" / " + txtnumber. textprogressbar1. value = progressbar1. value + 1sleep ( 50 ) nextend if combo1. enabled = truetxtnumber. enabled = trueend subprivate sub form _ load ( ) combo1. additem ( " 5 " ) combo1. additem ( " 6 " ) combo1. additem ( " 7 " ) combo1. additem ( " 8 " ) end sub i cant do the line that says : lblstatus. caption = progressbar1. value + " / " + txtnumber. text and i dont know a way around that. all help is appreciated. adding digits in a number hey everyone! i searched for something like this buit could not find anthing. what i need to do is take a number like 123456789 and add each digit together. so it would be : 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = whatever. i have tried a lot of different methods, but i can ' t seem to get it to work. could some of you guys help me out? thanx! forcing a set number of digits this is probably a really simple question but how do i force my program to insert zeros infront of a number if it ' s not large enough? for example, i want all my numbers to have exactly 3 digits, so if the number is 19, i want it to store it as 019. i know you can use formatcurrency function to force 0 ' s after the decimal, but how do you do it in my case? thanks in advance. counting number of digits is there any method to check how many digits a number contains that is entered in the text box or if it is assigned to an integer variable?? number of decimals digits hello to all. i am new with vb, so please forgive me if i sound ignorant. i am doing some calculations that involve double numbers, the results are ok, but i need to show only 2 decimal digits... and i have not been able to figure this out. could any body help me with this.? increment for a number with the alphabet... can anyone teach me how to increase the number with the alphabet as well? for example, " a00001 ", everytime, when i click the command button, it will automatically + 1


users know? thanks. how do you separate 1 big number into all the individual digits? say you ' ve got a number like 2749386 and rather than doing something with that number you want to split it into the individual numbers and do something with all those numbers. so you ' d have 2, 7, 4, 9, 3, 8 and 6 and can do different things to each. it ' s reaaly annoying if u can help i ' d be pleased number of digits after decimal point google search gave me nothing, so here it goes : is there a better way to find out how many digits there are after decimal point in the given number? 123 = > 0 12. 56 = > 2 3. 4 = > 1 etc. right now i have a little function that accepts a number and returns another number ( of digits after decimal point + 1, this 1 is the decimal point itself ) private function movenumberby ( sngvalue as single ) as double if instr ( 1, cstr ( sngvalue ), ". " ) > 0 then movenumberby = ( len ( cstr ( sngvalue ) ) - instr ( 1, cstr ( sngvalue ), ". " ) ) + 1 i hope there is a better way than dealing with converting the number to string and messing with it like that. removing digits form a number this may be a really biginners question, but if i had a variable say dim random = 134830809584545445 and i want to remove the first 5 digits at the right ( so removing ( 13483 ) in this case, is there a good function that can do this? unique digits in a number - you might find this useful. since there ' s no codebank for vba, here ' s something i ' d like to share with you all. i just finished working on a project which i needed to count how many unique digits are in a number. in fact, i ' ve modified it so that it works on strings too! function checkduplicates ( valrng as string, output as byte ) as string dim count as byte, olen as byte, nlen as byte dim totlen as byte, i as byte totlen = len ( valrng ) redim num ( totlen ) as variant ' populate the array one digit each. call pad ( num ( ), valrng )


2002 / 2 ; 2002 / 3 ; 2002 / 4....... 2003 / 1 ; 2003 / 2 ; 2003 / 3 ; 2003 / 4....... if i select the year from combobox then according to the year the number should increse and that should be concatinated to the year and the whole should be pasted in text box..... using ms - access as a database and vb as frontend...... storing digits for large number calc i ' m planning a module for arithmetic on large numbers and i need to store an arbitrary amount of numerical digits ( 0 - 9 ) in the quickest variable type possible and without wasting horrendous amounts of memory. longs and integers, while the fastest of variable types, simply cannot store that amount of data. strings are virtually free of length boundaries, but they ' re 38 times slower than bytes and given that they ' re unicode, they would require 2 bytes per digit. also, string operations are notoriously slow. i was thinking byte arrays would work well, although they are still much too large ( 256 possible values as compared only needing 10 ). this would waste half the byte. 4 bits would work well ( 16 possible values ), but the problem would be storing and retrieving two numerical digits for individual operations. i could mathematically determine two separate digits from a value 00 - 99. correct me if i ' m wrong, but i think the first and second character of a byte in hex would return the values of the first and second group of 4 bits independently. i ' m just tossing some ideas around. thanks for any feedback! taking a number in a textbox, and finding the mean of the digits. how do you write in a number in a text, and seperate the digits of that number? i need to find the mean of a number from 1 to 99999, then find the digit in the number that is closest to the mean, but isnt larger. please help me. i ' m going to have a text box, label, and command button. basically how do i seperate digits in a number that is a string. choosing number of digits after decimal to display to display numbers according to the regional setting i used this code : nnumber = 123456. 789 and the result is 123, 456. 79 i want that i can choose how many number of digits after decimal to display, but the thousand and


according to the regional setting i used this code : nnumber = 123456. 789 and the result is 123, 456. 79 i want that i can choose how many number of digits after decimal to display, but the thousand and decimal separator symbol remain to follow the regional setting. is it possible? edited by - zuohui on 8 / 26 / 2004 12 : 39 : 59 am solved : increment about form version number can someone explain how to increment the about form version number? it just stays at 1. 1. 0. other than not incrementing the form looks just fine. the code in the about form includes... private sub form _ load ( ) me. caption = " about " & app. title lblversion. caption = " version " & app. major & ". " & app. minor & _ ". " & app. revision lbltitle. caption = app. title lbldescription. caption = " this program was written by... blah blah " lbldisclaimer. caption = " warning :... this program is protected.... blah ".. but there is also under - project properties - make, the version number major, minor, revision. i have them each set to 1. and, the auto increment is checked. but, i ' m not sure about under application the title and icon part. the drop down for the icon just lists all the different forms i have in this project. i don ' t think of a form as an icon what am i missing here? under version information type there are entries like comments, company name, file description and so on. what are these for? forgive my ignorance i realize this ain ' t rocket science. maybe it ' s the triptophan kicking in. thanks for any help edited by - hal on 11 / 29 / 2003 7 : 57 : 44 pm ( resolved ) ( vb6 ) auto increment number in access i use access2002 and vb6. my project is a school project. i have 2 comboboxes and one textbox. in my access database i ' ve already entered data. in combo1 i show the classes like lkg, ukg, std i, std ii, std iii etc. in combo2, i show the names of students found in that particular class which is selected in combo1. let ' s assume that


the classes like lkg, ukg, std i, std ii, std iii etc. in combo2, i show the names of students found in that particular class which is selected in combo1. let ' s assume that the maximum strength in each class is 100. now i want to allot roll no to students of different classes in a particular way. for example : students of lkg should have roll no starting from 101. students of ukg should have roll no from 201. students of std i should have roll no from 301 like this. in the textbox if i write the first roll no of a class, can i allot roll no to all students of that class in auto increment way? hope, you got me. right? i mean, if i choose ukg and in the textbox i write 501 then roll no should be added in database against all students of that class like 501, 502, 503, 504 and each name. the roll no should be incremented till the no of students are found in the class. is it possible throught vb6 coding? thanks. edited by - pkb _ pkb on 6 / 28 / 2007 3 : 58 : 50 am reversing the digits of a number / display the day of the week for any date 1. ) how do i write a vb function / procedure that reverses the digits of a given number? i don ' t want to assume the length ( no. of digits ) of the number. that is, the user may input a 2 - digit, 3 - digit or number of any length ( less than 6 digits ). 2. ) how do i write an event procedure to display the day of the week for any given date. what functions should i use? this is not my homework. my exams are knocking on the door and so i was solving earlier year ' s question papers. i am stuck, so please help! how do i get the id ( autonumber ) to automatically increment a number sqlserver?? urge i am having a problem using the insert statement in asp. net i have a table " information " with the following : id ( auto number ) i have the following insert statement insert into information values ( myname, email @ my. com, mycomments ) ; how do i get the id ( auto number ) to automatically increment a number.?? i am using sql server 2000 how


the following insert statement insert into information values ( myname, email @ my. com, mycomments ) ; how do i get the id ( auto number ) to automatically increment a number.?? i am using sql server 2000 how do i get the id ( autonumber ) to automatically increment a number sqlserver?? urge no.. sql server is not handling it.. actualyy i am doing this in asp. net in my table design i have id in the first coloumn. actually in my form design there are only 3 feilds like name, email, comments. and a submit button. so in my coding part i have written my sql statement like this : sqlinsert = insert into tbltran ( trfp _ name, ttrfp _ email, ttrfp _ comments ) so how do i get my id in the first coloumn of the datatable?? in query analyzer when initially the value of the id is showing null so how to increment this null value? generate auto - number increment in a ms access report i would like to insert a automatic number field in a report that is not bound to any table. i. e. if i wanted to insert the date or time, i would simply type " = date ( ) ". however i would like to have every report that i generate include a auto number / random number. any suggstions? ps this is for a ms access 2000 report page. is there a way to remove digits and digits only? is there a way to remove digits and digits only? hello, i feel a little embarrassed. an acquaitance asked me a question. namely, he works for a reit company and he has to put together a project where they must retrieve various documents from the archives. by convention, the documents are stored according to the name of the street the property is on, not by the street address number, and prefixes such as " north " or " south " are ignored in ordering the he has an excel file with a list of all the properties, but sadly, the properties are input with the street number and directional prefixes ( e. g. " east " for " east clinton " street ) in the cell. so sorting them in the excel file would not at all correspond with the order they would appear while searching in the archives for them. is there a way to remove digits and digits only? i am aware of len and http :


) in the cell. so sorting them in the excel file would not at all correspond with the order they would appear while searching in the archives for them. is there a way to remove digits and digits only? i am aware of len and http : / / office. microsoft. com / en - us / excel / ha01154901 1033. aspx? pid = cl1005705510 33 i ' m not sure if this is the right area or not, but how do i make it so that only numbers can be entered into a textbox, or if it dedects that non - digit charachters are entered, it changes the text. i have an exercise on school which involve time ( digital clock ) recording i have made my vb and un the program but when i enter the hour, minute and second in the textbox the time in the label stop i don ' t know how to make it continue working... you help will be vey much apreciated, thanks! how many digits is there a way you can tell how many digits are to the left of the deciaml point in a variable dimmed as single? and how can you tell if there are numbers to the left of the decimal point in a variable dimmed as a single? hello. i am running vb 6. 0. i am making a countdown clock for school and every time it gets one digit in seconds, like 19 : 09, it cuts off the 0 and says 19 : 9. how can i insure that the variable stays two digits? hey people do you know how i can get 4 digits to be displayed in a text box? sum of digits from memory, so no warranty of any kind function sumofdigits ( byval number as integer ) as integer dim r as integer do while number > 0 r = r + number mod 10 number = number / 10 loop sumofdigits = rend function what ' s the easiest way to find the # of digits ( or letters ) in a string or in a int? is there a built in function or do you have to do it manually? since i am new with vb i have a little question. i ' m calculating in a ppc program some numbers and i want that the result only have 2 digits after the comma. can anyone helpme? sql and ado sig digits i am retrieving a value from the database that resides as " 10. 0 " ( a float


some numbers and i want that the result only have 2 digits after the comma. can anyone helpme? sql and ado sig digits i am retrieving a value from the database that resides as " 10. 0 " ( a float value ) when using query analyzer i am retrieving " 10. 0 ". when i run a stored procedure and utilize the ado object to display the value it shows a " 10 ". " 10 " is not the same as " 10. 0 " for my application. please let me know if there are any settings to ensure that the value is returned as inputted. the alternative i have is to store the values a varchar data. note : implied decimal values will not work for this application. the significance of the data is not known prior to receiving it. getting three digits off the website the use of my program requires it being added to the startup group. i may be a throwback for even considering these types of things, but because it ' s going to be permanently running in the background, i want to minimize the footprint in every way possible. i do, however, want the program to be able to check what the latest version is on the website. all it needs is to pull down is three digits from the website, be it checking the filename of the latest version posted or reading a three character text file. my question then is can i do this without adding a control? is there some sort of api that could do this? if the control is the only way to go, would inet be the best way ( smallest footprint ) to go about it? ok, i know the solution is probably really simple but i don ' t really know what to search for when looking for a solution. i am renaming files using a number ordering system but i need the files to be numbered as follows : if the length of digits is only 2 then : 01, 02, 03, 04, 05... 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 if the length of digits is only 3 then : 001, 002, 003... 010, 011, 012, 013... 100, 101, 102, 103 obviously i can get the length of digits as len ( $ string ) so that ' s fine. i just need to know how to insert the preceding zero ' s ( this is so that windows lists them in the correct order ). thank you for any help. long to digits? is there


rgeogan at welchlink. welch. jhu. edu mon apr 7 11 : 37 : 53 est 1997 announcing the science guide. a new internet directory and information service run by scientists and physicians for scientists and physicians. after visiting the guide, if you have any suggestion for making the guide better please let us know. ( webmaster at scienceguide. com ) the science guide consists of a number of different sections designed to help the scientist and physician find information on the internet and to sponsor communication between those interested in science : every day the science guide compiles medical and research news from national news sources around the net. most of the news articles are concerned with medicine, bioscience, and physics, but all other sciences from agriculture to zoology are commonly included. news sources currently listed include : cnn, eurekalert, hms beagle, msnbc sci - tech, science magazines sciencenow, cbs space news, usa today, the albuquerque journal, scientific american web weekly, the why files, discover magazine, scientific american, smithsonian magazine, and the technology review. the news pages also list links to news sources not compiled within the news site. we are currently working on adding a number of other sources to the site to make it even more useful. to make getting science news even easier, we send out a daily news emailer listing the articles which have been compiled on our site. anyone can subscribe to the emailer by sending an email to news at scienceguide. com with the message subscribe directory of usenet news groups and discussion lists the directory of usenet and discussion groups is compiled quarterly from different sources around the net to provide the scientist and those interested in science easy access to these invaluable sources of discourse and information. we are currently working on finding the proper subscription method for each of the discussion lists. this is taking a bit longer that we thought so please pardon our dust. the usenet portions of this section are complete. on - line journal hyperlink section the journals section contains links to peer reviewed scientific journals on the internet. each listing clearly indicates whether the journal provides only the table of contents, toc with abstracts, or the full text of the journal the jobs and positions section contains hyperlinks to the best scientific employment databases and classifieds on the net. grants and funding section the funding section contains links to the best funding and grant databases on the internet, making it very easy for scientists to quickly find funding opportunities. the featured site of the section is the community of science, a johns hopkins


giovanni antonio scopoli ( june 3, 1723 - may 8, 1788 ) was an italian - austrian physician and naturalist. scopoli was born at cavalese in the val di fiemme, the son of a lawyer. he obtained a degree in medicine at university of innsbruck, and practiced as a doctor in cavalese and venice. much of his time was spent collecting plants and insects in the alps. he spent two years as private secretary to the count of seckan, and then was appointed as physician of the mines in idrija, a small village in slovenia, remaining there for sixteen years. in 1761 he published de hydroargyro idriensi tentamina on the symptoms of mercury poisoning among miners. scopoli spent time studying the local natural history, publishing flora carniolica ( 1760 ) as well as a major work on entomology. he also published anni historico - naturales ( 1769 - 72 ), which included descriptions of new birds from various collections. in 1769 scopoli was appointed a senior lecturer at mining academy at chemnitz, and in 1777 transferred to the university of pavia. his last work was deliciae flora et fauna insubricae ( 1786 - 88 ), which included scientific names for birds and mammals described by pierre sonnerat in the accounts of his voyages. the drug scopolamine is named after him. the standard botanical author abbreviation scop. is applied to species he described.


published by the smithsonian institution between the 1920s and the 1950s, the bent life history series of monographs provide an often colorful description of the birds of north america. arthur cleveland bent was the lead author for the series. the bent series is a great resource and often includes quotes from early american ornithologists, including audubon, townsend, wilson, sutton and many others. bent life history for the pine siskin - the common name and sub - species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. spinus pinus ( wilson ) contributed by ralph s. palmer the pine siskin is a social bird the year round. breeding individuals join in social flocks away from the nesting territory, and they sometimes feed in the tree where the nest is situated. these social groups are small, up to a half dozen birds, not the large flocks commonly seen outside the breeding season. from late summer to late winter the pine siskin associates, roughly in descending order of frequency, with the redpolls, the goldfinches, the two crossbills, the purple finch, the cedar waxwing, and very occasionally, the juncos. except for the first two mentioned, the association usually is brief and may break off whenever a mixed flock takes flight. a common situation is to find the few siskins in the flocks of the other species, especially when goldfinches or redpolls are plentiful and the siskins few. the siskin is a relatively high and swift flier, often crossing from ridge to ridge or peak to peak in direct flight far above the trees in * the following subspecics are discussed in this section :, spinus pinus pinus ( wilson ) and s. p. macreplerus ( bonaparte ) the intervening area. the flocks are compact, and all members execute long undulating sweeps in unison. usually the birds fly silently, but now and again one or many may utter a sharp lisping call - note that carries well. the decision to alight seems to come abruptly, and the flock drops down into the trees to rest or feed. it is common for the birds to be more vocal on alighting, and again as they depart. often when feeding, there are no birds in flight ; at other times part of the flock may take wing and pass over those still feeding to other food trees. as the birds thus go " leapfrogging, " the entire mass of the flock of busy, lisping birds appears to flow through


at other times part of the flock may take wing and pass over those still feeding to other food trees. as the birds thus go " leapfrogging, " the entire mass of the flock of busy, lisping birds appears to flow through the forest. then all of a sudden the lisping ceases and the flock is silent ; it takes flight with a very audible whirring of wings and flies rapidly away. by observing alders in strawberry canyon at berkeley, calif., in february, t. l. rodgers ( 1937 ) provides a description of siskin habits that applies generally : it began to appear as if the regular procedure of the birds was to alight in the top of a tree, forage down to the lower limbs, never spreading over an area more than 12 or 15 feet across, and then by means of a circular flight move to the top of another tree and forage down ii. although this was the commonest method, they were also seen to forage in a nearly horizontal line through a group of trees without foraging through any of them completely ; they foraged up through a tree, and then moved by a direct route, at times even " flowing " from one tree to the next after the manner of a flock of bush - tits. the direct flights of the flocks were either to trees far away or to those ten or fifteen feet off. this seems to bear out the idea that " circle flights " are survey flights. the siskin ' s gait seems much better adapted to climbing about tree tops than to ground feeding. on the ground it walks with very short steps interspersed with occasional little hops, and its body almost seems to cling to the ground. many authors have commented on the siskin ' s tameness and boldness in its relations with human beings. brooding females usually can be approached within inches before they leave the nest. exceptional, however, was the experience of f. h. allen ( 1888 ) at newton, mass., in late april. he observed two siskins near a heap of hops by the roadside. one flew away on his approach ; the other, though able - bodied and in good condition, allowed itself to be approached closely, stroked, and caught in the hand. allen queried : " was this bird affected by the hops * * *? ~ 7 e. r. davis ( 1926 ) reported siskins at leominster, mass., to be remarkably tame in late fall. he says : in a short time the birds


" was this bird affected by the hops * * *? ~ 7 e. r. davis ( 1926 ) reported siskins at leominster, mass., to be remarkably tame in late fall. he says : in a short time the birds came to regard me as their friend, and in the days that followed grew to be exceedingly sociable and to lose every vestige of fear. whenever i would appear at the window, or step outside the door, down they would come and, settling upon my head, shoulders, and arms, would peer anxiously about for the food that they had learned to know i held concealed from them in a box, dish, or other receptacle. the moment i removed the cover or exposed the food, they would make a dash for it and the usual scrapping program would be on. nor was it at all necessary for me to go outside the door * * ". in a short time the siskins discovered this opening [ in a window pane ], and it was only necessary for me to draw the slide when one after another would come right into my kitchen, and soon one or more of them would be perched on my head or shoulder, or hopping around on the desk where i was writing, looking for the handful of seeds that they all knew was forthcoming. * * * now and then some members of the flock would elect to spend the night in the warm room, sleeping on the clothes - line, stretched across the room a little below the ceiling. on such occasions they seemed to be without fear and totally oblivious to people moving ahout the room, often within a few inches of them, turning on or snapping of! electric lights. the interested reader may want to read all of the above - quoted article by e. u. davis. he carried out a series of conditioned reflex experiments. only a paragraph about one of these ( p. 386 ) is quoted here ; it concerns a button rigged to release a small batch of seeds when pushed : for quite a while the thing remained a puzzle to them. finally, one of them happened to notice that push - button, which was a different colored wood from the rest of the contraption. he sidled up to it, looked it over for a moment, then gave it a " bit!. " this released the catch on the other side and down at his feet came a little handful of seeds. this frightened him, of course, and he flew away, only to return a minute later, eat the seeds that had fallen down


bit!. " this released the catch on the other side and down at his feet came a little handful of seeds. this frightened him, of course, and he flew away, only to return a minute later, eat the seeds that had fallen down the chute, and then tried to " press the button " arrangement again. it was not long before several of the flock had learned the secret, but it was quite a while before they became used to the seeds failing down at their feet, so that they were not afraid, and would proceed to eat them without first flying away a few inches. a siskin ' s life is not always easy. during severe weather in march and april, 1939, many siskins died on mount desert island, maine ( r. s. paimer, 1949 ). winter deaths, presumably from eating a poisonous chloride, are discussed under food. various authors have reported destruction of nests, eggs, or young by wind, sleet, and rain. heavy rains have killed young after they departed from the nest. several observers, on finding nests empty and sometimes damaged, have suspected predation by the red squirrel and the blue jay. the domestic cat is a known predator. the cowbird, too, is a hazard, since its egg or chick in a siskin nest is detrimental to the siskin ' s nesting success. both parent siskins treat the young cowbird as one of their own. at wenatchee, wash., u. t. congdon ' ( ms. ) found a young siskin that had died after a foot became entangled in the nest lining. e. r. davis ( 1926 ) described siskin actions at the sight of a northern shrike at leominster, mass., in winter : it was wonderful how quickly they would detect one of these birds in the vicinity, or even at a great distance. instantly, if one of them appeared in the sky or on a distant tree, all activity ceased among the siskins, and each bird, intently watching the enemy, would literally " freeze " to the spot where he was sitting, hardly moving a feather until the enemy had disappeared. on more than one ~ i have had them ' freeze " on my hand, where they had been sitting when the danger threatened. aggressiveness is a marked siskin trait at feeding stations. davis ( 1926 ) placed food on a shelf 3 feet square and found that " the bird that first reached the place seemed to consider himself the sole owner of the entire stand, and woe


aggressiveness is a marked siskin trait at feeding stations. davis ( 1926 ) placed food on a shelf 3 feet square and found that " the bird that first reached the place seemed to consider himself the sole owner of the entire stand, and woe to the individual that dared dispute his claim. " when feeding with purple finches the siskins are bold and usually hold their own. generally they feed together peaceably, but now and again a siskin takes the offensive and darts at a purple finch, scaring it away. perhaps the siskin ' s sharp bill gives it authority. in feeding with evening grosbeaks, the siskins keep their distance and show pugnaciousness only among themselves. territory : siskins go in flocks containing a few to well over a thousand individuals. flocks of 50 to 200 are common. at the close of the breeding season : usually early summer : the birds generally leave the breeding localities, although the extent and often direction of this movement is unknown. then the birds may occur in or pass through the nesting area again in autumn. largescale incursions in the postbreeding period have not been noted as frequently as autumn and winter invasions. however, in alberta beginning in mid - june and lasting into august, 1921, large numbers of siskins moved into the park country of the prairie where no evergreens occur except for small patches along river bottoms. f. l. farley ( 1921 ) reports that at almost any hour of day one could see large flocks, " whiiling here and there " in redpoll fashion. they would feed, then take flight suddenly. in parts of the siskin ' s range near and along the pacific coast, the species occurs in many localities all year, but a goodly share of the population moves altitudinally to the lowlands in autumn and to higher elevations to breed in spring. the highest altitudinal record is for a siskin that taylor and shaw ( 1927 ) found dead at approximately 11, 000 feet on mount ranier, wash. the siskin ' s center of abundance is from the rocky mountains westward. part of the population in the interior of the continent shows a more or less northwest : southeast movement in autumn and the reverse in spring. thus it seems likely that the species may have spread eastward, as the evening grosbeak did at a later period, but before the event could be chronicled. m. h. swenk ( 1929 ) wrote : judging from the fact that in various


likely that the species may have spread eastward, as the evening grosbeak did at a later period, but before the event could be chronicled. m. h. swenk ( 1929 ) wrote : judging from the fact that in various falls that they have occurred in nebraska the pine siskins usually have been seen first in the more westerly and northerly parts of the state, and later in the more southeastern localities, and also from the further fact that they may reach western or central nebraska commonly in seasons when they are uncommon or absent in extreme southeastern nebraska, it is probable our pine siskin winter visitors are birds that summer in the black hills and those parts of the rocky mountains at a corresponding latitude, or northward. the fall and winter wanderings, especially in the east, are so irregular in occurrence and so variable in extent that it is difficult to define the species ' usual range as compared to its total range. at any rate there is usually some movement : vertical migration in mountains, horizontal elsewhere, both unpredictable regarding the amount or direction. in some years these movements become southward incursions of vast extent. dorothy mierow ( 1946 ) summarized as follows : some years are marked by exceptional flights of these birds southward. in 1896, enormous flocks were found in louisiana, south carolina, missouri, and flhinois. again in the year 1907, notable for its cold spring, flocks were observed in florida, tennessee, ohio, michigan and missouri. this year they nested in nebraska. the season of 1922 : 23 was characterized by an abundant crop of beech nuts and wild fruits, and again the siskins appeared in large numbers in alabama, virginia, ohio, wisconsin, north dakota, and nebraska. they were conspicuous by their absence from yosemite national park, california, in the fall of 1923. in 1925, they were seen in kentucky and michigan, and they nested in north dakota and aiso at ithaca, new york. there were abundant spruce, fir, and hemlock seeds in the great smokies of tennessee in 1937. siskins, usually rare in tennessee, appeared in thousands during november. in other years, too, there were great flights at one place or another, but in these particular years the movement was most marked. during an incursion into the southeast in the winter of 1946 : 47, r. l. weaver ( 1948 ) saw five birds in orange park, clay county, fla., probably the southeasternmost record. the pine siskin is commonly stated to wander


siskin are augmented by a warbled song. at this time the flocks break up into smaller ones, then into groups of three to five birds, then into pairs. there is considerable fighting and chasing when the flocks start to disintegrate. at rutherglen, ontario, mrs. lawrence notes : " in the midst of all this sweet singing, two birds swing into the air in an extensive ' cloud chase ', their movements tightly synchronized as they alternate in the roles of pursuer and pursued. " perhaps anticipatory to courtship - and nest - feeding is a performance observed in late april in everett, wash., by ~ m. r. thayer ( 1911 ) : " our attention was called to three birds on a [ trellisi cross - bar about seven feet from where we stood. two were close together and the third a little apart, and all three were opening and closing their bills, stretching them wide as if yawning and closing them with a snap. before we had time to consider what it might mean, the two turned toward each other and touched their bills in a most lover - like manner. they were quiet a moment, then one opened his bill wide again and they both flew away followed by the third * * * " courtship feeding begins while the birds are still in flocks or small groups. on feb. 5, 1948, at rutherglen, ontario, mrs. lawrence ( ms. ) noted : " the female sat on a twig. presently the male alighted on the same twig, hopped up to her and offered her a small particle, of what i could not see. she crouched and, with trembling wings, accepted the offering. " the birds are still in flocks or groups when courtship flight with song reaches its fullest development. two paragraphs from mrs. lawrence ' s notes describe it well : " with a beam of sun - shine illuminating his golden flashes, the male rose into the air with tail spread wide and wings in a blur of rapid motion. to the accompamment of a flight song which seemed to express far more musical adoration than could be contained in so small a body, be described circle after circle around his chosen mate. that the female reflected none of her partner ' s emotion in no way seemed to dampen his ardor and, after he dropped on to a twig from pure exhaustion to catch his breath, a few moments later he rose again in a repeat performance no less ecstatic than the first.


' s emotion in no way seemed to dampen his ardor and, after he dropped on to a twig from pure exhaustion to catch his breath, a few moments later he rose again in a repeat performance no less ecstatic than the first. " none of the flight song performances i saw ended in copulation. when that took place in my presence, it was an anticlimax to what 1 had previously seen. two birds came to the salt lick and one of them perched in a bush. that very instant the male alighted directly upon the first bird by the pouncing technique without any sort of preliminaries. copulation took place with both birds trembling violently. when it was over, the female begged and the male, with nothing in the bill, performed a token feeding. the female shook herself and both birds hopped down on the ground where the male strutted a little with raised head feathers. " formation of the pair bond involves symbolic feeding, sexual flight, and song, and it occurs while the birds are in social groups. single brood monogamy is certain, but how much longer the pair bond lasts is not known. nesting : at times siskins nest as isolated pairs. more usually, nesting is somewhat a colonial affair, with the nests rods apart. adults join in social flocks away from the nests. typically, the nest is at middie height in a conifer, well out, and concealed on a densely foliaged horizontal limb. the most frequent departure from this pattern is for the nest to be located lower down, but when this happens it is still usually above 8 feet from the ground. commonest choices for nesting are hemlock, pines, spruces, firs, cedars, redwood, cypress, and wild lilac. introduced conifers, also transplantings of native trees, are occupied in addition to natural stands. deciduous trees are used for nesting occasionally. for example, the siskin has nested in box elder in new mexico ( f. m. bailey, 1928 ) and north dakota ( r. reid, 1929 ), in maples and oaks in oregon ( c. keller, 1891 ), in maple in washington ( r. t. congdon, ms. ), in the very top of a 50 - foot eucalyptus in california ( carriger and pemberton, 1907 ), among cottonwoods in montana ( a. a. saunders, 1912, 1921 ), and two nests in lilacs in colorado ( f. m. dille, 1900


- foot eucalyptus in california ( carriger and pemberton, 1907 ), among cottonwoods in montana ( a. a. saunders, 1912, 1921 ), and two nests in lilacs in colorado ( f. m. dille, 1900 ). the highest nests are at about 45 to 50 feet. in manuscript notes, s. f. rathbun recorded a nest in washington only 4 ~ / ~ feet above ground in a stunted cedar. the lowest record at hand is of a nest in iowa, recorded by dales and bennett ( 1929 ) as only 3 feet up in a 4k - foot cedar on a lawn. during resting periods the birds go to tree tops. the female chooses the nest site and is accompanied by the male as she brings nesting material. at times the birds return to social life in flocks ; also, other siskins occasionally accompany the nesters on flights to the nest tree. as c. w. bowles ( 1903 ) puts it, several pairs may be " superintending " when one is building. the small nesting territory is used for copulating : although this occurs elsewhere, too : and nesting ; in addition, the male feeds his mate there during incubation and the period until the young attain flight. the defense of territory is developed slowly, being weak until after the nest is built. weaver and west ( 1943 ) write : during nest building the male had been quite attentive to the female and never left the nesting area for very long periods, and he did not seem to be very closely associated with any of the other siskins or flocks which fed near the nest tree. after the eggs were laid, he would leave the area for short periods, which became longer as incubation progressed. he frequently returned in company with one of several other siskins. the female would chase these birds, as would the male, if they came too close to the nest. on several occasions, he flew off with these birds after feeding her on the nest. other birds would enter the general nesting area and feed with one or both of the mated birds, unmolested. as is common with a number of early nesters, the structure that the siskin builds is rather large in proportion to the size of the builder and usually well concealed in foliage. it is fairly well put together, generally somewhat flat, and often not very securely fastened to the branch. the foundation and sides consist of such materials as twigs, rootlets, and grass ; the lining consists of fine


and usually well concealed in foliage. it is fairly well put together, generally somewhat flat, and often not very securely fastened to the branch. the foundation and sides consist of such materials as twigs, rootlets, and grass ; the lining consists of fine rootlets, hair, fur, feathers, and other fine - textured material. the finer material, at least, is often gathered on the ground. dales and bennett ( 1929 ) saw a siskin dismantling an old goldfinch nest and using the materials in new construction. numerous photographs and descriptions of nests have been published. a good example of the latter is c. ii. morrell ' s ( 1899 ) of one found in march in nova scotia : it was saddled on the limb and radiating twigs but not attached to them. considering the size of the bird, it is quite large, rather flat, and bears no resemblance to * * * [ goldfinch nests ], measuring as follows : height, 1. 63 inches ; depth,. 75 ; outside top diameter, 4 inches ; inside top diameter, 2 inches. it is constructed mainly of dark pendulous tree - moss, with some fulvous bark from weed - stalks, plant - down, usnea, and other mosses. about the bottom of the nest is [ sic ] woven a few spruce twigs. the lining is entirely the pendulous moss. from eureka, calif., r. r. talmadge ( ms. ) writes of two nests that he considered distinct from all others he had found. the first was composed of fine grayish rootlets with a minimum of plant fiber and lined with black horsehair. the other was similar, but was lined with red hair from cattle that were in the immediate area. most of the nests discovered were similar in composition, but the lining was mixed, not distinct as in these two. according to weaver and west ( 1943 ), at hanover, n. h. : three days were required to complete the outer layers and bottom of the nest. on the fourth day, lining materials were added. several attempts to break off small twigs from the nest branch were observed. after the fifth day, materials were added to the nest sporadically until the eggs were laid. on the seventh day the female began making trips to the nebt without materials and sitting on it for short periods. this procedure continued with the trips to the nest becoming more frequent and the time spent on the nest increasing to as much as fifty minutes before the tenth day


day the female began making trips to the nebt without materials and sitting on it for short periods. this procedure continued with the trips to the nest becoming more frequent and the time spent on the nest increasing to as much as fifty minutes before the tenth day, april 18, when the first of the two eggs was laid. the second egg was laid on the following day. eggs : the data summarized from mierow ( 1946 ) plus other available published and unpublished information through 1954, indicate that three - egg clutches predominate, about two - thirds as many have four eggs, a third as many have two, that clutches of five are rare but occur more often than those presumed complete with a single egg. c. w. bowles ( 1903 ), for example, mentions sets of one ( complete? ), three, and four in washington, and stated that three seemed most common. carriger and pemberton ( 1907 ), writing of san mateo and san francisco counties, calif., states that the " average set seems to be three eggs, but four is also a common number. several sets of two eggs were taken in advanced stages of incubation, and also two sets of five, but these are rare. " there seems to be no geographic variation in clutch size, but it is difficult to assess the data since most sets observed were from pacific coastal states. carriger and pemberton ( 1907 ) write : " the eggs are a pale greenish blue several shades lighter than the eggs of astragalir & ws [ goldfinches ], and are marked with chocolate spots and irregular blotches, with a number of pale lavender blotches which appear to be beneath the surface of the shell. eggs vary from very nearly unmarked, to well marked about the larger end and sparingly over the whole surface. the average size of all eggs at hand is. 63 x. 48 inches. " in a manuscript note, robert r. talmadge of eureka, calif., states : " several sets which i have found had one or two unmarked eggs. the markings vary from small blackish spots to semi - elaborate scrolling of dark sepia and lavender. " all egg data at hand indicate that complete sets of fresh eggs usually are to be found in the united states and canada from early april to early may. eggs in march, or indications of their probable occurrence then, are as follows : young nearly ready to leave the nest march 19 at woodstock, vt. ( e. h. forbush,


the united states and canada from early april to early may. eggs in march, or indications of their probable occurrence then, are as follows : young nearly ready to leave the nest march 19 at woodstock, vt. ( e. h. forbush, 1929 ) ; nest nearly completed march 15 ( had three eggs on the 3 1st ) and another started march 18, at lincoln, nebr. ( m. h. swenk, 1929 ) ; siskin gathering nesting material march 16 in san francisco county, calif. ( m. s. iray, 1916 ) ; nest completed march 11 had three eggs on march 18, also nest with two nearly fledged young on april 13, in lewis county, n. y. ( c. h. merriam, 1878 ) ; nest with two eggs and two newly hatched young march 28 or 29, at tacoma, wash. ( j. h. bowles, 1924 ) ; clutch of four on march 29 in nova scotia ( c. h. morrell, 1899 ) ; nest with two eggs taken on unstated march day in ontario ( baillie and harrington, 1937 ) ; and unstated number of eggs the last of the month in vermont ( tracy in mierow, 1946 ). fresh eggs in may and early june are common but why many fresh clutches have been found in california in early june is a matter for speculation. the set of eggs of the pine siskin varies from three to six ; sets of four and five are most frequent. they are ovate with some tendency toward short - ovate and have very little lustre. the ground color is greenish - white or bluish - white, delicately speckled and spotted with " light cinnamon drab, " " cinnamon drab, " " warm sepia, " or " verona brown, " with a few thin scrawls of black. in general, the markings are concentrated somewhat toward the large end where they often form a loose wreath ; rarely an egg is found that is almost immaculate. the measurements of 50 eggs average 16. 6 by 12. 4 millimeters ; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 18. 0 by 13. 1, and 14. 3 by 11. 3 millimeters. eggs are laid on successive days. weaver and west ( 1943 ) say that at hanover, n. h., both eggs of a two - egg clutch " were laid before nine o ' clock in the morning. incubation began upon the laying of the first egg and the young batched


west ( 1943 ) say that at hanover, n. h., both eggs of a two - egg clutch " were laid before nine o ' clock in the morning. incubation began upon the laying of the first egg and the young batched thirteen days later, one day apart. * * * the danger from freezing of the eggs would appear to be lessened with incubation beginning upon the laying of the eggs. " only the female has an incubation patch and she alone incubates. weaver and west ( 1943 ) write : " during incubation, the female stayed very close to the nest. the longest observed period that the female was off the nest for the entire period of incubation was eight minutes. she was fed by the male during incubation, and this permitted long uninterrupted periods on the nest ; in fact, he began feeding her on the nest the day before the first egg was laid and in one instance was observed to feed her while she was off the nest before the eggs were laid. hatching is described by the same authors ( 1943 ) as follows : " just prior to hatching, the female stood up on the edge of the nest and looked at the eggs a great many times. hatching occurred early in the morning, before 7 : 30 a. m., or possibly during the night. there was no sign of the egg shell in the nest, but later a small piece was found under the tree. young : in t. he above - mentioned nest, " feeding of the young began very soon after hatching, possibly within the hour. " weaver and west reported that, during the first few days after hatching, the female fed the young about every 10 to 15 minutes, but near the end of the nestling period feedings were about an hour apart. for the first 7 or 8 days the male fed the female on the nest and she fed the young ; he increased his trips with food to twice an hour, and made even three or four trips per hour toward evening. on the 7th or 8th day he began to feed the young directly. after the 10th day, the male was not seen to feed the female and she began to forage for herself and the young. the usual method of male feeding female when the young are small has been reported from berkeley, calif., by t. l. rodgers. the bird on the nest hears ti - er, ti - er from the mate in another tree, and replies ti - er.


feeding female when the young are small has been reported from berkeley, calif., by t. l. rodgers. the bird on the nest hears ti - er, ti - er from the mate in another tree, and replies ti - er. they call back and forth three or four to a dozen times, and the food hearer ifies to a position a few feet from the nest and utters one or more plaintive pseee notes. then, while both are silent, it hops quietly toward the brooding bird. she flutters her wings and begs and the feeder regurgitates. rodgers ( 1937 ) states : " the feeding process continued by the clasping of the bills of the two birds, the upper and lower mandibles of one just closing the complete gape of the other. three or four such contacts were made, and, between each, the bird doing the feeding gulped as if bringing more food into its mouth. the bird then flew away, and the brooding bird sat quietly for eight or ten seconds before proceeding to feed the young. " this regurgitative feeding of the brooding female by the male was observed at close range at sioux city, iowa, by dales and bennett ( 1929 ), who pointed out that the process is a comparatively long one. their description of a feeding ends thus : " toward the end of the feeding as the male withdrew his beak from the female ' s mouth a string of saliva - like substance stretched between the two bills ; this was immediately sucked in by the female. there must have been considerable of it, for there seemed to be a flow of it for nearly fifteen seconds. then the male flew away. " the food - bearing male sometimes is accompanied by other siskins who do not trespass in the small defended area around the nest. they perch in the nest tree, or in nearby trees ; they also accompany the male when he departs, as several observers have noted. the female also joins social groups. weaver and west state that the young never were left unprotected more than 11 minutes, that during the first week the female ' s usual duration of absence was 3 minutes. she kept the nest clean by eating all excreta for the first 7 or 8 days ; later it became fouled because neither parent removed the droppings. t. l. rodgers ( 1937 ) observed the eating of the droppings. he states that the nest was kept clean during the first 8 days and, from the 9th day on, no droppings were taken from


neither parent removed the droppings. t. l. rodgers ( 1937 ) observed the eating of the droppings. he states that the nest was kept clean during the first 8 days and, from the 9th day on, no droppings were taken from the nest and they accumulated there. data on the growth and development of young siskins have not been published in detail. in new hampshire, weaver and west ( 1943 ) report that the brood of two young they studied showed their first fear reactions about in their 6th day. the young became very active during the last 4 days of nest life and the female then spent little time brooding them. they took turns exercising and stretching their wings, also walking on the nest rim. in their haste to be fed, they sometimes fell over the side and grasped the outer structure and pulled themselves back again. they say that " the adults seemed to approach the nest rather deliberately during the last 2 days, seemingly coaxing the young to such daring feats. " both young left the nest 15 days after the first hatched ; thus one was a nestling 14 days ( it probably departed prematurely ) and the other 15, which may be the usual initial flight age. one young was seen being fed in the nest tree an hour or so after both had left the nest. other observers have indicated that the young are with the parents and fed several days, or longer, but the span of time from nest - leaving to independence remains unknown. whether our bird, like the old world siskin, spinu. s spinu ~, is double - brooded is strn a moot point. there is a strong probability that it is : at least in some years : and that the birds may change localities between nestings. e. h. forbush ( 1929 ), without direct support, says : " one brood yearly, probably two in many cases. " suggestive is a single sentence by william brewster ( 1938 ) relative to the siskin on aug. 9, 1873, at lake umbagog on the maine : new hampshire boundary : " a male shot this morning was unmistakably breeding and yet full - grown young are about in considerable numbers. " as already shown, the siskin is an early nester ; also, fresh eggs are fairly common as late as early june in some localities and seasons, especially pacific coastal states, and eggs or nestlings in july have been recorded for a number of localities widely spaced geographically. here are some late breeding records : set of five eggs july 22 in ontario (


late as early june in some localities and seasons, especially pacific coastal states, and eggs or nestlings in july have been recorded for a number of localities widely spaced geographically. here are some late breeding records : set of five eggs july 22 in ontario ( baillie and harrington, 1937 ) ; pair of siskins seen copulating july 30 on forrester island, alaska. ( willett, in mierow, 1946 ) ; nest with young august 4 in faith valley, calif. ( bassett, in mierow, 1946 ) ; birds in breeding condition carrying nesting material, july 15 : august 14, in the porcupine mountains, mich. ( w. b. barrows, 1912 ) ; four young left the nest august 19 at bozeman, mont. ( a. a. saunders, 1921 ) ; clutch of three fresh eggs august 14 at tacoma, wash. ( c. w. bowles, 1903 ) ; and nests " containing young in early september, " also at tacoma ( j. h. bowles, 1924 ). omitted are various late dates for adults reported as seen " feeding young " ; it is assumed they are for young that have been flying, and for an unknown length of time. it seems that the very long span of breeding dates can hardly be explained in terms of replacement layings after a loss of an earlier clutch or brood. more likely, either some birds breed twice in some years or different parts of the population breed at different times. plumages : there is little sexual dimorphism although, after the juvenal stage, and presumably among birds of equal age and state of plumage wear, males are usually more brilliantly colored. this applies especially to the yellow portions of wing and tail. breeding adults are grayish brown above, heavily streaked with dusky ; the paler rump is often tinged with yellow. wings and tail are mainly dusky. the basal portions of the flight feathers are yellow, and are conspicuous in ffight but almost entirely concealed when the birds are at rest. there are two narrow whitish wing bars. underparts are whitish, heavily streaked with dusky except from the abdomen posteriorly when it is often plain. the bill is brownish or dusky at the tip, becoming paler ( flesh colored or bluish ) toward the base, especially the lower mandible. the iris is brown. legs and feet vary greatly in color, but usually are medium light to a darker shade of brown. this breeding condition is a result of wear and fading of the


the duration of molt is not known, one cannot estimate the time lapse before it began. winter flocks of incursion visitants usually are preponderantly birds of the year, but this is hardly a clue in interpreting a. t. wayne ' s ( 1906 ) comment for the period dec. 12, 1896, to the following mid - march in south carolina : " between these dates many of the birds taken seemed to be in a state of perpetual molt. " according to dwight ( 1900 ), there is a partial post - juvenal molt in august in eastern canada involving body plumage but not wings and tail. the first nuptial stage, therefore, is this combination in worn condition. food : the pine siskin is a tree - and groundlforaging finch. like the crossbill, it often hangs upside down when feeding in vegetation, but it is a more generalized feeder, not tied closely to cone feeding and hence independent of the varying extent of the cone crop. the results of food habits analyses were summarized by w. l. mcatee ( 1926 ) : " the food of the siskin is principally the seeds of coniferous trees, alder, birch, ragweed, and other weeds. about one - sixth of the total food is animal, consisting chiefly of caterpillars, plant lice, scale insects, and grasshoppers. no doubt the siskin pays, in the destruction of these pests, for the forest seeds it consumes. " two decades later dorothy mierow ( 1946 ), having more published information to summarize, wrote : they feed their young mainly on aphids and seem quite content with alder, birch, and willow seeds. as they wander farther south and over the plains, their main items of diet may become weed seeds. farther east, seeds of sweet gum,. maple, and elm, as well as buds and insects, form part of their diet. in california, where they seem to he most numerous, they often feed almost entirely on the seeds of eucalyptus, extracting them from the pods either on the trees or an the ground. they also seek after the sweet liquid in the eucalyptus flowers. the following information elaborates on the taking of some of the items already mentioned. also, in some measure, it indicates seasonal and geographical variation in food habits, plus mentioning some items taken that might not be readily identified in analysis of contents of digestive tracts. in early april in ohio, examination of a siskin revealed


mentioned. also, in some measure, it indicates seasonal and geographical variation in food habits, plus mentioning some items taken that might not be readily identified in analysis of contents of digestive tracts. in early april in ohio, examination of a siskin revealed it had been feeding on flower buds of the slippery elm ( kemsies, 1948 ). in june in west virginia, maurice brooks ( 1943 ) saw siskins avidly eating the coated carpels of young spruces. mr. b. e. mumford writes of seeing birds feeding on jack pine cones ( pinus ban, ksiana ) during an invasion of indiana during the winter of 1952 : 1953. after oct. 4, 1889, at lake umbagog, maine, they were feeding exclusively on the seeds of birches ( brewster, 1938 ). john f. ferry ( 1907 ) writes that, in winter in northeastern illinois, " they were observed to feed industriously on coneless branches of pines and spruces. the object sought was probably the dry resinous aments of these conifers. they frequent patches of thistle and seedbearing weeds and work very actively and in perfect silence. " in south carolina in the winter of 1896 : 97, a time of siskin abundance there, arthur wayne ( 1906 ) observed them " feeding on the seeds of sweet gum ( liquidam6er styraciftua ), and shortleaf pine during a winter and spring when siskins were common at san diego, calif., f. f. gander ( 1929b ) noted that their food was almost entirely seeds of various species of eucalyptus, which they obtained from pods on the trees and also among fallen leaves. in flathead county, mont., on aug. 7, 1915, a. d. dubois ( ms. ) recorded pine siskins eating thistle seeds along the railway. " i watched one for some time. he would fly to a thistle head and, clinging to it, sometimes nearly upside down, would pull out the cottony tufts one or two at a time, very dexterously and rather rapidly, working his bill along to the seed which he removed and then threw the fluff to the breeze, immediately working out another tuft. lie pulled them part way out, a bunch at a time, afterward slipping them along until they came out one at a time or sometimes two. " in north dakota, 0. a. stevens ( ms. ) wondered how the siskins got dandelion seeds. on investigation he found that they did


time, afterward slipping them along until they came out one at a time or sometimes two. " in north dakota, 0. a. stevens ( ms. ) wondered how the siskins got dandelion seeds. on investigation he found that they did not wait for the heads to open, but pulled off some of the bracts and took the seeds before they were fully ripe. in two areas, on opposite sides of the continent, the siskin has reportedly done extensive damage to vegetable and flower gardens. from independence lake, british columbia, t. and e. mccabe ( 1929 ) write regarding areas recently opened to farming : none of us who have vegetable gardens has been spared by the siskins. our own case is the most extreme, as we have attracted the species by means of amazingly effective salt and clay baits for banding purposes. it is now impossible to raise most vegetables except under wire. in rather long experience of gardens and their pests we have seen nothing to rival the instantaneous devastation which an unobtrusive flock of siskins can inflict, often before their presence in a garden has been noticed. not once, but season after season, and time after time within the same season, we have seen long rows of seedling beets, chard, lettuce, radishes, and onions, cut neatly to the ground. * * * peas and cole crops, as far as we know, are not taken, but we hear of the destruction of turnips. * * the farmers nearer the fraser [ river ] suffer as much as we do, and in spite of being further from the mountains, more than most of our nearer neighbors. we know of one ranch where for years a barn door has been used as a deadfall, and the birds fed to hogs by bucketfuls. in another case great numbers are shot, and as many as thirty - five have been picked up as the result of enfilading a row of vegetables with a single charge of shot. as the typical associations of the canadian zone are left behind, and the greater drouth and bummer heat of the river fiats approached, the nuisance decreases. from the immediate vicinity of quesnel we hear a few scattered complaints of moderate loss ~, but a short distance southward, within touch of the long arm of transition zone conditions, which stretches so far up the valley, all knowledge of the trouble seems to disappear, though we do not know where it may recur. in maine, siskins occurred in


short distance southward, within touch of the long arm of transition zone conditions, which stretches so far up the valley, all knowledge of the trouble seems to disappear, though we do not know where it may recur. in maine, siskins occurred in thousands in the spring and summer of 1925. forbush ( 1929 ) states that they " invaded gardens, stripped beets, beans and other plants of their leaves, and ate the blossoms of many flowering plants. " a correspondent in fatten, maine, wrote forbush that he had seen " as many as a thousand birds on a half acre. " both the insect foods and ways of obtaining these are varied. in ohio during a " most unseasonable and heavy snow in early october, these little birds surrounded our houses and literally skimmed the outer walls of all insect life. from foundation to eaves they hunted in every nook and corner, capturing spiders, flies, cocoons, * * * " ( j. l. parsons, 1906. ) in february at alameda, calif., an oak ( quercus agrifolia ) was swarming with siskins. f. n. bassett ( 1923 ) noted that the birds were procuring their foodi from the lower surfaces of the leaves. many leaves were afflicted with the gall of a saw - fly, callirliytis bicornis. bassett reports : " the galls were attached to the midrib or a lateral vein on the lower surfaces of the leaves. they were composed of leaf material, light green in color ( lighter than the leaf ), from two to four millimeters long and shaped somewhat like a miniature saddle, being depressed in the middle and rising to an apex at both ends. each contained a minute milky - white grub and many close views revealed the birds ' shelling ' the galls and devouring the contents exactly as a domestic canary shells its seeds. " in february at berkeley, calif., t. l. rodgers ( 1937 ) writes about siskins feeding in monterey cypress : i was unable at first to determine, by observation, exactly what the birds were eating, so i collected one hundred cypress tips, averaging three inches long and representative of places all over the side of a tree on which i watched many siskins foraging. examination of the cypress tips showed many psocid - like insects, many scale insects, a few small green caterpillars, and many yellow larvae that were inside thin - walled cavities in enlarged green veget


many siskins foraging. examination of the cypress tips showed many psocid - like insects, many scale insects, a few small green caterpillars, and many yellow larvae that were inside thin - walled cavities in enlarged green vegetative tips. there were few indications of broken - off vegetative tips, but some were damaged, which probably indicated that some of the yellow larvae had been torn from their chambers. the indication was quite definite that the siskins were taking only insect food. rodgers also saw a siskin picking aphids which it fed to a young bird just out of the nest. in april at seattle, wash., s. f. rathbun ( ms. ) recorded this observation : " i noticed that, when alighting on any older limb, the siskins would examine it closely until its extremity was reached, and this was particularly the case when any had the appearance of being dead. then the bird would clip or break off the twig ' s end. i examined one of the twigs that fell and, in breaking it, i found deeply embedded within a fat grayish - green grub, evidently the larva of a twig - boring insect. this explained the siskins ' actions. " the mccabes ( 1929 ) mention the attraction that salt and clay have for siskins. in an earlier article ( 1928 ) they state : " the attraction has always been some mineral food, relish, or medicament, natural or artificial. ashes, deep blue clay from a cellar hole, salt, and newly - set portland cement have all had their periods of favor. " the habit has been noted in different seasons and at widely separated points. mierow ( 1946 ) made the general statement that a " necessary item in the siskin ' s diet, as well as in that of other boreal finches, is some kind of mineral salt. " d. s. farner ( 1952 ) reported this habit in crater lake national park as follows : " although to a much lesser extent, siskins display ' salt - feeding habits ' similar to those of the red crossbills. especially during the summer of 1951 it was possible to observesiskins pecking at the powdery crusts on the andesite rocks. " in the first half of march 1941, between saranac lake and tupper lake, n. y., the road had been treated with a mixture of sand and calcium chloride : the latter apparently added as a binder for


andesite rocks. " in the first half of march 1941, between saranac lake and tupper lake, n. y., the road had been treated with a mixture of sand and calcium chloride : the latter apparently added as a binder for the former. g. m. meade ( 1942 ) quotes an observer as follows : for several day8 great numbers of white - winged crossbills and small numbers of red crossbills and pine siskins settled on the road to eat the salt. the roadbed was covered with them and it was almost impossible to scare them away even by using the horn. they appeared to be too sick to rise and even though motorists drove slowly they were killed in great numbers. the surface of the snow - covered road was actually reddened by the blood and feathers of the birds. my estimate is that there were at least a thousand birds killed. from rutherglen, ontario, it is clear from the following observations for the winter of 1947 : 48 by louise de kiriline lawrence ( ms. ) that salt in some form is a real desideratum of siskins. she writes : " at this time, the birds were encountered chiefly on the highway where they assembled in dense flocks, eating gravel mixed with chloride. soon after sun - up they began to appear in these places with their numbers reaching a peak around midday, followed by a slow decline until, just before sunset, the last flock flew away to roost. many of these birds apparently travelled considerable distances to these cherished feeding - places ; i saw birds winging their way to and from the highway from the woods at least a mile away. when disturbed, the birds swung off the road as of one accord, amid exicted twitter, to alight in the trees alongside and there continue their feeding on the seeds of the evergreens, or on the buds of the white birches and aspen trees, with the siskins showing particular liking for the seeds of the alder - bushes. the siskins were a gregarious lot, associating freely with all the other finches, especially with the goldfinches and the red crossbills. " the pine siskins were first attracted to my feeding place under the pines, a little off the highway, by the coal ash pile. one day they dropped down from the surrounding trees by the dozens. i counted 92 before i got too mixed up by their numbers, all clustered into a little space 10 inches by 10 inches in front of my window. they


by the coal ash pile. one day they dropped down from the surrounding trees by the dozens. i counted 92 before i got too mixed up by their numbers, all clustered into a little space 10 inches by 10 inches in front of my window. they ate the ash - dusted snow mixed with slopwater. on an old cedar stump i kept a block of salt. from rain and snow and the humidity of the air, the salt had saturated the stump and this saltlick became hereafter the number one attraction. the birds crawled over the stump and picked the salt crystals from the block itself as well as from the top and the undrrparts of the stump, where the deposition of crystals was richest, and from the gravel around it, where the snow had been melted away by the salt. i put baited traps near the saltlick, hoping for some good banding, but not until i changed the bait to dried cedar seeds did my banding luck turn. these seeds proved irresistible to the siskins and when my supply ran out i put small dishes of water in the traps with the same excellent result. thus, from january 7 to may 29, i banded 337 pine siskins. " siskins can be attracted to feeding stations by millet seed and by chaff, and forbush ( 1929 ) states that they are " extremely fond of cracked butternuts. " they eat many of the vegetable foods commonly used at feeding or banding stations, and eat suet occasionally. in winter at leominster, mass., e. r. davis ( 1926 ) notes that whenever " an evening grosbeak came to the feeding - shelf and began cracking the seeds, he would be surrounded by several of the siskins. as he cracked the seeds, some particles of the kernel would scatter from his beak, and immediately the siskins would rush in and gobble them up. this act was not much relished by the grosbeaks and they would often show their displeasure by a vicious peck at the intruder * * ~ " dishes of water, for drinking and bathing, have been used to bait siskins into traps for banding. at sioux city, iowa, a basin of water was placed under a nesting tres and both parent siskins came to drink and bathe ( hayward and stephens, 1914 ). in march at berkeley, calif., t. l. rodgers ( 1937 ) observed : several times, i saw siskins approach [ eucalyptus ] blossoms from above, lean over and reach into them


bathe ( hayward and stephens, 1914 ). in march at berkeley, calif., t. l. rodgers ( 1937 ) observed : several times, i saw siskins approach [ eucalyptus ] blossoms from above, lean over and reach into them. i had supposed that they were after insects attracted by the flowers, but twice i noticed that after reaching into the blossoms, they raised their heads after the manner of a chicken drinking. i gathered a large bunch of the blossoms and in every one examined found several drops of clear sweet liquid, with only a slight eucalyptus flavor. later, i saw more siskins drinking from flowers, also a junco. at macon, ga., in late december, a siskin was observed at borings made by a yellow - bellied sapsucker in the trunk of a sweet gum. the sapsucker chased it away ( h. l. batts, 1953 ). field marks : it is somewhat difficult to distinguish at a distance between the pine siskin, the goldfinches, and the redpolls. not only do these various birds mingle in flocks, but their size, manner of flight, call notes, and general habits, are all quite similar. the siskin, however, is characterized in all seasons by its dusky - streaked plumage ( on grayish brown base above, more or less whitish or buffy below ) two light wing bars, and, usually, considerable yellow on the basal portions of its wing and tail flight feathers. it has no red on its crown or black on its throat as the redpolls do. siskins in juvenal plumage have the adult pattern but, for some time after they first fly, they are readily distinguished from their elders at close range by the worn plumage of the latter, the young being much bufyier, their underparts often tinged with pale yellow, and their overall appearance lighter. our siskin at any age is fairly similar in color and pattern to the female and juvenal of spirtus spinus, the siskin of the old world : a species in which the adult male is redpoll - like in having a crown patch ( which is black in the siskin ) and a blackish chin. voice : various utterances frequently are compared with those of the goldfinch, redpolls, and canary. call notes are given in chorus, especially when the birds alight or rest. descriptive words commonly used by describers of siskin call notes are : weak, thin, lispy,


the goldfinch, redpolls, and canary. call notes are given in chorus, especially when the birds alight or rest. descriptive words commonly used by describers of siskin call notes are : weak, thin, lispy, buzzy, wheezy, and churning. in general their calls are more husky than those of the american goldfinch. ralph hoffmann ( 1904 ) describes the common call note as " chee - es given in a husky tone ; when flying it utters a note like the syllables tit - i - til. another very sweet call, often given by a single bird to call back the flock, is identical with a note of the american goldfinch. " in winter at anniston, ala., r. h. dean ( 1923 ) observes that, when siskins took flight, their utterances were til - i - te, tit - i - te, several times in succession ; sometimes notes were a smoother see - a - wee. on march 22 a new note was recorded, z - z - z - z - z ( a prolonged z ), weak, as are all the notes, but rather harsh. the z notes seem to be part of the song, " a weak prolonged chittering performance interspersed with the louder z - z - z - z notes. " a. a. saunders ( 1935 ) points out that the siskin has an " undulatory flight, calling tit - a - til with each undulation. " he also mentions a " husky but sweet swi - sisee, slurring upward at the end, much like the goldfinch ' s similar note, except for the huskiness. " he says that the siskin ' s song is uttered in choruses and that mixed choruses are heard when goldflnches and siskins flock together. the latter ' s song much resembles the former ' s, being a " long - continued series of notes, groups of two - note phrases, or single notes and long trills. " the quality is " husky, and the trills fricative and like a loud long whisper. " from rutherglen, ontario, louise de kiriline lawrence sends this observation : " from this day [ january 291, the pine siskin ' s singing became common all over the woods. it was particularly intensive during the morning and early forenoon. the birds sang from perches, sometimes from the top of a bush along the road, at


[ january 291, the pine siskin ' s singing became common all over the woods. it was particularly intensive during the morning and early forenoon. the birds sang from perches, sometimes from the top of a bush along the road, at other times from the highest twig of the tallest tree. their song included some of their common notes which seemed to serve as punctuations between the more elaborate sentences and a ' vireo ' song, very like that of the purple finch, only with the performance in keeping with the siskin ' s smaller size. a ' churry ' ( not ' burry ' ) note also was interpolated often in the singing, so like that of the evening grosbeak that i several times mistakenly thought the grosbeaks were present unseen amongst the trees. the weather had no effect whatever on the siskins ' vocal ardor, be the day dull and mild, or cold and clear with the temperature far below zero. " from camrose, alberta, f. l. farley writes me as follows of a siskin found injured on november 29 and kept in a cage : " it is now more than two months since we have had him and we are all surprised with his musical ability. between daylight and noon every day he sings just as continuously as most of the tame canaries, and the most interesting thing we have learned is that he combines the well known notes of goldfinch and redpoll and the rich ones of the tame canary. then, in between these songs come the nasal s ~ jueez or issch so diagnostic of the siskin in its wild state. as i write now, he is singing quite steadily, and in between the songs he gives the canary e - r - e. his songs are on a low scale and cannot be heard more than a third of the distance that a tame canary ' s voice carries. enemies : friedmann ( 1963 ) writes : " generally, the pine siskin is ecologically allopatric with the brown - headed cowbird, a fact which effectively protects it from the attentions of the parasite. however, there are places where the two species overlap and here the siskin is occasionally imposed upon. eleven such instances have come to my notice, distributed among the following states : iowa, kansas, nebraska, south dakota ; and in canada : ontario and british columbia. " to these may be added n. j. ilnicky ' s ( 1963 ) observations of a pair of siskins feeding a


among the following states : iowa, kansas, nebraska, south dakota ; and in canada : ontario and british columbia. " to these may be added n. j. ilnicky ' s ( 1963 ) observations of a pair of siskins feeding a newly fledged cowbird in marquette, michigan, on july 11, 1962. spinus pinus pinus is the wide - ranging subspecies occurring in north america north of mexico. j. grinnell ( 1928a ) described it and its intergradation with the mexican subspecies thus : the birds from the northeastern united states and canada are, in massed series, dark colored, that is, with sharpest and blackest streaking ; also they include individuals showing least length of wing. the birds from arizona, and most of those from california, are of relatively pale coloration, and some of them have longer wing than in any northeastern birds i have examined. furthermore, there are many individuals, chiefly from southern california, which i cannot distinguish in any respect from mexican and lower [ = baja ] californian specimens. * * * * * * in other words, the range of variation in southwestern siskins is so great, and the possible average is so elusive, that, despite the macopterus - like individuals among them, i have come to the conclusion * * * [ that ] all north of mexico * * * [ should be called ] spinus pinus pinus * * * spinue pinus macopterus ( du bus ) is the mexican subspecies, about which relatively little is known. grinnell ( 1928a ) wrote that, compared to the northern one, it " is stated to possess longer wings and tail, and paler, less sharply streaked style of coloration. " sutton and burleigh ( 1940a ) found it common and noisy in pine woods at 8, 000 : 10, 000 feet, in early april, at las vigas, veracruz. they took specimens in breeding condition. for the period july 26 : 28, 1942, at 10, 500 feet at cofre de perote in the same state, w. b. davis ( 1945 ) reported that siskins " were just entering the breeding season in late july ; females contained ova as large as 5 mm. in diameter and the testes of males were considerably enlarged. " northern pine siskin ( s. p. pimis ) range : alaska, mackenzie, ontario, and labrador to northern mexico and gulf coast states. breeding range : the northern pine siskin breeds from central southern alaska (


males were considerably enlarged. " northern pine siskin ( s. p. pimis ) range : alaska, mackenzie, ontario, and labrador to northern mexico and gulf coast states. breeding range : the northern pine siskin breeds from central southern alaska ( iliamna, chitina moraine ), central western and southern yukon ( fortymile river, carcross ), central southern mackenzie ( moose island ), central saskatchewan ( flotten lake, emma lake ), southern manitoba ( lake st. martin ), northern ontario ( favourable lake ), central western and southeastern quebec ( mistassini post, anticosti island ), southern labrador ( hamilton inlet ), and newfoundland south to southern california ( san jacinto mountains ), southeastern arizona ( mount wrightson, graham mountains ), southern new mexico ( cloudcroft ), southwestern texas, western oklahoma ( cinaarron county ), central southern and northeastern kansas ( casual wichita, onaga ), northwestern iowa ( sioux city ), central minnesota ( walker, pine county ), northern wisconsin ( mercer ), central michigan ( kalkaska county ), southern ontario ( guelph ), northern pennsylvania ( hartstown, monroe county ), new york ( tompkins county, ossining ), connecticut ( hadlyme ), and massachusetts ( needham ). recorded in summer from northeastern sonora ( oposura ), eastern tennessee ( cosby ), and western north carolina ( black mountains ). winter range : winters at lower elevations, probably throughout the breeding range, north at least to southeastern alaska ( gastineau channel ), central and western british columbia ( lac la hache ), montana ( missoula ), southern ivianitoba ( brandon, hillside beach ), western and central ontario ( fort william, new liskeard ), southwestern quebec ( aylmer, ~ ' iontreal ), central new brunswick ( fredericton ), prince edward island, and central newfoundland, south to northern baja california ( nachogilero valley, rio alamo ), sonora ( nacozari ), durango ( ci ~ naga de las vacas ), coahuila ( sierra de guadalupe ), neuvo le6n ( mesa del chipinque ), tamaulipas ( galindo ), southeastern texas ( san antonio, houston ), southern louisiana ( cameron, mandeville ), mississippi ( rosedale ), ~ nd florida ( rarely south to miami ). casual records : casual in the pri


keokuk, may 15. minnesota : red wing, june 1 ( average of 7 years for southern minnesota, may 24 ). texas : san antonio, may 21. kansas : northeastern kansas, may 29. new mexico : glenrio, june 6 ; hachita grande mountains, may 22. wyoming : casper, may 17. early dates of fall arrival are : north dakota : jamestown, september 5. kansas : northeastern kansas, october 19 ( median of 7 years, november 7 ). minnesota : fillmore county, september 14 ( average of 6 years for southern minnesota, september 29 ). iowa : sioux city, september 26. michigan : detroit, september 5. ohio : buckeye lake, october 15. indiana : wayne county, october 8. missouri : st. louis, october 5 ( median of 12 years, october 30 ). tennessee : great smoky mountains national park, october 15. new hampshire : new hampton, august 25 ( median of 19 years, october 19 ). massachusetts : martha ' s vineyard, september 1 ( median of 5 years, october 22 ).. connecticut : new haven, october 8. new york - fire island, long island, september 5 ; cayuga and oneida lake basins, september 7 ( median of 16 years, october 14 ). new jersey : cape may, october 7. pennsylvania : state college, october 1. maryland : laurel, october 3. district of columbia : october 15. virginia : arlington, october 24. north carolina : rocky mount, october 31. south carolina : charleston, october 31. georgia - athens, october 20. alabama : sand mountain, october 26. florida : tallahassee, november 8. late dates of fall departure are : washington : starbuck, novem.. ber 15. manitoba : trees bank, november 10 ( average of 14 years, october 26 ). minnesota : minneapolis, november 27 ( average of 7 years for southern minnesota, november 2 ). ohio : buckeye lake, november 29. mississippi : saucier, november 27. new hampshire : new hampton, november 30 ( median of 19 years, november 18 ). new york : cayuga and oneida lake basins, december 8 ( median of 8 years, november 24 ). maryland : laurel, december 23. south carolina : charleston, december 12. egg dates : british columbia : 5 records, may 1 to june 20. california : 48 records, april 9 to july 12 ; 24 records, may 21 to june 25. colorado : 12 records, may


. south carolina : charleston, december 12. egg dates : british columbia : 5 records, may 1 to june 20. california : 48 records, april 9 to july 12 ; 24 records, may 21 to june 25. colorado : 12 records, may 2 to july 5 ; 8 records, may 9 to may 14. new brunswick : 2 records, june 27 and july 16. new hampshire : 2 records, april 17 and april 18. new york : 5 records, april 4 to may 25. ontario : 2 records, april 7 and april 14. washington : 11 records, april 4 to may 22 ; 6 records, april 25 to may 10. mexican pine siskin ( s. p. macropterus ) range : the mexican pine siskin is resident in northern baja california ( sierra ju ~ rez, sierra san pedro martir ) and in highlands of western and southern mexico from western chihuahua ( pacheco ) south to michoac ~ ln ( cerro de tancitaro, cerro moluca ), mexico ( mount popocatepeti ), and central western veracruz ( las vigas ). wanders locally in vicinity of breeding range. the birdzilla. comgreen guide to watching and feeding birds which bird is the fastest flyer? the professor has the answer!


children ' s residential care birmingham city council has 20 children ' s homes that work with children and young people. in addition, there are six children ' s homes for children with disabilities and one home known that is a community home with education ( ch ( e ) ). a children ' s home is a large house where children and young people live together as a group, with professional staff to look after them. children ' s homes aim to ensure that the needs of children are met when they cannot live with their own family. they are a place for children to develop and grow, as well as providing food, shelter, and space for play and leisure in a caring environment. children ' s homes look after children with many different needs. when children and young people come to live in a children ' s home they will have a care plan. their care plan says why a child is living in residential care, what is supposed to happen while they are living there and what is supposed to happen at the end of their stay. most children return home, but a few go to live with other families and a few go to live in other homes. older children who are not planning to return home are given help to prepare them for living on their own - this is called the careleavers service. education is important. children go to their own school if they have a school place, or we help to get them back into school. the exception to this is the ch ( e ) and in the two specialist children ' s homes where education is available on site. some young people may still attend resources in the community, for example school, college, etc. it is very important that children and young people stay in touch with their family and friends. it is only when they might be hurt, or a court order says that contact is forbidden, that some children are unable to have visits from their family or are unable to visit them. children and young people are respected as individuals. by providing for their religious and cultural needs children are encouraged to keep their sense of personal identity and community. eligibility for the servicechildren and young people have to live away from their own families for all sorts of reasons. these may include : - their parents are unwell ; - they have problems with their family and need to spend some time away from home ; eg : behaviour problems or educational difficulties ; - they may have a disability and need a break from living with their families ; - they are in the care of local authority, subject to a court order or an interim care order.


first 400 prisoners were sent from point lookout ( enlisted men only ). the second group came on july 11th. by the 12th, the number was up to 1, 151 prisoners and by the end of july, the camp had on july 15th, a trainload of prisoners ( 844 confederates and 125 union soldiers ) left point lookout, maryland and were headed for elmira. just outside shohola, pennsylvania, the 18 - car train ran head - on into a 50 - car coal train. 40 prisoners were killed outright... another 8 died later of their injuries. 93 more prisoners were wounded in the accident... 5 prisoners escaped. the union guards suffered 17 casualties as a result of the wreck... another 16 were wounded. townspeople came and assisted with the removal of the bodies from the scene. the injured were conveyed to shohola on the wagons and carriages of farmers and villagers and the ladies of the village bestowed tender care to both southerner and northerner. a panel was organized and it was decided that because of the warm weather, the bodies should be buried as soon as possible. railroad men, assisted by rebels, dug a trench measuring 76 feet long, 8 feet wide and 6 feet deep between the track and the river. rough coffins for the rebel soldiers were thrown together... made from the wood of the smashed train cars. four confederate prisoners were placed in each coffin. the union casualties were given single pine boxes that had been brought in specifically for the burial. a record of each corpse and the position of each coffin was made. in some cases, identification was totally impossible, due to the mangled condition of some of the bodies. once this was completed, the hole was filled in and the graves marked with wooden for forty - seven years, union and confederate soldier laid side by side along that stretch of track. over the years, the wooden markers crumbled away and all signs of a burial disappeared. finally, in 1900, a local resident named john vogt pushed for the proper care of the site. it wasn ' t until 1911 however, that the u. s. government issued an order to have the bodies of the guards and rebels moved from the accident site and re - interred at the national cemetery ( woodlawn ) at elmira. because of the passage of time, it was impossible to identify individual bodies, so the government ordered that a single stone be erected to mark the spot. one side of the stone would list the confederates while the other side would carry the names of the


. because of the passage of time, it was impossible to identify individual bodies, so the government ordered that a single stone be erected to mark the spot. one side of the stone would list the confederates while the other side would carry the names of the union soldiers. the monument is located on the north side of the older section of the cemetery and the burial site of the victims is to the south and directly in front of the stone. despite the accident, the government continued the influx of prisoners to elmira. at august ' s end, there were 9, 619 prisoners. all of the camp ' s 35 buildings were full and many more were living in tents. more barracks were erected in the early fall and the camp purchased 150 coal stoves to ward off the on september 20th, colonel benjamin f. tracy of the 127th colored infantry was named commandant of the prison. tracy was white, his colored troops helped the white militia guard the october 7th was the date of the infamous tunnel escape. for weeks prior to the actual escape, approximately 10 rebel soldiers worked diligently, tunneling their way through the floor of one of their tents. on the night of the 7th, they finally broke through the topsoil of water street, just outside the fence. eight of the men traveled south, the other two made their way to auburn where they worked and saved their earnings until such time as they could afford to head back home. a total of 17 prisoners made their way out of elmira during the period of its existance. the earliest escape was in late july when a confederate sergeant bribed his way into the dead house and into a coffin. he was shipped aboard the dead wagon for woodlawn cemetery. because the coffin lid had been lightly nailed, he was able to make his way out of the coffin and make good his escape. another escape was made when one of the prisoners forged a printed pass, and by stealing an officer ' s coat, got through the gate and headed home. the winter of 1864 - 65 was one of the most severe and it definitely took its toll on the southern prisoners. a secret agent, m. m. conklin, who lived in the camp, reported that the stronger prisoners preyed on the weaker ones, stealing their clothes. although some items of clothing were distributed to the prisoners, it appears that it was too little, too late. exposure to the elements was to blame for many winter deaths. some reports would show that the prisoners were provided with the same rations as union soldiers. the accounts


of clothing were distributed to the prisoners, it appears that it was too little, too late. exposure to the elements was to blame for many winter deaths. some reports would show that the prisoners were provided with the same rations as union soldiers. the accounts of the confederate prisoners on the other hand, stated that there was a definite lack of food. according to one source, " rations were meager. " although prisoners were allowed to purchase fresh vegetables from a local townsman, the privilege was soon stopped and the rations reduced in august. this was allegedly done in retaliation for the treatment of union prisoners in southern camps. bread and water would be the menu of the day and meat and vegetables would not be added to the diet again until december. this could possibly account for the overwhelming number of prisoners suffering from scurvy. by mid september 1864, there were 1, 870 cases of scurvy reported. some prisoners " found an acceptable substitute in rats with which the place abounded. these chinese delicacies commanded an average price of four cents apiece - - in greenbacks. " another complaint was the unsanitary conditions of foster ' s pond. although there were continual complaints to colonel hoffman regarding the unsanitary condition of the pond, nothing was done about it until october when drainage ditches were dug. finally, they complained over the lack of medicine and medical facilities for the sick. the camp surgeon was a major eugene l. sanger. according to a. w. keiley, who wrote " in vinculis " ( a book about his experience at elmira ), sanger " was a club - footed little gentleman, with an abnormal head and a snaky look in his eyes... he was simply a brute, as we found when we learned the whole truth about him from his own people. " the " whole truth " was allegations that necessary medicine was not getting to the sick patients that needed it. there were rumors that medicines were being sold. for example, quinine was sold for 8 cents an ounce. as well, there was a lack of proper facilities to take care of the large number of sick prisoners. many of the sick were housed in tents. some of the worse cases were placed back into the barracks. this might have been good for the patient, but they in turn would end up contaminating others in the barracks. dr. sanger finally resigned in december of 1864 to avoid a court - martial for his criminal treatment of the sick. he was replaced by dr. anthony


for the patient, but they in turn would end up contaminating others in the barracks. dr. sanger finally resigned in december of 1864 to avoid a court - martial for his criminal treatment of the sick. he was replaced by dr. anthony stocker and hospital conditions improved remarkably. in the spring, commandant tracy was also replaced, this time by colonel with the war ' s end in april of 1865, the prisoners began to be paroled and sent home in large numbers. the only ones left at the camp through the summer were the invalids... but they were gone by the end of september. elmira or " hellmira " as the rebel soldiers called it has been compared to andersonville in its treatment of prisoners of war and the number of deaths it experienced. although it was open for a shorter period of time than andersonville, the mortality percentage for elmira prison camp was 25, while at andersonville, with a total of 13, 705 deaths, the percentage of mortality was 27. not much difference if you come right down to it. woodlawn national cemetery is a constant reminder to the chemung county community that nearly 3, 000 confederate soldiers lie buried there. the present headstones were placed on the graves in 1907, replacing the wooden ones. shortly after the war, three of the confederacy ' s beloved sons were removed and taken south for reburial. around 1925, the daughters of the confederacy placed a memorial in woodlawn in remembrance of the men who had died in elmira prison camp. nothing exists of the prison camp today. there are markers however that tell a brief story of the history of the camp. i have the cemetery listing for woodlawn national cemetery. if anyone would like copies of it, please feel free to e - mail me. the next prison camp i would like to discuss is salisbury prison camp, in salisbury, north carolina. it would be the only civil war prison camp established in that state. north carolina seceded from the union on may 20, 1861. shortly thereafter, the confederate government contacted the governor of north carolina and asked him if he thought the state could house prisoners of war. the town of salisbury was chosen for this purpose, as it had an old textile mill that had been vacant for over 20 years. the first 120 prisoners were moved into the building on december 9th, 1861. by the end of may, the number was up to about 1, 400. these early prisoners lived a fairly comfortable life, passing the time by making trink