@‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     DECEMBER MEETING Tuesday, 
     
     December 2 Will be the last 
     
     meeting of the 1980 year. Phil 
     
     Michael from Parks Canada will 
     
     be the guest speaker. His topic 
     
     "The Natural History Interpret- 
     
     ative Program in the Prince 
     
     Edward Island National Park" 
     
     should be of interest to every- 
     
     one. 
     
    

    
     As in previous years, 
     
     refreshments will be served at 
     
     the December meeting. To make 
     
     the occasion even more enjoyable 
     
     bring along your favorite mug. 
     
    
   
   
    
     CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT This 
     
    

    
     year's annual Christmas Bird Counts 
     
     are to be held On December 20 
     
     (P.E.I. National Park) and December 
     
     27 (Hillsborough). In case of 
     
     inclement weather, alternate dates 
     
     are December 2l and 28. New par- 
     
     ticipants as well as experienced 
     
     counters are welcome to come along 
     
     on the day-long events. At the 
     
     end of each count day, counters 
     
     are invited to gather for a pot- 
     
     luck supper. A participation fee 
     
     of $2.00 helps to defray expenses 
     
     of publishing the re5ults of the 
     
     more than l3DO counts held across the 
     
     continent. If you would like to 
     
     become involved in finding out 
     
    

    
     how many and what species of birds 
     
     we have on the Island in late 
     
     December, contact Winnie Cairns 
     
     (838-3225 through the week, and 
     
     894-4095 on weekends). 
     
    
   
   
    
     D.E.D. UPDATE As a follow 
     
    

    
     up to Jean-Paul Arsenault's 
     
     article "Dutch Elm Disease On 
     
     Prince Edward Island" in the 
     
     November issue of the newsletter, 
     
     I contacted Mr. Arsenault concern- 
     
     ing the re5ults of tests carried 
     
     out on P.E.I. last summer. All 
     
     tests proved to be negative. Thus, 
     
     all those areas sampled are still 
     
     free of Dutch Elm Disease. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Clare Martin, Editor :3 
     
    
   
   
    
     @Céé: 
     
    
   
   
    
     FIELD TRIP REPORT On the even- 
     
     ing of November 2l, ten members 
     
     of the Natural History Society 
     
     were guests of Professor Earl 
     
     Wonnacott at U.P.E.I.‘s new 
     
     observatory. Located on the top 
     
     of Memorial Hall, the observatory 
     
     looks like a giant silver dome. 
     
     The moon was full that evening 
     
     and although a light haze covered 
     
     the sky, many features of the lunar 
     
     surface could be seen. Professor 
     
     Nonnacott expertly explained the 
     
     workings of the observatory 
     
     hausing and the Celestron - l4 
     
     telescope it contains, as well 
     
    

    
     as ably answered the many questions 
     
     of society members. At the con- 
     
     clusion of our visit Professor 
     
     Wonnacott invited the society 
     
     members to return to the observa- 
     
     tory at a later date. 
     
    
   
   
    
     MURDER IN MILLTONN CROSS 
     
     OH November l9, while sitting 
     
     cosily at home by the fire, I 
     
     observed a confrontation between 
     
     two common crows and a common 
     
     qrackle. Working as a team, the 
     
     crows systematically chased 
     
     and harrassed the grackle, tearing 
     
     away feathers and delivering sharp 
     
     pecks to his head and neck when- 
     
     ever opportunities permitted. 
     
     In evitably the grackle was pinned 
     
     down by the strong toes of his 
     
     captor who continued with the 
     
     plucking process under the obser- 
     
     vant eye of the second crow. Be- 
     
     fore long crows and victim flew 
     
     to a nearby maple. The attack 
     
     continued. During most of this 
     
     time the grackle remained still 
     
     but now and then he would thrust his 
     
     head forward and violently agitate 
     
     lt in a struggle to free himself. 
     
     But the crow held tight, and soon 
     
     hlS victim was largely stripped 
     
     of his feathers. Now instead of 
     
     feathers. the crow tore into the 
     
     flesh of the dying bird. 
     
     Unfortunately at this point 
     
     the telephone rang, and when I 
     
     returned all three birds had 
     
     disappeared- Winnie Cairns