The house is a typical old farmhouse, surrounded by an old apple and pear orchard, with vegetable garden and hedges, and open fields beyond. Surrounding the fields is a tract of fifty acres in woods, with a beautiful stream, and several springs scattered around in the fields and woods.
The first thing we did was to drive away the English Sparrows which had possession of the place. We got small shot-guns, and, whenever a Sparrow appeared, shot him. It wasn't long before those that were not shot, left. We then made houses for Martins, Wrens, Bluebirds and Flickers, some of which were immediately occupied. We had such success that in the winters of 1914 and 1915 we put up more houses, and in the spring of 1915 had attracted so many birds around the house that Dr. H. W. Henshaw, the Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture, became interested, and delegated Dr. Wells W. Cooke to visit our place. Dr. Cooke was so impressed by the number of feathered friends that we had gathered around us that he urged me to make a census of the birds living on an acre or two adjacent to the house, as he thought it probable that a count would bring us a world record. The record up to this time was held by a family in Chevy Chase, Maryland, who had attracted thirteen pairs of birds to one half-acre.
[Illustration: A BLUEBIRD'S NEST BOX, IN WHICH A PAIR OF BLUEBIRDS REARED THREE BROODS IN 1914, AND AGAIN IN 1915]
The prospect of securing a world's record was so inviting that, during the last week of June, 1915, I made a census of all birds nesting on the acre adjoining our house and barns, with the result that we found fifty-nine pairs of birds with young or eggs in the nest on that acre, the highest number of land-birds inhabiting one acre that has yet been reported to the Department of Agriculture or to any Audubon society. The details of the census are presented below:
LIST OF BIRDS NESTING ON ONE ACRE ADJACENT TO THE HOUSE AND BARNS OF GILBERT H. GROSVENOR IN THE WEEK OF JUNE 15-21, 1915
(Only pairs whose nests were located with young or eggs in them are counted.)
Flicker* 1 pair Bluebird* 1 " Yellow Warbler 1 " Orchard Oriole 2 " Catbird 2 " Song Sparrow 1 " Chipping Sparrow 2 " Phoebe 1 " House Wren* 14 " Robin 7 " Robin 7 " Kingbird 1 " Martins* 26 " -- Total 59 pairs