama. Winters chiefly south of Ohio Valley. No. 17 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A. No. 40 Black and White Warbler The black and white warbler is among the first of the family to arrive in spring, when the food lands are just beginning to show a tinge of green. Those who experience difficulty in learning to distinguish the different species of wood war- blers need have no trouble in identifying this con- spicuously marked and very peculiar member of the family. Its habits are more akin to those of a true creeper than of a warbler. It climbs in a nervous jerky fashion, creeping about tree trunks and limbs, or over logs or fallen trees, often hang- ing from the under surface of branches with the greatest agility and ease. It progresses by a series of sidewise movements which seem not to get him to any particular destination, for apparently it has none, as it is constantly flitting from tree to tree making the briefest tours of inspection. His call note is a faint, sharp pit or psip while the slender thread of song which it essays may be represented by the syllables seé-see-seé-see. The nest is on the ground at the base of a stump or rock, of grasses, strips or bark lined with long hair, or rootlets. From four to five eggs, white and speckled with brown, are laid. Scientific name: Mniotilta varia. Length: 5.30 inches. Range: Eastern North America. Breeds from central Mackenzie, northern Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfound- land to eastern Texas, Louisiana, northern Georgia and west to South Dakota. Winters from Florida southward. No. 40 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A. No. 26 Meadowlark The meadowlark is essentially a pastoral bird, and to many is always associated with life on the farm. Its sweet melodious song floating over the greening fields of early spring seems to breathe forth the very optimism of nature, and to speak to us of all awakening, budding, growing things. Standing breast-deep in the young clover or wheat, or perched on the topmost twig of some tree, or on some stake or fence by the roadside, its cheery notes ring out, "Spring o' y-e-a-r," or "Spring is h-e-r-e". At such times its conspicu- ous bright yellow breast with its rich, black cres- cent adds to the effect produced by the song itself. The affection in which the meadowlark is held is evidenced by the fact that seven states have offi- cially adopted the western form for their state bird. Aside from sentimental considerations, the meadowlark everywhere should be encouraged and protected on account of its great value as a destroyer of insect pests. During summer about ninety-nine per cent of its food consists of in- sects. The nest is on the ground, of grasses and usu- ally arched. From four to six eggs, white and speckled with reddish-brown, are laid. Western Meadowlark. State bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Wyoming. Scientific name: Sturnella magna magna. Length: 1034 inches. Range: In its varying forms breeds throughout the United States and northward to southern Ontario and the Saskatchewan Valley. Irregularly migratory; wintering where snow and cold are not too severe. No. 26 from set of 50 Spring Birds of Eastern North America. Published by the National Audubon Society, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York 28, N. Y. Price per set, in a box, $1.50 post-paid. Printed in U.S.A.