J / ( Old Series, \ Continuation of the j New Series, Yol. XXXIV. / Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club \ Vol. XXVI. The Auk a editor J. A. ALLEN ASSOCIATE EDITOR FRANK M. CHAPMAN VOLUME XXVI PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 1909 Entered as second class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. •CONTENTS OF VOLUME XXVI. NUMBER I. Page Notes on the Occurrence of the Yellow Rail in Michigan. By Norman A. Wood ........ 1 Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. By Stanley G. Jewett . 5 Nesting of the Bohemian Waxwing ( Bombycilla garrulus). By Rudolph M. Anderson . . . . . . . . 10 Some Habits of the English Sparrow ( Passer domesticus) . By Charles W. Townsend, M . D. ....... 13 The Virginia and Sora Rails Nesting in New York City. By J. A. Weber . 19 Instinctive Stillness in Birds. By William Palmer . . 23 A Reprint of the Ornithological Writings of C. S. Rafinesque. By Charles W. Richmond ....... 37 Winter Birds of New' Ontario, and other Notes on Northern Birds. By G. Eifrig ........ 55 Some Notes on the Birds of Okanagan, British Columbia. By Allan Brooks .......... GO The Destruction of Birds at Niagara Falls. By Leon J. Cole 63 List of Birds observed on the Upper Toklat River near Mt. McKinley, Alaska. By Charles Sheldon .... 66 Tw'Enty-sixth Stated Meeting of the American Ornitholo¬ gists’ Union. By John H. Sage ..... 71 GENERAL NOTES. A Curious Influx of Southern Herons to Newr Jersey, 76; The Little White Egret in New Mexico, 76; The Clapper Rail in Essex County, Mass., 76; Late Flight of Woodcock on Long Island, N. Y., 77; Capture of the Ruff at Seabrook, N. H., 77; Eskimo Curlew taken at Newburyport, Mass., 77; The American Golden Plover ( Charadrius dominions) in Ohio in Autumn, 77 ; Wild Turkeys in Illinois, 78; Asio wilsonianus in Sherburne, N. H., 78; A Note on the English Sparrow, 78; Mexican Goldfinch in Colo¬ rado, 79; Northward Range of Ammodramus lecontei, 80; Correc¬ tion, 80; Breeding of Dendroica striata at Great Slave Lake, 80; The Black-throated Green Warbler as a Nesting Species on Long Island, N. Y., 80; Carolina Wren in Rhode Island, 81; The Carolina Wren at Falmouth, Maine, 82; Capture of the Short¬ billed Marsh Wren on Long Island, 82; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Washington County, N. Y., 82; The Bluebird {Sicdia sialis) in Quebec, 83; Two Michigan Records, 83; Rare Birds near Springfield, Mass., 83; Notes from West Virginia, 84; Colorado Notes, 85; Notes of Occurrence and Nesting of Certain Species Additional to the ‘Birds of Colorado,’ 86. RECENT LITERATURE. Chapman’s ‘Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist,’ 89: Preble on the Birds of the Athabaska-Mackenzie Region, 90; MacFarlane iii IV Contents of Volume XXVI. on the Birds of Northwestern Canada, 92; Knight’s ‘The Birds of Maine,’ 93; Godman’s ‘Monograph of the Petrels,’ Part III, 95; Gadow’s ‘Through Southern Mexico,’ 95; Report on the Immigration of Summer Residents in England and Wales in the Spring of 1907, 96; The Heath Hen, 96; Woodruff on Causes of the Scarcity of the Ruffed Grouse, 97 ; Forbush on the Economic Value of Birds to Agriculture, 97; Carriker’s ‘Notes on Costa Rican Formicariidse,’ 98; Craig on the Voice in Pigeons as a Means of Social Control, 98; Taverner and Swales on the Birds of Point Pelee, Ontario, 98; Rockwell on the Birds of Mesa County, Colorado, 99; Bryan on the Birds of Molokai, 99; Annual Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies for 1908, 100; Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey, 101 ; Mrs. Bailey’s Hand-book of Birds of Western United States, Third Edition, 102; Richmond’s Lists of Generic Names of Birds, 102; Publications received, 104. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: Robert Morris Gibbs, 105. Fourth Annual Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies, 106; U. S. Supreme Court Decision on the Sale of Imported Game, 106; Personal Notes, 107; ‘Bird-Lore’ colored plates of North American Birds, 108. NUMBER II. The Position of Birds’ Feet in Flight. By Charles W. Towrir- send, M. D. . . . . . . . . . 109 Ornithological Miscellany from Audubon Wardens. By B. S. Bowdish . . . . . . . . .116 Notes on the Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. By Arthur H. Howell .......... 129 The Tagging of Wild Birds as a Means of Studying their Movements. By Leon J . Cole . 137 A List of the Birds of Western South Dakota. By Stephen Sargent Vischer . . . . . . . . .144 Barrowt’s Golden-eye in Massachusetts. By William Brewster 153 The Habitat Groups of North American Birds in the Ameri¬ can Museum of Natural History. By J. A. Allen. (Plates I-IV.) . 165 Something More about Black Ducks. By William Brewster . 175 New^ Records and Important Range Extensions of Colorado Birds. By Merrit Cary ... . . . . . ISO GENERAL NOTES. A Recent Instance of the Occurrence of the White Pelican ( Pele - canus erythrorhynchos) in Massachusetts, 185; The European Widgeon in Rhode Island, 186; SnowT Geese in Massachusetts, 188; Another Ohio Record for Oidemia deglandi, 189; The Masked Duck — a Correction, 189; The Little Blue Heron in New Jersey, Contents of Volume XXVI. v 189; The Yellow Rail at Salem, New Jersey, 190; The Black Rail ( Creciscus jamaicensis) in the District of Columbia, 190; Occur¬ rence of the Whimbrel ( Numenius phceopus) off the Coast of Nova Scotia, 190; Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), 191; Capture of a Bald Eagle near Chicago, Ill., 191; The Prairie Falcon ( Falco mexicanus) in Western Minnesota, 191; Agelaius phceniceus fortis in Louisiana, 192; Pine Siskin and Winter Bobolinks, 192; Even¬ ing Grosbeaks again in Massachusetts, 194; The Cardinal at Ipswich, Mass., 194; Dendroica discolor and Dendroica vigorsi in Eastern Massachusetts in Winter, 195; The Carolina Wren at New Haven, Conn., 195; Breeding of the Louisiana Water-Thrush in Philadelphia, 195; A Spring Record for Bicknell’s Thrush on Long Island, 196; Albino Robins, 196; Unusual Dates for some Birds at New Haven, Conn., 198; Unusual Records for Massachu¬ setts, 198; Massachusetts Bird Notes, 199; Three New Records for the State of Washington and One for Oregon, 200; Labrador Notes, 201. RECENT LITERATURE. Grinnell’s ‘The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains,’ 202; Grinnell on Birds of Southeastern Alaska, 203; Grinnell on Birds observed at Salton Sea, 204; Chapman on the Life-Histories of the Booby and Man-o’-War Bird, 205; Warren on Birds of Montrose County, Colorado, 206; Sclater on the Winter Birds of Colorado, 206; Wetmore’s Notes on Some Northern Arizona Birds, 206; Ober- holser’s List of Alabama Birds, 206; Oberholser’s Revision of the Kingfishers of the Genus Ramphalcyon, 206; Van Oort’s Avi¬ fauna of the Netherlands, 207; Hartert’s ‘Die Vogel der Pala- arctischen Fauna,’ Heft V, 207 ; Count von Berlepsch on the Birds of Cayenne, 207; ‘Cassinia,’ 208; Stone’s ‘A Revision of the Genus Piaya Lesson,’ 209; Watson’s ‘The Behavior of Noddy and Sooty Terns,’ 209; Publications Received, 214. CORRESPONDENCE. Where the Skeletons of American Birds may be Studied, 217. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: Charles Aldrich, 218; Edward Seymour Woodruff, 218. Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Audubon Society of the State of New York, 219; Darwin Memorial Celebration, 219; Roosevelt Expedition to Africa, 220; Temperature Map of Mexico and Central America, 220; New Publications, 220. VI Contents of Volume XXVI. NUMBER III The Geological and Geographical Relations of the Land- Bird Fauna of Northeastern America. By Spencer Trotter 221 The Use of Wings and Feet by Diving Birds. By Charles W. Townsend, M. D. ........ 234 A Reprint of the Ornithological Writings of C. S. Rafinesque. By Charles W . Richmond ....... 248 A Carolina Wren Invasion of New England. By Charles W. Townsend, M. D. ........ 263 Some Original Manuscript Relating to the History of Town¬ send’s Bunting. By Ruthven Deane ..... 269 Annotated List of the Water Birds of Weld, Morgan and Adams Counties, Colorado, South to the First Sectional Line below the Fortieth Parallel. By A. H. Felger . 272 An Instance of Hybridization in Hummingbirds, with Remarks on the Weight of Generic Characters in the Trochilid,®. By Walter P. Taylor . . . . . . . .291 Fifteenth Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds . . . 294 GENERAL NOTES. Additional Record of the European Widgeon ( Mareca penelope) , 304; Capture of the European Widgeon in New Hampshire, 304; The Lesser Snow Goose ( Chen hyperborea nivalis) in Gorham, Maine, 304; A Second Record for the Fulvous Tree-Duck taken in Missouri, 304; Third Record of the Purple Gallinule ( Ionornis martinica) in Illinois, 305; Wilson’s Snipe wintering in Pennsyl¬ vania, 305; The Lesser Yellow-legs in Chester County, Pennsyl¬ vania, 305; Early Nesting of the Barn Owl in Delaware, 305; Northern Breeding Limit of the Chuck-wills-widow, 306; The Starling near Springfield, Mass., 306; The Capture of the Red¬ eyed Cowbird in Arizona, 307 ; The Present Status of the Meadow¬ lark ( Sturnella magna) near Portland, Maine, 307; Another Hoary Redpoll ( Acanthis hornemanni exilipes ) at Westbrook, Maine, 308; Late Records for Siskins in Chester County, Pa., 308; The third Specimen of the Summer Tanager for Canada, 308; Prothonotary Warbler taken on the Coast of Maine, 309; The Races of the Parula Warbler, 309; Breeding of the Louisiana Water-Thrush (Seiurus motacilla) in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, 310; Concerning Thryomanes bewicki cryptus in Colorado, 311 ; A Correc¬ tion, 312; Bicknell’s Thrush (Hylocichla alicice bicknelli ) in Cumberland County, Maine, 312; The Rank of Certain Groups of Birds, 313; Three Records for British Columbia, 313; Some New Birds for Colorado, 314; Notes concerning Certain Birds of Long Island, New York, 314. RECENT LITERATURE. Jubilee Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 317; Thayer and Bangs on the Birds of Guadaloupe Islands, 319; Bangs on Birds from Western Colombia, 320; Bangs on Costa Rican Birds, 320; Ridgway on New Genera, Species, and Subspecies of Tropical Contents of Volume XXVI. vii American Birds, 321; New North American Birds, 321; Wid- mann on ‘The Summer Birds of Shaw’s Garden,’ 322; Cole on ‘The Crow as a Menace to Poultry Raising, 322; Swarth on the Distribution and Moult of Mearns’s Quail, 323; Godman’s ‘Mono¬ graph of the Petrels,’ 323; Howard’s ‘The British Warblers,’ Part III, 323; Grinnell’s ‘A Bibliography of California Ornithol¬ ogy,’ 326; Mearns on Philippine Birds, 326; Brooks on Birds found in West Virginia, 327; Dearborn on Birds from British East Africa, 327; Dawson and Bowles’s ‘The Birds of Washington,’ 328; Shufeldt’s ‘Osteology of Birds,’ 329; Publications Received, 330. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: Charles K. Worthen, 332. ‘British Birds’ plan for Marking Birds, 332 ; Temperature Map of Mexico and Central America, 333; New Publications on Birds, 333; ‘The Condor’ Index, 334; The Victoria Museum of Natural History, 334; ‘Wild-Life Preserva¬ tion’ number of New York Zoological Society’s ‘Bulletin,’ 335. NUMBER IV. A Nesting of the Blue-winged Warbler in Massachusetts. By Horace W. Wright ........ 337 An Inquiry into the History of the Current English Names of North American Land Birds. By Spencer Trotter . . 346 Summer Birds of Iron County, Michigan. By Eliot Blackwelder 363 A Study' of a Breeding Colony of Yellow-headed Blackbirds; Including an Account of the Destruction of the Entire Progeny of the Colony' by some unknown Natural Agency. By Thomas S. Roberts, M. D. (Plates V-XIV.) . . .371 Birds of Central Alberta. By Sidney S. S. Stansell . . 390 The Birds of Colorado — Third Supplement. By Wells IF. Cooke ........... 400 The Singular Case of the Black Duck of North America. By Jonathan Dwight, Jr., M. D. ..... 422 GENERAL NOTES. Capture of an American Eider at Chicago, 426; Breeding of the Least Bittern ( Ardetta exilis) in Chester Co., Pa., 426; The Black Rail in Maryland, 427; First Appearance of the Sanderling in the Vicinity of Detroit, 427; Actodromas fuscicollis in Philadelphia County, Pa., 427; The Spruce Partridge in the White Mountains, 428; The Passenger Pigeon — Only One Pair Left, 429; The Black Gyrfalcon in Connecticut, 429; The Acadian Flycatcher in Ontario, 430; European Starling Nesting at Princeton, New Jersey, 430; The Meadowlark in Maine, and Other Notes, 430; Note on the Red Crossbill and the Pine Finch in South Carolina, 432; The Grasshopper Sparrow at Ottawa, Ontario, 432; The Prairie Warbler ( Dendroica discolor) in Northern Ontario, 432; Breeding of the Mockingbird near Boston, 433; The Carolina Contents of Volume XXVI. viii Wren in Washtenau County, Michigan, 434; Brown Creepers Nesting near St. Louis, 434; A Colony of Hermit Thrushes at Yaphank, Long Island, N. Y., 435; North Carolina Notes, 436; Notes from Crawford Notch, N. H., 437; Additions to the List of Birds of Allegany and Garrett Counties, Western Maryland, 437; The Food of Several Maine Water-Birds, 438; Hybridism and Generic Characters in the Trochilidse, 440. RECENT LITERATURE. Cory’s ‘The Birds of Illinois and Wisconsin,’ 442; Wrights’ ‘Birds of the Boston Public Garden,’ 443; Hersey and Rockwell on the Birds of the Barr Lake District, Colorado, 445; McGregor on Birds from Northern Mindanao, 445; McGregor on Philippine Ornithological Literature, 445; Marble on Birds of New Hamp¬ shire, 446; Reed’s ‘ Bird Guide,’ 446; Cherrie on New Birds from the Orinoco Region and Trinidad, 446; Miller’s Experiment in the Colonization of the House Martin, 446; Walcott’s Analysis of the Bird Fauna of Nebraska, 447; Publications Received, 448. CORRESPONDENCE. New Edition of Ridgway’s Nomenclature of Colors, 450; Avian Osteol¬ ogy and Game Bird Protection, 450. NOTES AND NEWS. Obituary: William H. Brownson, 453. New Ornithological Works in Prospect, 453; Personal Notes, 454; The New Quarters of the Division of Birds in the National Museum, 454; The Bristol County Academy of Sciences, 455; Bird Protection Notes, 455; Annual Meeting of the American Ornithologist’s Union, 456. Index ............ 457 Errata ............ 483 Contents ........... iii Officers and Members . . . . . . - . ix ILLUSTRATIONS. Plates. Plate I. Duck Hawk on the Palisades. (From Group in American Museum of Natural History.) “ II. The American Egret in a South Carolina Cypress Swamp. (From group in American Museum of Natural History.) “ III. A Klamath Lake Bird Colony. (From group in American Museum of Natural History.) “ IV. Grebe Colony. (From group in American Museum of Natural History. “ V-XIV. Studies of a Breeding Colony of Yellow-headed Black¬ birds. Text-Cuts. Page Map of Weld and Morgan Counties, Colorado .... 274 Diagrammatic sketch of same area to show altitudes . . . 275 Sketch map of the Barr Lake Chain, Adams County, Colorado (fac¬ ing) . 276 OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. 1909. Nelson, E. W., President . Chapman, Frank M., ) t,. „ „ . Tr S Vice-Presidents 1 ISHER, A. K . ) Sage, John H., Secretary . Dwight, Jonathan, Jr., Treasurer.... Expiration of Term December, 1909. 1909. “ 1909. “ 1909. Additional Members of the Council. Deane, Ruthven . Dutcher, William .... Henshaw, H. W . Lucas, F. A . Richmond, Charles W Roberts, Thomas S . . . Stone, Witmer . Allen, J. A . Batchelder, C. F . Brewster, William... Cory, Charles B . Elliot, D. G . Merriam, C. Hart . Ridgway, Robert . December, 1909. “ 1909. “ 1909. “ 1909. “ 1909. “ ' 1909. “ 1909 ► Ex-Presidents. Editorial Staff of ‘The Auk.’ Allen, J. A., Editor . December, 1909. Chapman, Frank M., Associate Editor . “ 1909. Committees. Committee on Publications. Nelson, E. W. Allen, J. A. Sage, John H., Secretary. Chapman, Frank M. Dwight, Jonathan, Jr. Committee of Arrangements for the Meeting of 1909. Nelson, E. W., Chairman. Chapman, Frank M., Sage, John H., Secretary. Dwight, Jonathan, Jr. Dutcher, William. X Fellows. FELLOWS, MEMBERS, AND ASSOCIATES OF THE AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. MARCH, 1909.1 FELLOWS. [Omission of date indicates a Founder. An * indicates a Life Fellow.] Date of Election. Allen, Dr. J. A., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . — Anthony, A. W., 686 Overton St., Portland, Ore . 1895 Bangs, Outram, 20 Pemberton Sq., Boston, Mass . 1901 Barrows, Prof. W. B., Agricultural College, East Lansing, Mich . 1883 Batchelder, Charles Foster, 7 Kirkland St., Cambridge, Mass. . . — Beal, F. E. L., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1901 Belding, Lyman, Stockton, Cal . 1883 Bicknell, Eugene P., Box 1698, New York City . — Bishop, Dr. Louis B., 356 Orange St., New Haven, Conn . 1901 *Brewster, William, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge, Mass . — Brown, Nathan Clifford, 218 Middle St., Portland, Me . — Chadbourne, Dr. Arthur P., Peterboro, N. H . 1889 Chapman, Frank M., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1888 Cooke, Prof. Wells W., 1328 12th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. . . .1884 *Cory, Charles B., Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Chicago, Ill . — Deane, Ruthven, 135 Adams St., Chicago, Ill . 1883 Dutcher, William, Caldwell, N. J . 18S6 Dwight, Dr. Jonathan, Jr., 134 W. 71st St., New York City . 1886 Elliot, Daniel G., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . — Fisher, Dr. Albert K., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . — Fisher, Prof. Walter Kenrick, Box 77, Palo Alto, Cal . 1905 Gill, Prof. Theodore N., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C. . . .1883 Grinnell, Dr. George Bird, Audubon Park, New York City . 1883 Grinnell, Joseph, Mus. Vert. Zool., Univ. of Cal., Berkeley, Cal. . . .1901 Henshaw, Henry W., The Ontario, Washington, D. C . 1883 Jones, Lynds, Spear Laboratory, Oberlin, Ohio . 1905 1 Fellows and Members of the Union, and Subscribers to ‘ The Auk ’ are re¬ quested to promptly notify Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr., Treasurer, 134 W. 71st St., New York City, of any change of address. Honorary Fellows. xi Lawrence, Newbold T., Lawrence, N. Y . 1883 Loomis, Leverett M., California Acad. Sfci., San Francisco, Cal. . . .1892 Lucas, Frederic A., Museum Brooklyn Inst., Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N. Y . 1892 McGregor, Richard C., Bureau of Science, Manila, P. 1 . 1907 Mearns, Dr. Edgar A., U. S. A., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C. - — Merriam, Dr. C. Hart, Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . — Nehrling, H., Palm Cottage Experiment Gardens, Gotha, Fla . 1883 Nelson, E. W., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1883 Oberholser, Harry C., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1902 Osgood, Wilfred Hudson, 818 17th St., N. W., Washington, D.C.. .1905 Palmer, Dr. T. S., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1901 Palmer, William, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C . 1898 Purdie, Henry A., 48 Boylston St., Boston, Mass . . . — Richmond, Dr. Charles W., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C. .1897 Ridgway, Prof. Robert, 3353 18th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. . . . — Roberts, Dr. Thomas S., 1603 4th Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn . 1883 *Sage, John H., Portland, Conn . 1883 Saunders, William E., 240 Central Ave., London, Ontario . 1S83 Shufeldt, Dr. Robert W., 471 W. 145th St., New York City . — Stejneger, Dr. Leonhard, U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C.. .1884 Stone, Witmer, Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa . 1892 Widmann, Otto, 5105 Morgan St., St. Louis, Mo . 1884 HONORARY FELLOWS. Berlepsch, Graf Hans von, Schloss Berlepsch, Post Gertenbach, Wit- zenhausen, Germany . 1890 Dresser, Henry Eeles, 44 Horton Court, Kensington, London, W. . 1883 Finsch, Dr. Otto, 19b Altewickring, Braunschweig, Germany . 1883 Giglioli, Dr. Henry Hillyer, Director Royal Zoological Museum, Florence . 1883 Godman, Frederick DuCane, 45 Pont St., London, S. W . 1883 Hartert, Ernst, Zoological Museum, Tring, England . 1902 Harvie-Brown, John A., Dunipace House, Larbert, Stirling, Scot¬ land . 1902 Hume, Allan Octavian, The Chalet, Kingswood Road, Upper Nor¬ wood, London, S. E . 1883 Meyer, Dr. A. B., Hohenzollemstrasse 17, Berlin, W. 10 . 1900 Reichenow, Dr. Anton, Konigl. Mus. fur Naturkunde, Invaliden- strasse, 43, Berlin . 1891 Salvadori, Prof. Count Tommaso, Royal Zool. Museum, Turin . 1883 Corresponding Fellows. xii Sclater, Dr. Philip Lutley, Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London, S. W . 1883 Sharpe, Dr. Richard Bowdler, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S. W . . . 1883 Wallace, Prof. Alfred Russel, Broadstone, Wimborne, Dorset, England . 1883 CORRESPONDING FELLOWS. Alfaro, Anastasio, San Jose, Costa Rica . 1888 Arrigoni Degli Oddi, Count Dr. E., University of Padua, Italy. . . .1900 Blasius, Dr. Wilhelm, Braunschweig, Germany . 1884 Bureau, Dr. Louis, Ecole de Medicine, Nantes, France . 1884 Butler, Lieut. -Col. E. A., Winsford Hall, Stokesby, Great Yarmouth, England . 1884 Buttikofer, J., Zoological Gardens, Rotterdam, Holland . 1886 Buturlin, Sergius A., Wesenberg. Esthonia, Russia . 1907 Campbell, Archibald James, Melbourne, Australia . 1902 Chamberlain, Montague, Cambridge, Mass . 1901 Clarke, William Eagle, Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh . 1889 Collett, Prof. Robert, Zoological Museum, Christiania, Norway.. .1883 Dalgleish, John J., Brankston Grange, Bogside Station, Stirling, Scotland . 1883 Dole, Sanford B., Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands . 1888 Dubois, Dr. Alphonse, Museum Natural History, Brussels . 1884 Duges, Prof. Alfredo, Colegio del Estado, Guanajuato, Mexico. . . .1884 Echt, Adolph Bachofen von, Nussdorf, near Vienna . 1883 Evans, Arthur H., 9 Harvey Road, Cambridge, England . 1899 Feilden, Col. H. W., C. B., Burwash, Sussex, England . 1884 Ferrari-Perez, Prof. Fernando, Naturalist Mexican Geol. Expl. Commission, Pueblo, Mexico . 1885 Freke, Percy Evans, 7 Limes Road, Folkstone, Kent, England. . . .1883 Furbringer, Prof. Max, Director Anatom. Institute, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany . 1891 Gadow, Dr. Hans, Zoological Museum, Cambridge, England . 1884 Girtanner, Dr. A., St. Galle, Switzerland . 1884 Godwin-Austen, Lieut.- Col. H. H., Nore, Hascombe, Godaiming, England . 1884 Goeldi, Prof. Dr. Emil A., 36 Zieglerstrasse, Bern, Switzerland . 1903 Grandidier, Alfred, 6 Rond-Point des Champs Elysees, Paris . 1883 Grant, William R. Ogilvie, British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Cromwell Road, London, S.W . 1899 Gurney, John Henry, Keswick Hall, Norwich, England . 1883 Harting, James Edmund, Edgewood, Weybridge, Surrey, England. .1883 Members. xiii Hayek, Dr. Gustav von, Vienna . 1S84 Hellmayr, Dr. E. C., Neuhauserstrasse 51.11, Munich, Germany. . . . 1903 Hennicke, Dr. Carl R., Gera, Reuss, Germany . 1907 Henson, Harry V., Yokohama . 1888 Herman, Otto, Budapest, Hungary . 1908 Hudson, William Henry, Tower House, St. Luke's Road, West- bourne Park, London, W . 1895 Ihering, Dr. Hermann von, Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil . 1902 Knudson, Valdemar, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands . 1888 Krukenberg, Dr. E. F. W., Wurzburg, Germany. . . 1884 Kruper, Dr. Theobald J., University Museum, Athens, Greece. . . .1884 Legge, William V., Cullenswood House, St. Mary’s, Tasmania . 1891 MacFarlane, Roderick, Winnipeg, Manitoba . 1886 Madarasz, Dr. Julius von, National Museum, Budapest, Hungary. 1884 Menzbier, Dr. M., Imperial Society of Naturalists, Moscow . 1884 Namiye, M., Tokio . 1886 Nicholson, Francis, The Knoll, Windermere, England . 1884 North, Alfred J., Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales. .1902 Oates, Eugene William, 1 Carlton Gardens, Ealing, London, W. . .1884 Palmen, Dr. J. A., Helsingfors, Finland . 1883 Pycraft, W. P., British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Cromwell Road, Lon¬ don, S. W . 1902 Ramsey, E. P., Sydney, New South Wales . 1884 Ringer, Frederic, Nagasaki . 1888 Rothschild, Hon. Walter L., Zoological Museum, Tring, England. 1898 Schalow, Herman, Traunsteinerstrasse 2‘, Berlin, W. 30 . 1884 Sclater, William Lutley, Colorado Springs, Colo . 1906 Shelley, Capt. G. E., 39 Edgerton Gardens, South Kensington, London, S. W . 1884 Sushkin, Dr. Peter, Imperial University, Moscow . 1903 Theel, Dr. Hjalmar, University of Upsala, Upsala, Sweden . 1884 Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen, Victor Ritter von, Villa Tannenhof, bei Hallein, Salzburg, Austria . 1884 Waterhouse, F. H., 3 Hanover Square, London, W . 1889 Winge, Dr. Herluf, University Zoological Museum, Copenhagen. . . . 1903 Worcester, Prof. Dean C., Manila, P. 1 . 1903 Zeledon, Don Jose C., San Jose, Costa Rica . 1884 MEMBERS Allen, Francis H., 4 Park St., Boston, Mass . 1901 Allen, Dr. Glover M., 16 Oxford St., Cambridge, Mass . 1904 Allison, Andrew, Ellisville, Miss . 1902 Attwater, H. P., Box 697, Houston, Texas . 1901 XIV Members. Bailey, Mrs. Vernon, 1834 Ivalorama Ave., Washington, D. C . 1901 Bailey, Vernon, 1834 Ivalorama Ave., Washington, D. C . 1901 Baily, William L., Ardmore, Pa . 1901 Barbour, Prof. Erwin H., Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb . 1903 Bartsch, Paul, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C . 1902 Beebe, C. William, N. Y. Zoological Park, New York City . 1903 Bent, Arthur C., Taunton, Mass . 1902 Bond, Frank, 3127 Newark St., Cleveland Park, Washington, D. C. .1901 Braislin, Dr. William C., 556 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. . . 1902 Brown, Herbert, Tucson, Arizona . 1901 Bruner, Prof. Lawrence, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb . 1901 Bryan, William Alanson, Pacific Scientific Institution, Honolulu, H. 1 . 1901 Burns, Frank L., Berwyn, Pa . 1901 Butler, Amos W., 52 Downey Ave., Irvington, Indianapolis, Ind. . .1901 Cherrie, George K., Mus. Brooklyn Inst., Eastern Parkway, Brook¬ lyn, N. Y . 1901 Clark, Austin Hobart, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. . 1905 Clark, Prof. Hubert Lyman, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cam¬ bridge, Mass . 1902 Daggett, Frank S., 441 Postal Telegraph Building, Chicago, Ill. . . .1901 Dawson, William Leon, 5810 16th Ave., N. E., Seattle, Wash . 1905 Deane, Walter, 29 Brewster St., Cambridge, Mass . 1901 Dearborn, Ned, Field Museum, Chicago, Ill . 1907 Eaton, Elon Howard, Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y . 1907 Evermann, Prof. Barton W., Bureau of Fisheries, Washington, D. C . 1901 Finley, William L., Box 60A, R. F. D. No. 1, Milwaukee, Ore . 1907 Fleming, James H., 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Ontario . 1901 Forbush, Edward H., 9 Church St., Westboro, Mass . 1903 Fuertes, Louis Agassiz, Cornell Heights, Ithaca, N. Y . 1901 Gault, Benjamin True, Glen Ellyn, Ill . 1903 Goldman, Edward Alfonso, Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. .1902 Hardy, Manly, 159 Wilson St., Brewer, Maine . 1901 Hoffmann, Ralph, 33 Wellington Ave., Belmont, Mass . 1901 Howell, Arthur H., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1902 Jacobs, J. Warren, 404 S. Washington St., Waynesburg, Pa . 1904 Jeffries, William Augustus, 11 Pemberton Square, Boston, Mass. 1901 Job, Rev. Herbert K., 291 Main St., West Haven, Conn . 1901 Jordan, Prof. David Starr, Stanford University, Cal . 1901 Knight, Ora Willis, 84 Forest Ave., Bangor, Me . 1907 Mackay, George H., 304 Bay State Road, Boston, Mass . 1901 Mailliard, John W., 300 Front St., San Francisco, Cal . 1901 Mailliard, Joseph, San Geronimo, Cal . 1901 Miller, Mrs. Olive Thorne, Garvanza, Cal . .* . 1901 Miller, Waldron DeWitt, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1906 Associates. xv Morris, George Spencer, Olney, Philadelphia, Pa . 1903 Morris, Robert O., 72 Temple St., Springfield, Mass . 1904 Murdoch, John, 19 Wendell St., Cambridge, Mass . 1901 Norton, Arthur H., Mus. Nat. Hist., 22 Elm St., Portland, Maine. 1902 Pearson, T. Gilbert, Greensboro, N. C . 1902 Pennock, Charles J., Kennett Square, Pa . 1901 Preble, Edward A., Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1901 Rathbun, Samuel F., 217 14th Ave., N., Seattle, Wash . 1902 Rhoads, Samuel N., 36 Estaugh Ave., Haddonfield, N. J . 1901 Riley, Joseph H., U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C . 1905 Rives, Dr. William C., 1702 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C.1901 Robinson, Major Wirt, U. S. A., West Point, N. Y . 1901 Seton, Ernest Thompson, Cos Cob, Conn . 1901 Stephens, Frank, 3756 Park Boulevard, San Diego, Cal . 1901 Strong, Dr. Reuben M., Dept. Zool., Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, 111.1903 Thayer, Abbott H., Monadnock, N. H . 1901 Thayer, John Eliot, Lancaster, Mass . 1905 Todd, W. E. Clyde, Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa . 1901 Torrey, Bradford, Hotel Upham, Santa Barbara, Cal . 1901 Townsend, Charles H., Aquarium, Battery Park, New York City. 1901 Townsend, Dr. Charles Wendell, 76 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass. 1905 Trotter, Dr. Spencer, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa . 1901 Wayne, Arthur T., Mt. Pleasant, S. C . 1906 Whitman, Prof. Charles Otis, 5238 Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, Ill. .1902 Wolcott, Dr. Robert H., Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb . 1903 Wright, Mrs. Mabel Osgood, Fairfield, Conn . 1901 ASSOCIATES. [A * indicates a Life Associate.] Abbott, Clinton Gilbert, 153 W. 73rd St., New York City . 1898 Adams, Wallace, Yuma, Arizona . 1901 Adams, Miss Emily Belle, 167 Maple St., Springfield, Mass . 1900 Adams, Dr. Z. B., 416 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass . 1908 Aiken, Charles Edward Howard, 2 E. Kiowa St., Colorado Springs, Colo . 1898 Aiken, Hon. John, Greenfield, Mass . 1905 Allen, Miss Edith, 310 W. Olive Ave., Redlands, Cal . 1906 Allen, Mrs. Eustace L., 859 Prospect Ave., Hartford, Conn . 1904 Allison, William B., 1628 State St., New Orleans, La . 1905 Ames, C. H., 300 Highland St., West Newton, Mass . 1908 Ames, J. H., 62 Charles St., Toronto, Ontario . 1895 Anderson, Mrs. J. C., Englewood, N. J . 1903 Anderson, Dr. Rudolph M., Am. Mus. Nat. History, N. Y. City. . . .1907 xvi Associates. Andrews, Roy C., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1906 Angell, Walter A., 37 N. Main St., Providence, R. 1 . 1901 Archbold, Joseph A., 107 Hodge Ave., Buffalo, N. Y . 1903 Armstrong, Edward E., 5219 Madison Ave., Chicago, Ill . 1904 Arnold, Edward, Montreal, Quebec . 1894 Arnow, Isaac F., St. Marys, Ga . , . . . 1903 Atkinson, George E., Portage la Prairie, Manitoba . 1903 Avis, Edward, 376 Bronx Park Ave., N. Y. City . 1908 Babson, W. A., South Orange, N. J . 1901 Bagg, Egbert, 424 Genesee St., Utica, N. Y . 1883 Bailey, Harold H., 321 54th St., Newport News, Va . 1903 Baird, Miss Lucy Hunter, 341 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1899 Baker, Frank C., Chicago Acad. Sciences, Chicago, Ill . 1907 Baldwin, Roger N., 1832 Carr St., St. Louis, Mo . 1904 Bales, Dr. Blenn R., 149 N. Main St., Circleville, Ohio . 1907 Ball, Mrs. Bennet F., Oakville, Conn . 1905 Ball, Miss Helen Augusta, 43 Laurel St., Worcester, Mass . 1893 Barbour, Rev. Robert, Y. M. C. A., Montclair, N. J . 1902 Barbour, Thomas, Mus. of Comp. Zoology, Cambridge, Mass . 1903 Barnard, Judge Job, 1306 Rhode Island Ave., Washington, D. C . 1886 Barnes, Claude T., 359 3rd Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah . 1908 Barnes, Hon. R. Magoon, Lacon, Ill . 1889 Barry, Miss Anna K., 5 Bowdoin Ave., Dorchester, Mass . 1907 Barton, Frederick MacD., Middlesex School, Concord. Mass . 1907 Beck, Rollo Howard, Berryessa, Cal . 1894 Beers, Henry W., 91 Denver Ave., Bridgeport, Conn . 1895 Behr, Herman, Jennings, Md . 1907 Behr, Otto, Lopez, Pa . 1907 Bennetts, William J., 1941 1st St. N. W., Washington, D. C . 1901 Bergtold, Dr. W. H., 1460 Clayton Ave., Denver, Colo . 1889 Berier, de Lagnel, Ridgewood, N. J . 1885 Betta, Norman de Witt, U. S. Geological Survey, Forest Park, St. Louis, Mo . 1908 Biddle, Miss Emily Williams, 2201 Samson St., Philadelphia, Pa . . . 1898 Bigelow, Henry Bryant, Mus. Comp. Zool., Cambridge, Mass . 1897 Bigelow, Homer Lane, Old Orchard Road, Chestnut Hill, Mass. . . . 1902 Bignell, Mrs. Effie, 135 College Ave., New Brunswick, N. J . 1899 Bingaman, W. H., Algona, Iowa, R. F. D. No. 5 . 1906 Birdseye, Clarence, 50 Morningside Ave., W., New York City . 1908 Blackwelder, Eliot, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis . 1895 Blain, Dr. Alex. W., Jr., 1105 Jefferson Ave., E., Detroit, Mich . 1901 Blake, Francis G., Blanchard, Maine . 1901 Blake, Maurice C., Dartmouth College, Box 187, Hanover, N. H . . . 1907 Blatchley, W. S., 1530 Park Ave., Indianapolis, Ind . 1895 Bloomfield, Mrs. C. C., 723 Main St., W., Jackson, Mich . 1901 Associates. xvii Boardman, Miss E. D., 416 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass . 1906 Bogert, William S., Box 53, Leonia, N. J . 1904 Bohlman, Herman T., 202 Occident St., Portland, Ore . 1901 Bond, Harry L., Lakefield, Minn . 1809 Bosson, Campbell, 27 Hereford St., Boston, Mass . 1906 Bowdish, B. S., Demarest, N. J . 1891 Bowdish, Mrs., B. S., Demarest, N. J . 1902 Bowditch, Harold, Pond St., Jamaica Plain, Mass . 1900 Bowles, John Hooper, 401 S. G St., Tacoma, Wash . 1891 Boyd, Trustin B., Kirkwood, Mo . 1908 Bracken, Mrs. Henry Martyn, 1010 Fourth St. S. E., Minneapolis, Minn . 1897 Bradford, Mrs. J. L., Morris Building, New Orleans, La . 1897 Bradford, Moses B. L., Concord Public Library, Concord, Mass.. .1889 Bradlee, Thomas Stevenson, Somerset Club, Boston, Mass . 1902 Brandreth, Courtenay, Cliff Cottage, Ossining, N. Y . 1905 Brandreth, Franklin, Cliff Cottage, Ossining, N. Y . 1889 Brewer, Mrs. Ernest E., 1 Rackleff St., Portland, Me . 1908 Brewster, Edward Everett, 316 East C St., Iron Mountain, Mich. 1893 Bridge, Mrs. Edmund E., 52 Wyman St., West Medford, Mass . 1902 Bright, Miss Anna L., Green Hill Farm, Overbrook, Pa . 1903 Brimley, H. H., Raleigh, N. C . 1904 Bristol, John I. D., 45 West 74th St., New York City . 1907 Brock, Dr. Henry Herbert, 687 Congress St., Portland, Me . 1894 Brooks, Allan, Okanagan Landing, B. C . 1902 Brooks, Winthrop S., Adams St., Milton, Mass . 1907 Brooks, Rev. Earle Amos, Weston, W. Va . 1892 Brown, Arthur L., 217 Spring St., West Roxbury, Mass . 1908 Brown, C. Emerson, Boston Society Natural History, Boston, Mass. 1908 Brown, Edward J., U. S. Nat. Museum, Washington, D. C . 1891 Brown, Hubert H., 100 Gothic Ave., W., Toronto, Ontario . 1889 Brown, Stewardson, 20 E. Penn St., Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. 1895 Brownson, W. H., Superintendent of Schools, Portland, Me . 1903 Bruen, Frank, 218 Main St., Bristol, Conn . 1908 Bryant, Owen, Cohasset, Mass . 1903 Buck, Henry Robinson, 18 Girard Ave., Hartford, Conn . 1897 Bumpus, Dr. Hermon C., Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1901 Burgess, John Kingsbury, Chestnut St., Dedham, Mass . 1898 Burke, Wm. Bardwell, 130 Spring St., Rochester, N. Y . 1901 Burnett, William L., Box 483, Loveland, Colo . 1895 Burr, Freeman F., 39 Thompson Ave., East Haven, Conn . 1907 Burt, H. P., New Bedford, Mass . 1908 Burtch, Verdi, Branchport, N. Y . 1903 Butler, Miss Charlotte W., 75 Cabot St., Beverly, Mass . 1904 Buttrick, Philip L., 296 Columbus Ave., New Haven, Conn . 1907 Buxbaum, Mrs. Clara E., St. Joseph, Mich . 1895 xviii Associates. Cabot, Louis, Brookline, Mass . 1904 Cady, Mrs. John H., 127 Power St., Providence, R. 1 . 1905 Callender, James Phillips, 603 Springfield Ave., Summit, N. J...1903 Cameron, E. S., Fallon, Montana . 1903 Campbell, Mrs. Robert, 280 Wildwood Ave., Jackson, Mich . 1905 Carey, Henry R., Milton Academy, Milton, Mass . , . 1908 Carpenter, Rev. Charles Knapp, 1S3 Fox St., Aurora, Ill . 1894 Carpenter, George I., 696 Halsey St., Brooklyn, N. Y . 1907 Carriker, M. A., Jr., Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa . 1907 Carter, John D.. Lansdowne, Pa . 1907 Case, Rev. Bert F., Richmond Beach, Wash . 1903 Case, Clifford M., 7 Holcomb St., Hartford, Conn . 1892 Cash, Harry A., 54 Spring St., Pawtucket, R. 1 . 1898 Caskey, Robert C., 58 Milk St., Morristown, N. J . 1908 Catlin, James P., Ottawa, Ill . . . 1905 Chamberlain, Chauncy W., 36 Lincoln St., Boston, Mass . 1885 Chambers, W. Lee, Santa Monica, Cal . 1907 Chaney, Ralph W., 6046 Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, Ill . 1907 Chapin, Prof. Angie Clara, 25 Freeman Cottage, Wellesley, Mass. .1896 Chapin. James, 623 W. 142d St., New York City . 1906 Chapman, Mrs. F. M., Englewood, N. J . 1908 Charles, Fred Lemar, De Kalb, Ill . 1 . 1908 Chase, Mrs. Agnes, 1350 F St. N. E., Washington, D. C . 1896 Chase, Sidney, Nantucket, Mass . 1904 Christy, Bayard H., 403 Frederick Ave., Sewickley, Pa . 1901 Chubb. Samuel H., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1894 Clark, B. Preston, 55 Kilby St., Boston, Mass . 1907 Clark, Edward B., 802 Munsey Bldg., Washington, D. C . 1900 Clark, Miss Emily L., 103 Main St., St. Jolinsbury, Vt . 1905 Clark, Josiah H., 238 Broadway, Paterson, N. J . 1895 Clark, Miss Susan E., 103 Main St., St. Johnsbury, Vt . 1905 Clarke, Charles E., 14 Ossipee Road, West Somerville, Mass . 1907 Clarke, Dr. Charles K., Toronto Asylum, Toronto, Ont . 1902 Clarke, Miss Harriet E., 9 Chestnut St., Worcester, Mass . 1896 Clarice, Rowena A., Kirkwood Station, St. Louis, Mo . 1906 Cleaves, Howard H., Princes Bay, Staten Island, N. Y . 1907 Cleveland, Miss Lilian, Woods Edge Road, West Medford, Mass. .1906 Cleveland, Dr. Clement, 925 Park Ave., New York City . 1903 Coale, Henry Iv., Highland Park, Ill . 1883 Codman, John S., Quail St., West Roxbury, Mass . 190S Coffin, Miss Lucy V. Baxter, 3232 Groveland Ave., Chicago, Ill. . .1905 Colburn, Albert E., 706 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, Cal . 1891 Cole, Dr. Leon J., 177 Lawrence St., New Haven, Conn . 1908 Colvin, Walter S., Box 121. Osawatomie, Kan . 1896 Comeau, Napoleon A., Godbout, Quebec . 1SS5 Comey, Arthur C., 41 Martin Bldg., Utica, N. Y . 1901 Associates. XIX Commons, Mrs. F. W., 2437 Park Ave., Minneapolis, Minn . 1902 Cook, Miss Lilian Gillette, 165 W. 82d St., New York City . 1899 Cope, Alban, Butler Hospital, Providence, R. 1 . 1885 Cope, Francis R., Jr., E. Washington Lane, Germantown, Pa . 1892 Copeland, Dr. Ernest, 302 Goldsmith Bldg., Milwaukee, Wis . 1897 Copeland, Manton, 40 Winthrop St., Taunton, Mass . 1900 Corey, Francis A., 12 Vernon St., Keene, N. H . 1908 Court, Edward J., U. S. Geol. Survey, 1330 F St. N. W., Washing¬ ton, D. C . 1907 Cox, Ulysses O., 433 Washington Ave., Terre Haute, Ind . 1894 Cram, R. J., 26 Hancock Ave. W., Detroit, Mich . 1893 Crandall, C. W., 10 Third St., Woodside, N. Y . 1891 Crane, Miss Clara L., Dalton, Mass . 1904 Crane, Mrs. Zenas, Dalton, Mass . 1904 Crolius, Miss Anne A., 815 Carnegie Hall, New York City . 1897 Cromwell, James W., Box 246, Summit, N. J . 1904 Crone, John Valetine, Greeley, Colo . 1902 Crosby, Maunsell S., Grasmere, Rhinebeck, N. Y . 1904 Cummings, Miss Emma G., 16 Kennard Road, Brookline, Mass.... 1903 Curl, H. C., U. S. Naval Medical School Hospital, Washington, D. C.1907 Currie, Rolla P., Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C . 1895 Currier, Edmonde Samuel, 416 E. Chicago St., St. Johns, Ore . 1894 Cutler, Mrs. Annie F., 117 Washington Ave., Chelsea, Mass . 1908 Davenport, Mrs. Elizabeth B., 45 Green St., Brattleboro, Vt . 1898 Davis, Charles H., 515 Michigan Ave., Saginaw, Mich . 1906 Davis, Miss Elizabeth D., 43 Appleton Ave., Pittsfield, Mass . 1906 Davis, Miss Mary A., 26 W. 97th St., New York City . 1898 Davis, Mrs. Susan L., 139 Park St., Newton, Mass . 1906 Davis, Stewart, Narragansett Pier, R. 1 . 1899 Davison, Donald B., 204 Prospect Terrace, Davenport, Iowa. ... .1901 Day, Chester Sessions, 15 Chilton Road, West Roxbury, Mass. . . .1897 Day, Frank Miles, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa . 1901 Deane, George Clement, 80 Sparks St., Cambridge, Mass . 1899 Dennis, David W., Richmond, Ind . 1907 Derby, Richard, 113 E. 71st St., New York City . 1898 Derby, W. M., Jr., 4857 Kimbark Ave., Chicago, Ill . 1908 DeVine, J. L., 5478 Ellis Ave.. Chicago, Ill . 1903 Dewey, Dr. Charles A., 78 Plymouth Ave., Rochester, N. Y . 1900 Dewing, Thomas W., 82 E. 55th St., New York City . 1907 Dickerson, Miss Mary C., Am. Mus. Nat. History, N. Y. City . 1908 Dickey, Samuel S., 31 S. West St., Waynesburg, Pa . 1905 Dille, Frederick M., 2927 W. 28th Ave., Denver, Colo . 1892 Dionne, C. E., Laval University, Quebec, Que . 1893 Dixon, Frederick J., Elm Ave., Hackensack, N. J . 1891 Dodge, Charles W., Univ. of Rochester, Rochester, N. Y . 1900 Dodge, Julian M., South Hamilton, Mass . 1903 XX Associates. Doubleday, Mrs. Frank Nelson, Mill Neck, Long Island, N. Y. . . .1897 Dougherty, Gen. William E., 1409 E. 14th St., Fruitvale, Cal . 1890 Draper, J. Sumner, Readville, Mass . 1908 Drowne, Dr. Frederick Peabody, Chilesburg, Va . 1899 Drummond, Miss Mary, Spring Lane, Lake Forest, Ill . 1904 DuBois, Alex. Dawes, 213 College Ave., Ithaca, N. Y . 1905 Dugmore, Arthur Radclyffe, Newfoundland, N. J . 1899 Dull, Mrs. A. P. L., 211 N. Front St., Harrisburg, Pa . 1900 Dunbar, W. Linfred, Union Metallic Cartridge Co., Bridgeport, Conn . 1906 Durfee, Owen, Box 125, Fall River, Mass . 1887 Dutcher, Capt. Basil Hicks, U. S. A., Field Ave., Plainfield, N J.. . 1886 Dyche, Prof. L. L., Lawrence, Kansas . 18S6 Dyke, Arthur Curtis, Bridgewater, Mass . 1902 Eastgate, Alfred, Tolna, Nelson Co., N. D . 1906 Eastman, Harry D., Framingham, Mass . 1891 Edson, John M., 2210 Victor St., Bellingham, Wash . 1886 Edwards, Stanley W., 36 Pearl St., Hartford, Conn . 1907 Ehinger, Dr. Clyde E., 100 Rosedale Ave., West Chester, Pa . 1904 Eiche, August, 1133 O St., Lincoln, Neb . 1902 Eifrig, Rev. C. W. Gustave, 210 Wilbrod St., Ottawa, Ont . 1901 Eimbeck, Dr. A. F., New Haven, Mo . 1906 Ells, George P., Norwalk, Conn . 1904 Elrod, Prof. Morton J., 205 S. 5th St., E., Missoula, Montana. . . .1892 Embody, George Charles, 78 Seymour St., Auburn, N. Y . 1898 Emerson, L. P., 23 Fairfax Hall, Cambridge, Mass . 1908 Emmet, Robert T., New Rochelle, N. Y . 1904 Emory, Mrs. Mary Dille, 156 Foundry St., Morgantown, W. Va. . .1899 Enders, John O., Box 546, Hartford, Conn . 1904 Ericson, Lawrence E., Museum Brooklyn Inst., Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N. Y . 1901 Essick, William S., 536 Penn St., Reading, Pa . 1906 Eustis, Richard S., 17 Highland St., Cambridge, Mass . 1903 Evans, William B., Westtown, Pa . 1897 Everett, William M., Demarest, N. J . 1902 Farley, John A., 105 Summer St., Malden, Mass . 1904 Farr, Marcus S., Princeton University, Princeton, N. J . 1900 Farwell, Mrs. Francis Cooley, Edgewood, Lake Forest, Ill . 1898 Farwell, Mrs. John V., Jr., Ardleigh, Lake Forest, Ill . 1896 Fay, S. Prescott, 169 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass . 1907 Felger, Alva Howard, North Side High School, Denver, Colo. .. .1898 Fell, Miss Emma Trego, Holicong, Pa . 1903 Ferry, John Farwell, Field Museum of Nat. Hist., Chicago, Ill . . . 1894 Field, Edward B., 30 Gillette St., Hartford, Conn . 1898 Fisher, Miss Elizabeth Wilson, 1502 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa.. 1896 Fisher, G. Clyde, De Funiak Springs, Fla . 1908 Associates. xxi Fisher, Walter T., 463 N. State St., Chicago, Ill . 1907 Fisher, William Hubbell, 13 Wiggins Block, Cincinnati, Ohio... 1883 Flanagan, John H., 392 Benefit St., Providence, R. 1 . 1898 Fletcher, Mrs. Mary E., Proctorsville, Vt . 1898 Follett, Richard E., 84 State St., Boston, Mass . 1908 Foote, Miss F. Huberta, 90 Locust Hill Ave., Yonkers, N. Y . 1897 Ford, Edwin S., 71 Washington St., Morristown, N. J . 1907 Fordyce, Geo. L., 40 Lincoln Ave., Youngstown, Ohio . 1901 Forsyth, Douglas, Howardsville Va . 1906 Fowler, Frederick Hall, 221 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, Cal . 1892 Fowler, Henry W., Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa . 1898 Fox, Dr. William H., 1826 Jefferson Place, Washington, D. C . 1883 Franklin, Dwight, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1907 Fraser, Donald, Johnstown, N. Y . 1902 Freeman, Miss Harriet E., 37 Union Park, Boston, Mass . 1903 French, Charles H., Canton, Mass . 1904 French, Miss Teresa I., Canton, Mass . 1908 Fuller, Clarence T., 56 Lefferts Place, Brooklyn, N. Y . 1907 Fuller, T. Otis, Needham, Mass . 1904 Futcher, Dr. Thomas B., 3 W. Franklin St., Baltimore, Md . 1906 Gaines, Edward F., Ritzville, Wash . 1908 Gano, Miss Laura, Earlham Place, Richmond, Ind . 1903 Gardiner, Charles Barnes, 5 Minard Place, Norwalk, Ohio . 1903 Garrick, James P., Jr., Weston, S. C. . . 1906 Gates, Frank C., 2725 N. Lincoln St., Chicago, Ill . 1908 Gath, John, Box 236, Torrington, Conn . 1901 Gibson, Langdon, 18 Washington Ave., Schenectady, N. Y . 1904 Gifford, Edward Winslow, Cal. Acad. Sci., San Francisco, Cal. . . .1904 Gilman, M. French, Sacaton, Arizona . 1907 Goodale, Dr. Joseph Lincoln, 258 Beacon St., Boston, Mass . 1885 Goodrich, Juliet T., 10 Astor St., Chicago, Ill . 1904 Goodwin, Miss Amelia M., 10 Follen St., Cambridge, Mass . 1904 Goss, Mrs. Aletta W., 5475 Ridgewood Court, Chicago, Ill . 1902 Gould, Joseph E., 5 Clifton St., Norfolk, Va . 1889 Granger, Miss Helen, Pierce Hall, Cambridge, Mass . 1904 Granger, Walter W., Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City. . . .1891 Graves, Mrs. Charles B., 66 Franklin St., New London, Conn . 1905 Greenough, Mrs. Amelia P., 377 Beacon St., Boston, Mass . 1904 Greenough, Henry Vose, 23 Monmouth Court, Brookline, Mass.. 1901 Gregory, Stephen S., Jr., 100 Washington St., Chicago, Ill . 1906 Griscom, Ludlow, 21 Washington Sq., N., New York City . 1908 Gross, Alfred O., Nat. Hist. Bldg., Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, Ill. . .1907 Hadley, Alden H., Monrovia, Indiana . 1906 Hales, Henry, Ridgewood, N. J . 1890 Hall, H. Porter, Leominster, Mass . 1904 Hankinson, Thomas Leroy, Charleston, Ill . 1897 xxii Associates Hann, Herbert H., 700 Springfield Ave., Summit, N. J . 1903 Hardon, Mrs. Henry W., 315 West 71st St., New York City . 1905 Hardy, John H., Jr., 24 Irving St., Arlington, Mass . 1905 Harper, Francis, 557 First Ave., College Point, N. Y . 1907 Harper, Samuel A., 409 N. 3rd Ave., Maywood, Ill . 1908 Harriman, Miss Mary, 1 E. 55th St., New York City . 1899 Hart, Charles G., Box 47, East Berlin, Conn . 1908 Harvey, Miss Ruth Sawyer, Bond Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio . 1902 Haskell, Miss Helen P., 1207 Henry St., Alton, Ill . 1905 Hathaway, Harry S., Box 498, Providence, R. 1 . 1897 Havemeyer, H. O., Jr., 113 Wall St., New York City . 1893 Hayes, Miss Pauline J., 212 S. Sycamore St., Centralia, Ill . 1907 Hazard, Hon. R. G., Peace Dale, R. I . 1885 Head, Miss Anna, 2538 Channing Way, Berkeley, Cal . 1903 Heil, Charles E., Needham, Mass . 1908 Heinrich, Arthur O., Box 18, Baldwin, N. Y . 1908 Helme, Arthur H., Miller Place, N. Y . 1888 Henderson, Judge Junius, Boulder, Colo . 1903 Hendrickson, W. F., 276 Hillside Ave., Jamaica, N. Y . 1885 Henning, Carl Fritz, 922 8th St., Boone, la . 1906 Henninger, Rev. Walther F., New Bremen, Ohio . . . 1898 Herrick, Harold, 25 Liberty St., New York City . 1905 Higbee, Harry G., 13 Austin St., Hyde Park, Mass . 1900 Hill, A. C., 400 Pleasant St., Belmont, Mass . 1905 Hill, James Haynes, Box 485, New London, Conn . 1897 Hill, Mrs. Thomas R., 4629 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, Pa . 1903 Hine, Prof. James Stewart, Ohio State Univ., Columbus, Ohio. .. . 1S99 Hine, Mrs. Jane L., Sedan, Ind . 1890 Hitchcock, Frank H., Metropolitan Club, Washington, D. C . 1891 Hix, George E., 630 Columbus Ave., New York City . 1904 Hodge, Prof. Clifton Fremont, Clark Univ., Worcester, Mass . 1899 Holbrook, Miss Isabel B., R. I. Normal School, Providence, R. I . . . 1905 Holden, Mrs. Emeline R., 13 E. 79th St., New York City . 1902 Holden, Mrs. Edwin B., 323 Riverside Drive, New York City . 1903 Holland, Dr. William J., 5th and Bellefield Aves., Pittsburgh, Pa. 1899 Hollister, Ned, Biological Survey, Washington, D. C . 1894 Hollister, Warren D:, care of Continental Oil Co., Denver, Colo. . . 1901 Holman, Ralph H., 33 Chestnut St., Stoneham, Mass . 1907 Holt, Ernest G., Y. M. C. A., Montgomery, Ala . 1907 Holt, Miss Nancy W. C., 136 Chauncey St., Cambridge, Mass . 1908 Honywill, Albert W., Jr., 135 Vanderbilt Scientific, Yale Uni¬ versity, New Haven, Conn . 1907 Horsfall, Bruce, 67 Wiggins St., Princeton, N. J . 1905 Howell, Benjamin F., Jr., R. F. D. No. 1, Boonton, N. J . 1907 Howe, Carlton D., Essex Junction, Vt . 1901 Howe, Miss Louise, 53 Linden St., Brookline, Mass . 1908 Associates. xxiii Howe, Reginald Heber, Jr., Middlesex School, Concord, Mass . 1895 Howland, Randolph H., 164 Wildwood Ave., Upper Montclair, N. J . 1903 Hoyt, William H., Box 425, Stamford, Conn . 1907 Hubbard, Lucius, 116 N. Main St., South Bend, Ind . 1908 Hubbard, Dr. Lucius L., Houghton, Mich . 1907 Hubbard, Mrs. Sara A., 177 Woodruff Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y . 1891 Hunn, John T. Sharpless, 1218 Prospect Ave., Plainfield, N. J. . . .1895 Hunt, Chreswell J., 225 N. 53rd St., West Philadelphia, Pa . 1902 Hunter, W. D., Box 208, Dallas, Texas . 1899 Ingalls, Charles E., East Templeton, Mass . 1885 Ingersoll, Albert M., 836 5th St., San Diego, Cal . 1S85 Irving, John, 52 Broadway, care of B. N. Cardoza, N. Y. City . 1894 Isham, C. B., 30 E. 63d St., New York City . 1891 Ives, Roy C., R. R. No. 2, Clare, Iowa . 190S Jackson. Thomas H., 304 N. Franklin St., West Chester, Pa . 1888 Jager, H. J., 222 State Ave., Owatonna, Minn . 1904 Jenney, Charles F., 35 Congress St., Boston, Mass . 1905 Johnson, Mrs. Grace Pettis, Museum of Nat. Hist., Springfield, Mass . 1908 Johnson, Frank Edgar, 16 Amackassin Terrace, Yonkers, N. Y. . . .1888 Johnson, James Howard, Bradford, N. H . 1894 Johnson, Walter Adams, 18 Gramercy Park, New York City . 1898 Johnson, William S., Boonville, N. Y . 1893 Jordan, A. H. B., Everett, Wash . 1888 Judd, Elmer T., Cando, N. D . 1895 Judd, Roberts., Bethel, Conn . 1906 Keays, James Edward, 328 St. George St., London, Ontario . 1899 Keim, Thomas Daniel, 405 Rad cliff e St., Bristol, Pa . 1902 Kellogg, Charles D., North Newry, Maine . 1908 Kellogg, Prof. Vernon L., Stanford University, Cal . 1888 Kendall, Miss Blanche, 20 Dudley St., Brookline, Mass . 1904 Kennard, Frederic Hedge, Dudley St., Newton Centre, Mass. . . .1892 Kent, Edwin C., 90 West St., New York City . 1907 Kermode, Francis, Curator Provincial Museum, Victoria, B. C... .1904 Keyes, Prof. Chas. R., Mt. Vernon, la . 1904 *Kidder, Nathaniel T., Milton, Mass . 1906 Kilgore, William, Jr., Hopkins, Minn . 1906 King, Le Roy, 20 E. 84th St., New York City . 1901 Kirkham, Mrs. James W., 275 Maple St., Springfield, Mass . 1904 Kirkwood, Frank C., Long Green, Md . . 1892 Knaebel, Ernest, 1040 Josephine St., Denver, Colo . 1906 Knapp, Mrs. Henry A., 301 Quincy Ave., Scranton, Pa . 1957 Knolhoff, Ferdinand William, 28 Winans St., East Orange, N. J.1890 Kopman, Henry Hazlitt, 410 Pine St., New Orleans, La . 1899 Kuser, Anthony R., Bernardsville, N. J . 1908 Kutchin, Dr. Victor, Green Lake, Wis . 1905 Lacey, Howard George, Kerrville, Texas . 1899 XXIV Associates. Lang, Herbert, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City . 1907 Langmaid, Miss Bertha, 2 Gordon Terrace, Brookline, Mass . 1908 Lantz, Prof. David Ernest, Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C.1885 Larrabee, Austin P., 840 Kipling St., Palo Alto, Cal . 1902 Latimer, Miss Caroline P., 19 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn, N. Y . 1898 Laurent, Philip, 31 E. Mt. Airy Ave., Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pa. . .1902 Law, J. Eugene, Hollywood, Cal . 1907 Lawrence, John B., 126 E. 30th St., New York City . 1907 Lelande, H. J., 1320 E. 15th St., Los Angeles, Cal . 1907 Levey, W. Charlesworth, 53 Waverly St., Brookline, Mass . 1908 Leibelsperger, Walter H., Fleetwood, Pa . 1907 Linton, Clarence B., 1754 Pine St., Long Beach, Cal . 1908 Long, William B., 249 Tappan St., Brookline, Mass . 1907 Loomis, John A., Mereta, Texas . 1887 Lord, Rev. William R., Needham, Mass . 1901 Low, Ethelbert T., 30 Broad St., New York City . 1907 Lum, Edward H., Chatham, N. J . 1904 Lurvey, Samuel A., Box 161, South West Harbor, Maine . 1908 MacDougall, George R., 131 W. 73rd St., New York City . 1890 Mackie, Wm. C., 54 Coolidge St., Brookline, Mass . 1908 Maclay, Mark W., Jr., 70 West 55th St., New York City . 1905 Maddock, Miss Emeline, The Belgravia, Philadelphia, Pa . 1897 Maher, J. E., Windsor Locks, Conn . 1902 Maitland, Robert L., 45 Broadway, New York City . 1889 Marble, Richard M., 7 Keiffer St., Brookline, Mass . 1907 March, Prof. John Lewis, Union College, Schenectady, N. Y . 1903 Marrs, Mrs. Kingsmill, Saxonville, Mass . 1903 Marsden, H. W., Witch Creek, Cal . 1904 Marsh, Daniel J., Five Cent Savings Bank, Springfield, Mass . 1894 Martin, Miss Maria Ross, College Ave., New Brunswick, N. J . 1902 Marx, Edward J. F., 8 Chestnut Terrace, Easton, Pa . 1907 Mathews, F. Schuyler, 17 Frost St., Cambridge, Mass . 1908 McAtee, Waldo Lee, Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C . 1903 McClintock, Norman, 504 Amberson Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa . 1900 McConnell, Harry B., Box 77, Cadiz, 0 . 1904 McCook, Philip James, 15 William St., New York City . 1895 McEwen, Daniel C., 160 Stirling PL, Brooklyn, N. Y . 1901 McHatton, Dr. Henry, Macon, Ga . 1898 McIlhenny, Edward Avery, Avery Island, La . 1894 McIntire, Mrs. Herbert Bruce, 4 Garden St., Cambridge, Mass. . . . 1908 McKechnie, Frederick Bridgham, Ponkapog, Mass . 1900 McLain, Robert Baird, Market and 12th Sts., Wheeling, W. Va . . . 1893 McMillan, Mrs. Gilbert, Gorham, N. H . 1902 Mead, Mrs. E. M., 2465 Broadway, New York City . 1904 Meeker, Jesse C. A., 51 Washington Ave., Danbury, Conn . 1899 Merriam, Charles, Weston, Mass . 1908 Associates. xxv Merriam, Henry F., 94 New England Ave., Summit, N. J . 1905 Merrill, Harry, Bangor, Maine . 1883 Mershon, W. B., Saginaw, Mich . 1905 Metcalf, Willard L., 33 West 67th St., New York City . 1908 Miller, James Henry, Lowville, N. Y . 1904 Mills, Harry C., Box 218, Unionville, Conn . 1897 Mills, Prof. William C., Ohio State Univ., Columbus, 0 . 1900 Mitchell, Dr. Walton I., 321 Barnes Bldg., Wichita, Kan . 1893 Montgomery, Thomas H., Jr., Univ. of Penn., Philadelphia, Pa . 1899 Moore, Miss Eliz. Putnam, 70 West 11th St., New York City . 1905 Moore, Robert Thomas, W. Main St., Haddonfield, N. J . 1898 Morcom, G. Frean, 1815 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, Cal . 1886 Morgan, Albert, 125 Trumbull St., Hartford, Conn . 1903 Morse, Miss Margaret, Clark University, Worcester, Mass . 1907 Mosher, Franklin H., 17 Highland Ave., Melrose, Mass . 1905 Murphey, Dr. Eugene E., 444 Tellfair St., Augusta, Ga . 1903 Murphy, Robert C., Brown Univ., Providence, R. 1 . 1905 Myers, Mrs. Harriet W., 306 Ave. 66, Los Angeles, Cal . 1906 Myers, Miss Lucy F., Brookside, Poughkeepsie, N. Y . 1898 Nash, C. W., 94 Lee Ave., Toronto, Ont . 1906 Nash, Herman W., Box 264, Pueblo, Colo . 1892 Nash, Nathaniel C., Jr., Hastings 36, Cambridge, Mass . 1607 Nelson, Emory E., 531 Grain Exchange, Winnipeg, Canada . 1908 Nelson, James Allen, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. . . 1898 Newhall, Daniel S., Strafford, Chester Co., Pa . 1908 Newman, Rev. Stephen M., Eastern College, Front Royal, Va . 1898 Nichols, John M., 46 Spruce St., Portland, Me . 1890 Nichols, John Treadwell, 42 W. 11th St., New York City . 1901 Nolte, Rev. Felix, St. Benedict’s College, Atchison, Ivan . 1903 Norris, J. Parker, Jr., care of Evening Bulletin, Philadelphia, Pa. .1904 Norris, Roy C., 301 West 18th St., Richmond, Ind . 1904 Nowell, John Rowland, Box 979, Schenectady, N. Y . 1897 O’Connor, Haldeman, 25 N. Front St., Harrisburg, Pa . 1896 Ogden, Dr. Henry Yining, 141 Wisconsin St., Milwaukee, Wis....l897 Oldys, Henry, Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C . 1896 ^Oliver, Dr. Henry Kemble, 2 Newbury St., Boston, Mass . 1900 Owen, Miss Juliette Amelia, 306 N. 9th St., St. Joseph, Mo . 1897 Paine, Augustus G., Jr., 18 West 49th St., New York City . 1886 Pangburn, Clifford H., 731 Elm St., New Haven, Conn . 1907 Parker, Hon. Herbert, S. Lancaster, Mass . 1904 Paul, Lucius H., 59 West Miller St., Newark, New York . 1908 Peabody, Rev. P. B., Blue Rapids, Kan . 1903 Pearse, Theed, Ivy, Va . 1907 Pearson, Leonard S., 132 Beechtree Lane, Wayne, Pa . 1907 Peavey, Robert W., 791 Coney Island Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y . 1903 Peet, Max M., Alpha Kappa Kappa House, 1001 Huron St., Ann Arbor, Mich . 1907 XXVI Associates. Perry, Dr. Elton, 610 Baylor St., Austin, Tex . 1902 Peters, Albert S., State Bank, Lake Wilson, Minn . 1908 Peters, James Lee, Walnut Ave., Jamaica Plain, Mass . 1904 Philipp, Philip B., 51 West 85th St., New York City . 1907 Phillips, Alexander H., Princeton, N. J . 1891 Phillips, John Charles, 299 Berkeley St., Boston, Mass . 1904 Phillips, Sherman E., Canterbury, N. H . 1904 Pierce, A. K., Renovo, Pa . 1891 Piper, Mrs. Francis, 10 Harvard St., Arlington Heights, Mass . 1908 Pitcairn, William G., 3330 Perrysville Ave., Allegheny, Pa . 1906 Poe, Miss Margaretta, 1500 Park Ave., Baltimore, Md . 1899 Pollock, Adelaide L., Queen Anne School, Seattle, Wash . 1906 Pomeroy, Harry Kirkland, Box 575, Kalamazoo, Mich . 1894 Pope, Alexander, 1013 Beacon St., Brookline, Mass . 1908 Porter, Louis H., Stamford, Conn . 1893 Praeger, William E., 421 Douglas Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich . 1892 Price, Arthur E., Grant Park, Ill . 1908 Price, John Henry, Crown W Ranch, Knowlton, Mont . 1906 Purdy, James B.. R. F. D. No. 4, Plymouth, Mich . 1893 Raven, Henry C., Bay Shore, N. Y . 1908 Rawle, Francis W., Lock Box 51, Bryn Mawr, Pa . 1907 Rawtson, Calvin Luther, R. F. D. No. 2, Putnam, Conn . 1885 Read, Albert M., 1140 15th St. N. W., Washington, D. C . 1895 Reagh, Dr. Arthur Lincoln, 39 Maple St., West Roxbury, Mass. . .1896 Redfield, Alfred C., Wayne, Pa . 1907 Redfield, Miss Elisa Whitney, 29 Everett St., Cambridge, Mass. . . 1897 Redington, Alfred Poett, Box 66, Santa Barbara, Cal . 1890 Reed, Chester A., 75 Thomas St., Worcester, Mass . 1904 Reed, Miss Emily E., 12 Louisburg Sq., Boston, Mass . 1904 Reed, Hugh Daniel, 108 Brandon Place, Ithaca, N. Y . 1900 Reed, Mrs. William Howtell, Belmont, Mass . 1904 Rehn, James A. G., Acad. Nat. Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa . 1901 Remington, Charles H., 216 Waterman Ave., East Providence, R. 1.1908 Rhoads, Charles J., Bryn Mawr, Pa . 1895 Richards, Miss Harriet E., 36 Longwood Ave., Brookline, Mass. . .1900 Richardson, C. H., Jr., Stanford University, Cal . 1903 Richardson, John Kendall, Wellesley Hills, Mass . 1896 Ridgway, John L., Chevy Chase, Md . 1890 Riker, Clarence B., Maplewood, N. J . 1885 Roberts, John T., Jr., 350 Main St., Buffalo, N. Y . 1906 Roberts, William Ely, George School, Bucks Co., Pa . 1902 Robinson, Anthony W., 409 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1903 Robinson, Dr. Philip E., 102 Huntington Ave., Boston. Mass . 1908 Roddy, Prof. H. Justin, State Normal School, Millersville, Pa . 1891 Roe, Charles M., Battle Creek, Mich . 1906 Rogers, Charles H., 109 Patton Hall, Princeton, N. J . 1904 Associates. xxvii Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, Hyde Park, N. Y . 1896 Ross, George H., 23 West St., Rutland, Yt . 1904 Rowley John, 505 Everett Ave., Palo Alto, Cal . 1889 Sabine, George K., 30 Irving St., Brookline, Mass . 1903 Sage, Henry M., Menands Road, Albany, N. Y . 1885 Salley, Fitzhugh, Charleston Museum, Charleston, S. C . 1907 Sands, Austin Ledyard, Greenough Place, Newport, R. 1 . 1902 Sanford, Harrison, 65 W. 50th St., New York City . 1905 Sanford, Dr. Leonard C., 216 Crown St., New Haven, Conn . 1902 Santens, Joseph A., Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, Pa. . 1907 Sass, Herbert Ravenel, 23 Legare St., Charleston, S. C . 1906 Satterthwait, A. F., Office of State Zoologist, Harrisburg, Pa . 1907 Saunders, Aretas A., care of Forest Service, Bozeman, Mont . 1907 Savage, Walter Giles, Monteer, Mo . 1898 Schantz, Orpheus M., Morton Park, Ill . 1907 Schmucker, Dr. S. C., Rosedale Ave., West Chester, Pa . 1903 Seabury, Joseph S., Wellesley Hills, Mass . 1906 Seiss, Covington Few, 1338 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, Pa. . .1898 Shannon, Wm. Purdy, 1170 Broadway, New York City . 1908 Sharples, Robert P., West Chester, Pa . 1907 Shattuck, Edwin Harold, Box 48, Granby, Conn . 1898 Shaw, William T., 600 Linden Ave., Pullman, Wash . 1908 Shearer, Amon R., Mont Belvieu, Tex . 1905 *Sherman, Miss Althea R., National, Iowa . 1907 Shiras, George, 3d, Stoneleigh Court, Washington, D. C . 1907 Shoemaker, Frank H., 2960 Dewey Ave., Omaha, Neb . 1895 Shrosbree, George, Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis . 1899 Shumway, George, Galesburg, Ill . 1906 Silliman, Harper, 562 5th Ave., New York City . 1902 Smith, Byron L., 2140 Prairie Ave., Chicago, Ill . 1906 Smith, Rev. Francis Curtis, Boonville, N. Y . 1903 Smith, Horace G., Capitol Bldg., Denver, Colo . 1888 Smith, Dr. Hugh M., 1209 M St. N. W., Washington, D. C . 1886 Smith, Jesse L., 141 South 2nd St., Highland Park, Ill . 1907 Smith, Louis Irvin, Jr., 3809 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1901 Smith, N. A. C., Wellesley Hills, Mass . 1907 Smith, Philo W., Jr., Box 285, Eureka Springs, Ark . 1903 Smyth, Prof. Ellison A., Jr., Polytechnic Inst., Blacksburg, Va. . . .1892 Snyder, Will Edwin, 109 E. Mackie St., Beaver Dam, Wis . 1895 Spaulding, Fred B., Lancaster, N. H . 1894 Stanton, Prof. J. Y., 410 Main St., Lewiston, Me . 1883 Stebbins, Miss Fannie A., 480 Union St., Springfield, Mass . 1903 Steele, John H., 4008 Spruce St., West Philadelphia, Pa . 1906 Stevens, Caroline M., 52 Bowdoin St., Portland, Me . 1906 Stevens, Dr. J. F., Lock Box 546, Lincoln, Neb . 1908 Stiles, Edgar C., 345 Main St., West Haven, Conn . 1907 xxviii Associates. Stone, Clarence F., Branchport, N. Y . 1903 Stone, Nathan F., Shrewsbury, Mass . 1908 Stratton-Porter, Mrs. Gene, Limberlost Cabin, Geneva, Ind . 1906 Sturtevant, Edward, St. George’s School, Newport, R. 1 . 1896 Styer, Mrs. Katharine R., Concordville, Pa . 1903 Surface, Prof. Harvey Adam, State Zoologist, Harrisburg, Pa . 1897 Swain, John Merton, Box 142, Farmington, Me. . . . 1899 Swales, Bradshaw Hall, Grosse Isle, Mich . 1902 Sivarth, Harry S., Univ. of Cal. Mus. of Vert. Zool., Berkeley, Cal . 1900 Swenk, Myron H., 318 North 27th St., Lincoln, Neb . 1904 Swezey, George, 61 Polk St., Newark, N. J . 1901 Swift, Carleton B., St. Mark’s School, Southborough, Mass . 1907 Taverner, Percy A., 55 Elmhurst Ave., Highland Park, Mich . 1902 Taylor, Alexander R., 1410 Washington St., Columbia, S. C . 1907 Taylor, Alexander O’Driscoll, 132 Bellevue Ave., Newport, R. I. .1888 Taylor, Thorne C., Hubbard Woods, Ill . 1908 Terrill, Lewis McL, 352 Elm Ave., Westmount, Quebec . 1907 Test, Charles Darwin, Golden, Colo . 1906 Test, Dr. Frederick Cleveland, 4318 Grand Boulevard Chicago, Ill . 1892 Test, Louis Agassiz, Occidental College, Los Angeles, Cal . 1908 Thomas, Miss Emily Hinds, 2000 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1901 Thompson, Roy, University, N. D . 1905 Thorne, Samuel, 43 Cedar St., New York City. . . 1908 Tinker, Almerin D., 631 S. 12th St., Ann Arbor, Mich . 1907 Toppan, George L., 723 11th St. N. W-, Washington, D. C . 1886 TowrER, Mrs. Kate Denig, Hotel Bristol, Boston, Mass . 1908 Townsend, Wilmot, 272 75th St., Brooklyn, N. Y . 1894 Treganza, A. O., 610 Utah Saving’s & Trust Bldg., Salt Lake City, Utah . 1906 Trotter, William Henry, 36 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1899 Trumbull, J. H., Plainville, Conn . 1907 Tucker, Dr. Henry, 2000 Pine St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1907 Tudbury, Warren C., 8 Mall St., Salem, Mass . 1903 Tufts, Le Roy Melville, Thrushwood. Farmington, Me . 1903 Tuttle, Dr. Albert H., 350 Charles River Road, Cambridge, Mass. . 1908 Tuttle, Dr. Carl, Berlin Heights, Ohio . 1890 Tweedy, Edgar, 404 West 115th St., New^ York City . 1902 Underw'ood, William Lyman, Mass. Inst. Technology, Boston, Mass . 1900 Upham, Mrs. William H., 212 3rd Ave., Marshfield, Wis . 1907 Valentine, Miss Anna J., Bellefonte, Pa . 1905 Valentine, Miss Lucy W., 2 Trowbridge Terrace, Cambridge, Mass. 1908 Van Cortlandt, Miss Anne S., Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y . 1885 Van Name, Willard Gibbs, 121 High St., New Haven, Conn . 1900 Van Sant, Miss Elizabeth, 2960 Dewey Ave., Omaha, Neb . 1896 Associates. xxix Vantassell, F. L., 116 High St., Passaic, N. J . 1907 Varick, Mrs. William Remsen, 1015 Chestnut St., Manchester, N. H.1900 Vetter, Dr. Charles, 50 Central Park West, New York City . 1898 Von Lengerke, Justus, 349 Fifth Ave., New York City . 1907 Von Rossem, Adrian, La Casa Grande, Pasadena, Cal . 1908 Vrooman, Isaac H., Jr., 282 Hamilton St., Albany, N. Y . 1908 Wadsworth, Clarence S., 37 Washington St., Middletown, Conn. . . 1906 Wales, Edward H., Hyde Park, N. Y . 1896 Wales, Miss Ella, 186 Columbia Road, Dorchester, Mass . 1908 Walker, Dr. R. L., 355 Main Ave., Carnegie, Pa . 1888 Wallace, Dr. A. H., 204 Bellevue Ave., Upper Montclair, N. J . 1907 Wallace, James S., 69 Front St., Toronto, Ontario . 1907 Walter, Herbert E., Dr., 53 Arlington Ave., Providence, R. I. . . .1901 Walters, Frank, South Sandisfield, Mass . 1902 Ward, Frank Hawley, N. Y. State Museum, Albany, N. Y . 1908 Ward, Henry L., 882 Hackett Ave., Milwaukee, Wis . 1906 Warner, Goodwin, 7 Hampden Hall, Cambridge, Mass . 1908 Warren, Dr. B. H., 236 W. Market St., West Chester, Pa . 1885 Warren, Edward Royal, 20 W. Caramillo St., Colorado Springs, Colo . 1902 Watson, Miss Sarah R., The Cresheim Arms, Allen’s Lane, German¬ town, Philadelphia, Pa . 1900 Weber, J. A., Box 216, Palisades Park, N. J . 1907 Weir, J. Alden, 471 Park Ave., New York City . 1899 Wellman, Gordon B., 54 Beltran St., Malden, Mass . 1908 Wells, Frank S., 916 Grant Ave., Plainfield, N. J . 1902 Wentworth, Irving H., Matehuala, S. L. P., Mexico . 1900 Weston, Francis M., Jr., care P. G. Porcher, Mt. Pleasant, S. C . 1907 Wetmore, Alexander, care of Museum, Lawrence, Kansas . 1908 Wetmore, Mrs. Edmund, 343 Lexington Ave., New York City . 1902 Weygandt, Cornelius, Wissahickon Ave. below Westview St., Ger¬ mantown, Philadelphia, Pa . 1907 Wharton, William P., Groton, Mass . 1907 Wheeler, Edmund Jacob, 177 Pequot Ave., New London, Conn. . .1898 Wheeler, John B., East Templeton, Mass . 1897 Wheelock, Mrs. Irene G., 1040 Hinman Ave., Evanston, Ill . 1902 White, Francis Beach, St. Paul’s School, Concord, N. H . 1891 White, George R., Dead Letter Office, Ottawa, Ont . 1903 White, W. A., 158 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N. Y . 1902 Whitehead, Ely L., 712 Michigan Ave., Evanstown, Ill . 1908 Wickersham, Cornelius W., Hastings 2, Cambridge, Mass . 1902 Wilbur, Addison P., 60 Gibson St., Canandaigua, N. Y . 1895 Wilcox, Miss Alice W., 165 Prospect St., Providence, R. 1 . 1908 Wilcox, Dr. Emma D., 307 W. 98th St., New York City . 1905 Wilcox, T. Ferdinand, 115 W. 75th St., New York City . 1895 Wilde, Mark L. C., 311 N. 5th St., Camden, N. J . 1893 XXX Associates. Willard, Bertel G., Box 107, Millis, Mass . 1906 Williams, Harry C., 5005 Cabanne Ave., St. Louis, Mo . 1908 Williams, J. Bickerton, Biological Museum, Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario . 1889 Williams, Richard Ferdinand, Box 521, New York City . 1902 Williams, Robert S., New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx Park, New York City . 1888 Williams, Robert W., Jr., U. S. Dept. Agriculture, office of the Solicitor, Washington, D. C . 1900 Williamson, E. B., Bluffton, Ind . 1900 Wilson, Sidney S., German American Bank Bldg., St. Joseph, Mo. . . 1895 Wing, Henry A., 505 S. 6th St., Maywood, Ill . 1908 Wisler, J. Jay, 231 Cherry St., Columbia, Pa . 1903 Wister, William Rotch, 505 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa . 1904 Witherbee, Mrs F. B., 106 Berkeley St., West Newton, Mass . 1906 Wood, J. Claire, 179 17th St., Detroit, Mich . 1902 Wood, Nelson R., Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. . . .1895 Wood, Norman A., 1216 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, Mich . 1904 Woodcock, Arthur Roy, Corvallis, Oregon . 1901 Woodruff, Frank M., Acad. Sciences, Chicago, Ill . 1904 Woodruff, Lewis B., 14 E. 68th St., New York City . 1886 Woodworth, Mrs. Nelly Hart, 41 Bank St., St. Albans, Vt . 1894 Worcester, Mrs. Alfred, Bacon St., Waltham, Mass . 1908 Worthen, Charles K., Box 103, Warsaw, Ill . 1891 Worthington, Willis W., Shelter Island Heights, N. Y . 1889 Wright, Albert H., 804 E. Seneca St., Ithaca, N. Y . 1906 Wright, Miss Harriet H., 1637 Gratiot Ave., Saginaw, W. S., Mich. 1907 Wright, Horace Winslow, 82 Myrtle St., Boston, Mass . 1902 Wright, Howard W., 830 N. Orange Grove Ave., Pasadena, Cal. . . . 1907 Wright, Samuel, Conshohocken, Pa . 1895 Wyman, Luther E., 1959 Washington Boulevard, Chicago, Ill . 1907 Young, John A., Calder Villa, Bridge of Allan, Scotland . 1907 Young, Mrs. William A., 54 Temple St., West Newton, Mass . 1907 Zappey, Walter R., 19 Norfolk St., Roslindale, Mass . 1905 Zerrahn, Carl Otto, 106 Centre St., Milton, Mass . 1904 Zimmer, J. T., Univ. State Farm, Lincoln, Neb . 1908 Deceased Members. xxxi DECEASED MEMBERS. Fellows. Date of Death Aldrich, Charles . March 8, 1908 Baird, Spencer Fullerton . Aug. 19, 1887 Bendire, Charles Emil . Feb. 4, 1897 Coues, Elliott . .Dec. 25, 1899 Goss, Nathaniel Stickney . March 10, 1891 Holder, Joseph Bassett . Feb. 28, 1888 Jeffries, John Amory . March 26, 1892 McIlwraith, Thomas . Jan. 31, 1903 Merrill, James Cushing . Oct. 27, 1902 Sennett, George Burritt . March 18, 1900 Trumbull, Gurdon . Dec. 28, 1903 Wheaton, John Maynard . Jan. 28, 1887 Honorary Fellows. Blanford, William Thomas . June 23, 1905 Bocage, J. V. Barboza du . July, 1908 Burmeister, Hermann . May 1, 1892 Cabanis, Jean . Feb. 20, 1906 Gatke, Heinrich . Jan. 1, 1897 Gundlach, Juan . March 14, 1896 Gurney, John Henry . April 20, 1890 Hartlaub, Gustav . Nov. 20, 1900 Huxley, Thomas Henry . June 29, 1895 Kraus, Ferdinand . Sept. 15, 1890 Lawrence, George Newbold . Jan. 17, 1895 Milne-Edwards, Alphonse . April 21, 1900 Newton, Alfred . June 7, 1907 Parker, William Kitchen . July 3, 1890 Pelzeln, August von . Sept. 2, 1891 Salvin, Osbert . June 1, 1898 Saunders, Howard . Oct. 20, 1907 Schlegel, Hermann . Jan. 17, 1884 Seebohm, Henry' . Nov. 26, 1895 Taczanowski, Ladislas . Jan. 17, 1890 XXX11 Deceased Members. Corresponding Fellows. Altum, C. A . Jan. 1, 1900 Anderson, John . Aug. 16, 1900 Baldamus, Eduard . Oct. 30, 1893 Blakiston, Thomas Wright . Oct. 15, 1891 Blasius, Rudolph . Sept. 21, 1907 Bogdanow, Modest Nikolaevich . March 4, 1888 Bryant, Walter, E . May 21, 1905 Buller, Walter Lawry . July 19, 1906 Cooper, James Graham . July 19, 1902 Cordeaux, John . Aug. 1, 1899 David, Armand . Nov. 10, 1900 Fatio, Victor . March 19, 1906 Haast, Julius von . Aug. 15, 1887 Hargitt, Edward . March 19, 1895 Holub, Emil . Feb. 21, 1902 Homeyer, Eugen Ferdinand von . May 31, 1889 Layard, Edgar Leopold . Jan. 1, 1900 Leverkuhn, Paul . Dec. 5, 1905 Lyttleton, Thomas, Lord Lilford . June 17, 1896 Marschall, August Friedrich . Oct. 11, 1887 Malmgren, Anders Johan . April 12, 1897 Middendorff, Alexander Theodore von . Jan. 28, 1894 Mosjisovics, Felix G. Hermann August . Aug. 27, 1897 Oustalet, Emile . Oct. 23, 1905 Philippi, R. A . Aug. — 1904 Prejevalski, Nicolas Michaelovich . Oct. 20, 1887 Prentiss, Daniel Webster . Nov. 19, 1899 Pryer, Harry James Stovin . Feb. 17, 1888 Radde, Gustav Ferdinand . . 1903 Schrenck, Leopold von . Jan. 20, 1894 Seleys-Longschamps, Edmond de . Dec. 11, 1900 Severtzow, Nicolai Aleksewich . Feb. 8, 1885 Stevenson, Henry . Aug. 18, 1888 Tristram, H. B . March 8, 1906 Wharton, Henry T . Sept. — , 1895 Woodhouse, Samuel W . Oct. 23, 1904 Members. Fannin, John . June 20, 1904 Judd, Sylvester Dwight . Oct. 22, 1905 Ralph, William LeGrange . July 8, 1907 Deceased Members. xxxiii Associates. Adams, Charles F . May 20, 1893 Allen, Charles Slover . Oct. 15, 1893 Antes, Frank T . Feb. 6, 1907 Atkins, Harmon Albro . May 19, 1885 Avery, William Cushman . March 11, 1894 Bailey, Charles E . - — — , 1905 Barlow, Chester . Nov. 6, 1902 Baur, George . June 25, 1898 Beckham, Charles Wickliffe . June 8, 1888 Bill, Charles . April — ,1897 Birtwell, Francis Joseph . June 29, 1901 Boardman, George Augustus. ... . Jan. 11, 1901 Bolles, Frank . Jan. 10, 1894 Brackett, Foster H . Jan. 5, 1900 Breese, William Lawrence . Dec. 7, 1889 Breninger, George Frank . Dec. 3, 1905 Brennan, Charles F . Mar. 21, 1907 Brokaw, Louis W . Sept. 3, 1897 Brown, John Clifford . Jan. 16, 1901 Browne, Francis Charles . Jan. 9, 1900 Burnett, Leonard E . March 16, 1904 Cairns, John S . June 10, 1895 Call, Aubrey Brendon . Nov. 20, 1901 Campbell, Robert Argyll . April — , 1897 Canfield, J. B . Feb. 18, 1904 Carleton, Cyrus . Nov. 15, 1907 Carter, Edwin . . 1900 Carter, Isabel Paddock . Sept. 15, 1907 Chadbourne, Mrs. Arthur Patterson . Oct. 4, 1908 Clark, John Nathaniel . Jan. 13, 1903 Coe, W. W . April 26, 1885 Colburn, William W . Oct. 17, 1899 Collett, Alonso M . Aug. 22, 1902 Conant, Mrs. Thos. O . Dec. 28, 1907 Corning, Erastus, Jr . April 9, 1893 Daffin, Wm. H . April 21, 1902 Dakin, John Allen . Feb. 21, 1900 Davis, Walter R . April 8, 1907 Dexter, Newton . July 27, 1901 Elliott, Samuel Lowell . Feb. 11, 1889 Fairbanks, Franklin . April 24, 1895 Fowler, Joshua Lounsbury . July 11, 1899 Fuller, Charles Anthony . Mar. 16, 1906 Gesner, Abraham Herbert . April 30, 1895 xxxiv Deceased Members. Goss, Benjamin Franklin . July 6, 1893 Hatch, Jesse Maurice . May 1, 1898 Hoadley, Frederick Hodges . Feb. 26, 1895 Holmes, LaRue Ivlingle . May 10, 1906 Hoopes, Josiah . Jan. 16, 1904 Howland, John Snowdon . Sept. 19, 1885 Ingersoll, Joseph Carleton . Oct. 2, 1898 Jenks, John Whipple Potter . Sept. 27, 1894 Jesurun, Mortimer . March — , 1905 Jouy, Pierre Louis . March 22, 1894 Kelker, Wm. A . Feb. 15, 1908 Knight, Wilbur Clinton . July 8, 1903 Knox, John C . July 9, 1904 Knox, John Cowing . June 1, 1904 Koch, August . Feb. 15, 1907 Kumlien, Ludwig . Dec. 4, 1902 Kumlien, Thure . Aug. 5, 1888 Lawrence, Robert Hoe . April 27, 1897 Lee, Leslie Alexander . May 20, 1908 Linden, Charles . Feb. 3, 1888 Lloyd, Andrew James . June 14, 1906 Mabbett, Gideon . Aug. 15, 1900 Maitland, Alexander . Oct. 25, 1907 Marble, Charles C . Sept. 25, 1900 Marcy, Oliver . March 19, 1899 Maris, Willard Lorraine . Dec. 11, 1895 McKinlay, James . Nov. 1, 1899 Mead, George Smith . June 19, 1901 Minot, Henry Davis . Nov. 13, 1890 Morrell, Clarence Henry . July 15, 1902 Nichols, Howard Gardner . June 23, 1896 Nims, Lee . March 12, 1903 Northrop, John I . June 26, 1891 Paddock, Isabel M . Sept. 15, 1907 Park, Austin F . Sept. 22, 1893 Paulmier, Frederick Clark . March 3, 1906 Pomroy, Grace V . May 14, 1906 Ragsdale, George Henry . March 25, 1895 Ready, George H . March 20, 1903 Richardson, Jenness . June 24, 1893 Robins, Mrs. Edward . July 2, 1906 Sand, Isabella Low . April 20, 1906 Selous, Percy Sherborn . April 7, 1900 Slater, James H . Feb. — , 1895 Slevin, Thomas Edwards . Dec. 23, 1902 Small, Edgar Albert . April 24, 1884 Deceased Members. xxxv Smith, Clarence Albert . May 6, 1896 Snow, Francis Huntington . Sept. 20, 1908 Southwick, James Mortimer . June 3, 1904 Stowe, W. H . March — , 1895 Sweiger, Mrs. J. L . March 23, 1907 Thompson, Millet T . Aug. 7, 1907 Thorne, Platte Marvin . March 16, 1897 Thurber, Eugene Carleton . Sept. 6, 1896 Vennor, Henry George . . June 8, 1884 Waters, Edward Stanley . . .Dec. 26, 1902 Willard, Samuel Wells . May 24, 1887 Wood, William . Aug. 9, 1885 Woodruff, Edward Seymour . Jan. 15, 1909 Young Curtis Clay . July 30, 1902 s> Old Series, Vol. XXXIV 1 CONTINUATION OF THE \ BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB New Series, Vol. XXVI PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ Union CAMBRIDGE, MASS. The Auk H Quarterly Journal of Ormtholoay Vol. XXVI —JANUARY, 190 9— No. 1 Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. CONTENTS. PAGE Notes on the Occurrence of the Yellow Rail in Michigan. By Norman A. Wood . • • 1 Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. By Stanley G. Jewett .... 5 Nesting of the Bohemian Waxwing ( Bombycilla garrulus ). By Rudolph M. Anderson . 10 Some Habits of the English Sparrow ( Passer domesticus)r By Charles W. Town¬ send, M. D. ............. 13 The Virginia and Sora Rails Nesting in New York City. By J. A. Weber . 19 Instinctive Stillness in Birds. By William Palmer ...... 23 A Reprint of the Ornithological Writings of C. S. Rafinesque. By Charles W. Richmond ............. 37 Winter Birds of New Ontario, and other Notes on Northern Birds. By G. Eifrig . 55 Some Notes on the Birds of Okanagan, British Columbia. By Allan Brooks 60 The Destruction of Birds at Niagara Falls. By Leon J. Cole .... 63 List of Birds observed on the Upper Toklat River near Mt. McKinley, Alaska. - By Charles Sheldon . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union. By John H. Sage . 71 General Notes.— A Curious Influx of Southern Herons to New Jersey, 76; The Little1* White Egret in New Mexico, 76; The Clapper Rail in Essex County, Mass., 76; Late Flight of Woodcock on Long Island, N. Y., 77; Capture of the Ruff at Seabrook, N. H„ 77; Eskimo Curlew taken at Newburyport, Mass., 77; The American Golden Plover ( Charadrius dominicus) in Ohio in Autumn, 77; Wild Turkeys in Illinois, 78; Asio wilsonianus in Sherburne, N. H., 78; A Note on the English Sparrow, 78; Mexican Goldfinch in Colorado, 79; Northward Range of Ammodramus lecontei, 80; Correction, 80; Breeding of Dendroica striata at Great Slave Lake, 80; The Black-throated Green Warbler as a Nesting Species on Long Island, N. Y., 80; Carolina Wren in Rhode Island, 81; The Carolina Wren at Falmouth, Maine, 82; Capture of the Short-billed Marsh Wren on Long Island, 82; Blue-gray Gnateatcher in Washington County, N. Y., 82; The Bluebird ( Sialia sialis) in Quebec, 83; Two Michigan Records, 83; Rare Birds near Springfield, Mass., 83; Notes from West Virginia, 84; Colorado Notes, 85; Notes of Occurrence and Nesting of Certain Species Additional to the ‘Birds of Colo¬ rado,’ 86. Recent Literature. — Chapman’s ‘Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist,’ 89; Preble on the Birds of the Athabaska-Maekenzie Region, 90; MacFarlane on the Birds of North¬ western Canada, 92; Knight’s ‘The Birds of Maine,’ 93; Godman’s 'Monograph of the Petrels,’ Part III, 95; Gadow’s ‘Through Southern Mexico,’ 95; Report on the Immi¬ gration of Summer Residents in England and Wales in the Spring of 1907, 96; The Heath Hen, 96; Woodruff on Causes of the Scarcity of the Ruffed Grouse, 97; For- bush on the Economic Value of Birds to Agriculture, 97; Carriker’s ‘Notes on Costa Rican Formicariidte,’ 98; Craig on the Voice in Pigeons as a Means of Social Control, 98- Taverner and Swales on the Birds of Point Pelee, Ontario, 98; Rockwell on the Birds of Mesa County, Colorado, 99; Bryan on the Birds of Molokai, 99; Annual Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies for 1908, 100; Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey, 101; Mrs. Bailey’s Hand-book of Birds of Western United States, Third Edition, 102; Richmond’s Lists of Generic Names of Birds, 102; Publications received, 104. v Notes and News. — Obituary: Robert Morris Gibbs, 105. Fourth Annual Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies, 106; U. S. Supreme Court Decision on the Sale of Imported Game, 106; Personal Notes, 107; ‘Bird-Lore’ colored plates of North American Birds, 108. ‘ THE AUK/ published quarterly as the Organ of the American Orni¬ thologists’ Union, is edited by Dr. J. A. Allen, with the assistance of Mr. Frank M. Chapman. ... Terms: — $3.00 a year, including postage, strictly m advance. Single num¬ bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and Associates of the A. O. U. not in arrears for dues. Subscriptions should be addressed to DR. JONATHAN DWIGHT, Jr., Business Manager, 134 West 71st St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscrib¬ ers may obtain ‘ The Auk ’ through R. H. PORTER, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W., London. All articles and communications intended for publication and all books and publications for notice, should be sent to Dr. J. A. ALLEN, American Museum of Natural History, 77th St. and Central Park, West, New York City. Manuscripts for general articles should reach the editor at least six weeks before the date of the number for which they are intended, and manuscripts for ‘ General Notes ’ and ‘ Recent Literature ’ not later than the first of the month preceding the date of the number in which it is desired they shall appear. THE AUK: A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Vol. xxvi. January, 1909. No. 1. NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE YELLOW RAIL IN MICHIGAN.1 BY NORMAN A. WOOD. The Yellow Rail ( Coturnicops noveboracensis ) has so seldom been recorded from Michigan that, as I have recently obtained some additional data on its occurrence in the State, it seems ad¬ visable to publish these in connection with a review of the literature on the subject. In Michigan, as in the neighboring territory, owing to its rareness, secretiveness, or both, very little is known of the habits or local distribution of this species. The first record is that of Abraham Sager (1839, p. 416), who gives it in his list of Michigan birds under the old name of Rallus noveboracensis Bon. It was next recorded by Manly Miles (1S61, p. 230) in his list of Michigan birds as Porzana noveboracensis Bd. Neither of these writers give definite locality records. In 1875 Major A. H. Boies (1875), of Hudson, Michigan, pub¬ lished a list of the ‘Birds of Southern Michigan’ in which he gives this species as a “summer sojourner.” I have recently written Major Boies concerning this record and he has replied as follows: “The Yellow Rail referred to in my Catalogue, Birds of Southern Michigan, was taken by me in the summer of 1865, and being a female — adult — I gave it as a summer sojourner.” In his paper, ‘The Migration of Michigan Birds,’ Dr. J. B. Steere (1881, p. 123) includes the “Little Yellow Rail” in the list of birds nesting in Michigan and wintering to the south, but gives 1 From the University Museum, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 1 2 Wood, Occurrence of the Yellow Rail in Michigan. [jan. no localities; and the same is true of Gibbs’s paper, ‘Annotated List of Michigan Birds’ (1879, p. 493), in which he says of this spe¬ cies: “Rather rare, occasionally taken in spring, probably breeds.” The last named writer in an article (1890, p. 230) on the Yellow Rail in Michigan says: “Never until now has my acceptance of the bird as a Michigan species been verified by myself. At dusk on Oct. 19, 1890, as two hunters of renown of this city (Kalamazoo), Messrs. O’Bvrne and Francoise, were returning from a snipe shoot they flushed an immature specimen of this interesting little bird from thick grass on low land near water. Noticing it flew pecul¬ iarly and was a bird new to them they shot it and gave it to me. One mark they noted in particular which may be a point of identi¬ fication when the bird is on the wing — the white spot on secondaries is plainly to be seen. They say that the bird sprung up with more vigor and flew swifter than the other rails.” This specimen is now in the collection of the University of Michigan Museum. In A. B. Covert’s manuscript notes, now in the University of Michigan Museum, there is a short note on this species as follows: “Sept. 13, 1877, nine specimens were shot near Ann Arbor, of which one was secured by myself, and is now in the University Museum. Rest made a dinner for hunter.” This specimen cannot be found, but there is little doubt as to the validity of the record. In his list of the birds of Washtenaw County, Mr. Covert (1881, p. 191) writes of the species as follows: “Porzana nove- boracensis: a rare migrant.” In reply to a letter requesting additional data on the occurrence of the species within our limits, Prof. Walter B. Barrows, Michigan Agricultural College, has kindly sent me the following notes: “One or two were taken in muskrat traps at Vicksburg, Michigan, by D. Corwin of that place; another specimen was picked up mutilated and too much decomposed for preservation, in the center of Kalamazoo City, about the middle of Sept., 1900. This speci¬ men was doubtless killed by flying against the telephone wires (Dr. M. Gibbs, The Bittern, Grand Rapids, 1901, p. 4). Dr. Gibbs also records another specimen taken in autumn (date not specified) near Kalamazoo, by Wm. O’Bvrne (Bull. Mich. Orn. Club, II, 1898, p. 7) [probably the same specimen referred to by Gibbs (1890, p. 230)]; and there is a mounted specimen in the 3 V°1l909jV !] Wood, Occurrence of the Yellow Rail in Michigan. Barron collection at Niles, which was examined by the writer in November, 1905. This specimen has no label, but undoubtedly was taken in the vicinity. “Jerome Trombley, Petersburg, Mich., has a set of four eggs, which in size and coloration meet perfectly the requirements for this species, and which were taken May 29, 1S94, in the township of Ida, Monroe County, Mich. Mr. Trombley did not take the eggs himself, but his collector described the bird which was flushed from the nest, and his description tallied well with that of the Yellow Rail. The situation was in a large cranberry marsh, and the nest was fastened to the tops of the long marsh-grass, the bottom resting on, or just reaching, the water. It was composed entirely of marsh- grass. Mr. Trombley says: ‘From the size and appearance of both the bird and eggs the evidence is fairly conclusive, although it is not absolutely certain that the bird was a Yellow Rail.’ ” An unpublished record for the State is that of Mr. Arthur G. Baumgartel of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has lately written me in regard to the notes referred to as follows: “I have your letters of the 2nd inst. with reference to the occurrence of the Yellow Rail in Michigan. The pair of Yellow Rail mentioned was taken by me in 1896 in the marsh north of Holland (Ottawa Co.), Michi¬ gan. The male on April 21st and the female on April 28th. These birds are now in the Hope College Museum at Holland, [Michigan]. On one of these dates I took a third specimen but it fell in a very boggy place and my young dog, in his hurry to retrieve, jumped on the bird, sinking it into the mud beyond recovery.” In the collection of Mr. Percy A. Taverner of Highland Park, Michigan, is the skin of “a female that was caught alive by a dog on March 25, 1908, north of and just beyond the city (Detroit) limits. Another bird of the same kind was said to have been flushed immediately afterwards but could not be secured. The one taken was presented to me, I endeavored to keep it alive but without success.” (Taverner, 1908, p. 327.) My only experience with this species is as follows : On the morn¬ ing of Sept. 30, 1908, an adult male in fine plumage was found alive near the Museum, on the University of Michigan campus. When first seen the bird was running about in a bewildered way, and when approached flew away a few feet, but was easily captured. 4 Wood, Occurrence of the Yellow Rail in Michigan. TAuk LJan . It was taken to the Zoological Department, and in the afternoon was brought alive to the Museum. The bird was very quiet and did not seem to be afraid even when stroked with the hand; it walked quietly about in the shallow box in which it was confined, but was rather droopy. I gave it water in a shallow dish and after I had immersed the bill it raised its head and swallowed; it then drank of its own accord, first dipping its bill in the water, then raising it up in the same manner that a chicken does. The water seemed to revive it, and it appeared to feel quite natural, walking about and pecking at the bottom of the case. It was later fed with small pieces of raw beef which were placed in its bill, but while it swallowed some of these it was not able to pick up food, as the head was injured and the mandibles would not meet. The right eye was also injured, and could not be opened. The bird stepped into the dish of water and acted as though it wished to bathe, but the dish was too small, and I removed it as I did not wish the bird’s plumage wet. It was too late and dark to take a photograph, so we waited until about 10 o’clock the following morning, when I placed the bird on a ground nest of the Black-crowned Night Heron and had it photographed. The bird was not as stwmg as on the evening before and could not stand erect. The bird was in "a sitting position with its plumage raised, making it look like a ball of feathers. The bird seemed to be suffering from its injuries and was chloroformed. On skinning it I found a deep cut on the breast, and another across the right eye and side of the head. These injuries were probably caused by the bird striking against wires or buildings while passing through the campus on its migra¬ tion. 1875. 1881. 1879. 1890. 1898. References. Boies, A. H. Catalogue of the Birds Ascertained to Occur in Southern Michigan. Hudson, Michigan. Covert, Adolphe B. Natural History [Michiganl. History of Washtenaw County, Michigan, pp. 173-194. Chicago. Gibbs, Dr. Morris. Annotated List of the Birds of Michigan. Bull. Geol. and Geog. Surv. Terr., V, pp. 481-497. - , - . The Yellow Rail, Porzana noveboracensis (Gmel.), in Michigan. The Oologist, VII, pp. 230-231. - , - . Additions to the Avifauna of Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Bull. Mich. Ornith. Club, II, p. 7. Vol*l909 VI] Jewett, Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. 5 1861. Miles, Manly. Report of the State Zoologist. First Biennial Report Geol. Surv. Michigan, pp. 213-241. 1839. Sager, Abraham. Report of Dr. Abraham Sager, Zoologist of Geological Survey. House Documents of the State of Michigan, Ann. Sess. 1839, pp. 410-421. 1881. Steere, J. B. The Migration of Michigan Birds. Tenth Ann. Rept. State Horticultural Society of Michigan, 1880, pp. 115-124. 1908. Taverner, Percy A. Four Rare Birds in Southeastern Michigan. The Auk, XXV, pp. 327-328. SOME BIRDS OF BAKER COUNTY, OREGON. BY STANLEY G. JEWETT. The following list of birds was made during a stay in Baker County between March 10 and August 17, 1906, and May 1 to June 2, 1907. Some interesting species were described to the author by hunters and prospectors, but they have been omitted, as no accurate data were secured. Some species, as the Franklin’s Grouse and McFarlane’s Screech Owl, are residents in adjoining counties. The section treated in this list is about fifty miles northeast of Baker City in the Powder River Mountains. The timber consists largely of yellow and black pine, red and white fir, tamarack and spruce. The open dry hillsides are cov¬ ered with mountain laurel, while in the vicinity of water are to be found cottonwood and willow. In the identification of many species the author desires to thank Mr. A. W. Anthony of Portland, Oregon; also the United States National Museum for identifying some of the more doubtful species. 1. Mergus americanus. American Merganser.— A pair was seen flying up the creek on March 27. 2. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper.— Seen several times during the summer. 3. Dendragapus richardsonii. Richardson’s Grouse. — Abundant resident; nests in April and May. 6 Jewett, Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. TAuk LJan. 4. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides. Gray Ruffed Grouse. — Common resident, frequenting the heavy undergrowth near the creeks. A nest found on June 10, 1906, contained nine fresh eggs. 5. Zenaidura macroura. Mourning Dove. — Two seen on July 6. Doves are abundant in the sage-brush country but apparently rare in the timber. 6. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Turkey Vulture. — Common all summer. A nest in a cavity of rock, with two small young, was found May 25, 1907. 7. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — Common; breeds. 8. Accipiter cooperi. Cooper’s Hawk. — Very common; breeds. 9. Buteo borealis calurus. Western Red-tail. — Fairly common. 10. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. — Seen several times during the summer. 11. Falco sparverius phaloena. Desert Sparrow Hawk. — Common all summer. One pair raised a brood in the same tree with a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. 12. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. American Osprey. — Seen but once, on June 20, 1906. 13. Bubo sp. Great Horned Owl. — Notes of Bubo were often heard during the night, but as no specimens were taken the subspecies was not determined. 14. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — Common; breeds. 15. Dryobates villosus monticola. Rocky Mountain Hairy Wood¬ pecker. — Abundant resident in the thick fir and pine groves. 16. Xenopicus albolarvatus. White-headed Woodpecker. — Com¬ mon resident, nesting in the tops of dead pines. 17. Picoides arcticus. Arctic Three-toed Woodpecker. — Seen but once, May 29, 1906. ' 18. Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis. Red-naped Sapsucker. — One male taken on April 28, 1906; no more seen until August 2, 1906, when I saw a female and one young. t? 19. Sphyrapicus thyroides. Williamson’s Sapsucker. — Common all summer, nesting in the tall pines on the high ridges. 20. Phloeotomus pileatus abieticola. Northern Pileated Wood¬ pecker. — Common resident; several nests seen in dead pines, ranging from twenty to seventy feet up. 21. Asyndesmus lewisi. Lewis’s Woodpecker. — Common enough on the edge of the timber but rarely found far from the open plains. 22. Phalaenoptilus nuttalli. Poor-mull. — Mr. A. W. Anthony often heard notes of the Poor-will at Sparta. 23. Chordeiles virginianus henryi. Western Night Hawk. — Abun¬ dant summer resident. 24. Chaetura vauxi. Vaux’s Swift. — Fairly common during June and July. 25. Stellula calliope. Calliope Hummingbird. — This beautiful little Voli90?VI] Jewett, Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. 7 hummer was common everywhere. Three nests found were in fir trees, ranging from four to seven feet up. One nest was found in some moss hanging over rocks. 26. Selasphorus rufus. Rufous Hummingbird. — Fairly common dur¬ ing May, 1907, but absent the year before. 27. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — The common eastern Kingbird is common all over Eastern Oregon. 28. Tyrannus verticalis. Arkansas Kingbird. — Equally as com¬ mon as the former. 29. Sayornis saya. Say’s Phcebe. — Fairly common. 30. Nuttallornis borealis. Olive-sided Flycatcher.— Fairly com¬ mon; arrives about April 19. 31. Empidonax hammondi. Hammond’s Flycatcher.— Abundant all summer; nests well up in fir or spruce. 32. Empidonax wrighti. Wright’s Flycatcher. — Equally common; nests in willows on the hillsides. 33. Myiochanes richardsoni. Western Wood Pewee. — Fairly com¬ mon summer resident. 34. Pica pica hudsonica. American Magpie. — Abundant resident; hundreds of their large bulky nests may be seen from the stage road between Baker City and Sparta. 35. Cyanocitta stelleri annectens. Black-headed Jay. — Common resident. A nest found on July 8, 1906, contained four young about a week old; nest eight feet up in a small fir on a hillside. 36. Perisoreus canadensis capitalis. Rocky Mountain Jay.— Seen but once, May 29, 1906, two individuals. 37. Nucifraga Columbiana. Clark’s Crow. — Common resident. Saw female feeding four large young on May 14, 1906. 38. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — One, June 10, 1906. 39. Sturnella neglecta. Western Meadowlark. — Common in all the open country of Baker County. 40. Icterus bullocki. Bullock’s Oriole. — Common among the cot¬ tonwoods. 41. Euphagus cyanocephalus. Brewer’s Blackbird.— Abundant in the grain fields during August. 42. Carpodacus cassinii. Cassin’s Purple Finch. — Abundant sum¬ mer resident; first seen April 1, 1906. Several pairs had nests close to our camp. 43. Loxia curvirostra minor. American Crossbill. — Common resi¬ dent; breeds. 44. Leucosticte tephrocotis. Gray-crowned Leucosticte. — Two specimens taken from a flock containing about one hundred birds of both L. tephrocotis and L. t. littoralis on March 14, 1906. 45. Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis. Hepburn’s Leucosticte. — Abundant in large flocks when I arrived at Sparta, March 13, 1906, feeding around haystacks and corrals. 8 Jewett, Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. [Auk LJan. 46. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin. — Abundant summer resident. Sis¬ kins and Cassin’s Purple Finches were abundant around the camp yard all summer. 47. Spizella passerina arizon®. Western Chipping Sparrow.— Abundant summer resident. First seen April 29, 1906. 48. Junco hyemalis shufeldti. Shufeldt’s Junco. — Common resident. 49. Melospiza melodia merrilli. Merrill’s Song Sparrow. — Seen but once in the mountains on April 10; common enough in the open coun¬ try to the south. 50. Melospiza lincolni. Lincoln’s Sparrow. — A single specimen taken May 31, 1907. 51. Passerella iliaca schistacea. Slate-colored Sparrow. — First seen April 28, 1906. On June 22, 1906, while clearing away some brush I found a nest containing one fresh egg and the dead female. The ovary of the dead bird contained a perfect egg. 52. Pipilo maculatus montanus. Mountain Towhee. — Fairly com¬ mon. First seen March 26, 1906. 53. Oreospiza chlorura. Green-tailed Towhee.— Common. First seen April 10, 1906. 54. Zamelodia melanocephala. Black-headed Grosbeak.— Seen only once or twice. 55. Piranga ludoviciana. Western Tanager. — Abundant summer resident. Arrives May 15. 56. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow. — Common at Sparta. Breeds. 57. Tacycineta thalassina lepida. Violet-green Swallow.— Seen but once, — a small flock on June 2. 58. Bombycilla garrula. Bohemian Waxwing. — Two specimens se¬ cured on March 13, 1906; said to be a fairly common winter visitor. 59. Vireosylva gilva swainsoni. Western Warbling Vireo. — Com¬ mon summer resident. 60. Lanivireo solitarius cassini. Cassin’s Vireo. — First seen May 6, 1906; common by the 18th, breeds. 61. Helminthophila rubricapilla gutturalis. Calaveras Warbler. — Seen but once; took a male July 9, 1906. 62. Dendroica sestiva. Yellow Warbler. — Common at Sparta, where it breeds. 63. Dendroica auduboni. Audubon’s Warbler. — Common; arrives about April 1. 64. Geothlypis tolmiei. Macgillivray’s Warbler. — Common. First seen May 5. Fresh eggs found June 12, June 25, and July 18, 1906. 65. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. Western Yellow-throat. — Common along the Powder River flats in June, 1906. 66. Oroscoptes montanus. Sage Thrasher.— Common among the sagebrush. 67. Salpinctes obsoletus. Rock Wren.— Common along the bluffs near Powder River, but only seen once in the mountains. Voll909^VI] Jewett, Some Birds of Baker County, Oregon. 9 69. Troglodytes aedon parkmani. Parkman’s Wren. — Fairly com¬ mon all summer. 70. Nannus hiemalis pacificus. Western Winter Wren. — Common resident; nested along the creek in moss and upturned roots and stumps. One nest on May 20 had four eggs which the bird promptly deserted after I disturbed her. 71. Certhia familiaris montana. Rocky Mountain Creeper. — Fairly common in March and April, but disappeared with the snow. 72. Sitta carolinensis nelsoni. Rocky Mountain Nuthatch.— Not common, but a permanent resident. 73. Sitta canadensis. Red-breasted Nuthatch. — Common resident. 74. Sitta pygmsea. Pygmy Nuthatch.— Abundant on the high ridges, nesting in dead pine tops. 75. Penthestes rufescens. Chestnut-backed Chickadee. — Fairly common; young were secured in July, 1906. I believe this record extends the range of this species somewhat. 76. Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis. Long-tailed Chickadee. — A single example secured on May 30, 1907. 77. Penthestes gambeli. Mountain Chickadee. — Abundant resi¬ dent; begins nesting early in May. 78. Regulus calendula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Common sum¬ mer resident in the deep fir thickets where their sweet song could be heard daily during May and June. 79. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni. Olive-backed Thrush. — Speci¬ mens sent to the United States National Museum were identified as this species. I know of no other records of H. u. swainsoni being taken in[Ore- gon. Common; arrives about May 13; nests in June and July. 80. Planesticus migratorius propinquus. Western Robin. — Common summer resident. 81. Ixoreus nsevius. Varied Thrush.— Not common; a nest found on May 14, 1907, contained four young. Nest eight feet up in a small fir near a creek. 82. Sialia mexicana occidentalis. Western Bluebird. — Common; breeds. 83. Sialia currucoides. Mountain Bluebird.— First seen during a snow storm on March 12, 1906. Breeds at Sparta in boxes built for wrens and swallows 10 Anderson, Nesting of the Bohemian Waxwing. rAuk LJan. NESTING OF THE BOHEMIAN WAXWING ( BOMBY - CILLA GARRULUS ). BY RUDOLPH M. ANDERSON. Although I had occasionally met with this silky-plumaged and erratic wanderer at different times in winter in the northern United States, my first glimpse of the bird in summer was on June 8, 1908. The opportunity was offered while crossing the Mountain Portage, of the Slave River, between Smith’s Landing and Fort Smith, on about the sixtieth parallel of north latitude. Here a series of rapids and cascades, extending for sixteen miles, compel passengers and freight for the Northwest Territories to be transported over a road varied with timber, hills, sandy ridges, and muskegs — notori¬ ous as one of the worst mosquito-infested localities in the North. On this particular day, the hot sun kept the mosquitoes down to some extent, so that it was possible at times to dispense with the head-net, that necessary but obscuring hindrance to bird-observa¬ tion in the North. Although the ‘bull-dog’ flies (a species of Tabanus), fairly swarm along the higher reaches of sandy road, they do not bother the collector very much. About four miles south of Fort Smith, the road winds along a series of high sandy ridges, from a few hundred yards to half a mile from the Slave River. This area, for about a mile, has not long since been burned over, and is sparsely covered with scattering jack-pines ( Pinus banksiana), white spruce ( Picea canadensis ) and a very few white poplars ( Populus tremuloides) . The ground is covered with short, scanty grasses and a low-spreading, ground- creeping shrub bearing dry red berries resembling small cranberries. At this place some wood had been cut and corded up in small piles here and there. While passing this place about noon, I saw two Bohemian Wax- wings, and followed one for some time, but did not succeed in securing it. In the afternoon I walked back again and saw about a dozen waxwings, singly and in two’s and three’s. They appeared to be mating and chased each other about more or less, and the peculiar lisping waxwing whistle was generally kept up. One bird perched upon a horizontal limb, launched forth and captured Vol1909^ *] Anderson, Nesting of the Bohemian Waxwing. 11 a large dragon-fly on the wing, in true flycatcher style, flying to another tree to eat its prey. Three specimens were obtained, one male and two females. The stomach of one bird was filled with the small red ground berries. The next day, June 9, I passed over the road again on the way to the White Pelican rookery at the Mountain Rapid, and saw several Bohemian Waxwings, at intervals for a mile or two along the “Brule,” but did not have time to prosecute the search for nests. June 10 in the afternoon I walked back again from Fort Smith to the locality frequented by the Waxwings. The day was very hot, and mosquitoes were not so numerous as on the two previous days, but sandflies, black-flies, or tiny, stinging gnats were present in swarms, and were very annoying, seriously interfering with observations, as they persisted in flying into one’s eyes. Several Bohemian Waxwings were found, near the same place as before, sometimes perching on the topmost twig of a jack pine or spruce, but usually among the upper branches. They were not in flocks, but singly or in pairs, and I think about seven or eight birds were in the vicinity, although an accurate count was impos¬ sible, as the birds were very restless, and flew about a great deal. Again, I watched a waxwing fly from its perch, catch a large dragon-fly on the wing, fly to another tree, and begin to devour the insect at its leisure. I fired at this bird at rather close range with dust shot, causing it to fly to another tree, still carrying the dragon¬ fly. Here the bird finished its meal in peace. About two hours were spent searching for nests in the tall, scat¬ tered jack-pines and spruces. Each tree had to be inspected carefully from bottom to top, and I was often deceived by small bunches of dead twigs, needles and moss which collect in all parts of these trees. The lower branches particularly, bear great quanti¬ ties of fine-fibred, pale tea-green moss, which often hangs in long festoons closely resembling birds’ nests. Several times I saw waxwings flying rather anxiously about, but making no noise, contrary to the usual habit of these birds. I finally shot one female, whose under parts had lost many feathers, and whose actions showed that her nest was undoubtedly near by. Soon I saw what appeared to be a nest, a moss-covered bunch near the top of a straight, 12 Anderson, Nesting of the Bohemian Waxwing. ["Auk LJan. slender jack-pine ( Pinus banksiana), about 45 feet from the ground. The nest, however, was so artfully concealed and draped with mosses that I could not be sure that it really was a nest until I actually peered over the edge of it. The nest contained six eggs, which proved to be almost fresh; incubation less than one day. Color: ground color, pale bluish tending to ashy, with sparsely scattered small round black spots and obscure pale purplish shell markings sparsely and irregularly scattered over the whole surface, but chiefly on larger end. One egg was much less spotted than the others, the markings almost absent from the larger end. Size (millimetres): 23.5 X 18* 23.4 X IS; 24 X 17; 24 X 18; 23.5 X 17.7; 23.5 X 17.7. The nest measured 6| inches in outside diameter, and 2\ inside; depth (outside) 3 inches, (inside) 1J inches; composed externally of small, short, dead pine twigs loosely arranged and partially covered with pale green moss, and small bunches of white cottony vegetable fibres. The nest lining consisted of a few fine grasses, a few bunches of fine wTooly black moss, and bunches of the soft white cotton. The tree containing the nest was at least twenty feet from any other tree and had no limbs for at least twenty feet from the ground. The nest was placed close to the body of the tree and supported by two small nearly horizontal limbs and a few lateral supporting twigs from these. The nest itself was fairly well covered with moss, similar to that upon the branches of the tree, and the dark gray irregular-shaped cones of the Bank§ian pine, lying closely against the limbs, formed knobby bunches which made the nest appear even more indistinct from the ground. The whole structure was in such a position that it would scarcely be discovered without careful search and the parent birds gave few clues to its whereabouts. 13 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Townsend, Habits of the English Sparrow. SOME HABITS OF THE ENGLISH SPARROW (PASSER DOMESTICUS )} BY CHARLES W. TOWNSEND, M. D. A certain Spanish proverb advises us in case we “do not get what we like to like what we get.” I am doubtful whether my philosophy will ever bring me to the point of liking the English Sparrow, but as most of my life is spent within the confines of brick-lined streets, where the chief and nearly solitary ornithological species is this same English Sparrow, it has seemed to me wise to observe and to jot down my observations on the habits of this much hated, and therefore much neglected bird. I shall not refer here to the large subject of the relations of this alien to our native birds, for of that side of the question much has been written, and this too although my notes abound in such data and hark back to the time when the English Sparrow was only beginning to drive out the Tree Swallow and other box-building birds from our cities. Most of the present day bird students can with difficulty realize that about thirty years ago Tree Swallows were common breeding birds even in our large cities. But I must avoid this sad and irritating side of the subject. In the description of the habits of passerine birds, the account of their song generally occupies an important part, but in the case of the English Sparrow the song is reduced to the simplest terms and consists merely of a repetition of the call notes. Whether the primitive nature of their song is due to the fact that it has never developed beyond this point, or whether it is a degeneration or reversion from a more evolved song are merely matters of conjecture, but it seems reasonable to suppose that in either case the noise and hubbub of mankind among which the birds live has something to do with is harsh, unmusical character. That this repetition of the call notes constitutes their song, one cannot doubt who has listened to the jangling racket on a spring morning. This ‘chorus’ begins from twenty to thirty minutes before sunrise in April, May and June on bright days, — fifteen 1 Read before the Nuttall Ornithological C'ub, November 9, 1908. 14 Townsend, Habits of the English Sparrow. [j^ or twenty minutes later on cloudy days, — and lasts in full volume nearly an hour. A few scattering chirps are first heard from the early ones, but the multitudes on vines and trees and house-tops soon take up the theme, and the din is almost deafening. The chief note is chis-icJc or tsee-up monotonously repeated, with various modifications, for the most part high pitched and ear racking, but occasionally deeper and almost melodious. Certain individuals repeat notes or even series of notes that are not unattractive, and may even be called musical. These are not common but may be heard every spring, and, on mild days, even as early as January. At the height of the morning chorus, for such it must be called, there is at times a distinct rhythm, caused by some of the birds keeping time. This chirping rhythm I have frequently tried to count but generally without success, for each bird appears to chirp manfully on his own hook without regard to time. I have, however, some¬ times found its rate to be 60 or 70 times a minute, slowing down to 40 on hot days. In this respect the Sparrow differs directly from the cold blooded insect that sings faster the hotter the weather. Individual singers may be heard at almost any time during the day in the spring months, but after the morning chorus, scattering chirps, conversational tones and angry scrapping notes are more common, as well as the loud rattling call which seems to be almost entirely limited to the female, although I have occasionally heard it from the male. This rattling call is frequently emitted by the female as she flies to feed her young either in the nest or on the street, as well as when she playfully or in anger flies at her mate. I do not feel sure of the full significance of this rattle and it deserves further study. An early morning in August in the city lacks this chorus, just as in the country August mornings are as destitute of our native birds’ songs as June mornings are full of them, which helps to prove the assumption just made that the House Sparrow is a songster even if a Hie and primitive one. Thus in late August the sparrows may be heard to chatter in conversational ways beginning ten or fifteen minutes before sunrise, but there is no rapid repetition of call notes, no chorus, no hint of a song. As the extermination of this bird appears to be utterly out of the question, our only hope lies in education, for it has been found by 15 ' Oli909 T] Townsend, Habits of the English Sparrow. several experimenters that the young English Sparrow separated from his unmusical parents and associated with song birds, readily acquires his foster parents’ melody. A few such educated ones in each city might prove to be missionaries in a good cause. Cer¬ tainly wTe may hope for this in the millennium ! Until that time we can look upon the present infliction of their ‘song’ as an oppor¬ tunity to cultivate our philosophy, and to turn deaf ears to it, or to seize with pleasure on the occasional musical notes welcoming the spring. One of the most noticeable habits of the English Sparrow, is the courting that goes shamelessly on under our very feet. The strut of the male — and he is a handsomely marked bird but ■woefully smoke begrimmed these soft coal days — is always amus¬ ing. With flattened back, head held up and tail down, wings out from the body, the tips of the primaries touching or nearly touching the ground, he hops back and forth before the coy female as if on springs. Not one but several dance thus before a lady -who barely deigns to look at them, and then only to peck in feigned disgust at the love-lorn suitors. These pecks are often far from love pats. At times she stands in the middle of a ring of males at -whom she pecks viciously in turn as they fly by, all chirping excitedly at the top of their lungs. The casual observer might think the lady was being tormented by a crowd of ungallant males, but the opposite is in reality the case for the lady is wTell pleased and is showing her pretended feminine contempt for the male sex, who on their part are trying their best to attract and charm her. At other times she plants her bill firmly in the head of the suitor, and pecks at him violently from time to time without letting go her hold. I have seen several such one-sided fights, for the oppressed rarely fights back, -where the male seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion, lying panting on the ground, but on being disturbed both birds flew off apparently none the -worse. Fights between rival males are also common, and here the birds generally endeavor to fasten their bills into each others heads and necks, and continue the fight until both are exhausted lying on the ground. Peace loving human passers-by generally interrupt these fights, just as they do the fights of street gamins, but the birds generally fly off swTearing vigorously as they go, to renew their 16 Townsend, Habits of the English Sparrow. | Auk LJan. fight elsewhere just as do the gamins. In fact there are many points of similarity between the two species. About a year ago I watched two males in a fierce encounter on the small grass plot in front of my house. One had the other by the bill and held him back downwards on the grass. They were both using their claws vigorously and bracing with their wings. Occasionally they would roll over, or go head over heels. Breaking apart they would fly up at each other like enraged barn-yard cocks. Although I stood within two feet of them, so intent were they that they did not notice me until I made an incautious movement and they fled to fight elsewhere. A disgraceful fight between two female English Sparrows oc- cured in front of my house one April day. Catching each other by the bills they pulled and tugged and rolled over on the grass. When they broke away the fight was renewed a few inches above the ground in fighting cock style. Three males appeared, and watched the fight. One, evidently scandalized, endeavored to separate the Amazons by pecking at them, but they paid no attention to him and only after some time flew away, one chasing the other. The favorite food of the English Sparrow is the semi-digested oats found in horse droppings, and I have noticed him to forsake some raw oats spilt on the ground for the sake of these semi-digested ones. Although scratching would be a useful accomplishment in the acquisition of this his favorite food, he has not learned it like many other sparrows, but he plies his stout bill vigorously like an axe and effectually accomplishes the object. He has, however, learned to use his tail as a prop like a woodpecker and he may often be seen searching for insects in this position on a tree trunk or even on the vertical side of a brick house. Like many other birds the English Sparrow suffers from hot weather and shows his distress at such times by wide open mouth. English Sparrows are decidedly social in their habits. For thirty years or more they have been in the habit of roosting at night in the trees of King’s Chapel burying-ground in Boston — perhaps they were attracted by the English associations of the place. I have made several observations of this roost. They frequent the place throughout the year but are decidedly less numerous in the spring months and most numerous during the fall and winter. 17 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Townsend, Habits of the English Sparrow. Thus on November 25, 1905, between 4 and 5 p. m., I estimated that about 3000 sparrows were in this place on five trees. The other twro trees were empty. On February 20, 1906, on a mild pleasant day, when the sun set at 5.24 p. m., the roost was studied from the near-by City Hall. The roosting trees seen from above looked as if their limbs had been whitewashed and the ground and grass beneath were similarly affected. The first arrivals appear at 3.45 P. M., about a dozen in all. At 4 the birds are coming singly and in small groups alighting in the trees but frequently changing from place to place, chirping continuously and fighting for positions. At 4.05 a flock of 12 fly swiftly and directly to one tree; 4.10 p. m.: there are now about 150 sparrows present, but new ones are con¬ stantly sailing in with wings wide spread from over or between the surrounding high buildings. They fly with astonishing swiftness and directness, projected as it were from space directly into the roost, — is it the city rush and scramble for position? 4.15 P. M. It is now raining birds. I have seen only one alight on a building before entering the roost; they are in too much of a hurry to get there. The trees are a scene of great activity and the noise rises above the roar of the city’s streets. The birds are crowding togther in the trees, constantly fighting and flying about as they are forced from their perches. At 4.30 the birds are still coming, but by 4.45 there is a noticeable diminution in the numbers of the coming birds and by 5 o’clock the movement has ceased with the exception of a fewT stragglers. Many are now spreading their wings and tails and composing themselves for sleep. At 5.30 the roost is still noisy but many are fast asleep, and before long all is quiet. For several weeks before Christmas each year a large depart¬ ment store across the narrow street is brilliantly illuminated by electricity, but the birds sleep quietly notwithstanding the glare and the noise of the traffic. On March 19, 1906, I inspected this roost at 5.45 p. m. during a heavy snowstorm. The birds were as thick as usual but rather lower in the trees and sitting breast to the storm. Although most of them were asleep some were still talka¬ tive. On May 11, 1908, I estimated at 6 p. m. that there were perhaps about one tenth as many birds in the roost as in winter. Both males and females were present, the former often strutting in turkey cock attitude and the females picking at them. It is 18 Townsend, Habits of the English Sparrow. [Auk LJan. probable that most of the roost consisted of males, but it was evi¬ dent that a few unmated females yet remained at this late date. On August 29, 1908, I again watched the Sparrows enter their sleeping quarters at King’s Chapel burying-ground, and by count¬ ing the birds as they entered for fifteen minutes at a time at intervals, I was enabled to make a fairly accurate estimate of 3400 birds in the roost. With the exception of a few stragglers they all came in between 4.30 and 5.55 p. m. The sun set at 6.28. Judging from the noise, the number of birds in the roost was considerably less than in winter, so that my previous estimate was probably too low. On November 26, 1905, 1 watched the King’s Chapel roost wake up and depart about its day’s business. All were asleep and quiet until 6 o’clock when the first chirp was heard, while the stars were still shining, and the first movement took place at 6.05, when a sparrow flew from one branch to another. The sleeping ones had their heads depressed in front, or the head turned around with the bill concealed in the feathers of the back. A sudden general chirping begins at 6.07 and a few buzz about from branch to branch. The chirping swells into a continuous volume of sound, not the chorus of the spring, but a confused conversational chirping noise as if all were talking at once. Birds buzz about wTith rapid wing vibrations, suggestive of hummingbirds. The first one flies off in an unsteady way as if still half asleep at 6.12. The sound grows louder, although the majority still appear to be asleep. Some are stretching their wings and preening their feathers. The stars are nearly gone. At 6.20 no. 2 flies off uncertainly. 6.25. Now there is greater noise and activity. Many are flying about and a dozen or more have left. All awake seem to enjoy spreading their tails. A considerable proportion sleep on through the hub¬ bub. There is very little fighting compared with the evening. 6.26. Now the birds are leaving constantly. 6.27. They are leaving in bands of 15 or 20 at a time. 6.30 A. M. The stream of outgoers, mostly down Tremont Street to the north, is now continuous and too great to count. The remaining birds are noisy in the extreme, flying about vigorously and filling up the empty trees. 6.35 a. m. It is now broad daylight and the birds are flying off like bees, but more or less in waves. A few still sleep on undisturbed. The sun rose about 6.50 and by that time doubt¬ less all or nearly all of the birds had gone. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Weber, Virginia and Sora Rails. 19 Besides the King’s Chapel roost there are several other smaller ones that have later been established in Boston, namely, one in the Granery burying-ground, one in some trees on the Common, one in Franklin Square, besides doubtless others. The roost at Frank¬ lin Square is within fifty yards of the elevated train and at about the level of the frequently passing trains, yet I have seen the birds sleeping quietly there in the midst of the deafening racket. ^ In the early days the gathering in King’s Chapel burying-ground were viewed with alarm, for it was feared that the imported darl¬ ings were about to migrate elsewhere, perhaps to the Mother Country. Alas this migration has never taken place! THE VIRGINIA AND SORA RAILS NESTING IN NEW YORK CITY. BY J. A. WEBER. The marshes inhabited by the rails are situated at the northern portion of Manhattan Island and extend northward and eastward from the foot of the hill at Fort George (190th Street and Amster¬ dam Avenue). These marshes formerly lined the shore of the Harlem River, but through street improvements have been separated from the river and cut up into small areas. The water in these marshes no longer rises and falls with the tide and the only con¬ nection with the river is through drain pipes under the streets; consequently the water is more or less fresh. The rails first attracted my attention during the early part of June, 1902, when my brother who had climbed into an oak tree overlooking one of the marshes, shouted to me that he saw some water chickens running about in the swamp. I made a thorough search of the marshes on the 24th of the same month and secured a specimen, which proved to be the Virginia Rail (R alius virgin- ianus). It was the 4th of June, 1905, however, before I discovered any nest and eggs. This nest was found in the cattail marsh 20 Weber, Virginia and Sora Rails TAuk LJan. situated on Ninth Avenue between 205th and 206th Streets. The eggs were scattered in and around the nest and had been emptied of their contents by some animal, probably by a muskrat. I found a dead rail in the vicinity but was unable to determine the cause of her death. On June 1, 1907, I found a Virginia Rail on her nest, incubating ten eggs, in the patch of rushes about half a block south of the Dyckman Street subway station. The bird allowed me to ap¬ proach within three feet of her, when I flushed her from the nest by a sudden movement on my part to gain a solid footing. She remained in the immediate vicinity of her nest while I adjusted my camera, strutting about with her feathers puffed up and wings spread like a turkey cock, giving her a rather formidable appear¬ ance: at the same time she uttered a low grunting sound which I had never heard from a rail before and quite unlike their charac¬ teristic notes. The male showed his interest by his sharp keck- Mck-k&ck-lc&ck calls, evidently trying to lead me away from the nest. The nest was placed in the usual position near one of the stream¬ lets which intersect all of these marshes, forming an irregular net¬ work, in the center of a circular bunch of growing cattails. It consisted of a mass of cattail blades and stems, placed layer upon layer, the foundation resting on the mud, so that the rim of the nest was 7 inches above the surface of the water. The inside of the nest was rather shallow, 4f X 4| inches in diameter, and lined with cattail blade chips £ to 2 inches in length. I discovered another nest of the Virginia Rail on June 6, 1908, in the small marsh bordering on Dyckman Street, with two base¬ ball fields adjoining it on the east and south. The nest was placed within twenty feet of the street where hundreds of people as well as vehicles pass daily and large crowds often assemble to witness the Speedway trotting races or the baseball games. Yet the little mother rail quietly sat on her ten eggs, apparently uncon¬ cerned about the civilization around her. She was fully as tame as the former bird and acted in a similar manner. I tried to photograph her on the nest but she refused to return to the nest while the camera was near it; I had no difficulty however in taking snapshots of her as she crossed and re-crossed the narrow lanes through the cattails made by the ditches of water. VOll909^VI] Weber, Virginia and Sora Rails. 21 Within an hour after finding the above nest, I discovered a nest of the Sora ( Porzana Carolina ), containing 14 eggs. This bird, unlike the Virginia Rail, was very shy, necessitating several visits to the swamp to accurately identify her. Approach the nest ever so stealthily, she would dart from the nest, and go off splashing through the water, before you were within fifteen feet of her, the only indi¬ cation of her and her mate’s presence being a call note at a distance from the nest. The marsh in which this nest was built is situated on the south side of 207th Street between the foot of the new bridge across the Harlem River at this point and the 207th Street subway station. The marsh is so close to the subway station that some of the passen¬ gers noticed and watched me from the station platform while I was floundering about among the rushes. Yet strangely enough the noise of the numerous passing trains did not deter these shy birds from nesting in such close proximity. The nest of this bird differed in many ways from the Virginia Rails’ nests. It was suspended in a clump of cattails; the material composing the nest extended about 5 inches above and below the surface of the water, leaving the bottom of the nest about 11 inches clear of the mud below it. The foundation of the nest looked like a miniature hammock, and the bird probably formed it by simply trampling down the dead lower blades still adhering to the growing cattails. The composition of the nest, like that of the Virginia Rail’s, consisted of cattail blades, but the lining of the nest pre¬ sented a distinct departure, being made of fine marsh grasses in place of the chips of flat cattail blades. The inside of the nest was 3? X 4 inches in diameter and 2\ inches in depth, and deeply cup-shaped in contrast to the rather flat form of the other bird. It was loosely arched over by the growing rushes surrounding it and concealing the bird so that it was difficult to identify her. A narrow runway of fallen dead cattails led to the nest; this appears to be a characteristic feature of all the nests of this family of birds I have found. The water in this swamp was 16 inches or more in depth throughout, due to a clogging of the drain pipe. I was unable to find any Virginia Rails in this swamp; evidently this depth of water is preferred by the Sora but not by the former bird. The breast of the Sora is about 1^ inches in diameter and it 22 Weber, Virginia and Sora Rails. [Auk |_Jan. seemed wonderful to me how the little bird managed to keep her fourteen comparatively large eggs warm. She succeeded, how¬ ever, for they were found to be in various stages of advanced in¬ cubation. So deeply cup-shaped was the nest that the eggs around the edge were in an almost vertical position, thereby considerably reducing the horizontal area to be covered. Upon a subsequent visit to the nest, two of the eggs were found in the center of the nest lying on top of the others ; a habit also shared by the domestic hen of placing one egg in this position. The bird probably shifted the eggs occasionally so as to get the others in this position to give them an extra amount of heat and render their hatching more certain. Ridgway’s ‘Manual of the Birds of North America,’ states the size of the Sora’s eggs as 1.23 X .89 inches; the average size of the above set is 1.18 X .89 inches, but the loss in size of the individual egg is amply supplied by the larger number of eggs in the clutch, numbering 14 while Ridgway’s ‘Manual’ quotes the number as 9 to 12. The measurements of two sets of Virginia Rail’s eggs showed an average of 1.32 X .98 and 1.22 X .92 inches proving the eggs of this bird to be larger than the Sora’s; but the difference in size is not as apparent as the difference in color and the distribu¬ tion of the markings. The ground color of the Virginia’s eggs is cream buff, that of the Sora is much darker, being deep brownish buff. The eggs of both species are abundantly spotted and speckled with chocolate brown and a few purplish gray and greenish spots and specks; but the spots of the Virginia’s eggs form a dense cluster around the larger end, while on the Sora’s they are evenly distributed over the egg with no tendency to cluster at the larger end. During the past few years building operations and street im¬ provements have encroached so much on the breeding grounds of the Rails, Red-winged Blackbirds and Meadowlarks, that I fear the breeding of these birds in this locality will soon terminate. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. 23 INSTINCTIVE STILLNESS IN BIRDS. by william palmer. “ Nearly all hermits and holy men who live apart from the big cities ha Ye the reputation of being able to work miracles with the wild things, but all the miracle lies in keeping still, in never making a hasty movement, and, for a long time, at least, in never looking directly at a visitor.” 1 According to one’s knowledge and experience the subject of mimicry may be divided into a number of divisions but their limits are rather uncertain. In my opinion the dominant psychical feature in perhaps all mimicking birds is stillness in the presence of known or probable danger; and it is also an aid with its neai relative, caution or slowness, in aggressive mimicry. The other features of bird economy necessarily involved are always subordi¬ nate to these, as will develop later. To give point to these facts the following instances, a few of many, are offered as illustrations. While walking along a beach one summer a Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) and a single young were noticed some distance ahead. As I approached the place the old bird, with the startled manner characteristic of its kind at such a time, kept well ahead, but I could not find the other. Going back some distance I waited and soon saw it again with its parent. I repeated my quest and again failed to find the youngster. Going back once more and again seeing it rejoin the old bird I slowly moved forward keeping my eyes this time very intently on it and soon picked it up from the sand, an unwilling captive. I once had considerable experience with the £ribylov Sandpiper ( Arquatella ptilocnemis) . The young could often be seen at a distance, but when approached and squatting it was almost im¬ possible to distinguish them from the tundra vegetation. Finding one on one occasion I wished to photograph it as it lay. I had dropped my basket and camera on first seeing the bird which was not then under the care of its parents. Dropping my cap near the bird I slowly retreated backwards, obtained the camera and slowly returned to the spot, but the bird had moved. Failing to find it 1 Kipling, in ‘The Miracle of Purun Bhaget’ (The Second Jungle Book). 24 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. [Auk LJan. and leaving the cap as a center I walked in a wide circle and then began to spiral toward it. Using the utmost carefulness and strain¬ ing my eyes I found my bird and made the exposure. As in all other cases its colors and markings almost exactly matched the vegetation; it is really a wonderful mimic, and it required very careful work to distinguish it, but once found it seemed more con¬ spicuous, and this is usual in similar cases, for with time our eyes become better accustomed to the contour of the squatting bird. On the same island, St. Paul, I once stood for a long time knee deep in cold water looking for some young Phalaropes ( Lobipes lobatus ) which I knew were clinging to the scanty grass and, as it proved, not three feet in front of me. Yet a movement on their part would have instantly betrayed them, my eyesight was excel¬ lent and I knew’ wThat I wanted and expected to find. These few examples represent a common experience of field naturalists familiar with this group of birds. They are also char¬ acteristic of young Terns and Gulls, of Quail and numerous other species, but not always of the adults. Seeing a Least Bittern ( Ixobrychus exilis ) flying over a marsh one dull afternoon I marked the place, but upon pushing there in my skiff I wras utterly unable to locate it. Later I put up another and marking where it had alighted had the greatest difficulty in finding it clinging motionless with bill almost erect, to a stem of wild oats ( Zizania aquatica). The following interesting experience occurred in Florida. I had been walking among the pines with my gun and had slowfly ap¬ proached the backwater of the Kissimmee River w here the wTater had overflowed the short grass well back of the usual shoreline. Here I soon noticed a Louisiana Heron ( Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis) standing in a few inches of water near a small clump of scrub palmettoes ( Sabal sp.) and at once conceived the idea of trying to find out how near I could get to the bird. Using the clump as a blind I gradually moved to within about sixty feet. Waiting a while to notice the bird and to allay its fears, for it had evidently detected me, I sat down on the grass and slowly worked myself to one side of the clump in full view" of the heron and not over forty feet aw"ay. Here I sat for some time lounging, first on one side and then on the other, at the same time wrorking myself gradually nearer 25 V 1909 V1] Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. to the water, the heron all the time standing upright and immobile with its breast toward me, the neck upstretehed and the bill pointed skyward. I could plainly see the irides, but the bird, now about twenty-five feet off, stood absolutely still for perhaps twenty min¬ utes until I arose and then it flew off. A friend recently told me of a singular and most unusual instance so far as man is concerned. A party of hunters at Catlett’s station in King William County, Virginia, had started a Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ) in the woods which flew out over an old field of sage grass ( Andropogon ) and alighted into it. Marking the distance and calling the dogs they worked toward the place and after considerable search failed to find the game until suddenly one of the dogs came to a stand. Even then no turkey was visible and they were about to give up the attempt when one of the hunters who had stood in one place watching the men and dogs, felt his hand touch something. Looking down he was sur¬ prised to see the turkey at his feet crouching and motionless with outstretched neck. It surely deserved a better fate than to be promptly seized by the neck. On the side of Mount Shasta in California on a large fallen tree trunk a party of five saw a Blue-tailed Grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus sierra ') in a motionless and crouching posture with neck outstretched. It permitted Dr. M. W. Lyon, Jr., and myself to get on the base of the tree and to slowly walk within twelve feet before it suddenly took flight down the mountain side. Another instance of this kind has been told me by Mr. N. R. Wood. He was in a field watching a hen that had a brood of chickens when an approaching hawk was noticed; uttering her note of alarm the chicks instantly scattered into the surrounding vegeta¬ tion, except one, which was probably the last to take alarm and judging the danger imminent stiffened at once into the characteristic position. In another case all of a flock acted in a similar manner. Walking through a field of short grass in Virginia I noticed some distance ahead a covey of half-grown Quail ( Colinus virginianus) . Approaching somewhat carelessly, but with the intention of ascer¬ taining how near I could get to them, I was surprised to find that I could not see the birds. Standing still I slowly scanned the ground over but without success until suddenly I caught the blinking of 26 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds [Auk LJan. an eye. On the instant it seemed that the bird realized that I had seen it for immediately it took flight. We have a canary, a dark bird with a streaky plumage, that we often allow the freedom of the kitchen and pantry. At first it was greatly averse to being handled but now offers little resistance if caught. It often comes when called yet occasionally it is perverse. At such times when looked for it is generally motionless and will when seen sometimes utter an inquisitive note, but is usually mute. If it happens to be on a dark object, or in the shade it is sometimes overlooked and will not answer, but will allow itself to be picked up. If, however, it is on an object of a light color, or in the light, it acts differently and when approached will suddenly take flight, run off, or hop on to a finger. In its habits it is very unlike the ordinary yellow bird, is very intelligent and seems instinctively to realize its unusual coloration. On the Potomac River, above the Great Falls in Virginia, I once surprised a female Summer Duck (Aix sponsa) with a brood of eight quarter-grown young. In her excitement she fluttered greatly and uttering loud cries of alarm soon made off. Meanwhile the young paddled swiftly to the shore where I saw all land some fifty feet up the stream. I hurried to the spot but failed to see any of them after they had reached the shore. To surprise a Ruffed Grouse ( Bonasa umbellus) with little ones is quite an experience in still mimicry. Though the twelve or fifteen young may for a few moments be running in every direction, and knowing that all are within a few feet crouching and quiet, it is a difficult matter to pick up more than one or two, but more probably none. How often one has walked to within a few feet of an unsuspected grouse, or Woodcock ( Philohela minor), only to have it fly off suddenly, yet one is rarely seen before it starts, and it is exceedingly difficult to find one if it remains quiet even when we know about where it had alighted. Perhaps the best example of this immobility and then sudden flight at the possibly critical moment, at least where man is the intruder, is afforded by the American Bittern ( Botaurus lentiginosus) , as its color and fine shading in its marshy environment with its almost erect motionless attitude is a fair illustration of my subject and suggests at once that the coloration of the bird assumed its present well known distinctive 27 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. features because of its association with its present type of environ¬ ment, habit and protection through its happily mimetic values being the main incentives to the direction of color development during the early formative stages of the species, the unfitted grades of variation being weeded out bv absorption into the general mass of the species, or destroyed. Wounded birds are often hard to find as the experienced are well aware. As a good example I select the following incident told me by Mr. H. S. Barber. His brother had made a long shot at one of three Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias ) in a Florida marsh. The ball had broken both wings and the bird dropped helpless. The boys rushed onwards to secure their game but to their great surprise were unable to find it and could not account for its disappearance. Finally one of the boys started to turn over a pile of supposed rubbish with his foot when to their great surprise it proved to be the wounded bird that now tried to make off. I was hunting turkeys in Virginia. My companion and myself had started out before daylight and had separated in the woods about where we expected the turkeys were roosting. I had slowly walked down a slope in a wide ravine, listening, and lingering for a little more light, and finally leaned against a large tree with my hands in my pockets, gun under mv arm and my eyes trying to penetrate the slowly vanishing gloom. I thus stood, still and somewhat chilled, for at least thirty minutes with eyes and ears expectant when behind me I heard the cautious pit-pat of feet on the leaves. Keeping my body nearly in the same place I slowly turned my head, at the same time withdrawing my hands for action. Behind me in full view was the best and most interesting gunning experience of a lifetime, a flock of at least a dozen turkeys, the nearest not over twenty-five feet away, the farthest well within gunshot. But for my next movement I have no doubt that the whole flock would have walked by my motionless figure. In this instance but very little mimicry is involved, the general resemblance of my cjuiet form to the sur¬ rounding tree trunks preventing me from being noticed because of the absence of motion on my part. Mr. Nelson R. Wood has given me the following instance that illustrates another phase of these quiet moments of bird-life. A gunner in Florida had gone out to hunt Wild Turkeys ( Meleagris 28 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. [Auk LJan. gallopavo osceola). He was standing in the corner of a fence when a turkey, accompanied by a flock of little ones, jumped through a gap on his right. They slowly advanced toward him and it was only when the old bird was nearly opposite him that he was evi¬ dently noticed. Without alarm she continued on her way past, and but a few feet off, until the young had reached the opposite fence when, suddenly uttering her note of alarm, the brood instantly scattered through the rails while the mother bird flew off over them. The man was so astonished at the arrival of the birds, and then at the apparent nonchalance of the mother, that he entirely forgot his object and did not recover his presence of mind until the whir of wings showed him that he had been outwitted. A friend and myself were recently eating our lunch on a narrow sandy beach of Chesapeake Bay. An adult Spotted Sandpiper soon came quietly toward us picking up food on its way. When about twelve feet off it noticed us for the first time, hesitated and viewed us intently and motionless for what seemed a long period and then retraced its steps for a short distance. Once more it returned, examined the strange coatless and motionless things in its way and then went back, occasionally picking up food, but soon facing us again. A few Turkey Vultures ( Cathartes aura septen- trionalis ) had been sailing above the cliffs behind us and once in a while a shadow would pass up or over the beach. As the bird viewed us from its last stand it soon noticed a vulture coming near and instantly turning with its tail toward us, head and bill obliquely pointing to the water and crouching a little, stood as if turned to stone while the shadow passed within a few feet. The whole performance, so near and unusual, was a very pretty and unex¬ pected exhibit of mimicry with its attendant stillness. The color of the bird’s back was in perfect harmony with the wet sand and it certainly seemed doubtful that it could have been seen by a preda¬ tory enemy except when it was in motion. Stillness is not a characteristic of birds alone, as the following instance that occurred on St. Paul’s Island, Alaska, shows. Wan¬ dering over the island on a bright day I had reached the large lake toward Northeast Point and was walking on its narrow beach when I noticed the track of a Blue Fox, and finally caught sight of it as it rounded one of the numerous points jutting out into the 29 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. water. Apparently the fox did not notice me for it jogged along easily and I finally lost sight of it when it disturbed a large number of gulls which had been resting on a larger point of sand. When I reached this place all the birds had left and I could see nothing there except, as I thought, two stones. I therefore crossed the sandy triangle at its base and reached the opposite side. Here I was surprised not to see the tracks again and began looking for the fox. It had not passed me and no return tracks were to be seen. I hesitated awhile, looking in every direction, and finally deter¬ mined to make sure of the ‘stones’ which were then easily within gunshot. When about thirty feet off the rusty summer-coated fox arose and began running back over his incoming tracks. But for my wonder and then my curiosity I might have missed my specimen. Foxes in out of the way places have been known to play hide and seek, as it were, even behind a plant stalk and to make off when they found that they were discovered. Fawns and young antelopes squat on the ground like young waders, and for the same reason, mimicry and stillness, inability to do otherwise, for move¬ ment might attract instant unfavorable attention. A Gray Squirrel spread and flattened motionless against the trunk of a tulip poplar s effectively a mimic on the irregularly colored gray bark against a flying or stationary hawk and often against a gunner. On the other hand a moving squirrel can be readily located by a perching hawk. That sudden movement causes alarm is shown by the well known fact that weasels, mice, rabbits, and many other species may play about and even cross the feet of a person who remains quiet, but upon moving they rapidly disappear. A party of Audubon people had started a Henslow Sparrow (Coturniculus lienslowi ) in an old field. It flew to a clump of scanty leaved bushes where about a dozen of us surrounded it. For fully fifteen minutes the party watched it perched motionless about four feet above the ground. It would not fly upwards for the species rarely does except when migrating. It would not fly off on a level at the usual height of its flight for we were in the way. It could not reach the ground as there was not space for its usual downward flight and so it remained perched immobile and but a few feet from the nearest person as long as any cared to stay. In 30 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. ("Auk LJan. numerous cases birds when alarmed will fly into trees or bushes and either pass rapidly to the opposite side and thus escape, or imitate the leaves by remaining quiet. Many more instances of absence of motion at a critical moment might be given, but almost everyone with a wide and diversified experience with birds has had many opportunities of becoming interested in these phases of their life. That the bird does not reason is shown by the fact that it may stiffen into its mimicking position of immobility even when its attitude is incongruously out of place with its surroundings. However, the facts should be studied, not in single instances, but by observing the general habits and the natural economy of the species in its usual environment and in its attitude against its usual enemies. On the whole these occasional motionless postures are distinctly of advantage to the species and thoroughly ingrained into their life, and if at times seemingly fantastic and absurd to us, are really very effective when used against the ordinary and entirely natural causes which influence them. Man with his ideas, practices and weapons is but an artificial product and has had no part in shaping these peculiar habits of bird-life. When ground birds are approached after a sudden flight they may get up wild, run off rapidly, or remain quiet and are then often extremely difficult to find. Color in woodland has an uncertain and slight value usually because lights and shadows are often extremely complex and broken; while the accidental and complex variation of size and shape of the details of the ground cover is very effective in favor of the hiding, or setting, bird. Many birds will not eat unless their food is in motion. A motion¬ less insect has little or no attraction whereas movement at once tempts the appetite. Simulation of life by using a wire and a dead mouse will sometimes induce a captive snake to eat. I have seen a mother bird lamenting the dangerous position of its off¬ spring cease in her grief because a tempting morsel by its motion attracted attention. Motion attracts the enemy, stillness does not, unless some other feature, as some defect, or unusual condition of the environment, or view, places the mimic in jeopardy. It was often an object with me to try to ascertain how close I could get to a bird in the open. I tried many ways and at last 31 Voi. xxvn 1909 J Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. became quite successful. It was. found in a large number of cases that by walking in a straight line, slightly crouching and taking short quick steps without wobbling or swaying, it was often possible to get much nearer than by other means. In most cases the bird not noticing or understanding the slight increase in size as I drew nearer, nor being influenced by irregular side motions, would remain perched for quite a while and sometimes appeared inter¬ ested. In other cases I found that by not walking directly toward a bird but viewing it occasionally out of the corner of my eye, it was possible to approach quite closely and even to walk around it. Confidence and curiosity may be induced by cautious movement so that even a sitting bird can be stroked. With care one can drive flocks of sandpipers along a beach while but a few feet behind them as well as single birds. It is a rare experience to stalk a Wild Turkey but rarer still to stalk a flock. On one occasion I heard turkeys far off in some rather open woods soon after sunrise and debated with myself the possibility of getting within range. Approaching them, but still some distance away, I took care to move in a straight line while in possible vision. At last I had only to climb one small hill after crossing a flat wet ravine and though I really had but little expecta¬ tion of working myself near enough for a shot I concluded to at¬ tempt it. Long before I had been in sight of the turkeys, as I supposed though I had not seen them, I had dropped on my knees using my left hand as one foot and the gunstock in my right as another and keeping my head down made fair although slow prog¬ ress. The turkeys were very suspicious, but evidently unwilling to allow such a strange and slow-moving creature to drive them away, so their inquisitiveness, or indecision, influenced them to permit too near an approach. In Aggressive Mimicry the following will illustrate the importance of stillness and its relative, cautious movement. A heron walking along the water’s edge by its motion drives away the minnows swarming in the shallows, but if it stands motionless they slowly return and the bird readily obtains its meal. If its forward move¬ ment is slow and stealthy the movements of the fish will correspond, while quicker or uncertain motions cause a different action in the fish than the more effective one. Putting myself in the place of the 32 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. TAuk LJan. heron and remaining still I have found that I could sometimes touch the fish and even have them nibble at my finger or toe, while an unexpected and sudden motion on my part would cause them to rapidly vanish. The cautious movement of the heron inviting confidence is the more readily productive of good results, while it is doubtful if the escaping fish in any degree realize that one of their companions has disappeared. They merely escaped a sudden motion of something larger than themselves, their own memory and knowledge being of the smallest. Dark-bodied, day-feeding herons obtain their food almost entirely where the fringe of vegetation, sedges, bushes, or more distant tree tops, make a background and prevent the shape of the birds from affecting the skyline as seen by the prey. This is to a much less extent the case with the light-bodied and light -fronted species which are apt to feed largely at a distance from trees and bushes. In this latter phase of aggressive mimicry, whether the prospective victim is fish, reptile, or batrachian, stillness and caution are quite essential and the value of protective and simulative coloring is the same, for light colored birds, when motionless, harmonize with the colors of the sky as seen from the position of the prey. The sharp eyes of the heron search every likely spot; its absence of motion invites confidence, possibly some inclination to move; it has time to ex¬ amine well, while its colors and markings, as viewed from in front and below, blend perfectly, or at least sufficiently, with its usual background, and an adequate amount of food is secured. The balance of trade is always in favor of the aggressor if his stock of patience is sufficient. The light patches and streaks on the neck front of some herons may be explained as a phase of aggressive mimicry. They serve to break up the contours and colors of the bird and suggest, instinctively, openings and irregularities in the background of vegetation. Color mimicry would seem to be a station, somewhat different in different species, at which the color development was largely left at a very early period of its life’s history. Assuming that the archaic ancestral bird was of a uniform tint with unspecialized feathers it would seem that as the specialization of the feathering developed so the color gradation tints necessarily came into effect, not for mimicry, however, but as a physiological result, the functions, 33 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. density, thickness, position, etc., determining. As the developing species or groups broadened out into different environments and thus came into interrelation with varied and numerous factors and enemies those best fitted to escape, however slight the difference, became collectively the progenitors of the mimicking and non¬ mimicking groups or species of later times. It would seem that the fixation of protective color gradation characters in feathers must have been an early one; in fact there is abundant good reason for believing that bright colors and feather specialization are more advanced conditions and of later development than the sober, simpler tints and feather shapes of mimicking birds. As color, or its absence, when the bird is in motion, is of little or no value in affording protection, it seems evident that the habit of keeping still in the presence of danger, real or fancied, must have been at a very early period instinctive and necessary in the developing groups of nonpredatory birds, an instinct antecedent to the specialization of feathers and probably derived from the weak, unspecialized and evidently reptilian-like ancestors. It may therefore be contended that colors in birds were not determined suddenly but by slow gradational stages as a result of increasing experience and forming habits, character of the food and the slow unconscious fitting to the environments. This instinctive habit of stillness seems to be an absolutely necessary feature of the life of the young of practically all ground birds, but often absent in the adults, as in gulls and terns. A young tern, for instance, instinctively remains motionless on our approach, and we may be sure that its ancestors have always done so also, but if handled for a time, it forgets its simulative caution and does not readapt itself unless released and allowed to escape. Its mimetic instinct becomes to a large extent lost in an unnatural condition of safety and captivity, because its life is spared, which is also an unnatural act. Nestlings, when their hunger is appeased are quiet and crouching, they instinctively and quickly learn and obey the warning notes of their parents. They are easily aroused by the motion of the arriving parent, and sometimes by that of an intruder, but hunger and its probable alleviation is the cause. Unnecessary motion by the nestling is possibly dangerous to it, it may attract unfortunate attention, consequently we find that the parents are constantly 34 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. [Auk LJan. warning and the young are always being subdued. In this early training we can see the germ of individual mimicry, the necessity of keeping still, motion in the young being only permitted as the parents will. With ground birds the instinctive habit of stillness is stronger and more individual in the young. But with the func¬ tional development of the wing growth the tendency to stillness is gradually lost in many species for they can soon escape by active exertions. Much could be written about the power of the eyes. Sometimes a bird can be easier approached by not looking at it. They seem to know instinctively that they are seen when one looks at them directly, but if they are under the impression that they are unseen one often has a better chance to get near them or to have them approach. As a boy I fooled my first crow, after an experience of repeated failures in attempting to shoot one, by walking by it, gun under my arm and looking everywhere but at the bird, and many instances of the kind might be given. A protectively colored adult bird endeavors to escape imminent danger from an approaching predatory animal by assuming a quiet and crouching position while it is also watchful. The bird always has it in its power to escape suddenly, a common habit, provided it judges the danger point correctly; but a young wader, for example, has no such chance; it keeps motionless while in danger because that is an inherited characteristic and a result of the long experience of its kind under such circumstances. Its only method and instinctive hope of escape is by keeping still, together with its color resemblance to the surrounding ground, as any movement may be fatal, its enemy being always on the alert. But in rare cases its stillness may be fatal, as is evidenced in the following instance given me by Mr. S. M. Gronberger. With two friends he had landed on a rocky islet in Lake Roxen in Sweden which was inhabited almost solely by the Common Tern ( Sterna hirundo ) and the Common Sandpiper ( Actitis hypoleucos). Attracted by the numerous adult birds they wandered over the islet and it was only the slippery condition of their shoe soles that showed them that they had unwittingly been crushing many eggs and young birds which up to that time they had not noticed. A moving predatory bird or mammal has a very slight chance of 35 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. seeing a mimicking species unless it moves within its range of vision. Animals have the instinctive faculty of remaining motionless on or about the color that best suits them. Those which remain on areas distinctly of contrasting color writh themselves necessarily incur a greater risk of being captured, therefore in the vast majority of present cases the mimicking bird is almost constantly on the ground color that harmonizes with its own coloration, and of which it is a mimic. One of the apparent exceptions to this that I have met with was in finding a young King Rail ( Rallus elegans ) which I captured in grass. Here the blackness of the bird was in great contrast to the green grass but the bird was astray and hungry. In the rails the young are black and at first thought it might seem that they are not protectively colored. As a matter of fact the black color fits in well with their true environment which is generally a blackish wet mud with numerous protective shadows of overhanging vegetation. The power of mimicry is unconscious in the bird, that is, instinc¬ tive, a matter of acquired habit, though one readily gathers the impression that in many cases the bird must know that its coloration has a protective or simulative value. There is nothing protective about a Crow ( Corvus brachyrhynchos ) in its coloring, the bird is always evident, assertive and able to care for itself. A Quail (Colinus) is protectively colored and of retiring habit, it has learned as a species to keep still, trusting instinctively in its color similarity to its environment to prevent its enemy from seeing it, but on a closer and more dangerous approach it has other means of probable escape. It is of course impossible to believe that the bird is fully conscious of its simulative powers for, as in the case of a day old wader or tern, it has not had sufficient experience, but the instinct is there and we might for want of a better term call it instinctive reason as distinguished from pure reason which is based on thought and therefore deductive. To give an example. I have been lost in the woods. Realizing that condition I have looked about, instinctively determined, with no thought or reasoning, on a direc¬ tion and made my way out with no difficulty. Yet on some occa¬ sions where the situation was very much more difficult or complex I have pondered and reasoned. It seems reasonable to assume that the bird follows a tendency which has proved successful for many generations of its ancestors. When not successful there is 36 Palmer, Instinctive Stillness in Birds. fAuk LJan. of course no danger of that experience being transmitted to future generations, consequently stillness and protective mimicry as we see them exhibited is a record of innumerable successes only. Hence the habit once acquired in a very slight degree has, evidently because of its invariable success, been transmitted in a slowly intensifying degree and as a valuable attribute of nonpredatory forms to the descendants as we know them. Mimicry we may say is the result as well as the cause of the survival of the fittest, the failures having been eliminated. Protective mimicry of the kind here considered, in combination with stillness, is an epitome of weakness and, even in this sense, the result as well as the cause. It is absolutely necessary for the pres¬ ervation of many of the weaker and more defenceless species. It illustrates dread, lack of combativeness and aggressiveness and inability when exposed to danger to do much else of advantage. Mimicking species are usually quite common and, as we often speak of it, tame, and they propagate rapidly. On the other hand their predatory enemies have also advanced in their mimetic tendencies, usually aggressive. It may be noted here that the parents in many cases, especially among ground species, successfully attract the attention of the marauder by feigning lameness and then using their power of flight to escape the deluded enemy. In perhaps all cases the warning cry of the parent bird is sufficient to functionize the, until then, latent mimetic propensity to stillness of its young. In nonpredatory birds in which no simulative mimicry is evident, or very slight, the first law of preservation is unquestionably flight; they escape, or endeavor to do so, at the first indication of danger: while in birds whose colors and habits are in any way simulative and therefore entirely or largely protective, the first law of preserva¬ tion is stillness even when there is great danger of being captured. The point that I have here endeavored to emphasize especially is that protective resemblance (environmental mimicry), as to color, markings and shadings, is of little value generally unless it is conbined with one other feature, the dominant factor, stillness. VOli90tP r] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 37 A REPRINT OF THE ORNITHOLOGICAL WRITINGS OF C. S. RAFINESQUE. Part I. BY CHARLES W. RICHMOND. It has occurred to me that a reprint of the scattered and always more or less scarce ornithological writings of Rafinesque might serve not only to fill space, but prove of real value to the many students who cannot easily consult the originals. The publications of this eccentric author covered a period of nearly forty years of his truly checkered career,1 from the time of his first landing in Phila¬ delphia, in 1S02, at the age of eighteen, to the time of his death, in the same city, in 1840. During this period he issued many inde¬ pendent tracts, and wrote papers for magazines and journals edited by him. The pamphlets were almost invariably printed for the author, and sold or distributed exclusively by him. They covered nearly every conceivable subject,2 and are, for the most part, very scarce. One rarely finds them quoted in the old book catalogues, and few libraries appear to possess even a tolerably complete set of them. Several of the publications of this author contain bird matter, and it has long been my wish to see these fragments gathered together in some convenient medium, and made generally accessible to those who have occasion to consult them. Unfortunately, the opportunity to reprint this Rafinesque material comes at a time when I am unable to take up the items chronologic- 1 Almost every event in Rafinesque’s life appears to have been out of the ordinary. He was born near Constantinople, Oct. 22, 1783, and passed his early years chiefly in France and Italy, but visited Philadelphia in 1802, where he remained three years. He then became a resident of Sicily, living there until July, 1815, when he again sailed for the United States. After a stormy voyage of nearly four months, his vessel was wrecked off Long Island Sound, and he landed without property, books, or collections. After a long series of ups and downs, usually the latter, he finally drifted to Phila¬ delphia, where he died in great poverty, in a garret of a house on Race Street, some time in September, 1840. Those who wish to follow in detail the career of this strange genius, should consult the ‘ Life and writings of Rafinesque,’ by R. Ellsworth Call (Publication No. 10 of the Filson Club, Louisville), 1895, and Rafinesque’s own account of his ‘Life of Travels and Researches in North America and the South of Europe,’ 1836. * ‘Thoughts on Atmospheric Dust,’ ‘On the different Lightnings observed in the Western States,’ ‘On the salivation of Horses,’ ‘On the oil of Pumpkin seeds,’ ‘En¬ quiries on the Galaxy or Milky-Way,’ ‘Genius and Spirit of the Hebrew Bible,’ ‘Pleasures and duties of Wealth,’ ‘American Manual of the Grape vines and the art of making Wine,’ and ‘Safe Banking, including the principles of Wealth’ are the titles of some of them! 38 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. [jan ally, so, instead of beginning with his first contribution, published in 1803, I shall have to let the bird portion of his ‘Analyse’ suffice for this number. The ‘Analyse’ was issued some time between April1 and July, 1815, and in all probability very few copies were sent out to promi¬ nent naturalists and correspondents before he sailed for America on the 21st of July. The remainder of the ed’tion, together with all of his collections, books, and personal belongings, were lost in the wreck of the vessel on which he had taken passage. In his ‘ Circular Address on Botany and Zoology,’ 2 published in the following year, he says it was “published in Palermo in the early part of 1815.” In the same ‘Circular,’ explanatory of the scope of the ‘Analyse,’ he writes: “This work is the outline of a larger one on the plan of the Sy sterna Naturae of Linneus, which will be gradually undertaken at a future period. I have endeavoured to trace in it a new general and natural method, for the study of nature, animals and plants. In dividing these in ten classes each, I have introduced a peculiar and complete nomenclature for the classes, orders and families of organised bodies, giving each a substantive Latin name : a great number of new genera are likewise proposed. A second edition of this work will probably be pub¬ lished within a few years in English.” Had his plans been fully carried out, Rafinesque’s names would be much better known than they are at the present day, and our nomenclature would bristle with Rafinesquian genera, since he showed a discrimination of generic groups far in advance of his time. The fact remains, however, that in the present work he merely indicated these new generic names (with a few exceptions) as nomina nuda, and never afterwards referred to them. The ‘Analyse’ was originally issued in brown paper covers, as is shown by the copy formerly in the library of the Rev. Manasseh Cutler, one of Rafinesque’s American correspondents, and now in the Library of Congress. The copy from which the present re¬ print is made is in my possession, and has the name “G. Cuvier” stamped upon its title page. 1 It is my impression that I have seen somewhere in Rafinesque’s writings a state¬ ment that the manuscript of the ‘Analyse’ was completed in April, but I cannot now verify it. 2 Reprinted in Oken’s Isis, 1819, in ‘ Litterarischer Anzeiger Nos. XV and XVI, following Heft 8. V°l19XXVI] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 39 ANALYSE |DE LA NATURE | ou | TABLEAU DE L’UNl- VERS | ET | DES CORPS ORGANISES | ■ — — j PAR C. S. RAFINESQUE | De l’lnstitut des Sciences naturelles de Naples, et | de la Societe Italienne des Sciences et des arts. | '» o@o@ooOo, OoOo | La Nature est mon guide, et Linneus mon maitre. | » = © 0 ® „<> © <,= ® » ©<. — | PALERME | 1815 | + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +| Aux depens de 1’ Auteur. | — 8°, pp. 224. [p. 61] IV. 2. Classe. ORNITIIIA. Les Oiseaux. Les Oiseaux composent une Classe tres-distincte et isolee d’Animaux vertebres, car ils sont les seuls qui ayent un corps couvert de plumes, et muni de deux ailes emplumees et empennees: tous leurs autres caracteres, ne sont plus exclusifs; mais com- muns avec quelqu’autres animaux vertebres. Ils different en outre des Mammiferes par leur generation ovipare, c’est-a dire que leurs femelles pondent des oeufs couverts d’une enveloppe calcaire, et renfermant des germes qui se developpent par 1’ incubation; produisant des jeunes oiseaux, qui n’ont pas besoin de lait pour se nourrir: ainsi ces animaux sont depourvus de mamelles, et ces organes n’ existent plus dans aucune classe. Ces Animaux ont la bouche depourvue de dents, de machoires et de levres, et conformee en un bee consistant en deux mandibules eornees posees l’une sur l’autre et dont la superieure porte les narines; leur tete offre quelquefois des cretes, des huppes ou des places deplumees: leur corps pose sur deux membres posterieurs (les anterieurs etant changes en ailes) dont les jambes sont scutipedes lorqu’el- les sont couvertes d’ecailles semi-circulaires, ou retipedes lorsqu’elles sont recouvertes de petites ecailles en reseau, plumipedes lorqu’elles sont cou¬ vertes de plumes ou duvet, au moins jusqu’au ta- 40 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. [p. 62] Ion, et nudipedes lorsque les plumes n’atteignent pas le talon. Les pieds sont divises en doigts toujours munis d’ongles et au nombre de 2 a 4, dont 2 ou 3 situes anterieurement, et souvent 1 ou doux po- sterieurement : ils se nomment palmes lorsque des membranes les unissent, demi-palmes quand’elles n’unissent que leurs bases, soudes quand ils sont plus ou moins reunis entr’eux, et libres quand ils sont entierement divises. Ils n’ont qu’un orifice excrementel et generateur ou eloaque; et ils ont presque toujours une queue composee de longues pennes. Les pennes ne different des plumes , [que par une majeure dimension. A l’egard de leur organisation interne, elle est semblable a eelles des Mammiferes, ayant com- me eux le eoeur a deux ventricules et le sang chaud, un cerveau remplissant la cavite du cr&ne et des nerfs aboutissant a une moelle epiniere; mais ils ont les poumons adherens et perces, sans dia- phragme dans la cavite pectorale, et ils sont de- nues de vessie urinaire. Leur intelligence est inferieure a eelle des Mammiferes; mais leur voix est souvent plus va- riee, et ne la cede qu’a celle de 1’homme, elle se modifie en differens cris, sifflements, roucoulements chants, ramages . Ces Animaux n’avaient ete classes que syste- matiquement avant Dumeril, il est le seul qui ait essaye de les disposer par families, et nonobstant les travaux de Linneus, Brisson, Latham, Scopo- li, Laeepede, Daudin . . . : sur leurs Genres, il m’a fallu les refondre presqu’en entier, pour les disposer et classer convenablement selon leurs rap¬ ports naturels. J’en commencerai la serie par la famille des Psittacins, cette famille meritant d’oc- cuper cette premiere place par son intelligence su- 'Auk .Jan, Voll90?VI] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 41 [P- 63] perieure, ses facultes et ses moeurs, ce qui l’assimile a la famille des Singes parmi les Mammiferes, la quelle y serait la premiere si 1’ Homme n’avait la presceance: des Ornithologistes ont cru qu’il con- venait d’attribuer la presceance parmi les Orseaux a la puissance (Linneus, Latham, Daudin, Dume- ril) et ils l’ont accordee aux Rapaces, d’autres a la grandeur tel que Schceffer . . . . et ils ont place l’Autruehe a leur tete; mais autant vaudrait com- mencer la serie des Mammiferes par le Lion, l’Ele- phant ou la Baleine! ainsi j’adopte 1’ opinion de Lacepede, qui accorde cette presceance a l’in- telligence. TABLEAU DES ORDRES. 1. Sous-classe. PLUMIPEDIA. Les plumipe- des. Jambes plumipedes, couvertes de plumes jus- qu’au talon et quelquefois jusqu’aux doigts, pieds ordinairement scutipedes, plus rarement retipedes: quelquefois 2 doigts posterieurs, les anterieurs ja¬ mais entierement palmes, ni tres-longs quand le bee best aussi. 1. Ordre. SCANSORIPEDIA. Les scansori- pedes. Pieds communement tetradactyles, quelque¬ fois tridactyles, dont 2 doigts libres anterieurs, et 1 ou 2 posterieurs. II. Ordre GRESSORIPEDIA. Les gressori- pedes. Pieds communement 4-dactyles, rarement 3-dactyles, dont 2 ou 3 doigts anterieurs entiere¬ ment soudes, et un seul posterieur. III. Ordre. SEDILIPEDIA. Les sedilipedes. Pieds communement 4-dactyles, rarement 3-dactyles, dont 3 ou 4 doigts anterieurs, aucun desquels n’est antierement soude, et 1 ou aucun posterieur. 2. Sous-classe. NUDIPEDIA. Les nudipedes. 42 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. ["Auk LJan. [p. 64] Jambes nudipedes, nues au dessus du talon, pieds ordinairement retipedes rarement scutipedes, ja¬ mais 2 doigts posterieurs, les anterieurs jamais en- tierement palmes, quelquefois tres-longs ainsi que le bee, ou bordes par des membranes. IV. Ordre. CURSORIPEDIA. Les cursori- pedes. Pieds a 2, 3, ou quatre doigts, dont 2 ou 3 sont anterieurs et sans membranes a leur ba¬ se ni bordure, 1 ou aucun posterieur. V. Ordre. VADIPEDIA. Les vadipedes. Pieds tridaetyles, ou 4-dactyles, 3 doigts anterieurs hor¬ des par des membranes 1 ou aucun posterieur. 3. Sous-classe. REMIPEDIA. Les remipedes. Jambes un peu nudipedes, ou denues de plumes sur le talon; pieds retipedes, quelquefois 4 doigts anterieurs, tous les doigts anterieurs palmes ou reunis par des larges membranes atteignant ordi¬ nairement jusqu’aux ongles. VII. Ordre. PALMIPEDIA. Les palmipedes. Pieds a 3 doigts anterieurs palmes, 1 posterieur libre ou aucun. VIII. Ordre. FLABELLIPEDIA. Les fla- bellipedes. Pieds a 4 doigts anterieurs palmes, aucun posterieur. TABLEAU DES FAMILLES ET DES GENRES. I. O. SCANSORIPEDIA. Les Scansoripedes. 1. Sous-ordre. aduncirostria. Les Adunciro- stres. Bee crochu. 1. Famille. PSITTACEA. Les Psittacins. Bee a mandibule superieure convexe tres-crochue mobile; langue charnue: pieds retipedes. 1. Sous-famille. plumigenia. Les Plumigenes. Joues emplumees. 1. Psittacus L. 2. Catacus R. Ca- catoes Dum. 3. Arimanus. R. 4. Cephanomus R. 5. Protalmus R. V°1909^ J] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 43 [p. 65] 2. Sous-famille. nudigenia. Les Nvdigenes. Joues nues. G. 6. Paracus R. Ara Lac. 7. Maraca- nus R. 8. Glossiphus R. 2. Sous-Ordre. curvirostria. Les Curvirostres. Bee plus ou moins courbe, ou dentele: pieds presque toujours scutipedes. 2. Famille. IDORAMPHIA. Les Idoramphes. Bee echancre vers son extremity, quelquefois dou- blement; jamais enorme, ni legers ni serrete. G. 1 Rincoptyx R. 2. Bucco L. 3. Tamatia R. sp. do. 4. Ramphisma R. sp. do. 5. Macropogon R. sp. do. 3. Famille. CENORAMPHIA. Les Cenoram- phes. Bee enorme et leger, ou serrete. 1. Sous-famille. turacea. Les Touraciens. Bee serrete; mais proportionne. G. 1. Turacus Lac. 1. Curucus R. 3. Musophaga Lath. 4. Balitus R. 2. Sous-famille. prionamphia. Les Prionam phes. Bee grand et serrete. G. 5. Ramphastus L. 6. Cenoramplius R. sp. do. 3. Sous-famille. megamphia. Les Megamphes. Bee grand non serrete. G. 7. Aracarius R. 8. Scy- throps Lath. 4. Famille. ISORAMPHIA. Les Isoramphes. Bee proportionne, ni echancre ni serrete. 1. Sous-famille. cruphorinia. Les Cruphorins. Narines recouvertes de plumes ou de poils. G. 1. Crotophagus L. 2. Trogon L. 3. Quaxotus R. 4. Meliphagus R. 3. Cephalax. R. 2. Sous-famille. rimnia. Les Rimniens. Nari¬ nes nues. 6. Cuculus L. 7. Edolius R. sp. do. 8. Morocus R. sp. do. 9. Ramphimatus R. sp. do. 10. Hukus L. sp. do. 11. Atinganus R. sp. do. 12. Cua- ris R. sp. do. 13. Diploxus R. sp. do. 14. Calli- ptera R. 3. Sous-ordre. cuneirostria. Les Cuneirostres. Bee droit, jamais serrete, ordinaire ment cuneifor- me; pieds scutipedes. 44 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. [P- 66] 5. Famille. ■ SPHENORAMPHIA. Les Sphi- noramphes. Bee pointu, souvent cuneiforme et anguleux. G. 1. Picus L. 2. D inopium R. Picoides Lac. 3. Yunx L. 4. Galbula L. II. O. GRESSORIPEDIA. Les Gressoripedes. 6. Famille. PLATYPODIA. Les Platypodes. Bee droit ni dentele ni cornu. 1. Sous-famille. alcedia. Les Alcediens. Bee eomprime ou non deprime. G. 1. Alcedo L. 2. Alcyon R. sp. do. 3. Ispida R. sp. do. 4. Kerytus R. sp. do. 5. Ceyx Lac. 2. Sous-famille. platamphia. Les Platam- phes. Bee deprime. G. 6. Todus L. 7. Platamphus R. sp. do. 8. Oxamphu# R. 7. Famille. CORTAMPHIA. Les Cortam- phes. Bee courbe, ni dentele ni cornu. 1. Sous-famille. pipraria. Les Pipraces. Bee court et crochu. G. 1. Pipra L. 2. Manacus Bris. 3. Antolta R. sp. do. 2. Sous-famille. meropia. Les Meropiens. Bee allonge et grele. G. 4. Merops L. 5. Phlorus R. sp. do. 6. Chadirus R. sp. do. 7. Patricus R. sp. do. 7. Ceratops R. sp. do. 7. Dicreadium R. sp. do. 8. Famille. CERODONA. Les Cerodones. Bee cornu ou dentele. 1. Sous-famille. diplampha. Diplamphus. Bee non dentele. G. 1. Ramphanodus R. 2. Rincortus R. 3. Calopus R. 2. Sous-famille. buceronia. Les Buceriens. Bee cornu et dentele. G. 4. Buceros L. 5. Diram- phus R. sp. do. 6. Pogophthalmus R. sp. do. 9. Ramphalax R. sp. do. 8. Dactalum ? R. sp. do. 7. Albagum R. sp. do. 3. Sous-famille. 'Auk .Jan, acerampha. Les Aceramphes. VOl’l90?VI] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 45 [P. 67] Bee dentele et sans cornes G. 10. Gingala R. 11. Momotus Lac. III. O. SEDILIPEDIA. Les Sedilipedes. 1. Sous-ordre. eltremia. Les Eltremiens. Pieds scutipedes ou annel^s, a 2 ou 3 doigts anterieurs soudes a leur base. 9. Famille. GLYPHORAMPHYA. Les Gly- phoramphes. Bee a mandibule superieure echancr^e ou dentee, non subule. 1. Sous-famille. olyphia. Les Polyphes. Bee a plusieurs echancrures ou dente. G. 1. Phytoto- ma L. 2. Nucifraga R. 3. Collurio R. 2. Sous-famille. lanidia. Les Lanidiens. Bee non comprime, ni deprime G. 4. Lanius 5. Vibranius R. sp. do. 6. Drongus R. sp. do. 7. Glcindarius R. 8. Merulus R. 9. Tanagra L. 10. Strepera R. 11. Malimbus R. 12. Argyramphus R. 13. Sideropis R. 14. Cossyphus R. 15. Derimanus R. 16. Copsi- cus R. 17. Cepsua R. 18. Ixosorus. 19. Lepageus R. 20. Siopornis R. 3. Sous-famille. ramphomalia. Les Rampho- males. Bee deprime. G. 21. Muscicapa L. 22 . Musci- vora R. 23. Tyrannus R. 24. Rmcopogon R. 25. Ampelis L. 26. Cotinga R. 27. Averanus R. 28. Platorincus R. 4. Sous-famille. turdinia. Les Turdiens. Bee comprime. 29. Tnrdus L. 30. Myrmisus R. 31. Manucodus R. 10. Famille. CONORAMPHIA. Les Coniro- stres. Bee sans echancrures, plus ou moins conique. 1. Sous-famille. coracinia. Coraces. Bee corn- prime. G. 1. Coracias L. 2. Becardia R. 3. Go- notrimplius R. 4. Paradisea. L. 5. Nemoderus R. L. 6. Caryocactes R. 7. Cinclus R. 8. Corvus L. 46 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. TAuk |_Jan. [p. 68] 9. Kinkus R. 10. Corbivus R. 11. Cravus R. 12. Gracula L. 13. Mainatus R. 14. Atthisus R. 15. Mesorina R. 16. Cepharcus R. 17. Gymnoderus Geof. 18. Gymnocephalus Geof. 19. Cephalopterus Geof. 2. Sous-famille. sturnidia. Les Sturniens. Bee allonge, non comprime. 20. Glaucopis L. 21. Buphaga L. 22. Oriolus L. 23. Sturnus L. Qui- scalis R. 24. Calleas R. 25. Icterus Daud. 26. Cacicus Daud. 27. Xanthornus R. 28. Cinclus R. 3. Sous-famille. passernia. Les Passeraux. Bee vraiment eonique, non comprime. G. 29. Colius L. 30. Pyrrhula R. 28. Loxia L. 31. Crucirostra Daud. 32. Passer R. 33. Fringilla L. 34. Sizeris R. 35. Emberiza L. 36. Psitamphus R. 37. Ben¬ galis R. 38. Calandra R. 11. Famille. LEPTORAMPHIA. Les Lepto- ramphes. Bee subule ou menu, et tres-long, ra- rement echancre. 1. Sous-famille. raphioramphia. Les Raphio- ramphes. Bee droit. G. 1. Parus L. 2. Igithalus R. 3. Alauda L. 4. Psoridus R. Sylvia Lath. '6. Motacilla L. 7. Oitrus R. 8. Otimus R. 9. Cripo- lus R. 10. Sittella R. Sitta L. 11. Baristus R. 12. Talapius R. 13. Polytmus Bris. 14. Mellisuga R. 2. Sous-famille. toxoramphia. Les Toxoram- phes. Bee eourbe ou arque. G. 15. Trochilus. L. 16. Certhia L. 17. Sovimanga. R. 18. Heorotarius R. 19. Guitus R. 20. Mactylus R. 21. Promerops L. 22. Upupa L. 2. Sous-Ordre. fissidactyla. Les Fissidactyles. Pieds scutipedes a doigts antierement divises, sans membranes, ni soudes. 12. Famille. brevipedia. Les Brevipedes. Bee large et plat a la base; pieds courts. 1. Sous-famille. hirundia. Les Hirundiens. Voli909^ T] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 47 [p. 69] 3. doigts anterieurs, 1 posterieur G. 1. Hirundo L. 2. Caprimulgus L. 3. AgotUax R. 4. Ibijus R. 5 Drepanis R. 2. Sous-famille. prehensipedia. Les Prehensi- pedes. 4. Doigts anterieurs, aucun posterieur. G. 6. Bracliopus R. 13. Famille. PERISTERIA. Les Colombins. Bee non applati, pieds proportionnes. G. 1. Co- lumba L. 2. Rulula R. sp. do. 3. Myriphaga R. sp. do. 3. Sous-ordre. mesondria. Les Mesondres. Pieds retipedes a deux ou trois doigts anterieurs, reunis a leur base par des courtes membranes. 14. Famille, RAPACEA. Les Rapaces. Pieds a deux doigts reunis par des membranes; bee tres-crochu. 1. Sous-famille. ornyctia. Les Ornyctiens. Yeux diriges en avant. G. 1. Strix L. 2. Baca- mus R. 3. Pteropogon R. sp. do. 4. Bubotus R. Bubo Dum. 5. Surnia Dum. 2. Sous-famille. cruphoderia. Les Plumicolles. Yeux lateraux, tete et cou emplumes. G. 6. Fal- co L. 7. Milvus R. 8. Phenes R. 9. Idoplus R. 10. Tanasus R. 11. Gypaetus Lac. 22. Aquila Bris. 3. Sous-famille. ptiloderia. Les NudicoUes. Yeux lateraux, tete ou cou nus. G. 13. Gymnasa R. 14. Plancus R. 15. Derotis R. 16. Percnopte- rus R. 17. Vultur L. 18. Sarcoramphus Dum. 15. Famille. GALLINACEA. Les Gallina- ces. Les 3. doigts anterieurs reunis a leur base par des membranes. 1. Sous-famille. alectria. Les Alectriens. Quelque partie de la tete nue. G. 1. Galhis R. 2. Phasianus L. 3. Argus R. 4. Tetrao L. 5. Per- dix Lac. 6. Turnix R. Tridactilis Lac. 7. Tinamus Lac. 8. Meleagris L. 9. Ganix R. Guan Lac. 2. Sous-famille. craxia. Les Craxiens. Front 48 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. r Auk LJan. [p. 70] cere ou osseux. G. 10. Crax L. 11. Aetopsis R. 12. Numida. 3. Sous-famille. pavosia. Les Pavosiens. Te- te et front emplumes G. 13. Menura Lath. 14. Pavo L. 15. Penelope. IV; O. CURSORIPEDIA. Les Cursoripedes. 16. Famille. BRACHYPTERIA. Les Brachy- pteres. Ailes courtes et impropres pour le vol. G. 1. Struthio L. 2. Tuyus R. Rhea L. 3. Casearius. Bris. 4. Odopus R. 5. Didus L. 17. Famille. SCOLOPACEA. Les Scolopa- ces. Ailes propres au vol. 1. Sous-famille. otidia. Les Otides. Bee crochu ou courbe. G. 1. Otidus R. Otis L. 2. Psophia. L. 3. Palamedea L. 4. Serpentarius Lath. 5. Cariama R. 6. Glareola L. 7. Chionis Forster. Vaginalis Lath. 8. Chavaria R. 2. Sous-famille. rallia. Les Ralliens. Bee droit allonge. G. 9. Jacana R. Parra L. 10. Scolopax L. 11. Rallus L. 12. Porphyrio Bris. V. O. VADIPEDIA. Les Vadipedes. 18. Famille. LATIROSTRIA. Les Latiro- stres. Bee large ou ouvert, doigts non hordes. 1. Sous-famille. hiantirostria. Les Hiantiro- stres. Bee ouvert G. 1. Empharis L. Hians. Dum. 2. Odorincus R. 2. Sous-famille. spatulacea. Les Spatulaces. Bee non ouvert. G. 3. Platalea L. 4. Cancroma L. 19. Famille. FALCIROSTRIA. Les Falci- rostres. Bee etroit et courbe, doigts non hor¬ des. 1. Sous-famille. epitoxia. Les Epitoxes. Bee V°'i909^ I] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 49 [p. 71] courbe en dessus. G. 1. Mycteria. L. 2. Bar- gea R. 3. Tot anus. 2. Sous-famille. hypotoxia. Les Hypotaxes. Bee courbe en dessus ou en bas. G. 4. Tantalus L. 5. Dermodera R. 6. Macrotarsus Lac. 7. Nu- menius Scop. 8. Curlirius R. 20. Famille. GRALLEA. Les Echassiers. Bee etroi et droit, doigts non bordes. 1. Sous-famille. tringaria. Les Tringaces. Bee non conforme en couteau. G. 1. Tringa L. 2. Charadrius L. 3. Bynamphus R. 4. Calidris R. 5. Cursorius Lath. 6. ITcematopus L. 7. Himantopus R. 8. Ochropus R. 9. Hemondra R. 10. Vanellus R. 11. Ortigum R. 12. Dactemia R. 13. Hydro- sora R. 14. Oedinecmus R. 2. Sous-famille. cultrirostria. Les Cultri- rostres. Bee conforme en couteau, ou tres-eompri- me. G. 15. Ardea L. 16. Ciconia Lac. 17. Grus Lac. 18. Nycticorax R. 19. Helms R. 20. Blarga R. 21. Umbretta R. Scopus L. 22. Balearius R. 21. Famille. PINNIPEDIA. Les Pinnipedes. Doigts bordes par des membranes souvent lobees. G. 1. Fulica L. 2. Phalaropus Lac. 3. Gallinu- la Bris. 4. Podiceps Lath. VI. O. PALMIPEDIA. Les Palmipedes. 22. Famille. CLUNIPEDIA. Les Glunipedes. Jarnbes situees sous le croupion; bee non serrete. 1. Sous-famille. brevipennia. Les Plongeurs. Ailes courtes; mais propres au vol. G. 1. Co- lymbus L. 2. Urinator Lath. 2. Sous-famille. apterinia. Les Apteriens. Ailes tres-courtes, souvent sans plumes et impro- pres au vol. G. 3. Alca L. 4. Pinguinus R. Pin- guin Lac. 5. Aptenodytes L. 6. Spheniscus R. sp. do. 50 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. TAuk LJan. [p. 72] 23. Famille. SERRIROSTRIA. Les Serriro- stres. Bee serrete: jarnbes souvent situees en ar- riere. 1. Sous-famille. lophalia. Les Lophaliens. Bee large, des cretes ou parties nues sur la tete. G. 1. Cygnus L. 2. Sarcopogon R. 3. Lophalus. R. 4. Epirincus R. 5. Hemniphas R. 6. Pleptera R. 7. Nessarius R. 2. Sous-famille. anserinia. Les Anseriens. Bee large, sans cretes ni places nues sur la tete. G. 8. Anseria R. 9. Anassus R. Anas L. 10. Campions R. 11. Solmor incus R. 3. Sous-famille. mergidia. Les Mergiens. Bee etroit. G. 12. Mergus L. 13. Priamphus R. Prion Lac. 14. Phenicopterus L. 24. Famille. MESOPODIA. Les Mesopodes. Bee non serrete, pieds sous le ventre. 1. Sous-famille. petrelia. Les Petreliens. Bee courbe ou crochu. G. 2. Recurvirostra L. 2. Diomedea L. 3. Onocralus R. Pelecanoides Lac. 4. ProceUaria L. 5. Puffinus R. sp. do. 6. Merotia s R. 7. Labbus R. 2. Sous-famille. laridia. Les Laridiens. Bee droit et non crochu. G. 8. Larus L. 9. Sterna L. 10. Nodinus R. sp. do. 11. Rhynchops L. VIII. O. FLABELLIPEDIA. Les Flabelli- pedes. 25. Famille. PTIOPODIA. Les Ptiopodes. 1. Sous-famille. pelicanea. Les Pelicaniens. Bee non serrete. G. 1. Fregata Lac. 2. Carbo- narius R. Carbo Lac. 3. Pelecanus L. 2. Sous famille plottidia. Les Plottidiens. Bee serrete. G. 4. Sularius R. Sula Lac. 5. Phaeton L. 6. Plottus L. En tout 270 Genres. Voli90Ep !] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 51 [p- pag. 65. 1. pag. 66. 1. . 1. pag. 67. 1. pag. 68. 1. pag pag pag 69. 1. 70. 1. 71. 1. . 1. 219, under “Additions et Corrections.”] 32. — Huhus L. — Onixylus R. 26. — diplampha. Diplampkus — lisez — diplamphia. Les Diplamphes. 28. — Calopus — lisez — Calapus. 10. — OLYPHIA lisez POLYPHIA. 11. — PASSERNIA — lisez PASSERIA. 21. — Ajoutez avant Parus L. — Parulus L. 23. — Oitrus R. — lisez — Philomela R. do. — Otimus R. — lisez — Otymnus R. do — Cripolus R. — lisez — Cnipolus R. 33. — Argus R. — lisez — Argusianus R. 5. — Ajoutez avant Pavo L. — Pavianus L. 12. — Himantopus R. — lisez — Iliman- tellus L. 19. — Helias R. — lisez — Ornelias R. On page 216, under “Abbreviations,” he gives “Sp. do.” as standing for “Especes du Genre precedent.” NOTES ON THE ABOVE REPRINT. Several errors, especially of authority for generic names, are noticeable in this work. Thus, Huhus (p. 65), Empharis (p. 70), Parulus, Pavianus, and Himantellus (p. 219) should be credited to “R.” instead of “L.” In other cases, names previously used by Brisson, Lacepede, Cuvier, and others, are here credited to “R.” These are enumerated in the list of Rafinescjue’s new genera given below, since they are so designated by him. Examples of this class are Passer “R.”, Muscivora “R.”, Tyxannus “R.”, Calidris “ R.”, and Cinclus “R.”, the last name being used for no less than three genera. Ixosorus (p. 67) has no authority cited for it, but is ob¬ viously new. There are a few other evident slips, not corrected by the author, such as Loxia, page 68, numbered “28.” On the same page, “ Psoridus R.” is ostensibly a substitute name for “Sylvia Lath.,” but in this case the figure “5” has been clearly omitted before the word Sylvia. This correction would give Psoridus the rank of a nomen nudum. Another slip on page 68 52 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. [Auk LJan, is not so easily explained. “Quiscalis R.” appears as a substitute name for “ Sturnus L.”, although in this one case, Rafinesque’s new name follows the old one, instead of preceding it. There is no break in the numbers of the genera of the “sous-famille” con¬ taining this name, and while the author’s intention was doubtless to introduce Quiscalis as a genus additional to Sturnus, what he actually did was to rename the latter. Quiscalis of Rafinesque antedates Quiscalus Vieillot by one year. Several emendations or misprints occur, such as Guan, Phaeton, Plottus, and Crotophagus, for Gouan, Phaeton, Plotus, and Croto- phaga, respectively. Rafinesque apparently instituted 181 new bird genera in the ‘Analyse.’ Of this number, only 20 are properly introduced, being substitute names for others too long or too short to suit the author, or otherwise falling short of the requirements laid down in his ‘Principes Fondamentaux’ of 1814. Of the remainder, 126 are pure nomina nuda, and 35 are based on unnamed species of the preceding genus (“Sp. do.”). Many of these can be recognized, from the author’s habit of giving a vernacular name of the species in Latin form. Thus, Morocus is doubtless based on the “Moroc” of Bruce ( Cuculus indicator Sparrman); Atinganus is probably the “Atingacu” of Marcgrave ( Cuculus cornutus Linnaeus) ; Quax- otus appears to be derived from the “ Quaxoxoctototl ” of Her¬ nandez ( = Pharomachrus ?), etc. List of New Bird Genera proposed in the ‘Analyse.’ Names preceded by an asterisk are citable in nomenclature, those marked by a dagger are based on “Sp. do.” and the remainder are nomina nuda. Aetopsis, p. 70. Agotilax, p. 69. fAlbagum, p. 66. fAlcyon, p. 66. *Anassus, p. 72. Anseria, p. 72. 1 fAntolta, p. 66. Aracarius, p. 65. Argus, p. 69. (Changed to Argusianus on p. 219 ) Argusianus, p. 219. Argyramphus, p. 67. Arimanus, p. 64. 1 Anseria was first used in 1814, as a substitute for Anser Brisson. V°11909'VI] Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. 53 fAtinganus, p. 65. Atthisus, p. 68. Averanus, p. 67. Bacamus, p. 69. Balearius, p. 71. Balitus, p. 65. Bargea, p. 71. Baristus, p. 68. Becardia, p. 67. Bengalis, p. 68. Blarga, p. 71. Brachopus, p. 69. *Bubotus, p. 69. Bynamphus, p. 71. Calandra, p. 68. Calidris, p. 71. Calleas, p. 68. Calliptera, p. 65. Calopus, p. 66. (Corrected to Calapus on p. 219.) Camploris, p. 72. *Carbonarius, p. 72. Cariama, p. 70. Caryocactes, p. 67. *Catacus, p. 64. fCenoramphus, p. 65. Cephalax, p. 65. Cephanomus, p. 64. Cepharcus, p. 68. Cepsua, p. 67. fCeratops, p. 66. fChadirus, p. 66. Chavaria, p. 70. Cinclus, p. 67. Cinclus, p. 68. Cnipolus, p. 219. (= Cripolus of p. 68.) Collurio, p. 67. Copsicus, p. 67. Corbivus, p. 68. Cossyphus, p. 67. Cotinga, p. 67. Cravus, p. 68. Cripolus, p. 68. (Corrected to Cnipolus on p. 219.) fCuaris, p. 65. Curlirius, p. 71. Curucus, p. 65. fDactalum, p. 66. Dactemia, p. 71. Derimanus, p. 67. Dermodera, p. 71. Derotis, p. 69, fDicreadium, p. 66. *Dinopium, p. 66.1 fDiploxus, p. 65. fDiramphus, p. 66. Drepanis, p. 69. fDrongus, p. 67. fEdolius, p. 65. *Empharis, p. 70. Epirincus, p. 72. Gallus, p. 69. *Ganix, p. 69. Gingala, p. 67. Glandarius, p. 67. Glossiphus, p. 65. Gonotrimphus, p. 67. Guitus, p. 68. Gymnasa, p. 69. Helias, p. 71. (Changed to Ornelias on p. 219.) Hemniphas, p. 72. 1 Dinopiwn dates from 1814, and will be mentioned later. 54 Richmond, Ornithological Writings of Rafinesque. ("Auk LJan. Hemondra, p. 71. Heorotarius, p. 68. Himantellus, p. 219. Himantopus, p. 71. (Changed to Himantellus on p. 219.) fHuhus, p. 65. (Changed to Onixylus on p. 219.) Hvdrosora, p. 71. Ibijus, p. 69. Idoplus, p. 69. Igithalus, p. 68. flspida, p. 66. Ixosorus, p. 67. *Jacana, p. 70. fKerytus, p. 66. Kinkus, p. 68. Labbus, p. 72. Lepageus, p. 67. Lophalus, p. 72. |Macropogon, p. 65. Mactylus, p. 68. Malimbus, p. 67. Manueodus, p. 67. Maracanus, p. 65. Mel phagus, p. 65. Mellisuga, p. 68. Merotias, p. 72. Merulus, p. 67. Mesorina, p. 68. Milvus, p. 69. fMorocus, p. 65. Museivora, p. 67. fMyriphaga, p. 69. Myrm’sus, p. 67. Nemoderus, p. 67. Nessarius, p. 72. fNodinus, p. 72. Nyetieorax, p. 71. Ochropus, p. 71. Odopus, p. 70. Odorineus, p. 70. Oedineemus, p. 71. Oitrus, p. 68. (Changed to Philomela on p. 219.) Onixylus, p. 219. (= Huhus of p. 65.) *Onocralus, p. 72. Ornelias, p. 219. { — Helias of p. 71.) Ortigum, p. 71. *Otidus, p. 70. Otimus, p. 68. (Corrected to Otumnus on p. 219.) Oxamphus, p. 66. *Paracus, p. 65. *Parulus, p. 219. Passer, p. 68. fPatrieus, p. 66. *Pavianus, p. 219. Percnopterus, p. 69. Phenes, p. 69. Philomela, p. 219. (= Oitrus of p. 68.) fPhlorus, p. 66. *Pinguinus, p. 71. Plancus, p. 69. fPlatamphus, p. 66. Platorineus, p. 67. Pleptera, p. 72. fPogophthalmus, p. 66. *Priamphus, p. 72. Protalmus, p. 64. 55 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Eifrig, Winter Birds of New Ontario. Psitamphus, p. 68. Psoridus, p. 68. fPteropogon, p. 69. fPuffinus, p. 72. Pyrrhula, p. 68. Quaxotus, p. 65. *Quiscalis, p. 68. fRamphalax, p. 66. Ram'phanodus, p 66. fRamphimatus, p. 65. fRamphisma, p. 65. Rincopogon, p. 67. R’ncoptyx, p. 65. Rincortus, p. 66. fRulula, p. 69. Sarcopogon, p. 72. Sideropis, p. 67. Siopornis, p. 67. *Sittella, p. 68. Sizeris, p. 68. Solmorincus, p. 72. Sovimanga, p. 68. -j-Spheniscus, p. 71. Strepera, p. 67. *Sularius, p. 72. Talapius, p. 68. fTamatia, p. 65. Tanasus, p. 69. *Turnix, p. 69. *Tuyus, p. 70. Tyrannus, p. 67. *Umbretta, p. 71. Vanellus, p. 71. fVibranius, p. 67. Xanthornus, p. 68. WINTER BIRDS OF NEW ONTARIO, AND OTHER NOTES ON NORTHERN BIRDS. BY G. EIFRIG. Broadly speaking, New Ontario comprises all the vast terri¬ tory between Lakes Superior and Huron and Hudson Bay; and between Manitoba in the west and the longitude of Lake Nipissing in the east. In a narrower and more common sense, however, New Ontario means the land along the new provincial railroad from North Bay, on the northeast shore of Lake Nipissing, to Matheson, near Lake Abitibi in the north. This road is to be extended to the projected Transcontinental Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and afterwards even to James Bay. Along this railway the rich veins of silver have been discovered, which have drawn 56 Eifrig, Winter Birds of New Ontario. TAuk |_Jan. so many into these northern wilds and have made towns spring up like mushrooms, the most noted of which is Cobalt, from which the whole region sometimes receives the same name. Into this district I had occasion to go in the middle of last March and to stay about two weeks in the a rious places along the railroad. And as bird lists from this locality are few and far between, especially of winter birds, the few notes I made may not be amiss. Nor is the list a very extended one, but the very paucity of birds tells its own peculiar story. As I left Ottawa the first large flocks of CrowTs wTere piling in on the fields from the south. Only fields haA-ing a decided southern slope showed places free from snow. In most places it was still rather deep, so the Crows were not entering a land of plenty. At North Bay I saw only four newly arrhred Crows. It may seem strange to call birds seen in the end of March winter birds. But such they were. For the region north of North Bay was to all intents and purposes still in the middle of winter. Only the lengthening days and the intensity of the sun’s rays made it certain that the end of winter could not be far off. Otherwise there was snow everywhere, none had melted so far; the rivers and lakes wTere still used as highways for the teams hauling supplies to the mines and lumber camps, as much as earlier in the winter. The first winter bird I saw was a Raven ( Corvus corax ; princi¬ palis ) at Englehart, 138 miles north of North Bay. I was told that several had been seen at Larder Lake, about 15 miles north¬ east, all winter. The thermometer stood at 6° aboA^e zero in the afternoon, during the night it must have been 10°-25° below. The north wind was intensely cold. Right in the path of its icy blasts a bunch of jolly Chickadees ( Parus atricapillus) were gam¬ boling in some pines, singing their soft, Peabody. At Brentha P. O., 5 miles west of Heaslip station — most of these names are not yet on maps — I had a unique experience with a Canada Jay ( Perisoreus canadensis). A Swiss settler told me, that near his little primitNe cabin, that he had built for himself in the wilderness, was a ‘meat bird,’ which wrould come to him when called and eat out of his hand. I said, I would come next morning and take its picture. He said, it perhaps would not come when seeing a stranger there or not stay on his hand long enough. V°1i909’VI] Eifrig, Winter Birds of New Ontario. 57 I said, I would try. When I reached his cabin, he was not at home, but, according to his wish, I went in, took some breakfast food — rolled oats — in my hand, went out and called the name the owner of the cabin had divulged to me. Imagine my surprise when out of a spruce thicket in a hollow before the cabin a Canada Jay came and without much ado flew on my extended hand and ate to his heart’s content, as though we had known each other for years. Then he took some in his bill and flew back to the thicket, where he undoubtedly fed his mate, incubating the eggs. Of course, the name had nothing to do with its coming, it came also without being called; the food was all it cared for. I set my kodak on a wood pile, near where I had stood and got some more eatables. The Jay came again, flew on my hand, eyed me a little and then fell to eating again. With my right hand I took its picture twice, while feeding on the left. They proved failures, however, since the bird was too close to the camera for a snap shot. Shortly after the owner came, who was not a little astonished at my story, and I then took some better pictures of the bird on his hand. On the way back to Heaslip I saw about 15 Chickadees and one Hairy Woodpecker {Dryobates villosus leucomelas), i. e., if that form is really the Ontario one, and not true villosus. At Kingersdorf, 8 miles north of Englehart, whereto I walked in the teeth of a fiercely cold north wind, there were a few Snow¬ flakes ( Plectrophenax nivalis ) about the cabin of the man after whom the new station had been named. A flock of about 25 of these, I saw on Lake Temiskaming at the town of Haileyburg. The English Sparrow ( Passer domesticus), while already estab¬ lished at Cobalt, had not yet penetrated far enough north to reach Englehart. It was rather a relief to be for once in a sparrowless town. But no doubt, they are there now. At Latchford, south of Cobalt and Englehart, I saw a flock of Redpolls ( Acanthis linaria), and in an open place in the Montreal River, at the rapids near the railway bridge three Golden-eyes ( Clangula americana). And finally, at New Liskeard, I again saw the vanguard of first spring migrants here, a flock of Crows, which I had left behind at North Bay, flying due north. These are all the birds I saw in this northland. Could I have 58 Eifrig, Winter Birds of New Ontario. fAuk LJan. gone into the woods, I might have encountered, if luck had favored me, the two Three-toed and the Pileated Woodpeckers, the Canada Ruffed and Spruce Grouse ( Bonasa umbellus togata et Canachites canadensis ), possibly also the Sharp-tailed Grouse (Pedioscetes phasianellus) , and the Hawk and Great Gray Owls. It must be admitted that the winter bird-life of New Ontario is not a very conspicuous one. Great Horned Owl versus Porcupine. — In December, 1907, a Bubo virginianus was brought to me, which had been shot on the 19th at Inlet, Labelle Co., Quebec, 50 miles northeast of Ottawa. It proved to be a remarkable specimen from the fact that it bore palpable evidence of having had an encounter with a porcupine, shortly before it was shot. It was liberally sprinkled over with quills, especially on the sole of the right foot — the quills having penetrated even that horny skin — under the right wing, on the breast, neck, and even two in the left eye-lid. Some of the quills had pierced the thick, solid muscles of the breast, lying against the sternum. Fifty-six quills and parts of quills were extracted from the skin and flesh, and about ten left in. How did this owl come to tackle such an undesirable antagonist or prey ? The probability is, that the owl was foraging for food, and, being very hungry — probably a not uncommon experience for them in these northern woods — swooped down on the first moving object that even re¬ motely appeared like legitimate prey, and, in her eagerness and possibly by reason of darkness in the woods, did not find out her mistake until she had reached forward with one claw and gotten that full of spines, simultaneously receiving also a slap from the tail of the porcupine, that lodged the rest of the little barbed spears in her anatomy. Most of the hawks and owls received here in winter have empty stomachs, showing that hunger must be a frequent, if disagreeable experience with them. At such times the gall seems to discharge more copiously into the stomach, as it and the intestines are in such cases very green. Probably a way nature adopts to somewhat relieve the pain of hunger. There is an old established breeding colony of Black-crowned Night Herons ( Nyctieorax nycticorax ncevius ) on Kettle Island near VOl] 909^VI] Eifrig, Winter Birds of New Ontario. 59 Ottawa. However, birds in the adult plumage are almost never seen, but any number of young in August and September. Mr. E. White broke this monotony by securing two adult males, Sept. 10, 1907, in a little swampy woods, near the city limits. The appearances of Brunnich’s Murre ( Uria lonivia ) south of their breeding range, are for most localities, when they are seen at all, put down as being of infrequent or at least very irregular occur¬ rence. Here at Ottawa, however, it may be called a regular event. For quite a number of years past, they have come every November, usually in the second half of the month, e. g., in 1907 the first came Nov. 25 and the last Dec. 8. They usually appear during high easterly winds, coming from the direction of the wind and succumb in numbers to the guns of the habitues of the river, mostly French- Canadians. It is difficult to secure specimens, however, for many are quickly bought up by people desiring to have them mounted as ornaments for their parlors, and the rest are plucked and eaten by the successfid hunters. Adult males of all three Scoters, Oidemia amerieana, deglandi and 'pers'picillata, have this fall (1908), in September and October, been taken near Ottawa, which is a very unusual occurrence, especially as regards the first named. One of these was secured by Mr. G. White for his collection, and one of the last was seen by the writer in the hands of a taxidermist, Oct. 28. A still greater rarity was secured Nov. 2 by Mr. Bedard, the rifle-range keeper, who on that date took four young King Eiders (Somateria spectabilis). They were in the company of two adult males, which were wary enough to escape. One of them is now in my collection, two in that of the Fisheries Museum, and the fourth in the collection of Mr. E. White. This is the first record for this species from this neighborhood. 60 Brooks, Notes on Birds of Okanagan, B. C. [Auk LJan. SOME NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF OKANAGAN, BRITISH COLUMBIA. BY ALLAN BROOKS. The following notes comprise the more important results of the last few years’ field work in the Okanagan district. While the greater portion of the Okanagan Valley lies in the Transition Zone, the thirty miles running north from the International boundary evidently belong to the Upper Sonoran, as characterized by the luxuriant growth of greasewood, and the presence of such Sonoran forms as horned toads (Pliry nosoma), and jack rabbits ( Lepus texianus). It is in this southern portion of the district, in the neighborhood of Osoyoos Lake, that the additions to the Cana¬ dian fauna can be expected to occur. Mr. C. deB. Green who resides at this point has recently devoted much of his time to or¬ nithology, and I am indebted to him for some most interesting records. Undoubtedly many more Great Basin forms will occur; some of them, such as Canon Wren and Sage Sparrow, have already been fairly well identified by Mr. Green, but they are not included in this list, as specimens have not been taken. The lower portion of the Similkameen Valley also lies in the Upper Sonoran zone, the rainfall here reaching the minimum for Canada, averaging only three inches yearly. Recurvirostra americana. American Avocet. — During twenty years collecting in British Columbia I have kept a special lookout for this bird, but not until April 28 of the present year have I ever come across it. On that date a flock of fifteen arrived at the north end of Okanagan Lake and I secured six of them — five adult females with ovaries enlarged, and one young male, which would not have bred this year. This would indi¬ cate that the species does not pair until its arrival at its breeding grounds. This is the first record for the Province. Nycticorax nycticorax nsevius. Black-crowned Night Heron. — On the evening of August 3 of the present year I saw a bird that could have been nothing but a Night Heron, at Okanagan landing. It had a rather quick bittern-like flight and continuously uttered a hoarse quack, quite different from the note of a bittern. It circled twice around my canoe in response to an imitation of its cry and then continued its journey south¬ ward, quacking at regular intervals. 61 V 1909 J Brooks, Notes on Birds of Okanagan, B. C. Totanus solitarius. Solitary Sandpiper. Totanus s. cinnamomeus. Western Solitary Sandpiper. — Both forms of the Solitary Sandpiper occur in the Okanagan district in about equal numbers, as is proved by a series collected by myself in the past four years. Neither breed, though young with down still adhering have been taken. Falco mexicanus. Prairie Falcon. — The Prairie Falcon occurs throughout southern British Columbia but the only locality I have found it breeding is in the southern portion of the Okanagan district. A pair had a nest in a cliff near the residence of Mr. C. deB. Green at Osoyoos Lake; near by was the eerie of another falcon — a Peregrine — the male of which incessantly badgered the female Prairie Falcon, with a series of splendid stoops. Falco peregrinus pealei. Peale’s Falcon. — In the semi-arid interior one would naturally expect to find the pale form of the Peregrine, but while the adults are not particularly dark, the young are fully as dark as the darkest specimens I have seen on the coast. In the young the whole mantle is sooty black, the feathers edged with cinnamon — not whitish or buffy as in typical anatum. The lower surface is heavily streaked. Still it is well known among falconers how the young of these falcons vary, even in the same localities, so I place these only provisionally under pealei. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Hawk. — The breeding Merlin is nearly pale enough for richardsoni but the number of tail bars agrees with columbarius. Young birds that I take to be richardsonii occur on migrations, but I have only once taken suckleyi east of the Cascades, a young female taken in August, 1907, at Okanagan Landing. In the very large number of Merlins that I have collected or examined in British Columbia, representing all three subspecies, only one suckleyi showed any approach to columbarius , while a number of puzzling inter¬ grades between columbarius and richardsonii have been noted. Otus asio kennicottii. Kennicott’s Screech Owl. — The Screech Owls of the Okanagan and Osoyoos districts, while averaging rather paler than coast specimens, are nearer the above form than the Rocky Mountain subspecies, maxwellice. Otus flammeola idahoensis. Dwarf Screech Owl. — In November, 1902, I picked up a dilapidated specimen of this little owl on the beach at Penticton at the south end of Okanagan Lake. This is the only Canadian record. Sphyrapicus thyroideus. Williamson’s Sapsucker. — When surveying in the hills near Fairview in the Osoyoos district Mr. C. deB. Green had a male of this sapsucker within close range for some time. With his transit telescope he was enabled to note every feather, and described the markings so minutely that there can be no doubt of the species. There is also an old record for Similkameen made I think by R. V. Griffin. 62 Brooks, Notes on Birds of Okanagan, B. C. rAuk LJan. Aeronautes melanoleucos. White-throated Swift. — This is another species, new to Canada, that I have so far been unable to secure specimens of. Three or four pairs bred in the summer of 1907 in the high cliffs at the outlet of Vaseux Lake; they were daily seen by Mr. Green and two other close observers and there can be no doubt as to their identity. Otocoris alpestris arcticola. Pallid Horned Lark. — Mr. Green this year took the eggs of the Pallid Horned Lark on the high mountains above timber line, between the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys and collected the female, which is now in my collection. This is the breeding form on all the high mountains of the Province, Otocoris a. merrilli being restricted to the arid lower levels; nowhere do their breeding ranges impinge on each other. Nucifraga columbiana. Clarke’s Nutcracker. — Clarke’s Nutcracker is a fairly common though irregular breeder at low elevations throughout the Okanagan district. I took two nests March 23 and 30, 1906, both in ponderosa pine trees, and Mr. Green has taken three more this year at Osoyoos. Two broods are reared, as I have seen nestlings being fed in June. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink. — A regular summer visitant and increasing. Breeds as far north as Lumby; common at Penticton. Coturniculus savannarum bimaculatus. Western Grasshopper Spar¬ row. — Scarce breeder from Vernon south. Chondestes grammacus strigatus. Western Lark Sparrow. — Com¬ mon breeder at Osoyoos, scarce at Vernon. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli. Intermediate Sparrow. — The In¬ termediate White-crowned Sparrow breeds from 1200 feet (Okanagan Landing) up to timber line (Osoyoos district). Spizella breweri. Brewer’s Sparrow. — This year Mr. Green found Brewer’s Sparrow a fairly common resident in sage brush areas at Osoyoos. Previous to tins the only records I am aware of were Mr. Rhoads’s at Ash¬ croft, and one taken by myself on migration at Vernon. My record for 158-mile House, Cariboo district, proved a mistake of identity, the two males taken being Spizella pallida — also new to the British Columbian list. Junco hyemalis montanus? — The Juncos of the Okanagan district are very puzzling. Dr. Dwight tells me that two I have sent him are very close to montanus, others are typical shufeldti, while during migrations a bewildering range of variation can be seen. Roughly speaking, the wintering birds and those that breed at high altitudes are typical shufeldti, those breeding in the Pine belt approach montanus, while the migrating hordes show a very large admixture of hyemalis, typical examples of which I have taken as far west as the west slope of the Cascades at Chilliwack. Lanius ludovicianus gambeli. California Shrike. — Mr. Green sent me a very dark example of the California Shrike taken at Osoyoos in March of the present year — the second record for British Columbia. 63 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Cole, Destruction of Birds at Niagara Falls. Icteria virens longicauda. Long-tailed Chat. — A common breeder at Osoyoos; rare at Vernon. Oroscoptes montanus. Sage Thrasher. — - This is another species the addition of which to the Canadian list is due to the energy of Mr. Green. He reports it as a scarce local breeder in the sage brush country of Osoyoos district, and has sent me a handsome set of four eggs with the male bird collected 21st June of this year. THE DESTRUCTION OF BIRDS AT NIAGARA FALLS. BY LEON J. COLE. In his interesting account, in the July ‘Auk/ of the destruction of a large number of Whistling Swans at Niagara Falls, on May 15, 1908, Fleming 1 mentions that birds have been killed by going over the Falls in times past. In this same connection the follow¬ ing extracts from what is said to be the first description of Niagara Falls published in the English language may be of interest to ornithologists. The extracts are from “A Letter from Mr. Kalm, a Gentleman of Sweden, now on his Travels in America, to his Friend in Philadelphia; containing a particular Account of the Great Fall of Niagara,” written at Albany, September 2, 1750. This account first came to my notice in the recent excellent mono¬ graph on ‘The Falls of Niagara/ by Professor Spencer,2 in which it is republished as an appendix; but in quoting I have taken di¬ rectly from a reprint of the original account of John Bartram 3 1 Fleming, James H. The destruction of Whistling Swans ( Olor columbianus) at Niagara Falls. Auk, Vol. XXV, pp. 306-309, 190S. 2 Spencer, Joseph William Winthrop. The Falls of Niagara; their evolution and varying relations to the Great Lakes; characteristics of the power, and the effects of its diversion. Canada Dept, of Mines, Geol. Surv. Branch, 1905-6, xxxii -1- 490 pp., pis. and maps. 1907. 3 Observations | on the | Inhabitants, Climate, Soil, Rivers, Productions, | Ani¬ mals, and other matters worthy of Notice. | Made by | Mr. John Bartram, | in his Travels from | Pensilvania | to | Onondago, Oswego and the Lake Ontario, | In Canada. | To which is annex’d, a curious Account of the | Cataracts at Niagara. | By Mr. Peter Kalm, | A Swedish Gentleman who travelled there. | London: | Printed for J. Whiston and B. White, in | Fleet-Street, 1751. [Reprinted by W. F. Hum¬ phrey, Geneva, N. Y., 1895.] viii + 94 pp. 64 Cole, Destruction of Birds at Niagara Falls. TAuk |_Jan. of his “Travels from Pensilvania to Onondago, Oswego and the Lake Ontario,” in -which Kalm’s letter was first published. Kalm gives a really excellent description of the Falls, and one which is very temperate throughout, a characteristic none too common in the accounts of the early travellers. Kalm, in fact, apparently prides himself on this attitude, for he says in his letter, after stating that he has obtained all the information he could by question¬ ing the French at Fort Niagara: “But as I have found by experi¬ ence in my other travels, and that very few obferve nature’s works with accuracy, or report the truth precifely, I cannot now be entirely fatisfied without feeing with my own eyes -whenever ’tis in my power.” He says of Father Hennepin, who had previously given the height of the Falls as 600 feet; “but he has gained little credit in Canada-, the name of honour they give him there, is un grand Menteur, or The great Liar-, he writes of what he faw in places where he never was . For my part, who am not fond of the Marvellous, I like to fee things juft as they are, and fo to relate them.” He himself gives 137 feet as the height (on the authority of “the king’s engineer in Canada”), which is considerably under the present measurements. Of the loss of bird life at the Falls he says: “Several of the French gentlemen told me, that when birds come flying into this fog or smoak of the fall [the mist from the cataract], they fall down and perifh in the Water; either becaufe their wings are become wet, or that the noife of the fall aftonifhes them, and they know not where to go in the Dark: but others were of opinion, that feldom or never any bird perifhes there in that manner; becaufe, as they all agreed, among the abundance of birds found dead below the fall, there are no other forts than fuch as live and fwim frequently in the water; as fwans, geefe, ducks, water-hens, teal, and the like. And very often great flocks of them are feen going to de- ftruction in this manner: they fwim in the river above the fall, and fo are carried down lower and lower by the water, and as water-fowl commonly take great delight in being carry’ d with the ftream, fo here they indulge themfelves in enjoying this pleafure fo long, till the fwiftnefs of the water becomes fo great, that ’tis no longer poffible for them to rife, but they are driven down the precipice, and perifh. They are obferv’d when they draw nigh the fall, to Cole, Destruction of Birds at Niagara Falls 65 endeavour with all their might to take wing and leave the water, but they cannot. In the months of September and October fuch abundant quantities of dead waterfowl are found every morning below the Fall, on the fhorc, that the garrifon of the fort for a long time live chiefly upon them; befides the fowl, they find alfo feveral forts of dead fifh, alfo deer, bears, and other animals which have tried to crofs the water above the fall; the larger animals are gen¬ erally found broken to pieces.” Further on he adds: “I was told at Ofwego, that in October, or thereabouts, fuch plenty of feathers are to be found here below the Fall, that a man in a days time can gather enough of them for feveral beds, which feathers they faid came off the birds kill’d at the Fall. I ask’d the French, if this was true? They told me they had never feen any fuch thing; but that if the feathers were pick’d off the dead birds, there might be fuch a quantity.” Kalin remarks that ‘‘It was formerly thought impoffible for any body living to come at the Ifland that is in the middle of the fall” (Goat Island), but relates that, some 12 years or so previous to his visit, two Indians in a canoe drifted down the river by accident, and managed to land on the island. After ineffectual efforts to get off, in the course of which they made “a ladder or fhrouds of the bark of lindentree (which is very tough and ftrong)” and de¬ scended to the foot of the Fall, only to be dashed back when they attempted to swim ashore, they were finally rescued, when they had been there nine days and were almost starved, by other Indians, who waded across to the island with the help of poles pointed with iron. Kalm adds, in his letter to his friend: “Now fince the way to this ifland has been found, the Indians go there often to kill deer, which having tried to crofs the river above the fall, were driven upon the ifland by the ftream: but if the King of France would give me all Canada, I would not venture to go to this ifland; and were you to fee it, Sir, I am fure you would have the fame fentiment.” il Vol. XXVII 1909 J 66 Sheldon, Birds Observed near Mt. McKinley, Alaska. LIST OF BIRDS OBSERVED ON THE UPPER TOKLAT RIVER NEAR MT. McKINLEY, ALASKA, 1907-1908. BY CHARLES SHELDON. The birds noted in this list were observed incidentally while hunting and studying the habits of some of the larger animals at the head of the Middle Fork of Toklat River, Alaska, practically at the north base of Mount McKinley in the main Alaskan range, latitude about 63° 30'. The river has its sources in the glaciers of the main range and flows through four high ranges before it emerges outside, where the main body of the timber ends. From its entrance into the outside range, however, there is a fringe of spruces on both sides from two to three hundred yards wide ex¬ tending up the mountain slopes and thus continuing to within a few miles of the source. I built my cabin in the extreme upper end of this tongue of timber, 10 miles above the point where the river emerges from the outside range. The birds mentioned in this list wrere observed at and above that point, mostly above all timber. The variety of bird life in the region is not great. I arrived about the first of August, 1907, and left June 11, 1908. Careful attention was given to recording the spring arrivals, but the fall departures, in most cases, were not observed. By the latter part of September, 1907, all birds but the residents had gone, except in the few cases mentioned. The dates given show when the bird was first seen in the spring of 1908 or last seen in the fall of 1907. Thirty miles below, in the vast timbered area, bird life may be more varied and abundant. The river is a silt-laden stream, dashing swiftly and often in several channels through a broad glacial valley with wide bars extending from a quarter to a half mile on each side. In some places willows grow abundantly; in others there is grass, but most of the country is bare. The mountains are high and rugged, with much snow on the north slopes the year round; they are usually bordered by narrow rolling hills, all above timber, and contain numerous small lakes of a few acres only. The trees are spruces and willows; willows often extend well up on the slopes and up the V°1190?^1] Sheldon, Birds Observed near Alt. McKinley, Alaska. 67 creeks. The poplar is practically absent. Dwarf birch grows abundantly in places. The specimens of birds collected were presented to the U. S. Biological Survey. Birds of Toklat River Region. Larus argentatus. Herring Gull. — Commonly breeding June 12, 40 miles below my cabin. Larus brachyrhynchus. Short-billed Gull. — Seen commonly in pairs along the bars in spring. Probably breeds. First seen May 16. Sterna paradisaea. Arctic Tern. — Common summer resident about the small lakes in the rolling country above timberline. Breeds. First seen May 30. Mature young observed August 2. Anas platyrhynchus. Mallard. — Summer resident below the moun¬ tain ranges. One migrating pair observed May 16. About 40 miles above the mouth of the river there is a stretch of 3 miles where the water does not freeze but remains open all winter. This is the end of the salmon run. About 300 mallards were there all winter. They fed on dead salmon and salmon eggs in the pools. White men have observed these ducks wintering there for seven years. Indians tell me they have always wintered there. I visited the spot on January 3, 1908, and secured two males and a female. Sixteen mallards wintered on Moose Creek in the open water about 100 miles southwest of those in the Toklat. These also were in open water at the head of the salmon run. Mallards winter also just below Gulkana Lake in the outlet which flows into Copper River, and a few have been observed wintering in a small tributary of the Tanana River just below the Delta River. Undoubtedly there are many other places in the interior of Alaska where Mallards winter. Nettion carolinense. Green-winged Teal. — Commonly seen with young in the small lakes in the rolling country above timber. So observed in July and August. Histrionicus histrionicus. Harlequin Duck. — One pair observed May 16. Chen hyperborea. Lesser Snow Goose. — Flock of three seen migrating October 10. Grus canadensis. Little Brown Crane. — Seen only in fall migration, from Sept. 10 to early October. All flocks followed the same course. Gallinago delicata. Wilson Snipe. — Common summer resident. Arrived May 14. Pisobia bairdi. Baird Sandpiper. — One migrating pair observed May 12. Heteractitis incana. Wandering Tattler. — Very abundant in spring. Arrived May 18. A female was secured May 22. They appeared mated 68 Sheldon, Birds Observed near Mt. McKinley, Alaska. Auk .Jan. in pairs and their actions showed they were preparing to breed. They were still about in abundance when I left, June 11, but probably had not begun to breed. They occurred along the river bars and at the lakes and even on the small creeks high on the mountains. Not observed in the lower country. Bartramia longicauda. Upland Plover. — Common summer resident; breeds. Arrived May 28. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — Common summer resident. First observed a few miles below my cabin June 11, but undoubtedly arrived earlier. Breeds. Numenius hudsonicus. Hudsonian Curlew. — Summer resident in rolling country above timber. Arrived May 16. Squatarola squatarola. Black-bellied Plover. — Observed occasion¬ ally late in July about the lakes. A3gialitis semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover. — Common on bars in spring migration. Arrived May 17 and still about June 11. Canachites canadensis osgoodi. Alaska Spruce Grouse. — Resident. From time to time through the winter one would appear in the woods near my cabin. Two fine males were secured in October, 1907. Abundant below, in the timbered region. Lagopus lagopus. Willow Ptarmigan. — Very abundant resident. Began to pair for breeding April 20. Lagopus rupestris. Rock Ptarmigan. — A male was killed March 5 in the rolling country above timber. Lagopus leucurus peninsularis. Alaska White-tailed Ptarmigan. — Not uncommon high on some of the mountains. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk. — Common summer resident. Ar¬ rived May 12. Breeds. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. — Common summer resident. Breeds, nesting in cliffs. Arrived April 8. Last observed September 21. Arrived paired and went directly to old nest and remained about it. One nest contained two eggs when I examined it April 29. When next I ex¬ amined it, June 7, it contained two fledglings. Gyrfalcon. — A large grayish hawk was observed at times through the winter, always on and about the creeks of the mountains. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Hawk. — Common summer resident. Breeds. Arrived May 27. Large hawks were occasionally seen in sum¬ mer, but the species were not recognized. Asio flammeus. Short-eared Owl. — Exceedingly abundant every¬ where above timber in spring. Arrived April 30 in pairs. Breeds. Glaux funerea richardsoni. Richardson Owl. — A male killed May 4, 1908. Bubo virginianus subsp.? Horned Owl. — Common resident in the woods. Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. — Very common above timber from November to early May. V°*i909^ *] Sheldon, Birds Observed near Mt. McKinley, Alaska. 69 Surnia ulula caparoch. American Hawk Owl. — Common summer resident. Arrived April 10. Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — Summer resident. Breeds. Arrived May 29. Dryobates pubescens nelsoni. Alaska Downy Woodpecker. — Resi¬ dent. Not uncommon; always seen feeding in willows and sometimes as high as willows grow in the mountains. A male secured in December, 1907. Picoides americanus fasciatus. Alaska Three-toed Woodpecker. — Resident in spruce woods. Common. A male secured October, 1907. Sayornis saya. Say Phoebe. — Common. Arrived June 5. Pica pica hudsonia. Black-billed Magpie.— One seen Sept. 22 in some high cliffs. Perisoreus canadensis fumifrons. Alaska Jay. — Resident. Very abundant. Corvus corax principalis. Northern Raven. — Resident. Abundant. Euphagus carolinus. Rusty Grackle. — Summer resident. Common. Arrived May 10, when a male was secured. Pinicola enucleator alascensis. Alaska Pine Grosbeak.— Common in migrations but not observed at timberline between migrations. Few seen in spring, abundant in fall. First bird to arrive in spring; paired by March 12; migrated in flocks through October; last seen November 7. A male and a female were preserved in October, 1907, and a male March 11, 1908. Leucosticte sp.? — Common in spring migration. Arrived May 3. Seen usually high above timberline in pairs. Acanthis linaria. Redpoll. — Resident. All through October numer¬ ous flocks appeared at timberline, but very few remained at timberline in winter. Common below the mountain ranges in winter. Again at timberline numerous flocks appeared in spring, beginning about April 15, and continued through May. Many remained near timberline to breed. In winter it feeds exclusively among willows. Males were secured in November. 1907, and May 24, 1908. Plectrophenax nivalis. Snowflake. — Common spring migrant. Ar¬ rived April 8, when a specimen was secured. Calcarius lapponicus alascensis. Alaska Longspur. — Abundant in spring migration. Arrived May 12, when a male was secured. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli. Intermediate Sparrow. — Abundant summer resident. Arrived May 3, when a male was secured. Nest with one egg observed on a bar, in a small grass tuft. Next day, outside the ranges, 30 miles below, I found another nest on the bar with 3 young ones and one egg. Zonotrichia coronata. Golden-crowned Sparrow. — Commonly seen in spring. Arrived May 26. Spizella monticola ochracea. Western Tree Sparrow. — Summer resident. Breeds. Commonest of sparrows at timberline. Arrived April 26. Last sparrow to leave in fall, late in September. 70 Sheldon, Birds Observed near Mt. McKinley, Alaska. [j^ Junco hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. — Common summer resident. Breeds. A male was secured April 30, 1908. Passerella iliaca. Fox Sparrow. — Common summer resident. Ar¬ rived May 4. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow. — Seen breeding in cliffs 25 miles below my cabin on June 11. Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. — Abundant summer resident. Breeds. Arrived May 18. Lanius borealis. Northern Shrike. — Common summer resident. Breeds. Arrived April 26. Dendroica coronata. Yellow-rtjmped Warbler. — Common summer resident. Most abundant of warblers. Arrived May 9. Dendroica striata. Black-poll Warbler. — Flock observed migrating, June 3. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata. Pileolated Warbler. — Common summer resident. Arrived May 20. Anthus rubescens. Pipit; Titlark.— Very common summer resident. Breeds. Keeps mostly above timberline. A male secured May 12, 1908. •^Cinclus mexicanus unicolor. Water Ouzel. — Common resident. Abundant in winter on the open water where Mallards winter on the Toklat, mostly below the mountain ranges, and keeps constantly singing for two hours after dawn. Specimen secured. Certhia familiaris montana. Rocky Mountain Creeper. — Male killed near cabin in woods October 21. Penthestes hudsonicus. Hudsonian Chickadee. — Common resident. Regulus calendula. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. — Common summer resident. Arrived April 29. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni. Olive-backed Thrush.— Common summer resident. Arrived May 12. Keeps singing all night when breed¬ ing. A male secured May 27, 1908. Hylocichla guttata. Dwarf Hermit Thrush. — Summer resident; fairly common. Breeds. Arrived May 26, when a female was secured. Planesticus migratorius. Robin. — Very abundant summer resident. Almost as common high in the mountains, at upper limit of willows, as it is below. Breeds usually in small spruces, occasionally in willows and on the ground. Arrived May 3. Last seen October 4. Ixoreus naevius meruloides. Pale Varied Thrush. — Common sum¬ mer resident. Breeds. Arrived May 15. Last seen October 7. V°'i90Sp *] Sage, Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting of the A. 0. U. 71 TWENTY-SIXTH STATED MEETING OF THE AMERI¬ CAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. The Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting, of the American Ornithol¬ ogists’ Union convened in Cambridge, Mass., Monday evening, November 16, 1908. The business meeting was held in Mr. William Brewster’s museum, and the public sessions, commencing Tuesday, November 17, and lasting three days, were held in the Geological and Zoological Lecture-rooms of the University Museum. Business Sessions. — The meeting was called to order by the President, Mr. Charles F. Batchelder. Sixteen Fellows were present. The Secretary’s report gave the membership of the Union at the opening of the present Stated Meeting as 888, consti¬ tuted as follows: Fellows, 48; Honorary Fellows, 13; Correspond¬ ing Fellows, 62; Members, 75; Associates, 690. During the year the Union lost seventy-nine members, nine by death, forty-one by resignation, and twenty-nine for non-payment of dues. The deceased members included one Fellow, one Hon¬ orary Fellow, and seven Associates, ias follows: Hon. Charles Aldrich, a Fellow, and one of the Founders of the Union, who died in Boone, Iowa, at the age of 80 years; Prof. J. V. Barboza du Bocage,1 an Honorary Fellow, who died at the age of 84 years; and the following Associates: Prof. Leslie A. Lee,2 who died at Portland, Maine, May 20, 1908, in the 56th year of his age; Prof. Francis H. Snow,3 who died in Bellfield, Wisconsin, Sept. 20, 1908, at the age of 68 years; Mrs. Ethel Richardson Chadbourne, who died at Sharon, N. H., Oct. 4, 1908; Cyrus Carleton, who died Nov. 15, 1907; Charles A. Fuller, who died March 16, 1906; Mrs. Thos. O. Conant, and Dr. Millet T. Thompson. The report of the Treasurer showed the finances of the Union to be in a satisfactory condition. Edward W. Nelson was elected President; Frank M. Chapman and A. K. Fisher, Vice-Presidents; John H. Sage, Secretary; 1 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XXV, pp. 496-497. 2 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XXV, pp. 340-341. 3 For an obituary notice, see Auk, XXV, p. 497. 72 Sage, Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting of the A. 0. U. [jan Jonathan Dwight, Jr., Treasurer; Ruthven Deane, William Dutcher, F. A. Lucas, Chas. W. Richmond, Thos. S. Roberts, Witmer Stone, and Henry W. Henshaw, members of the Council. F. DuCane Godman, of London, England, was elected an Honorary, Fellow; Otto Herman, of Budapest, Hungary, was elected a Corresponding Fellow, and the following ninety-three persons were elected Associates, namely: Dr. Z. B. Adams, Boston, Mass.; Charles H. Ames, West Newton, Mass.; Edward Avis, Worcester, Mass.; Claude T. Barnes, Salt Lake City, Utah; Oscar E. Baynard, Micanopy, Florida; Norman deWitt Betts, St. Louis, Mo.; Clarence Birdseye, New York City; Trustin B. Boyd, St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. Ernest E. Brewer, Portland, Maine; C. E. Brown, Beverly, Mass.; William J. Brown, Westmount, Canada; Arthur L. Browne, West Roxbury, Mass.; Frank Bruen, Bristol, Conn.; Henry P. Burt, New Bedford, Mass.; Henry R. Carey, Cambridge, Mass.; Robert C. Caskey, Morristown, N. J.; Mrs. Fannie M. Chapman, Englewood, N. J. ; Fred L. Charles, DeKalb, Ills.; John S. Codman, West Roxbury, Mass.; Leon J. Cole, New Haven, Conn.; Francis A. Corey, Keene, N. H., Mrs. Annie F. Cutler, Chelsea, Mass.; Wm. M. Derby, Jr., Chicago, Ills.; Mary C. Dickerson, New Work City; Gaines R. Donoho, East Hampton, L. I.; J. Sumner Draper, Read- ville, Mass.; L. P. Emerson, Cambridge, Mass.; G. Clyde Fisher, De Funiak Springs, Florida; Richard E. Follett, Boston, Mass.; Mrs. Teresa I. French, Canton, Mass.; Edward F. Gaines, Ritzville, Wash.; Frank C. Gates, Chicago, Ills.; Frank H. Genung, West Haven, Conn.; Ludlaw Griscom, New York City; J. H. Hackenberg, Frankfort, Pa.; Samuel A. Harper, Maywood, Ills.; Chas. G. Hart, East Berlin, Conn.; C. E. Heil, Needham, Mass.; Arthur O. Heinrich, Baldwin, L. I.; Mrs. Nancy W. C. Holt, Cam¬ bridge, Mass.; Miss Louise Howe, Brookline, Mass.; Lucius Hubbard, South Bend, Ind. ; Roy M. Ives, Clare, Iowa; Chas. D. Kellogg, Phila¬ delphia, Pa.; Clarence M. Keyes, Pullman, Wash.; Anthony R. Kuser, Bernardsville, N. J. ; Miss Bertha Langmaid, Boston, Mass.; W. Charles- worth Levey, Brookline, Mass.; C. B. Linton, Long Beach, Calif.; Sam. A. Lurvey, Southwest Harbor, Maine; Mrs. Ida W. Mclntire, Cambridge, Mass. ; William C. Mackie, Brookline, Mass. ; F. Schuyler Mathews, Cam¬ bridge, Mass.; Chas. Merriam, Weston, Mass.; Willard L. Metcalf, New York City; Emory E. Nelson, Winnipeg, Canada; Daniel S. Newhall, Strafford, Pa.; Lucius H. Paul, Newark, N. Y. ; Willard A. Paul, 'Dor¬ chester, Mass.; Albert S. Peters, Lake Wilson, Minn.; J. Trevett Pike, Lynn, Mass.; Mrs. Francis Piper, Arlington Heights, Mass.; Alexander Pope, Hingham, Mass.; Arthur E. Price, Grant Park, Ills.; Henry C. Raven, Bay Shore, L. I.; Chas. H. Remington, East Providence, R. I.; Philip E. Robinson, Boston, Mass.; Wm. P. Shannon, New York City; Wm. T. Shaw, Pullman, Wash.; J. F. Stevens, Lincoln, Nebr.; Nathan F. Stone, Shrewsbury, Mass. ; Thos. C. Taylor, Hubbard Woods, Ills. ; Louis ' °1i909’VI] Sage, Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 73 A. Test, Los Angeles, Cal. ; Miss Harriet W. Thompson, Port Sanilac, Mich. ; Samuel Thorne, New York City; Mrs. Kate D. Tower, Boston, Mass.; A- H. Tuttle, Cambridge, Mass.; Miss Lucy W. Valentine, Cambridge, Mass.; Arthur W. Van Pelt, New Orleans, La.; Adrian Van Rossem, Pasadena, Cal.; Isaac H. Vrooman, Jr., Albany, N Y. ; Miss Ella S. Wales, Dor¬ chester, Mass.; Frank H. Ward, Albany, N. Y.; Goodwin Warner, Cam¬ bridge, Mass.; Thos. C. Wayland, Simsbury, Conn.; Gordon B. Wellman, Malden, Mass.; Alexander Wetmore, Lawrence, Ks.; Ely L. Whitehead, Evanston, Ills.; Miss Alice W. Wilcox, Providence, R. I.; Harry C. Williams, St. Louis, Mo.; Henry A. Wing, Maywood, Ills.; Mrs. Elizabeth J. Worcester, Waltham, Mass.; John T. Zimmer, Lincoln, Nebr. Drs. Allen, Dwight, Merriam and Richmond, and Messrs. Brewster, Ridgway and Stone were reappointed ‘Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of North American Birds.’ Drs. A. K. Fisher, E. A. Mearns and Thos. S. Roberts, and Messrs. Chapman and Deane were appointed ‘Committee on Bird Protection.’ Public Sessions. First Day. — The meeting was called to order by the President, Mr. Nelson. The papers read during the morning session were as follows: ‘Bird Studies in Northern Ontario,’ by W. E. Clyde Todd. Remarks followed by Drs. Townsend and Merriam. ‘Canadian Bird Havens,’ by Ernest T. Seton. In the absence of the author Air. F. M. Chapman explained Air. Seton’s ideas on the subject. ‘Scarcity of the Ruffed Grouse in 1907,’ by E. Seymour Woodruff. Remarks followed by Air. Forbush, the author, Drs. Tuttle and Fisher, and Messrs. Francis and Brewster. ‘A way to lighten the burden of Nomenclature,’ by Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr. Remarks followed by Drs. Allen and Merriam, Messrs. Stone, Chapman and Brewster, and the author. The papers of the afternoon were: ‘Vernacular names of birds,’ by Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr. Remarks followed by Messrs. Rhoads, Bent, Todd, Batchclder, the author, and Drs. Alerriam and Allen. ‘The part played by Birds in the recent Field Alouse Plague in Nevada,’ by Dr. C. Hart Merriam. ‘A Hollow Tree,’ by Ernest Thompson Seton, was read in the i 74 Sage, Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting of the A. 0. U. [jan absence of the author by Mr. Chapman. It was illustrated by lantern slides. ‘Some Observations on the Gulls and Terns of Massachusetts/ by E. H. Forbush. Illustrated by lantern slides. After adjournment, a reception to meet members of the Union was held from 4 to 6 o’clock, by Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Batchelder at their home on Kirkland St. In the evening the members of the Union and their friends met at dinner at the Oakley Country Club, Waverley. Second Day. — The meeting was called to order by President Nelson. The papers of the morning session were : ‘The position of Birds Feet in Flight,’ by Dr. Chas. W. Town¬ send. Remarks followed by Messrs. Francis, Chapman, and Finley. ‘The First Bird Protective Society in Italy,’ by Rev. W. R. Lord. ‘ The tagging of wild birds as a means of studying their move¬ ments,’ by Dr. Leon J. Cole. Remarks followed by Drs. Hodge, Fisher, Bryan, Roberts, the author, and Messrs. Murdoch and Ells. ‘Observations on the Black Mamo,’ by Dr. W. A. Bryan. Re¬ marks followed by Messrs. Brewster and Henshaw, and the author. ‘Experiences of an Ornithologist in Costa Rica,’ by M. A. Carriker, Jr. The following papers were presented at the afternoon session: ‘Ornithological Miscellany from Audubon AVardens,’ by B. S. Bowdish. ‘A study of a breeding colony of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, with an account of destruction of the progeny of the entire colony by some unknown agency,’ by Dr. Thos. S. Roberts. It was illustrated by lantern slides. ‘Propagation of Bob-white,’ by Prof. C. F. Hodge. The concluding papers were by Frank M. Chapman, both being illustrated by lantern slides and moving pictures: ‘Methods of study of the Nesting Habits of Birds,’ and ‘Pelican Island in 1908, with other Florida Notes.’ In the evening Mrs. Charles F. Batchelder invited the ladies of the Union to her house, and Mr. William Brewster gave a reception for the gentlemen of the Union at his Museum. ^ Oll909"VI] Sage, Twenty-sixth Stated Meeting of the A. O. U. 75 Third Day. — The meeting was called to order by President Nelson. The papers of the session, all illustrated by lantern slides, were: ‘Triumphs of Bird Protection in Louisiana,’ by Rev. Herbert K Job. ‘Through Eastern Oregon,’ by William L. Finley. Resolutions were adopted thanking the Museum authorities of Harvard University for the use of the Geological and Zoological Lecture-rooms; to the Nuttall Ornithological Club for the very cordial welcome and most generous hospitality extended to the visiting members and friends of the Union; to Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Batchelder and Mr. William Bi’ewster, for the kind attention shown the members and friends of the Union, and to Col. and Mrs. John E. Thayer for the polite invitation to the members of the Union to visit their home and museum at Lancaster, Mass. On Fi’iday, November 20, after adjournment of the Union, a “pilgrimage” was made to Lancaster, Mass., by some seventy members and friends of the Union. The party was most cordially received by Col. and Mrs. John E. Thayer, and an inspection made of their fine museum and valuable ornithological library. The next meeting of the Union will be held in New York City, commencing December 6, 1909. The registered attendance of members at this Stated Meeting was much larger than ever before, and the social features will long be remembered. Jno. H. Sage, Secretary. 76 General Notes. ["Auk LJan. GENERAL NOTES. A Curious Influx of Southern Herons to New Jersey. — In the October, number of ‘The Auk’ (XXV, p. 473) I recorded the capture of an Ameri¬ can Egret at Sea Bright, N. J., by Mr. R. B. Romaine. He has since informed me that sometime between August 5 and 15 two more were seen, and that from August 6 to September 5, 1908, a large flock (nearly fifty birds) of immature Little Blue Herons ( Ardea ccerulea) were inhabiting the tide flats. On September 5, the last day they were seen, he shot a male out of a flock of three, and wounded another. This specimen he had mounted, and is now in his home. Mr. Romaine’s family have lived at Sea Bright for nearly forty years, and never before have they seen any species of southern heron in the neighborhood. Could the excessively hot weather of the past July have caused their occurrence? — Reginald Heber Howe, Jr., Concord, Mass. The Little White Egret in New Mexico. — A specimen of this beautiful heron ( Egretta < andidissima) was shot Oct. 21, 1908, while on a small pond at the home ranch of the G. O. S. Cattle Co., by one of the farm hands. Fortunately the wTriter arrived at the ranch the next day and was able to skin the bird at once; it proved to be a male in excellent plumage and flesh. It had been noticed for several hours before alighting on the pond, flying about the barn buildings in company with a flock of domestic pi¬ geons. The bird is now in the possession of Mrs. Victor Culberson of the G. O. S. Ranch. This ranch has an altitude of 6300 feet, and is on the head waters of the Sapillo Creek (a tributary of the Gila River), the exact location of the ranch being Section 15, T 15 S, R 12 W. The spot where this bird was taken is about sixty miles north of the place where the specimen reported in ‘The Auk’ two years ago by Maj. Munson, was secured. — W. H. Bergtold, Denver, Colo. The Clapper Rail in Essex County, Mass. — On September 15, 1908, I picked up on the beach at Plum Island, Mass., near the mouth of the Ipswich River, a dead Clapper Rail. After fully satisfying myself as to the identity of the bird, I took it to the Abbott Frazar Co., taxidermists, in Boston, to be mounted. I have since been informed by them that no indications were found of the bird’s having been shot; and, taking into consideration the fact that water ran freely from the bird’s mouth when picked up by the legs, I imagine that it probably died in the water. The body did not appear to be decomposed to any extent, and the taxidermist’s foreman informed me that the bird had probably not been dead over three days. Taking into consideration the direction of winds, etc., during that period, it seems very unlikely that the rail could have drifted from further south. I have written a full statement of the facts to Mr. John Robinson, of the Peabody Museum at Salem, Mass., and Mr. Edward S. Morse, the Vol XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 77 curator; they both agreed that the bird should be regarded as an Essex County record. According to Mr. Townsend’s ‘Birds of Essex County,’ and Howe and Allen’s ‘Birds of Massachusetts,’ this is the first authentic record of the occurrence of the Clapper Rail in Essex County, though both cite: “Mr. J. F. Le Baron informed me that he shot a specimen some years ago at Ipswich.” C. J. Maynard, the Naturalist’s Guide, p. 145, 1870. The mounted bird will be presented to the Peabody Museum, Salem. — William P. Wharton, Groton, Mass. Late Flight of Woodcock on Long Island, N. Y. — On December 5, 1908, while hunting near Flanders, Suffolk Co., I flushed a Woodcock ( Philohela minor). On December 8, after a storm and heavy rain, eleven were shot in a small swamp at Lawrence, Nassau Co., close to the New York City line. The same day one was seen in a little strip of woods about one mile from this swamp. In 30 years on Long Island, I have never seen other than stragglers after about November 20th and do not recall ever before seeing one in December.— Harold Herrick, New York City. Capture of the Ruff at Seabrook, N. H. — Mr. John Hardy of Boston has kindly presented me with an adult female Ruff ( Pavoncella pugnax) shot at Seabrook, N. H., Sept. 23, 1907, by Charles Fowler, who said it was with a flock of Black-bellied Plover. — John E. Thayer, Lancaster, Mass. Eskimo Curlew taken at Newburyport, Mass. — I purchased of Mr. John Hardy of the Boston Market, a male Eskimo Curlew ( Numenius borealis ) taken at Newburyport, Mass., by A. B. Thomas, August 27, 1908. He shot two, but the other bird had its head so badly shot that it could not be made into a skin. — John E. Thayer, Lancaster, Mass. The American Golden Plover ( Charadrius dominicus) in Ohio in Autumn. — On October 23, 1908, I met a flock of 6 American Golden Plovers at the Grand Reservoir, Ohio, and on October 27 a pair of them was shot, to¬ gether with a Baird’s Sandpiper and a pair of Wilson’s Snipe at the Lor- amie Reservoir in Shelby Co., O. Fall records in Ohio for the American Golden Plover are very rare, in fact any record of the occurrence of this species in this State is interesting and noteworthy. The female of this pair of Golden Plovers has the tip of the upper mandible curved over the lower one to the extent of about 4 mm., with the tip curving decidedly downward almost at right angles, thus forming a veritable crossbill. The cause of this formation cannot be seen, only the upper mandible seems to be rather thin and weak, when compared with that of the other specimen, nor was the bird as fat as the male. — W. F. Henninger, New Bremen, Ohio. 78 General Notes. frAuk i L Jan. Wild Turkeys in Illinois. — On July 12, 1905, Mr. F. B. Smiley, 407 Security Bld’g, St. Louis, Mo., informed me that he and party killed, in October, 1903, five Wild Turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo ) in the “Sante Fe Bottoms” (“Okaw Bottoms”), eight miles south of Bartelso, Clinton Co., Illinois. He also stated that, as far as he knew, these were the last Wild Turkeys ever seen in Illinois. It will be interesting to hear from others familiar with the subject, and to know whether other Wild Turkeys have since been observed in that State. — A. H. Felger, Denver, Colo. Asio wilsonianus in Shelburne, New Hampshire. — A female American Long-eared Owl was shot on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Shelburne, New Hampshire, early in the morning of October 12, 1908, by Mr. C. D. Bullerwell of Cambridge, Massachusetts. I was visiting in Shel¬ burne at the time and Mr. Bullerwell kindly presented the specimen to me. I have deposited it in the Museum of Mr. William Brewster. The town of Shelburne is in the White Mountain region about twelve miles northeast of Mount Washington, in the northern part of the State. Mr. G. M. Allen, in his ‘List of the Birds of New Hampshire,’ published in the ‘ Proceedings of the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences,’ volume IV, 1903, page 104, says, in regard to Asio wilsonianus: “All the records which I have for this species are from localities in the southern and central part of the State. I have never seen it in the White Mountains.” — Walter Deane, Cambridge, Mass. A Note on the English Sparrow1 ( Passer domesticus). — There is consid¬ erable doubt as to the source of the early importations into this country of European House Sparrows, commonly known here as English Sparrows. It is probable, like many of our human emigrants, that the breed is of mixed origin, some having been brought from England, some from Ger¬ many. There are certain local differences between the birds from these two sources which need not be discussed here. Our only object is to compare specimens taken in New England between 1873 and 1886, with specimens taken here at the present day, and with specimens taken in England at the present day. The number of specimens is too few for deductions, but we wish to put certain measurements on record, as it is possible they may some time prove of value. A great dearth of early specimens of this un-loved bird prevails. Those examined are from the collections of Mr. Wm. Brewster and Dr. Townsend, and were all from the Boston and Cambridge region. The present day specimens are all from New England, for the most part from Arlington, Mass., while the present day English specimens were sent to Mr. Hardy in the flesh from the vicinity of Liverpool, England. The early New England specimens are striking birds, clean, with clear whites, blacks and chestnuts. The delicate wavy lines on the breasts 1 Read before the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Nov. 9, 1908. Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 79 of the females are plainly to be seen. The present day birds both from New England and old England are very dark and sooty, and in consequence lack these characteristics. The differences can be ascribed to feather soiling in their present sooty environments. The following table gives the measurements in millimeters. Locality, etc. Wing. Tail. Bill. Tarsus. New England 1873-1886 Average 7 (J‘ “ 3 $ 78.00 73.00 56.00 53.00 12.64 11.66 14.42 15.00 New England 1907. Average 18 <5* “ 7' 9 77.30 75.50 56.60 55.50 • 13.18 12.95 14.55 14.28 England 1907 Average 8 c? “ 17 9 75.50 72.00 54.70 51.80 12.56 12.32 15.25 13.94 It is seen that the early New England specimens average about the same in size as the present New England specimens, except as regards the bill which averages about 1 mm. larger in the present day bird. The present day English bird averages in wing and tail from 2 to 3 mm. smaller than the present day New England bird. The tarsus is about the same, while the bill corresponds more closely with the bill of the early American bird in being about 1 mm. smaller. In other words it would seem that in the early years of struggle only the more vigorous, larger birds survived and that under favorable conditions the larger size was continued with an added increase in the size of the bill. A larger series may invalidate these conclusions, but they are given for what they are worth. — Charles W. Townsend, M. D., Boston, and John H. Hardy, Jr., Arlington, Mass. Mexican Goldfinch in Colorado. — The undersigned has to record the occurrence of a male Mexican Goldfinch ( Astragalinus psaltria mexicanus) in Denver on June 30, 1908; the bird was watched for a considerable time feeding in a vacant lot, which is within three blocks of the State Capitol Building, and was as typical and unmistakable as any the writer has ever seen ill old Mexico. — W. H. Bergtold, Denver, Colo. 80 General Notes. TAuk LJan. Northward Range of Ammodramus lecontei.— On May 22, 1908, I saw two Leconte Sparrows on a low marshy flat in the delta of the Athabasca River, on the south side of Lake Athabasca, opposite Fort Chipewyan. Tried for some time to flush a bird, and finally, hearing a faint squeaking in the dry dead grass, rushed noisily forward, and succeeded in scaring one male up on a dead stump and shooting it. I considered this to be rather far north for this species, until I saw a specimen collected by Mr. Harry W. Jones, at Hay River, at the western end of Great Slave Lake, June 23, 1908. — R. M. Anderson, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City. Correction. — Dr. Charles W. Townsend has called my attention to the fact that there are two previous records of lark sparrows at Ipswich, Mass., — one shot by him Aug. 21, 1904, one seen by him Aug. 12, 1905 — mak¬ ing our bird of August 28, 1908 (Auk, XXV, p. 476) the third instead of the second record, as I thought. — Lidian E. Bridge and E. D. Board- man, West Medford, Mass. Breeding of Dendroica striata at Great Slave Lake.— June 24, 1908, while crossing the burned over area on the high rocky center of Moose Island, near Fort Resolution, I stepped across a small dead spruce lying on the ground, and a small plainly colored bird darted from the mass of tall dead grass which surrounded the trunk of the fallen tree. The bird disappeared in the underbrush at once without uttering a sound. Concealing myself, I waited about twenty minutes and the bird stealthily approached the nest hopping from bush to bush, occasionally uttering a sharp, nervous tsip like the alarm note of the Junco. The bird proved to be a female Black-poll Warbler. The nest was placed directly on the ground in the middle of a clump of tall grasses, immediately underneath a small, fallen spruce, the trunk of which was lying about ten inches above the ground. The nest was composed of dead grasses, mixed with cottony substances and a little moss, lined with finer grasses, and a few feathers including one tail feather of a Fox Sparrow. The four eggs were advanced in incu¬ bation; whitish colored, spotted with light brown tending to form a wreath around the larger end, the wreath more distinct in some specimens than others. — R. M. Anderson, Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York City. The Black-throated Green Warbler as a Nesting Species on Long Island, N. Y. — On July 5, 1908, Mr. Francis Harper, of College Point, L. I., and I observed at close range a male Black-throated Green Warbler ( Den¬ droica virens) feeding three newly fledged young about a mile north of Lake Ronkonkoma, L. I. At least one other male was heard singing in the neighborhood. As neither of us had ever before found this bird on Long Island in summer and as no definite record of its having nested there is given in the most recent publication on the birds of Long Island (‘ A List of the Birds of Long Island,’ by Wm. C. Braislin, M. D. Abstr. Proc. Lin- niean Soc. of N. Y., Nos. 17-19, pub. Oct. 22, 1907), we were at first dis- Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 81 posed to regard the observation as something of a record. In addition, Mr. Wm. Dutcher, who for many years made a particular study of the birds of Long Island, informed me that up to about ten years ago, when he ceased active field work, he had never seen a Black-throated Green Warbler on Long Island. A further investigation, however, revealed the following two records: by Mr. A. H. Helme of Miller Place, L. I. (Abstr. Proc. Linnsean Soc. of N. Y., Nos. 13-14, 1900-1902, p. 19) that the Black-throated Green War¬ bler "has been found breeding on Long Island”; and by Mr. Theodore Roosevelt in ‘Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter’ (1908 edition, pages 400-401) where he writes: “It was perhaps due to the same cause (cold and wet season) that so many black-throated green warblers spent June and July 1907 in the woods on our place (Oyster Bay, L. I.) ; they must have been breeding though I only noticed the males .... The black-throated green warblers have seemingly become regular summer residents of Long Island .... [This bird] as a breeder and summer resident is a newcomer who has extended his range southward.” The bird is not mentioned in the earlier (1905) edition of Mr. Roosevelt’s book. Correspondence with these gentlemen elicited the following replies. From Mr. Helme: “The Black-throated Green Warbler is now one of the most abundant breeding warblers in the vicinity of my home. This year there have probably been not less than fifteen to twenty pairs breeding within a circle of three miles from my house. They have greatly increased in numbers during the last ten years. A few years ago I collected a very pretty set of four eggs near Miller Place. This is the only nest I have been able to find, except a couple of old nests that had done service at an earlier date.” From Mr. Roosevelt: “Of course my observations of birds around here have been rather fragmentary. Formerly I never found a Black-throated Green Warbler in summer; but both last summer and this summer they have been among our common warblers thruout the nesting season, and have evidently nested and brought up their young here. In June and July the males were singing in many different places for a radius of certainly six miles from my place.” These facts would seem to prove that within comparatively few years the Black-throated Green Warbler has extended its range into the northern parts of Long Island at least; and since inquiry among ornithologists has indicated that the present status of the bird on Long Island is little known, I have incorporated in this form what information I could gather on the subject, with the idea that it might be of interest to readers of ‘The Auk.’ — Clinton G. Abbott, New York City. Carolina Wren in Rhode Island. — During the past summer (1908) there have been at least two, and possibly more, Carolina Wrens ( Thryothorus ludovicianus ) resident at Kingston, R. I. They were not noted until late in July, but were then occasionally seen and constantly heard about until September. There is some reason to believe they bred there this 82 General Notes rAuk [_Jan. year, but unfortunately the evidence is not certain enough to establish a record. A lady and gentleman noticed a pair of small birds which had a nest in a hole in an apple tree rather late in the season. They did not think they were Chickadees, and no House Wrens were seen in the village this summer. The matter did not come to the writer’s knowledge until after the young had flowm. Residents of Kingston say that the Carolina Wren has been seen in the village before, but not for several years. The writer is certain from personal observation that it could not have been there in 1907. — Leon J. Cole, New Haven, Conn. The Carolina Wren ( Thyothorus ludovicianus) at Falmouth, Maine. — - On October 3, 1908, a male Carolina Wren was taken at Underwood Springs, Falmouth, Maine, by Mr. Arthur H. Norton, and is preserved in the collec¬ tion of the Portland Society of Natural History. It had been seen in the vicinity for some weeks previous to its capture, first attracting my atten¬ tion on August 18, 1908, near the shore at Tawn landing, about an eighth of a mile from Underwood Springs. It was then associated with Robins, Chipping and Song Sparrows. It gave one form of its song, and its alarm note several times. It disappeared in a few moments, but returned to the same locality for two succeeding mornings, at about the same hour of the day. It was not seen or heard again until about the middle of September, when its song was heard several times, but the bird was not seen. On September 22 it was seen in the same locality of its first appearance, and that day gave several variations of its song, and was very active and alert. From that time it was watched with great interest each day until the day it was taken. During this period it was constantly in company with large numbers of Robins, Cedar-birds, Chipping, Song and White-throated Sparrows, War¬ blers, Vireos, Kinglets, Chickadees, Thrushes, Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Purple Finches, Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers: it seemed never to leave their proximity, though keeping near the shore, in shrubs and tangles about the vacant cottages. It evidently remained within the small range of Tawn landing and Underwood Springs, a range of about an eighth of a mile in length and of small width, as it could be found at any time in some part of this section, with the same band of migrants. — Mrs. Ernest Brewer, Woodfords, Maine. Capture of the Short-billed Marsh Wren ( Cistothorus stellaris ) on Long Island, N. Y. — On Sept. 12, 1908, I secured an immature female of this species, at Freeport. The bird associated with a few Long-billed Marsh Wrens in the reeds bordering a small pool of water, where the salt marshes join the mainland. — J. A. Weber, Palisades Park, N. J. Blue-gray Gnatcaccher ( Polioptila ccerulea) in Washington County, N. Y. — On Aug. 12, 1908, I collected an adult female of this species, in a Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 83 swampy tract of woodland, among the hills of Middle Granville, N. Y. I was unable to determine whether the bird had bred in this locality, because the southern migration was well under way at the time. — J. A. Weber, Palisades Park, N. J. The Bluebird ( Sialia sialis ) in Quebec. — A pair of Bluebirds, uttering their usual call notes, flew over me within a few yards at Tadousac on July 4, 1908. The species is so rare on the north shore of the lower St. Lawrence that this occurrence seems worthy of note, for I know of no other record save that of a pair found nesting by Mr. Comeau in July, 1880, at Godbout (Merriam, B. N. O. C., VII, 1882, p. 234). The birds I saw were traveling westward and were very possibly far from their nesting ground, as no trace of them was found later in the sum¬ mer, but the cool breezes of the maritime portion of eastern Canada are not to the liking of this species, wThich reaches its northern limit not far from the southern boundary line. Bluebirds occur, sparingly I imagine, about the city of Quebec, although Mr. C. E. Dionne in ‘ Les Oiseaux de la Province de Quebec,’ 1906, states that they are there “assez commun.” The summer climate of the city and its environs is, however, much warmer than even fifty miles further down the river where the influence of the cold waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence begins to be felt. As I had spent parts of eighteen summers at Tadousac, the pair of Bluebirds was a great surprise, and I am glad they were not of a species about the identification of which there would be the slightest doubt. — J. Dwight, Jr., New York City. Two Michigan Records.— Ardea caerulea. Little Blue Heron. — A short time ago I had the pleasure of examining a mounted specimen of this bird, taken May 2, 1882, in the immediate vicinity of Detroit. It is a full plumaged bird in the normal dark phase and was shot by Mr. Wm. S. Smith of 140 Grand River Ave., in whose possession it now is. Accompany¬ ing it is a full description written by the taxidermist who mounted it, including colors of fleshy parts while fresh, date, etc. This appears to be the only known Michigan killed specimen now extant, and as such is of some importance. Buteo swainsoni. Swainson’s Hawk. — About the middle of October a bird of this species appeared in the taxidermist shop of Mr. Arthur Borck of this city. Inquiries elicited the information that it had been killed near Hessel, 18 miles from Mackinaw, Mich., by Mr. Clarence Law. As it was already mounted when first seen the sex could not be ascertained. In plumage it closely approaches the dark phase, the underparts being parti¬ colored with blotches of fuscous and ochre in about equal proportions, and the back, wing-coverts and head feathers heavily bordered with ocher. I am informed by Prof. W. B. Barrows that this is the second actual specimen for the State. I succeeded in obtaining the bird for my collec¬ tion, numbering it 1117. — P. A. Taverner, Highland Park, Mich. 84 General Notes. [Auk LJan. Rare Birds near Springfield, Mass. — Sturnus vulgaris. In April, 190S, a Starling was taken in Agawam, near Springfield. It was with a flock of blackbirds. Eleven years ago about a hundred Starlings were liberated here, but they soon disappared. Oceanodroma leucorhoa. The last of October a Leach’s Petrel was captured alive on the Connecticut River, in the extreme southern part of Northampton. There are numerous records of the presence of this bird here, the earliest being previous to 1839, when W. B. O. Peabody stated that although this bird seemed so bound to the ocean by all its habits and wants, he had one brought him that was taken near Chicopee River, in Springfield, seventy miles from the shore. It has been supposed that these petrels were driven inland by storms, but in October of this year we had no severe gales in New England that were noticed inland at Spring- field; in fact, generally currents in the upper air were so sluggish that the numerous balloons that were sent up from this point were unable to cover any great distance, and it is also singular that if the appearance of these birds inland depends on storms, that they should be found here only in autumn and usually in October. Ammodramus nelsoni subvirgatus. On the sixth of October last, an Acadian Sharp-tailed Sparrow was taken in Longmeadow, near Spring- field. This is the first time the presence of one here has been proved, but I believe that its appearance in this vicinity is not so rare as is sup¬ posed. — Robert O. Morris, Springfield, Mass. Notes from West Virginia. — Sphyrapicus varius. — On June 17, 1908, I found the nest of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in an old dead tree near ‘ The Sinks’ in the southern part of Randolph County. As I watched the old birds, they went back and forth continuously, making very frequent and rapid flights from the nest to a large sugar tree that stood some rods away. When I examined the sugar tree, I found that they had filled with punc¬ tures a space on the side of the tree about a foot long and several inches wide. Insects were attracted to these wounds in the bark and the old sap- suckers made th;s their hunting-ground. They seemed to have no diffi¬ culty in finding abundant food for their young. Two days later I passed this nesting site again. The old birds were still carrying food to their young from the same place. Although I saw them make many trips, com¬ ing and going, not a single time did they bring food from any other place. On this same trip into the Spruce Mountain region, I saw great numbers of these birds in different places. A young female of this species was taken at Horton, near the terminus of the Dry Fork R. R., on June 16. At this place old birds and their young were flying about in considerable numbers. The Yellow-bellied Sap- sucker is by far the most common woodpecker breeding in the Alleghenies of central West Virginia at 4,000 feet altitudes. Corvus corax principalis. — Northern Ravens were seen and heard a voi. xxvn 1909 J General Notes. 85 number of times on the summit of Spruce Knob (4,860 feet alt.), June 19- 22. While our party was encamped near this highest elevation in West Virginia we hoped to find this species breeding, but failed to do so. Junco hyemalis carolinensis. — I find this note concerning the Carolina Junco, made wdiile on the summit of Spruce Knob. “Nest of Carolina Junco, under edge of stone; lined well with dry grasses; in bed of bloom¬ ing Cornus canadensis-, four eggs.” All nests found on the almost bare top of this mountain were similarly placed under the edge of protecting rocks. Oporornis Philadelphia. — At the edge of an old ‘ burning’ near the summit of Spruce Knob, Mourning Warblers were seen. As we came down the mountain on the afternoon of June 19, we found old birds feeding their young. The rich song of this species was heard almost constantly on some parts of this mountain. An adult male was taken as it sang on the border of a large tract of rather dwarfed black spruce trees near the top of the knob. I have never seen this warbler in any other part of the Alleghenies in the breeding season. Thryomanes bewickii. — Bewick’s Wren is the common ‘house’ Wren of western, southern, central and northern West Virginia. This species is exceedingly common in many sections in the central part of the State, and by no means rare in any of that large region mentioned above. As one goes eastward from the interior of the State, he finds, near the summit of the Alleghenies, that Troglodytes aedon replaces this species. At Horton, on June 16, four species of wrens — Carolina Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Winter Wren, and House Wren — were all heard in full song. Regulus satrapa. — I took an adult male Golden-crested Kinglet on top of Spruce Knob on June 18. Two of these birds were flying about in the tree-tops. Hylocichla fuscescens. — On an old fallen spruce log, half-hidden by branches of hemlock and Allegheny Menziesia, at the foot of Spruce Knob, we found a nest of the Wilson’s Thrush. On June 20 it contained four eggs. I found this species in abundance in many of the higher sections of the State while on my trip to the mountains in the middle of last June. Hylocichla ustulata swainsonii. — A nest of the Olive-backed Thrush was found in the top of a little spruce, on June 19, near the top of Spruce Knob. It contained one young bird and three eggs. I saw several birds of this species near the same place. It seems that this nest of mine makes the most southern record of the breeding of the Olive-backed Thrush. — Earle A. Brooks, Weston, W. Va. Colorado Notes. — Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Mr. B. G. Voigt informed me a short time before his death that a Blue Jay, which I ex¬ amined, had been killed by him half a mile east of Limon, Colorado, in October, 1898. Mr. H. G. Smith’s note on this species published in ‘The Auk’ (Vol. XXII, pp. 81, 82) was taken at Wray, Colorado, just over the Nebraska line. Wray is 165 miles a little north of east of Denver on the 86 General Notes. TAuk LJan. C. B. and Q. Ry., and Limon is 90 miles at about the same angle south of east of Denver on the U. P. Ry. This brings the little thief that stole hazelnuts which I, year after year in my boyhood days, gathered and spread upon the woodshed roof to dry, 75 miles closer to my present home: and I wonder if the little tormentor is following me here to steal the hazel¬ nuts that I purchase in the Denver market. I wish that I might calculate his westward progress, but I cannot, for this Blue Jay at Limon was killed four years before those were observed at Wray. ^chmophorus occidentalis. Western Grebe. — I have in my collection a skin of one of these birds taken Nov. 9, 1902, at Citizens’ Lake, west of Fort Logan and a few miles southwest of Denver, Colorado. Mr. H. G. Smith reports (Nidologist, III, 1896, p. 48) three of this species for Colorado, and Mr. W. W. Cooke also reports (Birds of Colo., p. 191) three of this species for this State. There are no other records for our State as far as the writer knows. Prozana Carolina. Sora Rail. — Sept. 2, 1903, I found dead on the surface of the ice near the terminal moraine of Arapahoe Glacier a bird of this species in a rather bad state of decomposition. The altitude of Arapa¬ hoe Peak (Bull. 274, U. S. Geol. Surv. p. 139) is 13,500 feet, and the place on Arapahoe Glacier, which lies at the foot of Arapahoe Peak, where the bird was found is perhaps 1000 feet less in altitude. I desire to ask Mr. W. W. Cooke, or anyone else who is studying bird migrations, whether it is usual for birds of the rail group to migrate at such an altitude. This is about 3,500 feet higher than is indicated in the note by Mr. Cooke (Birds of Colo., p. 199), where he says that it “breeds from Middle Park up the Blue River to about 9,000 feet.” If it breeds at such an altitude, I would expect it to move down nearer the plains before start¬ ing on its southern flight. Possibly we may yet find it breeding at the lakes below Arapahoe Glacier, but thus for neither Judge Junius Hender¬ son of Boulder, Dr. W. H. Bergtold of Denver nor I, all of whom together studied the birds of that vicinity, have found a living specimen there. — A. H. Felger, Denver, Colorado. Notes of Occurrence and Nesting of Certain Species additional to the ‘Birds of Colorado.’1 — Gallinago delicata. Wilson’s Snipe. — Has been found nesting with regularity for the past five years, and in fair numbers, about the marshes and farming region of a locality in Boulder County, ten miles northeast of Boulder City. Callipepla squamata. Scaled Partridge. — An abundant resident the year round throughout the farming region on both sides of the Arkan¬ sas River, from Pueblo east to the Colorado-Kansas State line; there is scarcely a farm that does not have from one to three flocks about the 1 The Birds of Colorado, by W. W. Cooke. March, 1897. Further notes on the Birds of Colorado, by W. W. Cooke, an appendix, to the above, March, 1898, and a Second Appendix to the Birds of Colorado, by W. W. Cooke, May, 1900. Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes 87 buildings, to which the birds hold very close during the wdnter. In the spring, a few nests are placed in the garden and other locations, close to the protecting influence of the household. I have observed the birds to be far more quiet and approachable, by persons to whom they were accus¬ tomed, than any ‘Bob- whites’ which have come under my observation. Columba fasciata. Band-tailed Pigeon. — It is not unusual to see small flocks of these birds in Estes Park. I have observed them every summer, mostly during the latter half of the summer, indicating their nest¬ ing at some other locality with a late summer movement or flight. Otus flammeola. Flammulated Screech Owl.— One nest with female bird found and taken in Estes Park, June 15, 1903; now in Collection at the State Agricultural College, Fort Collins, Colo. Also one nest with female taken from same vicinity, June 18, same year, now in the Collection of the Hon. J. E. Thayer, Lancaster, Mass. Myiarchus cinerascens. Ash-throated Flycatcher. — A specimen of this bird, with nest and eggs, taken in the Naturita Valley, south¬ western Colorado, by C. H. Smith, was sent to me for identification. Mr. Smith reports it as “a summer resident, fairly common.” Empidonax traillii. Traill’s Flycatcher. — Found nesting June 30, 1904, west of Estes Park, at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Also found nest¬ ing at a slightly lower elevation, but in the same country, July 5, 1905. Both nest situations were identical, in that they were located three and four feet from the ground, upon a root of the upright stand, formed by the roots and adhering dirt of large overturned pine trees. Surroundings wet and swampy. Corvus corax sinuatus. American Raven. — A constant resident in the heavy canon of the San Miguel River, southwestern Colorado. Nests are situated on inaccessible ledges against the canon wall midway between top and bottom. If the nest is disturbed the birds will choose a more difficult place for another nest, giving evidence of an instinct far superior to that of the Golden Eagle in this respect. If not disturbed the same nest is used from year to year. Coccothraustes vespertinus montanus. Western Evening Grosbeak. — In August and September of 1902, I found young birds at two places in the mountains, between my farm at the foot-hills, Boulder Co., and Estes Park. In 1903 the birds were abundant throughout Estes Park and westward to higher altitudes, 7500 to 9500 feet. In 1904 they were equally abundant, but during the following three years they were absent from that locality. On July 4, 1903, a nest was found in Estes Park, at an elevation of approximately 9000 feet. It was in a large pine tree, on a heavily wooded hillside, and about forty feet from ground, halfway out on a long limb and dangerous to obtain. Amphispiza nevadensis. Sage Sparrow. — One specimen, male, taken at my Boulder County farm, east of the foot-hills, March 18, 1904. Guiraca caerulea eurhyncha. Western Blue Grosbeak. During 88 General Notes. ["Auk LJan. June, 1902, I observed several pairs about the farm in Boulder County and took two specimens. I say ‘pairs’ because they were thus found and not in flocks. Catherpes mexicanus conspersus. Canon Wren. — Somewhat common constant resident, through the lower foot-hill elevations of Boulder County. That this species has been persistently overlooked, I can only account for by the fact of their being such an early spring breeder. While investigating the nests of two pairs of Golden Eagles on March 27, 1907, I was agreeably surprised to find a pair of these wrens conveying nesting material to a ledge in a small canon. With snow in abundance on the north slopes, I sat in the sun and watched them for over two hours. As this was my first acquaintance, I shall never forget the impression made by the volume and clear, whistle-like effect of their few notes,— not shrill, but filling the canon with a volume and penetration out of propor¬ tion to a bird so small. I returned to this locality one week later, April 4, 1907, and found the nest completed, but containing only three eggs, which we did not disturb. The nest was in a sheltered crevice, on a rock pro¬ jecting from the face of a sixty foot cliff. My young friend went down a rope to the site, from above; the only possible way of reaching it. Mr. Brunning, at wdiose placed was staying, mentioned three localities in which were the nesting sites of this wren. One, an upper ranch (altitude 7000 feet), and two near-by mining locations on which he worked at odd times during the year. He states that “the birds would appear each year about Thanksgiving time, remain all winter and through the spring but disap¬ pear during the summer.” It did not occur to him to make note of their time of leaving, until he realized they were gone (a common difficulty with fall migration data). Such an early nesting date, has been equalled or exceeded only by three species in northern Colorado, viz., the Mexican Crossbill, Great Horned Owl and Golden Eagle. Thryothorus bewickii bairdi. Baird’s Wren. — Has been taken nesting in the Naturita Valley, southwestern Colorado, by C. H. Smith, a reliable observer, who reports it as “not common in his locality.” — Fred. M. Dille, Denver, Colo. Vol. XXVin 1909 i Recent Literature. 89 RECENT LITERATURE. Chapman’s ‘ Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist.’ 1 — Says the author: “During the past seven years, with the assistance of artist and prepara- teur, I have devoted the nesting season of birds to collecting specimens and making field studies and photographs on which to base a series of what have been termed ’Habitat Groups’ of North American birds for the American Museum of Natural History. These groups,” it is further stated, “are designed to illustrate not only the habits and haunts of the birds shown, but also the country in which they live.” The groups, there¬ fore, contain not only the birds, with their nests and young, placed in a facsimile reproduction of their original surroundings, but the background forms an accurate panoramic representation of the adjoining country. Thus is shown not only the character of the immediate location of the nest, .but a considerable area characteristic of the haunts of the species, repro¬ duced from studies by the artist on the spot, aided by photographs. Thus are introduced various types of physiographic conditions, which render the groups geographically as well as ornithologically instructive. They are unrivalled by any similar reproductions elsewhere, no expense having been spared to secure accuracy of detail, while the panoramic backgrounds, some of them nearly thirty feet in length, give ample space for compre¬ hensive scenic effects. The assembling of all this material entailed extensive journeys, and the results accurately portray strikingly diverse types of country, ranging from subtropical scenes in the Bahamas and the Everglades of Florida to the deserts of Arizona, the prairies and badlands of Nebraska and Wyoming, the irrigated lands of interior California, the marshy lakes of Oregon, and the alpine summits of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, as well as marshes and cliffs nearer home. To quote again from the author’s preface: “No ornithologist, I imagine, has ever pursued his calling with greater pleasure and satisfaction than I have experienced in gathering the material and data for these groups of birds. Not only has it been my fortune to behold some of the most interesting and remarkable sights in the world of birds, but it has been my privilege to have them reproduced in so admirable a manner that they convey to others a wholly adequate conception of the scene itself.” The purpose of the present book is “now further to perpet¬ uate these experiences and studies by telling the story of the various ex¬ peditions of which the groups were the objects, adding such information concerning the birds observed as seems worthy of record, and illustrating 1 Camps and Cruises | of an | Ornithologist | By | Frank M. Chapman | Curator of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History | Fellow of the American Ornithol¬ ogists’ Union; Author of | “Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America” | “Bird- Life”; “Bird Studies with | a Camera,” etc. | With 250 photographs from Nature | by the Author | New York | D. Appleton and Company | 1908 — 8vo, pp. xvi + 432, with 250 half-tone illustrations. November, 1908. $3.00 net. 90 Recent Literature. ["Auk LJan. the whole with many photographs from nature and a number of the groups themselves.” The book is divided into eight parts, as follows: Part I, ‘Travels about Home,’ in which are treated The ways of Jays, A morning with Meadow¬ larks, Bird-nesting with Burroughs, A Nighthawk incident. Part II, ‘The Bird-life of two Atlantic Coast Islands’ — Gardiner’s Island and Cobb’s Island. Part III, ‘Florida Bird-life’ — Pelican Island, the Florida Great Blue Heron and the Water Turkey, the American Egret, Cuthbert Rookery. Part IV, ‘Bahama Bird-life’ — the Flamingo, the Egg Birds, the Booby and the Man-o’-War Bird. Part V, ‘The Story of Three West¬ ern Bird Groups’ — -the Prairie Hen, a Golden Eagle’s nest, Cactus Desert Bird-life. Part VI, ‘Bird Studies in California’ — the Coastal Mountains at Piru, the coast at Monterey, the Farallones, the San Joaquin Valley at Los Banos, Lower Klamath Lake, the Sierras. Part VII, ‘Bird-life in Western Canada’ — the Prairies, the Plains, the Mountains, the White Pelican. Part VIII, ‘Impressions of English Bird-life,’ and indexes. An ‘Introduction’ of eight pages reveals to the reader some of the methods and devises by which the photographic results shown in the present volume were obtained. The foregoing will sufficiently explain the scope, purpose, and general character of this exceptionally interesting and, in many respects, remark¬ able book, where a wealth of photographic illustrations so effectively supplements the text. It remains therefore only to say that the story of these varied experiences is most modestly yet effectively and pleasingly told, without resort to anything beyond simple and direct statement of events, more varied and opportune than has probably ever before fallen to the lot of an ornithologist. There were, of course, mishaps and un¬ pleasant experiences, but they leave slight trace in the author’s narrative, so full of new, first-hand information about birds whose home-life was previously, in many cases, by no means well known. The book is ap¬ propriately dedicated to Hermon C. Bumpus, Director of the American Museum of Natural History, and “to those members of the Museum whose cooperation made possible the work on which it is based.” — J. A. A. Preble on the Birds of the Athabaska-Mackenzie Region.1 — This ad¬ mirable work of nearly 600 pages and numerous illustrations is based mainly on the field work of Mr. Preble during two expeditions, the first in 1901, the second in 1903-04. The publication of the report having been unavoidably delayed till the present year (1908), it represents the state of knowledge of the region down to the spring of 1908. It includes 1 A Biological Investigation of the Athabaska-Mackenzie Region. By Edward A. Preble, Assistant, Biological Survey. Prepared under the direction of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, Chief of Bureau of Biological Survey. = North American Fauna No. 27, October 26, 1908. 8vo, pp. 574, pll. i-xxv (including map of the region), and 16 text figures. Birds, pp. 251-500. • Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 91 not only annotated faunal lists of the mammals, birds, reptiles, batrachians, and fishes, and trees and shrubs of the region, but a very full description of the physical geography and climatology of the Mackenzie Basin, a detailed account of the routes traversed by Mr. Preble and his assistants (his brother Alfred E. Preble, in 1901 and 1903, and Merritt Cary in 1903), and a summary of the previous explorations and collections made in the region. The work has been so well done that Mr. Preble’s report will remain for all time a standard source of information on the biology and early explorations of this immense and hitherto much neglected area. In 1903-04, Mr. Preble passed the winter at Fort Simpson, and thus had an opportunity to become familiar with winter conditions at this remote subarctic post. Each of the different physical areas, from the Athabaska Valley to the Barren Grounds, is separately treated in detail. The life zones of the Athabaska-Mackenzie region — the Arctic, Hudsonian, and Canadian — are illustrated by a colored map (plate ii), based on very thorough knowl¬ edge of the subject, Mr. Preble’s previous explorations in the Hudson Bay region 1 being of special service in mapping the country bordering Hudson Bay. The ornithological portion of the report (pp. 251-500) forms an elabo¬ rately annotated list of the (approximately) 293 species and subspecies “ authoritatively recorded from the region treated in the present report. In the account of each species,” says the author, “our own observations are usually given first, in chronological order, the published records fol¬ lowing. Of the published references relating to the various species only those have been utilized which best represent the distribution, dates of migration, breeding, and other interesting features of their life history, preference usually being given to the notes earliest published. ’ Authori¬ ties are given in footnotes, in place of the immensely inconvenient method of giving references to titles scheduled at the end of the work, now so much in vogue; notes not accompanied by references “are derived from manuscript records or verbal communications,” and are duly accredited in the text. The classification and nomenclature is that of the A. O. U. Check-List, including the many changes of the Fourteenth Supplement. The A. O. U. Code is strictly followed in respect to the authority for specific and subspecific names, which is to be enclosed in parenthesis only when the species or subspecies is used in combination with a generic name different from the one employed by the original describer. This was the original intent of the use of the parenthesis for authorities, but in recent years the names of authorities have by many writers been im¬ properly placed in parentheses to denote not only this, but any change in the status of the species or subspecies from the original designation. An annotated bibliography of 23 pages — from Hearne, 1791, to Seton, 1 A Biological Investigation of the Hudson Bay Region, North Amer. Fauna No. 22, 1902. 92 Recent Literature. [Auk LJan 1908 — is a valuable guide to the literature of the subject, and will be of great use to future investigators of this general region. The large number, of half-tone plates and text figures are an important addition to the re¬ port and include, besides maps of the general region and of the life zones, several distribution maps for the more important species of mammals, many landscape views, and views of the Hudson Bay Company’s posts, including some of the old Forts of the early days — landmarks of the greatest historic interest. As already implied, Mr. Preble’s report is a mine of information regarding the early exploration and present and past conditions of the vertebrate fauna of arctic and subarctic Canada. — J. A. A. MacFarlane on the Birds of Northwestern Canada.1 — In 1891 Mr. MacFarlane published in the ‘ Proceedings ’ of the U. S. National Museum (Vol. XIV, pp. 413-446) his ‘Notes on and List of Birds and Eggs collected in Arctic America, 1861-1866.’ The present ‘List of Birds and Eggs’ covers a subsequent period (1880-1894) of the author’s explorations, and relates mainly to observations made “ in the northern portions of the new Province of Alberta; in New Caledonia, in British Columbia; and Cumber¬ land, in the Province of Saskatchewan.” The observations are fragmen¬ tary, and the reader will share with the author his regrets that he did not continue “at Forts Simpson, Chipewyan, St. James and Cumberland House, where he was successively stationed from 1866 to 1894,” his ob¬ servations with the same interest and assiduity as at Fort Anderson in previous years. His shortcomings in this respect he holds up as a warning and a stimulus to the officers of the Hudson Bay Company and others who may visit or traverse northern Canada as surveyors and prospectors to do whatever they can “in the way of elucidating and otherwise advanc¬ ing the Natural History of the great Dominion.” The list includes about 220 species, the annotations averaging rather more than a page to each; while they include much original information they are often extended by quotations from various published sources, notably from Bendire’s ‘Life Histories of North American Birds.’ These, however, are always pertinent, since much of MacFarlane’s ornithological material was sent to the Smithsonian Institution, and passed through Major Bendire’s hands, thus forming his principal source of information on the nesting habits and breeding ranges of northern birds. Incidental reference is made, under nearly every species, to the manner of its repre¬ sentation in the Ottawa (Dominion) Museum, with a view of inspiring 1 Through the Mackenzie | Basin | a Narrative of the Athabaska and Peace River | Treaty Expedition of 1899 | By | Charles Mair | English Secretary of the Half-breed Commission; Author of | Teeumseh: a Drama, etc. | With a Map of the Country Ceded and numerous photographs of | Native Life and Scenery | Also | Notes on the Mammals and Birds of | Northern Canada | By Roderick MacFarlane | Retired Chief Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company | — | Toronto | William Briggs | 1908 — 8vo, pp. 494, map, and 25 half-tone plates.— ' List of Birds and Eggs observed and col¬ lected in the North-West Territories of Canada, between 1880 and 1894,’ by R. MacFarlane, pp. 285-447. .$2.00; by mail, $2.25. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 93 interest in its deficiencies. To a certain extent, the present ‘List’ gives a resume of the results of MacFarlane’s long period of natural history work in northern Canada, and as such is a contribution of unusual interest. The numeration and nomenclature are those of the A. O. U Check-List, but through some inadvertence, a number of the water birds follow the Passeres, with no note of advice or warning that such is the case. Also, on p. 422, the heading “63G. Black and White Warbler — Mniotilta varia (Linn.)” is given twice; as its second use evidently relates to that species, the preceding species is left nameless and not easily identifiable. Mr. MacFarlane’s ‘Notes on the Mammals,’ occupying pages 151-283, and preceded by a portrait of the author, is an especially important con¬ tribution to the mammalogy of the region, the statistical and geographical information respecting many of the fur-bearing animals being exceedingly valuable. The nomenclature of the list “has been carefully revised by the naturalists of the U. S. National Museum,” and is hence fully up to date, and stamps the list as thoroughly trustworthy. Mr. Mair’s portion of the work, occupying the first 150 pages, gives a vivid picture of the topographic and climatic conditions of the country traversed by the treaty expedition of 1899, of which he was a member, and contains also much historic information of fascinating interest. Mr. MacFarlane’s portion of the work contains descriptions and illustrations of a number of the old Hudson Bay Company’s posts, the names of which have long been household words in natural history annals — Forts Ander¬ son, McPherson, Chipewyan, Resolution, Good Hope, etc. — J. A. A. Knights’ ‘ The Birds of Maine.’ — In a portly volume 1 of nearly 700 pages, Mr. Knight has given the ornithological public a useful manual of the bird fauna of the State of Maine. The analytical keys and the descriptions of the species, it is stated, are compiled and adopted from Ridgway’s ‘Manual’ and ‘Birds of North and Middle America,’ Chapman’s ‘Hand¬ book,’ and other standard sources. The descriptions are followed by a brief summary of the distribution, including breeding and winter ranges, followed by the county records of the species, with the authorities, a list of which is given in the Introduction. The life histories are largely based on the author’s own observations and experience, and vary in length, according to the species, from a half page to several pages, and relate mainly to the bird’s occurrence in Maine. The nomenclature is that of the A. O. U. Check-List and its Supplements down to the Thirteenth, the Four- 1 The Birds of Maine | With Key to and Descriptions of the various | species known to occur or to have occurred | in the State, an Account of their Distribu- | tion and Migration, showing their relative | abundance in the various Counties of the | State as well as other regions, and con- | tributions to their Life Histories | By | Ora Willis Knight, M. S. | Member of Maine Ornithological Society, Member American Chemical Society, | Member American Ornithologists’ Union, Etc. | Bangor, Maine | 1908 — 8vo, pp. vii + 693, map, and 25 half-tone* plates. $3.50, express paid. Regular edition, 200 copies; subscription edition, 300 numbered and signed copies. 94 Recent Literature. ("Auk LJan. teenth Supplement having appeared too late to be available. The num¬ ber of species admitted is 327, including 2 introduced species, classified in the ‘Summary' following the main text as: permanent residents, 26; summer residents, 115; migrants, 75; winter residents and winter visitants, 40; accidental and casual, 67; 3 are extinct and one other nearly so. In the ‘Summary’ these several classes are enumerated, with an indication of their distribution within the State, those chiefly or entirely confined to the Canadian fauna being designated by an asterisk. Thirty additional species are given in a ‘ Hypothetical List,’ w’hich includes not only “ species which may be almost certainly expected to occur, though not as yet positively detected,” but others that have been included in previous lists on erroneous evidence, and “never likely to occur here.” Following the ‘Summary’ is a section on ‘Faunal Areas,’ illustrated by a map, from which it appears that the southwestern part of the State is Alleghanian and most of the rest of the State Canadian, the Hudsonian being limited to the summits of the higher mountains and to a few points along the coast, from Mount Desert Island eastward. A narrow strip of Canadian extends westward along the coast, backed by the Alleghanian inland. A ‘Bibliography’ of about 130 titles, arranged chronologically, and an index, complete the volume. ‘The Birds of Maine’ is well planned and evidently written with great care and pretty full knowledge of the subject. It has, however, its faults of detail, which, while they may not seriously impair its usefulness, are to be regretted. The author’s style, while generally good, lapses here and there into colloquialisms and infelicities which somewhat mar the dignity of a work of such importance. As examples may be cited the reference to the Redpolls in the ‘Key to the species of Fringillidse,’ the account of the feeding of young Goldfinches, the constant use of pair for pairs (“ ten pair,” “1000 pair,” etc.), and Accentator for Accentor, etc. While the author follows the A. O. U. Check-List, as regards the status of forms, he has done so in a few instances under protest, in some cases with reason, as shown by the Fourteenth Supplement, published since his book went to press, in others through inadequate knowledge of the forms in question. There are few typographical errors in the technical names; but we regret to note that the records of local occurrences, in the case of the rarer species, particularly of some of the water birds, are incomplete, especially as regards the latest published information regarding their distribution on the Maine coast. This, however, may be due to the long time the book was in press, since the omissions relate mainly to the early part. Although the late Dr. Wyman’s paper on the occurrence of remains of the Great Auk on some of the islands of Casco Bay is given in the bibliography there is no reference to it under the species; and the winter records for the Myrtle Warbler refer only to Cape Elizabeth, omitting others of equal interest relating to other localities. These are but examples of a number of omissions in respect to details of sometimes considerable importance. Unpublished records are often not clearly distinguished from those that have been Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 95 published ; to have made this distinction, in the case even of only the rarer species, would of course have considerably increased the size of the book, and for this reason may have been omitted, but the omission is an incon¬ venience to the worker in search of the historical sequence of records. In brief, Mr. Knight has given us such a good book on the Birds of Maine that we regret to find it not an entirely up-to-date authority on Maine ornithology. — J. A. A. Godman’s ‘Monograph of the Petrels.’ — Part III of this excellent Mono¬ graph 1 contains descriptions of 29 species, of which 27 are figured. Twenty- three of the species belong to the genus JEstrelata, of which three appear to be known only from the original types. Priofimis gelidus of recent authors (ex Procelaria gelida Gmelin) is apparently referred to Puffinus kuhli, the author recognizing only one species of Priofinus, and correcting the faulty synonymy given by Salvin. The species treated in the present Part are many of them little known in life, so that nothing can be said of their habits and distribution. As in the previous Parts of this work, the biographies of the well-known species are given at considerable length, as is the general history. — J. A. A. Gadow’s ‘Through Southern Mexico.’2 — -Dr. Gadow’s account of his travels in southern Mexico is not to any great extent ornithological, the reptiles and general character of the country visited being the principal theme. The work is well written and thoroughly interesting from begin¬ ning to end, the author’s style being terse and graphic, and the subjects treated include the physiographic features of the country and their rela¬ tion to the fauna and flora, its present and former human population, with descriptions of the celebrated ruins of Tepotztlan, Milta, and Monte Alban, a discussion of the ‘ Toltec question,’ the Aztec hieroglyphs, and the calendric system. The author made many excursions to out of the way places reached only by pack trains, his explorations including the low coastlands, the interior plateau, and the Volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. Interspersed 'with interesting incidents of travel are discussions of the effect of environment upon animals and plants, colors and patterns, con¬ vergent development, the struggle for existence, ‘warning’ colors, and adaptive modifications. The information regarding the general character of the country and its varied inhabitants, human, animal and vegetable, is varied and explicit, and one can hardly turn to a better book for informa¬ tion regarding southern Mexico. The numerous illustrations relate to a great variety of subjects and are valuable adjuncts to the text. — J . A. A. 1 Part III, pp. 153-232, plates 1-lxxviii. September, 1908. For notices of previous Parts see Auk, XXV, 1908, pp. 244, 338. 2 Through Southern | Mexico | being an account of | the travels of a Naturalist | By | Hans Gadow | M. A., Ph.D. | F. R. S. | With over one hundred and sixty full page and other | illustrations and maps | Witherby & Co. | 326 High Holborn Lon¬ don | 1908- — 8vo, pp. xvi + 527, maps, numerous half-tone plates and text figures. 96 Recent Literature. I" Auk LJan. Report on the Immigration of Summer Residents in England and Wales in the Spring of 1907. — The third Report of the Committee appointed by the British Ornithologists’ Club on the spring migration of birds into England and Wales forms Volume XXII of the British Ornithologists’ Club, bears date October, 1908, and relates to the spring migration of 1907/ with also some notes on the fall migration of 1906. The number of species 'scheduled’ is 33, the arrivals of 30 of which are indicated by maps for each. There is a “summary of the records” for 65 additional species, for which in most instances the observations are few. The notes on migratory movements during the autumn of 1906 relate to about 25 species. This third report, so far as it relates to the spring immigration of 1907, “does not differ much from its predecessors, and, as before, deals solely with the movements of the year, no attempt having been made to com¬ pare it with the previous year’s records.” The season was somewhat exceptional, “for though the latter part of March was brilliantly fine, wintry weather was experienced throughout the whole of April .... Strag¬ glers of various species appeared at a somewhat early date; but the main body of birds arrived later than usual, and the immigration was at its height during the early part of May. As a result of this the ‘rushes’ or waves of immigrants were less marked and the actual period was in many cases considerably prolonged.” As in previous Reports, a daily account is given showing the condition of the weather and the arrivals of birds, in parallel columns. The report closes with a list of observers, about 200 in number, and their location by counties.— J. A. A. The Heath Hen.- — The Report of the Chairman (Dr. George W. Field) of the Massachusetts Commissioners on Fisheries and Game for the year 1907, gives the present status of the bird in its last foothold on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Besides a brief summary of its former range and early widespread extirpation, there are several pages devoted to an account of its present status and habits as personally ob¬ served by Dr. Field and his assistant Mr. Gates in May, 1906, and recom¬ mendations of measures to be taken to ensure its protection and future increase. 1 Report on the Immigration of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1907: Also Notes on the migratory movements during the Autumn of 1906. By the Committee appointed by the British Ornithologists’ Club = Bulletin of the British Ornitholo¬ gists’ Club, Vol. XX, October, 1908. Pp. 202, with 30 maps. The previous reports of the Committee are, 1st, for 1905, 2d, for 1906, and form respectively volumes, XVII and XX of the ‘Bulletin’ of the British Ornithologist’s Club, noticed in this journal as follows: Auk, XXIII, Oct. 1906, p. 472; ibid., XXIV, July, 1907, p. 357. 2 A Report upon the Eastern Pinnated Grouse or Heath Hen ( Tympanuchus cupido). An anonymous repaged reprint of 13 pages, from the Forty-second Annual Report of the Massachusetts Commissioners on Fisheries and Game for the year ending December 31, 1907. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 97 On January 11, 1908, the number of birds existing on the island “was not less than 55 nor more than 60.” While it appears to be most at home in the scrub oak and pitch pine barrens, it is believed that it could be naturalized once more in almost any section of the State. Fortunately it has the protection “of the best public opinion in the island,” and with the thorough precautions for its preservation and increase adopted by the game commissioners of Massachusetts, under a special act of the legis¬ lature providing for it a reservation of 1,000 acres of unimproved lands on Martha’s Vineyard, its future increase seems assured. The Report closes with a list of subscribers to a fund for the purchase of land for a reservation and for guarding such reservation from forest fires, the total sum here reported amounting to $2,420. Aside from the economic and practical bearing of the report, it is a valuable contribution to the life history of this interesting species. — J. A. A. Woodruff on Causes of the Scarcity of the Ruffed Grouse.1 — The marked scarcity of the Ruffed Grouse in the northeastern States in 1907 has been attributed to various causes; from Dr. Woodruff’s investigations it seems to have been due to a combination of a number of untoward conditions. These are primarily “(1) The unusual abundance of foxes, and, particu¬ larly, goshawks during the winter of 1906-1907. (2) The extremely cold, wet, and late spring of 1907. (3) An epidemic of some disease or parasite, or both, just which we cannot now determine.” He considers the cold, wet, late spring to have been unquestionably the most serious, and that to this was indirectly due the destruction of most of the adult females and young, through the impairment of their vitality so that they readily succumbed to disease or the attacks of parasites. — J. A. A. Forbush on the Economic Value of Birds to Agriculture. — For a number of years the writings of Mr. Forbush have been among the most important contributions to the subject of economic ornithology. They have con¬ sisted mainly of reports prepared by him as ornithologist to the Massachu¬ setts State Board of Agriculture, and published by the State. Of several of these 2 a second edition, revised to June, 1908, has recently been issued, showing that their importance is duly recognized by the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture. As they were duly noticed in these pages when first published, a further account of them in the present connection is unnecessary, although some newr matter is added and other changes introduced in these revised editions. — J. A. A. 1 The Ruffed Grouse. A Study of the Causes of its Scarcity in 1907. By E. Seymour Woodruff. Pp. 22. (A repaged reprint from the Thirteenth Annual Re¬ port of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission of the State of New York.) 2 (1) Two Years with the Birds on a Farm. By Edward Howe Forbush. Second edition, 1908, pp. 44, with 8 illustrations. (2) Birds as Protectors of Orchards, Third edition, June 1908, pp. 19. (3) Special Report of the Decrease of Certain Birds, and its Causes with Suggestions for Bird Protection. Second edition, June, 1908, pp. 118. 98 Recent Literature. fAuk LJan. Carriker’s ‘Notes on Costa Rican Formicariidse.’ — These notes1 record Myrmotherula axillaris (Vieill.) as new to Costa Rica; give Drymophila stictoptera Lawr. as the male of D. Iceniosticta Salvin; raise Myrmelastes exsul occidentalis Cherrie to a full species; and discuss the range in Central America of the light and dark forms of Cercomacra tyrannina. — J. A. A. Craig on the Voice in Pigeons as a Means of Social Control.2 — The author considers (1) Social Development of the Young; (2) Social Life of Breeding Birds; (3) Social Relations outside of the Family. The present paper is announced as preliminary to a book on the general subject of the development of bird songs which the author hopes soon to publish, giving the results of several years of investigation of the subject. His conclu¬ sions are that utility of the voice in birds is of much wider scope than has hitherto been suspected. “The voice,” he observes, “is a means of social control: that is to say, the voice is a means of influencing the be¬ havior of individuals so as to bring them into cooperation, one with an¬ other.” The illustrations are here drawn from the domestic pigeon. He claims that a bird is not “ the good machine that naturalists have supposed it to be. No internal machinery, no system of instincts, be it ever so perfect, could cany an individual dove through the vicissitudes of social life without the agency of social control .... what is meant is, that to treat the behavior as instinctive is to give it an inadequate description. The inadequacy consists in studying the individuals, and in treating the individual as a distinct entity. What is needed is, to transcend this individualistic view point, and to see that the instincts of the individual can effect their purposes only when they are guided and regulated by in¬ fluences from other individuals.” The song is considered as one means of social control, and its uses are found to be numerous and complexly inter¬ related, of which a partial list is given. — J. A. A. Taverner and Swales on the Birds of Point Pelee, Ontario.3 — Point Pelee, near the western end of Lake Erie, “forms the most southern point of the main land of the Canadian Dominion.” It is V-shaped, two long low sandbars enclosing a “swamp of varying degrees of wetness,” and several small ponds, while portions are wooded. It thus forms a resort for all classes of birds. It also seems to form a well marked migration route for a large area to the northward, and is further, according to the authors, tinged with such intrusive southern forms as the Cardinal, Yellow¬ breasted Chat, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Carolina Wren, which “have 1 Notes on Costa Rican Formicariidse, By M. A. Carriker, Jr. Ann. Carnegie Mu¬ seum, V, No. 1, 1908, pp. 8-10. 2 The Voices of Pigeons regarded as a means of social control. By Wallace Craig. Amer. Journ. of Sociology, XVI, No. 1, July, 1908, pp. 86-100. 3 The Birds of Point Pelee. By P. A. Taverner and B. H. Swales. The Wilson Bulletin, Vol. XIX, 1907, pp. 37-53, 82-99, 133-153; Vol. XX, 1908, pp. 79-96 107-129. Also separate. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 99 formed permanent settlement here.” “Taken all together, the bird life of Point Pelee, the islands adjoining and the opposite American shore forms a subject of absorbing interest and ground where migrational phenomena of the Great Lakes can perhaps be studied to better advantage than any¬ where else in this section.” In an introduction of about ten pages the location and the physical and biotic conditions of the locality are described in detail, following which is an extensively annotated list of 209 species positively identified as occur¬ ring in this limited area. Supplemental notes follow, with comment on hypothetical migration routes. The list is based on the combined “Notes of the members of the Great Lakes Ornithological Club, a small organization formed for the purpose of cooperation and intensive study of the birds of the Great Lakes Region,” the observers particularly mentioned including, besides the authors, W. E. Saunders, J. H. Fleming, A. B. Klugh, J. E. Keays, and others. — J. A. A. Rockwell on the Birds of Mesa County, Colorado.1 — This carefully compiled list 1 “includes 203 species, 159 of which have been definitely recorded for Mesa County, while the remaining 44 species .... will probably be reported from there in the future.” They are wide-ranging species, included on the basis of their known occurrence in contiguous districts, and are distinguished by being printed in smaller type than the others. The list is based primarily on the author’s knowledge of the birds of the county gained during a residence there of two entire years and portions of six others, his observations being supplemented by information con¬ tributed by a considerable number of other observers, as duly accredited in the list. The list is offered as a “purely preliminary” one. but forms a very substantial basis for future additions. The nomenclature is only in part brought down to the basis of A. O. U. Fourteenth Supplement, which possibly was not available at the time the list went to press. — J. J. A. Bryan on the Birds of Molokai.2 — This paper is the outcome of a collect¬ ing trip in the mountains of Molokai, Hawaiian Islands, during two months in 1907 (April 15-June 15), for the purpose of obtaining material for the Bishop Museum. One of the primary objects of the expedition was to secure specimens of the Hoa or Black Mamo ( Drepanorhamphus funereus), the search for which proved successful, three specimens being obtained, although it has of late been supposed to be extinct. There is also a long 1 An Annotated List of the Birds of Mesa County, Colorado. By Robert B. Rockwell. The Condor, Vol. X, No. 4, July-August, 1908, pp. 152-180, 2 maps, and 9 half-tone illustrations. 2 Some Birds of Molokai. By Wm. Alanson Bryan, formerly Curator of Ornithol¬ ogy and Taxidermist in the Bishop Museum. Occas. Papers of the B. P. Bishop Museum, Vol. IV, No. 2, 1908, pp. 43-86, with a map and 7 half-tone full-page illustrations. 100 Recent Literature. ["Auk LJan. account of the' rare JEstrelata sandwichensis, known previously from one young and two adult specimens, of which Mr. Bryan found a colony and secured a large series of adults, of winch measurements are given of eight males and twelve females. Although closely related to JEstrelata phceo- pygia of the Galapagos Islands, it proves to be somewhat smaller, with a slenderer bill and slightly different in color. Mr. Bryan’s annotated list of 28 species contains many important notes on other rare species, and one — Phceornis rutha — is described as new. — J. A. A. Annual Report of the National Association of Audubon Societies for 1908. 1 — • The fourth annual report of the President, William Butcher, occupies about fifty pages of the November-December number of ‘Bird-Lore’ for 1908, and contains the ‘President’s Address’ (pp. 277-284), the Report of the Secretary’ (pp. 284-287), ‘Reports of Field Agents’ (288-295), ‘State Audubon Reports’ (pp. 296-318), a List of the Officers and Members (pp. 319-325), and the Report of the Treasurer (pp. 326-329). As stated by the President: “What this Association has accomplished during the few years of its existence speaks for itself, and it may be truly said, I think, that very few organizations of a mixed character, such as the National Association, which is partly philanthropic and esthetic, but mostly economic, have made such great strides in the estimation of the public, as well as in benefits conferred on the citizens of the country. When our work was started, there were few laws for the protection of wild birds and animals, especially those that are beneficial to agriculture and forestry; to-day this condition is entirely changed. Further, a sentiment for the protection of wild life could hardly be said to exist; to-day such a sentiment is widespread and is fast growing, owing to the educational work of the Audubon Societies through the press and by illustrated leaflets, What has been accomplished is a monument to the faithful and intelligent work of a few hundred people scattered throughout the country. To-day. I can point with pride to a strong and thoroughly equipped organization, virile and full of activity and promise for the future outcome of the work of the National and State Audubon Members.” The address then discusses plans of work for the future, and deals, first, with the subject of ways and means, in connection with the work to be ac¬ complished. The income of the Association goes but a short way in meet¬ ing the legitimate demands upon it, and an appeal is made for its increase. Then are explained the educational measures employed, which include lectures, leaflets, and the public press. Also the legislative work, which is of the highest importance and entails a considerable outlay of funds, as when an important bill is under consideration, “a representative of the Association must be present at the hearing and speak for or against it.” “In the matter of bird legislation, there is no resting-place; the only price of satisfactory bird protection is eternal watching of legislatures, for in an 1 Bird-Lore, Vol. X, 1908, pp. 277-329, with several half-tone plates. Voi. xxvn 1909 J Recent Literature. 101 unguarded moment an amendment may be passed that will undo the work of years.” And there are forty-four legislatures to watch! Reservations, to be effective, must be patrolled by wardens, and whether the refuges are established by the Federal Government or are held under leases by the Association, the necessary wardens have to be supplied by the Association. Hence with the setting aside of each new reservation the responsibilities and expenses of the Association are proportionately in¬ creased. "How rapidly this work may be extended,” says Mr. Dutcher, "depends entirely upon the public itself. If this appeal falls upon un¬ willing ears and hearts, our progress will be slow, but if, on the other hand, our plans and suggestions meet with the sympathy and support they deserve, progress will be very rapid.” The Secretary’s report states that " nine additional reservations have been formed during the past year by President Roosevelt upon the recommendation of President Dutcher”; and that, in all, "there are now twenty-three National Reservations under the care of this Association.” The reports of field agents include a report by Edward Howe Forbush for New England, and by William B. Finley for Oregon and the Northwest Coast region. Mr. Finley gives a detailed account of his and Mr. Bohlman’s exploration of the bird life of the lakes of southern Oregon, which is not only important from the view point of bird protection but is of special interest as a sort of census of the water bird colonies of the extensive lakes and marshes of southern Oregon and northern California. Here the plume hunters have remained at work continually, killing thousands of Grebes and other birds. "It is,” says Mr. Finley, "a difficult matter to stop shooting in such a vast area that is so profitable to the plume hunter, but we expect to succeed. There are at present six indictments against plume hunters filed in the District Attorney’s office at Burns, for shooting Grebes on Malheur Lake.” He adds: “ To show how little observance has been given to the game laws in southeastern Oregon, it has been the custom for parties to go down to Malheur Lake in the fall when Swan, Snow Geese and other birds are migrating, and kill these birds merely for the feathers, which are sold at so much per pound.” Such facts indicate the necessity for a strong central organization of bird protectors, like the National Association, and how essential it is that greatly increased funds be made available for its work.— J. A. A. Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey for 1908. 1 — Dr Merriam’s report summarizes briefly the work of the Bureau of Biological Survey for the year ending June 30, 1908. This includes: "(1) Investi¬ gation of the economic relations of birds and mammals to agriculture; (2) investigations concerning the geographic distribution of animals and plants with reference to the determination of the life and crop belts of the country; (3) supervision of matters relating to game preservation and protection, and the importation of foreign birds and mammals.” Among 1 From Annual Reports of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1908. Pp. 22. 102 Recent Literature. TAuk LJan. the many important topics recapitulated may be cited the relation of birds to the cotton boll weevil; California birds in relation to the fruit industry; food of wild ducks; food of woodpeckers; mosquito-eating birds; birds in relation to the codling moth; the economic relations of the Grosbeaks; spread of the English Sparrow in southern California; means of attracting birds; geographic distribution; game protection, etc. Re¬ specting the latter we quote a single paragraph: “Difficult problems attach also to the task of preserving the non-game birds of the country. Capture of native birds for millinery purposes and for the cage-bird market is under fairly good control; but questions that press constantly for settle¬ ment arise through absorption of breeding haunts to meet the needs of spreading civilization, the great increase in the number of persons who shoot birds, and other agencies of depletion resulting from changed condi¬ tions.” The measures taken to meet these problems are briefly recounted, as well as those to prevent the importation of undesirable birds and mam¬ mals. An attempt is now being made to prevent the spread of the English Sparrow into southern California; also to ascertain the present distribu¬ tion of the Starling in this country, with a view “to devising means to check further increase of its range and to eradicate the pest, as far as possi¬ ble, in the territory now occupied.” It is of interest to here further note that “During the year the office of Geographic Distribution has made considerable advance in mapping the distribution of American birds and mammals, and in getting its accumulated data into shape for convenient reference and use.” Meanwhile the gathering of such information on a broad scale continues, while reports on sections already surveyed are being prepared for publication. — J. A. A. Mrs. Bailey’s ‘ Handbook of Birds of the Western United States.’ 1 — The third edition of Mrs. Bailey’s ‘Handbook’ differs from the former editions through the correction of the additional errors discovered, the substitution of many drawings of bird-skins in place of photographs, and a revision of the text under the genus Astragalinus to bring it into accord with the rul¬ ings of the A. O. U. Committee on Nomenclature. The work is thus not materially changed, this new edition being issued to meet the continued demand for this excellent handbook. — J. A. A. Richmond’s List of Generic Terms proposed for Birds during 1901-1905. ’ 1 Handbook of Birds | of the | Western United States | including | the Great Plains, Great Basin, Pacific Slope, and | Lower Rio Grande Valley | By | Florence Merriam Bailey | With thirty-three full-page plates by | Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and over six hundred cuts in the text | Third edition, revised | [Emblem] Boston and New York | Houghton Mifflin Company | The Riverside Press Cambridge. — 12mo., pp. xc 4- 514. $3.50, net; postpaid, $3.69. 2 Generic Names applied to Birds during the years 1901 to 1905, inclusive, with further Additions to Waterhouse’s “Index Generum Avium.” By Charles W. Richmond, Assistant Curator, Division of Birds, U. S. National Museum. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXXV, pp. 583-655. Published Dec. 16, 1908. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 103 This is a continuation of Dr. Richmond’s ‘List of Generic Terms proposed for Birds’ published in 1902/ and includes, besides new names, many here¬ tofore generally overlooked. The new names here recorded for tins five- year period number about 200, “with about 350 others of earlier date, the majority of which are not recorded by Waterhouse” in his ‘Index Generum Avium,’ published in 1889. Of these 350 names, more than one third, or about 125, are marked with an asterisk to indicate that they are nomina nuda or else of “undecided status,” or “names about the status of which there may be differences of opinion”; such as, for example where the name rests solely on a diagnosis, or on a drawing of structural details (like some of Reichenbach’s), or on a vernacular name. This category includes a large part of Billberg’s 50 new names (published in 1828), most of Brookes’s 40 (published also in 1828), and most of the names (about 50) of Morris, C. T. and N. Wood, and S. D. W. (dating from 1837). It is a pity such worthless lumber could not have remained in oblivion. On the other hand, many of the old names here listed have sufficient basis and are entitled to the recognition required by the law of priority. As in Dr. Richmond’s previous ‘List of Generic Terms,’ the subject is well handled and the references and results are clearly and satisfactorily presented, the ‘ List ’ forming a most valuable supplement to previous in¬ dexes to the generic names of birds. The numerous footnotes add valuable comment on many intricate points, and include several changes of names, including names of species as well as of genera. Thus Aaptus Richmond, 1902 (= Aphobus Cabanis, 1851, preoccupied) is found to be preoccupied and is accordingly changed to Gnorimopsar. Accentor Bechstein, 1802, becomes Laiscopus Gloger, 1842. Amandava Blyth, 1836, has priority over Sporaginthus Cabanis, 1850. Passerherbulus Maynard, 1895, has priority over Ammospiza Oberholser, 1905. Carpophagus Selby, 1835, being preoccupied, gives way to Muscadivores Gray, 1855. Conoponderas Billberg, 1828, has priority over Tatare Lesson, 1831. Halohippus Bill- berg, 1828, has priority over Rhantistes Kaup, 1829, both being monotypic with the same type ( Procellaria glacialis Linn.). Pogonornis Gray, 1846, being preoccupied by Pogonornis Billberg, 1828, is here renamed Notio- mystis Richmond. Tanagra Linnaeus, dating from 1764 (instead of 1766 as usually cited), has the type here first designated, as follows: “So far as I know the type of Tanagra at 1764 is yet to be fixed, and as ‘ first re¬ viser,’ under the rules of the new International Code, I will select Fringilla violacea Linnaeus, 1758, as the type. This. . . .will permit us to use Tan- garidae for the family, Tangara Brisson, for the Callistes, Euphonia Des- marest ( Tanagra Linnaeus, 1764, preoccupied [antedated] by Tangara Brisson) for the Euphonias, and Thraupis Boie, for the ‘ true ’ Tanagers. Those who reject Brisson ’s names may use Tanagridae, Calospiza, Tanagra, and Thraupis for the same groups.” This comes about from the fact that Tanagra of Linnaeus in 1764 (Mus. Adolphi Friderici) contained only three See Auk, XIX, July, 1902, p. 307. 104 Recent Literature. ["Auk LJan. pecies, only one of which was as a member of the family of Tanagers, the others being Icterines — one a Leistes, the other a Cassicus, while the third (and last) is a Euphonia.— J. A. A. Publications Received. — Bailey, Florence Merriam. Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. Third edition, revised. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1908. $3.50, net; postpaid, $3.69. Bryan, Wm. Alanson. Some Birds of Molokai. (Occas. Papers, B. P. Bishop Museum, Vol. IV, No. 2, 1908.) Chapman, Frank M. Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist. D. Apple- ton and Co., 1908. $3.00, net. Carriker, M. A., Jr. Notes on Costa Rican Formicariidae. (Ann. Car¬ negie Mus., Vol. V, 1908, pp. 8-10.) Craig, Wallace. (1) The Voices of Pigeons regarded as a means of Social Control. (Journ. of Sociology, Vol. XIV, July, 1908, pp. 85-100.) (2) North Dakota Life: Plant, Animal and Human. (Bull. Amer. Geogr. Soc., Vol. XL, July, 1908, pp. 321-415.) Dresser, H. E. On the Russian Arctic Expedition of 1900-1903. Part III. (Ibis, Oct., 1908, pp. 593-599.) [Field, G. W.] A Report upon the Eastern Pinnated Grouse or Heath Hen ( Tympanuchus cupido). (Forty-second Ann. Rep. Massachusetts Comm, on Fisheries and Game for 1907 (repaged, 13 pp.). Forbush, Edward Howe. (1) Birds as Protectors of Orchards, Third edition, revised, June, 1908. (2) Two Years with the Birds on a Farm. Second edition, revised, June, 1908. (3) Special Report on the Decrease of Certain Birds, and its Causes, with Suggestions for Bird Protection. Second edition, revised, June. 1908. Gadow, Hans. Through Southern Mexico, being an Account of the Travels of a Naturalist. Witherby and Co., 326 High Iiolborn, London. 1908. Merriam, C. Hart. Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey for 1908. (From Ann. Rep. of U. S. Dept. Agric., Washington, 1908.) Palmer, T. S. The Decision of the Supreme Court of the United States on the Sale of Imported Game. Bureau of Biological Survey, Circular No. 67. Dec. 9, 1908. Palmer, T. S., and Henry Oldys. Game Laws for 1908. A Summary of the provisions relating to Seasons, Shipment, Sale, Limits, and Licenses. U. S. Dept. Agric., Farmers’ Bulletin 336. Preble, Edward A. A Biological Investigation of the Athabaska- Mackenzie Region. North American Fauna No. 27, Oct. 26, 1908. Richmond, Charles W. Generic Names applied to Birds during the year 1901 to 1905, inclusive, with further additions to Waterhouse’s ‘Index Generum Avium.’ (Proc. LL S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXXV, pp. 583-655. Dec. 16, 1908.) Rockwell, Robert B. An Annotated List of the Birds of Mesa County, Colorado. (Condor, Vol. X, No. 4, 1908, pp. 152-180.) Vol. XXVII 1909 J Notes and News. 105 Taverner, P. A., and B. H. Swales. The Birds of Point Pelee. (Wilson Bulletin, Nos. 59, 61, 63, 64, 1907-1908.) Abstract Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Nos. 61, 62, 1908. Annals of Scottish Nat. Hist., No. 68, Oct., 1908. Avicultural Magazine, N. S., VI, No. 12, VII, Nos. 1, 2, Oct.-Dec., 1908. Bird-Lore, X, Nos. 5, 6, Sept.-Dee., 1908. Bird Notes, Journ. Foreign Bird Club, VII, No. 7, Oct., 1908. British Birds, II, Nos. 5-7, Oct.-Dec., 1908. Bulletin British Orn. Club, Vol. XXII, Oct., 1908. Bulletin Charleston Museum, IV, Nos. 6, 7, Oct.-Nov., 1908. Condor, The, X, Nos. 5, 6, Sept. -Dec., 1908. Emu, The, VIII, No. 2, Oct., 1908. Forest and Stream, LXXI, Nos. 13-26, 1908. Ibis, The, (9) II, No. 4, Oct., 1908. Journal fur Ornithologie, LVI, Heft 4, Oct., 1908. Journal of the Maine Orn. Soc., X, No. 4, Dec., 1908 Ornithologisches Jahrbuch, XIX, Heft 5-6, Nov., 1908. Ornithologische Monatsberichte, XVI, Nos. 10-12, Oct.-Dec., 1908. Ornithologische Monatsschrift, XXX, Nos. 8-10, 1908. Ottawa Naturalist," XXII, Nos. 7-9, Oct.-Dec., 1908. Philippine Journal of Science, III, No. 3, June, 1908. Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sciences Philadelphia, LX, pt. 2, 1908. Proceedings California Acad. Sciences, (4) III, pp. 1-40, Oct., 1908. Science, N. S., Nos. 718-730, 1908. Wilson Bulletin, XX, No. 3, 1908. Zoological Bulletin Penna. Dept. Agric., VI, No. 4-8, Sept.-Nov., 1908. Zoologist, The, (4) XII, Aos. 142-144, Oct.-Dec., 1908. NOTES AND NEWS. Dr. Robert Morris Gibbs, well known as a Michigan naturalist and ornithologist, died of paralysis at his home in Kalamazoo, September 18, 1908, at the age of 52. His name is familiar to most of the older bird men, as he was an occasional contributor to ‘Forest and Stream,’ the ‘American Field,’ the ‘Ornithologist and Oologist,’ the ‘Oologist,’ and the ‘ Nidiologist’ (later the ‘Nidologist’), a word originally coined by Dr. Gibbs. His first work of importance was an Annotated List of Michigan Birds, published in Bull. U. S. Geogr. and Geol. Survey of the Territories, Vol. V, No. 3, 1879. He collected a large part of the material for Professor Cook’s ‘Birds of Michigan,’ published by the Michigan Agricultural College in 1893, but the final draft of this bulletin was made entirely by others. About twenty years ago Dr. Gibbs suffered a stroke of paralysis which 106 Notes and News. [Auk LJan. crippled him so completely that during the remainder of his life he was confined to a wheel chair and able to accomplish but very little field work, although he used his pen pretty steadily until the last. Ornithologists are indebted to him for many valuable field notes and critical observations, as well as for his lists of Michigan birds. He also published one or more lists of Michigan reptiles, and did some work on the mammals of the State during his later years. His collections of birds and mammals were purchased many years ago by the Michigan Agricultural College and the University of Michigan. — W. B. B. The Fourth Annual Meeting of the National Association of Audubon Societies was held at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, October 27, 1908. To facilitate the work of the Association several changes were made in the By-Laws, reducing the number of Direc¬ tors from thirty to eleven, and making six instead of five a quorum. In addition to the Board of Directors, an Advisory Board was established, “consisting of not less than ten nor more than thirty members,” to which the Board of Directors may submit any matter for advice. With a large and widely scattered Board of Directors it has been found impossible to secure a satisfactory attendance at meetings; a smaller Board, with a more concentrated residence, seemed to promise greater efficiency in the transaction of business. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, William Dutcher; First Vice-President, Dr. T. S. Palmer; Second Vice-President, Dr. J. A. .Allen; Secretary, T. Gilbert Pearson; Treasurer, Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jr. Upon invitation of Mr. Gifford Pinchot, the following Committee was appointed , to cooperate with the National Conservation Commission: Edward Howe Forbush (Chairman), Dr. T. S. Palmer, Frank M. Chapman, T. Gilbert Pearson, William Dutcher. Following the reports of the President, Secretary and Treasurer, an illus¬ trated address was given by Mr. William L. Finley on the work of the plume hunter in Oregon. The work of the Association for the year 1908, as detailed in the report of the President, has already been noticed ( antea , p. 100). An important decision has recently been made by the Supreme Court of the United States respecting the sale in this country of imported game. The decision is that of the Silz Case, which was begun in the courts of Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, in April, 1905. The history of this case is given in full by Dr. T. S. Palmer in ‘Circular No. 67’ of the Bureau of Biological Survey, issued December 9, 1908, on which the following details are based. “On April 6, 1905, John Hill, proprietor of the Claren¬ don Hotel in Brooklyn, was arrested for having in possession in close season 24 brace of English Plover and Russian Grouse. These birds had been purchased from August Silz, one of the largest importers of foreign game in New York City, Silz at once became a party to the case and on the next day was arrested by Henry Hesterberg, the sheriff of the county, Vol’l909^ *] Notes and News. 107 for having in possession on March 30, 1905, in Kings County, N. Y., one Golden Plover and one Blackcock from Russia. . . . This game was said to have been captured in the open season, purchased in London, and im¬ ported into the United States in accordance with the tariff law and regu¬ lations.” On April 7, Silz obtained a writ of habeas corpus from the supreme court in Brooklyn, and on June 16 the writ was quashed and the relator was remanded to the custody of the sheriff. He appealed the case, and the appeal was sustained by the appellate division of the supreme court. On February 26, 1907, the court of appeals reversed this decision, and Silz was again remanded to the custody of the sheriff of Kings County. On July 27, the final order quashing and dismissing the writ of habeas corpus was issued. In 1907 the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States on writ of error. The case was argued October 15, 1908, and the final decision was rendered on November 2, 1908, affirming the judgment of the court of appeals of New York. The opinion of the court was rendered by Mr. Justice Day. Dr. Palmer cites the opinion in full, and further gives a history of the question of the right of a State to regulate possession and sale of game taken outside its boundaries. He also comments on the importance of the de¬ cision in its relation to game protection in the United States, stating: “The present decision in the Silz case disposes of the question whether a State has the right to regulate possession and sale of game taken outside its boundaries — a question which has been before the State courts in one phase or another for more than thirty-five years, and which is here pre¬ sented in an extreme form, namely, regulation of the sale of game imported from foreign countries.” This decision also, he further states, “directly affects dealers in game, importers, and many persons engaged in the mil¬ linery trade, and is also of unusual interest to sportsmen and friends of game protection.” Evidently if a State can regulate the importation and sale of game, it can also regulate, or prohibit, the importation and sale of foreign birds for millinery purposes, and thus aid in checking the immense slaughter of birds in foreign countries for such use. Dr. Rudolph M. Anderson, formerly of Blees Military Academy, Macon, Mo., is now engaged in zoological exploration in Arctic America, in the interest of the American Museum of Natural History. The expedi¬ tion, in charge of Mr. Vilhjalmr Stefansson, left New York in April, 1908, reaching the Great Slave Lake region in June, and later descended the Mackenzie River to the Arctic coast, where the explorers will pass the win¬ ter. The expedition is expected to occupy two years, Mr. Stefansson giving special attention to the anthropology and Dr. Anderson to the zoology of portions of Arctic America thus far practically unexplored. The first shipment of specimens reached the Museum in October, and though not large, contained a number of birds and mammals of much interest, includ¬ ing the nest of the Bohemian Waxwing described in the present number of this journal (see pp. 10-12) by Dr. Anderson. 108 Notes and News. [Auk LJan. Dr. D. G. Elliot has recently returned to New York from a prolonged trip around the world, during which considerable time was spent in India, China, Japan, and Hawaii. Dr. Elliot is engaged in the preparation of a monograph of the Primates, a group of mammals at present in greatest need of thorough revision, and his visit to Europe was for the purpose of studying the material in foreign museums, including especially the types of previous authors. Major Edgar A. Mearns, Medical Corps, U. S. Army, who has twice in recent years been detailed to service in the Philippines, has recently been placed on the retired list with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. President Roosevelt having invited him to accompany him on his hunting trip to Africa in April next, Dr. Mearns’s field of experience as a naturalist will be further widened by a year’s work in the interior of Africa, where he will have the good wishes of all his fellow members of the A. O. U. Arrangements have been made for the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin by the New York Academy of Sciences on February 12 next at the American Museum of Natural History. The memorial exercises will include the presentation to the Museum of a bust of Darwin, the presentation to be made by Charles F. Cox, President of the Academy, and the acceptance will be by Henry F. Osborn, President of the Museum. Other addresses will be on ‘Darwin’s work in Botany,’ by Professor N. L. Britton; ‘Darwin’s work in Zoology,’ by Professor H. C. Bumpus; ‘Darwin’s work in Geology,’ by Professor J. J. Stevenson. A prominent feature of ‘Bird-Lore’ for the last five years has been the series of colored plates of North American birds. The first series of twenty- four was devoted to the Wood Warblers (Mniotiltidse), and was reissued later, with appropriate text, as ‘The Warblers of North America.’ The Warbler plates were followed by colored plates of the Thrushes, and these by colored plates of the Flycatchers. The Flycatcher series will be com¬ pleted in the next issue (Jan.-Feb., 1909) of the magazine, and will be followed by colored plates of the Yireos, to be completed in 1909. It is now announced that the Vireo series will be followed by plates of the Sparrows, which, we are sure, will also meet with a hearty welcome on the part of ‘ Bird-Lore ’ readers, and later serve as the basis of other such admirable monographs as the now well-known * Warbler Book.’ The prospectus of a new illustrated monthly magazine, to be known as ‘Travel and Exploration,’ has recently been issued by Witherby and Company, London. The magazine will be devoted to illustrated articles dealing with travel in all its aspects, of which a prominent feature will be the personal narratives of explorers of wild and little known regions, in¬ cluding Polar expeditions, both North and South, as well as other out of the way regions. The list of contributors presented includes the names of several widely known explorers. The first number is announced to appear January 1, 1909. The Auk Complete set, Volumes I-XXV (1884-1898), in original covers, 887.00. Volumes I-VI are sold only with complete sets, other volumes, 83.00 each; 75 cents for single numbers. Check=List of North American Birds and Code of Nomenclature Original edition, 1886, cloth, 8vo, pp. viii+392. (Out of print.) Abridged Check-List of North American Birds. Paper, 8vo, pp. 71, printed on one side of the page, 25 cents. Check-List of North American Birds. Second and revised edition, 1895, cloth, 8vo, pp. xi+372. 81.15. Code of Nomenclature. 1892. Paper, 8vo, pp. iv-f 72. 25 cents. Code of Nomenclature. Revised edition, 1908. Paper, 8vo, pp. lxxxv. 50 cents. Index to The Auk (Vols. I-XVII, 1884-1900) and Bulletin Nuttall Ornithological Club (Vols. I-VIII, 1876-1883). 8vo, pp. vii + 426, 1908. Cloth, 83.75;. paper, 83.25. Old Series, Vol. XXXIV | CONTINUATION OF THE f BULLETIN OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB New Series, Vol. XXVI The Auk H Guartcvlv 3ournal of ©rnitbolog? Vol. XXVI —APRIL, 190 9— No. 2 PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ Union CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. CONTENTS. The Position of Bird’s Feet in Flight. By Charles TF. Townsend, M. D. . . • 109 Ornithological Miscellany from Audubon Wardens. By B. S. Bowdish . . 116 Notes on the Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. By Arthur H. Howell . 129 The Tagging of Wild Birds as a Means of Studying their Movements. By Leon J. Cole . . 137 A List of the Birds of Western South Dakota. By Stephen Sargent Vischer 144 Barrow’s Golden-eye in Massachusetts. By William Brewster . . . ’ . 153 The Habitat Groups of North American Birds in the American Museum of Natural History. By J. A. Allen. (Plates I-IV.) ..... 165 Something More about Black Ducks. By William Brewster . - . . . 175 New Records and Important Range Extensions of Colorado Birds. By Merrit Cary . . 180 General Notes. — A Recent Instance of the Occurrence of the White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) in Massachusetts, 185; The European Widgeon in Rhode Island, 186; Snow Geese in Massachusetts, T 88; Another Ohio Record for Oidemia deglandi, 189; The Masked Duck — a Correction, 189; The Little Blue Heron in New Jersey, 189; The Yellow Rail at Salem, New Jersey, 190; The Black Rail {Creciscus gamaicensis) in the District of Columbia 190; Occurrence of the Whimbrel ( Numenius phceopus) off the Coast of Nova Scotia, 190; Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo), 191 ; Capture of a Bald Eagle near Chicago, Ill., 191; The Prairie Falcon ( Falco mexicanus) in Western Minnesota, 191; Agelaius phoeniceus fortis in Louisiana, 192; Pine Siskin and Winter Bobolinks, 192; Evening Grosbeaks again in Massachusetts, 194; The Cardinal at Ipswich, Mass., 194; Dendroica discolor and Dendroca vigorsi in Eastern Massachusetts in Winter, 195; The Carolina Wren at New Haven, Conn., 195; Breeding of the Louisi¬ ana Water-Thrush in Philadelphia, 195; A Spring Record for Bicknell’s Thrush on Long Island, I96j Albino Robins, 196; Unusual Dates for some Birds at New Haven, Conn., 198; Unusual Records for Massachusetts, 198; Massachusetts Bird Notes, 199; Three New Records for the State of Washington and One for Oregon, 200; Labrador Notes, 201. Recent Literature. — Grinnell’s ‘The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains, 202; Grinnell on Birds of Southeastern Alaska, 203; Grinnell on Birds observed at Salton Sea, 204; Chapman on the Life-Histories of the Booby and Man-o’-War Bird, 205; Warren on 'Birds of Montrose County, Colorado, - 206; Sclater on the Winter Birds of Colorado, 206; Wetmore’s Notes on Some Northern Arizona Birds, 206; Oberholser’s List of Alabama Birds, 206; Oberholser’s Revision of the Kingfishers of the Genus Rara- phalcyon, 206; Van Oort’s Avifauna of the Netherlands, 207; Hartert’s ‘Die Vogel der Palaarctischen Fauna,’ Heft V, 207; Count von Berlepsch on the Birds of Cayenne, 207; ‘Cassinia,’ 208; Stone’s ‘A Revision of the Genus Piaya Lesson, 209; Watson’s ‘The Behavior of Noddy and Sooty Terns,’ 209; Publications Received, 214. * ' i Correspondence. — Where the Skeletons of American Birds may be Studied, 217. Notes and News. — -Obituary; Charles Aldrich, 218; Edward Seymour Woodruff, 218. Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Audubon Society of the State of New York, 219; Darwin Memorial Celebration, 219; Roosevelt Expedition to Africa, 220; Temperature Map of Mexico and Central America, 220; New Publications, 220. THE AUIv,’ published quarterly as the Organ of the American Orni¬ thologists’ Union, is edited by Dr. J. A. Allen, with the assistance of Mr. Frank M. Chapman. _ . - Terms; — $3.00 a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num¬ bers, 75 c§nts. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and Associates of the A. O. U. not in arrears for dues. Subscriptions should be addressed to DR. JONATHAN DWIGHT, Jr., Business Manager, 134 West 71st St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscrib¬ ers may obtain ‘ The Auk ’ through R. H. PORTER, 7 Princes -Street, Cavendish Square, W., London. All articles and communications intended for publication and all books and publications for notice, should be sent to Dr. J. A. ALLEN, American Museum of Natural History, 77th St. and Central Park, West, New York City. Manuscripts for general articles should reach the "editor at least six weeks before the date of the number for which they are intended, and manuscripts for ‘ General Notes ’ and ‘ Recent Literature ’ not later than the first of the month preceding the date of the number in which it is desired they shall appear. THE AUK : A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Vol. xxvi. April, 1909. No. 2 THE POSITION OF BIRDS’ FEET IN FLIGHT.1 BY CHARLES W. TOWNSEND, M. D. The flight of birds is generally so rapid that our impression as to the position of their feet is often a confused or conventional one, and not always correct, unless our attention has been particularly called to this point. This is shown, for example, in the taxider¬ mist’s soaring dove, whose feet are carefully drawn up in front, an erroneous position, as we shall see. In the case of many birds, however, it is not difficult on close observation to see clearly the feet, and to be sure of their position. In others, long study is necessary before the point is clear. The subject has interested me for some years, and I have accumulated a certain number of notes from my own observations and from literature, both of which are briefly summed up in the following paper. All studies of this sort are interesting in themselves, and may be of help in determining relationships. Birds may be divided into two classes: I, those that habitually carry their feet stretched out behind during flight, and, II, those that carry them drawn up in front. I. Birds that carry the feet behind. As far as I know all water-birds habitually carry their feet behind in flight, but a few observations on the different orders may be of interest. 1 Read at the Annual Meeting of the American Ornithologist Union, November 18, 1908. 109 110 Townsend, Position of Birds’ Feet in Flight. [April Pygopodes. As the Grebes are practically tail-less, their feet, extended to the rear, are very noticeable, while the feet of the Loon appear like a rudder behind their cutter-built bodies. In fact, it is very probable that the feet in these birds are used, like a long tail, as a rudder. In the Auk family some have the feet brilliantly colored, so that they are noticeable, as is the case with the Puffin and Black Guille¬ mot, where the feet are bright red. In the case of the Razor-billed Auk the tail is so long that the feet are concealed from above, while in the Murre, they extend slightly beyond the tail. Capt. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton (3), speaking of the Auks, says: “Here again the legs are still of considerable assistance to the flying bird, since they may be separated so as to increase the width of the tail; they may be placed both together at one side, or they may be allowed to partially drop and catch the wind with an effect possibly some¬ what like that of the string of a kite.” Longipennes. Although I have observed the backward posi¬ tion of the feet in numerous members of the Gull order, the most satisfactory bird to watch, and one with which I have had many opportunities, is the Herring Gull. These opportunities are greatest where the birds are protected and fearless, as is the case in the basin of the Charles River and in Boston Harbor. The legs are habitually extended behind under the tail, the feet generally close together but often apart. In quick turns, the feet are gener¬ ally dropped pressed together, suggesting their use as a center- board, for, as in a centerboard boat, quick turns with the board up are impossible, — with it down these turns become easy. Several observers, namely Barrett-Hamilton (3), Meade-Waldo (15), and Anthony (1), mention the fact that Gulls of various spe¬ cies occasionally fly with one or both legs drawn up in front, more or less completely concealed in the feathers of the breast. Anthony infers that they do this to keep the feet warm, but I have seen this habit when the temperature was 40° Far., and Barrett-Hamilton (3) has observed it in mid-summer. I have observed this habit in the Glaucous and in the Great Black-backed Gull as well as in the Herring Gull. A Herring Gull I was watching had both feet held up in front, showing plainly against its white breast. While I was looking it drew down one foot and extended it behind in the usual manner, flying about in this way for several minutes. Another '°1i909’'1] Townsend, Position of Birds’ Feet in Flight. Ill bird, while sailing about with both feet behind, dropt them, shook them, and then inserted both in the feathers of the breast. Some¬ times the feet carried forward show plainly, at other times they are buried all but the toes which appear as dark nobs, and again they are entirely concealed in the feathers of the breast, so that the bird appears to be destitute of feet. Birds with one foot concealed in front and one carried behind appear to have only one foot. I have noticed the habit both in the immature and in the adult Gulls. I once saw a Common Tern bring one foot forward and scratch its head during flight — a surprising performance. Tubinares. I have never had the opportunity to observe the Albatross family but Barrett-Hamilton (4), in speaking of the flight of an Albatross with its feet stretched out backwards, says: “The legs are frequently moved as if to act as a rudder or to lessen the bird’s pace — for example, when descending.” «The Shearwaters usually skim so close to the water that their short feet are concealed, and I have not noted them during flight. Of the Petrels, I have observed the feet extending beyond the tail in Wilson’s Petrel, and have discovered that this is an ex¬ cellent field mark to distinguish this species from Leach’s Petrel, where the short feet are concealed below the tail, not even extending beyond the fork (19). This fact has also been noted by Riley (16). Steganopodes. The Gannets, Cormorants, Pelicans, Tropic and Man-o’-War Birds all carry their feet behind. Many photo¬ graphs by Chapman, Job and others show this point. Anseres. All the Ducks, Geese and Swrans carry their feet behind, a point that is easily observed in some species. When they alight in the water, the feet are dropped and carried forward wide apart to break their fall. Meade-Waldo (15) states that he once saw a Mallard carry its feet in front during flight, just as has al¬ ready been described in the case of the Gulls. Odontogloss.e. Chapman’s photographs of Flamingos show the legs held behind in flight. Herodiones. The dexterity with which the Herons manage their ungainly legs, stretching them out behind in flight, is familiar to all. I once saw a Great Blue Heron attacked in mid-air from the rear by a screaming Tern. The Heron was so startled that it dropt for a moment its long legs, and stretched out and around its snake-like neck. That Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills carry 112 Townsend, Position of Birds' Feet in Flight. [.April the legs behind has been affirmed by several observers, and the fact is shown in numerous published photographs. PALUDicoLyE. Our common Sora and Virginia Rails in flying short distances generally let their legs dangle straight down, but if the birds get well under way the legs are drawn up behind. The same is true of the American Coot or Fulica. In the case of Cranes, I have had no experience, but Meade- Waldo (15) states that the legs are carried behind. LnricoLyE. I have made numerous observations on many species of shore-birds, and all carry their legs behind in flight. This is most easily seen in the long-legged waders, but can be observed even in those with short legs. Among the land birds both classes may be found but I shall continue with those that belong in Class I, — those that carry the feet behind. Galling. The Pheasants, Grouse, Bob-whites, etc., all carry their feet behind when well under way, but, as it is probable that they all draw them up in front in starting, or flying only a few feet, their action has often been misunderstood. I have not been able to see the feet in the rapid flight of our Ruffed Grouse and Bob-white, but in the introduced Ring Pheasant, I once watched a flock of young birds in flight whose only partly grown tails did not conceal the long legs of the birds that extended back¬ wards. Meade-Waldo (14) says that all game birds when launched on the wflng carry their legs behind. Holdsworth (13) says: “The Pheasant and the Capercaille both rise with their feet in front, and when well on the wing turn them backwards.” Hartert (11) states that all game birds carry the legs behind, and quotes Ogilvie Grant, Walter Rothschild and J. G. Millais in support of this assertion. Barrett-Hamilton (3) also confirms this. CoLUMByE. The familiar Pigeon of our streets, the descendant of the Rock Dove of Europe, affords an excellent opportunity for the study of the disposition of the feet during flight, yet I have found that even excellent observers are apt to see incorrectly until they have carefully studied the subject. The management of the feet is as in the Gallinse. On rising from the ground, the Pigeon draws up its feet in front, but, as it gathers headway, the feet are drawn back and extended under the lower tail coverts. In this ^0l i*909^ VI] Townsend, Position of Birds’ Feet in Flight. 113 position it soars or executes any flight of more than a few yards. When it flies but a short distance it does not have time, or it does not take the trouble, to draw up its feet behind, but carries them in front to be ready to drop them when it alights. In quick turns I have seen them drop their feet a short distance from the tail, so that daylight could be seen between, as has already been described in the case of the Gulls. One I was watching dropped its legs so that they hung straight down for a few seconds, and were then extended behind again. In alighting the feet are thrown forward, generally at the last moment. Raptores. About the position of the feet in the Birds of Prey there has been from time to time considerable discussion, although the matter was apparently settled in the pages of ‘The Ibis’ in 1894 and 1895, when the Editor, after reviewing an article on the subject by Hartert (11), asked whether British ornithologists agreed with the author. Hartert (9) stated that he was convinced that all birds of prey carried their legs behind in flight, and the same habit had been recorded the year before by Ziemer (20). This observation was confirmed by Sclater (17), Barrett-Hamilton (2), Meade-Waldo (14) and Cordeaux (6), each having noted this habit in one or more species. Meade-Waldo had also observed it in trained Falcons. Hartert (12), in a later article on the subject, quoted E. C. Stuart Baker and Ogilvie Grant as sustaining him against the popular idea that the feet are carried in front. He also states that Kestrels when about to strike carry their legs forward and extended, and this is doubtless true of other Hawks. Barrett- Hamilton (3) says that while the normal position of the feet of Kites is backwards, still he “feels sure that Kites, like Gulls, can use either the backward or the forward position.” When the new U. S. twenty dollar gold piece appeared in 1907 with the design by St. Gaudens of an Eagle in flight, its legs behind, a protest went up. A writer in the Boston ‘Transcript’ said: “Whoever saw an eagle in flight with its legs trailing behind it like a heron ?,” thus voicing the popular idea that the legs are carried in front. My own observations on this point in Birds of Prey are limited to the Osprey, Sparrow, Marsh, Rough-legged and Red-shouldered Hawks. At Bristol, R. I., the Ospreys are semi-domesticated. 114 Townsend, Position of Birds’ Feet in Flight. [\prii for they build their nests on tall poles, erected for their convenience in barn-vards, and allow inspection at close range. Under these circumstances one can easily see that the legs are extended behind in flight, — and carried close under the tail. On one occasion I watched two Red-shouldered Hawks soaring together. In one the feet were stretched close under the tail, while the other had dropped them slightly, so that daylight was visible between the tail and the feet. A Sparrow Hawk that flew by me at Ipswich within 30 yards, showed the feet trailing behind, with a distinct gap between the tail and the legs, very much as in the St. Gaudens design. The only observation I have made in the Owl family, was in the case of a Great Horned Owl that I wTatched flying about in one of Mr. John E. Thayer’s large cages. In this case the legs were drawn to the rear and not forward, and the faster the bird flew the more the legs were extended behind. Meade-Waldo (15) states that the legs of Owls are carried behind, and Finley (7) has published an interesting photograph of a Barn Owl in full flight, where the legs are plainly extended behind. Mr. F. H. Kennard tells me that some Barred Owls that he kept always extended their feet behind in flight. Psittaci. Finn (8) has observed the feet carried behind in the Indian Parrot, Palaeornis torquatus. Beebe (5) says of the Finsch Amazon Parrots in flight: “Each little foot clinched tightly close to the tail feathers.” Coccyges. Finn (8) by careful and long observations has determined that both Cuckoos and Kingfishers carry the feet behind. He observed birds in the wild state and also when con¬ fined in rooms for this purpose. II. Birds that carry the feet drawn up in front. In our review of the orders of North American birds, all have been considered but these, namely: Pici, Macrochires and Passeres. Pici. The observations of Finn (8) are the only ones that I can find in this order. He has observed a Woodpecker carrying the feet in front in flight. I have often endeavored to determine this point in the Flicker, but have been as yet unable to do so. Voli909^ ]] Townsend, Position of Birds’ Feet in Flight. 1 15 Macrochires. To determine the position of the feet during flight in the Goatsuckers, Swifts and Hummingbirds is a difficult problem, owing to the smallness of the feet and the habits of flight in this order, and I have no observations of my own to record. Finley has taken a photograph of a Hummingbird hovering about a flower in which the feet are in front. A photograph by Chapman (51) shows the same state of things. It is possible, however, that in full flight the feet may be extended behind. This order may therefore be put in the undetermined list. Passeres. The great order of perching birds alone remains, and it would seem natural that they should carry the feet in front as they fly from place to place, so as to be ready to seize their perch. As far as I know, this is the case. Barrett-Hamilton (3) gives a list of several passerine birds in whom he has observed the forward position of the feet, including the English Blackbird, Raven, Rook, and others of the Crow family. The Crow is our largest common Passerine bird, but its black color of plumage and feet makes it difficult to observe on the point in question. A Crow, in rising on the wing, often lets its feet hang at first, and then draws them up in front in an exceedingly leisurely manner. When well under way the feet are close against the breast, and are held there, I am inclined to believe, even in long flights, for I have several times observed Crows at Ipswich from a point in the dunes or beach where I could follow their flight for a long distance, and, as they passed me, their feet were always in front. I have notes of a Crow migrating along the beach one April day, flying slowly, and showing plainly the feet held in front, but dropped slightly so that daylight could be seen between them and the breast. This I have seen in other cases also. The feet are often held so close to the breast that only the clenched toes can be seen, while in other cases the feet seem to be entirely buried in the feathers. That excellent observer, Edmund Selous (18), gives a drawing of flying Ravens in which the feet are drawn up in front. Other passerine birds, where I have been able to see the feet when the bird was in full flight, are: Red- winged Blackbird, Bronzed Graekle, English Sparrow, Eave, Tree and Barn Swallows, and Robin. In all of these the feet were carried in front. 116 Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. References. 1. Anthony, A. W. Auk, XXIII, 1906, p. 132. 2. Barrett-Hamilton, Capt. G. E. H. Ibis, 7th series, I, 1895, p. 166. 3. - . Zoologist, VII, (4), 1903, pp. 138-149. 4. - . Ibis, (8) III, 1903, p. 322. 5. Beebe, C. W. Two Bird Lovers in Mexico. Boston, 1907, p. 183. 51. Chapman, F. M. Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist. New York, 1908, p. 26. 6. Cordeaux, W. Wilfred. Ibis (7), I, 1895, p. 294. 7. Finley, W. L. American Birds. New York, 1907, p. 88. 8. Finn, F. Proc. Asiatic Soc. of Bengal, March, 1898. 9. Hartert, Ernst. Ornith. Monatsberichte, Jan., 1894, p. 5. 10. - . Jour, fur Ornith., Oct., 1889, p. 341. 11. - . Ibis (6), VI, 1894, pp. 557-558. 12. - . Ibis (7), I, 1895, p. 133. 13. Holdsworth, E. W. H. Ibis (7), I, 1895, pp. 479-484. 14. Meade-Waldo, E. G. B. Ibis (7), I, 1895, p. 167. 15. - . Ibis (7), II, 1896, pp. 157, 158. 16. Biley, J. H. Auk, XXII, 1905, p. 350. 17. Sclater, P. L. Ibis (7), I, 1895, p. 376. 18. Selous, Edmund. Bird Watching. London, 1901, p. 135. 19. Townsend. C. W. Birds of Essex County, Cambridge, 1905, p. 111. 20. Ziemer. Ornitholog. Monatsb., 1893, p. 117. ORNITHOLOGICAL MISCELLANY FROM AUDUBON WARDENS.1 BY B. S. BOWDISH. It is my purpose to give here a few of the notes of interest gath¬ ered from letters and reports of wardens. Such notes are some of the incidental results of the warden system of the National Association of Audubon Societies. Brown Pelicans. — Brown Pelicans, on Pelican Island, Florida, started nesting nearly a month ahead of the usual time, or the first 1 A paper presented to the American Ornithologists’ Union, Cambridge, Mass. November 19, 1908, V°1i909'V !] Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. 117 week in November. At one time in January there were about 1000 occupied nests. A severe storm and high tide struck them in February; the birds first hatched were just able to fly; the rest were destroyed, the water making a clean sweep over the island. Of 2500 not over 600 escaped. Later about 75 nests were built but for some unknown reason they abandoned the island without hatching. — Paul Krogel, Pelican Island Reservation, Florida, Sept. 9, 1907. This has been the most successful season the birds have had since the island was made a reservation. A good many birds died in February through cold and exposure during stormy weather, otherwise the total would have been from six to eight hundred larger. The second brood came through very well; they can all fly with the exception of about 30. There are about 1000 birds on the island now, young and old. The second brood numbers be¬ tween six and seven hundred birds, most of which are still around the island. This season puts the island ahead of what it used to be years ago, as there were certainly more birds than I have ever seen on it before. There will probably be birds on the island until nesting starts again, unless a storm drives them off. — Paul Krogel, Pelican Island Reservation, Florida, Sept. 1, 1908. Roseate Spoonbill. — Five years ago there was a fine flock of Roseate Spoonbills or “Pink Curlews” that used and did their feeding in the northeast end of Turtle Bay; only 18 are left now of the flock, and they have for the past two seasons done their feeding on my home island in the fall and winter months. Hunters and tourists killed them, and there are but few left on the Gulf coast of Florida. — Columbus G. McLeod, Sunset Island, Florida, 1907. American White Pelican. — A small flock of White Pelicans fed during the winter and early spring months in the northeast end of Gasparilla Sound. There were about 50, but they are decreas¬ ing from shooting for wings, feathers and for mounting. Nearly all the birds except pelicans and cormorants go to the main land to feed. — Columbus G. McLeod, Sunset Island, Florida, 1907. Black Skimmers. — Black Skimmers began nesting three weeks earlier than in 1906. — Asa M. Pillsbury, Jr., Passage and Indian Keys Reservations, Florida, 1907. There was heavy weather on the 19th of April which destroyed 118 Bowdish, Ornithological N otes from Audubon Tf ardens. [April about three quarters of the nests and eggs of the Skimmers, also some of the young birds. There was left after the storm enough nests to produce say 6000 young ones. All the young of all broods are now able to take care of themselves. — Adam Thibodeaux, East Timbalier Island Reservation, Louisiana, July 8, 1908. Young Skimmers are disturbed if people visit the Reservation. They lie quiet upon the first approach of a person, but after a time they will start away and run into the water, and when it is rough on the beach the little things are beaten down and drowned. — Asa N. Pillsbury, Jr., Passage and Indian Keys Reservations, Florida, Oct. 1, 1908. Royal Tern. — The storm tide which occurred June 14 destroyed nests with eggs, about 30,000 in number, including about 15,000 Royal Terns’ eggs, and as the breeding places were low islands the Royal Terns did not re-build thereon, but a few of them went to Battledore Island. — Wm. M. Sprinkle, Breton Island Reserva¬ tion, Louisiana, 1907. Terns. — (Under this head are included Common, Arctic and Roseate, which are not readily distinguished by the wardens; also Least Terns). First Terns seen May 20; plenty May 25. The terns did not arrive as early as usual this year, on account of the cold. On July 14 there were plenty of eggs and young. People have remarked that the terns were very plenty this year. The fishermen in this vicinity like very much to have the terns here; they tell me they are as good as a compass, and bv them they locate the fish. I have not heard of a single violation this year. — Geo E. Cushman, Bluff and Stratton Islands, Maine, 1907. The terns did not seem to be as many as usual this year, and I soon found that a portion of the colony had joined the one on Fisher’s Island, two miles across the bay. A few eggs were trodden by sheep. The birds left this vicinity about the middle of July, somewhat earlier than usual. — Henry M. Cuskley, Libby Island, Maine, 1907. The terns died off badly on account of the cold and lack of food at time of hatching. — James E. Hall, Matinicus Rock, Maine, 1907. The spring was backward, cold and rainy, and most birds were late in nesting. There were as many if not more eggs laid as in ' !] Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. 119 any year since I began to take note of them. Terns are noticeably increasing. — F. N. Johnson, Swanns Island, Maine, 1907. The medrics (terns) came about the usual time and the nests soon had from one to four eggs and in one case five. The nests were very plenty and one had to be very careful not to step on the eggs, lying upon the sand, rocks, grass, and even upon the solid ledges, in some cases rolling down hill. After hatching, the long, cold rains killed some of the young, many birds being found lying about the island. — Willis Snow, Metinic Island, Maine, 1907. There is a herring weir on the north side of the island and the terns come there in large flocks and sit on the weir stakes and binders and get a great many small herring out of the weir. It does not seem to annoy the parties who own the weir. There is a ledge near there where the birds sit at low water and they seem very tame. Power boats can run very near them, and they don’t seem at all alarmed, I think they are much more numerous and also gaining the good will of the public. — Howard T. Ball, Deer Isle, Maine, 1907. About 3000 young terns were hatched, of which about 200 died, leaving 2800 reared. — Emanuel Nelson, Woods Hole, Mass., 1907. The terns were later than usual; many young died and many eggs failed to hatch owing to cold and late season. — Henry O. Rackett, Gardiner’s Island, New York, Sept. 13, 1907. Least Terns are about extinct here; otherwise, except the Gull-billed Terns, all species are much more abundant within a radius of 20 miles from Smith’s Island north than they were three years ago. On a small lump of about one acre, 140 yards from this station, 17 pairs of Common Terns nested this season and laid three eggs each, from the 51 eggs rearing 43 young, but I do not think the other colonies will average as well, as they were not so near to the station, and I could not keep the Crows away, and they eat many eggs and also some young. — J . R. Andrews, Cobb’s Island, Va., 1907. We had a heavy rain followed by a second one a day or two afterward, about the second day of August, and I found on the 12th that the young terns had perished by the score; and there seemed to be hundreds of dead young ones, all or nearly all about the same age, and quite a few eggs, dry and unhatched. — Willis Snow, Metinic Green Island, Maine, August 27, 1908. 120 Bo^\ dish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon IT ardens. [April For some reason unknown to me the terns vacated Channel Rock where there were a goodly number last year, and until the middle of July there were no birds to speak of, and only one nest, on Sloop Island Ledge. Since that time they have come to Sloop Island Ledge and built from 20 to 25 nests and raised their young. Since the breeding season was over I have frequently seen large numbers of birds rise from there but none on Channel Rock. I can discover no reason for their leaving Channel Rock; I can not see that they have been disturbed by any one. I think by appear¬ ances that they like Sloop Island Ledge and will return there another year. They have increased considerably in numbers since I first became warden, but they have not been as plenty this year as last. — Howard T. Ball, Eagle, Maine, Sept. 7, 1908. In June, at Green Island, there were lots of terns breeding, also on Stratton Island, this year. I don’t think the terns have been breeding on Green Island before for years. On Bluff Island the cows in pasture had stepped on some young terns and killed them. — George E. Cushman, Bluff and Stratton Islands, Maine, Sept. 1, 1908. Terns arrived here May 18. The first egg was found June 1; the first young July 1. About 500 young were hatched at the new colony on Foster’s Island. Most of the terns have left here and gone further up the bay in pursuit of a small fish called brit on which they feed. — Henry M. Cuskley, Bucks Harbor, Maine, Sept. 4, 1908. The terns have all gone from here, have not seen any since September 14. The approximate number of old birds was about the same as last year but there was an increase of about 150 in young. — Emanuel Nelson, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Sept. 22, 1908. Herring Gull. — Some few young died as soon as out of the shell, owing to the extreme cold. Only one old gull died this season. — Osmond Cummings, Cone Island, Maine, 1907. Gulls are getting very tame; they are known to follow the fisher¬ men and seize their trauls for the bait; they even come about the huts when the fishermen are baiting their trauls. — Dennis Driscoll , Gotts Island, Maine, 1907. All Herring Gulls breed on Pulpit Rock and Camp Island, and Vol1909^VI] Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from, Audubon Wardens. 121 terns on Freeman’s Rock and Egg Rock. This has been a very good year for all wild birds; no heavy sea to disturb their nests. Very few young died and there has been no egging to my knowledge. The Indians that have given us some trouble in years past, on Camp Island and Pulpit Rock, have not landed on the islands this year.— 0. B. Hall, Great Wass Island, Maine, Sept. 14, 1907. There were about 1400 Herring Gulls, raising about the same number of young. The increase over last year was about 200. — Fred. E. Small, Cross Island, Maine, 1907. It has seemed to me that the proportion of nests with eggs that did not hatch has been larger this year than last, I think owing to the extremely cold spring, but apparently the birds found food more abundant, and they seemed to grow faster and were more hardy. I have found a smaller number of crippled young and old birds this year than ever before. We were visited by an eagle in July and he killed several young gulls before I could drive him off. I have found four gulls that came home to die, being wounded at sea. Aside from young killed by the eagle the greatest number lost were killed by old gulls when one bird’s young tried to take the food from another adult. The gulls came to their nesting grounds on No Mans Land the last of March. The first nest was seen April 15. Young gulls commenced to leave the nesting home August 6. On September S all young birds were able to care for themselves. — Mark Young, Matinicus Island, Maine, 1907. Not as many eggs were laid by the gulls this season as heretofore; reason, too much ice on the island this spring. Many of the eggs laid did not hatch on account of cold weather. — John H. Malone, Isle Royale, Michigan, 1907. Have noticed that crows eat gulls’ eggs and kill and eat young gulls when small. — Frank F. Witte, Huron Island, Michigan, 1907. There was a very satisfactory increase in the number of nests this year, but the final outcome was very disappointing. The Crows destroyed many of the eggs, and a flock of 32 sheep on my island and 20 more on the adjoining one were a source of much annoyance to the gulls. The weather also was very bad all through the season and the fierce gales and heavy seas killed many of the young birds. After the storm I would find young birds almost as 122 Bow dish, Ornithological A otes from Audubon Wardens. [ April large as their parents and able to fly strongly, dead among the stones, having been blown or •washed in and killed. Unlike other years, the birds seem reluctant to leave, and many are still lingering around their nesting places. They have also exhibited much less fear this year, and on our home island have become quite tame, although they seem to knowr ihe difference between ourselves and strangers. — George C. Jones, Four Brothers Islands, Ne^v York, Sept. 15, 1907. The gulls arrived here the last of April; the first egg was found May 26; first young, July 1. Henry M. Cuskley, Bucks Harbor, Maine, Sept. 4, 1908. It is very difficult to determine the number of gulls for they have increased wonderfully. We find them in all the harbors and inlets during the day, but at night they return to the Duck Islands. They are doing splendidly and have not been molested at all. — Dennis Driscoll, Gotts Island, Maine, September 5, 190S. There has been abundance of herring all along the coast and the old gulls have been scattered all along the shore. They are very plenty, but they have not laid as many eggs this year as last. — 0. B. Hall, Jonesport, Maine, Sept. 9, 1908. The old birds are going fast. The young gulls are in good con¬ dition. — - Wm. F. Stanley, McKinley, Maine, Sept. 8, 1908. There were more eggs of each species laid this spring than were hatched, owing to the cold spring. — John H. Malone, Isle Royal Light Station, Michigan, Sept. 3, 1908. I do not notice any increase in the number of gulls around this place although a great many were bred here ; there do not seem to be any more now than there -were this spring, and I can not account for it except that they scatter and go all over. Of course, the hawks and owls kill some, but I have found the remains of only four that I thought were killed in that way. — John A. McDonald, Passage Island, Michigan, September 1, 1908. Arriving at the islands on May 2, several nests "were found con¬ taining one or two eggs, but none at that time with the full set of three. From then until the middle of the month the nests were built very rapidly, and on May 28 the first young bird Avas hatched. On this date a careful count showed 327 eggs, which number was increased later by 21, found after the falling water permitted a V^XXM] BowdisH; Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. 123 more thorough search of the shores. The per cent, of young hatched was very high, as I found not more than 12 eggs unhatched. The general exodus of the birds took place during the last week of August, nearly all being gone by September 1. I estimate that fully 75 eggs were destroyed by Crows. This loss occurred on only one island, which being heavily wooded afforded a place of con¬ cealment for the Crows from which they could steal upon the nests while the old birds were away. I found one nest where all three of the eggs had been broken and the contents not yet eaten. Others I found with only two small holes through which the contents had evidently been sucked. I was unable to find any evidence that they destroyed any young birds. Including the eggs destroyed, I estimate the number of eggs laid as 450, which was a very con¬ siderable increase over last year. The four islands, containing each about four acres, afford an admirable breeding ground, which should, in time, become a very large colony. — B. G. Boone, Four Brothers Islands, N. Y., Nov. 7, 1908. It is a pleasure for me to report that this has been a very good year for the birds breeding on Old Man Island. The island contains only about 7 acres, which is small for the number of birds breeding there. — Fred E. Small, Bucks Harbor, Maine, April 31, 1908. Leach’s Petrel. — The Mother Cary’s Chickens’ nests are in evidence, but of course one can not tell what is within unless the birds are disturbed. A number of years ago I saw a nest dug out, and a very sleepy looking, small, hook-billed bird was found. — Willis Snow, Metinic Island, Maine, 1907. I have previously made mention of the terrible slaughter of petrels by minks upon Western Egg Rock. These minks have caused the petrels to emigrate to Eastern Egg Rock, and the evi¬ dence of the slaughter is cjuite apparent to any one who might visit this place. The gulls have been forced to seek a home in other localities. As soon as the law permits me I shall begin killing the minks in the hope that they may be wholly exterminated before the birds begin to breed again. — E. E. Bailey, New Harbor, Maine, August 29, 1908. Very many petrels have stopped around the island, but none have nested this season. — Osmond Cummings, Cone Island, Maine, 1907. 124 Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. [ April I have not given an account of the Storm Petrel (Leach’s), for the reason that it is so difficult to determine the number, as they are abroad only at night, but judging from the number of burrows where they make their nests there are not as many as formerly. — Dennis Driscoll, Gotts Island, Maine, September 5, 1908. There are thousands of the Stormy (Leach’s) Petrels here at this writing. — Wm. F. Stanley, McKinley, Maine, Sept. 8, 1908. Laughing Gull. — High tides in June destroyed all the eggs, but the gulls rebuilt and there was a large increase over last year. — R. S. Ludlam, Stone Harbor, N. J., 1907. (See note of G. D. Hitchens, in the ‘General Notes,’ below.) It is 15 miles from this station to the main land; there is a marsh in the middle of this bay ten to twelve miles long and three fourths of a mile wide. On July 11, 1907, while standing on that marsh, looking north and south, a distance, I think, of at least two miles each way, Laughing Gulls and terns were as thick as you ever saw blackbirds, as far as the eye could see, and there were a few Willets. The gulls and terns are ecpially thick all over the marsh, and as plenty as I have ever known them. I have, with two other men, years ago, taken 1000 eggs a day. It would take 20 days to hunt that marsh over, and when it was hunted over we could begin again and find as many more from the 10th of June to the 25th of July. There is a sandbar across this inlet, about four acres in extent, and rising about eight feet above high tide. Three weeks ago there were over 1000 young Black Skimmers, not yet able to fly; to-day there are over 400 still too young to fly; these birds have been hatching since July 25. There are lots of them flying now, of the first breeding. — J. E. Johnson, Hog Island, Virginia, Sept. 16, 1907. Eider Duck. — This has been one of the best seasons for the birds since I have been warden; I do not think they have been disturbed in any way this year. There were about 30 Eider Ducks, raising about 40 young. — Fred E. Small, Cross Island, Maine, 1907. (See note by Osmond Cummings under ‘General Notes’.) When I was appointed warden there were two Eider Ducks breeding on the Old Man Island, and at present I have 60. If there were a law to abolish all spring shooting it would be a matter of a short time when we would have a large colony of ducks on this coast. — Fred. E. Small, Bucks Harbor, Maine, August 31, 1908. ' ^iyo^ *] Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. 125 General Notes. — Sandpeeps are here in large numbers, as in preceding years; also plovers of different species. About 1500 Shags (Cormorants) fly in over the island in the morning and out at night. Black Ducks make it a stopping place but none nest; also Eider or Sea Ducks abound in very large numbers. — Osmond Cummings, Cone Island, Maine, 1907. Do you think the mere handling of foliage concealing a nest of young birds will leave a scent upon the leaves or ferns that will attract prowling enemies to the nest and prove the death of the young birds? Last year, deep in the woods, I found a wren’s nest near a brook. Brushing aside the ferns to see the nest I found four young, helpless birds. Next day the nest was vacant, not even the mother bird being seen. Did a mink find the nest of young birds and gobble them up, attracted to the place by the scent of my hand upon the foliage ? Again, this last June I found aground- bird’s nest near my camp, containing four young birds, entirely helpless. Next day these birds were gone! What happened to them ? Did a prowling skunk smell the scent of my hand on the foliage about the nest, investigate, and then find and devour the baby birds? If so, bird lovers must be careful not to handle the foliage about nests, lest by doing so they bring death to the nestlings. I am puzzled to explain these instances in any other way, and I find upon inquiry numbers of my fellow guides have had similar experiences. — Edgar E. Harlow, Ivineo, Moosehead Lake, 'Maine, 1907. There were 15 swallows’ nests under the lantern deck of the tower. Last year a Robin built its nest within 20 feet of our 10- inch steam-whistle fog-signal and held the fort.— JVm. F. Stanley, Great Duck Island, Maine, 1907. A large number of duck eggs was spoiled by the cold, late spring, and the second laying was smaller than the first. — - Alfred Eastgate, Stump Lake Reservation, North Dakota, 1907. Increase of gulls and terns is hampered by the taking of eggs up to the 20th of June. The slow increase of Willets and Wilson’s Plover is due to their being shot after July. The reason of the slow increase of Oystercatchers is that they are early layers and most of the first hatching die from the effects of the cold, wet spring weather. — G. D. Hitchens, Smiths Island, Virginia, 1907. 126 Bowdish. Ornithological Notes from Audubon IT or dens. [ April While camping on the Penobscot River recently I saw a Sparrow Hawk pursuing a sandpiper. They came flying down the river, the hawk soon coming close to its intended victim. Suddenly, just as its pursuer swooped down upon it, the sandpiper made a quick turn in the air and dove into the river entirely out of sight. The outwitted hawk at once sheered off into the forest, and a few seconds later the sandpiper rose to the surface of the water fully 20 feet from where it had entered it, and escaped unharmed up the river. I call that a brave little fellow, resourceful and clear-headed almost to the point of reason. — Edgar E. Harlow, Kineo, Maine, Septem¬ ber 3, 1908. The birds in my district are all in flocks getting ready to take their southern trip; and I have counted many little flocks and I have not seen a flock, that I could count correctly, but what had more young ones in it than old ones, both gulls and terns. I think this was the best hatch-out of young gulls and terns I have had in years. — J. R. Andrews, Oyster, Va., Sept. 3, 1908. The birds were so numerous this season that it was almost im¬ possible to make any estimate; on the Middle Ground or Little Island Key, a beach of about 100 feet square, the nests were so thick that there was no room at all to land. The same conditions prevailed at Rock Key. These two places do not have beaches at all times; they are rocks covered with water, but some years the sand w'ashes up and makes a sand beach, and if no storm occurs during the season the birds have a good breeding, but if the sand washes away then the eggs are lost, and they have to come here on Sand Key and begin their breeding over again. This was a very successful season; no storm of any account occurred, no eggs were taken or destroyed, and the largest number of birds breed on these places. I visited a few of the islands and found several birds breeding on Man Key, Woman Key, and Ballast Key; on these islands cranes (herons), curlews (ibises), cormorants and pelicans breed. I think it would take all the time of two wardens to protect the birds on this new reservation. — Chas. G. Johnson, Key West Reservation, Florida, Sept. 3, 1908. The small number of plume birds that I had last breeding season, and that I was so proud of, have not returned this season to nest on Sunset Island. I suppose they must have nested somewhere VOll9()y 'V T] Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. 127 in the interior and long since been shot. However, I saw a few lately on the breeding ground. I do hope that the flock of Pink Curlews (Roseate Spoonbills) have escaped this summer and will pay me a visit now soon. It is not yet time for the flock of White Pelicans to put in their appearance. — Columbus G. McLeod, Placida, DeSota County, Florida, Oct. 1, 1908. On most parts of the islands, on almost every two square feet was a nest containing 5 or 6 eggs (Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, Black Skimmers, Blue and White Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons).— Joseph F. Bilos, Tern Islands Reservation, Louisiana, Sept. 8, 1908. I think that public sentiment is growing against the killing of the birds; when we first began to look after them the killing of gulls was taken as a matter of course; men out gunning would often bring down a gull just to try their skill; now it is a rare thing that one is killed. People are beginning to feel above it. I am strongly in favor of the abolition of all spring shooting; the birds are gradu¬ ally diminishing. — F. N. Johnson, Swans Island, Maine, August 28, 1908. Eight years ago I came to this station. At that time there were only two Puffins, specimens having been taken a few years previous to the number of four or five. Since that time the birds had in¬ creased to the number of three or four pairs which nested here in 1906. I think specimens must have been taken last year, as I have seen only two of them this summer. The noise from motor boats may have caused them to abandon this locality, however. — M. E. Tolman, Matinicus, Maine, Sept. 3, 1908. All birds except Common Terns are on the increase. There were 14 young Canada Geese raised on the islands this year. Can not give any estimate on ducks, as all sloughs dried up, driving all the young to the big lake. — Alfred Eastgcite, Stump Lake Reserva¬ tion, North Dakota, Sept. 6, 1908. There has been a good increase in all birds this year, as there has been no high tide during the breeding season, and no one disturbed the eggs after the law was out. There are more birds this fall than there has been since I have been warden. Willets are getting quite thick in the fall.— George D. Hitchens, Brighton, Virginia, Sept. 1, 1908. 128 Bowdish, Ornithological Notes from Audubon Wardens. About the last part of May there was a storm and high tides that destroyed many of the Mud Hens’ (Clapper Rails) eggs. They laid again, May 25 to 28; high tides drowned many young Marsh Hens. The Black-headed Gull (Laughing Gull) and Strikers (Terns) are as plentiful as last season. The Flood Gulls (Black Skimmers) are on the increase, but the August storm, I think, has drowned many of that bird, as they principally nest on an outer island called Pig Island. I notice this storm has washed that island almost flat, and there are many young ones not yet able to fly.— J. E. Johnson, Hog Island, Virginia, August 29, 1908. I think that the following birds that formerly nested here in numbers are now nesting further south: Willets, Sea-crows (Oyster- catchers?) and Black-headed Gulls (Laughing Gulls). I hear that 20 miles down the bay they are spoken of as being unusually abundant. The only bird here that seems more abundant than usual is the Mud Hen (Clapper Rail) ; there has not been so much egging done for the last two or three years. Willets, Sea-crows and Black-headed Gulls never did nest as plentifully on this beach as on others further south, possibly because it is so low, and they like higher beaches where there is an abundance of fine shells. About every six or seven years we have a high tide that seems to sweep the shells off the beach. — Howard F. Jones, Assateague Beach, Virginia, August 29, 1908. The increase in Marsh Hens( (Clapper Rails) has been very large. It is the opinion of all with whom I have talked that more young of all species have been raised this season than ever before. — J . A. D. Savage, Wachapreague, Virginia, Sept. 8, 1908. The Legislature, repealing the law preventing the shooting of Robin Snipe, was, I think, responsible for the Gulls (Laughing) failing to nest near my station this season, owing to the wholesale shooting of them by residents. — L. F. Taylor, Flander Island and Metomkin Beach, Virginia, Sept. 3, 1908. v<*igvr| Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. 129 NOTES ON THE SUMMER BIRDS OF NORTHERN GEORGIA. BY ARTHUR H. HOWELL. The literature of Georgia ornithology is not extensive. The only complete list of the birds of the State is a nominal list of 269 species, published in a German magazine in 1855 by Alexander Gerhardt on the authority of one White.1 In this paper, the author gives interesting and valuable notes on the life histories of 43 species, drawn from his personal observations during a residence of several years in northern Georgia. These notes furnish, in the case of several birds, the only published records of the breeding of the species in the State.2 Only two local lists from Georgia, both of which are very incomplete, have thus far appeared.3 Scattering notes relating to Georgia birds are likewise few in number and most of them refer to the southern part or to the region close to Atlanta. With the exception of Gerhardt’s paper, practically nothing concerning the northern part of the State has been pub¬ lished, and while many northern-breeding birds have been supposed to inhabit the mountains, which are continuous with the ranges in North Carolina, definite knowledge as to the species summering there and the southern limits of their distribution has been lacking. The field work of the Biological Survey during the summer of 1908 included an examination of the fauna and flora of the Southern States to determine the boundaries of the life zones. In connection with this investigation I visited northern Georgia in July and spent about three weeks collecting and studying the birds, mammals, and plants of the higher mountains. Three localities were visited, as follows: Tate, Pickens County, and Grassy Mountain (3290 feet), about six miles northeast of Tate, July 4—6; Ellijay, Gilmer 1 Naumannia, V, 1855, pp. 382-384. 2 This paper appeared in three installments, as follows: Naumannia, V, 1855, pp. 380-397, 458-469; VI, 1856, pp. 1-18. 3 ‘Birds of Kirkwood, De Kalb County, Georgia,’ by Robert Windsor Smith, in Wilson Bulletin, X, pp. 49-59, 1903, listing 126 species; ‘Memoranda of a Collection of Eggs from Georgia,’ by H. B. Bailey, in Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VIII, pp. 37-43, 1883, listing 104 species, which list would be extremely valuable if exact localities had been given. 130 Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. County, and Rich Mountain (4081 feet), about ten miles northeast of Ellijay, July 7-8; Young Harris, Towns County, and Brass- town Bald (4768 feet), about five miles southeast of Young Harris, July 10-20. Brasstown Bald 1 is the highest mountain in Georgia 2 and is part of a high ridge marking the boundary line between Union and Towns counties. Continuing southward, this ridge turns west and forms the boundary between Union and Lumpkin counties. Practically all of extreme northeastern Georgia (including Gilmer, Fannin, Union, Towns, and Rabun counties) is occupied by a series of high ridges which form the southern end of the Blue Ridge system. In this region are found numbers of peaks over 4000 feet in altitude and several over 4500 feet. Rich Mountain in eastern Gilmer County, and Grassy Mountain in northern Pickens County are parts of the same system, directly continuous with the higher ridges in Fannin and Union counties. Grassy Mountain is the most southern peak reaching an altitude of 3000 feet. South of there the peaks are much lower and mainly isolated. The valleys are mostly narrow, and range in altitude from 1100 feet at Tate to 1900 feet at Young Harris. The greater part of northern Georgia is included in the Upper Austral Zone (Carolinian area) which covers all mountains less than 3500 feet in altitude, and reaches approximately to that altitude on the higher peaks. Transition Zone (Alleghenian area) is found on the peaks and ridges above 3500 feet and descends somewhat lower than that on cold slopes and in shaded ravines. No pure Canadian Zone exists in this region, although a few Canadian species of mammals and plants occur in a very restricted area at the summit of Brasstown Bald. No spruces or firs are found on these mountains. On the lower slopes oaks (numerous species) are the prevailing 1 Designated as ‘Mt. Etna’ on the Rand-McNally Map of Georgia (‘Mt. Enota’ on old sheets of the Geological Survey), and is doubtless the mountain called ‘Fodder Bald’ by Guyot. It is known simply as ‘The Bald’ to the residents of the region. 2 Sitting Bull Mountain (5046 feet), listed under Georgia in Gannett’s ‘Dictionary of Altitudes,’ is higher than Brasstown Bald, but as mapped by the U. S. Geological Survey is in North Carolina. This mountain, I am informed by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, is one of the southern peaks of the Nantahala Mountains (Lat. 35°, Long. 83° 31'). It is the mountain called ‘Little Bald’ (5030 feet) on the Dah- lonega Quadrangle of the U. S. Geological Survey. V°1i909’VI] Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. - 131 trees, with which are associated hickories, chestnuts, gums ( Nyssa sylvatica) tulip trees ( Liriodendron ) and other characteristic Carolinian forms. Pines of two species ( Pinus rigida and P. virginiana ) are found in scattering clumps, and hemlocks ( Tsuga canadensis ) grow along the streams. Among the characteristic birds found in this area may be mentioned Bceolophus hicolor, Thryothorus ludovicianus, Icteria virens, Seiurus motacilla, Piranga rubra, Empidonax virescens, and Cardinalis cardinalis. At about 3500 feet altitude most of the Carolinian species dis¬ appear and a number of characteristic Alleghenian forms are first seen. On the upper slopes the prevailing trees are white oak and chestnut, with which are found hickories, locust ( Robinia ), red maple, striped maple*1 2 3 (Acer pennsylvanicum) , cherry-birch* ( Betula lenta ), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus ), laurel ( Kalmia ), rhodo¬ dendron (R. maximum), flame azalea* ( A . lutea), purple-flowering raspberry* ( Rubacer odoratum ), small-flowered hellebore* ( Vera - trum parvi forum), etc. The characteristic birds of this area are Junco h. carolinensis, Lanivireo s. alticola, Dendroica ccerulescens, Dendroica virens and Dendroica blackbumice. Near the summit of Brasstown Bald the soil is thin and rocky and the tree growth much stunted. On the shaded northeast slope dense thickets of rhododendron and laurel cover the cliffs and rough rock piles and furnish suitable conditions for the presence of Canadian forms. Here were found the southern yellow birch {Betula alleghanensis), mountain maple f 2 (Acer spicatum), Caro¬ lina rhododendron ( R . catawbiense) , the Wilson Thrush ( Hylo - cichla fuscescens), a mountain salamander | ( Pletliodon shermani), the Smoky Shrew j ( Sorex fumeus), and the Cloudland White¬ footed Mouse f ( Peromyscus nubiterrae). The following list of 76 species, based almost entirely on the birds observed or collected on this trip, though obviously incomplete, is offered as a contribu¬ tion to our knowledge of the avifauna of this litde known area. Thirteen species are here first recorded as occurring in the State during the breeding season: Corvus corax principalis f Coturniculus 1 Species starred are characteristically Alleghenian. 2 Species marked with a dagger are characteristic of Canadian Zone. 3 An indefinite record for Georgia is found in John Abbott’s letter to George Ord (1814), in which he says, “The Raven only frequents the back inland Countries of Georgia & can inform you nothing more of it.” (Auk, XXIII, 1906, p. 367.) 132 Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. [April savannarum australis, Junco hyemalis carolinensis, Zamelodia ludo- viciana, Spiza americana, Lanivireo solitarius alticola, Mniotilta varia, Dendroica oestiva, D. ccerulescens cairnsi, D. blackbumice , D. virens, Seiurus aurocapillus, and Hylocichla fuscescens. In the list which follows, records unaccompanied by specific localities apply to all the localities visited. Butorides virescens. Green Heron. — An immature specimen was taken at Young Harris, July 11. Philohela minor. Woodcock. — One was flushed, July 12, from an open oak knoll in the valley at Young Harris. Colinus virginianus. Bob-white. — Common at Young Harris and on lower slopes of Brasstown Bald; rather uncommon at Tate and Ellijay. Bonasa umbellus. Ruffed Grouse. — Breeds sparingly on Brasstown Bald. My assistant got within 150 yards of one that was drumming near the summit July 17, and another hunter saw a female on top of an open ridge at about 4000 feet, acting as if she had young. In the region about Ellijay, grouse were reported by several people to occur in small numbers, and a few are said to be found in the rough country north of Grassy Moun¬ tain. This is close to their present southern limit. In former years they were much more common in this region. There is a specimen of this bird from Georgia (without specific locality) in the U. S. National Museum, taken by Prof. Leconte in 1847. Meleagris gallopavo silvestris. Wild Turkey. — Occurs on Brasstown Bald in small numbers. Three were shot in one day last winter on the mountain by a hunter. In the Rich Mountain region they are reported to be very scarce. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Mourning Dove. — A few noted at Tate and at Young Harris. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Turkey Vulture. — Fairly common throughout north Georgia; seen at all altitudes on Brasstown Bald. Buteo borealis. Red-tailed Hawk. — Not common; one seen on Grassy Mountain. Otus asio. Screech Owl. — Scarce; one flushed from a thicket of pines and oaks at Tate. Bubo virginianus. Great Horned Owl. — Occurs sparingly on Brass- town Bald. Coccyzus americanus. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. — Cuckoos were fairly common in this region, but I was unable to determine the species. Both are recorded as breeding in north Georgia by Gerhardt.1 Ceryle alcyon. Belted Kingfisher. — One noted at Young Harris. 1 Naumannia, VI, 1856, pp. 12-13. VOl19oiP !] Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. 133 Dryobates villosus auduboni. Southern Hairy Woodpecker. — Occurs in small numbers throughout the mountains; seen at Ellijay and Grassy Mountain. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpecker. — Not common; seen at Tate and near the summit of Rich Mountain. Phloeotomus pileatus.— Pileated Woodpecker. — Found sparingly throughout the mountains; noted at Brasstown Bald and Grassy Mountain. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker. — Scarce; one seen at 3500 feet on Rich Mountain. Centurus carolinus. Red-bellied Woodpecker. — One seen in heavy timber on lower slope of Rich Mountain. Colaptes auratus. Flicker. — Not common; seen at Ellijay, Tate, and Young Harris. Antrostomus vociferus. Whippoorwill. — One heard singing, July 11, at Young Harris. Recorded as breeding by Gerhardt.1 2 Chordeiles virginianus. Nighthawk. — Not common; a few noted at Ellijay and at Young Harris. Chsetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Generally common throughout the region. On Brasstown Bald they were constantly coursing over the tops of the highest peaks. Trochilus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. — A few noted in the valleys. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — One seen at Ellijay and several at Young Harris. Myiarchus crinitus. Crested Flycatcher. — Rather uncommon; seen at Tate and on Brasstown Bald up to 4000 feet. Sayornis phoebe. Phcebe. — Several seen on Brasstown Bald up to 3000 feet. A nesting record is given by Gerhardt (under the name Musci- capa olivacea !) ? Myiochanes virens. Wood Pewee. — Common in the valleys, and on the mountains to 4000 feet. Empidonax virescens. Green-crested Flycatcher. — Common in the valleys and on the lower slopes of the mountains. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — - Fairly common on Brasstown Bald, where several were seen in the rhododendron thickets at the summit. A few noted at Tate. Corvus corax principalis. Northern Raven. — Ravens are reported to occur in small numbers on Brasstown Bald. My guide told me he knew of a nest where young were raised in the spring of 1908. Corvus brachyrhynchos. American Crowl — Occurs in small numbers at Young Harris. One noted at Tate. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. — I saw no orioles in this region, 1 Naumannia, VI, 1856, p. 3. 2 Naumannia, V, 1855, p. 387. 134 Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. but was shown a nest in a tree at Young Harris which closely resembled nests of this species. It is recorded as a breeder by Gerhardt.1 Astragalinus tristis. American Goldfinch.— Common in small flocks; seen up to 4500 feet on Brasstown Bald. Coturniculus savannarum australis. Grasshopper Sparrow. — Several noted and one taken at Young Harris. Spizella passerina. Chipping Sparrow. — Common in the valleys and on the mountains to 4500 feet. Spizella pusilla. Field Sparrow. — Common in the valleys and on the lower slopes of the mountains. Junco hyemalis carolinensis. Carolina Junco. — Common on Brass- town Bald and Rich Mountain above 3500 feet altitude. The latter locality probably marks their southern limit quite closely, since they were not found on Grassy Mountain, slightly farther south. Both adults and young were collected. Peucsea aestivalis bachmani. Bachman Sparrow. — One was seen at Tate in dry oak woods; evidently rare in this region. Has been recorded as breeding at East Point, near Atlanta.2 A specimen was shot at Rising Fawn, Georgia, Aug. 21, 1885, by J. T. Park and identified by Dr. C. Hart Merriam. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee. — Common at Young Harris and on Brasstown Bald, where it ranges to the very summit. At Ellijay it was scarce, and only two or three pairs were noted in the valleys. The only one seen farther south was on Grassy Mountain at about 3000 feet. Speci¬ mens were taken at Ellijay and Young Harris. Smith, in his list of birds of Kirkwood, states that this species is not known to breed there, but in a report sent to the Biological Survey he men¬ tions seeing a single bird there on June 25, 1903. The Towhee breeds on Lookout Mountain in northwest Georgia, as indicated by a report received by the Biological Survey from J. T. Park, who found the species in July, 1884, on the mountain near Rising Fawn. Gerhardt 3 records this species as nesting in bushes at a height of 4 to 5 feet. Cardinalis cardinalis. Cardinal. — Observed rather sparingly in the valleys. Zamelodia ludoviciana. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. — One adult male was seen on July 13 in a grove of oaks at Young Harris. They probably breed in small numbers in that region. Passerina cyanea. Indigo Bunting. — Common in the valleys and on the mountains to 4000 feet. Spiza americana. Black-throated Bunting. — This bird probably does not breed in Georgia at the present time; it seems desirable, however, to record an instance of its nesting in the State in 1883, furnished by J. T. 1 Naumannia, VI, 1856, p. 1. 2 W. J. Mills, Wilson Bull., XII, 1905, p. 116. 3 Naumannia, V, 1855, p. 465. VOl1909"VI] Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. 135 Park, an intelligent observer, then stationed at Rising Fawn. In a letter to Prof. W. W. Cooke, dated July 21, 1885, he states that a pair of Black- throated Buntings nested in a clover patch near his house in that year, and adds that the species was never observed there except during that season. Piranga erythromelas. Scarlet Tanager. — Not common; one was heard singing on Grassy Mountain, a male was seen on Rich Mountain, and several were noted on Brasstown Bald — in each case at an altitude of about 2500 feet. Gerhardt records this species as a breeder in north Georgia.1 Piranga rubra. Summer Tanager. — Fairly common in the valleys; one was taken at 2600 feet altitude on Brasstown Bald. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — Common at Young Harris, but not seen elsewhere. Vireosylva olivacea. Red-eyed Vireo. — Rather uncommon; seen at Tate and Ellijay, and on Brasstown Bald up to 4400 feet altitude. Lanivireo flavifrons. Yellow-throated Vireo. — Observed in small numbers in the valleys and up to 3000 feet on the mountains. Lanivireo solitarius alticola. Mountain Solitary Vireo. — Common on Brasstown Bald between 3500 and 4500 feet and on Rich Mountain above 3700 feet. Both young and adult birds were taken. The young individuals were singing in subdued tones. Vireo noveboracensis. White-eyed Vireo. — Two heard singing at Ellijay; not noted elsewhere. Mniotilta varia. Black-and-White Warbler. — Common in the valleys and on the mountains to 4500 feet. This species is omitted from Smith’s list of birds of Kirkwood, but reports in the Biological Survey from several observers indicate that it breeds at Kirkwood and Atlanta. Helminthophila chrysoptera. Golden-winged Warbler. — A male of this species was seen, but not secured, July 11, at 2500 feet on Brasstown Bald. J. T. Park, in a letter to Prof. W. W. Cooke, reports seeing a pair of these birds feeding young at Rising Fawn, Georgia, June 24, 1885. The male parent and one young bird were shot. Dendroica aestiva. Yellow Warbler. — Fairly common at Tate and at Young Harris.2 Dendroica caerulescens cairnsi. Cairns Warbler. — Fairly common on Brasstown Bald and Rich Mountain above 3500 feet altitude. One female was seen near the base of Rich Mountain (1600 feet). Both adults and’young were taken, the latter in full fall plumage. Dendroica blackburniae. Blackburnian Warbler. — Two specimens were taken at 4300 feet on Brasstown Bald and an immature individual at 3500 feet on Rich Mountain. Dendroica virens. Black-throated Green Warbler. — Two imma¬ ture specimens were taken at the summit of Rich Mountain (4000 feet) and 1 Naumannia, V, 1855, pp. 462-463. 2 Smith, in his list of birds of Kirkwood says of it: “rare; not known to breed.’’ / 136 Howell, Summer Birds of Northern Georgia. one at 4300 feet on Brasstown Bald. Evidently breeds throughout these mountains. J. T. Park in a letter to Prof. W. W. Cooke reports them common on Lookout Mountain, near Rising Fawn, Georgia, in June, 1885. A female in breeding condition was shot by him there, and identified by Dr. C. Hart Merriam. Dendroica vigorsi. Pine Warbler. — A few noted at Tate and a little company of four or five (a family of young and their parents) at 3000 feet on Brasstown Bald. Seiurus aurocapillus. Ovenbird. — A few seen on Rich Mountain be¬ tween 3000 and 4000 feet; occurs sparingly on Brasstown Bald from 2500 to 4000 feet. Smith, in his list of birds of Kirkwood gives this species as a rare migrant. J. T. Park found the Ovenbird breeding on Lookout Moun¬ tain, near Rising Fawn, Georgia, in June, 1885. Seiurus motacilla. Louisiana Water-thrush. — Fairly common along streams on the lower slopes of the mountains (up to 2200 feet) and in the valleys. Oporornis formosa. Kentucky Warbler. — Fairly common in the valleys; seen up to 2200 feet on Brasstown Bald. Geothlypis trichas trichas. Maryland Yellowthroat. — Common in the valleys; singing. Several specimens taken, both adults and young. Icteria virens. Yellow-breasted Chat. — Common in the valleys, seen up to 2500 feet. Wilsonia citrina. Hooded Warbler. — A pair observed in a laurel thicket at Tate. Mimus polyglottos. Mockingbird. — One seen at Ellijay; not noted elsewhere. Dumetella carolinensis. Catbird. — Common in the valleys, and on Brasstown Bald to 4300 feet. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher. — Seen in small numbers in the valleys. Thryothorus ludovicianus. Carolina Wren.— Common in the valleys, and on the mountains to 4000 feet. Thryomanes bewicki. Bewick Wren. — A few seen at Young Harris, and one on Rich Mountain at 3500 feet. A breeding record is given by Gerhardt (under the name Troglodytes americanus ). 1 Sitta carolinensis. White-breasted Nuthatch. — -Scarce; one taken at 4000 feet on Brasstown Bald and several seen at the same altitude on Rich Mountain. Bseolophus bicolor. Tufted Titmouse.— Fairly common up to 4000 feet. Penthestes carolinensis. Carolina Chickadee. — Observed in small numbers in the valleys and up to 4400 feet on the mountains. Polioptila caerulea. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.— A few seen at Tate. Hylocichla mustelina. Wood Thrush. — Common in the valleys and up to 4000 feet on the mountains. 1 Naumannia, V, 1855, pp. 461-462. V^XXYI] Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. 137 Hylocichla fuscescens. Wilson Thrush. — A few pairs breed on the summit of Brasstown Bald, where they are confined to the dense rhodo¬ dendron thickets on the cool slopes. One was secured July 16, and on the following day several were heard calling and singing faintly. Planesticus migratorius achrusterus. Carolinian Robin. — Occurs sparingly on Brasstown Bald and in the surrounding valleys. An adult and a young bird were taken at 4500 feet. The robin is mentioned as a breeder by Gerhardt.1 Sialia sialis. Bluebird. — Fairly common; seen up to 4000 feet on Rich Mountain. THE TAGGING OF WILD BIRDS AS A MEANS OF STUDY¬ ING THEIR MOVEMENTS.2 BY LEON J. COLE. It is needless in introducing this subject to dwell upon the so- called mysteries of migration. To call the facts of migration mysterious is merely to say that we do not understand them, for when we do come to understand them, though they may still remain marvellous, they can no longer be mysterious. That migration will nevertheless still probably remain a phenomenon to be wondered at is because it is, in all likelihood, of a nature widely different from anything in the ordinary experience of mankind. If man possesses any such homing sense, it is only in the most rudimentary and undeveloped condition. And it is probably for this very reason, this element of mystery, that man has from earliest time taken a lively interest in the question of the migration of birds. But how much nearer are we to a real solution of the problem of migration than we were a hundred or two hundred years ago? Much data has been accumulated, many details have been learned as to where birds go and to a certain extent by what routes, and many poorly grounded theories have been overturned and left behind. But still the goal is ahead. For although the coming 1 Naumannia, V, 1855, pp. 390-391. 2 Read before the American Ornithologist’s Union, Cambridge, Mass., November 18, 1908. 138 Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. r Auk (.April of the birds in the spring and their departure in the fall are among the most apparent of natural phenomena about us, and must be noticed by everyone, it is quite another matter when it comes to the details of their movements. Most of the knowledge of the migrations of birds which has been gleaned up to the present time is of their mass movements ; scarcely anything is known of what becomes of an individual bird after its departure in the fall from its summer home, or, I might even say, after it has reared its young. It is truly wonderful that birds can wing their way from the region where they breed to a far distant land, and then, with the return of proper conditions, find their way back again to the same region. But how much more wonder¬ ful if they come back to the very locality which they left the year before! And how little exact knowledge we have of their ability to do this ! It is the purpose of the present paper to outline a plan by which it is hoped that much data of a definite kind can be secured, not only as to the great migrations of birds, but regarding their minor movements as well. Furthermore, it is believed that light may be shed on many subsidiary problems. The fundamental basis of the plan is a simple one, and one which is not new at this time. It is, briefly, the attaching of identi¬ fiable tags or bands upon birds, together with directions so that they may be returned if again found. It may be of interest to those who are not already familiar with the fact to know that probably the first person in this country to try this method was no less than Audubon himself. In his ‘Birds of America,’1 after describing in a delightful way his intimacy with a nest of Phoebes, or, as he calls them, “Pewee Flycatchers,” he says: “I attached light threads to their legs: these they invariably removed, either with their bills, or with the assistance of their parents. I renewed them, however, until I found the little fellows habituated to them; and at last, when they were about to leave the nest, I fixed a light silver thread to the leg of each, loose enough not to hurt the part, but so fastened that no exertions of theirs could remove it.” His birds left duly in the fall, but he adds: “At the season when the Pewee returns to Pennsylvania, I had the satisfaction to observe 1 Audubon, John James. Birds of America, New York and Philadelphia, 1840, Vol. I, p. 227. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. 139 those of the cave, in and about it. There again, in the very same nest, two broods were raised. I found several Pewees’ nests at some distance up the Creek, particularly under a bridge, and several others in the adjoining meadows, attached to the inner parts of sheds erected for the protection of hay and grain. Having caught several of these birds on the nest, I had the pleasure of find¬ ing that two of them had the little ring on the leg.” In 1901, 1 the writer, unaware at that time of Audubon’s experi¬ ment, suggested that much might be learned of the movements of birds by a system of tagging, if a suitable method could be devised. No definite steps were taken at that time, however, to carry out the plan. Some two or three years later Mr. P. A. Taverner of Detroit, Mich., announced through ‘The Auk’2 that he proposed to attach small aluminum bands to the tarsi of young birds, in the hope that some of them might later fall into the hands of ornithologists and the records be returned to him. On his band was stamped the direction: ‘‘Notify The Auk, N. Y.,” together with a serial number for identification of the individual band. Mr. Taverner writes me that comparatively few birds have been banded, and of these but a single record has returned to date. This was of a Flicker tagged by Mr. Chas. Kirkpatrick at Keota, Keokuk Co., Iowa, May 29, 1905.3 On the following Christmas day this bird was taken by Mr. J. E. Roos at Many, Sabine Co., Louisiana. During the present year the capture has been reported 4 of two ducks, a Canvasback and a Redhead, both wearing bands marked with the initials “T. J. O. D.” These were taken in New Jersey, within a week or two of each other, in the fall of 1907. Up to the present time it has not been learned, so far as I am aware, who placed the bands upon these birds. Unless this person is found these last records can have no especial value, but they nevertheless help to emphasize the fact that a certain proportion 1 Cole, Leon J. Suggestions for a method of studying the migrations of birds. 3d Rept. Mich. Acad. Sci., 1901, pp. 67-70, 1902. 2 Auk, Vol. XXI, p. 410, July, 1904. 3 Taverner, P. A. Tagging Migrants. Auk, Vol. XXIII, p. 232, April, 1906. 4 Oldys, Henry. Capture of a tagged Canvasback Duck. Auk, Vol. XXV, No. 1, p. 80, Jan., 1908. Woodruff, E. Seymour. Another Capture of a Tagged Duck. Auk, Vol. XXV, No. 2, p. 216, April, 1908. 140 Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. r Auk LApril of returns may be expected from this sort of work. The use of tags by Dr. Watson 1 to study the homing instinct of Noddy and Sooty Terns at the Tortugas, illustrates the way in which the method may be applied experimentally. Now as to the sort of results that may be expected from this method of investigation: Not only will it aid in the study of the general migration of a species, but by giving us records of the movements of individual birds, will assist us in analyzing the factors connected with migration in detail. A moderate number of successful “returns” should help in settling such questions as: Are the residents of a locality, or the migrants going further on, the first to arrive in the spring ? Do the residents leave before the northern contingent arrives in the fall, or are they the last to go? Do males, females and young travel together, or do one or another go ahead? What is the exact route taken from any locality, and is the same route travelled each year? Furthermore it must be borne in mind that the migration problem is probably but a special phase of the homing problem, and that such questions as whether birds commonly return to the same locality to breed, and whether the young return to the locality in which they were reared, are very pertinent to its solution. I should like to emphasize further the importance of the bearing of the homing instinct, both in birds and in other animals, were there time. I can only express it, however, as my firm belief that a comparative study (observational com¬ bined with experimental when possible) of such phenomena as the annual migrations of the fur seals, and of bats, and of many fishes, as well as of the homing of animals in general (toads, ants, bees, and in fact all animals which return to a definite place) is going to be of the greatest value in understanding the “mysteries” of the migration of birds, where the instinct appears to be developed in its highest form. Answers to certain of the c[uestions stated above have already been found, but most of them depend upon a knowledge of the movements of individual birds, and to ascertain these we must have some means of identifying the individual. This is the purpose served by the numbered bands. 1 Watson, John B. ‘The Behavior of Noddy and Sooty Terns.’ Publication 103, Carnegie Inst. Wash., Paper VII, pp. 187-225, pll. i-xi, March, 1909. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. 141 There are several ways in which the banding may be carried on, but banding the young before they leave the nest is probably the most feasible. This can, of course, be done only with those birds which attain practically their full growth before they attempt flight. In these birds the tarsus is, as a rule, about as large when the fledglings leave the nest as it ever becomes; there is no danger, therefore, that the bands will ever become too tight. If one is inclined to doubt this one should recall that this is the method of recording individuals universally employed by breeders of pigeons and canaries, which once banded, carry the bands for life. In the case of chickens, turkeys, and similar fowls, it is necessary either to replace the bands by larger ones as the birds grow, or else to open them out. Still another problem which might be attacked in this way is the geographical extension of certain species. What better way, for example, of studying the dispersal of the Starling, which is gradually extending its territory about New York and in Southern New England? Do the old birds leave the places where they were reared and seek habitation elsewhere, or are the young the pioneers ? The length of time required to attain adult plumage, and many similar questions would also receive light. It is not the purpose of the plan systematically to shoot birds in order to recover the bands, nor to encourage the same, but fate sooner or later brings many birds into man’s hands. However deplorable it may be, many of our birds (such as Robins and Bobolinks) are shot when they go South in the fall, and while such a condition exists advantage may as well be taken of it. Directions for the return of the band are stamped upon it. Prob¬ ably almost anyone finding a bird bearing a tag with a definite address would know what was desired of him, but possibly it may be advisable to offer a small reward to the finder as an additional stimulus. A certain amount of advertising in sporting and similar journals might aid as well. In other cases it may be possible, as Audubon did, to catch the birds upon the nest and examine them without harm. Further¬ more (as Mr. Taverner has suggested to me in a letter), anyone in a suitable locality could trap small birds, band them and release them. This continued systematically through successive seasons 142 Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. r Auk L April and migration periods could hardly fail to yield valuable results. If a bird previously banded were trapped, the record could be made and the bird again released. Birds which nest in large colonies, such as the gulls, terns, herons, etc., offer especial advantages for banding and making subsequent observations, and excellent work can be done by anyone who has an opportunity to carry on the work at one of their breeding places. Finally, as to the scheme of cooperation which is proposed. Last winter the New Haven Bird Club decided to undertake the banding of birds upon a small local scale. A committee was appointed for the purpose of organizing the work, bands were secured, and a plan of records drawn up. The plan is very simple. Upon the top half of a card approximately 5X8 inches in size, is a printed blank form for recording the data of banding, number of band, species of bird, locality, date, and similar facts. On the lower half is a similar form for recording the data in connection with the return of the band, in case it ever comes back. Small booklets containing perforated detachable slips bearing the same form as the upper part of the card are supplied to those who propose to do banding, and when a bird is banded the data are recorded in this book. In the fall the books and all the surplus bands are called in, and the records are then transferred to the permanent cards. Since the numbers on the cards corresponding to those of the bands are arranged consecutively, the record for any band can be turned to directly. A separate index of species is all that is needed to make the system complete. As to the bands themselves, it was the idea of the Committee at first to use closed or seamless bands whenever possible, and to use open bands only in the case of adult birds. The bands are of aluminum, and are stamped “Box Z, Yale Sta., New Haven, Conn.,” in addition to the number. For several practical reasons it will probably be better, as Mr. Taverner has done, to use long open bands, which can be clipped off to make them the proper size, and it is also probable that the “return” address used by him will be adopted. It was found that the number of birds tagged this year was rather disappointingly small, and it seemed desirable to enlist the help, when possible, of persons outside the Club who were in a position Vol. XXVII 1909 J Cole, The Tagging of Wild Birds. 143 to help. Further discussion with ornithologists from other sections resulted in a determination to make the plans of much wider scope. Now if the work is to be done generally, it seems greatly to be de¬ sired that only one kind of band be used, and to avoid confusion in the numbers, that all bands be distributed and records kept by a central organization. With this in view, the Committee asked for an extension of powers, which now enable it to push the work as seems best, to invite the cooperation of anyone who can help, and furthermore gives it jurisdiction over the records, thus placing them in the hands of those who do the work. The Committee as appointed by the Club consists of Dr. Louis B. Bishop, Mr. Clifford H. Pangburn, and the writer. Upon its part, the Committee has agreed to be no further ex¬ pense to the Club, since it has determined to throw itself for support and assistance in carrying on the work entirely upon the generosity and cooperation of such persons as are interested. Among others, Mr. Taverner has generously offered his hearty cooperation, agreeing to act as an advisory member of the Committee, and has volunteered to turn all his bands and records over to the central depot. Similar support has already been offered by others. It is intended now to prepare a large number of bands for the coming season, together with directions for using them. It is hoped to secure a number of interested persons in different sections of the country wdio will cooperate with the Committee, and act as local distributing agents for bands.1 It will be their business to attend to the distribution of bands and blank recording forms to any in their locality who are willing to aid in tagging; and at the close of the season to call in the records and unused bands, and to for¬ ward the records for transference to the permanent cards. If the present paper shall have aroused any interest in this plan of attacking the problems of migration, and similar little-under- stood phenomena, it will have accomplished its purpose, and the Committee will be very glad to correspond with any who are willing to cooperate in the work.2 1 A number of well-known ornithologists have already agreed to act in this capacity • 2 Address Dr. Leon J. Cole, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 144 Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. r Auk L April A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. BY STEPHEN SARGENT VISHER. The list is based upon the following sources of information: (1) The birds observed while sent out by the Geological and Natural History Survey of South Dakota to the Black Hills (August 1 to 24, 1908) and to the Bad Lands (August 24 to September 18). The northern half of the Hills were thoroughly studied; and an area forty miles by thirty miles, having its southwestern third in the badlands, extending from the White River near Interior east to Kadoka, and north to Cottonwood, on the C. N. W. R. R., was gone over. Several years spent in eastern South Dakota and an extensive western trip, has given the author a familiarity with these birds that makes the observations, I hope, reliable. (2) Upon the list of the birds collected in 1857 and 1860 in what is now South Dakota by H. V. Hayden (late director of the U. S. Geological Survey) while on the Warren Expedition. (3) Upon the list of the birds collected by G. B. Grinnell, Zoologist to the Custer Expedition in 1874. He entered the Hills from the north July 20, continued south to the south central part (Harney Peak), swung east and north, leaving at the north corner (Bear Butte) August 16. (4) H. E. Lee, now of Pierre, has done much good work, particularly upon the water birds of Bryant County, in the north¬ eastern part of the State. (5) E. H. Sweet of Vermillion, South Dakota, spent from June, 1907, to September, 1908, on a claim just north of the Bad Lands in southwestern Stanley County, and observed in the area between the White River and the N. W. R. R. line, and between Interior and Kadoka. He did a little collecting. Sweet was my kind host during the time I spent in this area. (6) Henry Behrens, of Rapid City, has for several years col¬ lected about Rapid, which lies in the eastern foot-hills. Most of his collection was gathered near his ranch in Spring Creek Valley, eight miles south of Rapid; all within twenty miles of Rapid City. His collection consists of about three hundred and fifty mounted 145 Vol. XXVII 1909 J Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. birds, representing one hundred and fifty species. Few records of abundance or of breeding have been kept. List. 1. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. Eared Grebe. — Taken by- Behrens. The most common grebe (Behrens). 2. Colymbus auritus. Horned Grebe. — Two taken by Behrens. Rare. 3. Podilymbus podiceps. Pied-billed Grebe. — Two taken by Beh¬ rens. Rare. 4. Gavia immer. Loon. — One taken by Behrens. 5. Larus delawarensis. Ring-billed Gull. — Taken by Grinnell on Little Missouri River; also by Behrens. 6. Hydrochelidon nigra surinamensis. Black Tern.* — Common summer resident. 1 7. Pelecanus erythrorhynchos. American White Pelican. — Taken by Behrens. Migrant. 8. Mergus americanus. American Merganser.* — Found nesting on Castle Creek (Grinnell). 9. Lophodytes cucullatus. Hooded Merganser.* — One taken in July by Sweet. 10. Anas platyrhynchus. Mallard.* — Abundant migrant. 11. Chaulelasmus streperus. Gadwall. — Taken by Behrens. 12. Mareca americana. Baldpate. — Nesting abundantly on Heart River (Grinnell). Taken by Behrens in May and June. 13. Nettion carolinensis. Green-winged Teal. — Abundant migrant, as early as Sept. 1. •14. Querquedula discors. Blue-winged Teal.* — Breeds. These two are the dominant ducks. 15. Spatula clypeata. Shoveler.* — Abundant migrant in southwest Stanley County. 16. Dafila acuta. Pintail.* — Abundant migrant. 17. Marila vallisneria. Canvas-back.* — Reported common on White River in fall. 18. Marila affinis. Lesser Scaup Duck. — Two taken by Behrens. 19. Clangula clangula americana. American Golden-eye. — Taken by Behrens once; May 4, 1902. 20. Charitonetta albeola. Buffle-head. — Two taken by Behrens. 21. Erismatura jamaicensis. Ruddy Duck.* — Common migrant; probably breeds. 22. Chen hyperborea nivalis. Greater Snow Goose. — Two taken by Behrens. 1 An asterisk indicates the species represented in Behrens’s collection. 146 Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. [April 23. Branta canadensis. Canada Goose. — Abundant on Little Mis¬ souri River (Grinnell). Rare migrant (Sweet). 24. Branta hutchinsi. Hutchins Goose.— Rare migrant (Sweet). 25. Botaurus lentiginosus. American Bittern.* — Common summer resident (Sweet). 26. Ardea herodias. Great Blue Heron.* — A few breed (Grinnell). Rare fall migrant (Sweet). 27. Butorides virescens. Green Heron. — A rare fall migrant on White River (Sweet). 28. Rallus virginianus. Virginia Rail. — One. Heart River (Grinnell). 29. Porzana Carolina. Sora Rail. — - Four taken (Behrens). 30. Fulica americana. Coot.* — Abundant breeder in the few suitable localities. 31. Phalaropus fulicarius. Red Phalarope. — One taken, May 27, 1904, by Behrens. 32. Lobipes lobatus. Northern Phalarope.* — Taken by Grinnell on Missouri River. 33. Steganopus tricolor. Wilson Phalarope. — Common migrant in southwest Stanley County. 34. Recurvirostra americana. Avocet. — Occasional on Missouri River (Grinnell). One taken October 16, 1902, on Ranch; one September 5, 1903, on Box Elder Creek (Behrens). 35. Gallinago delicata. Wilson Snipe. — Common migrant (Sweet). Probably breeds (Behrens). 36. Micropalama himantopus. Stilt Sandpiper. — Common migrant. Six taken by Behrens. 37. Pisobia maculata. Pectoral Sandpiper. — Abundant migrant. 38. Pisobia bairdi. Baird Sandpiper. — Common migrant in south¬ west Stanley County. 39. Pisobia minutilla. Least Sandpiper.* — Common migrant in southwest Stanley County. 40. Limosa fedoa. Marbled Godwit. — Two taken by Behrens. 41. Catoptrophorus semipalmatus inornatus. Western Willet.— Probably breeds; taken (Behrens). 42. Totanus flavipes. Lesser Yellow-legs. — Common migrant. 43. Helodramas solitarius. Solitary Sandpiper. — Abundant mi¬ grant and breeder. 44. Heteractilis incanus. Wandering Tatler. — One female taken by Behrens on his Ranch, June 1, 1901. "Very Rare.” 45. Bartramia longicauda. Bartramian Sandpiper.* — Common breeder on the plains. 46. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper.* — Abundant breeder, in Hills as well as plains. 47. Numenius longirostiis. Long-billed Curlew.* — Tolerably com¬ mon breeder in wilder parts of plains country. 48. Oxyechus vociferus. Killdeer.* — Abundant breeder in badlands. Voh™] Yisher, Birds of Western South Dakota. 147 49. Colinus virginanus. Bob-white.* — Breeds near Rapid City. Very rare visitant (Sweet). 50. Dendragapus obscurus. Dusky Grouse.— Tolerably common in central part of the Hills (Hayden). 51. Bonasa umbellus umbelloides. Gray Ruffed Grouse. — Female taken. One brood seen in the Hills. 52. Tympanuchus americanus. Prairie Hen. — Reported occasion¬ ally as far west as Kadoka. 53. Pedioecetes phasianellus campestris. Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse. — Abundant resident on plains. 54. Centrocercus urophasianus. Sage Grouse.* — Very locally dis¬ tributed ; resident. 55. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Mourning Dove.* — Common breeder. In autumn, when it flocks, it is very conspicuous. 56. Cathartes aura septentrionalis. Turkey Vulture.* — Tolerably common about the Hills. Abundant in badlands. 57. Circus hudsonius. Marsh Hawk.* — Most abundant hawk outside of the Hills proper. Resident. 58. Astur atricapillus. Goshawk. — Four taken by Behrens. 59. Accipiter velox. Sharp-shinned Hawk. — A pair, probably of these birds, was seen in badlands. 60. Buteo borealis calurus. Western Red-tailed Hawk.* — Toler¬ ably common breeder. 61. Buteo borealis kreideri. Kreider Hawk. — Rare; only one seen. 62. Buteo lineatus. Red-shouldered Hawk. — Two taken by Beh¬ rens. 63. Buteo swainsoni. Swainson Hawk.* — Abundant in fall on plains. Breeds (Sweet). 64. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. American Rough-legged Hawk.*— Rare. 65. Archibuteo ferrugineus. Ferruginous Hawk.* — Abundant resi¬ dent in winter (Sweet). 66. Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle.* — A resident in the badlands (Sweet). Seen in the Hills. 67. Haliseetus leucocephalus. Bald Eagle.* — Rare, resident in badlands (Sweet). 68. Falco mexicanus. Prairie Falcon. — Abundant in badlands. Breeds. Three pairs t’aken by Behrens. 69. Falco peregrinus anatum. Duck Hawk. — Six taken by Behrens. One seen on Bear Butte, near Sturgis. 70. Falco columbarius. Pigeon Hawk. — Rare autumn migrant. Four pairs taken by Behrens. 71. Falco columbarius richardsoni. Richardson Merlin. — Five taken by Behrens. Seen in southwest Stanley County. 72. Falco sparverius. Sparrow Hawk.* — Very abundant summer resident. 148 VlSHER, Birds of Western South Dakota. [April 73. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis. Osprey. — One seen in September on the White River; one taken by Behrens. 74. Asio wilsonianus. American Long-eared Owl.— A tolerably common breeder, in the cedars in the badlands, and in the Hills. Four pairs taken by Behrens. 75. Asio flammeus. Short-eared Owl.* — Common breeder on the plains. Rare resident (Sweet). 76. Otus asio. Screech Owl. — Taken frequently by Behrens. 77. Bubo virginianus pallescens. Western Horned Owl. — Taken in winter by Sweet. Nine taken by Behrens. 78. Nyctea nyctea. Snowy Owl. — Taken by Behrens in the winter. 79. Speotyto cunicularia hypogsea. Burrowing Owl. — Abundant on plains in prairie dog towns. 80. Coccyzus americanus. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. — Five taken by Behrens. 81. Coccyzus erythrophthalmus. Black-billed Cuckoo. — Seen on White River (Sweet). Taken on Bad River by Hayden in 1857. 82. Ceryle alcyon. Kingfisher.* — A common breeder. 83. Dryobates villosus. Hairy Woodpecker.* — Breeds; probably resident in Hills. 84. Dryobates pubescens nelsoni. Northern Downy Woodpecker. — - Three taken in the Hills (Grinnell). Rare resident (Sweet). 85. Melanerpes erythrocephalus. Red-headed Woodpecker.* — Most abundant woodpecker, taking the area as a whole. 86. Asyndesmus lewisi. Lewis Woodpecker. — Very abundant breeder in central wilder part of the Hills; uncommon elsewhere. In flight it resembles a small crow. This woodpecker is very proficient as a flycatcher. 87. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker.* — Tolerably com¬ mon breeder (Sweet). 88. Colaptes cafer collaris. Red-shafted Woodpecker. — Abundant in the Hills. The most abundant woodpecker along the White River seems to be a hybrid between these Flickers. 89. Phaleenoptilus nuttalli. Nuttall Poorwill. — Heard in June in the badlands (Sweet). Taken in the Black Hills by Hayden. 90. Chordeiles virginianus henryi. Western Nighthawk.* — Abun¬ dant breeder on the plains. 91. Chsetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. — Reported by Grinnell from the Hills. 92. Aeronautes melanoleucus. White-throated Swift. — Abundant breeder about the higher buttes in the badlands. 93. Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird.* — Abundant breeder, except in the central Hills. 94. Tyrannus verticallis. Arkansas Kingbird.* — - Abundant sum¬ mer resident on the plains. VOli909^ *] Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. 149 95. Sayornis phoebe. Phcebe. — Male taken by Behrens on his ranch, May 26, 1904. 96. Sayornis saya. Say Phcebe.* — Abundant summer resident on the plains, especially in the badlands. 97. Myiochanes richardsoni. Western Wood Pewee, — Most com¬ mon flycatcher in the Hills. 98. Empidonax virescens. Green-crested Flycatcher. — One male taken by Behrens. 99. Empidonax trailli. Traill Flycatcher. — “One male taken” (Behrens) . 100. Otocoris alpestris leucolaema. Desert Horned Lark.* — Abun¬ dant resident. 101. Pica pica hudsonia. Magpie.* — Numerous wherever there are trees, except in higher parts of the Hills. Resident. 102. Cyanocitta cristata. Blue Jay. — Rare summer resident on White River as far west as southwest Stanley County. 103. Perisoreus canadensis. Canada Jay. — Tolerably common in Hills. Pair taken (Behrens). 104. Corvus corax sinuatus. American Raven. — Common (Grinnell). Taken at Fort Pierre (Hayden). 105. Corvus brachyrhynchos. American Crow. — Tolerably common. Resident. 106. Nucifraga Columbiana. Clark Nutcracker. — Taken by Hay¬ den in the Hills. (Sweet saw one of these birds in the fall of 1903 in Hutchins County, southeast part of the State.) 107. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus. Pinon Jay.* — Abundant breeder about Rapid City ; not seen elsewhere. 108. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Bobolink.* — Common summer resident in the Red Valley east of the Hills proper. Rare along the White River (Sweet). 109. Molothrus ater. Cowbird. — Abundant summer resident except in the higher Hills. 110. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. — Yello-w-headed Blackbird.* — Common breeder. 111. Agelaius phoeniceus. Red-winged Blackbird.* — Common sum¬ mer resident. 1 12. Sturnella magna. Meadowlark. — Occasional on White River (Sweet). 113. Sturnella neglecta. Western Meadowlark.* — Abundant on prairies and plains. 114. Icterus spurius. Orchard Oriole. — Common along the White River in summer (Sweet). 115. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. — Same as preceding spe¬ cies. Rare breeder (Behrens). 116. Icterus bullocki. Bullock Oriole. — Taken at north end of the Hills by Grinnell; at Fort Pierre by Hayden, 1857. One seen at Rapid City, August 1. Five taken by Behrens June 14, 1899, etc. 150 Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. r Auk LApril 117. Euphagus cyanocephalus. Brewer Blackbird.* — Abundant breeder. 118. Quiscalus quiscula seneus. Bronzed Grackle.* — Common breeder in the Hills. Rare migrant in southwest Stanley County (Sweet). 119. Hesperiphona vespertina. Evening Grosbeak.— Taken by Townsend in 1824. Three taken by Behrens, January 1, 1905. 120. Loxia curvirostra minor. American Crossbill. — Common breeder about Rapid City; feeding largely upon the aphid galls on the petioles of the leaves of the cottonwood. 121. Leucosticte tephrocotis. Gray-crowned Leucosticte. — Toler¬ ably common in winter. Taken by Behrens Nov. 10, 1900. 122. Acanthis hornemanni exilipes. Hoary Redpoll. — Taken by Behrens. 123. Acanthis linaria. American Redpoll. — Taken: abundant in fall (Behrens). 124. Astragalinus tristis. Goldfinch.* — Tolerably common breeder. 125. Spinus pinus. Pine Siskin.* — Two large flocks seen in the pines in the Hills. 126. Plectrophenax nivalis. Snowflake.* — Common in winter (Sweet). 127. Calcarius lapponicus. Lapland longspur.* — Abundant in win¬ ter (Sweet). 128. Calcarius pictus. Smith Longspur. — Common in summer in southwest Stanley County. 129. Calcarius ornatus. Chestnut-collared Longspur.* — Abun¬ dant breeder on plains; rare resident. 130. Rhynchophanes mccowni. McCown Longspur.* — Breeds near White wood. Common in winter (Sweet). 131. Pooecetes gramineus confinis. Western Vesper Sparrow.* — Black Hills (Hayden). Abundant in fall. 132. Coturniculus bairdi. Baird Sparrow. — Taken by Behrens, Sept. 1, 1900. Rare. 133. Coturniculus savannarum bimaculatus. Western Grasshopper Sparrow.* — Occasional, nesting on prairies about the Hills; common breeder in southwest Stanley County. 134. Chondestes grammacus strigatus. Western Lark Sparrow.* — Common breeder. 135. Zonotrichia querula. Harris Sparrow. — Common migrant (Sweet). 136. Zonotrichia leucophrys. White-crowned Sparrow.* — Black Hills (Hayden). 137. Zonotrichia albicollis. White-throated Sparrow. — White River (Hayden). 138. Spizella monticola ochracea. Western Tree Sparrow.* — Common migrant (Sweet). 139. Spizella passerina arizonse. Western Chipping Sparrow.* — Tolerably common in summer. V°'i909^ J] Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. 151 140. Spizella pallida. Clay-colored Sparrow. — Abundant in the Hills. Breeds. 141. Spizella breweri. Brewer Sparrow. — Male taken by Behrens, July, 1899. Rare. 142. Junco hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. — A pair taken by Behrens. Common migrant (Sweet). 143. Junco aikeni. White-winged Junco.* — Abundant breeder in center of the Hills. Taken by Hayden. 144. Junco phaeonotus caniceps. Gray-headed Junco. — Taken by Hayden and by Behrens. Seen in August, in the northern part of the Hills (Custer Peak). 145. Melospiza melodia. Song Sparrow.* — Tolerably common breeder about the Hills. 146. Melospiza georgiana. Swamp Sparrow. — Male taken by Beh¬ rens, June 14, 1899. Rare. 147. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Towhee. — Once seen in summer. (Sweet). 148. Pipilo maculatus. Arctic Towhee. — Abundant breeder in canons of the Hills. 149. Zamelodia melanocephala. Black-headed Grosbeak. — One seen August 1 near Rapid. Taken by Hayden in the Bijou Hills east of the Missouri River. June and July (Behrens). 150. Guiraca caerulea lazula. Western Blue Grosbeak. — Taken August, 1899, and September 2, 1900. Breeds (Behrens). 151. Passerina cyanea. Indigo Bunting. — Nests occasionally in the Hills (two broods August 4 near Blackhawk). 152. Passerina amoena. Lazuli Bunting.* — Breeds near Fort Pierre (Hayden). Seen in Sanborn County (eastern part of State). 153. Spiza americana. Dickcissel.* — Tolerably common breeder, along White River. 154. Calamospiza melanocorys. Lark Bunting. — Common breeder. 155. Piranga ludoviciana. Louisl^na Tanager.* — Abundant breeder in the Hills. 156. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — Common in the Hills. 157. Petrochelidon lunifrons. Cliff Swallow.* — Common breeder. 158. Hirundo erythrogastra. Barn Swallow* — Common breeder. 159. Tachycineta thalassina lepida. Violet-green Swallow.* — Tolerably common nester in the Hills. * 160. Riparia riparia. Bank Swallow. — Tolerably common summer resident. 161. Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Rough-winged Swallow.* — Rare summer visitor. 162. Bombycilla garrula. Bohemian Waxwing. — Taken by Behrens, January to February, 1899. “ The only winter when it was seen.” 163. Bombycilla cedrorum. Cedar Waxwing. — Common on the Missouri River (Grinnell). 152 Visher, Birds of Western South Dakota. T Auk LApril 164. Lanius borealis. Northern Shrike.* — - Common winter visitor (Sweet). 165. Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides. White-rumped Shrike.* — Abundant breeder in cottonwoods. 166. Vireosylva gilva swainsoni. Western Warbling Vireo. — Taken on Bear Butte (Grinnell). Nests frequently in Rapid City. 167. Lanivireo solitarius plumbeus. Plumbeous Vireo.— Common at Harney Peak (Grinnell). 168. Dendroica sestiva. Yellow Warbler.* — Nests commonly about the Hills. 169. Dendroica auduboni. Audubon Warbler.* — - Seen frequently in the Hills; probably nests. Common spring migrant along White River (Sweet). 170. Dendroica striata. Black-poll Warbler,— Pair taken by Behrens. 171. Geothlypis tolmiei. Macgillivray Warbler. — Taken by Hay¬ den in the Hills. Occurs locally in low boggy woods in the higher Hills. A common nester. A migrant in Stanley County. 172. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. Western Yellow-throat.* — Common breeder. 173. Icteria virens longicauda. Long-tailed Chat.* — Taken at mouth of White River and at Fort Pierre (Hayden). Seen in badlands in September. 174. Setophaga ruticilla. American Redstart. — Common breeder on White River (Sweet). 175. Anthus pensilvanicus. American Pipit.— Taken in the Black Hills in 1857 by Hayden. 176. Anthus spraguei. Sprague Pipit.— Common in summer (Sweet). 177. Cinclus mexicanus unicolor. American Dipper. — Two or three seen on each large mountain torrent. 178. Oroscoptes montanus. Sage Thrasher. — Taken by Behrens, Nov. 12, 1900. Rare. 179. Mimus polyglottos leucopterus. Western Mockingbird. — Taken by Hayden in 1860 in the Hills. 180. Dumetella carolinensis. Catbird.* — Rare in summer at Rapid; common in southwest Stanley County. 181. Toxostoma rufum. Brown Thrasher.* — A common breeder along White River. 182. Salpinctes obsoletus. Rock Wren.* — A very abundant and con¬ spicuous breeder, on hog-backs of the rim of the Hills, and in the badlands, where it nests in crevices. The badland form is very pale in color. 183. Thryomanes bewicki. Bewick Wren. — Taken by Behrens, August 1, 1899.' 184. Troglodytes aedon parkmani. Western House Wren. — Com¬ mon breeder along White River in Stanley County. 185. Sitta carolinensis aculeata. Slender-billed Nuthatch.* — Common breeder in the Hills. ' °'j ril Duck Hawk on the Palisades. Background by Hobart Nichols. — The nest is on a shelf of a cliff, and contains down-covered young; one of the old birds is approaching the nest bearing in its talons a domestic pigeon. The locality is the western shore of the Hudson, at Englewood, New Jersey, and the outlook is northward from the ‘Gorge,’ overlooking the river. August Bird-Life of the Hackensack Meadows. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by E. W. Smith. — The locality is the marshes of the Hackensack River, near Little Ferry, New Jersey. The view is westward, across the marshes. Cattails, wild rice, reeds, sagittarias and other aquatic plants make up the foreground, which is enlivened by the rose-colored flowers of the marsh-mallow and the scarlet of cardinal flowers. The purpose of the group is to illustrate a night resort of Swallows, and the feeding grounds of Reedbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, and other species which visit the marshes in large numbers to feed on the wild rice. The birds are perched on the cattails and wild rice, with rails and a pair of Wood Ducks in the immediate foreground. Wild Turkey Group. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by H. C. Denslow. — A pair of old birds with their brood of young, in an opening in a forest in the mountains of West Virginia. Florida Great Blue Heron. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by H. C. Denslow. — A group of adult birds and half-grown young in the tree-tops of a Florida heronry, with characteristic surroundings. The Anhinga or Water Turkey. Background by Bruce Horsfall. — Nests with eggs, nests with young birds at different stages of growth, and several old birds of both sexes, with one swimming submerged in the foreground. The scene is a lake nearly enclosed with cypress and palmettoes, with a distant vista showing the characteristic scenery of the lake region near St. Lucie, Florida. ‘Bonnets’ (yellow pond-lilies) give color to the immediate fore¬ ground. Sandhill Crane Group. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by Herbert Lang. — A pair of birds, with their nest and eggs, in a water-filled depression on the Kissimmee Prairies, Florida; back¬ ground, a broad view of the prairies; hammocks and palm trees in the distance. Duck Hawk on the Palisades. The Auk, Vol. XXVI. Piie American Egret in a South Carolina Cypress Swamp. The Auk, Vol. XXVi. Plate II. ' °'i!Kj7p Allen, Habitat Groups of North American Birds. 169 Broum Pelican, Pelican Island, Florida. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by E. W. Smith. — A large group, containing seven old birds, nine young in various stages of growth, and several nests with eggs, some placed on the ground, others in mangrove bushes. It illustrates the manner in which the young are fed with predigested food. The background shows numerous birds in the distance, in various positions, some of them sitting on their nests, others walking on the sandy beach or swimming in the water. The view is toward the low mainland shore, with palm trees as a promi¬ nent feature of the distant landscape. The American Egret in a South Carolina Cypress Swamp. Back¬ ground by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by Herbert Lang. — Several old birds in fine feather, with nests containing young in various stages of development, in moss-draped trees at a height of forty feet from the ground. The sketches for the landscape were made from the trees at this altitude, to secure the desired effect. A creek in the midview gives an opportunity for water and forest effects, which include Egrets perched in the nearer trees. A Cactus Desert and its Bird-life. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by H. C. Denslow. — The locality is near Tucson, Arizona. The birds introduced — about 50 specimens, representing 20 species — are those characteristic of a desert environment, and include the Western Mockingbird, Palmer Thrasher, Cactus Wren, Road-runner, Gambel and Scaled Quails, three species of Doves, the Texas Nighthawk, Vermilion Flycatcher, Arizona Crested Flycatcher, Gilded Flicker, Arizona Cardinal, House Finch, Black- throated Sparrow, Verdin, Phainopepla, and Plumbeous Gnat- catcher. The vegetation comprises a number of the most striking forms of cacti, with mesquites and acacias. The background is a typical desert scene, with the beautiful Santa Catalina Mountains in the distance. California Condor Group. Background by Carlos Hittell. — The site is in Pirn Canon, Ventura County, California, and affords an opportunity for striking scenic effects in the background. The Condor is represented by a lone bird and a single egg. Brandt Cormorant Group. Background by Carlos Hittell. Birds by Herbert Lang. — An assemblage of six adult birds, a nest with eggs, and three broods of young in different stages of growth. 170 Allen, Habitat Groups of North American Birds. [ April The scene is a rocky islet off the coast of Monterey, California, a portion of which is here reproduced, with an ocean view for a background. Summer Bird-life of an irrigated 'portion of the San Joaquin Valley, California. Background by Carlos Hittell. Birds by H. C. Denslow. — As the title implies, the site is an artificially flooded area on the San Joaquin River, which forms a resort for the nesting of a considerable variety of wading and swimming birds. The 15 species represented in the group, which has an area of S by 20 feet, include Avocets, Stilts, Killdeer Plovers, Black and Forster Terns, Black-crowned Night Herons, White-faced Glossy Ibises, Coots, Mallards, Cinnamon Teals, Pintail Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, and Fulvous Tree Ducks. The pools of water and aquatic plants merge effectively into the background. The view is westward, over marshes and fields, to the Coast Range, prominent in the distance. A Flamingo Colony in the Bahamas. Background by L. A. Fuertes (birds) and Carlos Hittell (landscape). Birds by Herbert Lang. — Scene, a key in the Bahamas; theme, a Flamingo city. The size of the group is 8 by 20 feet, in which are placed 1G old birds, and 18 young birds of different ages, interspersed among a dozen or more of the close-set, raised mud nests and small mangrove bushes, so arranged that birds, nests and mangroves merge imper¬ ceptibly into the background of an immense colony of Flamingoes, the whole representing, with wonderful realism, an actual “Fla¬ mingo city.” The pink color and the outlines of the birds gradually fade out in the distance. The sea and a distant green islet studded with palms form the horizon line, while a long file of flying birds stretching across the sky illustrates the manner of flight of these great ungainly but beautifully tinted creatures. The great variety of positions given to the birds are from photographs from life. Boobies and Man-oi1 -War Birds. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by Herbert Lang. — The locality is Cay Verde, a coral islet in the Bahamas, some two hundred and thirty miles southeast of Nassau. The common West Indian Booby and the graceful Man-o’-War Bird are well-represented by both young and adult birds, the former species nesting on the ground, the latter in dense growths of bushes (‘sea-grape’) and cactuses. The inflated The Auk, Vol. XXVI. Plate III. A Klamath Lake Bird Colony. VOl19oiP *] Allen, Habitat Groups of North American Birds. 171 throat-pouch, of a vivid red color, gives a grotesque effect to the otherwise somber colored male Man-o’-War Bird. The back¬ ground shows a portion of the key, with its peculiar vegetation, combined with a sea view of unusual interest. Golden Eagle Group. — The scene is in the badlands of Bate’s Hole, Wyoming; the nest is on a shelf of a high cliff. A fine old bird and two eggs represent the species, with a striking badlands background of buttes and gorges. A Klamath Lake Bird Colony. Background by Carlos Hittell. Birds by Herbert Lang.— Klamath Lake, on the California-Oregon boundary line, is a vast expanse of shallow water, broadly bordered with tides and rushes, and studded with low small islets covered with vegetation similar to that of the shores. It is thus a favorite breeding resort for a great variety of water birds, among which are the White Pelican, the California and Ring-billed Gulls, Caspian Tern, Farallone Cormorant, Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons, Wild Geese, the Bufflehead and other species of Ducks. The birds shown in the group are the White Pelican (old birds and young, nests and eggs), the Western Gull, Caspian Tern (numerous individuals of each), and the Farallone Cormorant. The scene is a tide island, with similar small islands iii the immediate back¬ ground, treeless hills beyond, and snow-capped, grand Mount Shasta in the distance. Arctic-Alpine Bird-life in the Canadian Rockies. Background by Carl Rungius, from a sketch by L. A. Fuertes. — Scene, about fifteen miles north of Laggan, at the Ptarmigan Lakes. The birds represented are the White-tailed Ptarmigan and American Pipit (with nests and eggs of each species), and the Rosy Snow Finch or Leucosticte. The background portrays one of the most impressive views in the Canadian Rockies, it including Mounts Redoubt, Temple, Hungabee, Lefroy, and Victoria. Sage Grouse Group. Background by Carlos Hittell. Birds by Herbert Lang. — Scene, sage-brush plains, Medicine Bow, Wyom¬ ing. Two old males and a female, in characteristic attitudes, and eggs; others are shown in the nearer portion of the sage-brush background; Elk Mountain and the Snowy Range in the distance. Love-making of the Prairie Hen. Background by Bruce Horsfall. Birds by H. C. Denslow. — Seven old birds, the males attitudinizing. 172 Allen, Habitat Groups of North American Birds. [April the neck-tufts erect and the large orange-colored air-sacks inflated. Scene, prairies of western Nebraska, with an effective landscape. Wild Goose Group. Background by Hobart Nichols. Birds by Herbert Lang. At Crane Lake, Saskatchewan, near the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, where water birds, both swimming and wading, assemble in great numbers to pass the nesting season. The site shown is the grassy border of the lake, with the lake and distant hills in the background. The group consists of a single pair \ of old birds and their brood of seven young, in a foreground of grass and coarse plants. I Grebe Group. Background by Hobart Nichols. Birds by | Herbert Lang. — The studies here represented were also made at Crane Lake. The species are the Western Grebe and the Eared i Grebe, several birds of each being shown, with nests of eggs and young birds. A female Redhead Duck, with her nest full of eggs, is introduced at the rear left corner. The site chosen is a grassy slough, with the lake and its numerous islets as a background. Bird Rock Group. Birds by H. C. Denslow. — This is a realistic representation of a section of Bird Rock, in the Gulf of St. Law¬ rence, the long-famous breeding resort of the sea birds of that region. 1 he group contains 73 birds, illustrating seven species. R was the first of the present series of large bird groups to be installed, and has already been described in this journal.1 R is the only one of the series without a panoramic background, the cliff-like character of the group precluding such treatment. In addition to the series of groups above described, another is nearly completed, representing a section of the famous Cuthbert Rookery in southern Florida, illustrating the habits of the Roseate Spoonbill, "\\ hite Ibis, Snowy and American Egrets, Louisiana and Little Blue Herons. Among others planned to complete the series are groups illustrating the rI urkey Buzzard, Whooping Crane, Loon, and Eider Duck, which will each afford the occasion for the in¬ troduction of additional scenic types in the backgrounds. I he production of this series of habitat groups has been a serious undertaking. It was work, in many ways, in new lines, where difficulties of many kinds were to be overcome, both in the field 1 Auk, XX, 1903, p. 247. Grebe Group. The Auk, Vol. XXVI. Plate IV. ^ °'l900^ !] Allen, Habitat Groups of North American Birds. 173 and in the laboratory. The large degree of success that has at¬ tended the enterprise is due to the foresight, good judgment and enthusiasm of Mr. Frank M. Chapman, who during the last ten years has spent much of his time in gathering this unique material and superintending its preparation. Each group has been the product of a special expedition, the aggregate amount of travel entailed being estimated at about 65,000 miles. On all of the later expeditions Mr. Chapman took with him an artist and a preparator, and on all occasions the camera has played an essential part.1 It has thus been possible to pose the birds in the groups after photo¬ graphs of the living bird, unconscious of observation, taken from points of concealment devised to meet the occasion. The back¬ grounds have been painted, in nearly every case, by artists who have accompanied Mr. Chapman on these expeditions and have thus been able to paint the actual scene from nature which the groups illustrate. In the foregoing list of the groups credit is given, in most instances, to both artist and preparator for their respective shares in the production of the groups, — the backgrounds and the mounted birds. The vegetation, however, forms an important element in their effectiveness, it having been reproduced in facsimile in wax, either from plaster casts of the parts represented or direct from the parts themselves. This feature of the work has been done under the direction of Mr. J. D. Figgins, Chief of the Department of Preparation at the Museum, and who has often accompanied the expeditions and taken charge of the plants and other field materials necessary to the perfection of the groups. Difficulties were also encountered in the installation of the groups, in order to secure proper lighting and effectiveness of exhibition. In large plate glass case fronts, everything directly in range is reflected in the glass, to the more or less obscuration of the contents of the case. Experiments to overcome this effect were instituted by the Director of the Museum, Dr. Hermon C. Bumpus, and largely through his resourcefulness this difficulty, and others in the way of lighting the groups, have been effectively overcome. To quote 1 See Mr. Chapman’s recent book, ‘ Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist/ where his field work during these expeditions is recounted, and where hundreds of his photographs are reproduced. 174 Allen, Habitat Groups of Aorth American Birds. [April from Mr. Chapman’s ‘Guide Leaflet,’ already cited: “Each group has demanded its own special treatment, and, in the construction of the series, the many novel problems encountered have resulted in the development of original methods. This is particularly true of the manner of installation and illumination of the groups at the sides of the hall . The background is curved [convex back¬ ward] with the front opening so reduced in size that at the proper distance, or ‘correct view-point,’ neither the ends nor the top of the group can be seen. By thus leaving the actual limits of the group to the imagination the illusion of space and distance is greatly heightened.” Furthermore, the groups are lighted from the top by diffused light; electric lighting is employed at night, or whenever the daylight is insufficient, but in either case the light comes from the same diffusing surface. The reflection of outside objects in the case fronts has been wholly prevented by the erection of a screen consisting of a low wooden partition placed at the inner edge of the gallery which serves not only to cut off reflections but tends to con¬ centrate the attention of the observer upon the special and thus wholly isolated exhibit before him. It is needless to say that the cost of this unique series of bird groups has been heavy, and the work could never have been under¬ taken by the Museum on the basis of its ordinary sources of income. It is therefore fitting to close this sketch with a list of the names of the friends of the Museum who have made these results possible, as follows: Mr. John L. Cadwalader. Mrs. Morris K. Jesup. Mrs. Philip Schuyler. Mrs. John B. Trevor. Mrs. Robert Winthrop. Mr. F. Augustus Schermerhorn. Mr. H. B. Hollins. Mr. Henry Clay Pierce. Mr. Henry W. Poor. Mr. Courtenay Brandreth. Voli90^ '] Brewster, Something More about Black Ducks. 175 SOMETHING MORE ABOUT BLACK DUCKS. BY WILLIAM BREWSTER. The ‘Fourteenth Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds,’ published in a recent number of ‘The Auk,’ 1 contains the following announcement (p. 361): — “The name Anas obscura Gmelin, 1788, proves to be preoccupied by Anas obscura Pontoppidan, 1763, for an Old World species, and no other name being available, rubripes of Brewster is adopted as a substitute. (Richmond, MS.) There is some question as to the validity of the form recognized as No. 133a [i. e., Anas obscura rubripes\ which, by the above action, is now can¬ celled.” I am told that the closing sentence of the passage just quoted has been very generally understood to imply that, in the opinion of the A. O. U. Committee, it is no longer desirable to recognize more than one northern form of the Black Duck. Its wording would certainly seem to justify such an interpretation, especially as “ 133a, Anas obscura rubripes Brewster” is mentioned elsewhere in this same supplement (p. 352) in a list of “Eliminations,” with the remark that it is “equivalent to No. 133,” i. e., to Anas obscura of the Check-List. As a matter of fact, however, the status of rubripes has not been passed on, nor even, I think, reconsidered, by the Committee since the form was accepted as a valid subspecies and given a place in our Check-List. I make this statement ad¬ visedly, after confirming my personal recollection of the history of the case by questioning the chairman of the Committee, Dr. Allen, and the Secretary, Dr. Richmond, regarding it. Dr. Allen writes me (under date of December 21, 1908) that “the Committee simply took rubripes as the only available name for the Black Duck group, without ruling on the status of rubripes as a subspecies of obscura, leaving a name for the Green-legged Black Duck to be provided for, presumably by you.” I have heard from Dr. Rich¬ mond, also, to the effect that no action has been taken at any recent meeting of the Committee respecting the status of the form rubripes. Vol. XXV, No. 3, July, 1908, pp. 343-399. 176 Brewster, Something More about Black Ducks. It is truly deplorable that the Blaek Duck of our New England and Middle States, the Anas obscura of Gmelin, should have to relinquish the appropriate and familiar name which it has borne unchanged, and unaccompanied by a single synonym, for more than one hundred years. There is no other alternative, however, at least from the view point of ornithologists who take Linnaeus at 1758 instead of 1766 and who also subscribe to the maxim “Once a synonym always a synonym.” Since the unfortunate bird is now left without any specific scientific title I propose that it be hereafter known as tristis, partly because of its subdued coloring but also to commemorate the sad. fate it has been called upon to suffer at the hands of authorities on nomenclature. If this name be not preoccupied in Anatidse (one can never be absolutely sure in re¬ spect to such a matter), the two more northern forms of the Black Duck group will stand, respectively, as follows: — Anas rubripes Brewster. Red-legged Black Duck. Anas rubripes tristis Brewster. Black Duck. It must be admitted that it seems very like adding insult to injury to thus relegate it to a subordinate place in the group where it has long stood at the very head, a bird which has just been robbed of an ancestral and time-honored name. Nor does this arrangement meet with the approval of all my scientific friends. Two of those whom I have consulted about it — both eminent zoologists for whose opinion on such a matter I have the highest respect — hold that as the Anas obscura of Gmelin was, as far as we know, the first form of Black Duck to be recognized and described by ornitholo¬ gists it should continue to be regarded as the original or “parent” form and that rubripes, which has been separated from it only very recently, should bear the trinomial appellation and take second place. This view appeals to me strongly. Indeed, it seems so logical and so obviously based on sound scientific principle that I have been tempted to adopt and act on it. But there is a practical consideration entitled, evidently, to still greater weight which Mr. Witmer Stone has expressed in the following words, contained in a letter that he has just written me: — “The whole thing comes down to a realization of the fact that we cannot represent more than one thing in our technical nomenclature and that is the earliest name for the form according to our Code. Evolution and history have Brewster, Something More about Black Ducks. 177 to be looked after in some other way.” In other words the question is not so much one of principle — scientific or otherwise — as of expediency and of accepted usage. It w ill not do for those of us who have tacitly agreed to abide by the rules laid down in our Code, to disregard them when, as must occasionally happen, they run counter to our personal convictions or preferences. Canon XXIX of the Code (Canon XXV of the revised edition) provides that “when a species is separated into subspecies, or when species previously supposed to be distinct are found to intergrade, the earliest name applied to any form of the group shall be the specific name of the 'whole group.” In the Black Duck group, as repre¬ sented by its two more northern-ranging forms, we have now two names, and two only, to consider, rubripes 1902 and tristis 1909. As rubripes is clearly the earlier of the two it must become the specific name for this portion of the group. With obscura we have nothing further to do since it cannot again be used for any North American Duck in the genus Anas. Under happier auspices I should have welcomed the chance of suggesting a name for the Black Duck. To have won the right to do so by being the first ornithologist to differentiate and describe so fine a bird would have been just cause for honest pride. But merely to replace a long-established name by a new and hence unfamiliar one is but an empty honor, in which I take no satisfac¬ tion. Indeed, I should not have cared to meddle in the matter at all had it not been for the purpose of correcting the misapprehension that has arisen respecting the present attitude of the Committee with regard to rubripes. For this form I am in a way responsible — as its original describer. I believe too strongly that it is a good subspecies to be willing to have it neglected or overlooked because of any confusion or misunderstanding due to the some¬ what changed application of its name. That the characters which I have ascribed to it are presented by great numbers of specimens, and that with many of these they are so pronounced as to be easily recognized at gun-shot distance in living birds — especially when seen on wing — no one at all familiar with them seems able to deny. But there are a few ornithologists and sportsmen, I understand, who maintain — or at least suspect — that they are age or sexual •characteristics, having no racial significance. Among these men, 178 Brewster, Something More about Black Ducks. Auk April apparently, is Dr. Townsend, who, in the 'Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts’ 1 has much of interest to say about rubripes. His testimony impresses me as being confirmatory, in the main, of the conclusions which I have reached regarding this form, although to his mind it seems to have a somewhat opposite bearing. While avoiding any definite expressions of belief he suggests “for the sake of argument, that rubripes is merely the adult male of obscura.” I was inclined at first to entertain this theory but it was promptly discarded when the opportunity (mentioned2 in connection with my original description of rubripes) occurred of comparing the skins of six fully mature, breeding Black Ducks (in the Collection of Mr. Batchelder) from Newfoundland with four from regions border¬ ing on Hudson Bay. For I found that all the Newfoundland speci¬ mens were essentially typical of the form then known as obscura, although one of them was an adult male, whereas the other four birds were equally good representatives of the form that I named rubripes, although two of them were females. In view of these facts (to which Dr. Townsend does not allude), and of the apparent absence of any counter evidence of a similarly definite kind, I feel justified in maintaining that at present there would seem to be no good reasons for doubting that the large Black Duck with coral red legs, bright yellow bill and spotted throat, which I have called rubripes, is subspecifically distinct from the bird hitherto known as obscura. Nor am I likely to relinquish this conviction until it has been shown to be untenable. If this is ever accomplished it must be either by observation of living birds, reared in confinement from their early youth to full maturity, or by further study and com¬ parison of specimens collected at the height of the breeding season in definitely known localities. For the examination of any number of Black Ducks of miscellaneous and uncertain ages, shot in autumn and winter in regions where they assemble and intermingle at this time of year after having migrated from unknown summer haunts, is unlikely to ever prove anything conclusively beyond the fact — which I have freely admitted from the first — that rubripes and tristis intergrade. Were it not so they would be distinct species, which I have neither asserted nor believed. 1 Memoirs Nutt. Orn. Club III, 1905, pp. 125-128. 2 Auk, XIX, April, 1902, p. 187. Voll909^ *] Brewster, Something More about Black Ducks. 179 Just as eels are said to have become reconciled to being skinned alive, so most ornithologists are learning, I suspect, to regard with resignation or indifference, not unmingled with disgust, the ever- increasing and apparently quite hopeless instability of their technical nomenclature. Fortunately there are the English names of birds to which one may turn with blessed sense of relief because of their comparatively fixed and stable character. For they have changed but little since the days of Wilson and Audubon, although purists have not failed to suggest that they should be critically looked into and perhaps extensively emended. Heaven forbid that this ever come to pass! It would mean universal chaos in ornithological nomenclature. Surely we have enough of trial and tribulation to bear with this ceaseless tinkering of the scientific names. They stand, of course, on a different basis from the others, being governed by a complicated system of laws and traditions to which we have so bound ourselves that we must support and enforce them unflinch¬ ingly, though the skies fall. For this state of affairs, indeed, there would seem to be no help despite the nomenclatural tragedies which continue to follow one another in dreary and endless succession. Among these there has perhaps been no recent case sadder to con¬ template than that afforded by the Black Ducks. Nor is the re¬ arrangement of names in this group which I have just proposed certain to prove final. It might be overthrown, for example, by the discovery that the Florida Duck or the Mottled Duck inter- grades with one or the other of the two more northern forms. If this possibility should ever develop into an established fact it would become necessary to treat three of these birds as subspecies of the fourth which would be the Florida Duck, Anas fulvigula, for its name dates back to 1874, and hence is older than those of any of the others. 180 Cary, New Records of Colorado Birds. [aptU NEW RECORDS AND IMPORTANT RANGE EXTEN¬ SIONS OF COLORADO BIRDS. BY MERRITT CARY, U. S. BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. The notes relative to distribution of Colorado birds gathered for the Biological Survey during the field seasons of 1905-06-07, in connection with work on the life zones of that State, contain important geographical or vertical extensions of the known ranges of at least 34 species and subspecies. Moreover, two other species have been found for the first time within the State. At the request of Dr. C. Hart Merriam, chief of the Biological Survey, these are now placed on record. Mergus serrator. Red-breasted Merganser. — A mounted specimen was seen in the Estes drug store at La Veta in May, 1907. Mr. E. W. Scott, the owner, stated that it had been shot on a reservoir near the town. Egretta candidissima. Snowy Heron. — Although occasionally re¬ ported from both sides of the mountains, the following two specimens seem worth recording. While in the White River region in 1906 I learned on reliable authority that a Snowy Heron had been killed near White River P. O. the previous summer, being afterward mounted at Meeker. A mounted specimen seen in the Estes drug store at La Veta in May, 1907, is said to have been killed in that vicinity. The altitude of La Veta, 7000 feet, is exceptionally high for this species. Helodromas solitarius cinnamomeus. Western Solitary Sandpiper. — A pair seen on Deer Creek, 10 miles north of Kremmling, Middle Park, July 13, 1905, may have been on their breeding grounds. Bartramia longicauda. Bartramian Sandpiper. — This plover is pos¬ sibly of more general occurrence in western Colorado than has been sup¬ posed. Migrating birds were heard at our camp on Bear River, south of Lay, Routt County, the night of August 6, 1905, and others were heard in migration at Meeker on several occasions between August 9 and 14, usually after nightfall. Two were also seen on a meadow near Meeker, August 12. A lone Bartramian Sandpiper seen August 9, 1907, on a timothy stubble at the head of Smith Fork, in the West Elk Mountains, apparently had become separated from a flock of migrating birds, as it was bewildered, and remarkably tame. The altitude was unusual for Bartramia, being over 7000 feet, while the record is the most southwestern for the State. Lophortyx calif ornicus. California Partridge. — From Grand Junc¬ tion, where first introduced, this quail has spread up the Gunnison Valley at least to Hotchkiss, where it was found in abundance in August, 1907. VOl190S^VI] Cary, New Records of Colorado Birds. 181 Also introduced successfully at Mancos, and spreading to quite an extent in Montezuma County. One was seen among the pinons two miles south of Dolores, June 25, 1907, by Mr. Ress Philips of the U. S. Forest Sendee. Tympanuchus pallidicinctus. Lesser Prairie Hen. — The few Prairie Chickens reported in the sandhills of southeastern Baca County, between Springfield and the Cimarron River, should be pallidicinctus. Unfortu¬ nately, while in this region in November, 1907, I was unable to secure specimens. Pedicecetes phasianellus columbianus. Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse. — A specimen of columbianus taken near Hahn’s Peak in August, 1906, proves quite conclusively the identity of the Sharp-tailed Grouse of northwestern Colorado, and suggests also the probability that all the grouse west of the Continental Divide are this form rather than campestris. These grouse were tolerably common in the sage parks between Hahn’s Peak and Slater, in both Canadian and Transition zones. Several family parties were encountered, the young being nearly two-thirds grown on August 15. In 1907, Sharp-tailed Grouse were reported tolerably common on both the northern and southern slopes of the San Miguel Mountains, and in the Lone Mesa region of Dolores County, chiefly above the pinon belt. I flushed one at 9000 feet in the open, park-like country three miles southeast of Lone Mesa, June 27, and another in the oak country eight miles south of Norwood, San Miguel County, July 27. On the slopes of Lone Cone the breeding range is in the partially open oak and aspen country between 8000 and 9500 feet. According to Mr. C. H. Smith of Coventry, it is only during the severest winter months that Sharp-tailed Grouse occur as low as 6500 feet. These grouse were also reported the same year from the upper part of the yellow pine belt near Pagosa Springs, and a very few from the scattered sage parks lying between the McElmo Canon, Monte¬ zuma County, and the Abajo Mountains, Utah. The known southwestern range of columbianus is thus considerably extended. Otus flammeola. Flammulated Screech Owl. — A mounted speci¬ men of this rare little owl was seen in a taxidermist’s establishment at Glenwood Springs in August, 1905, but its source could not be ascertained. Geococcyx californianus. Road-runner. — Abundant in the cedar country of northwestern Baca County, a male specimen being collected at Gaume’s Ranch in November, 1907. The northeastern limit of range is at the Rhinehart Stage Station, 22 miles south of Lamar on the Lamar- Springfield stage line, at which point Road-runners are said to be seen occasionally. Aeronautes melanoleucus. White-throated Swift. — Henderson men¬ tions the occurrence of this species at Pawnee Buttes, in northeastern Weld County, which is the most northeastern record for Colorado. I have, however, found it in abundance at Sheep Mountain, Big Bad Lands, South Dakota, September 2, 1905, apparently at the limit of its dispersion to the northeast. 182 Cary, New Records of Colorado Birds. [April Tyrannus tyrannus. Kingbird. — Not uncommon in northwestern Colorado, at least during migration. Noted as follows: Meeker, early August, 1905; Dixon, Wyoming, August 22, 1906; Snake River, 20 miles west of Baggs Crossing, August 22 to 27, 1906; 7 miles west of Rifle, August 14, 1907 ; Edwards Sheep Camp, east of Sunny Peak, Routt County, August 28, 1906. This last is the most western record in Colorado. Aphelocoma woodhousei. Woodhouse Jay. — - Troops of Woodhouse Jays were often encountered in the dense growth of cedars ( Juniperus monosperma ) near Gaume’s Ranch, in extreme northwestern Baca County, November 26 to 29, 1907, and it seems likely that they winter in that region. This is the most eastern Colorado record. Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus. Pinon Jay. — Tolerably common in the rough cedar country of northwestern Baca County, November 26 to 29, 1907. Not known to breed, and probably present only as a winter resident. Astragalinus psaltria. Arkansas Goldfinch. — North in western Colo¬ rado to Meeker and Steamboat Springs, at which localities it was common early in August, 1905. Junco aikeni. White-winged Junco. — Although the commonest junco in the mountains in winter, aikeni has not been found in Colorado, heretofore, in the breeding season. During the first few days of June, 1905, I saw several of these juncos in the foothills a few miles west of Boulder, at altitudes varying from 6000 to 7000 feet. On June 11, Mr. Walter Blanchard of Boulder showed me a nest containing young, from which the female was flushed and satisfactorily identified, though unfortunately not secured. This was in the upper part of the yellow pine belt a mile north¬ east of Magnolia, at an elevation of approximately 7000 feet. In fall migration aikeni extends eastward in the rough cedar country of southeastern Colorado nearly to the Kansas line, a large flock being seen November 27, 1907, at Gaume’s Ranch, in Shell Rock Canon, northwestern Baca County. Junco hyemalis montanus. Montana Junco. — In Colorado this is one of the most widely distributed juncos in winter. An extreme eastern rec¬ ord is Gaume’s Ranch, northwestern Baca County, where several were seen and one collected on November 27, 1907. Melospiza georgiana. Swamp Sparrow. — One taken October 23, 1907, on the Medano Springs Ranch, in the San Luis Valley, 15 miles northeast of Mosca, is the first record west of the mountains, and the second time the Swamp Sparrow has been found in the State. The specimen was caught in a trap set for mice on the edge of a tule marsh. Pipilo fuscus mesoleucus. Canon Towhee. — Occurs commonly in Upper Sonoran zone in all of the region lying south of the Arkansas River and east of the Sangre de Cristo Range, except on the treeless plains of southern Prowers and eastern Baca counties. Very abundant in Shell Rock Canon, northwestern Baca County, November 26 to 29, 1907, two specimens being collected at Gaume’s Ranch; also noted at Caddoa Station, V*™ I] Cary, New Records of Colorado Birds. 183 in the Arkansas Valley west of Lamar, November 30. Gaume’s Ranch is very near the eastern limit of its dispersion in Colorado, while Caddoa represents the extreme northeastern limit of mesoleucus in the United States. Calamospiza melanocorys. Lark Bunting. — A belated migrant was noted a few miles east of Saguache, in the San Luis Valley, November 7, 1907. Progne subis. Purple Martin. — Unusually high records for the martin are: White River Plateau (25 miles southeast of Meeker) between 8000 and 9000 feet — several seen the middle of August, 1905; and Uncompahgre Butte, on the Uncompahgre Plateau — one noted at 9000 feet, July 16, 1907. Lanius borealis. Northern Shrike. — One seen from a Santa Fe train at Earl, Las Animas County, November 25, 1907, and several a few days later at Gaume’s Ranch, in the northwest corner of Baca County. These localities indicate a southward dispersion in winter nearly if not quite to the southern line of the State. Lanivireo solitarius cassini. Cassin Vireo.— A specimen was collected September 4, 1906, at Douglas Spring, in the cedar belt at the north base of the Escalante Hills, western Routt County, and two more were heard at the same locality on September 6. A large vireo, presumably cassini, was also seen among the pinons at Coventry, Montrose County, in July, 1907. Dendroica graciae. Grace Warbler. — Tolerably common in the yellow pine forests of Archuleta County, on the headwaters of the San Juan River, at about 7000 feet, a specimen being taken at Pagosa Springs, May 28, 1907. A very active warbler, almost continually in motion, appearing in nervous haste to catch the small insects which infest the terminal bunches of pine needles. Dendroica nigrescens. Black-throated Gray Warbler.— This war¬ bler extends north in the cedar and pinon country of western Colorado to the Escalante Hills, western Routt County, where several were seen at Douglas Spring, September 4 to 8, 1906. In 1907 — Mesa Verde, Monte¬ zuma County (7000 feet), common June 14; Sinbad Valley, southwestern Mesa County, common in July; Coventry, a few during July and an im¬ mature specimen collected July 25. Dendroica townsendi. Townsend Warbler. — A male shot August 24, 1906, on Snake River, 20 miles west of Baggs Crossing, was on its south¬ ward migration with a large company of Pileolated and Yellow Warblers. Geothlypis trichas occidentalis. Western Yellow-throat. — One was seen July 12, 1905, in a willow copse along Grand River, 5 miles east of Sulphur Springs, Middle Park. The elevation, nearly 8000 feet, is excep¬ tionally high for the Yellow-throat. Setophaga ruticilla. Redstart. — A few migrating individuals were noted in a large company of Pileolated Warblers on the lower Snake River, 20 miles west of Baggs Crossing, August 25 to 27, 1906. 184 Cary, New Records of Colorado Birds. [ April Catherpes mexicanus conspersus. Canon Wren. — Noted at various points in western Colorado in 1906-07, chiefly south of the Grand River Valley. North (sparingly) to the lower White River Valley, indicated by one which was heard among the rock ledges 20 miles east of Rangely, September 12, 1906. The most eastern Colorado record for the canon wren is Gaume’s Ranch, northwest Baca County, where a specimen was collected in Shell Rock Canon, November 27, 1907. Mr. E. J. Gaume states that this wren is a regular breeder in the cliffs near his ranch. The above locality is also important as marking the eastern limit of conspersus north of Texas. Thryomanes bewicki bairdi. Baird Wren. — A not uncommon summer resident in the pinon and cedar country of western Colorado. The north¬ ernmost record for the State is Elk Springs, on the pinon divide eight miles south of Lily, Routt County, where one was seen September 11, 1906. Two others were noted and one collected southwest of Rangely, Rio Blanco County, on September 17. Thryomanes bewicki cryptus. Texan Wren. — A Bewick Wren was seen among the cedars on the south rim of Shell Rock Canon, near Gaume’s Ranch, Baca County, November 27, 1907. Though the specimen was not secured, it undoubtedly belonged to this recently separated plains race, rather than to bairdi of the mountain region, and is thus the first Colorado record for cryptus. Cistothorus stellaris. Short-billed Marsh Wren.— One shot October 23, 1907, in a rank growth of marsh grass on the Medano Springs Ranch, 15 miles northeast of Mosca, is not only the first record for stellaris in the San Luis Valley, and west of the mountains, but also for the? State. An¬ other individual was seen in a neighboring tule marsh the following day, in company with a large number of tule wrens. Although the San Luis Valley is far removed from the known range of stellaris, it seems not un¬ likely that thorough work in the tule marshes lying along the west base of the Sangre de Cristo Range may reveal it as an occasional summer resident. Sitta pygmaea. Pygmy Nuthatch. — Noted July 14, 1907, among the yellow pines at the head of Dominguez Creek, on the northern end of the Uncompahgre Plateau, — altitude about 8000 feet. The first Mesa County record for pygmcea. Baeolophus inornatus griseus. Gray Titmouse. — At a number of points in the Upper Sonoran zone of western Colorado in 1906-07, chiefly below 7000 feet. North to the Escalante Hills of Routt County, where common September 4 to 8, 1906 — a specimen being taken September 4. Psaltriparus plumbeus. Lead-colored Bush-Tit.— The following lo¬ calities indicate a wide distribution in the cedar and pinon country of western and southwestern Colorado: Escalante Hills, flock of 30 near Douglas Spring, September 4, 1906, two collected; Coventry, small flock, July, 1907; Mesa Verde, 25 miles southwest of Mancos, small flock, June 14, 1907, at 7000 feet; Arboles, small flock, June 8, 1907. Polioptila cserulea obscura. Western Gnatcatcher. — : Not known Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes 185 from north of Grand Junction, and breeding only in the hottest desert valleys. Tolerably common and one taken among the cedars in dry gulches along the McElmo Caiion, Montezuma County, in June, 1907, and again in July among oak thickets in Sinbad Valley and along Dolores River, in southwestern Mesa County. One also seen May 21, 1907, at Walsen- burg, east of the mountains. Myadestes townsendi. Townsend Solitaire. — A nest containing four partially incubated eggs, found July 27, 1906, at 6200 feet in the foothills a few miles southwest of Arkins, Larimer County, was nearly 2000 feet lower than the normal breeding range of the Solitaire in Colorado. The writer has, however, found this species breeding at considerably be.low 5000 feet in the Pine Ridge region of nort hwest Nebraska.1 Solitaires were abundant in the cedar country of northwest Baca County, November 26 to 29, 1907, where they doubtless winter. Sialia mexicana bairdi. Chestnut-backed Bluebird. — One seen in July, 1907, near Uncompahgre Butte, on the Uncompahgre Plateau, at 9000 feet, is the first record of bairdi in Mesa County. Sialia currucoides. Mountain Bluebird. — Common at Springfield and Gaume’s Ranch, Baca County, November 25 to 29, 1907, where reported wintering. 1A. (- O'- V , A Recent Instance of the Occurrence of the White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) in Massachusetts. — I have an adult male White Pelican, in full nuptial plumage with well-developed 'centre-board,’ which Dr. Lombard C. Jones of Malden, Massachusetts, was kind enough to secure for me some four years ago, soon after it had been skinned and mounted by Robert Bazin, a Malden taxidermist. It was taken at Sandwich, Massa¬ chusetts, possibly on the 12th, but almost certainly on the 13th, of May, 1905, by George W. Kuntz (or Kounze) of Sandwich. He gave it to Eugene Haines (also of Sandwich and familiarly known to Dr. Jones) who sent it in the flesh to Dr. Jones by whom it was received on May 17 and immediately placed in the hands of the taxidermist already mentioned. I bought it a week or two later from Mr. Haines, through Dr. Jones, and it was deposited in my collection on May 31, while the skin was still 'green’ and enshrouded in its winding of cotton thread. Mr. Haines reported that Mr. Kuntz (or Kounze) had found the bird lying dead among some beach grass whence he traced its large footprints backward across the beach to the water’s edge; here it must either have alighted or - — as is perhaps more probable 1 See Proc. Nebr. Ornith. Union, II, 1901, 79; also ibid., Ill, 1902, 73. 186 General Notes. r Auk LApril swam ashore, before seeking the slight shelter afforded by the spot which came so near being its final resting place. These data are all attested by letters and other memoranda received by my assistant, Mr. Walter Deane, in May and June, 1905, from Dr. Jones, who appears to have had most of his information from Mr. Haines. There is a newspaper clipping, how¬ ever, pasted in one of the letters and inscribed (evidently by Mr. Deane) “Boston Post, 1905,” which reads as follows: — “Pelican found at Sand¬ wich. Sandwich, May 17. — A strange sight was witnessed here on Friday, when a large pelican was found on the beach here by Mr. Kounze, who gave it to Eugene Haines. It measured 8 feet from tip to tip of its strong wings. Its bill was over 18 inches long, and the pouch underneath would hold two or three gallons. Whether it followed some other birds from its far-away home, or whether it was blown towards these shores in a hurricane, none can tell. Mr. Haines will have it mounted and placed on exhibition.” This brief note is, as far as I am able to learn, the only published record that has hitherto appeared of the bird to which it relates. It will be observed that the name of the man who found the Pelican was here printed “Kounze,” not “Kuntz,” as it is written by Dr. Jones; while it is necessary to point out further that the “Friday” immediately preceding May 17, 1905, fell, according to the calendar for that year, on May 12, instead of on the 13th, which Dr. Jones regards as the correct date. As he is careful to express doubt in one of his letters concerning the accuracy of his spelling of the name, that given by the Sandwich correspondent of the ‘Post’ is perhaps to be preferred; but with respect to the date, Dr. Jones is, without question, the better authority of the two. He has just written me (Febru¬ ary 23, 1909): “I am sure you will make no mistake in accepting the data which I obtained at the time, in accordance with the request of Mr. Deane, for I certainly fixed the date then as accurately as possible .... and the evidence I obtained was from Mr. Haines to whom the bird was given by the finder.” — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. The European Widgeon in Rhode Island. — Almost any large collection of birds is likely to yield occasional surprises in the way of rarities which have been previously misidentified or overlooked. An instance of this hap¬ pened only a few weeks ago when I found in my series of American Widgeon a peculiarly colored specimen, labeled Anas americana, which I do not remember to have ever noticed before. My record books show that it was purchased, with a number of other birds, in 1896, from Mr. Edward Sturte- vant of Newport, Rhode Island, and that one of my assistants catalogued and relabeled it with the others, possibly when I was absent from Cambridge. Its original label, still attached to the skin, reads as follows: — “ (J1 Dafila acuta, 22, Rhode Island, Middletown 20 Sep. 1889. Taken by Edward Sturtevant, Collection of Edward Sturtevant.” My assistant wrote in the Catalogue, between quotation marks: — “This is the only one I ever saw in this locality (salt marshes between 2d and 3d Beaches).” I am unable to Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 187 trace this statement to its source but it must have originated with Mr. Sturtevant and it may have been taken from one of his letters, afterwards destroyed. In Millais’s admirable 'Natural History of the British Surface Feeding Ducks’ I find a figure (No. 3, Plate XVII) of an “ immature male” European Widgeon, “coming out of the eclipse plumage into winter dress, age 16 months.” Males of this age and condition somewhat resemble the females, from which they may easily be distinguished, however, by the presence of conspicuous grayish mottling on the scapulars and by a large white patch on the wing. From fully adult males in corresponding dress they differ, according to Millais, only in having the white on the wing somewhat less pure and widespread. Judged by this test my Rhode Island specimen is evidently mature, for the white on its wings is immaculate and of nearly maximum extent. In respect to every other detail of color and marking the bird agrees almost perfectly with the representation of the European Widgeon to which I have just called attention. In his text relating to the American Widgeon (which has been taken a few times in Great Britain) Millais says (on page 57) : — “ The old male in eclipse plumage more closely resembles the female of his own species than our drake Wigeon — his flanks are very grey-brown, and not that rich, red-brown colour seen in our bird.” The female, also, is described by him as differing from that of the European species in a similar way, having “not so much red-brown on the flanks and breast.” Although it is not always safe to rely largely on plates and descriptions, howTever accurate, when identifying obscurely characterized birds, the evidence just given is sufficient, in my opinion, to warrant a rather positive reference of the Widgeon taken by Mr. Sturtevant at Middletown, Rhode Island, to Mareca penelope, of which, indeed, it seems to be a nearly typical representative. It is, I believe, the first European Wigeon known to have been obtained in New^ England. The second (hitherto supposed to have been the first) wyas shot in Monponsett Pond near Halifax, Massachusetts, on October 20, 1899. When I referred to the latter in ‘The Auk’ 1 as a “ fine old male in remarkably handsome plumage, I had not seen Millais’s book which, indeed, was not published until the following year. On reexamining this specimen in the light of his testimony, I find that I was not mistaken in regarding it as mature; for its wings closely resemble those of the Wigeon killed by Mr. Sturtevant although in most other respects it is very unlike his bird owing to the fact that it is in full winter plumage. It came into my possession not long after it wTas recorded in ‘The Auk.’ Soon after this I secured the remains of a third European Widgeon to which Dr. Townsend has alluded in the following wTords.2 “ There is in Mr. William Brewster’s collection the head and one wing of an 1 Auk, XVIII, No. 2, April 1901, p. 125. 2 C. W. Townsend, Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts, Memoirs Nutt. Orn. Club, III, 1905, p. 129. 188 General Notes. r Auk LApril adult male of this species shot at Marblehead on December 29th, 1900.’' This statement is not quite correct for I have both wings of the Marblehead bird and they indicate plainly that it was not more than six or seven months old when killed, being essentially like those of a female Widgeon and wholly without the white patches which, according to Millais, are sometimes shown by the male soon after the close of his first winter and invariably assumed by him before the end of his second autumn; after which he never lacks them at any season, — even when masquerading, for a brief time in late summer, in the subdued garb so generally like that of his mate and so appropriately termed his “eclipse” plumage. — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. Snow Geese in Massachusetts. — The seaboard of eastern Massachusetts was once visited regularly by considerable numbers of Snow Geese, if we may credit the testimony of certain early Colonial writers. Thus Wood, referring to the region about Lynn and to a period extending from 1629 to 1633, says they came “in great flockes about Michelmas” and after remaining six weeks, filed “ to the Southward, returning in March and stay¬ ing sixe weeks more” before continuing their spring migration northward. Just when they discontinued this practise is not definitely known but it was probably abandoned long before the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. During the past fifty years or more they seem to have occurred only at infrequent intervals and, as a rule, singly, although Dr. Townsend reports 1 that as lately as November, 1903, Mr. W. H. Vivian “saw a flock of about fifty white birds resting on the beach at Ipswich” Massachusetts. “ He thought at first they wrere gulls, but they got up and flew off honking and he saw that they were white geese.” In view of some of the facts just mentioned I was not less surprised than interested to learn that Mr. M. Abbott Frazar had seen a large flock of Snow Geese at Townsend, Massachusetts, on April 13, 1908. He has written me two letters concerning them, from which, with his kind permission, I now make the following extracts, changing or transposing a word or two here or there : — “I heard the geese making a tremendous noise in the distance and soon caught sight of them about a mile away, coming towards me and flying in a compact bunch, not in V-shape. They were all calling and acting as if lost or badly scared. They passed directly over my head not seventy yards up. There were at least seventy-five and more likely one hundred in the flock, .... and all were in full plumage. I looked them over carefully to make sure there were no Canadas in the lot and there was not a gray bird of any kind. I could not be in doubt about this for they had not passed my house over four hundred yards when they swung so that the light shone on them making them look like a snow bank in which a dark bird would 1 C. W. Townsend, Birds of Essex County, Massachusetts, Mem. Nutt. Orn. Club, No. Ill, p. 147. Vol. XXVIT 1909 J General Notes. 189 have been conspicuous. They approached me from the southwest, flying about northeast, and then swung around by the west finally disappearing over the point where I first saw them, after making a circle perhaps a mile in circumference. There is a small river, hardly more than fifty yards in width at the widest, just beyond where I lost sight of them. The nearest pond I know of is three miles away.” Inasmuch as Mr. Frazar is an ornithologist and sportsman of long and varied experience one may accept, without the slightest hesitation, his confident assurance that the birds he observed, under conditions so favor¬ able for field identification, were Snow Geese. It must remain doubtful, however, to which form of this species they belonged, although the proba¬ bilities indicate the smaller bird hyperborea, that being of commoner occur¬ rence in New England than its larger subspecies, nivalis. — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. Another Ohio record for Oidemia deglandi. — Among a number of birds which I recently received from the Ohio State University in exchange for my collection of mammals there is a female of this species ( Oidemia de¬ glandi), shot March 10, 1881, at the Licking County Reservoir in Ohio. Prof. L. Jones, in his Catalogue, mentions the two specimens recorded by Dr. Wheaton and two specimens in the Oberlin Museum. Dawson and I recorded a fifth specimen shot in 1881 in Sandusky Bay. This present speci¬ men then makes the sixth record for the State of Ohio. As Dawson had the collection of the Ohio State University at his elbow when writing his book, it is certainly peculiar that he should have overlooked this specimen and there may be perhaps other specimens in this collection not yet brought to light. — W. F. Henninger, New Bremen, Ohio. The Masked Duck — A Correction. — -In ‘The Auk,’ Vol. XXV, No. 4, page 472, will be found a note by me on the capture of a Masked Duck ( Nomonyx dominicus ) in Chatham Co., Ga., on Oct. 5, 1906. The capture was reported to me by Mr. G. R. Rossignol, Jr. (in whose possession it was) and Prof. W. J. Hoxie, another Savannah ornithologist and I had full faith in the judgment of these gentlemen. However, since writing said note I have visited Savannah and had the pleasure of examining the collec¬ tions of each and was both surprised and disappointed to find that they were mistaken in this specimen. It is, without doubt, a Lesser Scaup, and they were misled by rust colored stains on its breast and belly. While these have every appearance of being caused by grease, Prof. Hoxie is now of the opinion that it is from some compound of iron in the water frequented by the bird, as he states that he has since observed it in a less degree on other specimens. I deeply regret that the error was made and my note written. — Isaac F. Arnow, St. Marys, Ga. The Little Blue Heron in New Jersey. — In glancing over the January issue of ‘The Auk,’ I noticed Mr. Reginald Heber Howe’s note on the occur¬ rence of the Little Blue Heron in New Jersey and the question he raised 190 General Notes. r Auk l_April as to whether this influx of birds was attributable to excessively hot weather. To this I would say emphatically, no. The Egret, it is true, is now a very rare species in either Pennsylvania or New Jersey but the Little Blue Heron invades both States periodically during late summer. Though personally I have seen but few birds, yet records have come to me with great regularity of their occurrence during the last four years at numerous localities in widely separated parts of New Jersey (barring the mountains), while in Pennsylvania they are even taken occasionally in the Alleghanies. At certain periods in late August they may even be called abundant. It would seem that each year after the breeding season they wander north, usually in flocks, and spend August and the first half of September on northern feeding grounds. — R. C. Harlow, State College, Pa. The Yellow Rail at Salem, New Jersey.— I have recently secured from a Mr. McKee of Philadelphia a mounted specimen of the Yellow Rail, with full data, which Mr. McKee took at Salem, New Jersey, on October 24, 1908. The bird is an adult female in fine plumage but very poorly prepared. This is the most recent capture of the Yellow Rail in the State and the fourth record for the State. — R. C. Harlow, State College, Pa. The Black Rail ( Creciscus jamaicensis ) in the District of Columbia. — - Through the courtesy of Mr. H. M. Darling, of Washington, D. C., the Biological Survey has recently received a specimen of the little Black Rail ( Creciscus jamaicensis) , collected on the Eastern Branch of the Potomac, September 1, 1908. The specimen is adult, mounted, but with the sex unmarked. At least three earlier records of the occurrence of this species in the District of Columbia have been published. In September, 1861, the bird was reported as seen by Coues and Prentiss.1 On June 6, 1879, a male (No. 78,384, U. S. National Museum) was collected by Shekells near Washington 2; and on May 29, 1891, a specimen was taken by R. L. Jones and recorded by E. J. Brown.3 The specimen collected by Mr. Darling is apparently the third actually captured, and the fourth record for Washing¬ ton. The Black Rail has also been taken by John Dowell at Piscataway, Prince George County, Maryland, Sept. 25, 1877 (No. 97,717, U. S. National Mu¬ seum),2 and several specimens are said to have been taken on the Patuxent River in Maryland, not far from the northeasten boundary of the District. — T. S. Palmer, Washington, D. C. Occurrence of the Whimbrel ( Numenius phceopus) off the coast of Nova Scotia. — In October, 1907, I secured an adult female specimen of this small European Curlew which has an interesting history. On May 23, 1906, it came aboard the steamship 'Bostonian’ when she was westward 1 Avifauna Columbiana, p. 101, 1883. 2 Auk, Vol. XXIV, p. 209, 1907. 3 Ornithologist and Oologist, Vol. XVI, p. 108, 1891. Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 191 bound and not far to the southward of Sable Island, Nova Scotia or,?to quote the manuscript record literally, in “Lat. about 43° N., and Long. 60° W.” “There had been a northeast gale for five days,” which perhaps accounts for the occurrence of the bird so far to the westward. For two days previous to its capture it had been seen following the steamer. When it sought refuge on her decks it was utterly exhausted and very much emaciated, being, indeed, “nothing but skin and bones.” “The men on board tried” to revive it “with food (probably corn beef and hard tack) .... but it died a short time before the steamer reached port.” Her Second Officer, S. A. Cornwell by name, took it in the flesh to D. B. Mackie of Malden, Massachusetts, by whom it was skinned, sexed and mounted and from whom I afterwards purchased it, through the kind offices of Dr. Lombard C. Jones, also of Malden. I am further indebted to the latter gentleman for the above data, all of which I have compiled from letters written by him to Mr. Walter Deane in 1907, and from one addressed to me personally, that has come within the past week. It would perhaps be not wholly unreasonable to maintain that the record just given entitles the Whimbrel to a place in New England lists; for the bird to which it relates had apparently flown unaided to within six hundred miles of the sea coast of New Hampshire, in about the latitude of Ports¬ mouth, and similar instances of “casual occurrences” have been accepted on no better evidence than this. In any case the specimen furnishes a definite and perfectly satisfactory North American record of a European species which, if I am not mistaken in my recollection, has been found pre¬ viously on this side of the Atlantic only in Greenland, where it is said to have been taken a dozen times or more. — William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo). — Mr. Rudolph Borcherdt, the pioneer taxidermist of Denver, informs me that in the fall of 1868 he killed three Wild Tux-keys, out of a flock of twenty-five or thirty, in the oak brush in what is known as the Oak Hills, about 6 miles above the mouth of Plum Creek, which empties into the Platte River, south of Denver. The remaining members of the flock were, one by one, killed by the Indians. These birds had frequented this locality for two or three years previous. He states also that these were the last and only Wild Turkeys that he ever heard of within a good many miles of Denver. — A. H. Felger, Denver, Colo. Capture of a Bald Eagle near Chicago, Ill. — - On January 10, 1909, we shot an immature Bald Eagle ( Haliceetus leucocephalus ) on the shore of Lake Michigan at Glencoe, Illinois. The bird was flying low over the ice that piles up along the beach. — Thorne C. Taylor, Hubbard Woods, and Walter T. Fisher, Chicago, III. The Prairie Falcon ( Falco mexicanus) in Western Minnesota. — A speci¬ men of this falcon was taken Sept. 11, 1894, in Traverse County, Minnesota, 192 General Notes. r Auk LApril by Dr. Wm. de la Barre of Minneapolis. The locality is in the extreme western part of Minnesota close to the Dakota line and lies within the Coteaux region of the State where the fauna and flora are strongly colored by species and subspecies characteristic of the plains region farther west. The specimen is now No. 3484 in the collection of the Minnesota Natural History Survey. It was recently examined by Dr. A. K. Fisher and the identification verified. As far as known this is the first well authenticated record of the occurrence of this species in Minnesota, the only previous record being by G. G. Cantwell (O. & O., Vol. XVI, Oct., 1891, p. 157) reporting the somewhat doubtful and unverified capture of a specimen in the winter of 1890-91 in Swift County, western Minnesota. — Thos. S. Roberts, Minneapolis, Minn. Agelaius phoeniceus fortis in Louisiana. — In a series of six Redwings taken at Belcher, Louisiana, February 4, 1908, was one specimen ( 9 ) referable to this subspecies — the others being A. p. phoeniceus. This is the first record of the Giant Redwing in the State. The specimen in ques¬ tion was originally recorded 1 as A. p. arctolegus on the authority of H. C. Oberholser who, after going over the whole group again in greater detail, now decides that this bird should be referred to fortis. — Arthur H. Howell, Washington, D. C. Pine Siskins and Winter Bobolinks. — The water front of Private Claims 120 and 321, City of Detroit, is a point of land reaching out into Lake St. Clair. The shore is lined with summer cottages behind which is a belt of weed-grown solid ground, about 100 yards in wddth, and then a marsh belt, about as wide, which brings you to the solid mainland. Be¬ tween the marsh and mainland is a canal, the excavation from which forms an embankment some seven feet high with a row of Lombard pop¬ lars on the top. Near the westerly end the embankment runs out into the marsh and thence, at right angles, returns to the mainland leaving a strip of marsh, 20 X 100 yards, between the embankment and mainland that affords ample shelter from the lake winds and a food supply for the seed- eaters in the abundance of weeds growing along the sloping embankment. A number of times, during the last eighteen years, I have seen small flocks of Pine Siskins ( Spinus pinus ) migrating northward in this vicinity during March. It was not until the autumn of 1908 that I decided to secure a specimen and directed my attention to this point as the most promising locality. November 8 was the date set for the first visit and a better could not have been selected. Mr. Herbert H. Spicer and the writer spent two hours on the embankment opposite the piece of sheltered marsh and directly on the flight line of the Pine Siskins. They came from about 25 degrees east of north in flocks of from three to a hundred or more indi- 1 Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXI, p. 121, 1908. Of the identity of the specimen of arctolegus recorded from Natchitoches there is no question. Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 193 viduals, and at intervals of about ten minutes between each flock. When the lake was reached they rose higher and continued their journey without a pause, except one large flock that broke in confusion and swung back to the weeds on the mainland but joined the next flock a few minutes later. November 15 the flight had ceased and only one flock of 23 birds was seen. They were in the weeds back of the cottages and refused to be driven away. They wrere gone on the 22d, and from that date to the present writing, January 12, only one to four individuals have been noted on any one day, and none of these were migrating. When the Redpolls reach here from the north they are content to remain, and I fail to understand why the bulk of Siskins go further south, as local food conditions are in every way favorable. While observing the flight of Siskins, November 8, wre saw a bird perched on a willow bush in the sheltered marsh and secured it. The report of the gun caused another to take flight which was also secured. They wrere Bobolinks ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus) , and dissection disclosed the fact that both were females and very fat. We then carefully beat over this marsh, together with the larger open marsh, but could find no more. November 15 and 22 ive again unsuccessfully explored this section, but secured a male December 6 within a few yards of where the other two were taken. This bird must have arrived after November 22, for it seems impossible that he could have been there and escape detection. He was much emaciated and healed gunshot wounds were discovered in breast and wing. We W’ent over this ground again December 13 without success. December 20 we were returning from the point when the characteristic call note of a Bobo¬ link directed our attention to the bird passing overhead and making for the point. It was followed and taken. It turned out to be a male and in fine condition, being very fat. A careful examination failed to reveal the slightest trace of a previous injury; nevertheless I believe that temporary impairment of flight by gunners during the period of migration explains the presence of all four birds. The most interesting fact in connection with the two latter birds was their ability to endure 18° below freezing, for the mercury dropped to that point prior to December 6. I supposed the Bobolink to be of somewhat delicate constitution with reference to low temperature, as normally it arrives late in spring and departs early in autumn, but the above birds not only withstood the cold but in a thinly feathered and poorly protected condition. Examining the specimens for other points of interest I find that black feathers show on the throat, neck, flanks, thighs and across breast on the December 6 bird but are confined to sides of breast, flanks and thighs on the December 20 specimen, which seems to be a bird of the year. The general color of the underparts is buffy white on the former and buffy olive on the latter, and all the black feathers are edged with these colors, and this may indicate the beginning of the spring transformation. — J. Claire Wood, Detroit, Michigan. 194 General Notes. f Auk L April Evening Grosbeaks again in Massachusetts. — Mr. M. Abbott Frazar has kindly given me permission to report the fact that, on the morning of February 7, 1909, he met with a small flock of Evening Grosbeaks at Townsend, Massachusetts. He was returning from a walk when he started the birds from the ground where they had been feeding on the fallen fruit of a rock maple that stands within twenty feet of the front steps of his farm house. They flew across the road to a smaller maple in which they alighted and remained for several minutes, allowing him to approach them closely and to obtain a good view of them. There were about ten of them, all in the plumage of the female. Their next flight was to the top of a tall pine some two hundred yards further off. Here they stayed a somewhat shorter time, before taking wing again, to disappear in the far distance. Mr. Frazar had been away from Townsend for four days before the date above mentioned. He was told that during his absence the Grosbeaks had been seen repeatedly by a man who works on his place. They have not since returned to it as far as he can learn. He was constantly on the watch for them during the remainder of his stay at Townsend, which terminated on the morning of February 11, when he came back to Boston. Not long after this he received and forwarded to me two letters written by a man liv¬ ing in South Sudbury, Massachusetts, who claims that his “door yard” was visited on February 14th, and again on the 15th, 1909, by three Even¬ ing Grosbeaks, two of which were males. If I remember rightly, Evening Grosbeaks are known to have occurred in eastern Massachusetts on but two occasions prior to these; in 1890 when they appeared in considerable numbers, at many different localities, in January, February, and March; and on March 23, 1904, when five were found together in Beverly and three of them killed, by Mr. C. E. Brown.1 — • William Brewster, Cambridge, Mass. The Cardinal at Ipswich, Mass. — Last week a friend of mine at Ipswich wrote me that for the past two or three weeks there had been a beautiful strange bird which had been coming into his door-yard for food. The one that he described was practically red all over with a very bright crest on his head. At my earliest opportunity I visited the farm to find that when the bird came at noon he was a beautiful Cardinal. He has been there about a month up to the present writing and comes regularly to the door-yard for seeds and bread crumbs which are put out for the birds each day. He keeps very close to the house practically the entire time, living in some very thick clumps of spruce trees not far away. He has gradually become very tame so that he will come to within a few feet of the people who are feeding him. On the coldest mornings when the thermometer has regis¬ tered in the vicinity of zero his disposition has been of the most cheerful, seeming to mind the cold not in the least and jumping about very actively, even coming to the window and calling for the food if it has not been put out in time for him. 1 Auk, Vol. XXI, July, 1904, p. 385. Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 195 There are a number of Myrtle Warblers, a few Song Sparrows and Chick¬ adees nearby and which occasionally alight in the trees which he seems to consider as his especial property. This apparently troubles him not a little and he usually drives the intruders away after watching them for a minute or two. I thought this item might be of interest, as the Cardinal is almost never recorded in New England, and in the course of twenty years of bird study in this vicinity I have never had the fortune to meet with one before. — Frank A. Brown, Beverly, M ass. Dendroica discolor and Dendroica vigorsi in Eastern Massachusetts in Winter. — January 2, 1909, I shot a Prairie Warbler at South Yarmouth, Mass. The bird was on a dead pine that had fallen to the beach from the sand bluffs and was probably in company with several Myrtle Warblers that were in the vicinity. Unfortunately the bird was so badly mutilated that I did not save it. Mr. F. H. Ivennard was with me at the time, and the next day in the same town saw* at close range another bird of the same species. This bird was among a mixed flock of Pine and Myrtle Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Kinglets and Chickadees. There were somewhere between 25 and 50 Pine Warblers in this flock, in both adult and first winter plumage. — F. B. McKechnie, Ponkapog, Mass. The Carolina Wren at New Haven, Conn. — The Carolina Wren ( Thryo - thorns ludovicianus) was reported as a rare resident at New Haven from about 1901 to 1904, but so far as I am able to ascertain none have been seen here since the severe winter of 1905-06 until December, 1908. On the 25th of December, Mr. A. W. Honywill, Jr., saw one of these birds in Edgewood Park. Four days later, on the 29th, I was attracted by the loud song of a Carolina Wren and succeeded in positively identifying two indi¬ viduals. These birds were in the same locality as the one seen on the 25th. On January 2, 1909, I took a Carolina Wren only a few hundred yards from the above mentioned Park, thus absolutely proving the presence of the birds in this locality. — Clifford H. Pangburn, New Haven, Conn. Breeding of the Louisiana Water Thrush in Philadelphia. — The status of the Louisiana Water-Thrush ( Seiurus motacilla ) in Pennsylvania is, to say the least, peculiar. Common in the southwestern counties, it grows scarcer in the east, and though found regularly in the valley of the Susque¬ hanna, and even in company with S. noveboracensis on the tops of the Alle- ghanies, the general opinion of our ornithologists seems to be that it is one of the rarest breeders in the southeastern area. For many years this idea has prevailed and it is with the hope of fixing the correct status of the Louisiana Water-Thrush that this article is written. Beyond a doubt, the bird is rare within the counties of Delaware, Chester, Bucks and Montgomery, but in Philadelphia it would seem to claim a place as a regular summer resident — at least in the Wissahickon Valley. 196 General Notes. r Auk L April During the period between 1885-1890 the late Harry K. Jamison did a vast amount of field work in this territory and in his note books (now in the author’s possession) I find records of the finding of two nests and the observation of many birds. And even prior to this time at least two sets were taken there by a collector named Preble. In 1904. Mr. Chas H. Rodgers records in ‘The Auk’ his observations of a pair which evidently had young at this locality. These seem to constitute the only breeding records of this species prior to the year 1908, when I decided to investigate the region in search of the birds. With this object in view I made several trips to the Wissahickon Valley in Fairmount Park and observed Water-Thrushes each time. On May 26, several were seen, and again on June 7, full-fledged young of at least two pairs were noted in company with the parents. At my sugges¬ tion my friend R. F. Miller searched through the region several times in late June and July and on every trip observed Water-Thrushes. On summing up the birds noted, we estimated that at least five pairs bred along the creek within a stretch of three miles. In view of these data it would seem that though undoubtedly rare in the surrounding country, the Louisiana Water-Thrush may now claim, and probably always could claim, a place among the regular summer residents of the County of Philadelphia. — Richard C. Harlow, Pennsylvania State College. A Spring Record for Bicknell’s Thrush on Long Island.— In looking over the series of Gray-cheeked Thrushes in the Brooklyn Institute Mu¬ seum a few days ago I noticed one specimen that seemed very small. A careful examination showed it to be a typical example of Bicknell’s Thrush. It is a male in nuptial plumage and was collected by the writer on the divide north of Jamaica May 22, 1900. — Geo. K. Cherrie, Brooklyn, N. Y. Albino Robins.— A record of an individual albino of any variety of bird would be of value only as illustrating the fact that albinism, partial or complete, may occur in any avian species: it would, however, be of con¬ siderable interest, and of some importance could one follow the varied fortunes and vicissitudes of any given albino bird. This is denied us through the relative uncommonness of pure albino forms, an uncommonness which seemingly substantiates the idea that all such forms must perish early, probably long before any opportunity to breed and transmit the peculiarity is possible. Consequently any observa¬ tions on a succession of albinos emanating from the same locality are worthy of record. Hence this record of experiences had during the summer of 1908, concerning albino robins, and of observations communicated to the writer by obliging friends. Through the courtesy of Mr. A. H. Felger of Denver, the writer is en¬ abled to state that three pure albino robins were seen in City Park, Denver, Vol. XXVI] 1909 J General Notes. 197 during the summer of 1905, all apparently from one nest, and two more in the summer of 1906 in the same place, all being birds of the year. This park is within three blocks of the writer’s home; it is well covered by a large variety of trees, has a considerable water supply, and forms an ideal home for many of our summer resident birds. There is no record that any of these albinos returned to the park during any succeeding year. A son of one of my neighbors saw a young pure albino robin in the immediate vicinity of my home during the summer of 1907. On June 3, 1908, the writer received a live young robin, a pure albino, which was one of a brood of four robins (all the others being apparently normal) raised in a neighbor’s yard about two hundred feet from the writer’s house. A second young pure albino robin was given to the writer six days later (June 9), it having been raised in a nest half a block to the rear of the first albino’s nest, and on June 11 (eight days after the receipt of the first), a third young pure albino robin wras presented to the writer. This last one was found about the premises of Mrs. Ernest Knaebel, distant about half a mile from the location wherein were found the first two. These birds were all very tame and allowed themselves to be caught without fear or resistance. Everyone was a typical albino, with every feather pure wdiite, and with pink feet, legs, and eyes, and white bill. If any one of these birds were put in such a position that its head was between a strong light (the sun, or a bright lamp) and the observer, the effect was startling, the eye viewed by the observer shining like a glowing coal. This transillumination through both eyes illustrated strikingly the absence of all pigment in the iris and retina, and showed, too, how nearly opposite are a bird’s eyes, and demonstrated that in a young bird the interocular septum (the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid) is cartilagi¬ nous, and remarkably translucent. All of these birds wrere lively, and soon learned to take worms from the hand. They were all given to Mr. Felger wTho tried to raise them with the help of a friend experienced in successfully raising other young robins. These three albinos, notwithstanding that they all ate well, died within two or three weeks of capture, of an obscure intestinal disorder. The writer is inclined to believe, through the testimony of friends qualified to speak on the matter, that it is not very difficult to bring up nestling robins by hand, and feels that the failure, in experienced hands, to rear these albinos lends color to the belief that albinos are inherently of weak consti¬ tution. It will be seen from the above that we have to deal with an unbroken series of albino robins observed during four succeeding seasons all in an area not to exceed one mile in diameter. It seems reasonable to assume that these birds all emanated from a pair, or their descendants, originally and perhaps continually nesting in City Park. The inheritability of albinistic traits is undeniable and it is con¬ ceivable that this trait may be cropping out in the succeeding’generations 198 General Notes. f Auk L April of robins derived from this hypothetical pair in City Park, though most of the later generations may show no albinism at all. Considerable proba¬ bility is lent to this hypothesis by the fact that the mother of the bird of June 3, 1908, was decidedly white on the belly and breast. It came a number of times to feed the albino young one while the young bird was on the writer’s premises, and gave ample opportunity to note this variation from the normal. The writer also noted later on during the summer just passed in the same neighborhood two young robins which were nearly gray all over, both showing very little blackish even on the head or back ; one of these twTo birds had the right outer tail feather pure wrhite, and the left one half white. The coming summer, will be of more than usual interest in anticipation of seeing about the writer’s neighborhood these partial albino birds, or other young pure albinos. The almost complete absence of pure white species of birds inhabiting dark areas like forests, and the commonness of white forms in bright areas like the sea, or seashore, may be accounted for by detrimental environ¬ mental conspicuousness, or by beneficial inconspicuousness, respectively; one might infer from the failure of these six albinos of 1905, 1906, and 1907 to return to the region of origin, that they perished through being con¬ spicuous marks for predaceous birds. These observations on the three young of 1908 shed no light on the assumption held by some writers that albinos are more apt to be females, because the sex of but one of the three could with certainty be determined; it was a male. — W. H. Bergtold, M. D., Denver, Colo. Unusual Dates for some Birds at New Haven, Conn. — White-throated Sparrows have been present in large numbers in Edgewood Park up to date (Jan. 2, 1909). Five Rusty Blackbirds have been in the same Park since December 26. I saw a Fox Sparrow on Dec. 22 and two of them on Jan. 2. On Dec. 22, near Lighthouse Point I saw two Red-winged Blackbirds and about twenty-five White-winged Crossbills. The date cannot be called unusual for the Crossbills, but they are rare here. On Dec. 26 and 28, I saw a male Towhee in Edgewood Park. On Dec. 21, at Mitchell’s Hill, I saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and on Dec. 25, at Saltonstall Ridge, I saw four Red-breasted Nuthatches. Robins and Bluebirds have been seen occasionally, and on Dec. 25 Mr. A. W. Hony- will, Jr., saw a Hermit Thrush at Mitchell’s Hill. On the next day Mr. Honywill and I saw the thrush at the same place. These birds were all positively identified although none of them wTere taken. — Clifford H. Pangburn, New Haven, Conn. Unusual Records for Massachusetts. — Chaetura pelagica. Chimney Swift. I saw three in Sharon, Mass., on Oct. 12, 1907, wThich is appar¬ ently the latest date for the State. One of them flew almost directly over¬ head, affording perfectly satisfactory identification. Voi. xxvn 1909 J General Notes. 199 Sayornis phoebe. Phcebe. Saw one in Stoughton on Oct. 31, 1908. Lanivireo solitarius solitarius. Solitary Yireo. Saw a singing bird at fairly close range on April 11, 1908, in Stoughton. Saw another singing bird in Sharon on October 12, 1907. Compsothlypis americana usnese. Northern Parula Warbler. Saw one in Stoughton on April 25, 1908, the throat of which lacked the cross¬ band. Dendroica pensylvanica. Chestnut-sided Warbler. Saw a male at very close range on April 28, 1908, in Stoughton. Dendroica blackburnise. Blackburnian Warbler. Saw an elegant male in Sharon on May 31, 1907. — Sidney F. Blake, Stoughton, Mass. Massachusetts Bird Notes. — Florida cserulea. An immature male in the white plumage was shot in Stoughton, Mass., by a Mr. Berry, Aug. 22, 1908. The bird was mounted by E. R. Adams of Canton, to whom I am indebted for the record, and is now in the collection of F. H. Kennard. Centurus carolinus. In a collection of birds purchased some time since I found one of this species labelled “ $ , Hull, Mass., 1882, W. B. R.” (Richardson). The bird is not however a female but evidently a young male. Empidonax trailli alnorum. Early in the morning of June 8, 1904, I found an Alder Flycatcher singing in a clearing by the roadside within a mile of my home in Ponkapog. Frequent visits convinced me that the bird was breeding, but it was not until the 24th that I found and took the nest with 4 eggs. The clearing was originally a swampy tract of pine, white cedars and red maple but was chopped over in the winter of 1901-02, resulting in a sprout growth of maples combined with such shrubs as Comus paniculata, Alnus incana, Rhus venenata, Azalea viscosum, etc.; the ground being still damp enough to support a growth of sphagnum and skunk cabbage. The nest was well within the bushy area, 2\ feet up in an Azalea viscosum bush, of characteristic composition — dead grass with long loose ends hanging down. Several times since I have seen Alder Flycatchers in both Canton and Norwood during the breeding season but have not taken the necessary time to find more nests. Sitta canadensis. From 1900 to 1904 I spent considerable time in a part of Canton that seemed very favorable for birds of the Canadian Fauna. Here was a 50-acre tract of large white pines with adjoining swamp of white cedar and red maple, and considerable large deciduous growth. Numerous plants and shrubs of a northern character grew throughout the area, and I found breeding there such birds as the Barred Owl, Broad¬ winged Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Solitary Vireo, Canadian Warbler, and Brown Creeper. April 29, 1900, I first saw the Red-breasted Nuthatch here and it seems quite probable that they were breeding; however on May 18, 1902, Mr. 200 General Notes. r Auk L April Owen Durfee and I located a pair of the birds on the edge of the pines in a mixed growth of oak and chestnut, about 50 yards from the maple swamp. The female soon went to the nest near the top of a small dead black oak stub 12 feet high. After spending some time watching and photographing the birds I collected the stump with a set of six fresh eggs. At the entrance hole was the characteristic daub of pitch. — F. B. McKechnie, Ponkapog, M ass. Three New Records for the State of Washington and One for Oregon. — The past winter has been by far the most severe of any during my residence of twelve years in the State of Washington, as it has also been throughout the other parts of the Northwest. Consequently a large number of rare visitors — mostly northern birds — appeared in very considerable num¬ bers. I was fortunate enough to obtain the three following species, which form, to the best of my knowledge, new records for the State. They have been very kindly identified for me by Dr. A. K. Fisher and Mr. H. C. Oberholser. Junco hyemalis hyemalis. Slate-colored Junco. An adult male collected in my back garden here in Tacoma on February 4, 1909. It was first seen on January 15, and appeared at intervals until the date when I was finally able to secure it. It was always in company with a large flock of Shufeldt’s Juncos ( Junco oreganus shufeldti), amongst which its duller colors rendered it most conspicuous. Passerella iliaca insulaiis. Kadiak Fox Sparrow. An adult female collected in my back garden here in Tacoma on January 13, 1909. What was presumably the same bird was seen during the week previous by other members of my family. The fact that it was exceedingly fat makes this seem all the more probable, as I fed a large flock of birds daily throughout the entire winter. Passerella iliaca meruloides. An adult female was collected at the town of Kirkland, King County, Washington, on January 11, 1909, by Miss Jennie Y. Getty of that place. It was found frozen to death, and was greatly emaciated owing to starvation. Miss Getty very kindly presented it to the writer, and also reported seeing a considerable number of similar birds, as well as several much larger ones with the same characteristics. Miss Getty is a careful and experienced observer, and her notes are entitled to the fullest consideration. I now take pleasure in giving the following record from southwestern Oregon; identification through the kindness of Dr. A. K. Fisher and Mr. H. C. Oberholser. Melospiza melodia rufina. Sooty Song Sparrow. This bird was taken by my brother, Mr. C. W. Bowles, on September 16, 1907, at Takilma, Josephine County, Oregon. Unfortunately the sexual organs were obliter¬ ated but otherwise it is an excellent skin. Unless I am mistaken, this is the most southern point from which this subspecies has yet been re¬ corded. — J. H. Bowles, Tacoma, Wash. Vol. XXVII 1909 J General Notes. 201 Labrador Notes.— In a box of bird-skins kindly sent me by Dr. W. T. Grenfell from Labrador in November, 1907, the following are worthy of note: Anas platyrhynchos. Mallard. A female or young bird taken at Nachvack in October, 1904. This duck breeds west of Hudson Bay, and is a rare transient visitor in northern Labrador. Dafila acuta. Pintail. Adult male, Nachvack, June 1, 1905. This duck is a rare transient visitor in Labrador. Mr. G. M. Allen and I ob¬ tained a skin at Hopedale and saw another skin, but were able to find only five other records for Labrador. (Birds of Labrador, Proc. Boston Soc. of Nat. Hist., 1907, p. 328.) Somateria spectabilis. King Eider. A curious specimen in partially albinistic plumage, shot at Battle Harbor, June 19, 1907. The whole bird is creamy white or buff, with irregular brownish patches. The belly is uniformly darker, almost vinaceous in color. The head and neck are finely lined with grayish brown streaks. The rectrices are nearly pure white, as are also the primaries and secondaries. All the feathers, especially those of the wings and tail, are much worn. Porzana Carolina. Sora. An adult taken near Harrington on the south¬ ern coast about July, 1907. This is the second record of its occurrence in Labrador. The first was of a specimen taken at Sandwich Bay in 1898. (Birds of Labrador, loc. cit., p. 345.) Falco islandus. White Gyrfalcon. — A very white specimen of this species taken at Nachvack, on October 13, 1905. In this connection it is interesting to note that Mr. Allen and I, who recorded this bird at Henley Harbor on the southern coast on August 2, 1906, (loc. cit., p. 368) have since been told by Dr. Grenfell that a pair of these birds have bred there regularly, and that he remembers seeing them there in 1896. Colaptes auratus luteus. Northern Flicker. A male from Sand¬ wich Bay, just south of Hamilton Inlet, August, 1908. Mr. Allen and I concluded that this species was an “uncommon summer resident in south¬ ern half of Labrador, occasional as far as Hudson Strait” (loc. cit., p. 377). The specimen is an interesting one as it appears to be somewhat darker than specimens from the New England States. Dendroica aestiva. Yellow Warbler. — From Northwest River, Hamilton Inlet, taken by a cat, September 1, 1905. I hope that Mr. Oberholser will soon report on this interesting specimen. I would also mention the following specimen kindly sent me in the autumn of 1908, by Mr. John Goleby, a Moravian brother stationed at Hopedale : Hirundo erythrogaster. Barn Swallow, taken at Hopedale in July, 1908. The only previous record for Labrado. is that the bird “breeds at North-west River at the head of Hamilton Inlet” (loc. cit., p. 403). — Charles W. Townsend. M. D., Boston, Mass. 202 Recent Literature. r Auk (.April RECENT LITERATURE. Grinnell’s ‘ The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains.’ 1 — During the seasons of 1905, 1906, and 1907, the author devoted considerable time, often aided by several assistants, in investigating the fauna and flora of the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California, which, from their altitude and isolation, offer an attractive field for the study of distribution. The present report of his researches includes a consideration of the life zones of the region; descriptions of the localities visited, with special reference to the faunal complexion of each; a discussion of the bird popula¬ tion and the influences modifying it; a list of the important species of plants, with notes on their distribution; a list of the birds of the region (139 species), with a detailed record of the distribution of each, with bio¬ graphical and critical notes on many of them; and similar lists of the mammals and reptiles. The San Bernardino region rises from a base level, on the south side, of from 1500 to 2500 feet, and on the north side of about 4000 feet, to the maxima of 10,600 (San Bernardino Peak) and 11,485 feet (San Gorgonio Peak), and thus includes the life zones from the Lower Sonoran to the Alpine-Arctic. The limits of these several zones are discussed, with lists of the plants that characterize them. Under the caption ‘Bird Population and its Modifying Influences,’ the food supply is considered to be the factor that determines the maximum number of birds that can exist in a given region. “Competitive struggle between species has led to the adoption of remote and otherwise unex¬ plainable habitats, temporary or constant. It has also led to the develop¬ ment of various and perfected means of food-getting.” In this connection attention is called to the “almost universal exodus in July,” from the coastal lowlands of southern California, “ of many of the birds of the ‘sum¬ mer-visitant’ category which have bred and raised broods during April, May and June.” A considerable number of species (which he enumerates) “become scarce, or disappear altogether towards the end of July. . . .when everything becomes excessively dry: among plants most annuals have died, and the perennials have ceased active growth; insects become rela¬ tively rare, except along watercourses. The May bird population, which is abundant, cannot continue to be supported after this ‘winter’ [dry] season sets in, and the result is, they must move elsewhere.” He has found that they then move up to the mountains, in families of young and old, where the climate is moister, where vegetation still flourishes, and where insects are abundant. “All this invasion of the higher altitudes occurs when spring and summer 1 The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. By Joseph Grinnell. University of California Publications in Zoology, Vol. V, No. 1, pp. 1-170, pll. i— xxiv. Decem¬ ber 31, 1908. J ™19XXV I] Recent Literature. 203 are just dawning there, but when the foothills and plains belowr are becom¬ ing dry and barren under the July heat, no longer productive of the food- supply which they were in a condition to offer earlier in the season. I believe these relative conditions prevail throughout southern California. Without the mountains to accommodate the excess of bird population, which could not be supported in late summer on the withered lowlands, we would have fewer birds in the spring. The ‘resident’ species return to the low¬ lands when the cold begins to reduce the food supply in the mountains; and, what is also noteworthy, so do the ‘summer visitants,’ which thus become transients for a few days in the fall as they pass back through the lowlands on their way south, or rather southeastward. These latter, therefore, undertake three distinct migratory journeys during the year: from their winter habitat northwestward to their spring breeding-place, from the latter up, and often northwards, to their summer feeding-grounds, and then back down and then southeastward to their winter habitat.” These well-attested facts have an interesting and important bearing upon the general subject of bird migration, and especially upon the origin of migration. As said later by Grinnell: “The geometric ratio of repro¬ duction makes the population of a species an elastic quantity, expanding into any favorable food area presenting itself. And the masses of different species press against one another, like soap-bubbles, crowding and jostling as one species acquires, through modification of food-getting powers and perfected adaptability to other conditions, some advantage over another.” In this connection is discussed the mortality of birds and its causes, from the standpoint of the author’s observations in southern California. The report on the birds (pp. 50-54), like those on the mammals and rep¬ tiles, consist of extensively annotated lists, relating to the habits and local distribution of the species. The illustrations include a colored map (plate i) of the life zones of the region, and a transverse profile, also in color (plate ii), indicates both their vertical and horizontal extent. Most of the remaining twenty-two plates are from photographs, and represent types of vegetation and landscapes. — J. A. A. Grinnell on Birds of Southeastern Alaska. — “In the spring of 1907 a party was organized and outfitted by Miss Annie M. Alexander, for the purpose of exploiting the fauna of certain islands. The party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stephens, Mr. Joseph Dixon, Mr. Charles Littlejohn, and Miss Alexander herself, who headed the expedition.” The report on the work accomplished 1 consists of nearly one hundred pages, illustrated with two plates and a few text figures. The introduction and the report on the birds are by Dr. Joseph Grinnell; the ‘descriptions of localities’ are by Frank Stephens and Joseph Dixon; the report on the 1 Birds and Mammals of the 1907 Alexander Expedition to Southeastern Alaska. University of California Publications in Zoology, Vol. V, No. 2, pp. 171-264, pll. xxv, xxvi, and text figs. 1-4. February 18, 1909. 204 Recent Literature. r Auk l_April mammals is by Edmund Heller. From April 17 till August 9 the entire party was occupied in collecting and exploring at various points on Ad¬ miralty, Baranof, and Chichagof Islands, and at Glacier Bay, at which latter date most of the members returned home. Mr. Stephens, however, remained and continued to work in the same region till August 29, and later stopped at Thomas and Helen Bays, between Juneau and Dixon Entrance. The collections included 532 birds, 22 sets of eggs and nests, and 476 mammals, and has been presented by Miss Alexander to the Uni¬ versity of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. A map shows the region traversed, and there are several half-tone scenic illustrations. The report on the birds, by Dr. Grinnell, records 99 species, of which 81 were represented by specimens, with very full notes based on the field books of the collectors. Two species and four subspecies are described as new, namely: Lagopus alexandrce, from Baranof Island; Lagopus dixoni, from Chichagof Island; Buteo borealis alascensis, from Glacier Bay and Chichagof Island ; Picoides americanus fumipectus, based on a single speci¬ men from Chichagof Island; Loxia curvirostris sitkensis, from Admiralty Island; Planesticus migratorius caurinus, also from Admiralty Island. The author “still believes that there are two races of the Varied Thrush,” in opposition to the recently expressed opinion of Mr. Ridgway. In this belief he is supported by the A. O. U. Committee, which at its last meeting declined to accept its proposed elimination, this decision being based on then recently acquired material (c/. Auk, XXV, July, 1908, p. 398). The field notes here incorporated contain much interesting information respecting the breeding habits of a number of the species met with, and Dr. Grinnell adds important comment on variations of plumage, based in some instances on large series of specimens (38 skins of the rare Kitilitz Murrelet were obtained). The report is thus an important contribution to Alaskan ornithology. — J. A. A. Grinnell on Birds observed at Salton Sea.1 — This paper gives observa¬ tions on about half-a-dozen of the water birds seen, but a future paper on the land birds is promised. The expedition was made in April, 1908, in the interest of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, at the University of California, of which Dr. Grinnell is curator. On Echo Island, in Salton Sea, was found a large breeding colony of the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) , “the southernmost nesting-colony” of this species. A census of the colony gave a total of “ 980 occupied nests, besides others in process of construction. At the very minimum there were 2000 pelicans here assembled.” A very full account is given of the character of the nests, with photographic illustrations. On the nearby Pelican Island was a breeding colony of Farallone Cormorants, of which 147 nests were 1 Birds of a Voyage on Salton Sea. By J. Grinnell, Condor, Vol. X, No. 5, Sept.— Oet., 1908, pp. 185-191. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 205 counted that contained eggs, besides many others partly built. This island was formerly — two or three years before — the favorite nesting resort of the pelicans, but at this time only three nests of this species were seen there, the colony having moved to Echo Island. — J. A. A. Chapman on the Life -Histories of the Booby and Man o’-War Bird.1 — The observations here recorded were made during April, 1907, at Cay Verde, in the Bahamas, while on a collecting trip to obtain specimens, accessories, photographs, and other data for a ‘ Habitat Group ’ of these birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Although only three days and nights were spent at the key, the visit was successful, and forms the basis of the present report on the bird life of Cay Verde. No land birds appear to be resident on the key, but it is visited by a number of migrants, of which nine species were noted, in addition to the same num¬ ber of water birds. The presence of these birds, says Mr. Chapman, “indicates that Cay Verde would be an admirable station for the study of the migration of birds throughout this region. The small size of the Cay [half a mile long and a fourth of a mile wide] would permit the taking of fairly accurate daily censuses, while the distance from the nearest land makes it the only available stopping-place in a large area. It is to this isolation that the presence of large numbers of breeding birds on the cay may be attributed.” The birds accustomed to nest there are three species of tern, the Tropic-Bird, and the two species that form the subject of the present paper. The number of Boobies (, Sula leucogastra ) breeding on the cay was estimated to be about 1500 pairs, with between 200 and 300 pairs of Man-o’-War Birds. At this time most of the nests contained young, ranging in age from newly hatched to half grown, while some nests still contained eggs and some of the young birds were already on the wing. A detailed account of the habits, nest, eggs and young is given for each species, and also of the development of the plumage in the young birds. Incidentally some errors made by Audubon in his account of these species are noted. It is shown beyond reasonable doubt that the Booby found by Audubon nesting on his “Noddy Island” (Bird Key, Tortugas Islands) and supposed by him to be “Sula fusca ” (S. leucogastra) was really S. piscator. The correction of this error gives Sula piscator for the first time the status of a former breeding bird in the United States, where it is now only of accidental occurrence. On the other hand, Audubon’s record of the breeding of the Man-o’-War Bird in the Florida Keys is discredited. The six plates, based on photographs, illustrate the nesting habits, manner of flight, and development of the plumage in both species. — J. A. A. 1 A Contribution to the Life-Histories of the Booby ( Sula leucogastra ) and Man-o’- War Bird ( Fregata aquila). By Frank M. Chapman. Papers from the Tortugas Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Vol. II, 1908 (1909), pp. 139-151, pll. i-vi. [Separates not dated, but distributed late in February, 1909.] 206 Recent Literature. f Auk L April Warren on Birds of Montrose County, Colorado.1 — This is an annotated list of about 115 species, based on observations made by Mr. Warren during the month of April, 1906 and 1908, and notes furnished him by Mr. C. H. Smith, made during the last ten years. Montrose County is in the south¬ western part of the State, on the Utah border, and is not well-known orni- thologically. — J. A. A. Sclater on the Winter Birds of Colorado.2 — This is a pleasantly written account of winter bird life in the vicinity of Colorado Springs, prepared with a view to its interest for European readers, the author disclaiming that “there is anything original” in it, in the sense, we suppose, of new information. The commoner winter birds of the region are briefly men¬ tioned, this running commentary being followed by nominal lists of the resident birds and winter visitants of El Paso County, Colorado. — J. A. A. Wetmore’s Notes on Some Northern Arizona Birds.3 — - This is a list of 40 species, based on specimens taken by the author at Williams, Arizona, February 24 to April 1, 1907, with extended and interesting field notes. Among the species recorded are six forms of Junco. — J. A. A. Oberholser’s List of Alabama Birds. — The ‘First Biennial Report of the Department of Game and Fish of the State of Alabama/ covering the period from February 23, 1907, to September, 1908, contains (pp. 104r-110) ‘A List of the principal Birds to be found in Alabama,’ by Harry C. Oberholser. This is purely a nominal list of 275 species and subspecies, which serves at least to show the author’s personal views on various questions of nomen¬ clature in cases where his preference for certain generic and a few spe¬ cific names differs from that of the A. O. U. Check-List, about thirty instances. — J. A. A. Oberholser’s Revision of the Kingfishers of the Genus Ramphalcyon 4— This revision is based primarily upon specimens collected by Dr. W. L. Abbott, in the East Indies. The range of the genus includes southern Asia, the Philippine Islands, Java, Borneo, Flores, Sumatra, and Sulu Islands. Pelargopsis Gloger, formerly employed for the group, is shown to be a nomen nudum, and is replaced by Ramphalcyon Reichenbach. Two species are recognized, — R. melanorhynchus, with three subspecies, and R. capensis, with 15 subspecies, of which four are here described as new. Heretofore each of the forms previously recognized has been given, with a single ex¬ ception, full specific rank. — J. A. A. 1 Notes on the Birds of southwestern Montrose County, Colorado. By Edward R. Warren. Condor, Vol. XI, No. 1. 1909, pp. 11-17. 2 The Winter Birds of Colorado. By W. L. Sclater, Ibis, July, 1908, pp. 443-450. 3 Notes on some northern Arizona Birds. By Alex Wetmore. Kansas University Science Bulletin, Vol. IV, No. 19, September, 1908, pp. 377-388. 4 Revision of the Kingfisher Genus Ramphalcyon ( Pelargopsis ). By Harry C. Ober¬ holser. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. XXXV, pp. 657-680. Published Feb. 9, 1909. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 207 Van Oort’s Avifauna of the Netherlands.1 — The number of species here recorded for the Netherlands is 335. The specimens taken in the Nether¬ lands contained in the Leyden Museum of Natural History are recorded, the later acquisitions in detail, with notes in many cases on peculiarities of plumage, but rarely is anything said about the status of the species as a bird of the Netherlands, either in reference to the manner or seasons of occurrence, except in the case of the rarer species. There are, however, many important critical notes on the particular subspecies found in the Netherlands. — J. A. A. Hartert’s ‘ Die Vogel der Palaarctischen Fauna,’ Heft V.2 — Part V of this great work bears date February, 1909, after an interval of nearly two years since the publication of Part IV, in March, 1907. This part begins with the remaining species of Phylloscopus and ends at the beginning of the genus Turdus, which he announces will be taken in a broad sense, to include a large number of more or less current genera. The present part thus com¬ prises the families Sylvikke and Crateropodidae of authors, and the species and subspecies numbered 796 to 986, practically all ‘ Palaearctic.’ — J. A. A. Count von Berlepsch on the Birds of Cayenne.3 — This enumeration of the birds of Cayenne is based primarily on a collection made by George K. Cherrie, assisted by Benjamin T. Gault, during four months (October, 1902-January, 1903), for the Tring Museum. This collection comprised 1300 well-prepared bird-skins, representing 254 species. In order to make the list complete, the author has added in brackets all the species that have been reported as occurring in Cayenne, this being, according to the author, the first attempt to give complete enumeration of the birds of that country. The list comprises 626 species, of which 553 have been satisfactorily de¬ termined as birds of Cayenne; the other 73 are hypothetically included, on the basis of doubtful records (23) or their general range (50). The author believes that we may add about 140 more as birds likely to occur there, so that “ we are justified in computing the number of species inhabit¬ ing that country to be about 766.” In footnotes, under each family, are enumerated the additional species that may perhaps occur in Cayenne. The paper thus consists: (1) of a list of the species collected by Mr. 1 Contribution to our Knowledge of the Avifauna of the Netherlands, being a List of all the Species of Birds hitherto observed, with special reference to specimens in the Leyden Museum. By Dr. E. D. van Oort. Notes from the Leyden Museum 1908, pp. 129-214, pll. vii, viii. 2 Die Vogel der palaarctischen Fauna. Systematische Ubersicht der in Europe, Nord-Asien und der Mittelmeerregion vorkommenden Vogel. Von Dr. Ernst Hartert. Heft V. — 8vo, pp. 513-640, fig. 93-124. R. Friedliinder und Sohn, Berlin. Published February, 1909. Price, 4 mark. For notices of previous Parts see Auk, XXI, pp. 95, 505; XXII, p. 428; XXIV, p. 362. 3 On the Birds of Cayenne. By Hans Graf von Berlepsch. Novitates Zoologicte Vol. XV, pp. 103-164, 261-324. June and November, 1908. 208 Recent Literature. r Auk L April Cherrie, and an enumeration of the specimens of each obtained, together with the dates, localities and measurements, and the collector’s notes on the color of iris, bill, feet, and soft parts, etc.; (2) comment on the general character of the specimens, when necessary; (3) previous records of the species from Cayenne; (4) reference to the place of original description of the species, the citation of synonyms, if any, and a statement of the type locality, which is here sometimes for the first time assigned; (5) occasional comment (in footnotes) on questions of nomenclature. Only three forms (subspecies) are described as new, which may be taken to indicate that the omis of Cayenne is nowT pretty well known. — J. A. A. ‘Cassinia.’ — This always interesting annual 1 contains the usual variety of matter relating to the birds of eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Besides the abstract of the Proceeding of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, the membership lists of the Club, and a bibliography of contributions to the ornithology of the region, it contains the usual number of short papers, and Mr. Stone’s report on the Spring Migration in the vicinity of Philadelphia, based on the combined observations of the members of the Club. The first paper is a biographical sketch of George Ord, with a portrait, by Samuel N. Rhoads, in which is summarized the little that is at present known of the life and literary work of this pioneer American zoologist. Ord was born March 4, 17S1, but whether in Philadelphia or in England Mr. Rhoads is unable to state, and died in Philadelphia in 1866. He is principally known as the biographer and literary executor of Alexander Wilson, he having edited Wilson’s eighth volume, and wTritten the text of the ninth, both volumes having been published after Wilson’s death. He also contributed the zoological matter to the second American edition of Guthrie’s Geography, a work now so rare that only two or three copies are known to exist. This contribution, on account of its rarity and im¬ portance, was republished by Mr. Rhoads in 1894. Ord also published two editions of ‘Wilson’s American Ornithology,’ respectively in 1824 and 1828-29, to which he contributed original matter. He also published biographies of Thomas Say and C. A. Lesuer. According to Mr. Rhoads, Ord wras a lexicographer as w'ell as a naturalist; his extensive contributions to Noah Webster’s Dictionary wTere unacknowledged; Latham, of London, later “secured from Ord the whole MSS. of nearly forty years’ work in philology, and in every instance, where he used it in compiling his new edition of Johnson’s Dictionary he makes acknowledgment to the Ord MSS.” Ord was an office-bearer for many years in both the American Philosophical Society and Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, of which latter he was President, 1851-1858, and, at different times, Secre¬ tary, Treasurer, and Vice-President of the Philosophical Society. 1 Cassinia. A Bird Annual. Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club of Philadelphia. 1908. Issued March, 1909. 8vo, pp. 84, and 3 half-tone plates. Price, 50 cents. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 209 The other papers in ‘Cassinia’ are: 'The Mourning Warbler in Warren County, Pa.,’ by Thomas H. Jackson; ‘Some Birds of a Maurice River Farm,’ by Chreswell J. Hunt; ‘Catoxen Cabin on the Ranconcas,’ by George Spencer Moms; ‘Bird-Life at Catoxen,’ by Witmer Stone; ‘Three Finds in South Jersey,’ by Robert Thomas Moore; ‘A List of the Birds observed on the Barnegat Region of the New Jersey Coast in August, 1908,’ by Wm. C. Braislin, M. D. The Club held sixteen meetings during the year 1908, with an average attendance of twenty-two. The officers for 1909 are William A. Shryock, President; Stewardson Brown, Vice-President; Chreswell J. Hunt, Secre¬ tary; Samuel Wright, Treasurer; Witmer Stone, Editor of ‘Cassinia.’ — J. A. A. Stone’s ‘A Review of the Genus Piaya Lesson.’— Mr. Stone1 2 here recognizes three species — P. melanogastra, P. rutilus, and P. cayana, the latter with 10 subspecies, two of which are described as new. This revision is based on 259 specimens, and, of course, is made from the modern view¬ point. He refers to a brief review of the group made by the present writer in 1893, pointing out several errors made, as he kindly says, “ largely through lack of material,” and notes that “he ignored Cabanis’s explanation of the true nature of Gambel’s macroura,” etc. We may here explain that Part IV of the ‘Museum Heirnanum,’ which contains Cabanis’s review of the genus, was not then accessible to us, the copy of the work then available containing only the first three parts; otherwise probably Cabanis’s ruling on the type localities of P. macroura Gambel and P. circe Bonap. would not have been ‘ignored,’ and the consequent errors would have been avoided. It is of interest that Mr. Stone is able to so emphatically confirm Cabanis’s opinions on these two important points. After reviewing the history of the group, Mr. Stone presents a ‘ key to the species and subspecies,’ followed by the synonymy and a brief descrip¬ tion of each form. If the forms to which critical reference is made had all been given in the synonymy of the species it would have added to the con¬ venience of future investigators of the group, and have made clearer the several nomenclatural departures from current usage, all of which seem to be well founded. It may be added that the two new subspecies — P. cayana caucce and P. c. boliviana — are based on recently acquired material in the American Museum of Natural History. — J. A. A. Watson’s ‘ The Behavior of Noddy and Sooty Terns.’ 2 — This is the report of observations made by the author at Bird Key, a small island of the Dry 1 A Review of the Genus Piaya Lesson. By Witmer Stone. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. LX, Pt. 3, July-Dee., 1908, pp. 492-501. 2 The Behavior of Noddy and Sooty Terns. By John B. Watson, Professor of Experimental and Comparative Psychology, The Johns Hopkins University. Papers from the Tortugas Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Vol. II, 1908 (1909), pp. 187-225, pll. i-xi, and 2 text fig. [Separates not dated, but distributed early in March, 1909.] 210 Recent Literature. f Auk L April Tortugas group, during May 4— July 18, 1907. The author says: “The specific object of my stay was to observe as far as possible the details of the lives of the noddy terns (Anous stolidus) and the sooty terns ( Sterna fuli- ginosa) during their nesting season on that island .... Our interest .... cen¬ tered around the portrayal of their activities.” The work was conducted from the viewpoint of the psychologist, and is said by the author to be preliminary, and adds: “but since the immediate continuation of the work is not assured, and since work of the kind is more or less ‘ impression¬ istic,’ the attempt is here made, while the material is still fresh in mind, to enumerate some of the more important problems to be found in the study of these birds and to set forth my tentative efforts to solve them.” A general description of the two species is followed by an account of the geographical situation and history of the present colony of terns, which occupies “a small coral island about 300 yards wide (east and west) by 400 yards long (north and south),” situated about 66 statute miles due west from Key West. “Owing to its juxta-tropical location, its slight elevation, and the condition of its surface (largely coral sand), the actual surface-temperature of this island is very high, ranging at times during the hottest days from 124° to 143° F.” The only vegetation consists of bay-cedar bushes, abundant over the central and western parts of the island, and a dense cactus growth over a small portion of the southeastern part, both being used by the noddies for nest-sites. The food and feeding habits, the mating, nest-building, and the daily activities of both species throughout the breeding season are minutely detailed, together with an account of the development of the young in captivity, and of tests as to recognition between mates, and of the egg, nest, and nest locality. There are also accounts of experiments on distant orientation, and on the “learning of problem boxes” and “the maze.” Such a minute and detailed study, conducted with scientific exactness, of the activities of any species of wild bird has doubtless never before been made, and is hence of the highest interest as a contribution to the life histories of the two species here under investigation, aside from its value from the psychologic side. The matter is divided into sections, under spe¬ cial subheadings, each section closing with a brief summary of the subject under discussion. Under ‘Food and Feeding Habits’ it is stated that neither species ever touches the water except to drink or bathe; they “never swim nor dive,” and in bathing never completely immerse the body, the breast and head being the only parts dipped into the water. In feeding they follow schools of minnows attacked by other fish, and “pick off these minnows as they hop up above and over the surface of the water.” They thus differ greatly in habits from our northern species of terns, which freely plunge beneath the surface to secure their prey. The birds appear to fish exclusively in the daytime, they all returning to the island at night. The author gives it as his belief that “these birds rarely leave the island [on their fishing trips] for distances greater than 15 knots.” This belief is based on the Vol. XXVIl 1909 J Recent Literature. 211 testimony of light-house keepers and on a single cruise in a launch for observation. When the author arrived at the island, on May 4, both species were already actively engaged in nest-building, and some of the birds were be¬ ginning to lay. Thus there was little opportunity to observe the mating of either species, which are reputed to mate before reaching the island. He, however, records a “striking series of reactions between two noddies,” which he considers may have been a case of mating. The supposed male began nodding and bowing to a supposed female (the sexes are externally indistinguishable), when the latter gave immediate attention and began to extract fish from the throat of the other bird. “ The feeding reaction was alternated with the nodding.” Then the male brought a stick and deposited it near the female, and then the male attempted sexual relations. The noddies nest in bushes; the number of nests was estimated at 700, which would give a total of 1400 adult noddies on the island. The nest of the sooty, when any is made, “consists of a shallow oval depression in the sand.” The number of nests of this species on the island was found to be (approximately) 9429, which would indicate the presence of 18,858 adult sooties. Where the nests of the sooties “are very numerous they often are not more than 10 to 12 inches apart. On account of this close grouping of the nests,” says the author, “and of the quarrelsome nature of the brooding birds, exact localization of nest and recognition of nest and mate easily became the most important features in the lives of the sooty terns. This situation affords a convenient starting-point for a psycho¬ logical study of the behavior of these birds.” Under ‘Reactions of the Noddies [and Sooties] observed in nest-building' are given a very detailed account of the actual nest-building of a pair of noddies, and of the selecting of nesting-sites by the sooties and the forma¬ tion of their nest cavity. Under the caption ‘ The Daily Rhythm of Activi¬ ties ’ are detailed with great minuteness the daily routine of each species, before the egg is laid, during incubation, and after the egg is hatched; from which it appears that in the case of the noddy the male and female pursue a different daily routine during the period of nest-building and before the egg is laid, the female remaining almost constantly at the nest, the male supplying her with food. During the nest-building and egg-lay¬ ing period the chief points in the lives of the noddies are thus summarized: “(1) there is common activity in the building of the nest; (2) the female guards the nest while (3) the male procures food for both.” The manner of feeding the female by the male, as here described, is well worth citing, not only for its intrinsic interest, but also as an illustration of a highly specialized vocabulary: “The male fishes until intra-organic pressure of food in the crop reaches a certain intensity [in other words, until the crop is full]. This acts as a stimulus to return (proximate and distant orienta¬ tion discussed on pages 224 and 277 respectively). The visual stimulus of mate (and nest and nest locality) coupled with the intra-organic stimuli 212 Recent Literature. r Auk LApril just mentioned, condition the feeding reaction [i. e., on seeing his mate he proceeds to offer her food]. On the part of the female we have the intra-or- ganic (hunger) stimulus and the visual stimulus induced by the movements of the male [i. e., the female, being hungry, is willing to be fed]. The male disgorges until there is a cessation of the excessive intra-organic pressure, at which time his feeding movements cease and the female may strike his beak in vain. The female in her turn feeds until there is both a cessation of hunger and a normal intra-organic pressure established. If this takes place before the male is ready, he in turn attempts to further stimulate the female by a slight change in behavior {%. e., ‘coaxing’ by tapping the female and putting his beak down near her).” 1 In the case of the noddies: “After the egg is laid, a marked change appears in the behavior of both the male and female.” Before this period the birds are shy and will not permit a near approach; later on they will viciously attack a human intruder, or will sit on the egg and allow them¬ selves to be caught. In explanation: “It may be said here that the stimulus to the change is to be sought for in the tactical and visual impulses aroused by the egg,” or in what, in ordinary parlance, would be termed parental solicitude. The male now no longer feeds the female, each bird taking equal turns at brooding the egg. A tabular statement is given of the shifts made at three nests of noddies for May 21, 22, and 23. The behavior of brooding noddies is thus summarized: “(1) The presence of the egg brings about a change in the distribution of labor between the sexes ; (2) the male no longer feeds the female but each sex separately obtains its food; (3) the egg is brooded constantly night and day by both sexes, the male and female relieving each other at intervals varying from 30 minutes to 5 hours, the average interval being in the neighborhood of 2 hours; (4) the most significant general reaction caused by the presence of the egg is the change in the disposition of the birds.” 1 This is not offered in personal criticism of Dr. Watson’s excellent paper, but as a protest against the pedantry shown in nearly all modern research along new lines, where a new vocabulary is often invented for the expression of common-place knowledge. New terms are frequently needed for the expression of new facts, new processes, new hypotheses, but how often are well-known facts or principles hidden or obscured to all but the specialist by being clothed in a new verbiage. The science of ecology — the relation of the organism to its environment — e. (/., is bur¬ dened by pedantic expressions for previously observed and intelligently recorded con¬ ditions and relations, which are restated in new and often hypertechnical terms, with the air of their being a new contribution to knowledge. Text-books of the subject are necessarily accompanied with glossaries for the definition of the new terms employed, since they are not to be found in even the latest and most up-to- date dictionaries, while some of them would puzzle a linguist to determine their etymology and significance. The above annotated excerpt from Dr. Watson’s paper merely illustrates the tendency to pedantic jargon in many of the newer lines of research. Dr. Watson is of course writing as a specialist in animal psychology, for other specialists in this field of research — not for the layman nor especially for ornithologists — and it is but natural that he should employ the vocabulary approved by his colleagues. Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 213 Similar observations are recorded on the behavior of the sooty during the period of incubation, in which are noted changes similar to those re¬ corded for the noddy, with the important exception that the shift at the nest in the case of the noddy occurs about once in two hours, and in the case of the sooty only once in 24 hours. The period of incubation for the noddy is given as from 32 to 35 days; the period of incubation for the sooty was found to be 26 days. The activities of both species after the egg is hatched are recorded in similar detail. The young of the noddy are fed at intervals varying from one to four hours, and those of the sooty every four to seven hours. An interesting part of the paper relates to experiments in testing the ability of recognition between mates, and of the parents to recognize nest and young. While it is perfectly evident that such recognition must exist, and cannot with reason be doubted, Dr. Watson’s tentative proof that such is the case is of interest. Birds were taken from marked nests, and the birds themselves were also marked with oil paints; while this process caused disturbance in the relations of the birds for a short time, they soon became reconciled to the new conditions. Experiments in relation to recognition of the egg showed that neither species recognizes its own egg, as is well known to be the case with many other birds. Both species, also, would submit to considerable changes in the size and character of the nest, and even to a slight change in its position, without deserting it, but not without obvious recognition of the changed conditions. A large number of experiments have relation mainly to the length of time required for adjustment to the new situation. Where the environment was markedly altered the bird remained undisturbed so long as the position of the nest was not disturbed. Says Dr. Watson: “ If one recalls the conditions under which they [the sooties] lay their eggs, namely, in open spaces and at distances apart sometimes not greater than 10 to 14 inches, one can not but admire the exactness and ease with which the sooty approaches her own nest.” This certainly shows a high power of discrimination, quite in harmony with the action of birds in general, and perhaps renders not less wonderful, but perhaps less astonishing, the ability of migratory birds to find their way back to their own former nest¬ ing-sites after hundreds and even thousands of miles of migratory travel. With such power of local orientation as all birds show in the matter of the nesting-site, is it so very strange that they should be able — accidents and stress of weather aside — to orient themselves on their migratory journeys? While the exact nature of this ability may not be at present known, its possession is beyond question. Dr. Watson’s experiments on distant orientation are here for the first time fully stated, but the principal facts have already become more or less current. His comment thereon is disappointing inasmuch as no explanation is attempted. But perhaps this was to be expected for, as he says: “the facts obtained from them are extremely difficult for current theories of distant orientation to explain.” These experiments, briefly 214 Recent Literature. f Auk [.April stated, are: (1) Six noddies, “marked characteristically and individually with oil paints,” were put on board the laboratory launch bound for Key West; two, liberated when 19.5 statute miles distant, returned to their marked nests in 21 hours after they were released; two were liberated at a distance of 44.75 statute miles and returned to their nests in If hours after their release; two were liberated at Key West, 65.8 statute miles distant, and reached their nests, one 11 hours later and the other about 23 hours later, night intervening when the birds probably did not attempt to fly. (2) Three noddies and two sooties, captured and marked, and their nests likewise marked, were taken, June 13, via Key West, to Cape Hat- teras and liberated 12 miles east of the Cape. Several days after the marked sooties were found at their nests, and a few days later one of the noddies was seen attempting to alight on its nest, but its mate, having formed new 'affiliations’, this was not permitted. Dr. Watson states that he has no doubt the other two noddies returned to the island and were likewise not permitted to return to their nests. The distance in a direct line from Bird Key to Cape Hatteras is about 850 statute miles, and by way of the coast about 1080 statute miles. The birds were thus taken hundreds of miles to the northward of their normal range, yet were able to return quickly to their nests on Bird Key. (3) On July 8, two noddies and two sooties, marked for identification, were taken to Havana; they were released on the 11th, and reached Bird Key on the following day. The birds were in such poor physical condition from the strain of caring for their nearly full-grown young that it was de¬ cided not to take them further away before releasing them. In the present connection there is space merely to call attention to Dr. Watson’s interesting experiments with young terns in learning the 'prob¬ lem box’ and the ‘maze,’ which are of special interest to the psychologist rather than to the ornithologist. Dr. Watson’s paper, as amply shown above, is noteworthy from the double viewpoint of ornithology and psychology; it is a detailed and continuous study of the activities of two species of a very interesting group of birds during nearly the entire season of reproduction. The accompanying eleven plates illustrate the nesting attitudes of the old birds, young of various ages of both species, groups of nesting sooties, flashlight pictures, to show the possibility of studying the behavior of the birds at night, the character and grouping of the nests of the noddies, and the group activities of both sooties and noddies. — J. A. A. Publications Received. — Berlepsch. Hans Graf von. On the Birds of Cayenne. (Novitates Zoologicae, XV, pp. 103-164, 261-324, June and November, 1908.) Bangs, Outram. (1) Notes on Birds from Western Colombia. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXI, pp. 157-162, July 27, 1908.) (2) A New Tyrant-bird from the Santa Marta Region of Colombia. {Ibid., p. 163.) (3) Notes on some Rare or not well-known Costa Rican Birds. {Ibid., XXII, pp. 29-38.) Vol. XXVII 1909 J Recent Literature. 215 Chapman, Frank M. (1) A Contribution to the Life-Histories of the Booby ( Sula ; leucogastra ) and Man-o’-War Bird ( Fregata aquila ). (Papers from the Tortugas Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, II, 1908 (March, 1909), pp. 139-151, pll. i-vi.) (2) The Habitat Bird Groups. Guide Leaflet No. 28, American Museum of Natural History. Cole, Leon J. The Crow a Menace to Poultry Raising. (21st Ann. Rep. Rhode Island Exper. Station for the Year ending June 30, 1908, pp. 312- 316, Jan., 1909.) Grinnell, Joseph. (1) Birds of a Voyage on Salton Sea. (Condor, X, No. 5, pp. 185-191.) (2) The Biota of the San Bernardino Mountains. (University of California Publications, Zoology, V, No. 1, pp. 1-170, pll. i-xxiv, Dec. 31, 1908.) (3) Birds and Mammals of the 1907 Alexander Expedition to Southeastern Alaska. (Ibid., V, No. 2, pp. 171-264, pll. xxv, xxvi, Feb. 18, 1909.) Hartert. Ernst, Die Vogel der palaarktischen Fauna, Heft V, Feb., 1909. Howell, Arthur H. Notes on the Winter Birds of Northern Louisiana. (Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XXI, pp. 119-124.) Oberholser, Harry C. (1) A List of the Principal Birds found in Ala¬ bama. (1st Bienn. Rep. Depart. Game and Fish of State of Alabama, 1908, pp. 104-110.) (2) A Revision of the Kingfisher Genus Ramphalcyon (Pelargopsis) . (Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., XXXV, pp. 657-680, Feb. 9, 1908.) Oort, E. D. van. (1) On Macruropsar magnus brevicauda subsp. nov. from the Island of Mefoor. (Notes from the Leyden Mus., XXX, pp. 69-72, May, 1908.) (2) A New Species of Chalcopsitta from N. W. New Guinea. (Ibid., pp. 127, 128, June, 1908.) (3) Contribution to our knowledge of the Avifauna of the Netherlands. (Ibid., pp. 129-214, pll. vii, viii, Sept., 1908.) (4) On New-Guinea Birds. (Ibid., pp. 225-244.) Schalow, Herman. Ueber den gegenwartigen Stand der Naumann- forschung. (Journ. fur Orn., 1909, pp. 49-55.) Sclater, W. L. The Winter Birds of Colorado. (Ibis, July, 1908, pp. 443-450.) Shufeldt, R. W. Notes on the Nests and Eggs of the Mississippi Kite (lctinia mississipiensis) . (Wilson Bull., XX, Dec., 1908, pp. 163, 164, pi.) Thayer, John E., and Outram Bangs. The Present State of the Ornis of Guadaloupe Island. (Condor, X, 1908, No. 3, pp. 101-106.) Ward, Henry L. (1) An Addition to the Avifauna of Wisconsin. (Bull. Wisconsin Nat. Hist. Soc., VI, 1908, p. 124.) (2) A melanistic and sub¬ sequent partial albinistic change in a caged robin. (Ibid., pp. 43-47.) (3) Modern exhibitional tendencies of Museums of Natural History and Ethnography designed for public use. (Trans. Wisconsin Acad. Sci., Arts, and Letters, XVI, 1908, pp. 325-342.) Warren, Edward B. (1) Notes on the Birds of Southwestern Montrose County, Colorado. (Condor, XI, 1909, No. 1, pp. 11-17. (2) Some Inter¬ esting Records, (Ibid., p. 33.) Wetmore, Alex. Notes on some Northern Arizona Birds. (Kansas University Science Bulletin, IV, Sept., 1908, pp. 377-388.) 216 Recent Literature. f Auk L April Widmann, Otto. Summer Birds of Shaw’s Garden. (12th Ann. Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard., 1909, pp. 41-80, pi. i, colored.) Abstract Proc. Zool. Soc. London, Nos. 63-66, 1909. Annals of Scottish Nat. Hist., No. 68, Jan., 1909. Avicultural Magazine, N. S., VII, Nos. 3-5, Jan.-March, 1909. Bird-Lore, XI, No. 1, Feb., 1909. Bird News, I, No: 1, Jan.-Feb., 1909. Bird Notes, Journ. For. Bird Club. VII. No. II, Feb., 1909. British Birds, II, Nos. 8-10, Jan.-March, 1909. Bulletin British Orn. Club, XXIII, Nos. CXLVI-CXLIX, Dec., 1908- Feb., 1909. Bulletin Charleston Museum, IV, No. 8, Dec., 1908; V, Nos. 1 and 2, Jan.-Feb., 1909. Cassinia, Proc. Delaware Vail. Orn. Club, No. XII, March, 1909. Condor, The, XI, Jan., 1908. Emu, The, VIII, Pt. 3, Jan., 1909. Forest and Stream, LXXII, Nos. 1-12, 1909. Ibis, The (9), III, Jan., 1909. Journal fur Ornithologie, LVII, Jan., 1909. Ornithologische Monatsberichte, XVII, Jan.-March, 1909. Ornithologische Monatsschrift, XXXIII, Nos. 11, 12, 1908; XXXIV, Nos. 1, 2, 1909. Ottawa Naturalist, XXII. Jan.-March, 1909. Philippine Journal of Science, III, Nos. 4, 5, 1909. Proceedings Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, LX, Pt. 3, July-Dee., 1908 (1909). Revista do Museu Paulista, VII, 1907. Science, N. S., Nos. 731-743, 1909. Verhandlungen der Orn. Gesells. in Bayern, VIII, 1907 (Nov., 1908). Wilson Bulletin, XX, No. 4, Dec., 1908. Zoological Bulletin Penna. Dept. Agric., VI, No. 9, Jan., 1909. Zoologist, The, XIII, Nos. 145-147, Jan.-March, 1909. Yol. XXV II 1909 J Correspondence. 217 CORRESPONDENCE. Where the Skeletons of American Birds may be Studied. Editors of ‘The Auk’: — Dear Sirs It is not my intention in the present communication to furnish a list of either public or private institutions in this country where may be found, for the use of students of the subject, a collection of skele¬ tons of birds, much less to supply the names of those possessing such material and who are willing to place it at the disposal of workers and authors in this department of comparative anatomy. Not that such a list would not be of use and value to ornithotomists generally were it published, but, so far as my knowledge carries me, the necessary informa¬ tion for it has, up to the present time, never been prepared. On the other hand it is hoped that it may prove to be of some service to students of the anatomy of birds to know where they may examine and study a represen¬ tative collection of skeletons of the Class, all of which have been figured, described and published in various scientific periodicals and found in all the larger libraries everywhere. Reference is here made to the material which composed what was up to a few months ago my own private collec¬ tion. Through donation this is now the property of the New York State Mu¬ seum at Albany, where it is being classified and otherwise cared for, in order to render it available to such students having occasion to utilize it in their work. It is in charge of Doctor John M. Clarke, Director of the Science Division of the New York State Education Department at the State Hall in Albany, who doubtless will be glad to furnish any information in regard to it. So far as American species go, this is probably the largest collection of the kind in this country, and the specimens all being unmounted and described, they present data and the opportunity for study and comparison, not as yet found elsewhere in this country. Either perfect skeletons or parts of skeletons here represent nearly all the main genera of the birds of the United States. Moreover, the majority of them are types, thus render¬ ing them especially valuable for scientific reference. Perhaps I may be pardoned for alluding here to the many cherished associations that are, for me, forever bound up in this collection. It took many years to bring it together, and in the work I was not only assisted by members of my immediate family, now gone, but by many others whose names we find among those on the last few pages of the autumn issue of ‘The Auk.’ It is a satisfaction to know that this collection of skeletons is now in such good keeping, and from JEchmophorus to Sialia I trust they will do duty for many a year yet to come. In closing, it may be of interest to my friends to know that there is now passing through the press a special Bulletin, under the direction of the 218 Notes and News. r Auk [.April Education Department at Albany, which is devoted to four of my osteo- logical memoirs on birds. They cover the Accipitres, the Anseres, the Gallince, and a special one on the Coccyges. Some two hundred heretofore unpublished figures illustrate the text. Very faithfully yours, R. W. Shufeldt. NOTES AND NEWS. Charles Aldrich, a Fellow and one of the Founders of the American Ornithologists’ Union, died at Boone, Iowa, March 8, 1908, at the age of 80 years. In accordance with a standing order of the Union respecting de¬ ceased Fellows, a memorial of his life and work will be presented at the next stated meeting of the Union, and published later in ‘The Auk’. Edward Seymour Woodruff, an Associate Member of the A. O. U., died of typhoid fever at his home in New York city on January 15, 1909. He was the youngest son of Charles Hornblower and Catherine Sanford Woodruff, and was born in New York City on December 23, 1876. He was graduated from the Academical Department of Yale University with the class of ’99, afterwards, for a year, pursued a special course in biology at Johns Hopkins University, and later entered the School of Forestry at Yale from which he obtained the degree of Master of Forestry with high honors in 1907. Shortly afterward he received an appointment as State Forester of New York, which post he filled with great ability up to the time of his death. Much of Mr. Woodruff’s early life was spent at his country home in Litchfield, Conn., and here while wandering in woods and fields he devel¬ oped a taste for natural history in several of its branches, and cultivated that love of prying into Nature’s secrets which is the greatest asset of every true naturalist. He was always deeply interested in ornithology, and leaves behind him a fine collection of birds as a monument of industry and devotion to this science; while the excellent notes and papers which he published gave promise of still more valuable ones to follow. Among them may be cited, as of exceptional value, the carefully prepared list published in ‘The Auk’ for April, 1908, with title ‘A Preliminary List of the Birds of Shannon and Carter Counties, Missouri,’ and ‘The Ruffed Grouse — A Study of the Causes of its Scarcity in 1907/ published by the Forest, Fish and Game Commission of New York, in 1908. Both are models of their kind, the former dealing with the scientific side of sys¬ tematic ornithology, the latter covering one of its economic aspects. Vol. XXVI] 1909 J Notes and News, f 219 For the profession of forestry, Mr. Woodruff was admirably fitted by education and by temperament, and he had already made his mark in a career that promised much for the country at large. He was the right man in the right place, and forestry can ill afford to lose men of his Stirling qualities and mental calibre. Those of us who have been fortunate in knowing Mr. Woodruff as a friend cannot soon forget a personality that never failed to attract even strangers through a naturalness of manner that bespoke a warm heart and a sincerity of purpose beyond the ordinary. We feel that ornithology, too, has suffered a loss, for ornithologists will miss from their ranks a com¬ panion who was filled with enthusiasm and energy. — J. D., Jr. The Thirteenth Annual Meeting of the Audubon Society of the State of New York was held at the American Museum of Natural History, March 18, 1909. The President of the Society, Henry Fairfield Osborn, presided. The report of Miss Emma H. Lockwood, Secretary-Treasurer, showed that the Society had been active in protecting the birds of the State, and in supplying literature relating to bird protection and bird study for the use of teachers and others, so far as its available funds per¬ mitted. Mr. William Dutcher, the President of the National Association of Audubon Societies, and Chairman of the New York Society’s Commit¬ tee on Legislation, presented a report on current legislative matters with particular reference to a bill now before the New York Legislature, the passage of which would practically prohibit the sale of the plumage of all New York State birds for millinery purposes. Mr. Dutcher asked all the members of the Society to urge their representatives at Albany to support this bill. Following Mr. Dutcher’s report, Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the well- known bird-artist, made an address on birds and their music, which he illustrated with chalk sketches in color of the birds and imitations of their songs. There was also an exhibition in the Bird Hall of the Museum of a large series of paintings of birds by Mr. Fuertes. The Darwin Memorial Celebration held at the American Museum of Natural History, February 12, 1909, by the New York Academy of Sciences, was made the occasion of the presentation by the Academy to the Museum of a bronze bust of Darwin, with appropriate ceremonies. It was permanently installed at the entrance to the Synoptic Hall, which was renamed and dedicated as “The Darwin Hall of Invertebrate Zool¬ ogy”; bronze tablets thus inscribed have been placed at the entrance to the hall. The presentation address was made by Charles Finney Cox, President of the Academy, and the address of acceptance by Henry Fair- field Osborn, President of the Museum. Other addresses were by Prof. John James Stevenson on ‘Darwin and Geology’; by Dr. Nathaniel Lord Britton on ‘Darwin and Botany’; by Dr. Hermon Carey Bumpus on ‘Darwin and Zoology.’ 220 Notes and News. r Auk LApril The celebration was accompanied by an exhibition of Darwiniana (published works, portraits, and letters of Darwin), and specimens illus¬ trating various aspects of the evolution of animals and plants, living and extinct, arranged in fifteen categories, with reference to as many special features of evolution. The exhibition remained on view from February 12 to March 12, and formed an attractive as well as instructive display. As everybody knows, or has had the opportunity of knowing, the Roosevelt Expedition to Africa is not merely a hunting trip for the grati¬ fication of the big-game aspirations of an ex-President of the United States, but a thoroughly organized expedition in the interest of the United States National Museum and of science. The money for its equipment and maintenance, beyond the personal expenses of its chief, has been raised by subscription through the efforts of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and the personnel has been chosen from the leading experts in field work. The personal interest of Theoi’dore Roose¬ velt in natural history research is well known, and in Major Edgar A. Mearns, a Fellow and one of the Founders of the American Ornithologists’ Union, and an ornithologist and mammalogist of demonstrated ability, he has a medical adviser and a scientific assistant that ensures energetic and intelligent work. Edmund Heller and J. Alden Loring are collectors of wide experience and exceptional ability. Under such conditions, barring accident or illness, the results of a year’s work in British East Africa by such a staff should be of the greatest scientific importance and bring to this country a greatly needed collection of the leading forms of the vertebrate life of a region at present poorly represented in American Museums. We are sure the expedition will have the hearty good-speed of every reader of this journal. The Avicultural Society of California has begun the publication of a bimonthly official magazine, called ‘Bird News,’ “ devoted to the interests of the bird fancier.” Volume I, No. 1, for January-February, 1909, consists of eight octavo pages of well printed and well edited matter pertinent to the interests it represents. Editor, Frederick W. D ’Evelyn; Business Manager, W. W. Cooley, 717 Market St., San Francisco, Cal. The Spring announcement of new books by Henry Holt and Company contains ‘Birds of the World,’ by F. H. Knowlton and Robert Ridgway, with illustrations in color. $7 net. — The Houghton, Mifflin Company announce ‘Birds of the Boston Public Garden, a Study in Migration,’ by Horace Winslow Wright, with an introduction by Bradford Torrey. PUBLICATIONS OF THE FOR SALE AT THE FOLLOWING PRICES: The Auk Complete set, Volumes I-XXV (1884-1908), in original covers, $87.00. Volumes I-VI are sold only with complete sets, other volumes, $3.00 each; 75 cents for single numbers. Check=List of North American Birds and Code of Nomenclature Original edition, 1886, cloth, 8vo, pp. viii + 392. (Out of print.) Abridged Check-List of North American Birds. Paper, 8vo, pp. 71, printed on one side of the page, 25 cents. Check-List of North American Birds. Second and revised edition, 1895, cloth, 8vo, pp. xi+372. $1.15. Code of Nomenclature*. 1892. Paper, 8vo, pp. iv + 72. 25 cents. Code of Nomenclature. Revised edition, 1908. Paper, 8vo, pp. lxxxv. 50 cents. Index to The Auk (Vols. I-XVII, 1884-1900) and Bulletin Nuttall Ornithological Club (Vols. I-VIII, 1876-1883). 8vo, pp. vii+426, 1908* Cloth, $3.75; paper, $3.25. Old | CONTINUATION OF THE f New Votxxxiv * bulletin OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB IvoLmi The Auk H <&uarterl\> 3ournal of ©rmtbolcw Vol. XXVI -JULY, 1909— No. 3 PUBLISHED BY The American Ornithologists’ Union CAMBRIDGE, MASS. " I C\\ . - - -■ - . - - - - Entered as second-class mail matter in the Post Office at Boston, Mass. CONTENTS / The Geological and Geographical Relations of the Land-Bird Fauna of Northeastern America. By Spencer Trotter ....... 221 The Use of Wings and Feet by Diving Birds. By Charles W. Townsend, M. D. . 234 A Reprint of the Ornithological Writings of C. S. Rafinesque. By Charles W. Richmond . . 248 A Carolina Wren Invasion of New England. By Charles W. Townsend, M. D. . 263 Some Original Manuscript Relating to the History of Townsend’s Bunting By Ruthven Deane . . . > . 269 Annotated List of the Water Birds of Weld, Morgan and Adams Counties, Colorado, South to the First Sectional Line below the Fortieth Paral¬ lel. By A. H. Felger . . 272 An Instance of Hybridization in Hummingbirds, with Remarks on the Weight of Generic Characters in the Trochilid.®. By Walter P. Taylor . . . 291 Fifteenth Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds . . . . . . . . . . .294 General Notes. — Additional Record of the European Widgeon ( Mareca penelope ), 304; Capture of the European Widgeon in New Hampshire, 304; The Lesser Snow Goose ( Chen hyperborea nivalis) in Gorham, Maine, 304; A Second Record for the Fulvous Tree-Duck taken in Missouri, 304; Third Record of the Purple Gallinule ( Ionornis martinica) in Illinois, 305; Wilson’s Snipe wintering in Pennsylvania, 305; The Lesser Yellow-legs in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 305; Early Nesting of the Barn Owl in Delaware, 305; Northern Breeding Limit of the Chuck-wills-widow, 306; The Starling near Springfield, Mass., 306; The Capture of the Red-eyed Cowbird in Arizona, 307; The Present Status of the Meadowlark ( Slurnella magna) near Portland, Maine, 307; Another Hoary Redpoll ( Acanthis hornemanni exilepes) at Westbrook, Maine, 308; Late Records for Siskins in Chester Count y, Pa., 308; The third Specimen of the Sum¬ mer Tanager for Canada, 308; Prothonotary Warbler taken on the Coast of Maine, 309; The Races of the Parula Warbler, 309; Breeding of the Louisiana Water-Thrush ( Seiurus motacilla) in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, 310; Concerning Thryomanes bewicki cryptus in Colorado, 311; A Correction, 312; Bicknell’s Thrush ( Hylocichla alicice bicknelli ) in Cumberland County, Maine, 312; The Rank of Certain Groups of Birds, 313; Three Records for British Columbia, 313; Some New Birds for Colorado, 314; Notes concerning Certain Birds of Long Island, New York, 314. Recent Literature.— Jubilee Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 317; Thayer and Bangs on the Birds of Guadaloupe Islands, 319; Bangs on Birds from WTestern Colombia, 320; Bangs on Costa Rican Birds, 320;' Ridgway on New Genera, Species, and Subspecies of Tropical American Birds, 321 ; New North American Birds, 321 ; Widmann on ‘The Summer Birds of Shaw’s Garden,’ 322; Cole on ‘The Crow as a Menace to Poultry Raising, 322; Swarth on the Distribution and Moult of Mearns’s Quail, 323; Godman’s ‘Monograph of the Petrels,’ 323; Howard’s ‘The British War¬ blers,’ Part III, 323; Grinnell’s ‘A Bibliography of California Ornithology,’ 326; Mearns on Philippine Birds, 326; Brooks on Birds found in West Virginia, 327; Dear¬ born on Birds from British East Africa, 327; Dawson and Bowles’s ‘The Birds of Washington,’ 328; Shufeldt’s ‘Osteology of Birds,’ 329; Publications Received, 330. Notes and News. — Obituary; Charles Iv. Worthen, 332. ‘ British Birds ’ plan for Marking Birds, 332; Temperature Map of Mexico and Central America, 333; New Publications on Birds, 333; ‘The Condor’ Index, 334; The Victoria Museum of Natural History, 334; ‘Wild-Life Preservation ’ number of New York Zoological Society’s ‘ Bulletin,’ 335. THE AUK/ published quarterly as the Organ of the American Orni¬ thologists’ Union, is edited by Dr. J. A. Allen, with the assistance of Mr. Frank M. Chapman. Terms: — $3.00 a year, including postage, strictly in advance. Single num¬ bers, 75 cents. Free to Honorary Fellows, and to Fellows, Members, and Associates of the A. 0. U. not in arrears for dues. Subscriptions should be addressed to DR. JONATHAN DWIGHT, Jr., Business Manager, 134 West 71st St., New York, N. Y. Foreign Subscrib¬ ers may obtain ‘ The Auk ’ through R. H. PORTER, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W., London. All articles and communications intended for publication and all books and publications for notice, should be sent to Dr. J. A. ALLEN, American Museum of Natural History, 77th St. and Central Park, West, New York City. Manuscripts for general articles should reach the editor at least six weeks before the date of the number for which they are intended, and manuscripts for ‘ General Notes ’ and ‘ Recent Literature ’ not later than the first of the month preceding the date of the number in which it is desired they shall appear. THE AUK: A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. Vol. xxvi. July, 1909. No. 3 THE GEOLOGICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL RELATIONS OF THE LAND-BIRD FAUNA OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA. BY SPENCER TROTTER.1 The antiquity of existing faunas is a problem beset with diffi¬ culties and involved in obscurity. One who fares forth in this quest will find few landmarks to serve him as a guide. No evi¬ dence from fossil remains is forthcoming, for the deposits in which recent animals have been buried are as yet incoherent muds and silt, often beneath the waters of lakes and swamps and tidal inlets. The remains of mammals and reptiles may thus have been accumulating in many places over long periods of time, since the beginning, at least, of post-glacial conditions. Undoubtedly the soils of old forest floors and peat bogs and the mud of lake bottoms contain a vast number of such remains, but it is altogether unlikely that among these is any large proportion of the more fragile skele¬ tons of birds. Even if they were preserved these remains, like those of other creatures, would still be in inaccessible situations. The clew to this history of faunas is to be looked for rather in the distribution of living forms as we find them to-day; to facts re¬ lating to the alteration of habitats, the invasion of new territory by certain species, the recession from territory once occupied, and the dominance and variety of forms of particular genera in various localities. 1 Read before the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, Philadelphia, March 4, 1909. 221 222 Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. [.hily The present paper is the outcome of an article previously pub¬ lished by the writer in ‘The Popular Science Monthly’1 which dealt with the effect of the settlement of the country upon the dis¬ tribution of bird life, what we might term the bird life under abo¬ riginal conditions as compared with its present aspects. The problem as stated in that article was this: If eastern North America was in the main a forest-covered land, as both historical narrative and existing physical conditions indicate, what was the status of the bird life that now inhabits our open fields and grass country? Have certain birds altered their habits or their habitats ? Facts seem to point to the last named of the two alternatives as offering the mostly likely solution to the problem since most of our grass-frequenting species are of wide distribution toward the west, throughout the prairie region, and many of them are represented by geographical races on the Great Plains. Such species as the Vesper Sparrow or Grass Finch, the Savannah and Grasshopper Sparrows, the Meadowlark, Bobolink, and Red-winged Black¬ bird, the Killdeer and Grass Plover were cited in illustration, and I stated my belief that these birds had found their way into the newly opened lands from the western prairie region. An exception might be made in certain species — that of the Bobolink which may have frequented the river marshes, and also in the case of the Savannah Sparrow which appears to be a coastwise bird, dwelling along the edge of the maritime marshes, though its present habitat may be a comparatively recent occupancy. The Black- throated Bunting or Diekcissel was cited as a remarkable case of recession from its one time habitat in certain eastern localities during the latter half of the nineteenth century, and there is good evidence for believing that this bird was originally an invader from the prairie region. Its great abundance in the grass country of the Middle West and its rather limited distribution in the East, coupled with its somewhat abrupt disappearance from the last named region, certainly point to this conclusion. Audubon speaks of its abun¬ dance in the prairie lands of Texas, Missouri and Illinois as com¬ pared with the middle Atlantic districts and that it was “rarer in Ohio, and scarce in Kentucky,” which is good evidence, for at the 11 Birds of the Grasslands.’ The Popular Science Monthly, Vol. XLII, p. 453, February, 1893. V°11909:VI] Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. 223 time of which he writes Ohio and Kentucky were still covered with much woodland. He further adds, “they are rarely observed to pass over South Carolina,” a statement that would indicate that this species did not migrate along the coastal plain from the south, but spread eastward from its main prairie center of distribution. So much for this aspect of the problem which is here briefly re¬ viewed. There is abundant room for further research into the past and present relations of our eastern bird fauna, and it is the purpose of this paper to point out certain facts that seem to indicate changes in the status of the bird population of various districts. It is hazardous to attempt to draw conclusions as to the past history of a fauna from such slight evidence as the present distribution of species, but some irregularities in the distribution of certain species of birds seem to have been remotely the result of certain geological processes, at least within the post-glacial period. What evidence I have to offer in support of this statement is as follows: For a number of years I resided during the summer months (from mid- June to September) at Barrington, Nova Scotia. Barrington lies just back of Cape Sable Island at the extreme southern end of the peninsula. The general aspect of the surrounding region is that of a typical boreal country — a coniferous forest, composed mainly of spruces and balsam fir, interspersed with tamarack swamps, sphagnum moors- with their associate flora, notably Labrador tea {Ledum), Rhodora, and several species of Vaccinium, thickets of the northern alder, and aspens and birches. The bird fauna is decidedly Canadian in its character, such forms as the Olive-backed and Hermit Thrushes, the Hudsonian Chickadee, the Golden-crowned Kinglet, the Red-bellied Nuthatch, the Nash¬ ville, Yellow Redpoll, Magnolia, and Myrtle Warblers, the Junco, the White-throated Sparrow, the Solitary Vireo, the Rusty Black¬ bird, the Canada Jay, the Alder and Olive sided Flycatchers, and the Black-billed Cuckoo being more or less abundant throughout the breeding season, while the Pine Grosbeak, the Pine Siskin, and both species of Crossbills were abundant during certain years in the breeding time, but conspicuously absent in other summers. With this assemblage of Canadian birds were many other widely spread species as the Robin, the Song Sparrow, the Black and White, Chestnut-sided, and Yellow Warblers, the Savannah 224 Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. TAuk LJuly Sparrow, the Purple Finch, the Barn, Cliff, and Tree Swallows, the Nighthawk, Flicker, and others, but such wide-ranging forms as the Bluebird, the Vesper Sparrow, the Chipping Sparrow, the Goldfinch, and the Meadowlark were never observed during the six summers spent in this region, while the Kingbird only appeared at the latter end of the summer, about the last of August or early in September, though breeding in more or less abundance in districts farther to the north and west, and the Bobolink, which was quite common in the dike lands about Canning and the Basin of Minas, was only occasional in this southern Barrington district. The past summer, 1908, I spent at Chester, Nova Scotia, a small village at the head of Mahone Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic, fifty miles south of Halifax and about one hundred and fifty miles north along the coast from Barrington. The region was in every way similar to that about Barrington, but here at Chester I found the Chipping Sparrow and the Goldfinch relatively abundant, yet at no time was either of these birds ever seen at Barrington, though habitat conditions there were equally favorable for both. How far southward these species extend beyond Chester I am unable to say, but the fact remains that they do not appear in the fauna of the lower part of the peninsula, at least so far as my six summers of observation and collecting about the Barrington region are con¬ cerned. The solution of this rather curious local distribution of two such widely spread species as the Chipping Sparrow and the Goldfinch appears to me to be involved in a geological change, and to date back to a time when Nova Scotia was severed from the mainland, where what is now a low-lying and partly marshy tract of country which forms the present neck or isthmus that separates the waters of Northumberland Strait on the north from those of Chignecto Bay, at the head of the Bay of Fundy, on the south. This region, which we may call the Amherst district, from the principal town situated there, is evidently an uplift of comparatively recent geolog¬ ical date. Nova Scotia was unquestionably at one time an island, severed from the rest of the continent by a strait, probably of some width, which connected the two bodies of water mentioned above. How wide a stretch of water this strait may have embraced it is difficult to say. Prince Edward Island is now separated from the '°*i909^'1] Trotter, Land-Bird, Fauna of N. E. America. 225 mainland by Northumberland Strait of a varying width of from nine to thirty miles. There is evidence of considerable submergence in the region about Amherst as Sir J. W. Dawson has shown in his ‘Acadian Geology’ (4th ed., 1891, pp. 29-31). Submerged forests, mainly of pine and beech, have been found in several localities about Cumberland Basin and Cobequid Bay, and the great ‘dikes’ about the Basin of Minas, which are reclaimed maritime marshes, Dawson regards as undergoing slow submergence. All these facts indicate at least, an unstable condition, and taken together with the low relief of the region as a whole and the present general relations of land and water we are justified, I think, in believing that this strait once existed, and that at a not very remote period. Furthermore, there is much evidence to show that considerable areas along the northeastern coast of the continent have suffered submergence under the enormous weight of the ice mass that was pushed seaward from the Laurentide Glacier. The relative distribution of land and water areas unquestionably exerts an important influence in determining the range of various species of land birds. Many land birds migrate over wide stretches of sea, but, as Wallace has pointed out, such routes possibly indi¬ cate a former land surface that has become gradually submerged. The observations of Mr. Wells W. Cooke would seem to disprove this, as the evidence he has gathered regarding the Gulf and Carib¬ bean routes indicate that migrating birds frequently follow courses that lead over the deeper parts of these waters. In the problem before us, however, we are dealing with more than the purely migratory impulse. This migratory impulse per se, I take it, is the primitive instinct of certain species of birds to reach a northerly region where food of a suitable kind for the young is abundant and where the summer day is long, giving the maximum light conditions under which to forage.1 After a bird has reached this summer home it will constantly tend to widen its breeding area, spreading out over a larger territory, limited of course by various ecological factors, as suitable habitat conditions, bv the pressure of other species, by the nature and abundance of food, by temperature, and by the conformation of land and water areas. The entire 1 See article by E. A. Schafer, F. R. S., ‘On the Incidence of Daylight as a Deter¬ mining Factor in Bird Migration.’ Nature, Dec. 19, 1907. 226 Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. TAuk Ljuly phenomenon of migration may possibly have originated as an extension of a once more southerly breeding range of various species of birds which followed the widening zone of green and the develop¬ ment of insect life northward in the wake of the receding ice sheets. The individuals of a species that spread farthest to the north be¬ came the migrating element, passing over the intervening areas. The present land bird fauna of Nova Scotia may have been derived from two faunal stocks — a more primitive boreal one that has occupied the region from remote times, and a later transition fauna which has invaded the peninsula since the reelevation of the previously sunken isthmus. This somewhat venturesome state¬ ment appears to be borne out by certain facts. Many of the boreal types belong to genera of widespread distribution in both the Nearctic and Palana retie regions. Such for example are Pinicola, Carpodacus, Loxia, Spinus, Sitta, Regulus, Certhia, and Parus. These may have occupied the region even during glacial conditions, for glaciers do not preclude a forest growth and food would be abundant during the short breeding season. Furthermore, these forms probably spread around the subarctic zone in Pleistocene times when possibly, as many geologists believe, a more extensive land relation existed between the eastern and western continental land masses than at present. Indeed, these genera may have a still older history, dating back to the Middle Tertiary, with a more decidedly polar distribution, but this is purely speculative and we have no evidence, fossil or otherwise, in support of this view. These boreal types, as we know, are wide rangers and the glacial winters would find them foraging to the southward, along the borders of the crowded Austral life zone. Narrow straits would offer no barrier; more than likely there was a much greater land area and wider land connections than at present when these hardy species made their seasonal shifts through the then subarctic forests of the region now embraced by Lower Canada and the northeastern United States. The present irregular movements of these birds may possibly be the result of a habit of wandering widely in search of food, impressed upon them by the precarious conditions of existence during the Glacial Period. The purely American element in the present boreal fauna, such as the Thrushes, the several species of Mood Warblers, the Junco, Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. 227 White- throated Sparrow, the Flycatchers and others mentioned above, seem to me to form a group that established themselves as breeders in the boreal zone at an early day after the uncovering of the land by the retreating glaciers, spreading into the Nova Scotia peninsula most likely soon after or possibly during the reelevation of the land bridge. In reality they do not belong to the ancient boreal fauna as just outlined, but represent an early advance movement of the more southern bird life, a movement that is still in progress. These birds are all typical long distance migrants rather than wanderers and, unlike the true boreal wanderers, they leave a wide hiatus of unoccupied territory between their breeding grounds and their winter quarters. This is especially true of the Thrushes, Wood Warblers, the Yireo, and Flycatchers which feed on fruits, winged insects, and soft larva, while the seed-eating species like the Junco, the White-throated and other Sparrows, are not compelled to move so far and hence occupy a winter zone of territory much nearer to their breeding haunts. Yet even such northerly breeders as the Fox Sparrow and the White- crowned Sparrow leave a considerable breadth of unoccupied territory between their summer and winter ranges. Sometime during the post-glacial period many purely transition or Alleghanian species spread into the Nova Scotia region, probably by way of the land connection, but the significant fact is that this movement is still going on and that some species, like the Chipping Sparrow and possibly the Goldfinch, have not yet invaded the entire territory. That they have come by the Amherst neck of land from the main continent is also evident since these birds do not appear to have reached as yet the more southern districts of the peninsula, at least along the eastern side, so far as my observa¬ tions go. Still more significant is the support given to this view by Downs in his ‘Catalogue of the Birds of Nova Scotia’ 1 in remarking upon certain species. From what I gather his observations are chiefly in the neighborhood of Halifax and in the more western parts of the Province. Of the Chipping Sparrow he says: “Lately became rather common”; of the Field Sparrow, “not very com- 1 ‘A Catalogue of the Birds of Nova Scotia,’ by A. Downs. Proceedings and Transactions of the Nova Scotia Institute of Natural Science, Vol. VII, pp. 142-178, 1888. 228 Tit otter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. [july mon”; of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, “not common about Halifax, but of more frequent occurrence in the vicinity of Truro and Pictou ” (Truro and Pictou are toward the west and nearer the Amherst district). The Goldfinch Downs speaks of as common. Of the Red-winged Blackbird he says: “very rare .... A few oc¬ cur in the western part of the Province,” and of the Meadowlark, “Very rare. Only a mere straggler.” These are significant statements regarding two such widespread birds, especially the reference to the Red-wing occurring in the western part. The Vesper Sparrow he speaks of as a “common summer resident” though I never saw it about Barrington and Chester, nor did I see either the Field Sparrow or the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Of the Catbird, which I found sparingly the first summer (1901) about the villages at Barrington, Downs says: “Rather common . It does not arrive until the summer is well advanced. Breeds in alder swamps.” This lateness of arrival, together with its appar¬ ently irregular appearance, may indicate a tardiness in the general northeastern extension of this species’ range. The House Wren and the Thrasher are not included in Downs’s list, nor have I ever observed these birds in the Province. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is spoken of as uncommon, and this enlightening observation is made in regard to the Bluebird: “Uncommon. I have seen it breeding in an apple tree at Kentville. It appears to be getting a footing in Nova Scotia.” I may add that 1 have never met with the Bluebird in the Province though I found it much farther north — on the north shore of the St. Lawrence near Les Eboullements in the Province of Quebec, and Dr. Dwight has recently reported it from Tadousac in the same region.1 Further confirmatory evidence in regard to the extension of the range of certain birds is given by Dr. Dwight in his ‘Summer Birds of Prince Edward Island’ 2 where he speaks of the Chipping Sparrow as “Not a common species, and only occasionally ob¬ served.” Of the Goldfinch he notes, “a few seen almost daily.” Of the Vesper Sparrow Dr. Dwight says: “An abundant bird, frequenting the open fields in the more settled districts.” Neither the Catbird nor the Bluebird are recorded by Dr. Dwight in this 1 Auk, Vol. XXVI, Jan., 1909, p. 83. 2 Ibid., Vol. X, Jan., 1893, p. 1. VOll90sfVI] Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. 229 Prince Edward Island list, and it is quite possible that these birds have not yet found their way across Northumberland Strait, while they certainly have invaded the Nova Scotia peninsula, though sparingly, by way of the isthmus. The Red-winged Blackbird and the Meadowlark likewise are not included in Dr. Dwight’s list, though recorded by Downs in Nova Scotia as above mentioned. These facts, it seems to me, point pretty conclusively to the gradual extension of certain species of birds into an area formerly separated from the main mass of the continent. Nova Scotia offers a singular proof of the use of a land route, for it would seem that birds had found their way into the region by the Amherst isthmus, as evinced by the occurrence of a number of species in localities comparatively near to -this district, while still absent, or only occasional, in the more southern and eastern parts of the Province. Most of these species, also, as recorded by Downs, are still comparatively uncommon. In a list of birds observed at Pictou, N. S., from January to July, 1895, by W. A. Hickman,1 the Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, and Goldfinch are mentioned as very common breeders, but the Catbird, the Bluebird, and the Red¬ winged Blackbird and Meadowlark are not included in these observations. Taking a broad view of the problem it would seem that there is some evidence for entertaining the idea that the extension of species into more northerly breeding grounds is a phase of dis¬ tribution that is still going on; that our so-called “faunas” — Carolinian, Alleghanian, and Canadian — in reality represent a somewhat temporary state of groups of species in relation to breeding areas, and the more or less arbitrary boundaries of these faunas represent our knowledge only of the present conditions of distribution in a gradual and general northward movement of con¬ siderable antiquity. Mr. Witmer Stone has furnished me with some interesting facts relating to the northward extension of cer¬ tain Carolinian birds into the Alleghanian, and even into the Canadian, zones of Pennsylvania.2 About Harvey’s Lake, Lu¬ zerne Co., and at Lopez, Sullivan Co., since the cutting off of the hemlock timber over considerable areas, the Yellow-breasted 1 See Ottawa Naturalist, Vol. IX, p. 230. 2 Stone, ‘Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.’ 230 Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. [ju!v Chat, a bird regarded as characteristic of the Carolinian fauna, has made its appearance as a breeder, while the Chewink, a species of decidedly austral range, rarely going beyond the transition zone, has likewise invaded these localities. Mr. Richard C. Harlow,1 records the Tufted Titmouse and the Yellow-breasted Chat in the decidedly Canadian element of Pike Co., Pennsylvania. Un¬ doubtedly the conditions incident to ‘second growth’ are largely a determining factor in this invasion of new territory, for the opening up of a tract of country to more sunlight would certainly bring about an environment not unlike the typical Carolinian region further south. Still the individuals of these species must have the tendency to move northward farther than their apparent faunal limit, otherwise they would not find these favorable spots in new territory. Most likely they invade the region by way of the river valleys, spreading out into the surrounding districts. Dr. Merriam has accumulated a vast amount of evidence to show the control exerted by temperature in the distribution of living organisms.2 But is not this temperature relation more apparent than real, a temporary adjustment to the environing conditions which the temperature brings about rather than a hard and fast relation between temperature and the organism direct ? The whole question is recondite, but it seems hardly possible for such closely related species as, for example, the Wood Thrush, the Veery, and the Gray-cheeked Thrush to be so profoundly in¬ fluenced by temperature alone as to have their northward breeding ranges so widely different. Rather it seems to me each form represents either a pioneer or a laggard movement, as the case may be, in a general tendency of various species of birds to spread gradually northward into a region of new environing conditions which has been opened to them since the Glacial Period. The Canadian fauna, barring the more or less circumpolar forms, thus represents an advance group of species that spread into northerly breeding grounds at a probably early day after the dis¬ appearance of glacial conditions; the Alleghanian fauna that of species that spread at a later date and are still spreading into new 1 ‘ Summer Birds of Western Pike county, Pennsylvania.’ Cassinia, 1906, pp. 16-25. 2 ‘Laws of Temperature Control of the Geographical Distribution of Terrestrial Animals and Plants.’ National Geographic Magazine, Vol. VI, 1894, pp. 229-238. Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. 231 territory, while the Carolinian birds are the laggards in this north¬ ward movement. Each group or fauna has become more or less adapted to certain characteristic conditions within the area in which they have established themselves as breeders. Some of the Carolinian species, as the Cardinal, the Carolina Wren, the Tufted Titmouse, and the Turkey Buzzard show but a slight tendency to recede from their breeding range during the winter, owing, no doubt, to the less northerly position which they have attained. Toward the northwest where a wide expanse of territory has been open since the Glacial Period many species of birds which breed widely throughout the Transition zone have spread as far north as the Great Slave Lake, reaching even to the edge of the Barren Grounds.1 The problem as to the primitive centers of distribution from which our bird fauna was originally derived has been so ably set forth by Dr. J. A. Allen in his article on ‘ The Geographical Origin and Distribution of North American Birds, considered in Relation to Faunal Areas of North America’,2 that there is little left to say upon the subject. Students of ornithology and of geographical distribution in general owe Dr. Allen a lasting debt of gratitude for his comprehensive presentation of the facts and his illumi¬ nating deductions therefrom. It would appear from Dr. Allen’s review that sometime during the Tertiary Period, possibly as early as the late Miocene, there was a spreading out toward the east of certain types of birds which find their center of development to-day in the Plateau Region of southwestern North America and Mexico. Such forms as the Chewink, the Thrasher, and the Bluebird are certainly of plateau origin and the same is probably true of the Bob-white and the Wild Turkey. A second and large element in our eastern bird fauna is of tropical origin, derived from Middle and South America. To quote Dr. Allen3: “Our Vultures, several genera of our Hawks and Owls, our Cuckoos, most of our Wood¬ peckers, our Nighthawks, Whippoorwills, Swifts, and all of our Hummingbirds; all of our Flycatchers, Orioles, and Blackbirds, 1 See Preble, North American Fauna, No. 27. ‘A Biological Investigation of the Athabasca-Mackenzie Region.’ 1908. 2 The Auk, Vol. X, p. 97. April, 1893. 3 Dr. Allen, in his paper, is speaking for the entire country, not the eastern part alone, to which the present article is confined. 232 Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. [july and our Vireos and Tanagers; many of our Sparrows and Gros¬ beaks; all of our Gnatcatchers, and the Mockingbirds, some of our Wrens, and a few of our more southern genera of Warblers, as the Yellowthroats and Redstarts,” are clearly of tropical origin. Probably this influx of plateau and tropical types into the eastern region was a very slow and gradual movement which took place during and after the addition of the marginal Tertiary seafloor to the southeastern portion of the continent, which increased the land area to the extent of the present southern and Atlantic coastal plain. Much of Cuba, the peninsula of Yucatan, and the eastern seaboard of Mexico was uplifted about this time. A third element appears to have had its origin within the limits of the region itself, though many of the genera are represented by numerous species in the western portion of the continent. Of the more strictly eastern genera may be mentioned Doliehonyx, Mniotilta, Pro- tonotaria, Helinaia, Hehnitherus, Hclminthophila (the larger number of species), Dendroica (mainly eastern), Siurus, Oporornis, Sylvania, Galeoscoptes, Cistothorus, and Telmatodytes. The fourth element in our bird fauna is the Old World boreal group of genera already mentioned and a number of species of pronounced Old World affinities, as the Robin, the Hylocichline Thrushes, the Tit¬ lark, the Barn, Cliff, and Bank Swallows, the Shrikes, Crows, and Shore Larks, which have been more or less modified from Palse- arctic types. It is next to impossible to say in which portion of the continent many of the purely indigenous or autochthonous forms had their origin, for they are spread across the land from ocean to ocean in a succession of closely allied species or as local races. This is espe¬ cially true of most of our genera of indigenous sparrows. Un¬ doubtedly there occurred sometime during middle and late Tertiary times an extension of plateau types into the humid Eastern Prov¬ ince, and, conversely, a spread of eastern forms into the arid districts of the Plateau region, while at the same time an influx of tropical forms made their appearance, coming probably in the main from a tropical land area in the southwest and following the widening Gulf margin of the continent. How far north this preglacial bird fauna of diverse origin may have spread it is im¬ possible to say, but some forms, even of tropical origin, undoubtedly Trotter, Land-Bird Fauna of N. E. America. 233 reached a high latitude, very probably during the warm Miocene and early Pliocene times, and their descendants may possibly now be represented by those migrants which breed far within the limits of the Boreal Zone. During Miocene times there were extensive land connections between Asia and Northwest America and very likely a much closer land relation between Europe and America. It was during this time, no doubt, that the influx of our Palaearctic types occurred, and it is a significant fact that all of these genera are of extensive range and of markedly northern distribution, such for example as the Passerine genera Merula, Regains, Paras, Sitta, Cer- thia, Anthus, Hirundo, Petrochelidon, Riparia, Ampelis, Lanius, Pinicola, Carpodacus, Lo.ria, Acanthis, Passerina, Calcarius, Corvus, and Otocoris. Throughout an immense lapse of time, time that must be reck¬ oned in hundreds of thousands of years, during which the great Keewatin and Laurentide glaciers pushed their ice sheets beyond the present site of the Great Lakes and the Mohawk Valley, forcing southward the animal and plant life into an area of high biotic tension, a widespread change in types must have taken place. The more primitive forms have undoubtedly disappeared. Only occasionally may we pick up a trace of this ancestry in some fleeting juvenal phase of plumage. Modifications of type went on; differ¬ entiation into new genera, species, and varieties through molecular changes in pigmentation, in size and shape of bill and feet, of wings and tail, and in the deep-seated structure of the germ plasm. Diversity of structure went hand in hand with diversity of habit and of habitat. It was a period of profound environmental mould¬ ing, intensified by the effect of the glaciers on the land and its life. From our limited point of view the array of species and varieties which we see to-day seem peculiarly stable in their features and their adaptations. But the dynamic influences of environment are ceaseless if inconspicuous. Species and faunas alike are but passing phases in the vast cosmic processes of a continent’s history. 234 Townsend, Use of Wings and Feet by Diving Birds. THE USE OF THE WINGS AND FEET BY DIVING BIRDS.1 BY CHARLES W. TOWNSEND, M. D. Birds that dive and swim under water may be divided into two main classes, — those that habitually use the wings alone for sub¬ aqueous propulsion, and those that use the feet alone. The following paper includes my own observations which have been made only on wild birds and have been recorded at the time, and of records given me by other observers, as well as of those collected from literature. These two last named include observations on captive birds in tanks, which I believe are of value, for, as we shall see, the birds that habitually use their wings alone under water when in the wild state, and those that habitually use the feet alone, follow this rule even when confined. In watching wild birds diving I have concluded that those that spread their wings just as they enter the water, use them under water, while those that keep the wings tightly pressed to the sides, and often execute graceful curves in diving, sometimes leaping clear of the water, depend on the feet alone. The truth of this conclusion I have confirmed in some instances by observing the bird under water; in other instances the conclusion has been borne out by the observation of others, so that the rule is, I think, a good one. Since formulating this rule I have found that Edmund Selous (15) expresses this same idea when he says: “This opening of the wings in the moment of diving is, I believe, a sure sign that they are used as fins or flippers under water.” And again (16): “On the other hand cormorants, shags, and mergansers, birds which do not use their wings in this way, dive in a quite different manner. Instead of the sudden, little, splashy duck, as described, they make a smooth gliding leap forwards and upwards, rising a little from the water, with the neck stretched out, and wings pressed close to the sides to enter it again back foremost, like a curved arrow, thus describing the segment of a circle.” In the Loons and Grebes, the wings are small, but the legs are large and powerful. The femur is short and stout, thoroughly 1 Read before the Nuttall Ornithological Club, February 15, 1909. ' O!i90_