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FOR THE PEOPLE

FOR EDVCATION

FOR SCIENCE

LIBRARY

OF

THE AMERICAN MUSEUM

OF

NATURAL HISTORY

The Wilson Bulletin

Official Organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club

An Illustrated Quarterly Magazine ^ f

Devoted to the Study of ^

Birds in the Field

Edited b^ Lynds Jones

Nineteen Hundred and Nine

Old Series, Volume XXI New Series, Volume XVI

Published by the Club at Oberlin, Ohio

-/<?» ^(^^/^^d4p^i

o

f. *■

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

NO. 66.

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

VOL. XXI MARCH, 1909. NO. I

OLD SERIES VOL. XXI. NEW SEBIES VOL. XVI.

JUNE WITH THE BIRDS OF THE WASHINGTON

COAST.

LYNDS JONES

Carroll Islet had been the center of attraction from the be-
ginning of our plans, and here we expected to spend at least,
■ a full week, weather permitting. Certain it is that a cozier
place to make camp and a more favorable place in which to
study the ocean birds in their home life it would be difficult to
find anywhere. At daybreak, with an orchestral background
of gull croakings, there trickled forth from the fringing brush
the exquisite song of the Western Winter Wren, and echoing
again beneath the canopy of spruce branches there pealed
forth the song of that prima donna in feathers, the Sooty Fox
Sparrow. Out of the great, hustling, jostling, dissatisfied
man-made world into this little Eden !

Second in point of numbers of the birds of Carroll Islet
comes

TUFTED PUFFIN (Limda cirrhata.)

The only places where this species was not present and nest-
ing were the rock precipices and the forested area, except, of
course, the ledges, which were wholly occupied by Murres and
Cormorants. Even the fringe of dense brush contained many
nests. It is well known that the typical nesting habit of these
birds is to find or make a burrow, usually among the rocks.
The most of such burrows observed seemed to have been

4 The Wilson Bulletin — No. iU].

cleared of debris by the birds, and some of them had clearly
been made by the birds without much, if any natural cavity, to
mark the beginning. An occasional burrow was so shallow

Carroll Islet.

Figure 2

Tufted Puffin (Liimla crrrhata). Posing for his
picture, at the mouth of the nest burrow.

that the bird or egg" could be seen, but most of them extended
a number of feet into the ground. In walking over a turf-
covered steep slope one needed to be careful not to break

Jones — On Washington Coast Birds. 5

through these burrows and take a headlong tumble. In climb-
ing such a steep slope the mouths of the burrows afford a com-
fortable foothold. In descending such a slope rapidly you are
more than hkely to have the leg bearing the most strain
bumped just behind the knee by a frightened bird as it rushes
headlong from its nest.

Carroll Islet. Figure 3

Tutted I'litiiii. (Lniula cinhata). About half of the
usual numbers, seeu here. >

One of our pleasant surprises with these birds was the find-
ing of some nests beneath the thickly matted salal buslhes, but
without the semblance of a burrow. Clearly the birds' consid-
ered the bushes a sufficient protection from marauding ene-
mies, and were content to simply arrange their nest material
upon the ground. The egg in the illustration is in such a nest.
If birds reared in such nests could be tagged and so recog-
nized on their return, it would be interesting to note whether
they adopted the modified nesting habits of their parents or re-
verted to the ancestral method of burrowing.

The nest material was such as could be picked up within a
few feet of the nest or the mouth of the nest burrow, and was
merely arranged into a mat and trodden down in the middle.
A single egg is deposited, and there is no evidence that there

G The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

is more than one breeding a year. The egg is probably nearly
white when freshly laid, but it very soon becomes grimy from
contact with the bird's feet and wet plumage. All of the eggs
collected showed decided shell markings of purplish after
careful washing, some of them being distinctly marked, others
faintly so. The character of the markings seems to indicate
that the eggs of the immediate ancestors of the Pufifins were

Carroll Islet.

Figure 4

Tufted Puffin {Lunda cirrhata). A few guards brave enough
to remain within twenty feet of the camera-man.

.strongly marked, and they were therefore probably ledge nest-
ers, as the Murres are still.

• While these birds seem to fly readily once they have vaulted
out over the ocean, it is clear that their short wings do not
suffice to carry them upward directly to their nesting burrows.
They get up from the sea rather clumsily and circle about on

Jones — On Washington Coast Birds. 7

rapidly vibrating' wings, gradually ascending until on a plane
above the nest burrow, when they either circle near it if any
disturbance has been the cause of their departure, or drop
down upon the mouth of the burrow with a thud. In their

Carroll Islet.

Figure 5

Tufted Puffin (Luiida cinhata). Mouths
of nest burrows, on a steep slope.

circles near the surface of the island the legs are held stiffly
out ready for alighting. Once perched they stand at attention
for some time before diving headlong into the burrow. The
portrait in figure 2 was taken from the cover of bushes about
four feet from a nest burrow on the instant after the bird had
turned its head in response to a slight noise made for the pur-

8

The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

pose, and less than two seconds after it had plumped down up-
on the mouth of the burrow. The next second he was gone,
frig-htened by the snapping of the shutter. He circled back to
the vicinity of the nest six times before finally venturing to re-
Carroll Islet. Figin-e 0

Tutted Puffin {Luiicia cirrhata).
egg in a brush-nest.

A nest and

main long enough for a shot, and had caused me to wait nearly
an hour in a cramped position and be the target of a family
of scolding Wrens. But the picture is worth it.

The Puffins seemed to be wholly silent as to voice. The
startled bird made no exclamation even when leaving a nest
burrow which one was probing into.

Jones — On Washington Coast Birds.

J)

CALIFORNIA MURRE {U Ha troUc califomica.)

Although probably fewer in numbers than the Puffins, the
Murres were not less interesting. As before noted, they occu-
pied two ledges, one jutting out landward as a narrow, naked
shoulder some seventy-five feet from the water, the other a
bordering ledge beneath the overhanging ocean side of the

Carroll Islet.

Figure 7

California Murre (Uria truile califomica) . The outer part
of the shoulder ledge colony.

island. The latter was the larger colony and the more difficult
of approach, and consequently was little studied. Some half-
dozen birds were sitting upon their eggs between the nests of
the White-crested Cormorant colony at the base of the clifif,
and one sitting bird was discovered, with its egg, in a small
cave half way up the Puffin slope. The accompanying pic-
tures will convey a better impression of the smaller of these
colonies than any word picture. However, it must be under-
stood that the picture shows less than a third of the birds
which were crowded upon this shoulder of rock when the birds

10

The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

were undisturbed. At our approach, even when many yards
distant, they spilled off the sides of the rocks like a cataract.

In figure 1) one bird may be seen about to assume the incu-
bating posture. The egg is resting upon the ends of the toes.
The bird will straighten up, fluff the feathers of the underparts

Carroll Islet.

Figure 8

California Murre (Uria troile calif ornica).
Birds at three feet.

out, then settle down with the egg completely hidden beneath
the feathers and its ends resting securely upon the bird's feet.
If the bird is so much startled that it takes wing suddenly the
egg is set to rolling and may roll off from the rock into the
ocean.

In figure 8 one bird may be seen with its mouth stretched
wide open and the bill pointing straight up. The bird is utter-
ing a curious call, to which none of the other birds give the
least attention. The call seems to be a purely personal matter,
and may be variously interpreted.

Jones — On Washington Coast Birds.

11

The eggs are beautiful when freshly laid, but very soon be-
come begrimed beyond description and recognition. The
shades of ground color range from nearly pure white to a deep
sea green, and the markings vary from scattering to dense,

Carroll Islet.

Figure r)

California Murre (Vria troUe caUfornica) . A chicle almost
hatched in the center of the picture. It is backing out of the largo
end of the esrs, where the shell has been broken off.

and from spots and blotches to irregular lines. The color of
the markings range from a nearly black brown to reddish. Of
course the pigment is melanin and the dark markings are
thick masses of it. while the light markings represent a thin
film of it. The eggs are enormous for the size of the bird, and
represent the sole reproductive efifort for the year.

In figure 9 one black downy chick one-day old may be seen,

12 The Wilson Bulletin — No. G().

and another chick vigorously struggling to free himself from
the shell, the large end of which he has forced off. His back
was toward the camera.

No nest material is used, and, of course, none is needed.
When the bird must leave the egg to secure food it is left on
the bare rock, and at the mercy of wind and flying enemy. But
eggs several days old are so befouled with grime and lime
that they are not easily distinguished from the lime-covered
rock upon which they rest. One wonders if even the fall rains
and winter storms could wash those rocks clean ! The stench
was '■ quite some."

For all of the crowding, or because of it, there was little
quarreling among the Murres, but there seemed to be consid-
erable conversation at all times. They were packed so tightly
together that late arriving birds found difficulty in wedging
down to reach the rock surface. In approaching the rock
they usually flew somewhat higher than its surface and flut-
tered down, landing heavily.

p.AiRD CORMORANT {PJialacvocovox pclogiciis rcsplcndens.)

The nesting places of this Cormorant were small ledges or
grottoes in precipices. Therefore the most of them were nest-
ing on the ocean side of the island, and at various elevations.
Nests were usually placed not nearer together than several
feet, possibly because of the character of the rock face. The
birds were uniformly more timid than the White-crested.
Their single bark-like cry was not often heard, even when
they were disturbed or frightened.

None of the nests examined contained sticks, but were
wholly composed of dry grass, with occasionally a few feath-
ers in the lining. All of the nest except the outside was clean,
but the outside was characteristically covered with lime, and
the rocks below the nest for many feet were white with the
same substance. In fact, the nesting places of these birds
could be discerned at considerable distances by the white
streaking of the dark gray rocks. All along the coast, when
we approached the rocky shores evidences of these birds were
scattered along the rocks.

Jones — On Washington Coast Birds.

18

The two white patches each side of the rump make a strong
and nnmistakable field mark, as these birds hurry away from
their nests or fly about. Thev seem to be a httle smaller and

Cm-roll Islet.

Figure 10

Haird Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicns respleadens) .
A colony of nests.

rather more slender than the other two species inhabiting this
region. The eggs are noticeably smaller and more slender,
liaving a strong tendency to be nearly equal ended.

14

The Wilson Bulletin — No. 6G.

Carroll Islet.

Figure 11

Baird Cormoraut (Phalacrocora.r pelagieiifi resplendens).
>«'est and eggs. A detail from the preceding figure.

p.RANDT CORMORANT ( Pkolacrocora.v penicillatus.)

15ecau.se these birds confined their nestings wholly to the
" IMnnacle," an outlying rock some 200 feet from Carroll sea-
ward, too steep for scaling-, we could study them only with
binoculars. Their nests seemed to be confined largely to the
top of this rock, and seemed to be made of grass, much like
the nests of the last species, but placed on nearly flat surfaces.

Jones — On Washington Coast Birds. 15

The nests were closely grouped. Little could be learned of
their habits.

The other breeding birds of Carroll Islet, besides Cassin Auk-
let, Kaeding Petrel, and Black Oystercatcher. already report-
ed upon in connection with other islands, were : Peale Fal-
con (Falco pcrcgrinus pcalci), one pair and one young able
to fly about readily; Rufus Hummingbird (Selasphorus rii-
fiis) one pair noted; Sooty Fox Sparrow (PassereUa iliaca fu-
Hginosa), one nest containing four fresh eggs and at least one
other pair; Rusty Song Sparrow {Mclospisa nielodia morph-
iia), probably two or more pairs heard singing; Western Win-
ter Wren (Olhiorchihis hiemalis pacificus), at least two pairs
with their families of young able to fly ; and Russet-backed
Thrush (Hylocichla ustiilota), birds heard singing, but the
numbers not determined. An American Crossbill and an Au-
dubon Warbler were also noted, but they seemed to be trans-
ient visitors. The Northwest Crow and the American Raven
made regular excursions to the island for lunch, the latter in-
frequently.

There is thus seen to be packed into and upon this speck of
rock out in the Pacific a wealth of bird life which could be
hardly surpassed anywhere, both in numbers of individuals
and in species. One longs to revisit a spot of such pleasant
memories rather than venture into untried fields.

16 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

ALEXANDER WILSON.

\'. — The Completion of the American Ornithology.

by frank l. burns.

Many years after the death of Alexander Wilson, in regis-
tering- at a hotel near Niagara Falls, Audubon wrote after his
name, " Who like Wilson, will ramble, but never, like that
great man, die under the lash of a bookseller." This opinion
is further emphasized by Miss Malvina Lawson, a daughter of
the engraver, in a letter dat«^d from West Chester, February G,
lS7i), to Professor S. S. Haldeman, and containing- personal
recollections of Wilson ; in which she bluntly asserts that " to
all his other trials was added the fact that killed him — the
dishonesty of his publisher.""^ She also writes in part:
" When we were children, father often diverged a little when
taking us to Bartram's garden to visit the place where his old
friend lived and sufifered. T do not think there is an inch of
ground in that locality that remains the same. ... I was not
seven years old when Wilson died, and my memory of him is
in pictures as childhood's memory always is. T remember him
offering- me a Baltimore yellow bird he had shot in the woods,
when coming" to our house in the country, and my decided re-
fusal to touch it. But I remember perfectly his brilliant eye
and hair black as an Indian's, and as straight."

It is beyond doubt that Wilson lived up to both the spirit
and letter of his contract, and it is presumed that the ]niblish-
ers were not delinquent, although not even the author appeared
to know exactly what their part called for beyond meeting the
expenses. Of the senior member of the firm, Dunlap states:
'' Mr. Bradford was a man of generous disposition and sound
judgment. He headed a list of subscribers (Wilson was a
contributor also) to raise a fund for Leslie's - maintenance
during two years in London and canceled his indenture, al-
though it had four years yet to run." It is not at all improb-
able that Wilson's publishers deserved the highest praise in-

1 renii Monthly, 1870, p. 444.

^Charles Robert Leslie, who became m sresit subject i);iinter.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson.

17

Inscription over Bartram's
Study Window,

Taken by Robert S. Redfield
April 18th, 1883.

" Sweet flows the Scuylkill's winding tide,
By Bartram's green emblossoiu'd bow'rs ;
Where Nature sports, in all her pride

Of choicest plants, and fruits, and flowers."

A Rural Walk.

18 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

stead of censure, for the risk taken in bringing out so expen-
sive a work. An error in judgment might have speedily in-
volved them in ruin. Indeed, Ord is the authority for the
statement that they found the expenses burdensome long be-
fore the work was completed. It was not the dread of a pub-
lisher's wrath that led Wilson to brave the frost and discom-
forts of a tramp to the Niagara; to risk a passage in a frail
boat down the flooded Ohio, despite of the ice, snags and saw-
yers ; or to struggle resolutely onward through the pestilential
quagmires of the Mississippi region. He knew that his ambi-
tion was laudable and was simply bound to succeed, cost what
it might.

In the matter of subscriptions, Ord deprecates the fact that
while the little city of New Orleans contributed sixty sub-
scribers in seventeen days, Philadelphia, " of all her literati,
her men of benevolence, taste and riches, seventy only,
to the period of the author's decease, had the liberality to coun-
tenance him by a subscription." Perhaps it has always been
characteristic of the " City of Brotherly Love " to depreciate
home products, but condemnation in this instance may be soft-
ened in consideration of the easy access to the work at the
public libraries and that the local market was actually glutted
with the projects of talented adventurers. On the whole, Penn-
sylvania did nobly in furnishing more than one-quarter of the
subscriptions, and with New York and Louisiana, over one-
half of the total. The South, containing a greater proportion
of the leisurely class, gave substantial encouragement freely ;
and with the two northern states already mentioned, assured
the completion of the work. Intellectual New England, ac-
cording to the subscription list, is accredited with just twenty-
four subscriptions ! Of the total of four hundred and fifty-
nine subscriptions, the greater number were obtained in the
few large cities from New York southward.

In a pioneer work of this nature, colored illustrations were
deemed not only advisable, but for many reasons considered
absolutely indispensable. Had the entire seventy-six plates
been engraved by Alexander Lawson instead of the fifty plates
bearing his signature, the result would not only have been

Bl'rns — On Alexander Wilson. 19

greater uniformity, but would have conferred greater honors
upon the artist and reHeved 4iim of much vexation. George
Murry contributed plates 3, 7, 9, 15, and 26; his connection
ceased after the third volume. B. Tanner was responsible for
plate 32 of the following" volume ; and another engraver signed
himself variously as Warnicke, J- Warnicke, or J. G. War-
nicke, on twenty plates in the last five volumes, and occasion-
ally raised his work above mediocrity: his figure of the Rufifed
Grouse being his best.

After examining the original drawings of Wilson, Dr.
Coues has declared : " One thing is shown very clearly by this
set of pictures, and the public does not know it yet. This is
the decided superiority of the- originals in comparison with the
published engravings. It has always been supposed, and ap-
parently vouched for by Wilson's own declarations, that the ex-
cellence of his plates was largely due to the skill and care of
his engraver. This is not so. Without wishing to detract in
the least from Mr. Lawson's merit and well-earned fame, I
should say Wilson might thank him for nothing remarkable.
The plates, in some cases, are ' loud ' and garish in comparison
with the delicacy of tone and excellence of perspective that the
originals show. This is specially notable in the cases of one
or two of the plates that represent scenery and grouping, as
those of the Ducks. . . . One other thing came forcibly to my
mind as I turned these sheets of paper nervously. Very few
of them' — I remember but one- — are dated or signed, or
bear MS. witness of what they are. This man, of eager, half-
desponding, half-exulting ambition as he was, seemed to have
felt some shrinking in modesty from affixing his name to his
pictures." Coues further comments: "I was fairly. oppressed
with the sad story of poverty, even destitution, which these
raw sheets of coarse paper told. Some of Wilson's originals
are on the fly-leaves of old books, showing binder's marks
along one edge. One of the best portraits, that of the Duck
Hawk, is on two pieces of paper pasted together. The man
was actually too poor to buy paper ! Some of the drawings
are on both sides of the paper ; some show a full picture on
one side, and part of a mutilated finished painting on the other.

20. The Wilson Bulletin— No. 66.

Some show the nibbing process by which they were trans-
ferred. They are in all stages of completeness, from the
rudest outlines to the finished painting. Some are left half-
dressed, with penciled instructions to the engraver to fill in red
ochre here, and yellow ochre there, etc. Wilson sometimes
finished the bills and feet in full detail and coloring, leaving
much of the plumage blank." ^

Wilson composed a charming preface for his initial volume,
writing in a lighter and happier vein than in those following.
It is worth repeating. Few have read it, because the original
prefaces have not appeared in the various popular editions :
" The whole use of a preface seems to be either to elucidate the
nature and origin of the work or to invoke the clemency of the
reader. Such observations as have been thought necessary for
the former, will be found in the Introduction ; extremely solic-
itous to obtain the latter, I beg leave to relate the following
anecdote : In one of my visits to a friend's in the country, I
found their youngest son, a fine boy of eight or nine years of
age, who usually resides in town for his education, just re-
turning from a ramble through the neighboring woods and
fields, where he had collected a large and handsome bunch of
wild flowers of a great many different colors ; and presenting
them to his mother, said, with much animation in his counte-
nance, ' Look, my dear ma, what beautiful flowers I have
found growing on our place ! Why, all the woods are full of
them! red, orange, blue, and 'most every color. O, I can
gather you a whole parcel of them, much handsomer than
these, all growing in our own woods! Shall I, ma? Shall I
go and bring more?' The good woman received the bunch of
flowers with a smile of afifectionate complacency ; and. after
admiring for some time the beautiful simplicity of Nature,
gave her willing consent ; and the little fellow went off, on the
wings of ecstasy, to execute his delightful commission.

" The similitude of this little boy's enthusiasm to my own,
struck me ; and the reader will need no explanations of mine to
make the application. Should my country receive with the

^Coues, "Behind the Vail." B. N. O. C, Vol. V, 1880, pp. 197-
198. i»JI

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 21

same g^racions indulgence the specimens which I here humbly
present her ; should she express a desire for me to go and
bring her more, the highest wishes of my ambition will be
gratified ; for, in the language of my little friend, our whole
woods are full of them ! and I can collect hundreds more,
much handsomer than these."

It is fortunate for the truthfulness of the text that Wilson
took little for granted in the matter of life histories. To illus-
trate the careful manner in which he labored before making a
statement, one or two instances will be sufficient. That the
Nighthawk and Whippoorwill were one and the same species,
was accepted as a fact by both William Bartram and Dr. B. S.
Barton, of Philadelphia, who were undoubtedly the leading
American authorities of the period. Wilson desired proof, so
he shot thirteen specimens of the former at different times and
at different places, nine were found by dissection to be males
and four females. Two others were shot as they flushed from
their eggs, and found to agree with the four preceding. A
Whippoorwill was shot in the evening, while in the act of re-
peating his usual notes, three others were secured at different
times of the day, two of them females, one of them having
been sitting on two eggs. Not only the difference in plumage,
notes and habits, but the difference in the eggs of the two spe-
cies, were noted. The result was not only convincing proof
for his friend Bartram, but the introduction of a new species
in the Whippoorwill.

The learned Barton had asserted that no fact in ornithology
was better established than that of the occasional torpidity of
the Barn Swallow and Chimney Swift,^ and he was not alone
in his belief. After careful investigations of some years, Wil-
son pronounced the hibernation of these birds during the win-
ter months a myth, and ridicules the idea under the head of
the Barn Swallow : . . . " Yet this little wins^cd seraph, if I may
so speak, who, in a few days, and at will, can pass from the
borders of the arctic regions to the torrid zone, is forced, when
winter approaches, to descend to the l)ottom of lakes, rivers,

'Tilloch's Philosophical Masiaziiio, Vol. XXII, 1805, pp. 204-211;
aud Vol. XXXV, 1810. Pp. 241-247.

22 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 6G.

and mill ponds to bury itself in the mud with eels and snap-
ping turtles ; or to creep ingloriously into a cavern, a rat hole,
or a hollow tree, there to doze with snakes, toads, and other
reptiles until the return of spring! Is not this true, ye wise
men of Europe and America, who have published so many
credible narrations on this subject? ... Is then the organiza-
tion of the Swallow less delicate than that of a man? Can a
bird, whose vital functions are destroyed by a short privation
of pure air and its usual food, sustain, for six months, a situ-
ation where the most robust man would perish in a few hours
or minutes? Away with such absurdities! They are unwor-
thy of a serious refutation."

The whereabouts of the Chimney Swift during the colder
months is still a mystery, but no doubt time will vindicate the
judgment of the clear-headed Wilson in this instance, as it has
already done in that of the Swallow. However, one of our
most brilliant ornithologists, as late as 1878, when in one of
his argumentative moods, in answer to his own question of
where the Chimney Swift goes in winter, writes: " I suppose
that it hibernates in hollow trees, and could give reasons for
the suppositions." ^ Professor W. W. Cooke recently stated : ^
" With troops of fledglings, catching their winged prey as they
go, and lodging by night in some tall chimney, the flocks drift
slowly south, joining with other bands, until on the northern
coast of the Gulf of Mexico they become an innumerable host.
Then they disappear. Did they drop into the water and hiber-
nate in the mud, as was believed of old, their obliteration could
not be more complete. In the last week in March a joyful
twittering far overhead announces their return to the Gulf
coast, but the intervening five months is still the Swift's se-
cret."

Of the comparatively few observers upon whom Wilson
could place reliance, William Bartram, who had aided Ed-
wards half a century earlier ; was perhaps quoted the oftenest.
John Abbott, of Savannah, an artist and student of Nature,

* Coues, Birds of Colorado Valley, 1878, p. 377.

* Some New Facts About the Migrations of Birds. Tear Bool< of
the Dept, of Agri. for 1903, p. 386.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 23

furnished him both notes and specimens at a price mutually
agreeable. Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, of New York, favored
him with an excellent study of the Pinnated Grouse ; and John
L. Gardner, of Gardner's Island, considerable data on the Bald
Eagle, Osprey and Fish Crow. He was also indebted to Dr.
Nathan Potter, of Baltimore, for manuscript on the Cowbird;
and to Judge John Joseph Henry, of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, for information relating to the Purple Martin.
From Charles Wilson Peale, the portrait painter, he received
much material in the way of specimens ; and he reciprocated
by depositing many of his types and rare specimens in Peak's
musuem, which, from a gallery of portraits of historical per-
sonages painted by the proprietor since 1784, had gradually
embraced : " Everything that walks, creeps, swims, or flies,
and all things else." The founder deserves more than passing
notice. In an Introduction to a Course of Lectures on Natural
History, delivered at the University of Pennsylvania, Novem-
ber 16, 1799, and published in 1800, he quaintly says: " Little
did I then know of the labour I was bringing" on these shoul-
ders,— though I was called mad, and cautioned to beware of
the gulph into which many others of greater merit had fallen,
— neglect and poverty. Yet so irresistibly bewitching is the
thirst of knowledge with science of nature that neither the
want of funds, nor leasure from other occupations, could damp
my ardour, though a thousand difficulties rose in succession."
Two volumes remained to be published when the master
laid down the pen, pencil and brush. No one promising the
ready versatility of the lamented Wilson, could be found. It
was fortunate, therefore, that little beyond editing the author's
notes for the final volume, was required. George Ord had
done good field work under the eye of Wilson during the last
few years, and to him as an almost sacred trust, fell the task
of completing the contract broken by the death of the author.
Volume VIII required the engraving of a single plate and the
writing of the preface, Volume IX the editing of, and in some
instances, the supplying the want of Wilson's notes. The
plates having already been engraved, Ord performed the part
under his control acceptably, apparently without thought of

24 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

claiming joint authorship at this time. It is said that Wilson
as a crowning effort toward artistic excellence, had intended
coloring the chief parts of these plates himself ; and the
publishers had resource to an artist who formerly enjoyed the
confidence of the author by his skill. The final volumes ap-
peared in January and May, 1814. George Ord was born in
Philadelphia, 1781, and died January 23, 1866. He was one of
the first vice-presidents, and later the president, of the Phila-
delphia Academy of Natural Sciences. His biography does not
appear in any work with which I am familiar.

The awakening produced by the appearance of Wilson's fine
work quite naturally led to further discoveries in the ornitho-
logical line and a demand for supplements or a continuance of
the work in similar style. The recently organized Academy of
Natural Sciences was attracting men of ability in this line of
research : Ord, Say, Peale, Harlan, Bonaparte, Rafinesque,
Harris, Townsend, Nuttall, Audu,bon, Trudeau, and others.
The first three gentlemen, and William Maclure, president of
the Philadelphia Academy for some years, had made a collect-
ing trip in company to Georgia and East Florida in 1818,
which was interrupted by Indian troubles. Three years earlier,
in Guthrie's Geography, Ord had given technical names
to a number of new birds first mentioned in the belated
government report of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-
06; and in his eulogistic remarks on Wilson, said: " May his
noble example stimulate some zealous naturalist to complete
the design of our ornithologist : a task by no means easy of
execution, but if accomplished with like success, will be attend-
ed with honour and fame commensurate to the hazard and dif-
ficulty of the undertaking."

Agreeable to the orders of Secretary of War J. C. Calhoun,
an exploring and scientific expedition was organized, and de-
parted for the Missouri river region on May 5, 1819, floating
down the Ohio river from Pittsburgh. It was under the com-
mand of Major Stephen PI. Long, with Lieutenant Graham
and Cadet W. H. Swift as assistants. Major O'Fallon sub-
sequently became attached to the party as Indian agent. The
scientific corps included Dr. Baldwin, botanist; Thomas Say,

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 25

zoologist; Mr. Jessiip, geologist; Titian R. Peak, assistant
naturalist; Samuel Seymour,- artist.

It appears that the civilian attaches wore the fatigue dress
of common soldiers. On October 11 Major Long, Mr. Jessup
and several other persons took leave of their friends at Engi-
neer Cantonment and descended the Missouri in a canoe, on
their way to Washington and Philadelphia. Say furnished an
account of the expedition during the commander's absence;
also all descriptions of birds, mammals, and insects. August
24, 1820, Major Long arrived at St. Louis on his way from
Philadelphia to Council Bluff to rejoin the party, accompanied
by Captain John R. Bell, who was to relieve Lieutenant Gra-
ham ; and Dr. Edwin James; who had been appointed to serve
as botanist and geologist on recommendations of Dr. Torrey
and Captain LeConte in place of Dr. Baldwin, who had died
at Franklin on August 31, 1819, and Mr. Jessup, who had re-
turned. They arrived at Engineer Cantonment on May 28,
1820. The expedition now consisted- of twenty persons. Say
headed a party and rendered an account of a trip down the Ar-
kansas river, where he lost clothing, Indian presents, and val-
uable manuscript notes by deserting soldiers. On October 12,
1820, the reunited party assembled at Cape Girardeau on the
Mississippi and dissolved via New Orleans, about the first of
November. Peale's sketches amounted to 122, of which 21 only
were finished, the residue lieing merely outline sketches of
quadrupeds, birds, insects, etc. More than 60 prepared skins
of new and rare animals were deposited in the Philadel-
phia (Peale's) museum. Youmans is the authority for the
statement that Say refused the opportunity of acting as histor-
ian and Edwin James compiled the report as published in 1823.

As a bird biographer, Wilson had no immediate followers,
excepting Audubon. Ord scarcely attempted it, Say was more
of an entomologist than ornithologist, and Peale wrote little
imtil he made his report on the birds of the United States Ex-
ploring Expedition to the South Seas.

At length the demand for a continuation on the plan of Wil-
son was met by the announcement of Charles Lucian Bona-
parte ,who says in part : "A love for the same department of

26 The Wilson Bulletin — No. G6.

natural science, and a desire to complete the vast enterprise so
far advanced by Wilson's labors, has induced us to undertake
the present work, in order to illustrate what premature death
prevented him from accomplishing, as well as the discoveries
subsequently made in the feathered tribes of these States.
This undertaking was not precipitately decided on, nor until
the author had well ascertained that no one else was willing to
engage in the work."

Hugh Miller comments on this: " How vastly more strange
and extravagant looking truth is than fiction ! Our Edinburgh
reviewers deemed it one of the gravest among the many grave
offenses of Wordsworth, that he should have made the hero of
the ' Excursions ' a pedlar ; and if so severe on the mere choice
of so humble a hero, what would they not have said had the
poet ventured to represent his pedlar, not only as an accom-
plished writer, and a successful cultivator of natural sciences,
the author of a great work, eloquent as that of Buffon, and in-
comparably more truthful in its facts and observations? Nay,
what would they have said if, rising to the extreme of extrava-
gance, he had ventured to relate that the pedlar, having left
the magnificent work unfinished at his death, an accomplished
Prince — the nephew of by far the most puissant monarch of
modern times — took it up, and completed it in a volume bear-
ing honorable reference and testimony in almost every page, to
the ability and singular faithfulness of his humble predecessor,
the ' Wanderer.' And yet, this strange story would be exact-
ly that of the Paisley pedlar, Alexander Wilson." ^

Charles Lucian Bonaparte, Prince of Canino, and at the
death of Lucian, his father, Prince of Musignano, was born in
Paris, May 24, 1803, and appeared in the train of his uncle and
father-in-law, Joseph Bonaparte, ex-king of Spain, about 1822.
He is described by Dr. Edward Porter in a private letter dated
October 25, 1825, as " a little set, black-eyed fellow, quite talk-
ative, and withal an interesting and companionable fellow." ^
He concerned himself chiefly in nomenclature and classifica-
tion. Indulging in some little field work about Philadelphia,

^ History of the Bass Rock.

= Stone, Auk, XVI, 1899, p. 170

BiiRNS — On Alexander Wilson. 27

Long- Branch, and Bordentown, New Jersey, the latter being
the location of Joseph Bonaparte's estate, he devoted the most
of his time to literary research and the critical examination of
the preserved remains of birds. He was deficient in all that
made Wilson great, yet such was his marvelous gift of dis-
crimination and systematization, that h'' became one of the
most famous ornithologists of his time The work which had
been performed by Wilson's hands alone now gave employ-
ment to several individuals. Titian R., the fourth son of
Charles Wilson Peale, not only collected many of the birds
figured while on the Long expeditior. \vhich were credited to
Thomas Say, who originally described them in footnotes scat-
tered through the report : or in a subsequent private trip to
Florida during the winter and spring of 1825, under the pat-
ronage of Bonaparte ; but also drew the figures engraved for
the first, and two plates for the fourth and last volume. A
German emigrant by the name of Alexander Rider, of
whom little is known beyond that he was a miniature painter
in 1813, and a portrait and historical painter in 1818, was
responsible for the remainder of the drawings with the ex-
ception of the two figures of plate 4 of volume I, which
he doubtless reduced from Audubon's large drawing, to the
proper dimensions for the work. Bonaparte states plainly in
the text, that his representations of the Boat-tailed Crackle
were drawn by that zealous observer of nature and skillful art-
ist, John J. Audubon ; and Lawson has engraved on the plate,
" Drawn by John J. Audubon and A. Rider." Ord, however,
insisted that they were drawn by Rider from specimens
brought from East Florida by Peale and himself. Bonaparte
pronounced Rider's figure of the immature Red-headed Wood-
pecker the best representation of a bird ever published. It
does indeed show to advantage in comparison with the poorly-
colored figures of the Florida Jay and Northern Three-toed
Woodpecker, on the same plate. Rider was also the expert
colorist, not always up to the mark as evinced by a letter from
Florence, October 5, 1829, in which Bonaparte says to Law-
son : " That confounded Rider has enraged us to a pretty
considerable extent. Look at volume first, all the red and

28 The Wilson Bulletin — No. fiO.

orange tints liave been obliterated ! . . . Shame upon him for
employing such colors. !" ^

Ord, Say, Peale, and Audubon furnished him with notes,
chiefly biographical ; and a Mr. Leadbeater, of London, sent
some of his rarest specimens across the ocean that Bonaparte
might examine and paint them on this side of the Atlantic. The
author in his preface of the first volume, says: "To my
friends, Mr. Thomas Say, and Dr. John D. Godman, my sin-
cere thanks are due for the care they have bestowed in pre-
venting the introductions of foreign expressions, or phrases
not idiomatic, into my composition." Youmans says that al-
most all of Bonaparte's publications while in America were
corrected and arranged for the press by Say. Yet he almost
immediately writes of the latter : " Having been intolerant of
literary studies in his youth, he never attained too happy com-
mand of language " ; and also, " When Dr. Baldwin, the bot-
anist and historian of ]\Iajor Long's first expedition died. Say
refused the opportunity, which his commander ofi^ered him, of
continuing the journal of the expedition, alleging that he was
incompetent for this responsible employment." -

Exclusive of his own work, Bonaparte seemed to have
placed his chief reliance in his engraver. " Lawson can do no
wrong." Alexander Lawson, the best engraver of birds in
America, was born near Lanark, Scotland, in 1773, and came
to Philadelphia in 17!*4. "A tall thin man of large frame, and
athletic; full of animation, and inclined to. be satirical, but as
I should judge, full of good feeling and the love of truth.
Krinimcl • and A\'ilson he speaks of in ra])turous terms of
commendation, both as to talents and moral worth." * It is
probable that to Lawson, Bonaparte is indebted for much of
the excellence and accuracy of the plates. He relates of a cap-
tive Condor that, " during Mr. Lawson's almost daily visits
for the purpose of measuring and examining accurately every

' ronn Monthly, 1879, p. 454.

"Pioneers of Science in Americi. ISlXi, pp. 221-222.

" Johann Ludwij; Kimniel, n .vonnjij i)ainter of extraordiiiMrv Kifts.
drowned while hathing near I'hiladelphia in 1821.

* Dunlap's History of the Rise and Pi'ogress oT tlie Arts of De-
.sign in the United States, 1834.

Burns — On Alexander Wir,soN. 29

part for his engraving-, he became so familiar and well ac-
quainted that he would pall the paper out of the artist's hands,
or take the spectacles from his nose, so that Air. Lawson, se-
duced by these blandishments, and forgetting its character in
other respects, does not hesitate to declare the Condors the
gentlest birds he had ever had to deal with." The above illus-
trates the extraordinary pains taken by the engraver to insure
the " minuteness of accuracy " so frequently praised by the
author.

However, but for this gentleman's prejudice and obstinacy,
some of Audubon's drawings might have been introduced.
Audubon dwells briefly upon the unpleasant occasion: "[Phil-
adelphia] April 14 [1824]. After breakfast met the prince,
who called with me on Mr. Lawson, the engraver of Mr. Wil-
son's plates. This gentleman's figure nearly reached the roof.
His face was sympathetically long, and his tongue was so long
that we obtained no opportunity of speaking in his company.
Lawson said my drawings were too soft, too much like oil
paintings, and objected to engrave them." Lawson's verbal
account of the same meeting, published not long afterward by
Dunlap, exhibits a certain snobbishness not without grim hu-
mor. " One morning, very early, Bonaparte roused him from
bed — he was accompanied by a rough fellow, bearing a port-
folio. They were admitted and the portfolio opened, in which
were a number of paintings of birds, executed in crayons or
pastels, which were displayed as the work of an untaught wild
man from the woods by Bonaparte, and as such the engraver
thought them very extraordinary. Bonaparte admired them
exceedingly, and expatiated upon their merit as originals from
nature, and painted by a self-taught genius. Audubon — for
the ' rough fellow ' who had borne the portfolio, was the orni-
thologist and artist — sat by in silence. At length in the
course of their examination, they came to the picture of the
' Horned Owl.' Bonaparte, who had been liberal in admira-
tion and commendation throughout the exhibition, now de-
clared this portrait to be superior to Wilson's of the same
grave personage. ' It is twice as big,' said the engraver. . . .
Lawson told me he spoke freely of the pictures, and said that

30 The Wilson Bulletin — No. G6.

they were all ill-drawn, not true to nature, and anatomically
incorrect. Audubon said nothing. Bonaparte defended them,
said he would buy them, and Lawson should engrave them.
' You may buy them,' said the Scotchman, ' but I will not en-
grave them.' 'Why not?' 'Because ornithology requires
truth in forms and correctness in lines. Here are neither.'
. . . After a time Charles Bonaparte came again to the en-
graver, bringing with him one of the pictures, which he said
he had bought, and requested to have it engraved for his work.
Lawson consented, but it was found to be too large for the
book. Bonaparte wanted him to reduce it. ' No, I will en-
grave it line for line, but I will not reduce it, or correct it in
any part. Let him reduce it and I will engrave it.' Soon after
Audubon came to the engraver with the same picture and
said, 'I understand you object to engraving this?' 'Yes.'
'Why so?' 'This leg docs not join the body as in nature.
This bill is, in the crow, straight, sharp, wedge-like. You
have made it crooked and wavy. The feathers are too large.'
' 1 have seen them twice as large.' ' Then it is a species of
crow I have never seen. I think your painting very extraordi-
nary for one who is self-taught — but we in Philadelphia are
accustomed to seeing very correct drawings.' 'Sir, I have
been instructed seven years by the greatest masters in France.'
' Then you have made dom bad use of your time,' said the
Scotchman. ' Sir,' said Lawson to the writer, ' he measured
me with his eye, and but that he found me a big fellow, I
thought he might have knocked me down.' "

Perhaps it is fortunate for the fame of the great American
bird painter, that the well-meant efforts of his fellow-country-
man to aid him came to naught througli the irascibility of the
Scot.

It would be a matter of deep interest to know just what Wil-
son received from his publishers for coloring his plates, since
it comprised the total received for his work. DouI)tless it was
none too much. The following entry in Audubon's journal
while on this visit, is significant: "April 15. Prince Canino
CC. L. Bonaparte) engaged me to superintend- his drawings
intended for publication, but my terms being much dearer than

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 31

Alexander Wilson asked, I was asked to discontinue this
work." Like Wilson's Louisville note, this needs some expla-
nation. Aside from the knowledge that Audubon was in a
manner persona non grata to both Titian Peale, the artist (of
whom he ])itterly complained that after he had shown him all
his drawing's, refused him the sig'ht of a new bird in his pos-
session), and Alexander Lawson, the engraver (who severely
criticised and refused to engrave his paintings), Bonaparte
would scarcely have trusted an untried person, however tal-
ented, in any other capacity than that of colorer. The refer-
ence to Wilson must relate to his contract as colorist to the
publishers of his work, this being the only employment in
which he received pay ; and of course cannot apply to the
former's work, since Bonaparte was scarcely more than ten
years of age at the time of Wilson's death.

With the appearance of the first volume in 1S35, containing
land birds only, Bonaparte remarked that owing to the indus-
try of Wilson he was unable to adduce a single new Pennsyl-
vanian bird, and for tlie contents he was obliged to resort to
the western territories. Many of these birds had already been
made known by Say, and he was fortunate in procuring the
drawings made at the time from the freshly killed specimens
by Peale, the ornithologist of the party. It was planned to
have the second volume contain the water birds, and the third
to chiefly consist of Peale's gleanings from Florida, so that
with the nine previously published by Wilson and Ord, the
whole suliject would have been ehibraced in twelve volumes;
but extended researches to the most opposite and remote parts
of the Union brought enough land birds to make up two vol-
umes ; and the water birds were reserved for a fourth volume.

Bonaparte returned to Europe some time in November,

1826, since Audubon records in his European journal under

the date of December 7, " I saw in this day's paper that

Charles Bonaparte had arrived at Liverpool in the ' Canada '

from New York." Volume IT and III came out in 1828. The

year previous he had published his Catalogue of the Birds of

the United States,'^ and his Supplement to the Genera of North

' Contributions to the Maclurian Lyceum of Arts and Sciences, I,
pp. 8-34.

33 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 66.

American Birds/ which, according to Coues, raised the num-
ber of species to 3GG, and of genera to S3, nearly a hundred
species having thus been made known since Ord laid aside the
pen that Wilson had dropped. Apparently the author had
nearly completed his share of the work on the fourth number
before his departure, and why Carey, Lea, and Carey delayed
its publication until 1833, is impossible to conjecture, unless it
was incident to the change in the firm which became Carey and
Lea, with William Brown as printer as formerly. In a letter
to his engraver in October, 1839, the author expressed surprise
that he has heard nothing of it and directs Lawson to draw on
his account, or, preferably, the publishers, for services as en-
graver; generously suggesting that the price 60 (dollars?) as
fixed by publishers, should be 90 (dollars?) the price paid for
the engraving of the Condor plate. The Prince had planned a
fifth volume, and Lawson was to begin on a plate composed of
the Canada Goose, a large Godwit with a black tail, and a
young PJicnicapicrus ; and continue with the Pelican, Gulls,
«S:c. His scientific friend, William Cooper, of New York, to
whom he had dedicated the Cooper's Hawk, was to furnish
the drawings, and the birds, as well as all the directions. Of
this nothing further is heard.

Coues aptly terms Bonaparte's American Ornithology a
quasi-continuation of Wilson's work, gotten up in similar style,
if not spirit ; and warns the student that the original distinction
and complete separation of the two works must be fully
recognized.

In figuring and describing the females and immatures of a
number of species, Bonaparte supplied a desiderata, and ren-
dered his labors, in a manner, supplementary to that of Wil-
son. The work is not remarkable for the number of new spe-
cies described, although here the majority are correctly figured
for the first time The Semipalmated Plover {JigiaUtis scnii-
paliiiata)- he had already found distinct and had separated it
from Wilson's Ring Plover (Charadriiis hi'sticida) wliich Ord

^ Zooloj;i<^"il Journal, 111, pi). 4!)-r>:;.

"Observations on the Nouienelature of Wilson's Ornitliolojiy.
Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci., Pbila., Y, 1825, \). 98.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 33

had renamed the Piping- Plover (.E. incloda) . The Zenaida
Dove [Zoiaida .■:ciiaida) aud Limpkin {Aramns gigantusy
had heen described by him soon after Peale, his collector, re-
turned from Florida. Professor Trotter - suggested that the
Zenaida Dove was so named in honor of the author's wife, Zen-
aide Charlotte Julie, daughter of Joseph Bonaparte, the ex-king-
of Spain. Peale's Egret (Dichroiitaiiassa pcalci), taken by T. R.
Peale in Florida: and the Stilt Sandpiper (Micropalma hinian-
fopus), which he had taken himself -while in company with
William Cooper, at Long Branch, New Jersey, July, 1826 ;
were described in a paper read November 26 of that year, in
New York.'^ The Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus
xaiithoccpJialns) had been described elsewhere, but the want
of an original name was not discovered until shortly before
this time.* The Sage Grouse (Ccntroccrcus urophasianns)
described the year previous ^ through the courtesy of Mr.
Leadbeater from the only known preserved spechnen ; had been
found in great abundance ])y the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The Burrowing Owl [Spcoiyto cnnlciilaria hypogcca) had
been found in the West by the Long expedition, but Say con-
sidered it and the South American and West Indian of Molina
and Vieillot, inseparable ; Bonaparte, however, threw an an-
chor to windward, in the shape of a footnote : " Should they
prove to be different species, new appellations must be given:
and, as that of Stri.v cunicidavia will, by right of priority, be
exclusively retained by the Coquimbo Owl, we would propose
for the present bird the name of Strix hypogcca."

Two species only were perfectly new to science, the Cooper's
Hawk (Accipitcr coo peri) taken presumably by the author, in

'Additions to tlie Oniitliolog.y of tlie United States, Ihid, pp.
30-31.

-Cassiuia, IX, 3005. p. 4.

^Further Additions to tlic <)niitliolos;y of tlie TTnited 'States; and
Observations on tlie Nomenclature of Certain Species, Annals L.vc.
Nat. Hist., Now York, 11. 182S, pp. 154 and 157.

■* On llie distinctions of two species of Icterus, liitlierto confound-
ed under the sjiecific name of I<-turoceplialns. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Phila., V, 1825, p. 223.

''Zoological Journal, III, 1827, p. 213.

34 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 6G.

the latter part of September, near Bordentown, New Jersey,
and Say's PlKiebe (Sayoniis soya), shot by Peak on July 17,
1820, near the Arkansas river, about twenty miles from the
Rocky Mountains. \Miether the latter had been overlooked,
considered a doubtful species by Say, or reserved for some one
else to describe in honor of the zoologist, is not known.

Audubon met Bonaparte again in London, June 18, 1827,
and writes : " His mustachios, his bearded chin, his fine head
and eye, all were the same." Four days later Bonaparte and
some other gentlemen called upon Audubon. " My portfolios
were opened before this set of learned men and they saw many
birds they had not dreamed of. Charles offered to name them
for me, and I felt happy that he should; and with pencil he
actually christened upward of fifty, urging- me to publish them
at once in manuscript at the Zoological Society. These gentle-
men dropped off one by one, leaving only Charles and Mr.
A^igors. . . . T cannot tell you how surprised I was when
at Charles' lodging, to hear his man-servant call him ' Your
Royal Highness.' I thought this ridiculous in the extreme,
and T cannot conceive how good Charles can bear it; though
probably he docs bear it because he is good Charles." On
December 4 he records : "A letter from Charles Bonaparte
tells me he has decided not to reside in America, but in Flor-
ence : this I much regret."

Bonaparte soon busied himself in preparation of his Fauna
Ualica, and, in a manner, severed his active participation in
American ornithology with the appearance of his Geograph-
ical and Comparative List of the Birds of Europe and the
Ignited States in 1838, though his influence is felt in our nom-
enclature up to the year of his demise. He died in Paris, July
29. 1857.

It can be said of the Prince that for all his royal preten-
tions he appeared at best advantage when surrounded by a
scientific atmosphere. He fraternized with the votaries of art.
science and literature, whatever their condition or previous
position in life. He was second only to Ord in his achnira-
tion and appreciation of the genius of his jiredecessor, and
Ord was peculiarly sensitive to anything touching the fame

Bales — On the American Barn Owl. 35

and honor of Wilson. He vastly enriched the ornithological
literature of the world, and laid the foundation in this country
of that apparently fascinating drudgery, characterized " syn-
onymy," which is so easily degenerated into a bore.

[Since writing tlae above, Rlioads' brief memoir of Geoi-ge Orel has
appeared in the Cassinia, No. XII, 1908 (issued March, 1909). The
author lias been unable to ascertain whetlier the subject of his
slvetch was born in Philadelphia or England. I have been informed
by Heniy T. Coates, who has it direct from AVillis P. Hazard, an
old-time collector of Wilson's, that Ord was born and had died in
the same house on Front street.]

THE STATUS OF THE AMERICAN BARN OWL (StrLv
pratincola) IN PICKAWAY COUNTY, OHIO.

BY B. R.- BALES, M.D.

Like several other species, notably Bewick's Wren and the
Mockingbird, it has only been in comparatively recent years
that the Barn Owl has been considered an Ohio bird. In Dr.
J. M. Wheaton's " Report of the Birds of Ohio," published in
1880, only five instances of this bird's capture had been record-
ed in this state, and one of these specimens was taken in Pick-
away County. At the time that Dr. Howard Jones informed
Dr. Wheaton of the capture of this species in the summer of
1873, he also informed him of a specimen taken in the spring
of 1870, but for some unaccountable reason, this record was
not incorporated in Dr. Wheaton's Report. Both of these
birds were killed in the Scioto River bottoms, west of Circle-
ville. Only one of these was preserved, it being sent to the
JMuseum of Hobart College at Geneva. N. Y. On February
14, 1890, a specimen that had been taken in the Scioto River
bottom w'est of Circleville was brought to me ; this was the
first Barn Owl I had ever seen. In May of the following year,
1891, a bird of the year, fully feathered, was brought to me;
it had been shot at Forest Cemetery, which is bounded on one
side by the Ohio Canal, and is less than a mile north of Circle-
ville.

In 1892, a specimen Avas shot at the Turney farm, about two
and one-half miles west of Circleville. and was mounted by
Mr. Oliver Davie for Mr. R. G. McCoy, who was living on
this farm at the time.

36 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

In 1893, another bird was shot on this same farm, and was
brought to Dr. Howard Jones, who mounted it.

In 1894, still another was killed on the same farm, and was
mounted by Air. Davie for Mr. McCoy.

In 1895, two young Owls, well feathered, were captured
alive on the same farm, and did duty as freaks in a saloon in
Circleville.

It remained for Dr. Howard Jones to take the first set of
eggs. These were secured at the Turney farm on May 27,
1897, from a natural cavity, about twenty-five feet from the
ground, in a maple tree standing on the bank of a mill race,
within a quarter of a mile of Darby Creek. There were six
eggs in the nest ; incubation varied, from one egg in which in-
cubation was slight, to one in which incubation was well ad-
vanced. This nesting site is illustrated in Dawson's " Birds of
Ohio." It is very likely that all of the Owls taken from 1892
to 1897 were reared in this cavity.

In 1898, two well-feathered yoimg were brought to Dr.
Howard Jones ; they were taken at the outskirts of Circleville,
near Hargus Creek.

In 1900, a tinner kept one in a cage in his shop for some
time. This bird also came from along Hargus Creek, within
a mile or two east of Circleville.

On February 18. 1908, a male in excellent plumage was
brought to me ; it was shot at the ice houses of the Circleville
Ice Company, which are situated just north of Circleville,
along the Ohio Canal, one-half mile from the Scioto River.

On ]\Tay 11, 1908. I had the good fortune to discover the
nest of this species. The nest was situated in a large syca-
more tree standing on the bank of, and overhanging Hargus
Creek, one mile east of Circleville. The tree has lost its top,
and from the point where it is broken, there extends upward
for about twenty-five feet, a large limb and several good-sized
branches. At the point where the top is broken off. the wood
has decayed, forming a cavity three feet deep. At the bottom
of the cavity six eggs were found, the eggs being laid on the
rotted wood with no attempt at nest-building. Both male and
female Owls were on the nest when it Was discovered. Tncu-

Bales — On the American Barn Owl. 37

bation in the eggs varied from one, in which there was just a
trace of blood showing, to one that was fully one-half incu-
bated. The cavity was forty feet from the ground.

This same tree was the home of a " happy family." Four
feet below the Owl's nest was a den of Fox Sc|uirrels {Sciunis
rufivcntcr) that contained four young ones, and the limb and
one of the larger branches above the Owl's nest, an occupied
nest each of Red-headed Woodpecker (Mclaiicrpcs crytliro-
ccphaliis) and Northern Flicker {Colaptcs anratus hiteiis).

On July 17, 1908, a small colored boy brought me two young
Owls ; they were still covered with a grayish white down and
showed quite a difference in size. The boy said there were two
more in the nest, but that ■ they were much smaller than the
ones bi ought to me. These were taken from a hollow in a
large sycamore tree, standing on the banks of Hargus Creek,
within the corporation limits of Circleville and about a mile
west of the nest mentioned above. It is possible that this was
the second laying for the same pair of birds.

On November 11, lOOS, a male in full plumage was brought
to me ; it was shot at the ice houses, the same place as the one
taken in February. 1908. and on the following day, November
12. a female was brought in. This bird was shot from a wil-
low tree in day time, in the Scioto River bottoms, west of Cir-
cleville.

While it is possible, and very probable, that there have been
other specimens of this species taken in Pickaway County,
these, I think, are the only authentic records.

From the above records, it will be seen that every specimen
mentioned was taken in the vicinity of water, indicating that
this bird, at least in this locality, has a preference for such sit-
uations.

Tt will also be noticed that all of the specimens were taken
within a radius of two and a half miles of Circleville, indicat-
ing a preference for the vicinity of dwellings.

That this Owl is one of the most valuable birds to the agri-
cultural interests is shown bv the stomach contents of the
three full grown birds that I observed in 1908.

Stomach No. 1 contained the remains of three mice ; stom-

38 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

ach No. 2, the remains of two mice; stomach No. 3 the re-
mains of three mice and a shrew.

It has been stated that the apparent scarcity of Barn Owls
in times agone w^as not due to the actual scarcity of the birds,
but was due to the fact that they had better means of conceal-
ment, and that with the gradual destruction of woodlands,
came the gradual increase in numbers observed. Be this as it
may, no bird is deserving of more protection than the Barn
Owl, for it is truly the farmer's friend.

Ctrci-eville, Ohio. Jan. 5, 1909.

MIGRATION HALTS.

ALTHEA R, SHERMAN.

It is difficult to ascertain whether the duration of visits from
migrating birds is that of a minute, a day, a week, a month, or
even more, except when the visitors are of rare species, or
have some distinguishing marks, or are associated in some
special manner with others of their kind. Of this last named
class was a Downy Woodpecker, attended by one of his young,
which he was feeding constantly, although the youngster ap-
peared quite able to take care of itself; their advent was upon
the Fourth of July, and they staid two days. This may not be
considered a true migration halt, yet the early shifting of birds
from their breeding range is worthy of note, and possibly may
mark the beginning of their southward movement. The sum-
mer visiting species that come under my observation are o£
two sorts, as regards their breeding haunts, those of the true
woodland varieties, and the marsh birds.

Usually during June only our neighborhood breeding birds
are to be seen, but in the early days of July the forest birds be-
gin to come upon the prairie. In 1908 the Downy Wood-
l-)eckers were the first pioneers, followed by a juvenile male
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, then Hairy W"oodpecker, Chickadee,
Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow Warbler, Redstart, and Screech
Owl came in rapid succession. One summer a very ragged
Redstart was seen about our place almost every day for nearly

Sherman — On Migration Halts. 39

a month. The Solitary Sandpiper and Wilson Snipe are rare
callers during migration, therefore when one of the former,
or a small flock of the latter is seen almost daily for a week or
two, it is natural to conclude that they are the same birds each
time. Of the rails, both Sora and Virginia individuals have
been recognized as remaining in one locality for more than a
month.

Sparrows, apparently, are great laggards, yet it is difficult
to say whether flock succeeds flock day after day, or the same
birds linger many days. Sometimes a Junco, flecked with
white spots, or one with reddish sides (presumably a Montana
Junco) makes it certain that the same bird remains for several
clays. Very convincing evidence was furnished last autumn of
a long stop made by some of the Fringillidae. By most observ-
ers near the Mississippi River the Harris Sparrow is report-
ed as a rare migrant. T usually am able to mark him as pres-
ent upon several days in the fall, and sometimes in the spring,
but hitherto the longest visit has been for a few days only.
Last fall he arrived promptly on September 30 and remained
until November 2, being seen every day but four of this pe-
riod, and those were windy or stormy days. On several days
three of the Harris Sparrows were seen together, and once I
saw four of them sitting so closely together on the top of a
brush-pile that all were within the field of my binocular. The
black on throat of one was quite distinct throughout its whole
extent, on another bird the black showed on one side and was
almost wanting on the other. These points, taken with the
rarity of the species here, and the constancy with which they
were watched, make it pretty convincing that the same birds
were here during the thirty-four days.

They, in company with a half-dozen other sparrow species,
chose to roost in dense shrubbery near the east side of the
house. A note they uttered, when going to roost more frequent-
ly than at other times, suggested the happy chirp of a chicken
when under the shelter of its mother's wing. Probably thick
foliage to protect them at night, food found in a riotous weed-
patch (furnished by a neighbor), and mild weather were the
inducements that led the Harris Sparrows to postpone their

40 The Wilson Bulletin — No. G6.

departure, which was later than that of most of the other spar-
rows. Associated with them during the greater part of their
stay were three Fox Sparrows ; at times also numerous White-
throated, Song, Swamp, Field and Tree Sparrows, Juncos, a
half-dozen or more Lincoln and two or three Clay-colored
Sparrows. Somewhat apart from this company was a small
flock of Purple Finches, the same birds it is believed were seen
every day and remained nearly three weeks. During the day
the Harris Sparrows were generally to be found in one of four
places, either in a brush-pile, a thicket composed of dwarf plum
trees and raspberry bushes, a weed patch, or in willow trees
that overhung a favorite bathing place for the birds ; all four
of these places can be described within a circle having for its
radiance one hundred yards.

While driving ten or twelve miles over prairie roads during
migration days, one soon comes to look for Juncos and their
congeners chiefly in the vicinity of the farm-houses, which,
more often than not, are built on hill-tops and provided with
wind-breaks of evergreen trees. On the other hand, a drive of
equal length through the neighboring woodlands with farm-
houses in clearings reveals the sparrow hosts, not near the
farm buildings, but where thickets are growing in sheltered
places. These observations may lead one to think that spar-
rows in their migration halts are influenced to tarry in certain
places quite as much by sheltered roosting-places as by good
food supplies.

;\N EXERCISE IN P.IRD STUDY.

I!V W. F. COl'ELAND.

During the summer school at Ohio University, the class
in l)ird Study did some work that I wish to report. Students
were asked to select a nest containing young birds, make ob-
servations for one day, and report same to the class. Such
studies have been made by others and have always been highly
recommended by them. Others have made the criticism that
there is a probable error because the birds are more or less dis-
turbed by the presence of the observer. In the reports here

CoPELAND — On An Exercise in Bird Study. 41

given, all we can say is that the parent hirds fed their young a
certain number of times, but it can reasonably be assumed that,
had the observer been absent, the number of visits to the nest
would not have been diminished, but more likely been in-
creased.

These observations were carefully made and care taken to
make the records exact. By way of commendation, it is safe
to say that a day's work of this sort has nuich value, even
though much has to be eliminated on account of error. A stu-
dent cannot avoid the fact that birds are actually doing work,
and by knowing the amount that one pair is doing every day,
he has an index that will tell him approximately what that par-
ticular species is doing for his community.

I see no impossible reason why such an exercise might not
be used with interest and profit in our public schools and more
especially in rural districts. Of course w^e are to insist upon
exact observations and records, but I do not think that we are
to be more interested in records than we are concerning the in-
fluence of such studies upon the life of the pupil. And so I
wish to repeat that I think there is enough of real value in this
exercise, after all errors are omitted, to make it well worth
recommending to every bird student and teacher.

Below are given brief extracts from reports made before the
class:

vi<:llow-breasted chat.
By Ernestine Cooley.

'i'he nest was found June 20, '08, in a clump of bushes and
briers. It was loosely put together, being made of leaves and
bark from the grape vines. Four little birds, probably four
days old, were in the nest. On Saturday, July 4, the entire
day was spent near the nest, the observations beginning at 4
a. m. and ending at 6 :45 p. m. The parent birds being so
nearly alike it was not always possible to distinguish between
them, but occasionally both visited the nest at the same time,
proving beyond a doubt that both brought food to the young.

During the morning the birds seemed annoyed by my pres-
ence and would often make considerable fuss before coming to
the nest, but in the afternoon they would slip in quietly, and

42 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 6Q.

required careful watching. Only twenty-four times during
the day could I be sure that the birds fed their young. Three
times I was sure it was the male, and eight times the female.
The remaining sixteen times I was not sure which one. Each
time I had an opportunity to see, the birds had a short worm
or grub.

The average feeding was once in thirty-four minutes. The
longest intervals were from 6 :20-'}' :50 ; 9 :05-10 :50 ; and from
1 :05-3 :10. The following figures give the intervals in min-
utes for the entire day : 23, 12, 75, 90, 18, 7, 50, 105, 32, 28,
15, 60, 25, 100. 37, 13, 15, 20, 25, 15, 15, 20, and 5.

Twice during the day the male bird sang for some time in
a nearby sycamore tree. At one time he gave a circus-like
performance, flying butterfly-fashion from his tall perch to a
low bush, and singing as he descended. The female spent a
part of the time on the nest. The longest interval being from
9 :05-9 :45, and at 6 :45 had come to the nest for the night.

I wish to note that this was the 4th of July and the shooting
of firecrackers across the river may have disturbed the birds,
for I am inclined to think they would otherwise have fed of-
tener. Perhaps Mr. Chat and his good wife were aware that
the Fourth is a legal holiday.

WOOD THRUSH.

By Jay A. Myers.

These observations were made at the state hospital grounds.
Athens, Ohio. July 11, 'OS. I had gone to watch the Wood
Thrush feed its young and to learn some of its habits. The
nest w^as about ten feet from the ground on a horizontal branch
of a water beech. Two or three pieces of paper had been
placed on the limb and upon this the nest had been constructed
of dried grass, moss, leaves, and mud, and lined with fine roots.
My observations began at 4 a. m. and lasted until 7 p. m. The
feedings recorded were as follows :

From 4-5 a. ni H times

5- G 10

C- 7 9

CoPELAND — On An Exercise in Bird Study. 43

From 7-8 9 times

8-9 10

9-10 . . . . T G

10-11 9

11-12 10

12- 1 p. Ill 8

1-2 7

2-3 9

3-4 9

4-5 2

5-6 10

6-7 5

It can thus be seen that the parent birds fed their young 130
times in fifteen hours, or an average of once every seven min-
utes. Their food consisted of bugs and insects, and instead of
bringing but one they usually brought from two to four each
time. One of the birds, I suppose the male, would bring food
to the nest, and after feeding the young would fly to a near
branch and sing until the mate came with food. At one time
he sang forty-nine times. The female generally stood on the
edge of the nest for five or ten minutes after feeding the young.

robin.
By David B. Grubb.

These observations were made at the state hospital grounds,
Athens, Ohio. July 11, '08. The nest was made of grass and
mud, and was on a horizontal branch of an elm tree, about
eighteen feet from the ground. There were two young birds
about ready to fly ; often during the day they would climb up
and sit on the edge of the nest. The mother bird did all the
feeding of the young, and in nearly every case I found the
food to be an earthworm ; once in a while she would bring a
grub.

I began my observations at 4 a. m. and watched fifteen
hours. The birds were fed as follows :

From 4- 5 a. m 6 times

5 6 3

6-7 6

7-8 3

8-9 3

44 The Wilson Bulletin — No. GG.

From 9-10 6 times

10-11 5

11-12 6

12- 1 p. m 5

1-2 4

2-3 5

3-4 3

4-5 2

5-6 5

6-7 5

This makes a total of sixty-seven times by the mother bird
for two young ones, or an average of once in fifteen minutes.
The mother bird paused for a few moments at the nest before
feeding the young. The male did not help in feeding, but on
several occasions came and sang for a while near the nest.

SONG SPARROW.
By James V. Alford and C. Lee Shilliday.

This nest was in a ckunp of woodbine about eighteen inches
from the ground. The following notes were recorded July 28,
1908, from 4 a. m. until 7 p. m., at the state hospital grounds,
Athens, Ohio. The morning was damp and chilly, and a dense
fog was present until about 5 a. m. The mother bird remained
on the nest until that time. The first food was brought at
5 :10. Both parent birds assisted in the care of the young, and
fed them as follows :

From 5 :10-0 a. m 4 times

6-7 5

7-8 5

8-9 7

9-10 3

10-11 10

11-12 6

12-1 p. m 4

1-2 5

2-3 5

3-4 9

4-5 9

5-6 11

6- 6 :30 3

Making a total of eighty-six times for the day, or an aver-

Wood — On Warbler Notes from ^Iichigan. 45

age of once every eleven minutes. The food was small-winged
insects and larvae. The parent, birds seldom went directly to
the nest with food, but perched on nearby twigs for a few mo-
ments.

WARBLER NOTES FROM WAYNE COUNTY,
MICHIGAN.

BY J. CLAIRE wool).

Mr. P. A. Taverner's interesting paper in the Wilson Bulle-
tin for December, 1908, on ornithological observation in this
locality impresses one with the difference a few miles can
make, especially in warbler migration. Normal years he re-
gards May 4 as marking about the height of the warbler mi-
gration while a reference to my note-book establishes Alay 15
as the average date in the zone of my observations. During
the season of 1908 he found practically no warblers until May
17, when they rushed through in almost a day. This doubt-
less refers to a section north of the city, for southwest of the
city and other portions of the county I found the warblers in
normal abundance. The spring season opened with several
flocks of Myrtles and a Pine on April 19 and thence transients
were noted on most all days afield, concluding with a Black-
burnian and three Black-polls on May 28.

I regard the above as about the normal range and, for con-
trast, wish to state that the very remarkable season of 1907
opened with five Myrtles on April 7, and concluded with three
Mourning on June 30. The autumn of 1908 was so divided
between the warblers, waders and hawks that I can not fix the
status of local warbler abundance by a comparison with the
three previous seasons which were almost entirely devoted to
the warblers. However, they seemed a trifle scarce, but I doubt
if they departed unusually early. The total time given them in
October did not exceed four hours, so the following is proba-
bly very incomplete. October 4 — Last of Water-Thrush,
Blackburnian and Cape May. October 6 — Last of Tennessee.
October 11 — Last of Yellow-throat, Black-poll and Magnolia.

46 The Wilson Uui.i.ktin— No. C)G,

The exceedingly dry autumn resulted in forest fires that
raged through the wooded districts of Michigan, causing seri-
ous loss in property and many human lives. The dense volume
of smoke impaired navigation on the Great Lakes for a time
and reached this city, Detroit, on the evening of September 11.
The next morning this section was enveloped as in a dense fog
and the sun shone as through smoked glass, and thus began a
spell of alternate smoke and sunshine, according to the condi-
tion of the air and direction of the wind. September 21 the
smoke was so dense that I could not run lines with the survey-
or's transit.

Nine o'clock in the morning I counted thirty Blackburnian
and four Black-poll Warblers in several maple trees near the
lower end of River Rouge Village. They were still there at
four o'clock in the afternoon. September 22, small flocks of
Black-poll and Tennessee Warblers were stalled in the shade
trees all through the village, but were gone on the 23d. It was
only on days like the above that the warblers seemed in any
way affected, and the waders not at all.

Mr. Taverner gives September 13 as his earliest fall date for
the Lincoln Sparrow. I took a male September 7, 1906, which
is in my collection. This bird was in company with two oth-
ers, and later in the day, two single birds were noted about a
mile distant, which looks as if careful investigation would fix
the date of first arrivals in the first week of September.

The Philadelphia ^''ireo is certainly not common here, but I
believe a few pass through every year. I have not yet system-
atically investigated the local vireos, but during the warbler in-
vestigation (1903-7) eight vireos of this species were mistaken
for warblers and taken on the following dates : May 17 and
20, June 2, and September 3, 10 and 24. Twelve more were
identified in time to save their lives. Except a flock of three
in the autumn and one pair on June 2, all were single birds.
This vireo possesses more warbler characteristics than any
other species I have met with, and can not be separated with
certainty when in the tops of tall trees.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A Quarterly Magazine DeToted to the Study of Li'ring Bird*.
Official Organ of the Wilson Ornitholosical Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, one dollar a year, 30 cents a number, post-
paid. Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, $1.25 a year. 40 cents
a number. Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L.
Burns. Berwyn. Penn.

Officers of the Wilson Ornithological Club for 1900:

President — Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa.

Vice-President — W. E. Saunders, London, Ont.

Secretary— Benj. T. Gault, Glenn Ellyn. 111.

Treasurer — W. F. Henninger, New Bremen, Ohio.

Members of the Executive Council — Lynds Jones, Oberlin, O. ; H.
C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. ; B. H. Swales. Grosse Isle, Mich.

EDITORIAL.

Unforseeu difficulties arose which made it necessary to defer until
the next issue the beginning of both the Hawk papers and the paper
on the birds of Cedar Point. The delay is in the interest of better
papers when they do begin.

We have already Indicated what are some of the plans for the
Bulletin for the coming year ; these need not be repeated. Improve-
ments begin with this issue and we expect them to continue during
the succeeding issues. The quality of these improvements and their
value we are very willing to leave to the reader. Many things
which we would be glad to do must wait upon time and the means.

Migrations have already begun and nesting will be in progress
shortly after this issue reaches its readers. Do not forget that one
of the things you are surely going to do this year is to study care-
fully as many nests as your time and circumstances will permit.
Blanks for recording such studies may be had by addressing either
the Bulletin at Oberlin, Ohio, or Mr. Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa.
You are welcome to as many as you will use, or expect or hope to use.

'18 The Wilson Rrr.LETiN— No. 66.

FIELD NOTES.

Tufted Titmouse. — The Tutted Titmouse is rare in Erie County,
Pa. Ttie first one I had ever seen in this county came December 26
to some suet a few feet from the house and ate freely. He was
very shy and nervous, and was only seen at long intervals, until one
morning he found a box of nuts. All fear vanished before such good
fortune and he flew to the windows, searching for a place to store
his booty. Failing to break in the house he tried to squeeze himself
through the lattice under the porch, but he was too fat. He comes
every day in company with two downy woodpeckers, two nuthatches,
and five or six chickadees. As the food is to be found in a number
of places on the bush, six or seven birds may often be seen feeding
at the same time. Flickers are reported feeding c '*uet two blocks
away.

yortli East. Pa. Miss R. M. Leete.

Golden Eagle (Aquila cltri/sactos). — -I have had the pleasure of
handling an innnature male of this species, secured on November 1?>,
1908, at Dublin Gap, near Newville, Cumberland County, Pennsyl-
vania, by Mr. Richard Dawson, a local sportsman. In this connection
I wish to correct an earlier local record, erroneously accredited to
the Bald Eagle {Haliwetus leucoceplialus) (Cf. Wilson Bulletin,
No. 18, Jan. '98, p. 4). Although it was captured within gun sound
of my home, April 7, 1894, I had no opportunity to examine it at the
time. It recovered from its wound and was kept for many years at
the Sorrel Horse tavern on the Old Lancaster road in Delaware
County, where Mr. W. L. Baily found it. (Cf. Abstract of the Pro-
ceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, 1898, p. 4).

Bcnryii. Pa. Frank L. Burns.

LcoN (Garia -imher) in Pennsylvania. — I have to record the
third specimen and second female of the Loon (Gavia imber) from
the flock occurring in the Chester valley on November 14. 1908. It
liad dropped from the tlight, into Jeanes' mill dam, at)out a mile
above where the first pair met their death, as already related. Here
it tarried, lost and weakened. It seemed unable or unwilling to fly,
and some men about the place caught it in a scoop net, examined
and liberated it after receiving some bruises from its beak. It was
found dead on the 10th of December, greatly emaciated, stomach
empty, save a few rather coarse pebbles, and without a sign of a
wound. It undoubtedly starved to death, as this body of water is
[practically without life suitable for food, having been recently
cleaned after several car loads of quicklime had been accidentally
dumped in the stream above. It is doubtful if a single member of
this flock performed the flight successfully.

Bmryii. Pa. • Frank L. Burns.

FiEi.n Notes. 49

Bohemian Waxwing in North kastern Iowa. — The monotouy of
bird interests this winter has been relieved by the visit of a small
flock of Bohemian Waxwings ; nine was the largest number seen at
one time. Arriving in beautiful weather on December 29, they re-
mained until January 17, experiencing f^ome cold days when the
mercury hovered around twenty-seven degrees below zero. The mild
autumn had induced many Robins to stay late, and they had des-
poiled the two mountain-ash trees in the neighborhood that were
loaded with berries. The Bohemian Waxwings found a meager lar-
der, a few frozen apples, cedar and mountain-ash berries. When
the last beri-y had been taken from the trees they ate those that
had lain for weeks upon the ground, and vvhen the supply was near-
ly exhausted one bird was seen feeding another.

National, la. Althea R. Sherman.

A Lunch Counter.- — A friend of the family became interested in
a shelf I had arranged outside my window. When she ascertained
its purix>se — a feeding place for the birds^-it brought up the fact
that the editor is a personal friend of the family of which she is ,■■
member — Kimball.

This bird-shelf has been visited almost daily by Downy and Hairy
Woodpeckers, Flickers, Blue Jays, Chickadees, White-breasted Nut-
hatches, and occasionally Brown Creepers, Goldfinch and Tree Spar-
row. Not an unusual list for this vicinity, but I have been aston-
ished at the amount of food they consume and carry away. In the
colder weather the Chickadees and Nuthatches virtually stand in
line all day for their opportunity ta snatch a bite. Nuthatch is gen-
erally the earliest arrival and has right of way all day. but seldom
eats at the board. He prefers to tly to some neighboring tree and
givtj somebody else a chance. If a Chickadee stops to eat, Nuthatch
often comes without warning and there is a clash of wings. Chicka-
dee going to a nearby perch temporarily. Chickadees are a little
more respectful of each other's rights and will await their turn,
though scolding about it. I have not seen two birds feed there at
once. Walnuts are the popular food ; green or raw peanuts a close
second. Suet as a last resort for these. Titmice, etc.. Woodpeckers
prefer suet.

Madison. Lake Co., Ohio. Carl C. Lawson.

Redpolls Once More (Acanthis linaria). — The Redpoll came over
my ornithological horizon with New Year's, 1909 : none of the pre-
vious invasions during my day seeming to have sent a delegation my
way.

We had just reached the pineapple stage at dinner, which de-
licious fruit is in the words of Josiah Allen, " One of my favorite
beverages," — when glancing out I behe'ld a great flock of birds gy-

50 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 66.

rating over the snow-flooded stubble west. Dinner for me ended
right then and there. He is a poor ornithologist to whom a rare
bird oi^ new is not worth a dinner any day. Pineapple juice was no
longer nectar. I had lost my appetite. Snatching my field glass I
was in full chase after the already vanished floclv and overhauled
them in a piece of weedy corn stubble where they were feeding on
ragweed and grass seed with nervous haste and industry.

There is a unifying will or impulse in most floclis of gregarious
birds, as every observer has noted ; but this mysterious instinct
seemed to be almost wanting in this Redpoll flock which, by esti-
mate, consisted of 250 or 300 birds. This will of the flock was at
the mercy of every individual will. If one bird lifted it was suffi-
cient to carry the whole body into the air. Thus it was set like a
hair trigger ready to go off at half-cock; and the wavering flight of
the individual — for it was wavering rather than undulating as in
the Goldfinch — was magnified by the flock so that it went like a
wind-blown streamer through the air. like a swirl of leaves or
whirl of snow flakes — a carmagnole in feathers. The rush of beat-
ing primaries and swift transition of color as the light struck them
at varying angles were a delight to eye and ear in the mouotony
of an unusually desolate winter.

The bulk of this flock proved to be females and immatures. with
a sprinkling of males, and I fancied that I could pick out a few^
three or four birds that by stronger coloring and slightly larger size
might belong to the larger and rarer species ; but specimens alone
could lay the doubtg in the case, and these I unfortunately failed to
secure.

It would not be possible to find a more elegant picture than a clus-
ter of males with their dark red caps and white breasts stained with
the tint of peach blossoms asway on an old ragweed against the
snowy landscape.

Since following the first flock it has been my privilege to battle
for hours in the happy, joyous vernal activity of R*MJpoll life, fol-
lowing them for) miles through difficult snows or over the moist sod-
den ground of January thaws. I saw one flock of a hundred or
more divide into two equal bands, one going* far west, the other east.
Coming up with the latter I beheld it go to pieces utterly. And it is
interesting to note in this connection that Redpolls have since been
noted by I's. 2's, 3's, or more, anywhere and evex'ywhere, alone or in
company with other birds as if they had really made themselves at
home. Thus several came daily to our door-yard with the Tree
Sparrow to feed. February 4 appeared our last record, but after
the ice storm of February 15-16 two females were seen under our
evergreens February 17. Not the severity of the storm but the short-
age of food supply over a vast area had sent these and other visito's
from the farther north to sojourn with us.

Field Notes. 51

Mr. H. W. Weisgerber saw a flock near Salem, Columbiana coun-
ty. Ohio, while Mr. Edward Jacob saw a flock near Canton, Stark
county, Ohio, and Mr. Edward D. Kimer saw a flock of twenty-fivt;
on February 17.

They will probably be generally reported from northern and east-
ern Ohio. Ernest W. Vickebs.

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Wilson Bulletins, from Xo. 1 to ti(i, inclusive. ( Xos. 4, .-). (>,
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which all Xorth .American Warblers are discussed, the songs
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Address all communications to

LYNDS JONES, Oberlin, Ohio.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

NO. 67.

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

VOL. XXI JUNE, 1909. NO. 2

OLD SERIES VOL. XXI. NEW SERIES VOL. XVI.

THE BIRDS OF CEDAR POINT AND VICINITY.

BY LANDS JONES.

The place referred to is Cedar Point, Erie county, Ohio.
It Hes at the west ejid of a long sand spit which forms the
eastern barrier protecting" the entrance to Sandusky harbor.
The name "Cedar Point" as here used is intended to cove.r
the whole of the seven miles of sand spit, which begins at
Rye Beach, some two miles west of Huron, and not merely
that portion of it which is occupied by the summer resort
grounds.

The territory which is covered by this list includes the topo-
graphical quadrangles of Oberlin, \'ermilion, Sandusky, and
Put-in-Bay and the adjacent islands of Pelee, Hen and Chick-
ens, East Sister, and Middle. Standing at Cedar Point its
/Vicinity' as here used may appear too extensive and much
too scattered, but from the standpoint of a study of bird
movements this vicinity becomes of vital importance not mere-
ly to bring in comparisons with other localities which are
topographically very unlike the beach and its accompanying
swamps, but more to show the direction of these bird move-
ments.

The beginning of the work upon which this list is based
dates back to the autumn of 1890, when the writer began his
residence in Oberlin. Previous to this time there had been
some Good but somewhat scattered work done bv Messrs.

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Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. o;

L. M. McCormick and George D. Wilder, mostly in the Ober-
lin qnadrang'le. and occasional visits to the vicinity of Sandus-
ky had been made by Drs. J. M. Wheaton and F. W. Langdon,
but the work done by these latter gentlemen was mostly if
not wholly in the Tort Clinton marshes. A one day trip was
made by the writer to Kelley's, Pnt-in-Bay, and Green islands
on Alay 28, 181)4, and another of similar duration to the same
places on May 27. liH»l. In company with Rev. W. L. Dawson,
August 5 to 1), 1!M)1, was spent among the islands in a row-
boat, the purpose being the study of the birds there. On this
occasion landings and studies were made on Middle Bass and
North Bass, Sugar, Hen and three Chickens, North Harbor,
and Ea:^t Sister. This study was repeated August 24 to 27,
19(14. r\gain from .August 20 to Spetember 2, 190."), was
spent among the islands, four days of this time being spent
on Pelee Island. The next island studies were made in 1908,
when a day's visit to Put-in-Bay, and another day's visit to
Pelee, the Chickens, and North Harbor, occupied Julv 11 and
28 respectively. August 17 to 21 were spent on another
cruise among the islands, the most of this time being spent
on Pelee, and only brief stops on Big and Little, Chicken, North
Harbor, and the "Rattle" pf Rattlesnake. The distinctively
Cedar Point work done by the writer has been the whole of
July, and part of the last week of June, 1907 and 1908, and
studies of from one to four days duration, especially during
the winter season and during the migration months. In con-
ducting these studies an efifort was made to have them cover
all sorts of weather conditions so that they would be repre-
sentative. The period covered by these studies of the bird
life of Cedar Point is eight years, with the stronger emphasis
laid ui:on the work during the last three years. The most
extensive studies, covering the longest period have been made
in the Oberlin and Wrmilion quadrangles.

I have also drawn upon the work of Professors Herbert
Osborn, K. L. Rice, and E. L. Mosely and their students,
and upon the work of Mr. R. L. Baird, who made special
studies of the birds durino- the summer trrm at the Lake

58 The Wilson Bulletin — Xo. GT.

Laboratory. The foundation for the hst is a card catalogue
which has been kindly furnished me by Professor Herbert
Osborn, the director of the Lake Laboratory, compiled by
himse.lf and by those who have taught with him there during
the existence of the Laboratory.

There have been two notable papers relating to the Cedar
Point region proper, to which the reader who wishes to learn
particulars which cannot be given within the limits of this
paper is referred. One is the "Formation of Sandusky Bay
and Cedar Point" (here meaning the whole sand spit) by
Professor E. L. Alosely, in the Thirteenth Annual Report of
the Proceedings of the Ohio State Academy of Science, 190L
From this paper it is made clear that when the lake was at a
much lower level than it is at presejit there was no bay, the
Sandusky river l^owing into the lake through a narrow channel
somewhere lakeward between Marblehead and Cedar Point,
and therefore there was no peninsula as now. Cedar Point
must have been a ridge of clay, probably underlaid by shale,
and the present bay was a depression, but not even a marsh,
lying between the higher land now represented by the main-
land and this ridge. The changes, or most of them, which
have produced the bay and marshes and sand spit have oc-
curred in historic times, being the result of a tilting of the
land at the eastern end and consequent deepening of the lake
at its western end.

The other paper is "An Ecological Classification of the
Vegetation of Cedar Point" (again meaning the whole of the
sand spit) by Otto E. Jennings, published in The Ohio
Naturalist, Vol. VTII, No. 6, April, 1908, pp. 291-340. To
this paper I am indebted for most of the pictures which will
accompany this series of articles. The reader who is especial-
ly interested in the study of Ecology should not fail to read
this exhaustive paper. Tt is sufficient here to say that border-
ing- the sand s])it on the one side are the waters of the lake
and on the other, the open waters of the bay, while at its
eastern end, for rather more than half of the distance, are the
extensive marshes ^^ ith greater or lesser areas of open water.

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 59

The, immediate mainland still has remnants of the once dense
and heavy forests, alternating- with pastures, meadows and
plowed fields running to the borders of the marsh. Streams
flowing in from the mainland and ridges extending out from
the sand spit landward result in numerous coves, some of
which are three-quarters surrounded by trees or bushes.
Practically the whole extent of the marsh border of the sand
spit, down to the water's edge, there is a growth of bushes,
mostly willow and button bushes, ranging from a few inches
to ten feet high. During the hight of migration these bushes
are full of warblers, sparrows, and vireos. Along the nar-
rower reaches of the sand spit, toward its eastern end, cotton-
wood and willow trees immediately- border the marsh fringe
of low bushes, only in the wider places being more than
straggling individual trees, none of any considerable size.
Within the limits of this study many large, cottonwood and
willow trees which stood on the crest of the ridge have been
overturned and washed away at times of high water and the
crest of the ridge moved marshward. More of this destruc-
tive work has been done near Rye Beach, at the eastern end
of the sand spit, than elsewhere. It is clear that here,, at least,
the lake is pushing the bar back into the marsh at the rate of
many feet a year. Along this narrower part of the sand spit
wild grape vines abound, and in the fall the abundant supply
of ripe grapes calls many birds to the feast. Robins have
been found there later than elsewhere in the region under
consideration.

As the sand spit widens northwestward large trees, mostly
cottonwood, become more numerous just marshward from
the crest, with a few clumps of wilows each side of them,
then a variable width of grass covered sand, in places reach-
ing a width of more than ten rods, and finally the marsh
border of bushes with their fringing smaller trees. Where
points of the sand spit reach out into the marsh the bush and
tree growth form considerable thickets in which the smaller
birds, including the thrushes, woodpeckers, jays and crows,
and even the Woodcock and Whippoorwill, find congenial sur-

(10 Till': W'ir.soN Bi'I-letin — No. G7.

roundings. Sharp-shinned Hawks are also usually found
here, and occasional Crows and JMeadowlarks. During" the
heaviest migrations not only are such places full of all sorts
of birds, but they even spill over upon the sand meadows and
beach, and fly out into the marsh vegetation. Many strictly
wood warblers have often been observed feeding like shore
birds near the water's edge on such occasions.

Westward from the mouth of the Black Channel, accom-
panying the more open waters of the bay proper, the sand
spit widens, and for the most part is covered with a more or
less dense forest marshward from the crest, with occasional
and usually small areas of bare sand or grass covered sand,
except in the dune region where the blowouts between the
dunes cause many extensive bare sand areas. These forested
areas correspond to forested areas of the adjacent mainland,
except that the species represented are more numerous, and
there are areas of considerable cedar thickets. For a more
detailed account of the vegetation the reader is referred to
tlie two papers cited above.

It should be noted that from a width of less than twenty
rods at its eastern terminus at Rye Beach the marsh widens
and opens westward to its western end where there is open
water and a distance of two miles between Cedar Point pleas-
ure resort and the docks of Sandusky, and that the distance
westward to Marblehead is considerably farther and across
open water. Kelley's Island is plainly visible some seven
miles northwestward.

Pelee Island is the largest and most northerly island of the
archipelago lying between Sandusky and Point Pelee. Its
physical features are strikingly similar to those of the greater
part of Point Pelee, but the interior marshes are less extensive
now, having been drained and utilized for agricultural pur-
poses. Its southern end closel}- resembles the southern end
of Point I'Vlee \\'ith practically the same vegetation and l:)each
formations. On all of my visits to the island during the
autumnal migrations I have foimd all sjiecicy; of migrating
birds rant^'ing southward along or ]iarallel to tlie east shore

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 61

line, none at all along the west side. I regret that no studies
have been conducted during tli€ vernal movements.

Middle Island is a verdure covejed- lime-stone ledge some
twenty rods in width by ninety or more rods long, the long
axis lying nearly east and west, thus lying directly athwart
the south point of Pelee Island, and some four miles distant.
The.re is a border of trees of considerable size and a peach
orchard occupies ' the interior. A light-house stands at its
eastern end. The only inhabitants are the light keepers. Here,
in late August and early September, warblers of many species
were swarming. In 1908 the sand ridge which has been built
up at the western end contained many nests of Common Tern.
In other years no te.rns' nests were found here.

Kelley s Island forms the first stepping stone for the north-
ward moving birds, being separated from the headland of
Marblehead by a strait of water about three miles wide. Like
Put-in-Ray it is a iiiass of limestone rising out of the lake.
Extensive quarr^qng (vf the limestone has been in progress for
years. There is a fringe of trees everywhere except on the
northern exposure, while the western third contains an exten-
sive ]ieach orchard with bordering woods of considerable ex-
tent. The highest point of this island is seventy-five feet above
the lake level. It is about two miles from Middle Island. This
island is a considerable fragment of the mainland, which
]\Iosely says was once clearly a part of the mainland promo-
tory, with probably low or even marshy ground connecting it
with Marblehead. Indeed, there are historical accounts of
crossing by Indians and others, with only narrow channels to
swim.

It would therefore appear that at some time not so far
distant these islands were elevated limestone masses of a
nearly continuous land barrier connecting Point Pelee with
Marblehead. Doubtless also the P>ass Island group with
the adjacent smaller islands, at the same time were con-
nected with Catawba Island. The Hen and Three Chickens,
East Sister and North Harbor seem to form another group
of the same nature, with a possible connection with the

62 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 67.

Ontario shore through the shoal north of them. Whatever
the facts may be it seems clear that at no very ancient date
the land masses were much more extejisive and much nearer
together, and the expanse of water over which the birds must
pass to and from the north much less than at present.

I have, selected Pelee, Middle, and Kelley's Islands for
brief descriptions because they seem to form the most im-
portant highway of migration, and because they represent the
types of islands forming this archipelago except the gravel
islands of Big and Little Chicken, where the Common Terns'
nest in great numbers. These small islands are limestone
ridges covered with gravel. Big Chicken is an angular island
of perhaps two acres fextent, with one willow tree (there has
been another tree which recently blew down), a mass of gourd
vines in the summer, and a small fish house. Little Chicken
is a narrow ridge of limestone rock, with outlying ledges of
considerable extent on all sides nearly reaching the surface
and hence protecting this narrow ridge from storm waves.
There are several small willow trees and bushes along the
north border, and a dense growth of 'smartweed' each side of
the gravel ridge which occupies its center. About a rod in
wndth and fully ten rods in length of this island lies above
summer storm waves. Terns' nests are placed as thickly all
over this area as it is possible for the birds to sit without
serious quarreling.

Put-in-I)ay is like Kelley's , but larger and with more woods
and fields. It rises to about 69 feet above the lake level at the
hotel. Middle Bass is only 11 feet above the lake level, with
few trees, but extensive vineyards, and a small pond where
King Rails' nests are numerous. North Bass rises twenty-
four feet. It has considerable woods and relatively few fields.
The related small islands do not present any unusual features.

While North Harbor Island belongs to the type of larger
islands it presents some interesting features. It is a limestone
ridge trending nearly due north and south, not above ten rods
wide by three times that length, covered by a dense growth
of deciduous trees, most numerous among which is the hack-

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 6:3

berry, with a few cherry trees and berry bushes. A thick
grass grows along the forest -margin and even beneath the
trees. On every visit there have been large numbers of nests
of Common Tern everywhere except in the middle of the
forest. On the 1904 trip to this island numbers of large
snakes, presumably 'Black' snakes (Bascanion constrictor)
were found, and the terns' nests were much fewer than on
other visits. This island, if any of the group, would be the
one best suited for the nesting of the Herring Gulls, but there
has never appeared any evidence of the nesting of these birds
on the island, nor on any others of the group. It is true that
the gulls have been numerous in this region on every visit,
but so are they all summer near the south shore of the lake.
It is likely that they are not breeding- birds.

The mainland region under discussion lies mostly within
the basin of Lake Erie when it was at flood. The oldest and
southernmost beach lies about 4 miles north of Oberlin, swing-
ing up the Black River valley to within a mile of a line running
through Oberlin east and west, and up the Vermilion River
valley to Birmingham. The vegetation of the region is typi-
cally Carolinian, and dififers little from that of the north shore
of Lake Erie. The two rivers mentioned, and the Huron
River, have worn deep, narrow gorges well into the shale
which underlies the whole eastern part of the region, in
places capped with sandstone. Westward and Put-in-Bay
quadrangles, the outcropping rock is limestone. All of the
streams trend in a general north and south direction. The
valley of the Sandusky River is clearly the most important
one from a migrational standpoint, connecting, as it does
with the head waters of the Scioto. I believe that proof
will be forthcoming that one of the main " fly lines "
across Ohio, for both vernal and autumnal migrations
is this Scioto-Sandusky River-Pelee route. It will be
necessary to establish several observation stations from the
Ohio River to Point Pelee, including each of the islands in
the direct line, to conclusively prove it.

]\ly visits to the northerly lying islands indicate that a

64 The \^'I^.so^• Buli.f.tin — No. (u .

rather weak autumnal movement occurs across North Harbor,
East Sister, and the liass group to Catawba, that a strong
autumnal movement occurs along- the Point Pelee-AIarblehead
route, and that there is a desultary westward and southward
movement from Pclee Island to the Bass group and from there
to Catawba. As to the crossing" at other places, notably from.
Point Pelee directly to the Ohio shore, which Taverner and
Swales strongdy favor for certain species, I have but one bit
of evidence, during the seasons of mig'ration. During a
southward movement in the middle of August a patrol of the
beach from Rye Beach to the Lake Laboratory, a distance
of six miles, yielded 12 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 4 Oven-
birds, o Red-eye \'ireos, and unidentifiable remains of sev-
eral other small birds washed upon the beach. The most of
these were within three miles of the Lake Laboratory. The
n.ight had been cloudy and the wind northwest, brisk. If these
birds had been crossing by the island route when they perished
in the waters the wind would have drifted them to the place
where we foun.d them. If they had been crossing to Huron
they would have been driven on the beach near Vermilion
^vl^ere \Ae found none washed up.

During the winter I have often seen Snowflakes and Horn-
ed Larks coming from the north, and giving clear evidence of
having fiown far. In ever\- instan.ce they were flying just above
the ice, and tumbled rather than alighted upon the sand of the
beach, evidently in an exhausted condition. These winter
observations cover the whole line of beach from Lorain to
Cedar Point.

The only birds I have seen striking out northward across
the lake as if to cross, during the vernal migration, have
been the Shar]i-shinned and Broad-winged Hawks. I have
seen many other species start out boldh\ some even lost to
sight for a short time, others not venturing so far, but all
eventually reap])caring and finally giving it up.

T have been unable to secure any hearsay evidence of ex-
tensive, migrations from the north anywhere along the south
shore we,st of Lorain except in line with the islands. At the

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point, 65

Lorain lightlioiisc there have been nig'ht visitations of migra-
ing -^niall birds of many species, but it has not been possible
to prove from what direction they came to the Hght. While
it mav be true, as Taverner and Swales affirm, that some
birds do cross the lake directly from Point Pelee theirs is
the only direct evidence of it. Of course it would not be pos-
sible for them to see the birds for any considerable portion
of the whole distance between the Point and Huron on the
opposite shore, where they would presumably fly, so that the
birds might turn westward to Pelee Island after passing- be-
yond their vision. I am strongly inclined to think that ex-
actly this does happen wath Purple Martins, all of the swal-
'ows and most of the blackbirds, for I have seen them coming
to the easternmost point of Pelee Island from nearly due east,
then pass down the east shore of the island to the extreme
; outh point of sand, thence across to Middle Island, and when
we were between Middle and Kelley's and on Kelley's, they
vrere continuing" on to Kelley's. Again, when we were sailing
midway between Kelley's and Marblehead the. migrating birds
were passing from Kelley's to Marblehead. During this same
l^eriod of movement we also sailed out eastward into the open
lake but saw no birds passing anywhere, nor were any arriv-
ing anywhere along the Ohio shore from Cedar Point to
Lorain although there was a steady stream passing over the
island route at the same time.

The onlv occasion when I have lieen in a position to check
up the work of Taverner and Swales at Point Pelee was on
September 17, li^OO, when they state ^ that there was a migra-
tion of Sharp-shinned Hawks passing down the Point and out
across the lake for the Ohio shore. On that date there was
no evidence of any arrival of Sharp-shins on this side east of
Sandusky nor on preceding or subsequent days as far as 1
could learn. So large a flight would certainly have been noticed
if the birds had crossed directly unless, indeed, they rose to
great bights and continued so well inland.

In the absence of direct evidence from co-operative work
Wilson Bulletin, Vol. XIX, p. 93

6G The Wilson Bulletin — No. 67.

on both sides of the lake and among the islands any discus-
sion of the routes taken by the birds in their southward move-
ments is too academic to be profitable. I hope that in the;
next few years some fairly extensive and complete work of
this kind may be accomplished and the question settled.

The writer is painfully aware of the shortcomings of this
list, but he feels sure that it is wiser to publish it now than to
wait until comparisons with the list by Taverner and Swales
for Point Pe.elee would lose value by reason of so great dis-
crepancies in the time covered by the work at the two places.
This list should be regarded as preliminary.

1. Colyinhiis aiiriti(f<. — Horned Grebe.

An irre.Linlar and not often common spring migrant, but usually an
abundant fall migrant, when it is found in large companies in the
shallow water between the shore and the outer bar on the lake.
Relatively few individuals are ever found on the waters of the Bay
at any time. Its earliest date of arrival in spring was March 25,
the median date being April 16 ; the median date of departure for
seven years is April 21, the latest date being May 17, 1908. The me-
dian date of arrival in fall is October 10, the earliest date being Sep-
tember 23, 1907. It usually remains, but in small numbers, until
the first severe weather — December 27, 1907. Scattered individuals
are fovmd on small inland waters, and on the streams. Occasionally
exhausted and starving individuals are found in mid-wintfer in towns
or cities.

When the numbers are so great that large companies are formed
there is a perpetual conversational undertone decidedly pleasing in
quality, accompanied with a sort of play among the birds. There is
usually little concerted action, whether resulting from sudden fright
or otherwise, but I have seen a flock of nearly 200 individuals dive
almost on the instant.

2. PodiJyml)us podiceps. — Pied-billed Grebe.

A regular and fairly common migrant, but never in such numbers
as the last species. A few remain all summer in the marshes and
very likely breed there, but I have not yet found birds with their
young. At Cedar Point it is just as clearly a bird of the marshes
as the last species is of the open lake. Occasionally individuals are
seen on the lake side of the sand spit, especially late in the spring
migration. The maximum number of individuals forming a company
seldom exceeds a dozen, and from two or one t© four or five is far

Jones — On IjIrds of Cedar Point.

67

more usvial. It is uext to impossible to get oue of these birds to rise
from the water. Imt tlie.v dive on the least pretext, and may remain
hidden with only tlie bill showing for long periods. On the Oberlin
Water Works reservoir they often remain for weeks at a time, but
seem never to become accustomed to the presence of iieople un thr
bank.

The median date of arrival at Oberlin is April 8. the earliest being
May 28, 1904. At Cedar Point the median date of arrival is March
10, the earliest being March 16, 1907. They first reach Oberlin about
October 1, and the last leave Cedar Point about November 4. At
any time during the periods of migration one or two may be found

Fig. '2. The I>nne Section, looking southwards from the Lake
Laboratory. To the left are the dunes and the blowouts, tlie lake in
the distance. Between the dunes and the bay on the right is the for-
est strip, here mainly consisting of the riiniis-Acer and AiUnithuH
formations. (Photo by Professor Herbert Osborn.)

on the smallest and most insignificant ponds, where it is an easy
matter to make a hand capture, the birds not being able to get un-
der way in flight from so small a water area, and of course unable
to escape by diving in a few inches of water.

3. Gavia immer. — Loon.

Always scarce, even at Cedar Point, so that migration dates an
unreliable. One or two are usually found on the Oberlin Watei
Works reservoir about the middle of April, remaining from one to

68 The Wilson Bulletin — No. G7.

ton days. There was a female there ou May 21. 1901. My only fall
ro'v'ords are October 22, 1S97, aucl November 4. 1907. This apparent
rarity is probably somewhat due to my short and infrequent studif s
along the lake. But the Loon is scarce at any time of year, and
dearly does not breed in Ohio now.

1. (kiria arctica. — Black-throated Loon.

The only record of this bird's occurrence within the region is that
gi^'en by Dr. J. M. Wheaton for Sandusky Bay in the fall of 1880
on the authority of Mr. H. E. Chubb, then of Cleveland, who mount-
ed the specimen.^

5. Uria lomvia. — Brunnich's Murre.

During the visitation of 1890 four birds of this species were cap-
tured at Lorain, three in Sandusky Bay, and others reported from
Ottawa county during the last lialf of December. Professor E. L.
Moseley tells me that there were either five or seven in Sandusky
Bay in December, 1908, some of which were captured. It appears
that the birds do not survive long after reaching the waters of Lake
Erie.

G. iStcrcorarius poDiarinns. — Pomarine Jfeger.

Occurrences of this species are limited to a specimen in the col-
lection of Mr. A. Hengartner, of Lorain, where it was secured, and
the one reported in Cook's Birds of Alichigan by Professor E. L.
Moseley, for Sandusky, October, 1889.

7. Stercorfiriiis parasiticus. — Parasitic Ja?ger.

The records are as follows : Sandusky Bay. September 13 and
20, 1S89, and October G, 1895, E. L. Moseley. Near Sandusky, No-
vember, 1895. two specimens taken. F. M. Comstock.^

8. Lanis Iciicoptenis. — Iceland Gull.

One specimen was taken at Lorain, December 22. 1888, and pre-
served by Mr. L. M. McCormick for the Oberlin College museum. If
it occurs with any regularity upon Lake Erie it has tlms far passed
unnoticed.

9. Larus argeiitatiis. — Herring Gull.

In the sense that it is present at all times of year it is a I'esident
if the proviso is added that it does not breed in the region. The
birds found in sunnner are clearly not breeding birds, although
some of them are in full adult plumage. During hard winters, when
the ice covers the lake extensively, the birds are less numerous and

'Geological Survey of Ohio. IV, 1882. p. 5G5.

-The Auk. XIII, p. 171.

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 69

are gathered in the vicinity of the cities, or in the regions where
fishing througli the ice is practiced extensively. Apparently there
is always some open water in Sandusky Bay and the marshes, and
here I have seen the birds, to the number of fifty, lined up along the
the linear openings in the ice which mark a line of decaying swamp
vegetation. The gulls appear to spend the night on the ice in the
vicinity of such feeding places. After a hard winter there is pretty
clearly a northward migration, during which individuals visit the
Oberlin Water Works reservoir.

1(1. Lartis (Jehnrai-eiisis. — King-billed Gull.

The presence of this gull all along the lake front has been sus-
pected, but it has not been until the more recent intensive studies at
Cedar Point that positive proof of its regular occurrence has been
obtained. It is clearly much less common than the Herring Gull.
None have been observed in winter, and none during June and July.

11. Lams phihtdclpliia. — Bonaparte's Gull.

This is a regular migrant, but is far more numerous during the
southward movement than at other times. None have been recorded
in July, and almost none in June and August. The migratory move-
ment appears to occur along the river courses and few fiy over the re-
gions between. Thus at Oberlin, which lies between the two river
courses, only a few scattered individuals are seen, while at Cleveland,
and especially at Sandusky, many hundreds pass. In my experience
this gull is far more numerous on both sides of Cedar Point sand spit
than elsewhere along the lake, and the times of maximum num-
bers occur between Noveml>er 1 and December 30. During the last
three winters I have found a flock of from 50 to 500 birds ranging
along the shores of the sand spit as long as there remained open
water, which was well into January. They act much like terns, div-
ing headlong into the water for fish, but can always be readily dis-
tinguished from them by the almost sparrow-like conversational
notes instead of the harsh icr-r-r of the terns. They seem to pre-
fer the vicinity of the lake beach to the marshes for feeding grounds,
possibly because small fish are more numerous there. On the occa-
sions when the pent-up swamp waters at Rye Beach have broken
thi'ough into the lake carrying all sorts of debris upon their floods,
these gulls have collected at the place in great numbers, feeding.

The northward migration begins from the first to the middle of
April, and all have passed north by the first of June. A few individ-
uals return by the first of September, but the flood does not appear
before the first of November. Professor E. L. Moseley states that
over 2,000 of these birds were feeding in the waters and marshes
east of Sandusky on November 12, 1904.

70

The W'li.sox Ril.i.ktix — X

o. (;

12. Sicnia caxpia. — Caspian Teru.

Records of this tern are eontined to Sandnsky Bay and the west
half of the sand spit and adjoining marshes and kike. Two were
recorded September 18 and 23, 1907, and one May 4 and 12, 1908.
The.v were feeding in the same places. Init somewhat apart from the
Common I'erns. Their greater size was clearly evident.

13. Stcnia hiniiido. — Conunon Tern.

Coiamo'i from ahont May ^>\ to aliont Octdher 1st. The only breed-
ing places thus far discovered are upon Big and Little Chicken Isl-

Fig. 3. The Black Channel and the I'lirofjinitcs-Typlia Marsh For-
mation. The forests in the far distance are at the edge of the main
land on the other border of the marsh, more than two miles distant.
Near here the Bladpates and Scoiip Ducks abound on close days.
Black Ducks and Mallards feed in the vegetation covered areas near.
(Pliotd 1).\' Otto Jennings.)

aiids. and upon the reef of Chick when it is sufficiently uncovered
by water, upon North Hai'bor. Starve Island, the gravel ridge at the
west end of Middle, and over the top of the Rattle of liattlesnakc
Island. There are old reports of nestings upon Cull Island, which
has never been above the wave wash since my studies began. It is
])retty clear that the nesting places are greatly restricted since the
advent of tin- white num. lien Island, which is reported as having

ToNKS — On Birds of Cedar Point. 71

been a favorite nesting place, is no\v inhabited and no terns nest
there. As nearly as can be estimated there are probably 3,000 nest-
ing pairs within this region, and perhaps half as many non-nesting
birds which range freely over the region. In the region of Cedar
Point there have always been considerable numbers during my stud-
ies. In late August and early September there have always been
considerable numbers of winter plumaged Black Terns about the
nesting islands and mingling among the flying Common Terns, add-
ing their protests against the unwelcome visitors.

14. HydrocheJldoii iiif/ra siiriinnncin^ix. — Black Tern.

A variable number of Black Terns breed in the marshes. In fa-
vorable summers I have counted upwards of twenty pairs, but there
are usually nf)t so many. I therefore can hardly agree that it is a
"common" breeder, but it is certainly regular. It selects for a nest-
ing region the somewhat open central parts of a considerable area
whose margins are thickly grown up with marsh vegetation so that
a boat can be pushed across and into the nesting area with much
difficulty. The nest is placed on decaying vegetation which is barely
more than flusli \A-ith the surface of th« water, many times, perhaps
always, as Mr. W. F. Henninger thinks, upon a submerged muskrat
house. I have found fresh eggs during the first week of July. The
birds are courageous in the defense of their eggs and young, even
striking the head of the intruder. The first birds appear in spring
p.ear the first of May, and the last have passed south by September
25 During the migrations they are not infrequently seen along the
river courses.

1~'. Phalaciocorux uiirifn-s. — Double-crested Cormorant.

Only twice have my visits to Cedar Point coincided with the visi-
tations of this species. On April 29, I'JOT, I found a specimen which
fishermen told me had been shot four or five days previously when
there were considerable numbers in the region of Cedar Point. On
May ly I recorded one specimen, and again on November 4, at Cedar
I*oint. If fishermen are reliable there is a regular migration of this
species across the region of Sandusky not far from the first of May.
Moseley reports one on October 7, V.)0'A.

10. Pelecfunis cri/thi'oj'liyiichos. — American White Pelican.

There are two records for the immediate vicinity of Oberlin.
Specimens were not taken but the records were made by persons
who are familiar with the species in other places. One was in early
May, ISnO, the other at the Olterlin Water Works reservoir in the
spring of 1897. I have been unable to secure the exact dates.

72 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 67.

J7. Meri/iis (iiiirricuiius.—AmeYic-au Merganser.

Present on the lake, except during and in summer, the middle of
severe winters. It is simetimes numerous enough to be called com-
mon, but ordinarily less than fifty individuals are recorded along
ton miles of lake front. Immature and female plumages outnumber
full adult male plumages about five to one. The decided preference
of this species for the open waters of the lake has often been noted.
There are very few records of its occurrence in the waters of the
marshes. It seems to prefer to feed near the shore.

18. Mergus serratoi: — Red-breasted Merganser.

This is the coumiouer one of the mergansers during both migra-
tions, when hundreds are sometimes recorded in a single day, but it
is less sure to remain all winter. It is more often found in the
marshes feeding in company with other ducks. My migration rec-
ords, which are not as complete as one could wish, indicate that it
arrives from the south about the middle of March, passes north
about the middle of May, returns from the north about the first of
November, and departs southward again during the cold weather of
January.

19. Lophodytes cnciiUafiis — Hooded Merganser.

Its occurrence in the region warrants the tern "scarce." From one
to half a dozen individuals are seen each year, but gunners report it
as not unconnuon during the hight of its migrations. My records
indicate that it moves northward from the last week in March to
about the first of May, and south during nearly the whole of No-
vember, but migration dates are too few to make this certain. I
have found more individuals along the rivers than in the marshes
and on the lake.

20. .i;/«.s- phitijrliyiichos. — Mallard.

Mallards reach the marshes at Sandxisky about the first of March,
or as soon after that as there is nuich open water ; are common dur-
ing the most of March, thinning out decidedly with the approach of
warm weather, and all but stragglers are gone by the middle of
April. Individuals are occasionally seen in .June and .July, but if
any breed there is no other evidence than such irregular occurrence
glA-es. The first migrants appear near the first of October, the num-
ber.« increase to common during November and most have gone with
the first touch of winter. Occasionally a few remain well into Jan-
uary in mild winters. While this may properly be called one of the
common ducks at Cedar Point it is l»y no means as common as the
next sjiecies. It is more often ])ut up from the vegetation covered
parts of the marsh than from the open waters of it. On gunning

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 73

d;i.\E OHO looks for it on the lake, but at other times It is seldom seen
on the lake.

21. Alias riihripcs. — Red-legged Black Duck, and Anas riihripcs tris-
//.s'.— Black Duck.

Sullicient data is lacking to determine the exact status of the two
forms, hence the remarks will apply to the undivided species. It is
clear that both forms occur, as proved b.v specimens examined and
preserved.

This is the commonest of the larger ducks, if, indeed, it is not the

Fig. 4. The second cove south of Bieuiiller's Cove. The Nym-
phwa advena Consocies mingled with the CastaUa tuberosa Consocies,
Typha in the immediate background and P/n-fff/wi/cs further back. A
t.vpe of the feeding ground of Pied-billed Grebes. Black Ducks and
Mallards are often flushed from such situations in the early morning,
("oots are also found here, and among the bordering vegetation Flor-
ida Gallinules may be found in summer. (Photo by Otto Jennings.)

conunonest of all ducks. Gunners report "millions" in the hight of
the gunning season. Such an estimate appears less extravagant when
one realizes that the birds, almost crazed by the constant rattle of
the guns, are flying liack and forth and up and down, the same indi-
viduals reap])earing nniny times in the course of an hour. I have
seen many hundreds in a single day, but I doubt if more than a few

74: TnH A\'nsox Bulletin — No. 67.

thousands are even iireseiit on any day. This siiecies may constitute
a tliird of all the ducks on some days. The Black Ducks flush from
their feediui? places in the s\Aamp vegetation readily. Indeed, it is
next to impossiltle to stalk them to within gun range. Tiiey rest on
the open waters of the bay. or well out in the lake, where great flocks
often blacken its surface. The first arrive about the first of March
and the bulk have gone north by the first of April, but a few gener-
ally linger even well into ]May. The first return about October 15,
and the numbers reach a maximum within two weeks. There are al-
most alwaj's considerable numbers present until cold weather in late
December or early Janiiary closes the marshes. In mild winters a
good many remain all winter.

22. Chdulelasrnii.s stfepenis. — Gadwall.

An examination of the bags of the hunters usually results in a few
specimens of this fast disappearing duck. It seems to be one of the
rarest of the ducks now, but I am told that not more than fifteen
years ago it was common. I have no reliable migration dates.

23. Mareca (iniericaiia. — Baldpate.

During the spring migrations of 1907, 1908,- and 1909. it was one of
the more common species of ducks at the Sandusky marshes, becom-
ing common on the 18th, 16th, and loth of March respectively, and
remaining so until May 6, 1907, and April 2, 1908. Of course it flies
out to the lake when hard pressed in the marshes, but the greatest
numbers have been found on the larger areas of open water in the
marshy regions east of the mouth of Black Channel. One need never
be in doubt about the identity of this species when the notes are once
learned. To Avindward of large flocks I have heard the mingled
notes of the flock at a distance of nearly a mile. On Mondays, when
the Ohio game laws forbid shooting, these ducks gather in com-
panies of hundreds on a certain stretch of open water in the marsh
and may there be seen courtins, iilaying and flghting. or tipping up
while feeding.

The migrations begin with the second general migration wave — in
the second week of March generally — and the bulk are gone north
i)y the middle of April. Individuals and even small flocks may re-
main as late as May 20 (1907). Fall records are entirely wanting
from my books. Almost none of these ducks are found far from the
marshes, but when they are I have found them singly or in twos on
the small field ponds.

21. IS'clliiii) Caroline II sin. — (Ireen-wiuged Teal.

I have only three records, all of which are for the Oberlin Water
Works reservoir, as follows : March 29 and October IG, 1899. one

Jones — Ox I'irhs of Cf.kar I'oixt. 75

each time; March 27, lOOn. one. (iuimers' statements are not satis-
factory, hnt tlicv seem to indicate that tliis teal is scarce at the
marslies. I have not seen specimens talven there. Either tlie nnm-
Iters liave i^reatly decreased or tliis is not one of the t\y lines of this
species.

25 QiierqiivclHla flixcor-^. — Blue-winjced Teal.

Judging from actual records only a few pairs breed in the
ni'irshes, and none in the inland regions. It is only occasionally
common in the marshes during the migrations. The most of my

Fig. 5. In the third cove south of Biemiller's Cove. The Ncliimho
liitea Consocies mingled in the left background with Poiitedcria cor-
(hita Society: the general background Ijeing the Phraymltes phrag-
inites ('(in>-'ocies of tlu> ^fars'i Formation. I.ong-billed Marsh Wrens
and Florida (Jallinules prefer such places. (Photo by Otto Jen-
nings.)

records are of from one to a dozen individuals. Single individuals
visit the Oberliu Water Works reservoir during the spring migra-
tions, and occasionally one is seen on the small field ponds inland
Tht Blue-wings uiostly remain awa.v from groups of other species,
feeding in the vegetaion covered areas of the marsh, from where
they do not rise readily.

y6 ■ The Wilson Bui.i.f.tin — No. 07.

(\ilierlin inigrntioii dates are for arrivals April 21, departures May
4. Cedar Point arrivals :Nrarcli 30. Indk departures April 25. The last
seeji iu I'.MIT was Novemlier 10.

2ti. tSixitiiht cli/pcafo. — Shoveller.

Another relatively uueommon species. On April 6, 1902. and Sep-
tember 2."), 1S9"J, there were visitations to the Oberlin Water Works
i-ei.;ervoir. Small conipaiiies are usually seen at the east end ot the
marshes during late March and early April. Dates of occurrence
are too few and too variable to indicate the times of migration.
Gunners report it as regular but scarce at both seasons. The evi-
dence seems to point to a marked decrease in numbers during re-
oeut years. My experience with it has been that it prefers small
areas of open water in the narrower parts of the marsh.

27. Ufiflla acuta. — Pintail.

'I'his is still a connnon duck in the migrations, but its numbers
are certainly decreasing. Up to 1000 numbers were regularly record-
ed in their passage across the country almost anywhere, but since
that time practically none are seen except iu the marshes. There are
days when this is the commonest of the ducks, but the periods of
such abundance are short. Small flocks have visited the Oberlin
Water Works reservoir early in the morning, but left with the first
signs of the awakening of the populace. They are nervous and wary
always, but doubly so after a short experience with the gunners at
the marshes. They are usually seen in the companies which are made
up of Baldpates and Lesser Scaups, with a few others, in the middle
of an extensive open area near the mouth of Black Channel, or far-
ther west in the open Bay, where the vegetation reaches the surface.

My earliest spring record is February 22, 1908, following a mild
winter, and the latest spring record is April 20, 1907. Fall records
are September 25, 1S99, to November 2G, 1907.

2.S. Ai.v siioiisa. — Wood Duck.

My experience witli this duck in this region indicates tliat the min-
imum numbers were reached from 1890 to 1001, and that since the
latter year it has been increasing itert-eptibly. During the three
years mentioned none were seen. In 1002 four were seen ; none in
190?> ; but since then it has been of regular occurrence. Taxider-
mists report a marked increase in the number received, and gunners
speak of an increase. Wliile no nests have been found there is every
other reason for lielieving that a few pairs breed within the limits of
the region. Stringent laws for the protection of this duck have proved
of little avail.

Hennixger-Jones — On Falcones of North America. 77
THE FALCONES OF NORTH AMERICA.

BY REV. \V. F. HENNINGER AND LYNDS JONES.

The reason for this proposed series of papers lies back of nu-
merous personal requests from bird students who find the
group difftcult, especially in tield identification, that some-
thing might be attempted in the way of descriptions to make
the task easier or more certain. In presenting this first paper
the writer (L. J.) does not feel any confidence that much has
been done toward that end, for the reason that there is so much
variation in color pattern within the species that anything less
than a series of excejDtionally well executed color plates must
fail of giving a satisfactory impression of the species. In fact,
one mnst needs spend a good deal of time with each species,
scrutinizing every characteristic of flight, feeding habits, voice,
— life history, in order to feel much certainty about some of
the species. This first paper is presented at this time with a
view to ascertaining whether enough is accomplished toward
the ends desired to v/arrant a continuance along the same line,
or whether changes ought to be made, and what changes. The
authors therefore solicit criticisms and suggestions from every
source.

It has been deemed best to present photographs of actual
specimens rather than line drawings or made up pictures, giv-
ing in the pictures only the parts that are important in field
identification. It is gratuitous to say that the difficulties of
this method have not been fully met.

The arrangement of the species does not copy any method,
but is one which, in the working out of the scheme, seems to
the authors to be the most natural one. It is only fair for the
writer (L. J.) to say that both the final arrangement and the
most of the descriptive matter is the work of Mr. Henninger.
to whose untiring energv the work is largely due.

78 The W'ji.sox Bur.LKTix — Xo. GT.

FALCO ISLAXDUS (Briiiin).

White Gvrfalcon.

Geog'. Distrib.

Arctic regions, including" Arctic America and Greenland,
accidental in British Columbia, Maine. Toronto; north to
81°5.V : breeding" in northern Greenland, Bering" Island ( lat.
55°) , Ungava Bay Labrador, Tuxsuk River, Alaska.

[Measurements.

Male; length 59.87 ctm ; extent 129 to 14U ctm ; wing 37
ctm ; tail 23.61 ctm; tarsus 5.-")3 ctm; middle toe 5.05 ctm;
culnien 2.31 ctm.

Female: length 59.80 ; wing :'!)., SO ; tail 25.38 ; tarsus (3.12;
middle toe 5.32 ; culmen 2.59.

Diagnostic I\Iarks.
Thighs and lower tail coverts pure white. Prevailng color
of plumage white. Large size..

Plumage.

White, often pure, usually with dark markings. Adult ;
Top of head and neck narrowly streaked with dusky, upper
parts more or less transversely spotted or barred with slatish
dusky, lower parts no well defined markings.

Young: nestling like adults (Chapman, Auk X\'1I, p. 387).

Flight and Habits.

Flight elevated, rapid beats then a short sail. I'old, strikes
its prey with 1)ullet-like swiftness (Authors) — "endurance
greater than swiftness, rather slow." (Kumlie.n) — sitting
like a Tern ; carriage otherwise noble and striking ; shy ; at-
tacks the Bald Eagle ; molested by the Raven ; living mostly
in pairs, seldom gregarious. Formerly much used in falconry.
Migrates at times.

Food.

All kinds of sea-birds, as auks, gulls, murres, sandpipers;

Henninger- Jones — On Falcones of North America. 79

also rabbits, lemmings, hares, ptarmigans.

Voice.
A piercing, almost thrilling scream, " gyak."

Nest.
On inaccessible cliffs, in close vicinity of breeding water-
fowl ; composed of sticks, lined with moss, hay, hairs and
feathers.

Eggs.
Laid end of May and in June, 2 to 4 — 60 x 48 mm 59.5 x
46.5 mm (Bendire) ; 60.45 x 43.8 mm (Davie) ; reddish white
ground color marked with varying shades of red ; texture
rough.

Time, of incubation unknown.

FALCO RUSTICOLUS [Linu).

Gray Gyrfalcon.

Two subspecies are included under this specific heading-
Gyrfalco, (Linn.) the Gyrfalcon, and obsolctiis, (Gmel.) the
Black Gyrfalcon.

Geographical Distribution.

Gray Gyrfalcon: northern parts of the Arctic Region (ex-
cept Norway and Sweden), breeding everywhere; occassion-
ally south in winter to the Northern United States, British Co-
lumbia, Wisconsin.

Gyrfalcon : northern Europe, and in America from Labra-
dor and Hudson's Bay to Alaska.

Black Gyrfalcon : coast of Labrador south to Canada,
Maine, Rhode Island, and New York.

Measurements.

Gray Gyrfalcon: Male; length 52.32, wing 35.86, tail 2L67,
culmen 2.29, tarsus 6.17, middle toe 5.03.

Female; length 59.69, wing 40.13, tail 24.77, culmen 2 54,
tarsus 6.24, middle toe 5.23.

80 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 67.

Gyrfalcon: Male; wing 34.42, tail 21.67, culmen 2.29,
tarsus 5 :99, middle toe 5.00.

Female; wing 39.37, tail 24.49, culmen 2.59, tarsus 6.32,
middle toe, 5.33.

Black Gyrfalcon: Male; wing 36.32, tail 21.97, culmen
2.29, tarsus 6.12, middle toe 4.92.

Female; wing 39.80, tail 24.94, culmen 2.59, tarsus 6.68,
middle toe 5.33.

Diagnostic Marks.

Lower tail coverts always streaked with dusky (in contrast
with islaiidus), upper parts with white never prevailing; light-
er colored (but darker than island us) is Gray Gyrfalcon,
darker is Gyrfalcon, and the darkest form is Black Gyrfal-
con.

Color Pattern.

Adult : Top of head much streaked with white, upper parts
barred with blackish and grayish or bufify white, tail with
sharply contrasting bars of light and dark, nearly equal in
width ; thighs and flanks always barred with some dusky.

Young : With much whitish above in spots, below with the
dark stripes narrower than the \vhite interspaces.

The Gyrfalcon has the head more dusky and the whole
plumage with more extent of the dark markings.

The Black Gyrfalcon is still darker, with the darker mark-
ings prevailing so that the under parts appear dark.

Flight.

Apparently not distinguishable from that of the White
Gyrfalcon.

Food.

Sea birds, ptarmigans, waders, rabbits, hares, squirrels,
lemmings, mice..

Voice.

Ky ak, ke a, ke a, ke a, increasing in rapidity.

HENNiNr,p:R-JoNF.s — On Falcones of North America. 81

Nest.

On ledge of clilts, on the sides of ravines, and similar
places, also in the tops of tall trees, usually pines, composed
of sticks and small branches, lined with moss, hay, hair,
feathers, etc.

Eg-g-s.

Three or four, laid from ^lay 10 to the middle of June.
Texture rough. Ovate. White or creamy ground color
which is scarcely distinguishable beneath the spots and blotch-
es of various shades of reddish brown, clay and fawn color,
the markings are small. Size 59.5 x 1:5 mm (gyrfako), 57.4
X 15.1 mm. (obsolctiis) (Bendire).

FALCO PEREGRINUS (Titiist).
Peregrine Falcon.

Three forms are grouped under this heading, according to
the latest ruling of the committee on nomenclature. These
are the Peregrine Falcon, with scientific name as above, F. p.
aiiatum (Bonap.), Duck Hawk, and F. p. pcalci Ridgway
Peak's Falcon.

Peregrine Falcon : Eastern Hemisphere, Greenland.

Duck Hawk: North and South American south to Chili
(as the name pcrcgriinis is intended to indicate, a great wan-
derer) ; breeding locally throughout the United States, Labra-
dor, Hudson's Bay, and British Columbia.

Peak's Falcon : Pacific Coast from Oregon and Washing-
ton to the Aleutian and Commander Islands, this also form-
ing the breeding range.

Measurements.

Peregrine Falcon and Duck Hawk: Male, length 42.73,
wing 31.07, tail 17.46, culmen 1.96, tarsus 4.12, middle toe
4.92.

Female, length 48.79, wing 36.27, tail 20.85, culmen 2.41,
tarsus 5.31, middle toe 5.41.

S2 TriE W'lLSox lU'LLF.Tix — Xo. 67.

Peak's Falcon: Male, wing 33.89, tail 17.15, culmen 2.13,
tarsus 4.92, middle toe -l.So.

Female, wing- 37.23, tail 19.91, culmen 2.41, tarsus 5.48,
middle toe 5.41.

Diagnostic INIarks.

Black moustache, bluish-gray back, long pointed wings,
swift flight.

Color Pattern.

Adult : top of head deep black, darker than the back, which
is bluish ash, underparts cream color forward, buffy back-
ward ; spotted with tear shaped or cre.scentic black or dark
marks forward running into bars backward.

Young: ground color of lower parts ochreous with sooty
brown stripes where the adults have crescentic marks and
bars ; upper parts sooty brown.

Peregrine Falcon is more marked below, Duck Hawk less
so or immaculate, while Peale's Falcon has the color of the
top of the head the same as the back, and usually more heav-
ily m.arked below.

Flight and Habits.

These are bold birds, seeming to have little fear of man,
indeed daring to dart in and snatch the bird just killed almost
from beneath the hunter's hand. The flight is almost incred-
ibly swift when prey is being pursued. At times soaring and
rising to great heights is practiced. At the nest these birds
are noisy and shy, at other times usually c[uiet. They be-
come attached to certain localities.

Food.

Almost any birds up to the size of ducks and grouse, hares,
poultry, dragon-flies.

\^oice.
Ka yak, ka yak — kea kea. Often a cackling noise.

Xest.
On cliffs or in the hollow limbs of very tall trees. Nest

Hknnixger-Jones — On Fai.coxes of Xorth America. 83

composed of a few bits of twigs, rotten wood, with a little
moss, wool, or feathers.

Eggs.

From three to five, laid from March to July, depending on
the latitude. The eggs are rounded ovate, creamy white or
buffy, spotted with cinnamon browai, reddish brown, or choc-
olate. Size about 53 x •^12.2 mm. The eggs vary greatly
in color and size. Incubation lasts about 28 days, both par-
ents sharing.

FALCO MEXICANUS (Schleg).
Prairie Falcon.

Geographical Distribution.
United States, from the eastern border of the plains, and
from the Dakotas south into Mexico ; casual eastward to
Illinois. Breeds throughout the United States range.

Measurements.

Male: Length 43, wing 30. 8G, tail 17.15, culmen 1.07,
tarsus 4.45, middle toe 4.86.

Female : Length 48.26, wing 35.24, tail 20.19, culmen 2.35,
tarsus 5.53, middle toe 5.46.

Diagnostic Marks.
A blackish patch on the side of the throat, distinctly streak-
ed under parts, and a gray-brown back. Strong, quick,
dashing flight.

Color Pattern.

Adult : Top of head sooty black, or deep black, distinctly
darker than the back : under parts varying from pure white
to creamy buft, distinctly but not heavily marked with black-
ish, rarely unmarked below.

Yonng: Lower parts more buffy and striped with dusky,
upper parts with the colors obscured by brownish edgings
of the feathers.

84 The Wilson Bulletin — Xo G7.

Flig-ht.

Strong-, easy, straight-away flight ; swift, clashing descent
for prey. It is doubtful if any other bird of prey is its equal
in flight.

Food.
Birds of various kinds, up to the size of a meadowlark ;
rabbits, rodents of various sorts. They seem to pre.fer bird
flesh, but during" a scarcity of such diet may be driven to any
of the smaller animals.

Nest.

On the ledg'es of cliffs or precipices, rarely in open nests
in trees. The ledge nests seem to be merely detritus and
food leavings. Open nests in trees must necessarily be com-
posed of twigs or weeds or other coarse material, whether
placed there by bird or simply utilized after the departure
of the original builder.

Eggs.

Three to five. The nesting time varies from late March in
its southern range to early June northward. The eggs are
on the average lighter in color than the eggs of any other
Falcon except the Sparrow Hawk. The ground color is
creamy white, rarely so completely overlaid as to be obscured.
The markings are blotches and spots of different shades of
reddish brown, tawny, and chocolate. The eggs average 5-3
X 41.5. (Bendire).

Next to the Sparrow Hawk this is the commonest of the
hawks of the western regions. Without doubt it is harmful,
at times markedly so, but there is little doubt that it is also
beneficial to a considerable degree. It has been known to
kill Sharp-tailed Grouse. It seems to decidedly prefer the
flesh of birds.

Henninger-Jones — On Falcones of North America. 85

FALCO COFUMEARIUS (Linn).
Pigeon Hawk.
Under this chapter are three races which have been given
recognition. The extreme northwestern form, which is the
darkest one is F. c. sucklcyi (Ridg-a'ay) Black MerHn ; the
eastern form is typical columharius, Pigeon Hawk, and is the
median form, while the form occupying the middle western
parts of the country, but ranging to the Pacific coast is F. c.
richardsonii (Ridgway), Richardson's Merlin, it being the
lightest, in conformance to its more desert habitat.

Geographical Distribution.

Pigeon Hawk, occupies the whole of the eastern part of
North America east of the Rocky Mountains, breeding chief-
ly north of the United States, wintering south to northern
South America : less common west of the mountains.

Black Merlin, is confined to the Pacific Coast region from
northern California to Sitka, Alaska, ranging eastward in
Washington and Oregon.

Richardson's Merlin, occupies the interior of North Amer-
ica, from the Mississippi River westward to the Pacific Coast,
from the Saskatchewan region to Texas. Arizona, and Mexico.

Measurements.

Pigeon Hawk: Male; length 27.24, wing 17.80, tail 13.11,
culmen 1.24, tarsus 3.43, middle toe 3.05.

Female: Length 31.81, wing 21.59, tail 13.72, culmen 145.
tarsus 4.01, middle toe 3.42.

Black Merlin: Male; wing 19.76, tail 13.46, culmen 1.57,
tarsus 3.30, (Mrs. Eckstonn).

Female: Wing 21.25, tail 14.60, culmen 1.47, tarsus 3.94,
middle toe 3.50, (Ridgzvay).

Richardson's Merlin : Male ; length 27.94. wing 20.24, tail
12.95, culmen 1.40, tarsus 3.76, middle toe 3.20.

Female; length 32.51. wing 22.73, tail 15.27, culmen 1.45,
tarsus 3.15. middle toe 3.10.

86 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 67.

Diagnostic Marks.

These are small, very dark hawks, heavily streaked with
umber brown on the under parts, of swift flight, and sharply
pointed wings which seem to reach forward to g'rasp the air.

Plumage,.

Pigeon Hawk : Adult male ; above dark slaty blue, with
rusty edges and black shafts to the feathers, below whitish
tawny, heavily streaked with dark umber l:)rown which runs
into bars on the flanks, and into fine pencilings on the throat
and cheeks. Inner webs of the wing quills spotted or barred
with white, outer webs with traces of grayish. Tail with
four narrow white and four black bars, its tip white.

Adiflt female and young male : above dark umber brown,
head with rusty edgings ; below darker than the adult male.
Wing spots and bars ochreous.

Black Merlin : Distinctly darker in general coloration.

Richardson's Merlin : Distinctly lighter in general color-
ation. Tail crossed with five blackish dusky and six bluish-
gray bands. '

Flight and Habits.

In flight the swiftest of the small hawks. When perched
it sits erect and is alert, but seems less wary than most hawks.
At its nest it is courageous and a fierce fighter.

Food.
Principally small birds, rarely mice and small squirrels.

Voice.
"Tve-ah, ke-ah, ke-ah," often repeated.

Nest.
In holes in trees, on cliffs, or in crotch of a tree. The nest
is a bulky affair of sticks with a lining of soft bark, long hairs,
dry grass, feathers, and moss. It sometimes fits an old crow
nest over.

Eggs.
Four or five, varying greatly in form and markings, aver-

Henningek-Jonf.s— On Fxlcones of Xorth America. 87

aging 41.31 mm. ; creamy white, spotted with recUHsh, cin-
namon, or chocolate, with a -few heavier spots of the same
colors. The eggs are laid in March to June, depending upon
the latitude. Incubation lasts about 22 days.

FALCO yESALON {Tunstall).
A^Ierlin.
Geographical Distribution.
Europe, Asia, Africa. Accidejital at Cape Farewell, Green
land (May 3, 1875).

Measurements.

Male: Length 27.96, wing 19.62, tail 13.21, culmen 1.19,
tarsus 3 58, middle toe 2.92.

Female: Length 33.(55, wing 22.-13, tail 15.67, culmen 1.37,
tarsus 3.71, middle toe 3.13.

Diagnostic Marks.
Above bluish-gray, beneath rusty with brownish stripe.s :
black subtemiinal bar of closed tail. Flight.

Plumage.

Adult male : L^pper parts bluish-gray with fine black shaft
streaks, hind neck spotted with whitish and bufify, tail with 6
or 7 concealed black bands, tipped with white ; cheeks with
a distinct 'moustache,.' Below light rusty streaked with
brownish.

Adult female : Upper parts brownish, top of head with
black streaks ; tail with about eight narrow pale bands ; lower
parts more whitish or buffy with brownish streaks.

Flight and Habits.
A bold, swift and graceful hawk; hunts in pairs; is fond
of soaring high in the air at times.

Food.
Mostly small birds, occasionally locusts and beetles.

Voice.
Ke ke ke ke, ki-ha. ki-ha.

88

The Wilson PjI'llktix — No. (iT,

Nest.

On ledges of cliffs, in trees, even on the ground; made of
sticks, lined w ith mos^^, dry grass, and feathers.

Eggs.

Three to six, laid in late May or June. 38 x 30 mm.
Cream or cla}"-color, with many spots of reddish brown and
blackish-brown, often entirely obscuring the ground color.
Only one brood is raised.

J'tiico i-^luiiiliix. White (iyrtalcoii. feiiii'.li'. (Sit. CitiS collection of
W. F. !!.. Fehruar.v. I'.mk;. K:iii-ck. i!c;;r (ioo 'I'.nh. (;'een!;r.id.)

Faleo i.'<Jiiii(liix. White (Jyiialfun, female. (No. (iUS collection of
W F. II., Febnijif.v, ]'.tO(;, KangeU, near (ioodhab, Greenland.)

Falco rusticohis. Gray Gyrfalcou, female. (No. 007 eolloitiou of
W. F. H.. Octohei- 2!). 1W5. New Herrnlnit. Greenlaiul.)

Falco pcivorintis amttnin. Duck Hawk, old male. (No. G24 collec-
tion of W. F. II., ugust 11, 1904, Cameron Co., Texas.)

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Apri! 10. lS!>r>. raiiioron Co., Texas.)

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Ixr :?(i. 1002 Wladiknwas, Russia.)

Noveni-

Faico mexicanii.s, Prairie Falcon, male. (No. 3154 collection of
Oberlin College. W. L. Dawson, April 3, 1896, Chelan, Wash.)

Shufeldt — On Some Washington Bird Notes. 95
SOAIE WASHINGTON BIRD NOTES.

BY DR. R. W. SHUFELDT.

For the past seven years, and more, I have been residing
in the city of New York, engaged upon special art and medi-
cal work which afforded me; but little opportunity to see much
of the birds anywhere. Prior to that time I had been living
in Washington, D. C, where both autumnal and vernal mi-
grations were always carefully studied by me for miles about,
and there was no question in my mind, the last few years
that I was here, as to the fact that both land and water birds
were rapidly decreasing in numbers. Some species were
rarely or ever seen, either in the spring or in the fall. Several
papers were published by me on the subject, and some of the
probable causes for the falling ott given, one of which I re-
member was the killing by boys by means of an air-gun
which was very popular at the time with them. Recently
I have returned to Washington to live and taken a home with-
in three or four minutes walk of the Zoological Garden
(3356 18th St.). It is practically surrounded by open country
and extensive tracts of heavy timber. After becoming settled,
which required several weeks, I discovered that Mr. Robert
Ridgway owned his home across the street, and was at the
time away on a vacation in the west.

The spring migration of birds had just about commenced,
and it was not long before I made very early morning visit'^
to the neighboring woods to note what species were here and
especially as regards their abundance (April 10, May 12).
Judging from the chorus that saluted my ears before arriving,
they had not been wiped out altogether, and as I had not
had such a treat for many years, my feelings may be easily
imagined by any thorough-going ornithologist who has
ever been submitted to a similar term of starvation of that
character.

Great was my delight when I discovered that a very marked
change had taken place during my years of absence, for not
only had birds become numerous again, but were evidently

9(> The Wilson Bulletin — No. 67.

less wary, and an unusual increase had taken place in some
species. For instance, judging" from my own personal obser-
vation, such a bird as the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melaner-
pcs crytliroccpliahis)., ten years ag;o was one of the most un-
common species to be taken in the District of Columbia any-
where. The other morning" when I was out (May 13, '09)
I counted twelve of these beautiful birds in a short walk of
a little less than five miles, and heard others calling" in the
distance. Cardinal Grosbeaks fC. cardinalis) were very abun-
dant and the males in beautiful plumage, while in a beech
tree close to my home there was a flock numbering" over an
huaidred Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpurcus). All the
common birds were in full force, such as Robins, Brown
Thrashers, Catbirds, Flickers, and any number of others.
What interested me more than anything else was to observe
the abundance of warblers that were on. They were not as
plenty as I used to see them forty-five years ago, but they
were nevertheless very largely represented.

In one straggling troop that were feeding as they passed
through some large and adjacent trees, I noted several pairs
of Blackburnians (D. blackbiiniicc) , ditto Black-throated
Blues and Greens (D. cccnilcscciis. D. viycns), also many
Parulas, Cape Mays, Chestnut-sided, Bay-breasted, Black-
polls, with numerous others, and one Cerulean (D. ccrndea).
In other parts of the woods and along the roadside they were
equally abundant, and associated with still other species.
( There is a pair of superb Red-headed Woodpeckers within
thirty feet from my study window as I write these lines and
they are nesting not over that many yards from my table.)

In a few days I shall look up the Water Birds, and hope
to meet with an equally gratifying state of alTairs in their case.
Later on in conversation with a number of the best author-
ities and observers who have paid attention to the ornithology
of the District of Columbia for many years, I was pleased to
learn that the facts set forth in this brief communication were
quite true.

Saunders — Rough-Legged Hawk Notes. 97

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK NOTES.

BY W. E. SAUNDERS.

This is a bird that is not often seen by any one but a duck
hunter. Once or twice I have had good opportunity of watch-
ing this bird for a httle while and a certain Autumn day
showed one, hovering after the manner of the Sparrow Hawk,
over a stumpy field where there were not enough trees to
afford a perch at the desired spot. To my mind this was
a hint that the Hawk had nested in a prairie country where
he had accustomed himself to that method of hunting. How
these Prairie Hawks must welcome the advent of railroads
with its telegraph poles ! I can easily imagine that the, large
numbers of Swainson Hawks, which I saw in my first trips
West in the nineties, were really attracted to the railroad
by these perches. Before then, the dry prairies must have
been hunted almost exclusively on the wing which is con-
trary to the nature of the Buteo as noticed in the east. Twice
in the spring, about the 26th of March, I have seen two or
more of these birds, not far apart, near London, but on dis-
mounting from my wheel to watch them, although I got be-
hind a snake fence and used my glass through it, the bird
soon flew away, calling once or twice with a note very similar
indeed to that of the Red-tail.

In my list of average dates of arrival in the Autumn,
which I have compiled from notes extending over twenty-
five years, I have a memorandum on October 29th, — "this
is the day to see Rough-legged Hawks," but it was only
this Fall that I found out zvhcrc was the place to see
them. This was on November 2nd, 1908, when Mr. J.
S. Wallace and I were near the end of Point Pelee. About
the middle of the morning we saw the first Rough-leg. He
was circling over a field after the manner of a migrating
Broad-wing and drifting south at the same time. Soon he
ceased circling and fle,w past so near us that his markings
could be seen very plainly. On the way to camp that morn-
ing we saw a number of others but it was not until after
dinner that they really appeared in numbers. I was sitting

98 The Wilson Buli.etix— No. 67.

outside preparing some birds for our drive to the station that
afternoon, when I noticed a Hawk at a considerable distance
and very high. After a few moments others began to arrive.
They kept coming until there were about twenty-six in sight
at once and the resemblance between their methods and those
of the Broad-wing was very striking. As they reached the
location where the leader had d.^sen to circle each one spread
his tail as does the Broad-wing, and joined the circling band.
This continued until the Hawks got so numerous that I had
thirteen at once in the field of my glass. They were., I -hould
say, half a mile high, so distant that it was almost impossible
to say whether they were Red-tails or Rough-legs. At inter-
vals one heard the Red-tail call, but I am not one that can
distinguish between the cry of these two birds. After awhile
they began to straggle off towards the south but the day was
pleasant and those circling apparently disliked to leave the
Point. Doubtless, they could readily see the Ohio shore and
the Islands between, and they were certainly not, as many
others, birds who seem to fear the flight over the water, but
the main body so persistently refused to leave their play-
ground that after awhile others came drifting back from the
south and joined them once more, and it was on some of
these travelers that I had the opportunity of deciding defin-
itely that they were Rough-legs and not Red-tails.

Of course the probabilities all pointed to Rough-legs. We
had seen Red-tails in numbers before, but never acting like this.
[Moreover, on that particular day more Rough-legs had been
seen, prior to this circling band, than Red-tails, so that I was
confident that when an opportunity occurred to make their
identity positive, the verdict would be Rough-legs. The re-
sults of several such opportunities were alike, each one prov-
ing as I had expected to be a Rough-legged Hawk, so that
I had no hesitation in deciding that these strange acting
hawks were all of that species. On this day we saw about
40, a number approximately equal to all that I had ever seen
in Ontario before and the finding of such a large number was
very unexpected, but Point Pelee is a place that demonstrates

Henntngrr — Sprin'g Migration in Western Ohio. 99

the truth of the old adage, that " It is the unexpected that
happens." -

SPRING MIGRATION IN MIDDLE WESTERN OHIO.

BY W. F. HENNINGER.

This spring in many respects resembled the wet season of
1907. Birds that usually appear by the middle of April not
showing up till late in May, cold waves driving back to un-
known regions some of the earlier migrants, for instance the
Chimney Swift came on April 24th, 6 -.30 P. M. and stayed
that day till the evening of the 25th, when they disappeared
till May 3rd. May Sth and 6th were the only dates on which
the more tender birds arrived in great hordes ; the ducks and
water-birds seemed to be in no way affected by the weather
in their migrations. Some interesting and early records were
made. I give the list of 1 iO migrants according to first dates
and individuals with some annotations :

February 20 — Robin 2.

February 22 — Killdeer 1.

March 1 — Bewick's Wren 2. Bluebird 2.

March 5 — Bronzed Grackle 4.

March 6 — Loramie reservoir — Mallard 5. Red-legged
Black Duck 1.

March 8 — Towhee 2. Phoebe 1. Field Sparrow 2. Red-
winged Blackbird 5. (March 9 — Dawson's earliest record,
perhaps earliest state record.) Pintail 5 — shot, American
Merganser 1, — Loramie reservoir.

March 16 — At Canal (Miami) — shot. American Golden-
eye 7. Shoveller 1. Pi6d-billed Grebe 1. American White
Pelican 3 on a ditch in the field five miles west of New Bre-
men. (An early record and one of the few spring records in
this state).

March 19 — Vesper Sparrow 3. Turkey Vulture 4.

March 20^ — Lesser .Scaup Duck 1 — Loramie reservoir — shot.

100 Tin-: Wn.soN Ijulletix — No. 67.

March 2-i — Loramie reservoir — Green-winged Teal 2.
lialdpate, 2 females — shot. This agrees with my dates in
Southern Ohio and is earlier than those for Oberlin and
Northern Ohio. Pectoral Sandpiper 4. Early record.

March 2o — Wood Duck (i — Loramie reservoir.

March 26 — Chipping" Sparrow 2.

March 2? — Hooded Merg'anser 2 — shot. Scaup Duck S —
Loramie reservoir.

March 28 — Grand Reservoir — Woodcock 1. American
Coot 10.

March oO — Horned Grebe L — Canal.

March 31 — Mourning- Dove 2. Great Blue Heron 1 — Shel-
by county.

April 1 — Grand reservoir — Wilson's Snipe 1. Tree Swal-
low 3. Herring" Gull 5. Bonaparte Gull 2.

April 3 — Barn Swallow L

April 5 — F'urple Martin 2 — Late date.

April 8 — Loramie reservoir — Blue-wing'ed Teal 1". Ruddy
Duck 4, Ring-necked Duck 1.

April 10 — Prov p. Thrasher L Olive-backed Thrush 2.
Plermii-: Thrush. L

April 14 — Bufl^ehead "^ — shot — Canal — late. American Pipit
7. Northern Shrike 1 — last date. Tree Sparrow 2 — last date.
Pigeon Hawk L Yellow-bellied Sapsucker L

April 15 — Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 — Staid till ^lay 1-").

April 1(1 — Grasshopper Sparrow 2. Savanna Sparrow 10.
Red-breasted Merganser 10 — shot — Loramie reservoir.

Xi^ril G — niack-cr')wned Xight Heron 10 — shot — Loramie
reservoir. Early state record.

.\pril IS — W'hite-crowned Sparrow 2.

April 1!) — .\t the Grand reservoir — Least Sandi)i]~ier 1 —
shot — earliest state record. Greater Yellow-legs Ki — 1 shot.
Bartramian Sandpiper 2. American Bittern 1 — shot. Spotted
Sandoiper 9. American G(^lden Plover 25. Last Winter
Wren seen. House Wren :>. Louisiana W^ater-Thrush 2.
La<t Er)x Sparrow. Sora 2. King Rail 2. Common Tern 13.
Black Tern ."'). Swami) !>parrow 3. Roug-h-winged Swallow 3

Henninger — Spring Migration in Western Ohio. 101

April 20 — Alarsh Hawk 2. Rusty Blackbird •"). — lasts.

April 24 — Chimney Swift G foO p. m. sharp.

April 25 — Oven-bird 2.

April 28 — Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3.

April 30 — Baltimore Oriole 4. Yellow ^^'arbler 0. Cat-
bird 1.

May 3 — Black-throated Green Warbler 2. Black-throated
Blue Warbler 1. Slate-colored Junco 5 — Last date. Bobolink
3 — 5 p. m. sharp.

May 4 — Red-eyed Vireo 3. Orchard Oriole 1.

May 5— Warbler Day: Kingbird 2. Myrtle Warbler 1.
American Redstart 2. Black and White Warbler 1. \\'ilson's
Thrush 1. Semipalmated Sandpiper 4.

May 6 — i\Iigration at its bight — Birds in swarms. Water-
Thrush 1. Blue-winged Warbler 3. Golden-winged Warbler
2. Orange-crowned Warbler 1. Tennessee Warbler 10. Blue-
headed Vireo 2. Gray-cheeked Thrush 20. Scarlet Tanager 7.
Yellow-legs 1. Northern Yellow-throat -l. Yellow-breasted
Chat 2. Chestnut-sided Warbler 3. Blackburnian Warbler 50.
Magnolia Warbler 2. Green Bleron 2. Cliff Swallow 2. Yel-
low-billed Cuckoo 2. Black-billed Cuckoo 2.

May 7— Cape May \\'arbler 2.

May 10— W^ood Thrush 3. Least Bittern 5. Long-billed
Marsh Wren 20.

May 12 — Bay-breasted Warbler 5. Black-poll Warbler 2.
Dickcissel 1. Whippoorwill 2. Nighthawk 1.
May 14 — Indigo Bunting 1.

May 15 — The laggards coming in: Nashville Warbler 10.
Green-crested Flycatcher 2. Least Flycatcher 2. Alder Fly-
catcher fi. Palm Warbler 10. Canadian Warbler 30. Wil-
son's Warbler 4. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1. Yellow-
throated Vireo 4. IMourning Warbler 1. Cerulean Warbler 1.
May 18— Wood Pewee 5.
May 21 — Yellow-bcllicfl Flycatcher 5.

No "All Day with the Birds" was attempted this year.
Attention was paid princii)ally to first dates of migrants and

102 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 6?.

the conditions that governed the first arrivals. These were
mostly on rainy or cloudy days, for the earlier birds, while
the warblers waited carefully for the warmer waves.

ABNORMAL COLORATION OF THE SCAUP DUCK.

BY W. F. HENNINGER.

Among a series of 10 (8 males and 2 females) of the Scaup
Duck (Marila mania } shot this spring on the Loramie Reser-
voir and the Miami Canal, there are three males (all shot
March 27, 1909), that show a decidedly abnormal coloration.
While the normal plumage of the belly and sides is pure white,
one male (No. 736 coll. W. F. H.) has the biggest part of the
belly grayish, with darker shaft streaks to each feather and a
few brown feathers in the black breast. One male, No. 734
(coll. W. F. H.) has more brown feathers on the breast than
black ones, these brownish feathers extending well up among
the neck feathers. No. 738 (coll. W. F. H.) male has not only
more brownish breast feathers than No. 734, but the whole
lower breast, belly and abdomen beyond the anus are overlaid
with a rusty-brownish wash extending upward on the side,
and has one bright brown tail feather. This certainly was not
caused by grease as the specimens were freshly killed, nor by
any compound of iron in the water as suggested by Mr. L F.
Arrow in the Auk, April, 1909, p. 189. The color would not
yield to chemical treatment and must be due to other causes.
Mr. Leon J. Cole in the Osprey, 1897, p. 69, records a similar
specimen of the Lesser Scaup Duck as No. 738 of my collec-
tion, only mine is the Big Scaup. No doubt there may be
other speciments of Marila marila showing similar abnormal
coloration in the large museums, but if so, they certainly have
not been brought to light and it seems worth while to direct
the attention of the workinsr ornitholoe"ists to such occur-

Burns — Audubon Corrilspondence. 10;5

AUDUBON CORRESPONDENCE.

BY FRANK I,. BURNS.

A LETTER FROM AUDUBON TO HARLAN, DESCRIBING A

SUPPOSED NEW SPECIES.

Through the kindness of Mr. Alfred C. Redfield, of Wayne,
Penna., I am enabled to offer an unpublished letter from John
James Audubon to Dr. Richard Harlan, of Philadelphia. It
is closely written on a single sheet, postmarked "Charleston,
S. C, Dec. 23," and contains his original description of the
PoJybonis cherhvayi, Audubon's Caracara, from the freshly
killed bird. The date of capture does not exactly agree with
his published account. Apparently, Dr. Harlan made no
effort toward publicly ushering this bird into our North
American fauna ; and its introduction was not accomplished
until 183-i, when Audubon published his second volume of
Ornithological Biography, then fully aware that the species
was not wholly new to science, having been accredited to
tropical America many years before.

This letter was presented by Mrs. Harlan to the Great
Central Fair for the U. S. Sanitary Commission, during the
Civil war ; and has since been a part of the Redfield collec-
tion.

"Description of a New Species to be named by Doctors Har-
lan or Pickering, — shot at vSt. Augustine, November 24, 1831 —
by /. /. Audubon.

Bill along the ridge '[}i Inch. Along the Gap 2%. — ^/j^ of
an Inch high, depressed, semi-circular above, slightly bent
toward the tip, with acute edges. — Lower mandible truncate,
edges sharp — both pale blue. Cere broad and along with the
fleshy part around the mouth and chin deep Carmine Colour.
—Tongue muscular, fleshy, tipped with a hard cartilage, the
latter bright Yellow tipped with black, the former carmine. —
Nostrils, small placed near the outer edge of the cere, nearly
[illegible]. Eyes bright umber edge.d with red and yellow
skin — eye brows not prominent— bristles around and on the
lower parts of both mandibles, black, recurved, stiff. — Upper

104 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 67.

part of the head covered with long, loose, brownish feathers,
all of which are erectile. Wings, back and rump deep choc-
olate or brown — edged with paler. — 2d, od, 4th and fifth Pri
maries, shafts white for several Inches, crossed on the outer
A'ein with brown — 4 quill longest. — upper tail Coverts with
Tail which is composed of 12 broad feathers light Bufif as well
as the femorals and under tail feathers, crossed with regular
streaks of brown, bro [torn by seal | banded at tip. — Shafts
of the same above, and beneath White. — Throat, Sides of the
head and neck feathers to the shoulders above and the [torn
by seal] beneath, bright ferrugineous marked longitudinally
with streaks of deep black each with rufous, divided in the
center with rufous — body beneath as the back. Thighs, mus-
cular, very dark brown, longish — Tarsus 3 and -J/l Inches long.
Middle toes 2%, — connected with the outer by a small mem-
brane— All bright yellow. — Scutellate above, rough beneath. —
Claws long, nearly straight, black. —

Total length from tip of bill to end of Claws 243, s In. Wings
l-Vs shorter. — Tail V2 Inch shorter than to the claws. Breadth
four feet — Weight 2>< pounds. — Interior of the mouth yellow,
skin of the bodv yellow — body nniscular and tough — craw or
bag of the stomach a mere pouch filled with putrid flesh — Deer
and horse Hair, with many maggots. — Feed along with Buz-
ards and Carrion Crows, tearing as they do the flesh from
under their feet. Flight, high, protracted. Elegant. — Male
Bird — Breed in the Interior of the Florida, rare. — ■

Make the best of this you can until you receive the Skin
and recollect then that the colours have greatly faded since
I made my drawing which was up to Nature when alive. ! '"
Ever vours. Dear Harlan. I. J- A.

NTDIFICATION OF THE WORM-EATING W^VRBLER

The wooded hills of Chester county, Pennsylvania. es]:)ecial-
ly the long liroken ridges bordering the Chester valley and
the Branch wine creek, have long been famous as the breed-
ing ground of the Worm-eating Warbler. T had ]>romised
two voung friends, both members of the Delaware Valley

Burns — On the VVokim-Ea-j'i.\(; W arhlkr

105

Ornithological Clui.\ that I uouid initiate them into some of
the mysteries of the donicstic life of this little bird. Accord-
ingly on the afternoon of the last day in May, 1908, we set
out for a former favorite locality about a mile from Bervvyn.
Jt had been a number of years hince 1 had given this species
any particular attention, and it was some time before the nest
and five eggs were found about half way up the hillside, under
the usual drift of dead leaves. The photographer, who had
actually located the nest, took a very good picture, showing
the situation admirably, and according to my way of thinking,
had slightly the best of the oologist, who fell heir to the nest,
the first of the species he had personally collected. Most of
my notes on this l>ird have been published. Chapman has
give.n tiie average size of the egg as .69 x.53. Here I find it
somewhat larger, however. Mean. .70 x .55, maximum, .76
X 59, minimum. .62 x .50. Five eggs are more often deposit-
ed than four. Frank L. Burns.

Worm-eating-

Warbler,

Helmiihertis

vermivo7-Wi,

Daylesfield.

Pa.,

May 31, 1908.

( Alfred C.

Redfield. i

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A Quarterly Magaizine DeToted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Organ of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

Price in the United States, Canada and Mexico, one dollar a year, 30 cents a number, post-
paid. Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, $1.25 a year, 40 cents
a number. Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L.
Burns. Berwyn. Penn.

Officers of the Wilson Ornithological Club for 1909:

President- — Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa. '

Vice-President — W. E. Saunders. London, Out.

Secretary— Benj. T. Gault, Glenn Ellyn. 111.

Treasurer — W. F. Henninger, New Bremen, Ohio.

Members of the Executive Council — Lynds Jones, Oberlin, O. ; H.
C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. ; B. H. Swales, Grosse Isle, Mich,

EDITORIAL.

The usual spectacle of appearing late is again presented. Indeed,
the editor sees little light in the direction of promptness for months
to come, since his time belongs to Oberlin College, The editorial
work has to take remnants of time, being wholly incidental to reg-
ular work. The present number is later than usual, and later than
the remaining two numbers for the year are likely to be because the
June Number conflicts with the closing weeks of the college year,
which are always full. If this tardiness worries the reader half as
much as it does the editor he (the editor!)' is very sorry.

Letters addressed to the editor at Birmingham, Ohio, during Au-
gust and September, will reach him more promptly than if ad-
dressed to Oberlin.

W. L. Dawson, our fellow member, has seen his monumental work
on the Birds of Washington through the press and has already begun
delivery to subscribers. This book resembles his Birds of Ohio in
general, but is far better in every particular. He is to be congrat-
ulated iipon the completion of what seemed an all but impossible
task.

Field Notes. 107

The detinite movement which has been set on foot by Professor
Leon J. Cole, of New Haven, Conn., for tagging birds is worthy of
more than passing mention. The aluminum strips used for tlie
tagging — small strips with a number and the words "Notify the
Auk, N. Y.," are to be bent around the tarsus of a bird, a careful
record kept of the birds so tagged, and this record finally returned
t'j I'rofessor Cole. So many of these tags are being attached to birds
thife summer that great hopes are entertained that many of the
birds bearing tags will be heard from. By this means it should bo
possible to determine with accuracy the wanderings of the birds.
It is only by some such means that individual birds may be surely
recognized.

FIELD NOTES.

Baikd's Sandpiper (Actoclrumas bairdii) in Wayne County,
Michigan. — In the Wilson Bulletin for December, 1908, on page
207, Mr. P. A. Taverner credits Mr. Albert Jones with taking a
Baird's Sandpiper on September 13. This bird was shot and iden-
tified by Mr. Walter C. Wood, who presented it to Mr. Jones. The
Baird's Sandpiper was anything but rare during the autumn of 1908.
I examined specimens taken on various dates by Walter C. Wood and
Herbert H. Spicer. Personally, I did not meet with it until August

26, when I noted a flock of seventeen and took a specimen. From
that date they were present on all visits until last seen on September

27. I secured my last birds September 23. These were all on the
nmd and water swale on P. C. 667, Ecorse Township, mentioned by
Mr. Taverner. J. Claire Wood.

The Dickcissel in Wayne County, Mich. — In the Wilson Bulle-
tin for June, 1905, and March and June, 1907, I gave my local obser-
vations of the Dickcissel prior to 1907 and will now bring them up
to date. June 30 1907, I crossed the belt of open lands where the
greater number of Dlckcissels were seen the previous year. My at-
tention was directed to a male by his song and I took the time to
locate the nest. This was found by beating to and fro through the
weeds until the female flushed. It was well concealed and placed in
the thickest kind of weed growth about three feet above the ground
and contained two fresh eggs This was on P. C. 619, Grosse Pointe
Township. No more birds were seen, but when I returned to this
nest, July 7 three additional pairs were present. July 1 a male spent
much time singing from a telegraph wire by the roadside on Section

ins The Wilson* Buliktin — No. GT.

IT. Spriiiiiwells Township. This was on the niarjiin .1!' a chjver held
into \vhich the Itird frequently flew and where a mate was prohably
brooduig. During IOCS I was not in any of the localities where Dick-
ci?sels were previously observed and none were seen elsewhere.
Detroit, Mich. J. Claire Wood.

The RorGH-wi:NGEU Swallow anu Blue-gray Gn\tcatcher Breed-
ing IN Wayne County, Michigan. — May 30. 1901. we located a col-
only of Kouffh-winged Swallows in Springfield Township. Oal^land
County, and all the eight nests examined contained eggs. May 30,
1902, this colony was reduced to three pairs and the two nests exam-
ined contained eggs. Assuming this as the proper time to look for
sets in Wayne County I made a special trip May 29, 1903, to a suit-
able locality in Nankin Township. Six complete nests were found,
but it was too early for eggs. This was probably a mere seasonal
difference, however, for ou my next attempt. May 31, 1908, the first
burrow o])ened contained a slightly lncul)ated set of seven eggs. This
was on Section 22. Canto)i Township. Other pairs were noted, but
not disturbed.

The Oakland County birds were in a colony like Bank Swallows,
but in Wayne County they are strung along the clay banks about five
]iairs to a mile and sometimes only one pair to a whole townshi]),
while in many townships they do not occur at all. I have read some-
where that it is difficult m separate this species from the Bank Swal-
low while in flight, but this is contrary to my experience. If to-
gether the Bank looks snuiller, but this can not be considered good
identification. The flight of the two species, however, is entirely
different, the Bank being sharp and cleaving and the Rough-winged
more fluttering and bat alike; but at close range it reiiuires no ex-
pert to separate the two species. The brown pectoral band of the
Bank contrasts sharyily against the white, while the underparts of the
Rough-wing have a brownish white appearance without any contrast-
ing color.

On the same day that th-' Rough-whiged Swallow"^ eggs were taken
1 located a nest with five slightly incubated eggs of the Blue-gray
(Jnatcatcher on Section 22. Canton Township. The nest was about
twenty-five feet above the ground in the upright fork of an elm
sa])ling, and although the tree shook and bent beneath my weight
madam clung to her treasure with head craned downward. I slowly
reached up the other side of the nest, caught her t-iil between two
fingers and jerked her into my hand, all her tail feathers coming out
.lust as my fingers closed. When released she did no^^ even leave the
tree, but fluttered about uttering cries of protest. This reminds me
of a i)roli;il)le case of heart failure. Many years ago T caught a rolun

Field Notes. 109

on her nest, iind after :i lew seconds of struggle her body suddenly
became limji. She was dead.

Detroit. Midi. ' J. Claire Wood.

The La Rue Holmes Nature Lovers' League, now luunhering over
three thousand young members, iu schools, chiefly, had its origin iu
the life and conception of si young naturalist, who mourned with in-
tense yearning love over passing nature, Imt who was called to a
higher place of service when but upon ths threshold of his contem-
plated work. Its evecutive officers are Mr. Waldron De Witt Miller,
President ; Miss L. Connolly, First Vice-President ; Mr. F. N. Mar-
cley. Second Vice-President ; Capt. G. C. Musgrove, Treasurer and
Recording Secretary ; Mrs Benj. P. Holmes, Secretary ; and a Board
of twenty-six directors. The Treasurer's report shows receipts of
$322.35 and expenditures amounting to $181.0, leaving a balance of
$140.40. The following notes have been contributed by members :

Wild geese flew over this house on January 31. It was impossible
to tell even the direction of flight, the fog being f-n intensely dense,
their presence being made known by their Iionk. lionk. as they passed
by. — G. K. Holmes. Summit. New Jeraeii.

I saw two bluebirds flitting from tree to tree, on, ur about .Janu-
ary 28. — »y. Teeple. Morristoirii. \eir .Jerxcii.

110 The Wilson Bui.i.etin — No. 07.

Members of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

ACa^IVE MEMBERS.
Abbott Clinton G., 153 West 73d street, New York. \. V.
Armstrong, E. E., 5219 Madison Ave., Chicago, 111.
Baird, Robert L., Athens, Me.
Bales, Dr. B. R., Ciroleville, Ohio.
Barnes, Hon. R. M., Laeon, Marshall Co.. 111.
Barrows Prof. Walter B., East Lansing, Mich.
Bartsch, Prof. Paul, Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D. C.
Beers, Henry, 91 Denver Ave., Bridgeport, Conn.
Bent A. C, Taunton, Mass.

Bishop, Dr. Louis B., 356 Orange St., New Haven. Conn.
Blaine, Alex. W.. M.D., 1105, Jefferson St., Detroit. Mich.
Bowles, .J. H.. 401 South G St., Tacoma, Wash.
Brewster, William, 145 Brattle St., Cambridge, ]\rass.
Brooks, Clarence M., Box 260, Keene, N. H.
Bruen, Frank, 218 Main St., Bristol, Conn.
Buck. H. R., 38 Pearl St., Hartford, Conn.
Burns, Frank L., Berwyn, Pa.
Chambers, W. Lee, Santa Monica, Calif.

Chase, Mrs. Agnes, 116 Florida Ave., N. W.. Washington. 1). (
Coale, Henry K., Highland Park, 111.

Coffin, Percival Brooks, 3232 Groveland Ave.. Chicago. 111.
Crosby, Maunsiel S., Rhinebeck, N. Y.

Davenport, ]\Irs. Elizabeth, 45 Green St., Brattleboro, Vt.
Daggett, Frank S., 109 South Elmwood Ave., Oak Park. 111.
Dawson, Rev. W. Leon, Seattle, Wash.
Dean, Walter, 29 Brewster St., Cambridge. Mass.
Dearborn, Dr. Ned, Field Museum, .lackson Park. 111.
Durfee, Owen, Box 125, Fall River, Mass.
Dutcher, William. 525 Manhattan Ave., New York, N. Y.
Dwight. Dr. J. Jr., 134 West 71st St.. Nw York, N. Y.
Ells, George P., Norwalk, Conn.
Embody, George C, 78 Seymour St.. Auburn. N. Y.
Fisher, Miss E. W.. 1502 Pine St.. Philadelphia, Pa.
Fleming, James H., Toronto, Ontario.
Fordyce, George L.. 40 Lincoln Ave.. Youiigstown, Ohio.

Members of the Wilson Club. 1 1 1

Gault, Benj. T.. (41en Ellyre, Illinois.

Hall, F. H.. Geneva. N. Y.

Henderson, Hon., Junius, Boulder, Boulder Co., Colo.

Henninger, Rev. Walter r.. New Bremen, Ohio.

Hix, George E., 114 W. 90th St., New York. N. Y.

Hollister, Ned, Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.

Holmes. Mrs. Georgiana K., Summit, N. J.

Jacobs. J. Warren, Waynesburg, Pa.

Jones, Prof. Lynds, 160 N. Professor St., Oberlin, Ohio.

King, J. W., St. Clairsville, Ohio.

Leete, Miss Rebecca M., North East, Pa., Erie Co.

Leiblesperger, W. H., Fleetwood, Pa.

Maxfield. C. S.. Hartford, Conn.

McCouxiell, Harry P.., Cadiz, Ohio.

McKechnie, Frederick B.. Ponkapog, Mass.

Metcalf, Zeno P.. Dep't. of Agric. Raleigh, N. C.

Miller, Richard F.. 347.3 Amber St., Philadelphia, Pa.

Mitchell, Dr. Walton I.. Barnes Bldg., Wichita, Kans.

Oberholser, Harry C, 1445 Girard St., N. W., Wahsington, I), C.

Pennock, C. J., Kennett Square, Pa.

Richards, Chas. C, 269 Broadway. Taunton, Conn.

Rogers, Charles H., 109 Patton Hall., Princeton, N. J.

Sage, John H.. Portland, Conn.

Saunders. William E., 352 Clarence St., London, Ont.

Schantz, Orpheus M., Morton Park, 111.

Sellick, George H.. 110 High St., Exeter, N. H.

Shearer, Dr. A. R., Mont Belview, Chambers Co., Texas.

Showalter, Ben. R., Oberlin, Ohio.

Skinner, H. H., City Hospital, Seattle, Wash.

Sloanaker, J. L., Grinnell, Iowa.

Smith, Jesse Lowe, Highland Park, 111.

Sparks, Missi Marion E., Urbana, 111.

Spauldlng, Fred B., Lancaster, N. H.

Staat, W. C, Grinnell, Iowa.

Stone, Clarence F., Branchitort. N Y.

Swales, Bradshaw H., Grosse He, Mich.

Taverner, P. A., 55 Elmhurst Ave., Highland Park, Mich.

Thayer, Hon. John K,, Box 98 Lancaster, Mass.

112 The Wii son Bin.LETiN — Xo. (il.

Tiukei-. A. D.. ^42 S. State St.. Ami Arbor. Mich.

Walker. J. S., M.D., Carnegie, Pa.

Wallace. James S., 69 Front St.. Toronto. Ont.

Wol)l>. Walter F.. First National Xurs., Rochester. X. Y.

Wilde. .Mark L. C, 311 X. 5th St., Camden. X. J.

Wi'son. Burtis H., 1102 Seventeenth St., Rock Island. 111.

Wilson, Sidney S., German Ave., Bank Bldg.. St. Joseph. Mo.

Wood,. J. Claire. 179 17th St.. Detroit. Mich.

Wood, Xorman A., 1216 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor. Mich.

Wood, Rev. S. F., 14280 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Ohio.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS.
Bowditch. Harold, "Snnnyside," Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Carriger. H. AY., 486 Eddy St., San Francisco, Cal.
Case, C. M., 7 Holcomb St., Hartford, Conn.
Field, Irving A., Westminster. Md.
Hathaway, Harry S., Box 1466, Pi'ovidence, R. I.
Heilmann, Karl J., 411 East Market St., Tiffin. Ohio.
Kenn, Dr. Thonras D., 405 Redcliffe St., Bristol, Pa.
Kuenning, Gustav A., First City Bank. Xew Bremen, Ohio.
INFetcalf, Plimpton, Ohio.
Richardson, Dr. G. F., Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
Schantz, Mrs. O. M.. Morton Park, 111.
Shankland, F. N., Willonghby, Ohio.

Yan Wagner. INIillard, 47 Leonard St.. Xew York. X. Y.
Yetter, Dr. Charles, 152 Leonard St., Xew York, X. Y.
Warren, Edward R., 20 West Caramillo St., Colorado Springs,
Colo.

Whoatley, Miss Clara S., Medina, Ohio.

Fiji. (i. — Lookiii,y; northwest along the path from the rear of
the Breakers Hotel. The vegetation is transitional into Pinus-
Junipenis Forest Formation. Note old cottonwoods. young pines,
junipers, and oaks, and numerous lianas ; also conspicuous tertiary
layer. Near here the Woodco<k is l)elieved to nest, also probahly
Green Heron. This is typically a woodland song bird retreat.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

NO. 68.

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

VOL. XXI SEPTEMBER, 1909. NO. 3

OLD SERIES VOL. XXI. NEW SERIES VOL. XVI.

THE I.URDS OF CEDAR POLXT AND VICINITY.

Wy LYNDS JONES.
L"J. Muiila iniiericumt. — Kedliead.

This is not now one of the more couinion of the dneks. althon,i,'h
it may still be i)roi)erly designated common. There have been rej;-
nlar visitations of small s^ronps. composed of males and females,
the latter usually predominatin.u. to the Oberlin Water Works res-
ervoir since its establishment. In the marshes it is usually found
in the companies of Baldpates, where it can be readily distin-
guished by its color pattern. During the period of my studies at
Cedar I'oint I have never seen any large companies of this species.
The groups are more often composed of less than twenty individ-
uals than more. The earliest migration date is March 4, 1!»04,
and the latest spring record is April 23; the median spring arrival
is March 12. and the usual time of departure is near the middle of
April. My only fall record is October 21, 1907, when two were
seen.
oO. Muiila vullisncria. — Canvas-back.

My records indicate irregular occurrence, but there are doubtless
some individuals among the host of ducks in the marshes each mi-
gration season. Judging wholly from my own records I would call
this duck unconnnon and irregular. From April 13 to 20, 1903,
there were four males and one female on the Oberlin Water Works
reservoir, and on November 19 and 21 of the same year one vis-
ited the siinie place. Migrations seem to take jtlace at the same
time as the Redhead, and the birds seen liave usually been mem-
bers of the company of Baldpates. Redheads, etc. Fishermen and
hunters state that this is a fast disapiiearing species at the
marshes.

31. Murila iiiarihi. — (ireater .Scaup Duck.

Tolerably common during the earlier part of the migrations in
spring, and latter part in fall. The spring migrations occur dur-

116 TuR ^^'lLso^■ F.L'u.ETix— No. HS

iiig the second week of ]March, imlividuals liu,i;eriiii,' until the tliird
week of April. I have one record for May 15, IS'.c.t. The birds
return duriny; the middle of October and linger until winter weather
begins, which ^^■as December 20, 1902. There have been numerous
vi.sitations to the Oberlin Water Works reservoir during the ver-
nal migrations, (iroups are more often seen on the open waters of
the lake than is the case with the next species, but numbers also
feed iu the more open areas of the marshes.

32. Morila uffiiiis. — Lesser Scaup Duck.

Every tiling considered tliis is the most abundant of the ducks.
It literally swarms in the marshes during late March and the
most of April, where feeding companies cover large areas of the
open waters of the marshes. On Mondays, close days, they feed
and play and court on a certain large open area near the mouth of
Black Channel, apparently possessed of a feeling of security. On
open days they are flying wildly about, many seelcing refuge on the
oi)en lake beyond row-boat range (shooting from power boats is
unlawful). INIedian dates of arrival in spring are March 2?>, and
the bulk do not return before the last of October. Most of the
birds have left by tlie first of May, but I found a flock of upwards
of 100 as late as May 22, 1909. A few pairs breed within reach of
small bodies of water near Obei'lin, and I have some evidence for
believing that a few pairs breed in the vicinity of Cedar Point
propel'. There are always some few wounded individuals about
the bay and marshes all sununer. but these are not breeding birds.
From about the first of May until the third weelv of May it is a
common thing to find numbers of this duck washed up on the bay
side of tlie sand spit dead or dying. Careful examination of the
cadavers in a number of instances has failed to reveal any wound
or other physical defect. It is possible that death has been caused
by lead poisoning, as reported for similar cases elsewhere.

Female Scaup Ducks may be readily identified by the area of
white at the base of the bill.

33. Marila collaris. — Ring-necked Duck.

U'he markings of this duck are not sufficiently distinctive at a
distance to make identification certain. On April 9, 1900, and April
r. to 12, 1904, one individual visited the Oberlin AVater Works res-
ervoir. My other records are May 25, 1903, one at Elyria, ou the
Black river, :\Iarch 20, 1904, at Oak Point, March 25, 1907, two at
Cedar Point, April 24, 1909, two on a small cemetery pond in Ober-^
liu. I have relied on specimens in hand or at close range for all
of these records. It seems probable that the species is more nu-
iiH-rous in individuals than tlicsc records would indicate.

Jones — 0.\ Hirds of Cedar Point.

117

r,l. ChiiH/iild (iain/iild (iniericdiKi. — (lolden-eye.

Out of twelve ret'ords for this species seven are for tlie Ober-
liii Water Works reservoir. There are only three Cedar Point
records. No migration dates fan he assigned from the records, but
there are indications that the sirring migration covers the last half
of March and most of Ainil, and that the birds return during the
last half of November. January 20. 1008, three were recorded at
Cedar Point. Hunters mention (Jolden-eyes or "Whistlers" as oc-
casional ducks in the marshes.

Fig. 7. — A dune (ontrolled by the Prunus Virginia Consocies of
the Prunus-Ithus Dune Thicket Formation. Note the secondary
species. This dune appears in the distance in the left third of Fig.
2 ( first paper). It was in the vicinity of this dune that the nest of
Piping Plover was found, in the midst of a broad, flat sand waste.

.".">. CUiiif/iila islaiidicd. — P>arrow's Golden-eye.

There is the skin of a female in the Oberlin College collection
which was captured on April .">, 1S02. at Lorain, by Mr. Harry
Warden. Its presence in the Cedar Point marshes has been sti'ong-
l.v suspected. ])ut no siiccimens have been actuall.v secured.

.".(I. Clidiitoiieltd dlheold. — Buftle-head.

.V common migrant, hut far less so than formerly. The docreasp
lias been niai'ked since 10(14. T'ntil 1004 it was the most regular
of the ducks in its \isitations lo the Oberlin Water Works reser-
voii-. companies nf li-oni three to more than twenty remaining there

118 Till'-. W'n.sdx P.ri.LKTix— Xo. HR

for several days without showiii:,' coiucrii about iicoplc all around
the eiubankuKMit. Such c-ouipunies were always uuxod males aud
females. Early in the season the males usually predominated, but
late in April or early in May the females predominated. I have
never found them numerous at C'edar I'oint. On two oeeasious
there was an oeeasional Buffle-head among the Le.sser Scaups
washed up on the liay side of the sand spit. Three were seen on
every visit to Cedar I'oint the winter of 1907-8. These ducks are
not much hunted and are tlierefore not at all wary, permittlnir a
close approach.

oT. Hurclda IiyeiiidUs. — ()](l-s(iuaw.

Irregular in its occurrence. Of the seven occurrences since IS'.Mi
three have been on the Oberlin Water Works reservoir. On March
11 and 12, liX)3, there were two females and (me male there, the
male in high color. One was shot on a small pond north of Ober-
lin on Ain'il 22. ItMiT: also a male in high color. The only t'edar
Point record is of two birds on November 12, 1!X)G. There were
reports of numbers during the winter off Lorain, 11)01-2, but my
only record for that winter was one at Oak Point. December 2o.
Lorain tishermen tell tales of these birds being caught iu gill nets
at a depth of many fathoms. Four specimens in the Oberlin Col-
lege collection have the remark written on the labels, "Caught in
gill net off Lorain."

oS. Oideniiu Ueijlaiidi. — White-winged Scoter.

The only actujil capture of this sjiecies at Cedar Point nuist be
accredited to Messrs. F. M. Root and X. Metcalf. .May 10, 1908.
They report having seen a number of others in the company from
which this one was taken. I have been reasonably, certain of the
presence of this species at Cedar Point and Oak Point, but absence
of specimens prevented entering it as certain.

Other records for the eastern ])arts of the lake shore in the re-
gion covered by these studies are: April 27 and May ."., 1892, by
IL Warden, Lorain; December 4. 19(i;!. a tiock of fourteen at Oak
Point, November 19, 1900. a flock of six east of Huron.

39. Erismatiiiu jamaiceiifiis. — Ruddy Duck.

Of regular occurrence as a migrant, but clearly decreasing in
numbers. Of regular occurrence on the Olierlin Water Works res-
ervoir from 1898 until 1904, since which none have been seen there.
The first birds reached tin- reservoir aliout April l.'>, usually re-
maining a full month. They returned about the middle of Octo-
ber and remained two to four weeks. This duck reaches the
marshes near the last of .March, leaving :May i;>, 1907. Like the
Pultle-liead. early coii'ii.inies contiiin more males tli.-in females, but
with late <om]ianies the reverse is true, 1 have seen more Rud-

J(iNES — Ox Birds of Crdar Point.

119

tlys near the shore in the iMko than on the marsh sule. This is
one of the unwary (hi<ks. iierniittin,!,' a near ajjproacli. and usu-
ally preferring to dive rather tlian t<i take wing when too closely
pressed.

40. Clioi liypciJxirea.- — Lesser Snow (Joose.

A fiock of over sixty was seen at close range on October 20, and
another of thirty-eight on November 12. IDOri. The first flock was
flying inland from off the lake, about a mile west of Huron ; the

Fig. s. — .Iuniptr-( appcd dunes north of the Lake Laboratory.
The l)lowout has I'anicuni, Andropogon, Artemisia. Salix interior.
Spotted Sandpipers nest in grass bunches in situations like this.
Here also are found the Field Sparrows nesting, while many
other species of song birds feed and sing all about and over it.

second flock was flying out over the lake half a mile west of Rye
Beach. Of course absolute identification was impossible, but the
probabilities all favor the supposition that these birds belonged to
this s])ecies.

41. Chen, arriilesccns. — Blue Goose.

The first to be recorded from this region were captured on the
Oberlin Water Works reservoir October 28, 1800. The only other
records seem to be a Hock of thirt.v. October 20, and a flock of
eighteen, November 12, I'.kh;. west of Huron. There can be little
doubt that both this and the last siiecies is of more conunou occur-
rence than these records indicate. Gunners bunch all geese to-

120 The Wii.sox F>u[.letix — Xn. (;s

tietlier, so tlioir statements are of no value. More systematic
studies in tliis re.ijioii would probably result in many nmre records
of these species.

-11.'. Jlitnitii (■(iiKiilciisis. — Cauada Goose.

A fairly regular migrant, but hardly common. Flocks ranging
up to sixty individuals still are seen occasionally in both migra-
tions. 'IMie ))inls arc usually either tlying over at considerable
height, or are well out on the lake ; occasionally one is fortunate
enough to find a lioek resting on the beach, when with extreme
care it may be i)ossil)le to creep up to close range. I have crept up
to within twenty-five yards of small flocks so resting — always on
cIo.«!e days. The first spring migrants come in on the first migra-
tion wave, with Robins and Bluebirds and Meadowlarks. I have
seldom seen more than three Hocks in a season, so have not been
able to determine the approximate date of departure northward.
Fall migrations occur with the first touch of winter.

4-). Olor coJitnihianus. — Whistling Swan.

My records are confined to the years 18D9, when one was brought
to the Olyerlin College museum on April 3; 1904, March 14, when
one paid a short visit to the Oberlin Water Works reservoir, March
21, nine were seen flying over Elyria, March 2."', when eleven were
seen at Oak Point: lOOd. Novemlier 12, six, and November 10,
thirty-five, at ("edar Point; 1007, March IS, a considerable flock
Hying soutli .-icross the west end of Cedar Point; 1908, March 18,
a flock at Cedar I'oint ; 1000, [March 22, one at Cedar Point. Dur-
ing the week ending on April r,, 1899, a great fall of heavy snow
c;iught the swans in tlieir migrations, and great numbers of them
wei'c forced to seek refuge on tlie ground. Many reports reached
tlie nuiscum tli:it bii'ds had lieen sliot and were being held sub-
ject to orders. Tlie only one actually brought in proved to be a
fine specimen of a Whistling Swan, all others were declined be-
cause the holders were too avaricious. These birds usually fly so
high while inland that they are not noticed. On the two rare oc-
casions wlien Hocks were sighted resting on tlie beach, after the
manner (jf the (Jeese, I was able to stalk them to within about
seventy-five yards. Their bearing on these occasions called out the
involuntary exclamation "Kingly liirds."

-14. olor hiicciiiiifdr. — '{"nimiictcr Swan.

'i'lie only capture of this species within the area treated was by
.Mr. L. M. :\IcCormick on \]>v\\ 2<». ISOl. at Lorain. It is said that
the 'J'rumpeter remains well out in the Lake, during the migrations,
and is therefore seldom seen. .Judging from tli(> records it is of
rare occurrence.

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 121

45. Botaiiriis Icnti<;ii}OSiis. — Bittern.

A common breeder in tlie marslies. Tlie first arrive near the first
of April, more often after tlian l)efore, and most have gone south
by the middle of October (21st, last, 1907). I have never been for-
tunate enough to find a nest, but if one can judge of the nesting
place b.v the presence of the birds, it is among the rankest vegeta-
tion where human progress is made next to impossible by the depth
of the muck and the deuseness of the brakes and cattails. Dur-
ing the courting season the air is often palpitant with the peculiar
mate call. Occasionally one may see three birds rise suddenly
from the vegetation in swift chasing flight, and suddenly disap-
pear again into the vegetation. During the migrations indi-
viduals are frequently found in any wet place, even in the deep
gorges. In early fall they wander into the streams well toward
I heir sources, and fish for frogs in the o])en borders of the stream.
It is on such occasions that they can be studied to advantage,
for they are not able to hide themselves in the vegetation.

-Ki. I.rohrychiis exilis. — Least Bittern.

Tolerabl.v common in the marshes all summer. M.v records in-
dicate that the migrations occiir about the first of May. On April
2."i, 1004, one reniianed perched in a tree on the Oberlin College
cam])us all day, appearing to be exhausted from a long flight. This
earlier date may indicate that the actual first wave of migrants
passes .iust before the greatest wave of migration, which usually
sweeps through this region during the hrst week in May. I have
never been able to find this bird after the breeding season. While
ojie may always be certain of finding a considerable number of this
Bittern in the marshes in sunnner, it is nowhere as numerous as I
have always found it at the Licking Reservoir, near the center of
the state. Its nest is skillfully placed among the rushes and reeds
about four feet from the siu'face of the water, with no runway
leading down. The birds fly easily and are able to reach the nest
without danger of knocking it out.

47. A idea hcrodias. — Great Blue Heron.

Regular, but hardly common, fi-om aI)out March 20 to October 20.
Most records are of single birds seen flying, ])ut occasionally two
are seen together, and in the fall it is not unusual to see a com-
pany of a dozen or fewer birds on the beach or about the fish
l)ounds. There must be a small nesting jilace somewhere near Ce-
dar Point, but it has never been discovered to my knowledge. I
have never seen a nest of this species in the area under considera-
tion. During August these birds frequent the river gorges, where
they are pretty certain to meet death at the hands of some "man
with a gun."

122 Thr Wu.sox Bd.letix— Xo. 08

4S. Herod'nis vfircthi. — American Eitret.

There is a spefiuien in tlie rollection of ^Ir. R. E. Jnnip. of Ober-
lin. wliifh was captured by Mr. Jninj) prior to 188."!. in tlie vicinity
of Oberlin, and a specimen in tlie collection of Mr. A. Ilensartner.
of Lorain, taken near Lorain in 1897. by Mr. Ilensartner. These
\A'ere undoubtedly wanderers far out of the ordinary range of the
species.

40. Biitoridcs vircsrei)ii. — Green Heron.

A tolerably common breeding bird over the whole region. The
first migrants reach us near the ^Hth of April, and the most have
leir the region by the first of October. The latest record is No-
vember 13, 1897, when one tarried in the vicinity of the Oberlin
Water Works reservoir all the autumn. Trior to 1000 it was not
unusual to find groups of a half dozen nests in the button bush
tiiickets at Oak Point and elsewhere, but of late years nests are
more often found singly in such situations or in orchards. They
sometimes resort to thickets of slender second growth along the
borders of streams. These herons eat great mnnbers of grass-
ho])pers. as examination of stomachs i)roves.

no. Xi/cticorn.r nycticara.r iKrriiix. — Rlack-crowned Night Heron.

The only specimen taken in the region is now in the collection of
Mr. K. E. Jump, of Oberlin. I have searched for the bird in vain,
but am not yet convinced that it is as rare as the lack of success
would indicate.

."il. h'olliis clcf/aiis. — King Kail.

On three visits to a lagoon on ]\Iiddle I*ass island the King Rails
have been the most conspicuous birds there. All of these visits
were a month after the Itreeding season, so it is likely that a good
many young birds were among the lot. In the Sandusky marshes
the birds are less easily foiuid. and seem to I)e less numerous. Dur-
ing the nngrations single individuals may be fomid practically any-
where out of the woods. I have met them along roadsides, in barn
yards, about small field jionds, in the marshes, and along the sand
spit. Away from the wet places the single birds are usuall.v no
more wary than a hen, but in the marshes they get out of sight
quickly, or even fly away from one. The spring migration seems
to take place during the first week of Mny. In 1000 I found two
individuals at the sand spit on October in. and one on the 22d.
Whether or not this is unusually late I am unable to sa.v. since
these are my oidy fall records.

."2. I'dlliix rii(ii)iiiiinis. — Virginia Rail.

Connnon in tlie marshes from tlie middle of .\pril until the first
of October, and not infre(iuently found in any wet jilace. A pair
raised a brood of eleven in a small swamj) made by removing earth

JoxES — On r)iR])s OF Cedar Point. 123

for tilling, loss tli;iii ton rods from the Oberliu Water Works res-
ervoir, ill the suimuer of 1007. The nearest occupied dwelling-
house was aiiout twenty rods away. Men with teams were re-
inoving earth from a l»ank about three rods from the nest every
day. I have found this rail in all of the marshy stream mouths,
where the iiest is placed upon a grass tussock, always at least six
inches above the water. The peculiar calls of these birds are one
of the features of the marshes in summer. In my experience this
rail flushes more readily than the Sora. and is inclined to fly far-
ther. Judging from the number of birds actually seen, it is the
more common. My earliest date for a nest with eggs is May 8,
1!)0;3.
53. Porzaiia Carolina. — Sora ; Carolina Kail.

Common in the marshes from the first week in April until the
last week of October, and often met with in small marshy or wet
fields. It Is pretty closely associated with the last species during
the breeding season. I have a suspicion that it is our most com-
mon rail, but its reluctaiKc to rise above the vegetation, and its
adeptness at dodging and hiding have made actual sight records
fewer than of the preceding si)ecies. I have never found specimens
of the A'irginia Rail which had been killed by striking wires or
other obstructions, but there are a number of such instances of
this species being killed in this manner, and that in both seasons
of migration. The calls of the Sora are often given in a sort of
concert. Perhaps it would be a more accurate description to say
that the call of one bird is followed by a wave of calls over the
marsh.

' Kail shooting does not seem to be much practiced hereabouts.
Perhaps the extreme ditticulty of getting about in the marshes may
prove a serious hindrance to hunters.

o4. Porzuiui novehoraceusu. — Yellow Rail.

I'lie only record known to me is that of a live bird l>rouglit in
from the marshes and confined in a cage for some days, in the
Oberliu College Museum. It finally escaped — with its skin! I am
unal)le to give even the ajiproximate date of this record. There is
probably little doul)t that it is more or less regular at least in the
migrations.

.")."!. /(jiioniis inu rt illicit . — Purple Gallinule.

"Professor E. L. .Moscley rei)orts a specimen captured at San-
dusky bay. April I's. IS'.x;; Dr. Carl Tiittle, one which had flown
against the telegraph wires and was killed, 'along the lake shore,'
September li. 1.S!)4 (Auk XII. .101).' ' .Jones, Birds of Ohio, 01.

."id. dtilliinil'i !i(il(<ilii.--V\oy\{]:\ G;illinnlc.

"i'he parts of the marsh liiat are covered by vegetation are full
of them during the summer. My records indicate that they ar-

124 . TiiF, ^^']I.so^• r.ri.i.i-ynx— Xo. GS

rive diiriiii,' tlie last Aveek of April. I liavo no fall records. The
nests are Imilt up from the water, ii.-ually heaps of vcLjetatioii, which
are always dry on toi), with a made runway from the nest into
the water, up which the l)irds clindi in .troiuix from the water upon
the nest. The places where 1 have found nests the most numer-
ous were near the borders of open water where the vesietation is
dense. The birds seem to require effective cover, but suflicient
space between the stalks for easy proi^re-ss swimming or wadinu'.
If one approaches the nest the bird slides off and almost imme-
diately begins a i)rotesting caclcle. circling about among the reeds
just out of sight. At, least one i»air has ai)pro|)riated Biemiller's
Cove for a nesting place, and the whole family may be seen there
busily at work ])icking ui) a living. It is a connnon sight, in sea-
son, to see Gallinnles lined up along the liorder of Black Channel,
industriously feeding just- at the edge of the channel. Man.v times
I have counted upwards of fifty at tlie west entrance to this chan-
nel. One can penetrate the marsh practically nowhere \\ itliout call-
ing forth loud protestations from thes-e liirds.

r>7. Fiilicci aniciicaiKi. — Coot.

Abundant in the marshes during both migrations, but brecdiug
only sparingly. It is a frequent April visitor at the Oberlin Water
Works reservoir. Coots arrive in the marshes as soon as the ice
disa])pears. which was March !t, 1008. l)ut not until :\rarch 25, 1907,
and become connnon in a few days. The.y remain extremel.v com-
mon until well toward the middle of May (May 20, 1907), then
decrease to a few In-eeding pairs. They return to common about
the middle of September, and remain very numerous until the first
touch of winter — near the middle of November. My latest record
is November 26, 190G. The Coots are much more open water fre-
quenters than the (iallinules, and tiy rather more readily w'hen
startled. They feed more in the open water near the borders of
the marsh, or along the borders of any open water area. They are
seldom seen feeding singly in the marshes during the migration
movements, but gather into companies, sometimes numl)ering over
a hundred individuals. Their hen-like movement of the head and
neck when they are swinnning makes it easy to distinguish them
from the ducks when both occur in the same company. They do
not seem to fraternize with the ducks to any extent.

58. SIctjaiioiHts tricolor. — Wilson's Phalaroi>e.

There are two records. l>oth in tlie vicinity of oberlin. On .May
10, 1899, there was one at tiie Oberlin Water AVorks reservoir, and
on the 14th of the same year one at a small field i>ond just outside
the village limits. I feel certain that the species is one which reg-
ularly visits the-»area, but has escaped notice.

JoxES — Ox Rtkds of Cr-:n.\R Point. 125

."!>. I'liilnlnla minor. — Woodcock.

IveguL-ir, ;iii(l eoninion in suitable localities. Its arrival from
the south is a .^ood deal dependent upon the weather. If there is
little snow duriui; March the birds may be expected b.v the middle
of that month (March 30, 3902), but if there is pretty continuous
snow they wait until near the first of April. My latest fall record
is October 0. 3807, but it is more than likely that this is too early
for the bulk of tiie fall migrations. I have found them at various
places aloiiLT the sand spit, and feel confident that several pairs
breed in tlic denser shrubbery east of the Lake Laboratory, as well
as west of the pleasure resort grounds. The presence of these birds
is best noted during the mating season, when their twilight court-
ing antics and notes may be seen and heard in almost any piece of
woods of more than a few acres extent. ]Many of the larger
swampy woods are being cleared away and the breeding places
correspondingly restricted, Ijut the birds cling tenaciously to the
remnants Auit are left, or even nest in the brushy borders along
fences if the humidity conditions remain congenial. There seems
to lie relatively little hunting of these birds in this region, so that
there is reason for hoping that their extermination will be post-
poned for long. It is worth any one's while to go into the haunts
of this bird during the courting season for the purpose of noting
the courting nietliods. The male birds seem to be almost fearless
at such times. Near at liaiid one will hear, with startling distinct-
ness, "Iizzz-z-z-st, bzzz-z-z-st, hzzz-z-z-st, bzzz-z-z-st." sometimes repeat-
ed many times liefore the bird mounts diagonally upward through
the opening among the trees with short, whistling wing beats,
'launches out over the woods high up, in mazy circllings, upward un-
til nearly lost to sight, and far away from the starting point, then
the flight ceases with the peculiar whistling noises, and the bird
Hoats downward by a crooked ]»;\tli. the while calling in coaxing
tones "p clnick tuck cuck oo, p chuck tuck cuck oo, p chuck tuck
cuck oo," uttered more slowly at first, regularly increasing in
rajiidity until the notes are almost a continuous weedling call as
the bird descends into the woods, cease entirely .just as he regains
his perch. Almost inunediately he again begins his call "bzzz-z-z-
st," and tlie whole performance is repeated. In the chasing flight,
wliich is (crtjiin to follow this den)onstration of affection, the birds
arc completely lost in the business (?) of the moment, and all but
dash iiilo the observer if he liaiiiiens to I)e in their line of flight.

(lit. (Idlliinifii, (h'lictihi. — Wilson's Snipe.

'i'olerably coiiinion dining the migrations. It usually arrives dur-
ing the last weel< in .March. dei)ending somewhat upon the weather,
and departs nc.rtbw ard ne:ir the 10th of May. I have not found
many al Ced.ir Toiiit in the nnirshes, probably because it has not

126 Tjie Wilson Bulletin— No. OS

been itniftic-able to boat about tbere for thorn, but at Oak I'oint,
where tho marshes grade into mud and grass flats I have always
found oonsiderablo numbers at the proper seasons. It is also not
unconunon in the meadows in Avhich water stands in spring. The
old doad-furrows which contain water are prettj' certain to haA'O
their (juota of from one to many Snipes during April. Fifteen
years ago there was considerable snipe hunting, but I have seen
very little of it recently. In tho fall the birds return late in Sep-
tember and remain about a month. At this season one must look
for them in marshy ground, where the food is abundant. It has
never l)eeu my fortune to see and hear the courting antics of this
bird.

Gl. I'riiKju cainitiis. — Knot.

I have not met this bird, but Mr. L. ;\I. McCormick, who spent a
number of years at Oberlin prior to 1892, states in his manuscript
list that it is a rare migrant on the lake shore only. In view of its
ri'gular occurrence at Point Pelee one might reasonably expect to
find it somewhere along tho route of migration.

02. Plsohia maculata. — Pectoral Sandpiper.

The most numerous of our sandpipers prior to 1808, but since
then it has been scarce. I l)olieve that one of tho causes for its
diminution has boon the draining and undertiling of the meadows
and boggy pot holes in \vhich it found good feeding places, because
the places where I now find it are meadows made temporarily wet
by newly constructed railroad embankments or other obstruction.
I have never seen single individuals while the birds are here, but
always flocks. The first appear during the first ten days of April
(earliest April 3, 1909), and the last have gone north by the mid-
dle of May. The only fall record I have is for the sewer settling
beds, September 20 and 25, 1907, a flock of twelve birds.

o;;. PUohia hairdii. — Baird's Sandpiper.

I have only two actual records for the region. Mr. L. M. Mc-
Cormick makes the statement, backed up by three specimens in the
Oberlin College collection, that it was common on August 30, 1890,
at Oak Point. I found one at the Oberlin Water Works reservoir
on Ai)ril 28, 1909. I feel confident that this sandpiper is fairly reg-
ular in its migrations across this region, but it has somehow es-
caped being seen.

04. Pisohia iniitutilla. — Least Sandpiper.

This sandpiper makes its appearance pretty regularly during the
second week in May, and is therefore among the latest migrants.
It rarely remains more than five days. I have no positive fall rec-
ords. While here it is more often found on the mud fiats or in shal-
low field ponds feeding industriously, but flocks may occasionally

JoxES — Ox P)iRDs OF Cedar Point. 127

ho fomul ranuins along tlie lake beach. A low conversational twitter
usually accompanies the feeding movements. The birds are not at
all wary, so that one may approach almost near enough to note the
al)sence of the web. which certainly distinguishes this from the
Somipalmated.

(in. I'elidiia alpiua saLJidJiiiti. — Red-backed Sandpiper.

I have only four positive records for this sandpiper, as follows:
May 8, 3905. and May 3 7, 1!>(»!). two birds each time, on the Cedar
Point sand spit; October C, lS!t(i, at Oak Point, and October 27, 1906,
five birds near Huron. I Mud an additional record by Mr. L. M.
^[(•('ormick for May 21, 1S91. There is every reason for believing
that this sandpiper has been regularly overlooked, and that it oc-
curs in each migration in fair luunbers. Each of my records are
for the lake beach.

.Moseley reports it at Sandusky. October 2P), 1904.

fiCi. Krciiuctcx pti-silliix. — Semipalmated Sandpiper.

It is not regularly found in its northward migration, probably be-
cause field work in the places where it stops to feed has been largely
wanting at that particular time. ^ly spring records are May 16,
IS and 19, 190:5; May 19 and 2:!, 190(1; and May 22, 1909. Fall rec-
(ii'ds are September 8, l!Kt4; September 23 and 25, 1907; from July
1") to the middle of August, 1908. It has always been found run-
ning along the lake beach, feeding in the wave-washed rubbish. It
often accompanies other sandpipers, notably the Sanderling and
Spotted. In other places I have found it with the Least, feeding
,on mud flats or along areas uncovered at low tide. Numbers were
found at the lagoon on ^liddle Bass when low water exposed the
mucky bottom. They are appreciably larger, and lighter colored,
both altove and below, than the Least Sandpiper, with which they
are most readily contused. 1 have almost always found this spe-
cies in small flocks. On the beach they may be approached to
within a rod without taking wing.

(!7. Calidris Iciicoplxra. — Sanderling.

Strangely enougli. all but one of my records for the whole re-
gion are fall records ; the one exception is May 19, 1903, when one
was found at Oak Point. The earliest fall record is July 21, 1908.
when there were si.\ on the beach at the Lake Laboratory. They
remained during the remainder of my stay (I left on July 31), and
were not seen again on subse<iuent visits. The latest fall record is
October 9. 1897. They can hardly be called common, but they are
pretty regular fall visitors at the lake beach. The distinctly lighter
color than any of the other shore l)irds with long black bill and legs,
are certain field marks. They are more often seen with the Semi-
l)almated Sandpipers than with any others, unless it be the Spotted;

128 Ttte ^^'TLSox Bulletin — No. n.S

Imt if there are several Saiulerlin.iis in tlie 11o<-k they fiy tojiether
and away from all of the others. They are not timid, and can l)e
ap])roached closely.

(IS. Totainis iiirhiiiolcticiis. — Greater Yellow-legs.

Spring dates of arrival range from April 12, 1905, to April 'P,C).
I'.XHi, so that it is diftioult to state the probable date of arrival. I
incline to think that the birds aetnally appear near the middle of
April, being a good deal influenced by weather. They are likely to
tarry until the middle of May. Fall records are too few to be re-
liable. 'J"he earliest date of arrival is September 4, 1899, which is
probably too late, and the latest record is October 27, 190G, near
Huron. This bird is a freipient visitor to the Oberlin Water Works
reservoir, from where his startling "tell-tale" calls may be heard
all over town in the morning. I have a number of lake beach rec-
ords, but the favorite stopping places are inundated muck patches
or shallow ponds at tlie edge of woods. The ^fiddle Bass lagoon,
at low water, is a typical feeding place. In such places they stand
"knee deep"' in the water, often darting hither and thither for some
water inhabitant, sometimes feeding with the whole head and up-
per neck immersed. One could hardly call this species common at
any time, ))ut it is regular and in some numbers.

<;;>. Totaiius /iavipes. — Yellow-legs.

This species is rather closely associated with the last, but is
al)0ut a week later in spring, and I have heard it and seen it fly-
ing over the marshes on July 5. 1907, 1908. It is more numerous
than the Greater, and in Hocks containing both species, a frequent
condition, the smaller size and weaker voice are evident. I have
no beach records for this si)ecies.

70. Jfc]<)(lio)ii(is solitariiis. — Solitary Sandpiper.

The earliest spring arrival was April IS. 1909. ami the latest
spring record May '27>. 19o:>. The median date of arrival is April
29, and of departure May 19. The first fall record is Augu.sf 22.
1896, and the latest October 7. 19<)7. Tliis is our woods sandi)iper,
or more exactly, woods border, for at the iiroper season one is prac-
tically certain to find one or more of these birds at any pond in the
edge or border of a woods. As the name indicates, one finds single
iiulividuals rather more often than moi'o than one in a i)lace. but
during the migrations it is nol rare to tiiid as many as ten at a
small pond. On May 14 and 10, 1904. and again on May 14. 1900,
tliese i)ir(ls were in sncli nund)ers as to be recorded as conunon.
( >n tliese occasi(Mis several were found on every woods jtond visited,
.•Mid at the marshes at Oak Point, there were birds almost every-
wJKM'c. Many iicrsoiis seem unable to distingnisii this sjiecies fi'oiii
the Siiotted unless it is well seen and (|uiet. The note is similar, it

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 129

is true, but a double "peet weet" ; there are white feathers in the
tail, and the birds usulaly rise in a zig-zag flight, going much far-
ther up than the Spotted does, and not flying low out over tlie wa-
ter in a loop, returning to the sliore.

71. Catotrophoriis serni'palniatiis inornatus. — Western Willet.

It is recorded in tlie card catal(»g of Cedar Point birds by Griggs,
I'.WO, as follows : "A few individuals." My only record is a cap-
tured bird in immature plumage, September 17, 1906, at Oak Point.
Tlie l)ird was a male. Since this specimen Is clearly the western
form 1 have taken it for granted that any others fouiid in the re-
gion will prove to be the same.

72. Bartramia longicaitdo. — Bartramian Sandpiper.

Uncommon, but regular from the second week in April until tlie
lieginning of September. There are two places within a mile of
<)l)erlin where I am sure to find it, and 1 have discovered a place
lietween O'lerlin and Birmingham where the birds uest regularly.
A careful census of these birds would probably show that there
is a pair to about every section of land which is not too largely
wooded. Here they seem to breed in winter wheat fields, wliich
lie close to permanent pastures, irrespective, as far as I can deter-
mine, as to whether the land lies high or low. In fact, there is lit-
tle up-and-downness to the regions where I have found breeding
l)irds, so that their choice nuist fall iipon otherwise suitable nesting
sites. The first evidence of the presence of these birds in spring is
the flight call, given while the bird is high in air. In a few days
the mating whistle is heard, and soon thereafter the birds are lo-
'cated. There were young Iiirds l»arely al)le to fly on July 11, 1!M>1.

7;!. Adit is DHicuhiria. — Spotted Sandpiper.

Our connnonest shore i>ird. The median date of arrival for thir-
teen years is April 10. The earliest record is April 'J, 1904. The
latest fall date is October 30. 1005. Most of the birds have left by
tlie middle of Octol)er. It is common all along the lake beach, per-
iiaps a little more so along tlie sand s]»it than elsewhere. It is also,
common along all streams and about all ]ionds. Away from the
lake it often nests in grain fields at some distance from water. It
is, ])erhaps, gratuitous to mention the several little mannerisms
wliicli make this sandpiper easily distinguished in the field. The
nervous teetering of the body is accompanied Ii.v a deep and con-
tinuous wag of tlie hinder part of tlie body; the flight low out over
tlie water is accomiilished l),v one strong beat of the wings suc-
ceeded by several lialf iteats like the rolling of a drum stick. The
flight is out in an arc of a circle, the arc reaching the shore at an
acute angle. Of course I would not be understood as insisting that
the l)irds alwa.vs do sucli things, but they do fre(|nently enough so
that they Ijecome distinctive of the species.

i;lO Tf{F Wit SOX Bui.t.etix— Xo. r.S

74. y iiDiciiiiis iniicricdiiiis. — Loiis-billecl Curlew.

I find this card reference: "1 speciinen. July 20, "00. Rice."
There i.'^ probably no doubt that the liird recorded was a curlew,
but since the Ontario specimens are mostly Iludsonian, there may
be a reasonable doubt as to the species.

7.1. StiiKitinold •s'/»(//r//o/«.--r>hicl':-bellied I'lover.

The only positive records are May 10 and 18, 1908, near the Lake
Laboratory on the beach. This certainly cannot prove that this
sjjecies is accidental in the region. It is possible that there is no
line of flight for the migrations across the region, and therefore any
specimens found are wanderers from the line of flight.

7t!. ('iKirrtdrliis (loiiiiincnx. — fJolden I'lover.

There are a nmnber of scattering records for the Oberlin quad-
rangle, but no migration dates can be assigned. When found the
birds are in ojien jiasture fields in small flocks. There has been a
iiiar]<i'd diniinutiou in numbers in tlie last twenty .vears.

77. O.rj/ecliiiH rod ferns. — Killdeer.

A coninion sunnner resident. It Itelongs witli the first wave of
migration and leaves only with the advent of winter. In late sum-
mer it is fre(iuently seen in fioclvS of from half a dozen to tift.v in-
dividuals, but at other times it does not flock. It is only occasion-
ally seen on the lake beach, but rather fre<iuents small ponds which
have a shallow border. The favorite nesting place hereabouts is a
plowed field, ' preferably fall idowing. Nests have been found in
pastures and meadows. In straightaway flight the actions of a
Hock soiiK'wliat resemble pigeons in flight. In fact, more than once
1 have had an elderly man who bad been familiar with the Passen-
ger Pigeons in their jialuiy days remark, upon seeing a consider-
■•ilile flock of these birds. "There goes a tlock of Pigeons." On sev-
eral occasions of peculiarly favorable conditions for migration in
si)ring I have seen great nmn])ers of Killdeers migrating parallel
to the lake shore, and .always eastward all day long. It appeared
that the lake had diverted the stream of migration from the north-
wai'd direction, and the birds were seeking a land passage. Many
tliat struck out boldly for the Ontario shore soon returned and
joined the eastward moving liost. I have never been at the island
route at the limes when tliese lurds are migrating.

7s. .Kii'niHtis NeiiiiixiliiKihi. — Semi])almated Plover.

.Ml i-ecoi'ds ai-e scattering. Three were noted May 14. thirteen
May 1C>. and seven May 1'.). liM).-,: live May 14. IIMIC: two May l.".
1!>()7: none In tlie sjiriiig of llios and 1!M)!). One on September 4
and 11. 1.S!I7 : one on Scptemliei' !i ;ind 14. 1S'.>!l; two on September
8, 1'.)(14; one on July 8. and one on October 21. 1!M>7; one on July
21, 1908. All of these are lake beach records, the July records at

Jones — Ox Birds of Cedar Point 131

the Lake Laboratory. As the records indicate, single birds are
usually seen, and I am inclined to believe that they represent trail-
ers ratlicr tlian the stream of misration. They are usually asso-
ciated with >Si)otted Sandi)iiiers, Sanderliugs, and Semipalniated
Sandpipers, feeding at the waters edge, ranging ui) and down the
beach. I believe tliat Pelee Island would furnish the clue to the
migration route northward as well as southward of this Plover.

T!>. JJi/iiilitis ineJoila. — Piping I'lover.

Several pairs were found breeding near the Lake Laboratory in
l!)o:'>. and their ])resence tliere on June 17, 1!>04, indicates that there
was at least one pair breeding that year, but I have failed to find
an.v in summer since, nor an.v on the islands at any time. At best the
species is scarce. Kecords of occurrence are May 16, 1903, one at
Oak I'oint. and perhaps six pairs near the Lake Laboratory during
tlie breeding season; June 17, 1004, a pair near the Lake Labora-
tory; April 1.1, one, and ^Nlay I."!, one on the sand spit, 1907; May
IS. lt>OS. two on the sand spit; May 17, 1909, one on the saud spit.
I have lieard voices that I believe to have been of this bird in
early July at the Lake Laboratory, in 1907 and 1908, but it was
at twilight and the birds were flying. If they were Piping Plovers
tliey were ])robably the tirst of the returning birds from the north.

SO. Ai-einiria intcrprcs. — Ruddy Turnstone.

I have found it on the lake beach from tlie middle to the last of
May, usually in companies of from five to thirty individuals. The
only fall record is September S, 1904, at Oak Point. Unlike most
of the other Shore Birds, the Turnstones range over the whole width
x)f the beach when feeding. They are fretiuentl.v seen standing
((uietly on the packed sand, or even on the flat tops of the piles
driven to i)revent the wash of the storm waves. There is no
frequenter of the beach so strikingly colored nor more interesting
to watch from cover. The misnomer 'Calico-back' does these birds
a rank injustice, if the mental pictxire which that name conjures
up is like mine — any hideous Ijlue and white pattern of cheai»
dressing goods. The patchy black, white, and ruddy pattern of
these birds in full breeding plumage is rather a hint of wealth
than of poverty.

132 The Wir.snx Bulletin— No. HR

ALEXANDER A\'1LS()X.

\'I. — Ills N()Mi:XCLATL'KE.
BY FRANK L. IIURNS.

Dr. Colics lias declared that science would lose little, but
on the contrary, would gain much if every scrap of pre-Wil-
sonian writing about United States birds could be annihilated.
It is true, that foreign naturalists had been, for the most ])art.
bigoted, misinformed or too credulous ; and the few native
writers unsystematic, lacking in initiative and realization of
the importance of exactness. However. Wilson did not find
systematic ornithology an utter chaos. Linnaeus, the great
compiler, and his editor (imelin. had absorbed nuich from
our earlier writers, particularly Catesby. and his Systema
Naturae provided the ground plan and skeleton, it remained
to be consolidated, clothed, the gaps filled in : far too great
a task in its entirety for the inexperience and brief period
of Wilson, even had he the inclination for such work.

W^ilson adopted, and with some exceptions, followed the
system used by Dr. J. Latham in his Index Ornithologicus,
and General Synopsis of Birds, which the Philadelphia libra-
ry supplied him. For the use of ]\I. Turton's version of
Linn;eus' Systema Naturre. he was indebted to his friend
Thomas Say. Mark Catesby's Natural History of Carolina,
Florida and the Bahama Islands ; George Edwards' work ;
Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Mrginia ; William
Bartram's Travels through North and South Carolina. Geor-
gia, East and West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the ex-
tensive territories of the Muscogulges. or the Creek Con-
federacy, and the Country of the Choctaws ; Jeremy Belknap's
History of New Hampshire ; S. Williams' Natural and
Civil History of Vermont ; and Benjamin Snu'th Barton's
Fragments of Natural History of Pennsylvania : he found in
Bartram's library, or elsewhere

Dr. Francis in describing Wilson's visit to New York, says
that he seized the moments of leasure he had. in closely ex-
anu'iu'ng books on natural science, in dift'erent libraries to

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 133

which he could obtain ready access The American Museum,
which had been well fitted up, was however, his most gratify-
in.j>- resort. Scudder, the founder of this institute, was indeed
a rough diamond, but few could surpass his enthusiasm in
studying- the volumes of nature, as he termed every ol)je,ct in
natural history. Scudder remarked " I have many curiosities
here, 'Sir. \\'ilson, but I myself am the greatest one in the
collection." ^

In this manner, \A'ilson obtained the slender book knowl-
edge of birds he ])ossessed. At the time of his death, accord-
ing to a statement of his executor, his shelves contained but
one ornithological work, Thomas Berwick's History of British
Birds ! He was no closet naturalist . He, was eager for the
exact trutii direct from nature. Orrl, with some justice, com-
plains : " In his s])ecific definitions he is loose and unsystem-
atic. He does not ajjpear to have been convinced of the
necessity of i)recision on this head; his essential and natural
characters are not discriminated ; and in some instances, he
confounds generic and specific characters, which the laws of
methodical science do not authorize. . . . That he was not
ambitious of the honor of forming new genera, appears from
the circumstance, that, although he found the system of
'Latham's needed reformation, yet he ventured to propose
but one genus, the Curvirostva, the characters of which are
so obvious, that one is astonished that so le.arned an ornithol-
ogist as Latham, should have contented himself with arrang-
ing the species appertaining to it with others, the conforma-
tion, of whose liills is so dissimilar. It may be necessary to
state that Crossbills have been erected into a separate genus,
under the denomination of Cntcirosfra, by an author whose
works Wilson had no knowledge of ; and I have reason to
believe that even the generic appelation of Curvirostra had
been anticipated, by a writer on the ornithology of the north-
ern ])arts of [un-o])e. Brisson limited his genus Loxia to the
Crossbills, and this judicious restriction appears to be now
sanctioned l)y all nattu'alists of authority."

■ Oliitunry Notice of .Mcx.indev Wilson. The T'ort Folio, New Se-
ries, Vol. II. Sept. LSI.;.

134 The Wilson Bulletin— No. G8

In the spring of 1804, Wilson knew scarcely an American
bird. He constantly appealed to Bartram to mark the names
of his species under his drawings. Soon the multiplicity of
current specific names purplexed and annoyed him, and he
writes to Bartram : "The more I read and reflect upon the
subject, the more dissatisfied I am with the specific names
which have be.en used by almost every writer. A name
should, if possible, be expressive of some peculiarity in color,
conformation, or habit ; if it equally apply to two difl:'erent
species, it is certainly an improper one. Is niigraforiits an
epithet peculiarly applicable to the robin ? Is it not ecjually
so to almost every species of fiirdiis we have? Eiiropca has
been applied by Pennant to our large sitta or nuthatch, which
is certainly a different species from the European, the latter
being destitute of the black head, neck and shoulders of ours.
Latham calls it carolincnsis, but it is as much an inhabitant
of Pennsylvania and New York as Carolina. The small red-
bellied sitta is called canadensis by Latham, a name equally
objectionably with the other. Turdns minor seems also im-
proper ; in short I consider this jiart of the business as pe-
culiarly perplexing : and I beg to have your opinion on the
matter, particularly with respect to the birds I have mention-
ed, ^\hether I shall hazard a new nomenclature, or, by copy-
ing, sanction what I do not approve." Fortunately for the
already overburdened synonymy, Bartram's council was
doubtless for a conservative course, and ever after Wilson
labored diligently to adopt names sanctioned by some one or
other of his predecessors, with due regard as to fitness, but
little as to priority.

Wilson evidently endeavored to establish the identity of
Bartram's species whenever possible, but referred to the List
less and less as his own work progressed and his knowledge
increased, doubtless realizing the hopelessness of the task,
with nothing but the meagre description and the failing mem-
ory of his patron to assist him in the identification. On the
other hand as Coues has stated, many birds which \\'ilson
first fully discribed and figured, were named by Bartram,
and .several of the latter's designations were simply adopted

BuKNS — On Alexander Wilson. 135

by Wilson, who in relation to Bartram, is as the broader and
clearer stream to its principal tributary affluent.^ So far as the
ornitholo£i;ical world is concerned, the originals are now mere
literary curiosities, and are appended as a matter of history.

Rnrtram. IT'.il. Wilson, and A. O. U. Check List.

1. Viiltiir atrntiift.
tlie hlaclv vultnre. or carrion

Vultiir (itniliis Wils. — ('atharista
atrata (Bartr. ) until 1S9!), when
it gave way to a later name — C.

crow. • iiniba (Vieill.) Rartram heing

[ eliminated.

r Faico iiif/cr Wils. Black Hawk.

2. F\(i1co] iiifi"): J A synonym of Archihiifco hi-

the black hawk. ] f/opiis sancti-joJiannis (Gmel.)

[ American Kough-legged Hawk,

r, 1, -i -7 r ^f ii^cicai)a iniiici»l(t Wils. Pewit

n. ^f,<.c,tana ,nmrm,^ j Flycatcher. Synonym of .S.^'

the pew.t, or black-cap nycat.-IuM. 1 „.^ ^^,^^^.,^^^ ^^^^^^^^ . -^.j^^^,^^ ■'

4. M. rapax. the lesser pewit, f rl^^r'tJ'T"" ^Vl^- )^'°"'^

or brown and greenish tty..atcher.| J,vo's" (I inn ! ^^'J'"'^'""''

the cat bird or chicken bird.

7. Htiinnis pr<r(la1or'niK
the red-winged starling or corn
thief.

Synonym of DiimeteUa carol in-
eiisis (Linn.)

C. Musclcnim cauUnrU. \ il^^f^r ^«V""'''«^^'''- ^^^^''%

,., ^■^t^■, 1 4^- « ♦ 1 . ,. ,. Py*^'^ I'lycatcher. Synonvm of

the httle domestic flycatcher or- ^..^.^^^ .^,^.,,^ ^ ■

.^-reen wren. ( ^y^^^ ^j^.^^

Sturnns prfrdatoriiis Wils. A
synonym of Agelaius plurniceus
(Linn.)

Red-winged Blackbird.
FringiUa pin us Wils.
8. CUirdiielns] pinus J Pine Finch,

the lesser goldfinch. 1 Spiiiiii^ pin 11.9 (Wils.)

I Pine Siskin.

r FringiUa palnsfriK Wils.

!). P\asfier] paliistris J Synonym of

the reed sparrow. Melo.^piza pcorf/iana (Lath.) '

I Swamp Siiarrow.

10. FlriiifnUa] riifa [ ^'''"m^'a riifa Wils.

the red. or fox-colorod gi-o\ind Synonym of
or hedge sitarrow. Passerella iliaca CNIerr.)

I Fox Sparrow.

r CertJiia carolinensis Wils.

1L M[oiitciU>^ ('(irdliiiiaiia J Synonym of

the great wren of Carolina. 1 Tlrrifo'thonis hidoriranits (Lath.)

I Carolina Wren.

' Key ro North American Birds.

Vo(k Tiir \\'ir.soN Bulletin — No. 68

12. M. domcstica
the bouse wren.

Xauied only with reference to

Bartruni by ^yilson MotaciUa do-

incstlca Biivt'r.

Synonym of

Trof/Ioflijtex aedaii Vieill.

House Wren.

Ccrfhiii pal list lis Wils.
'J'eliiiatodijtvs paliistris ( Wils. i
Lont;-I)ille(l .Marsh Wren.

]4. SiHd ■nirhi C SUta rariii Wils. Synonym of

the hlack-capiied. red-liellied iuit--< fSitta caiiddciisis I, inn. Ked-
hateh. I lireasted Xuthatcli.

,„r , 1 , , I Til I'd IIS iiteUxIcs ^\'ils. A s\-n-

1.). I [iirdiis] UK lodes .. ,,, , , ,.•

,, 1 ii 1 A onym o) Junius m iistciiinis

]:i. J/, pahistjis J

the marsh wren. ]

the wood thrush.

Gmel. Wood Thrush.

Perhaps, Bartram's X \ujiicniiis\ pcdorc nifo. or Triiiga
riifa, may have suggested Wilson's Triir^a nifa Red-l^reast-
ed Sandpiper; and Ardca viriscciis iiiiiior. liis .Irdca minor
liittern; though the species are certainly not the same. Wil-
son failed to make use of P[(7j\s\'r| agrcstis. the little field
sparrow, though j^erhaps C[ai'duclcs\ piisiliis. the least
finch, may have suggested his Spi.cclla piisilla for the Field
Sparrow'; nor did he adopt Bartram's M[ofacilla\ syli'icola.
the little red-eye'd flycatcher for that species, but transferred
the specific name to the Yellow-throated \'ireo ; and likewise
P\anis\ z'iridis giittcrc nigra, tlie green black-throated fly-
catcher, to Hiniiido I'iridis. White-bellied Swallow. Friiigilla
ritfa Bartr. was changed to F. fcrnigiiica and marked new
in his Catalog'ue, Vol. \'T.

Bartram would serve as an ideal patron saint for a bird
protective association. He was exceedingly averse to kill-
ing" anything', and writes "as long as I can get any other ne-
cessary food, T shall prefer their seraphic music in the ethereal
skies, and my eyes and tmderstanding gratified in observing
their economy and S(^cial commtmities, in the expansive green
savannas of Florida." lie would not kill the deadly diamond-
l)acked rattlesnake, if it was possible to avoid it, because at
the beginning of his career as a botanist, a mountain rattler
had refused to strike when he had mistaken it for a curious
bit of fungus. However, accidental specimens described in
the field are not ahvays satisfactory, and sight diagnoses

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 137

seldom accurate ; therefore it is small wonder he erred re-
peatedly. His nomenclature is a mixture of Linnaeus, Ed-
wards. Catesby and his own. ' Unlike Wilson, he seemed
never at a loss for a name, and if he had more than one oc-
casion to refer to a species, he seldom repeated the name he
had g'iven it, but produced another. Hence we have Colyiii-
bus colubriiiits ct caiida cloir^ata, the, snake bird of Florida=
Anhinga aiihiiiga, Anhinya : Mclcogris Amcricanus et occi-
dciitalis=M. gallopoz'o nicrriaiiii, Merriam's Turkey; Falco
aqiiilimis ct major caiida fcrrcgijico, the great eagle hawk=:
Butco borcalis, Red-tailed Hawk; /'. rcgiilis ct maximus,
the great gray ea.g\e=:Halicvctiis Iciicoccphahis, Bald Eagle ;
Strix acclaniator ct vaviojts, the hooting o\\\^=Syri\tui varinm,
Barred Owl; Capriiiiitlgiis litcifugiis ct nifiis, the great bull
bat or chuck wills widow. ^= A iitrostoiinis caroliucnsis, Chuck-
wills-widow ; Giirnilis cv.tstralis ct Motacilla trochiUis^=Ictcria
■z'ircns, Yellow-breasted Chat; Motacilla pahistris ct rcgiilus
atrofiiscus iiiinor, or marsh wrcu=:Tclinatodytcs pahistris.
Long-billed Marsh Wren; Tardus inclodcs ct miiior^Turdus
uwistcVmus, Wood Thrush ; and perhaps others.

Not only Wilson, but Barton. Mcillot and Audubon
quarried in the ruins of his nomenclature. His list of 215
nominal species, are by no means all identifiable. He did
not understand the various changes of plumage some of our
birds are subject to. in one or more instances dififerentiated
the sexes of a species, and the confusion was not lessened by
the more than occasional employment of established technical
terms not applicable to the species under consideration. Ac-
cording to Cones about half are new. and subtracting a num-
ber unciuestionably derived from other sources, though mis-
applied, and repetition or multiplication through ignorance
of variation in plumage, the number is still large and con-
tains several unknown to Wilson. It is also evident that
some one must have imposed upon "Puc Puggy" (the
Flower Hunter), as he was known to the Seminoles. in the
instance of the so-called J^nltur sacra, the painted or white-
tailed vulture, which he tells us fed upon roasted lizards,
snakes and frogs, therefore dependent upon the occasional

J 38 Trii- Wir.soN Cullktin— Xo. G8

firing- of the Florida savannas Ijy lightning- or the Indians,
It is now considere.d a mythical species. Dr. Allen suggesting
that it originated from some facts known to Bartram in con-
nection with the ['aid I^^agle and the Caracara becoming mixed
in his mind with some of his ideas respecting the King \\\\-
tnre of the American tropics. For over a quarter of a cen-
tury, Dr. Cones fought for the recognition of some twenty
of I'artram's nanies. Imt aside from his polynomial tendencies.
so many of his species were impossible of positive identifica-
tion, it nuist have been a relief to have the bird scions finally
decide adve.rselv and eliminate I'artrani entirely.

r>arton attempted a concordance of Bartram's list in his
iM-agments of Natural History, 17!>!), with no very great suc-
cess. It is full of errors and conjectures in respect to the
identity of I^artram's s]:)ecies. He was, however, a strict
binomialist, and receives recognition wherever he has proper-
1\' described a species. Fron-i hini ^^'ilson has undoubtedly
taken his I'riiii^iUa niclo(iia^=M dospica iiiclodia. Barton
])laces it with the si:)ecies knov.n to breed in Pennsylvania,
and also states: " In mild winters, this bird continues in
I 'enns\lvania. associating with the Snowbirds. Does not ap-
jjcar to be described." I^-ocrastination and lack of energy
most ])r;)bablv robbed I'arton of the title of Father of Amer-
ican Ornithology. I lis lamentable lack of concentration drew
forth the rather contem]ituous observations from Wilson in a
letter to I". A. Michaux. the French naturalist: June (i, 1S12:
Dr. liarton has not vet published his (ieneral Zoology, which
lie has been announcing, from time to time, for so manv
years, ft is much easier to say these things than to do them."
Ord states that after the work was ten years in the press, it
had advanced no further than fifty-sis ])ag-es in octavo, at the
death of the author. " The ]M-inted sheets T have read, not
only with satisfaction, but instruction : and cannot forbear
exjiressing my regret that an imdertaking, which Dr. Barton
certainly knew how to i)erform, and to which his learning was
adef|uate, should have been sufifered to perish in embrvo."

Wilson was not well versed in Latin, in fact there are

Burns — Ox Alexander Wilson.

139

many who considered him a very unlearned man, because he
obtained most of liis knowledge direct from nature. Herein
lies his success. The book knowledge of his predecessors
did naught but deepen the obscurities surrounding the species
they sought to elucidate. The conviction that here, at last,
was a man who could write plainly and convincingly, from
intimate personal knowledge, did more to dispel the mysteries
of the past than all the high-sounding Latin names, phrases
and references : and the appearance of his work marked a
new era, glorious to American Ornithology. Wilson is ac-
credited with the following species, which he figured, de-
scribed and named.

WILSON'S AMERICAN ORNITHOT-OGY,

1. Ana>^ vulisineria
Canvap-l)ack Duck

2. Triiif/a solitaria
Solitary Sandpiper

3. Falco i)iisi>iipi)ieiisis
Mississippi Kite

4. FaJco relax
Sharp-sliinned Ilawlc

Ti. Falco atricapilliis

Ash-colored or I>lack-cap
Hawk

G. Cuciilus cri/tliroptholma
Black-billed Cuckoo

7. Caprimulgus vocifenis
Wliip-iX)or-will

8. Corvus ossifrar/iis
Fish Crow

9. Corvus eoliimhiainis
Clark's Crow

10, Frinf/Ula jnniis

Pine Finch.
n. Frinf/Ula sai:aium

Savannah Spari'ow

12. Frinf/Ula maritlma

Seaside Finch
l.j. Frinf/Ula piislUa

Field Sparrow
14. Frinf/Ula melodia

Song Sparrow
1.". Tanaf/ra luiliviciana

r^ulsana Tanaser
K). jMiiscicapa solitaria

Solitary Flycatclier

A. O. U, CHECK LIST.

: MarUa vaUisncria (Wils.)

Canvasback.

Helodromas solitariiis (Wils.)

Solitary Sandpiper.
: Ictinia mississippiensis

Mississippi Kite. (Wils.)

: Accipitcr relax.

Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Astur atricapUliis (Wils.)

American Goshawk.

: Coccifzus erythrophthalmns

Black-billed Cuckoo. (Wils.)
: Antrostomus rociferiis (Wils.)

Whip-poor-will.
: Corvus ossifraf/iis (Wils.)

Fish Crow.
■'S^ucifraf/a columhiaiia (Wils.)

Clark's Nutcrackei".
■.Spin us pinus (Wils.)

Pine Siskin.
: Passerculus sandioichensis
savanna (Wils.)

Savannah Sparrow.
: Passcrherhulus maritimus

Seaside Finch (Wils.)

SpizcUa pusUla (Wils.)

Field Sparrow.

Melospiza melodia (Wi)s.)

Son.ii Sparrow.

Piranf/a ludiviciana (Wils.)

Western Tanager.

■Virco solitarius (Wils.)
P.Iue-hoaded Virco.

Ui)

The Wilson Bulletin — Xo. GS

IT. Sylvia nihricapilla

Nashville Warbler
IS. l< 1/1 via jjerei/riiia

Tennessee Warbler
];>. Sylvia matiiiolia

Black and Yellow Warbler

20. Sylvia ccviilea
Cerulean Warbler

21. Sylvia casta)) iu
Bay-breasted Wa rider

'2'2. Sylvia fovinosu

Kentucky Warbler
2'-'>. Sylvia ay His

Connecticut Warbler
24. Sylvia jjliiladelphia

ilourning Warbler
li."). Muscicapa pus ill o

Green black-cai)t Flycatcher
2(). Certhia paliistri.^

Marsh Wren

= 1'evmivova rubvicapilla

Nashville Warbler. (Wils.)
= Vcniiiv(iva pcreyviiia (Wils.)

Tennessee Warl)ler.
:= ]>cii(lvoica mayiiolia (Wils.)

^lagnolla Warbler.
=^ Dciidvoica ca'valea (Wils.)

Cerulean Warbler.
= Deiulvoica castaiica (Wils.)

Bay-])reasted Warbler.
^Opovoiiis pjvinoKa (Wils.)

Kentucky Warbler.
^ Opovoviiia fovmosa (Wils.)

Connecticut AVarbler.
= Opovorn is pli iladelph la ( Wils. )

Mourning Warbler.
z^ Wilsoiiia piisilla (Wils.)

Wilson's Warbler.
zzz Tvlinatodytcs palaslvis (Wils.)

Lonsi-billed ^larsh Wren.

One more species. Charadriiis z^'ilsoiiia = Ocht/iodromiis
'^•ilsoiiia. \\'ilson's Plover, was figured by ^\'ilsoll. but de-
scribed and named by Ord. He also figured Ralliis clcgcnis
And.. King- Rail, confusing it witb R. crepitans. Clapper Rail;
likewise Passcrciiliis princrps Ala\n. I]:)s\vich Sparrow,^ for
a male P. S(nul:cicJnvis!S savniiiia, Savannab Sparrow ; and
Turdiis ii.^tiilatiis sii'diiisonii ('Call.) Olive-backed Tbrusb
for T. giittiifa piiHasii TTcrmit Thrush : though in the latter
instance part of the text refers to the nesting of the Olive-
backed tmdoubtedlv, the nest and eggs are closely described,
perhajis for the first time : the locality however is erroneous,
Mississi])pi being so far south of its breeding range.

Wilson found the construction of specific terms so distaste-
ful that he often misapplied old appellations, thereby losing
the honor of naming several species lie had discovered,
described and figured, through preoccupation of the names.

WILSON. A. O. r. CHECK LIST.

1. Ardra liidoviciana = Hydraiiassn tricolor riificnllis
rx)uisiana Heron liOuisiana Heron. (Gosse).

2. Phalaropiis hihata = Stcyoixtpus tvicnlov (Vieill.)
Brown Phalarope Wilson's Phalarope.

.*'>. Falco prniisylvanicus z=B}itco plati/ytcnis (Vioill.)

Broad-winged Hawk Broad-winged Hawk.

^ Stone. .Xlexandcr AVilsoii and the Ipswicli Sparrow. Osprey. H.
ISD.S, p. 117.

Bi'RXs — Ox Ai-i:xaxl)|-:k W'ilsox.

141

4. Piciis toniiiatus
Lewis's Woodpecker

."». M it.scicdixi fjiienila

Small (ireen, Crested Fly-
catcher

0. Ciirvirostra aiiiei-icaiia
American Crossbill

7. Friiniilla itUHserina
Yellow-winged Sparrow.

8. Sylvia pin us
Pine-creeping Warbler

0. Sylvia pcteclica

Yellow Red-poll Warbler

10. Miisciapa miiiiita
Small-headed Flycatcher

11. T Urdus mustclinus
Tawney Thrush

]!.*. 'I' Urdus soliturius
Hermit Thrush

: Asyitdcsiiius leicisi (Riley).

Lewis's Woodpecker.
- Kiiipidoiau- vircscciis (_.Vieill.)

Green-crested Flycatcher.

z Lo.ria currirostra minor

American Crossbill. (Brelnni.
: A III mod Id 1)1 lis savaiiiKirum

austrulis Maynard.

Grasshopper Sparrow.
z Dciidroica viyorsii (Aud. )

IMne Warl»ler.
: liciidroica palmarum In/pocJi-
rysca (Ridg. I

Yellow Palm Warbler.
zSylvaiiia microccpliula (Ridg.)

Small-headed Warl)ler.
: 'J'lirdus fuscesceiis Steith.

Wilson's Thrush. Voory

: Tiirdiix (luttal^iis jmlldsH

Hermit Thrush. (Call).

Laboring- under the inuisual disadvantage of lack of re-
ference works and ignorant of the existence of snch im])or-
tant pro(hictions as Vieillot's. for instance : Wilson increased
the synonymy materially by renaming many sjiecies which
were not new. The following are all antedated.

wir.sox.
L Sterna didnni. 1814
Marsh Tern

L'. Sturiid pliimhcd. LSIH
Short-tailed Tern

:>. Aiids ruhidiis. 1814

Ruddy Duck
4. '/'riiifid srrnipdlmatd. 18ir!

Scmi])almated Sandpiper
n. 'I'riiii/d hdrtramid. 1H\P>

P.artram's Sandpiper

(1. Xiimriiiiis loufiirostris, 1814
Long-l)illed Curlew

7. 1'icux qurrulun. 1810
Red-cockaded Woodpecker

8. Hiriindo viridis. 1812
White-bellied Swallow

!t. L(i rills (■drtiliiiensis. 1811
Loggerhead Shrike

A. O. V. CHECK LIST.

= Gelochelidoii nilotica
(Jull-billed Tern.

(IlaSiSelq. ) 17(52
= Ilydrochilidon iiiyra suriiiii-
meiisis (Gm.) 1788.
Black Tern.
^= Krisnidturd jdmdirensix

Ruddy Duck. (Gm.)

= Ereunetes pusUlus (Linn.)

Semi])almated Sandpiper. 17(5('>.
z^ liditrdiiiid loiniirauda

(P.echst.) 1812.
P.artraniian Sandpipei'.
zz= Xiimriiius iimcricanus. Bechst.
Long-liilled Curlew. 1812

:=: Dryohntes horcalis (Vieill.)
Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

1807.
z= Iridoprociic hicolar (Vieill.)

Tree Swallow. 1S(I7.

:= Ldnids hidoriciunus.

Linn. 17(H;.

142

The \\'ilson Bulf-etix — No. fiS

]f). Friiit/illa socialis, ISIO
Chipping; Sparrow

11. FrinolUa palustris, 1811
Swamp Sparrow

12. Muscicdpa vieloflia, 1812
Warbling Flycatcher

l.*]. Muscicapa ayJvicoJa, 1808

Yellow-throated Flycatcher
14. Muftclcapa cautatrix, 1810

White-eyed Flycatcher
ITi. Sylvia maritima, 1812

Cape May Warbler
in. Sylvia viinuta 1811

Prairie Warbler

17. Tiirdus aquaticus, 1811
Water Thrush

18. Motacilla domestica, 1808
House AVreu

Loggerhead Shrike.
:= SpizcUa passcrina (Bechst.)

Chipping Sparrow. 1798.

= Melospiza yeoryiuua (Lath.)

Swamp Sparrow. 1790.

^Vireosylvia gilva (Veill.)

Warbling Yireo. 1807.

=1 Lanivireo flavifrous (Vieill.)

Yellow-throated Yireo. 1807.
= Vireo f/risciis (Bodd.) 1783.

White-eyed Yireo. 1788.

=: Dendroica tigrina (Gmel.)

Cape May Warbler. 1788.

^= Dendroica discolor (Yieill.)

Prairie Warbler. 1807

= Seiitnis novehoracensis

Water-Thrush. (Gmel.) 1788.
= Troglodytes aedon (Yieill.)

House Wren. 1807

One of Wilson's Scotch biof^raphers has attempted to prove
that he was well acqtiainted with the British ornis before
emigrating- to America. This cannot be so, or he would have
chfiferentiated some of the many species and subspecies he
pronounced identical with those of the Old World. America
produced no ornithologist until the time of John Cassin, who
was ecjually acquainted with the birds of both hemispheres ;
or in the restricted sense which might apply to Wilson were
his biographer correct, before the time of Bonaparte. Yet
had Wilson taken to heart the patriotic be.lief of Thomas
Jefiferson. im])arted to him in a letter of April 7, 1805, he
could not have gone so far wrong but that he would have in-
creased his own record for new species, or rather new names,
by one-half. Jefferson said: "T am of the opinion there is
not in our continent a single bird or quadruped which is not
stifficiently imlike all the members of its family there to be
considered as specifically dift'erent." Those figured and de-
scribed with the supposition that they were identical with the,
Old \\'orld species, equal in number the distinctively Amer-
ican species accredited to his name. 1'h'e references to Ku-
roy^ean writers are of course misa])plied.

WILSON. A. O. r. CHKCK LIST.

1. Stenia minuta Linn.
Lesser Tern

=: Strma nntillarum (Less.)
Least Tern. 1847

Burns — On Alexander Wilson.

143

WILSON.

2. I'rocellaria pelao'ica Liun.
Stormy Petrel

3. Merijtts merganser Liun.
Goosander

4. Anas fcriiia Linu.
Red-headed Duck

5. Anas clanf/ula Linn.
Golden Eye

(5. Anas mollissima Liun.
Eider Duck

7. Anas nif/cr Linu.
Scoter Duck

8. Anas fHsca Linn,
Velvet Duck

0. ScaloiHix (jalUnago Linn.

Snipe.
10. Trinfia pii>tilJa Linn.
Little Sandpiper

IL Triiigo alijiiia Linn.
Red-backed Sandpiper

V2. Triiit/a liidticida (Lath.)
Ring Plover

13. Trinfia liioticiila Lath.
Ringed Plover

14. Ha;niafopiis ostralcf/iix Gni.
Pied Oystercatcher

lo. Falco peregrin us Gni.

Great-footed Hawk
1(). Strix painmea Linn.

White, or Barn Owl
IT. Htri.r otis Linn.

Long-eared Owl

18. Vorviis pieiis Linn.
INIagpie

19. Corvus corax Linn.
Raven

20. Corvus corone Linn.
Crow.

21. fiyJvki trofihxlytes:' Linu.
AVinter Wren

22. Certliia familiaris Linn.
Brown f'reeiier

23. Sylvia regiilus Linn.
Golden-crowned Wren

The followinq- would have

A. O. U. CHKCK LIST.

z^Oceanites oeeanicus (Kuhl.)
Wilson's Petrel. 1820

=z I\Ierganser amcricanus (Cass.)
American Merganser. 1853.

^nAythya amerieana (Eyton)
Redhead. 183:^

— ChDigula cJaiKfula amerieana.

Faxton, 188.".,
American Golden-eye.
= tiomateria moIUssima horeali'i
C. L. Brehm, 1830.
Northern Eider.
^zOifJemia amerieana (Sw. and
Rich.) 1831.
American Scoter.
= Oidemia dcglandi. Bp. 1850.
White-winged Scoter.

— (iaUingo dclieata (Ord.) 1825.
Wilson's Snipe.

^Pisohia minutiJla

(Vioill.) ISl'.t.
Least Sandpiiter.

— Pelidua aJpina sakhaliiia

(Vieill.) ISCL
Pied-hacked Sandpiper.
= TU.iialitiK semipaimata Bp.
Semipalmated Plover. 1S2.-..

— .TUjialiliK tneloda (Ord) 1S24.
Piping Plover.

= JTamatopus pitUiatuf< Tcmm.

American Oystercatcher. 1S2(I
:= Falco peregrin ux oiidtum

Duck Hawk. (Bp.) 1S3S.

=:Alueo pralineola (Bp.) 1838.

American Barn Owl.
^Asio icilsonianus (Less.)

1831.

American Long-eared Owl.
=: Piea pica liudsonia (Sab.'*

American Magpie. 1823.

izz Corvus corax principalis.

Western Raven. Ridgw. 1887
^= Corvus hraeliyrliynchos,

C. L. Brehm, 1822.

Americiin Crow.
= \annu!< hiemalis (Vieill.)

Winter Wren. 181 'J

= Certliia familiaris amerieana

Brown Creeper. Bp. 1838.

= licgulus satrapa Licht 1823.

Golden-crowned Kinglet.

been antedated even had Wilson

1 U TriK Wir.soN Brr.T.ETTN — Xo. fiS

separated lliciii from the t )1(1 World species, which he (Hd
not do :

W II.SOX. A. O. U. CHECK LIST.

1. Amis fiili(/Hl<i I^iiiii. z^ A iiii/tlii/d coUaris (Douov.)

1S09.
'I'lil'tcd lUicU Iliiii^-iU'ckcd Duck.

2. Alias li i/jKrhoicii I'nll. z^Clicn Jiyprihoi'ca iiirdlis

(Forst.) 1771'.
Snow (Jodso Greater Snow Goose.

.'!. Ardcd iii/cticoni.r Liiui. z^'S'ycUcorux iiijcticarax )i(rviiis

(BocM.) 17S:i.
Xi.ulit llcrou ()!■ (^ua-hird P>la('k-crowned Xi.i^ht Heron.

4. Filled Idi/opiis lU'unn. z= Arcfiibuteo la</opiis saiictijo-

Jniniiis (Gm.) 1788.
Koui;li-le.ii.i;cd Ilawk American Roni^li-le.i^ired Hawk,

."i. Fdlcn lidlidtiis Briss. z^z Pdiiilion lidliatiis carolinensis

Gm., 1788.
Fish Hawk, or Osprey American Ospre.v.

(!. Stria- hiidsoiiia Gm. ^Siiniia iiliila caparoch (Mull.)

Hawk Owl American Hawk Owl. 177(i

7. Jjdiiiiis e.riihiter Linn. =zLaiiiiis horedUs Vieill., 1807.

Great American Shrike, or Northern Shrike.

Butcherbird.

The variations in ])hima!.ie, particularly in the many sj)ecies
inchulecl in the fandlies of Scolopacidcc, Snipes, Sandpipers,
etc. : I'ah'ouidcc. \'nltures. liawks. Eagles, etc. ; Miiiofilti-
(i(C, Wood \\'arl)lers ; and Tiirdidw, Thrushes, etc. ; due to
age, sex, season, or dichromatism. were imperfectly under-
stood at that time ; therefore \\'ilson multiplied many of the
specie.s, not always without suspicion however.

WIT.SOX. \. (). V. rUECK LIST.

'I'liiifia nifd Wils., Ad.

Kcd-lircasted Sandpiper zzzTriiuja vdimtus. lAwn.

'/'rini/a cinerea Brimn Knot.

Ash-<-olored Sandpijier

Trill da alpiiia Linn.

Ked-hacked Sandpiper z=PeIiiliia dJpiiia sdlhdlina

'I'rinf/d ciiicld>i Wils., Im.

The I'urre Kcd-breastod Sandpiper.

Charadrins i-nliilris IJim., \\in-

tor
Sanderlinii IMoxer
I'lidrdiiiiiis riihiiliis (\\^\^.. Sum

mer
Ruddy Plover

(Vicil.)

-n ('dUdrix iirciidria (Linn.)
Sandorlini;.

Burns — Ox Alexander Wilson.

145

WILSON.

Fulco vclox Wils., Ad.
Sliarp-shiiiiKHl LL-nvk
Faico jiciinsylvaiiicKs Wils. liii.
Slate-colored Hawk.

Fulco horealis Gin. Ad.
Red-tailed Hawk
FaIco IcveriaiiKS Giii. Tin.
American Buzzard or White-
breasted Hawk.

Falco hi/euiali'f Gm. Iin.
Winter Falcon
Falco liiieatiis Gm. Ad.
Ked-sliouldered Hawk

Falco Ja(/opii>i Brunn.
Kougli-legged Falcon
Falco iiit/ei'
Black Hawk

Falco leiicocaphaliis Briss. Ad.
White-headed or Bald I']agle
Falco os>iifra(/ii)< Gm. Im.
Sea P:agle

^tri.r )ia'via Gm. Grey phase

Mottled Owl

Strix asio, Red phase

Red Owl

.s'2/?r/ff cainnlrnsiii Lath. Ad.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Si/lria piisilla Wils. Im.

IMne Swamp Warbler

f<vlria ceriilea Wils. Ad.
Cerulean Warbler
t^ 111 via vara W^ils. Female, Im.
Blue-green Warbler

Si/lria casiaiia. Wils. Ad.
Bay-breasted Warbler
^ijllvUi aiiliiDiiialcs Wils. Im.
Autunmal Warbler

t^ylria hlackhnriiia. Gm. Ad.

Blackburnian Warbler

fS'/z/c/a pariis. Wils. Female and

im.
Hemlock Warbler.

Si/lria rirnis Gmel. Ad.
Black -throated Green Warbler
Si/lria nioiitaiia Wils. Im.
r.lue Mduiitain Warbler

A. 0. U. CHECK LIST.

Acripitcr vclox (Wils.)
Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Biitco horealis (Gm.)
Red-tailed Hawk.

Biifco liiicatas (Gm.)
Red-shouldered Hawk.

Archihiitco laf/opus saiictijo-

li a nil is (Gm.)
American Rough-legged Hawk.

Halia'ctiis Icucoccphaliis
Bald Eagle. (Linn.)

Otiis asio (Linn.)
Screech Owl.

Dnidroica ca'nilcsccns (Gmel.)
Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Dciulroica ccnilra (Wils.)
Cerulean Warbler.

Deiidroica casta iica (Wils.)
Bay-breasted Warbler.

J)cii(lroica fiisca

(B. L. S. MuUer.)
Blackburnian Warbler.

Deiidroica rireiis (Gmel.)
Black-throated Green Warbler;.

Wilson crronconsh- referred Xitincniiis Inidsoniciis Lath.
MiKls(jnian Curlew to Scolof^ax f Xiiiiiriiiiis ) horealis Forst.
Eskimo Curlew, an entireh- different speeies ; and an imma-

MO

The Wilson llru.Exix — No. 68

ture Aqitila chrysactos (Linn.) Golden Eagle, to Folco fithus
Linn. Ring-tail Eagle, which is- a synonym of the former.
Jn his index of the land liirds. pnblished in the preface of
X'olnme \ I, anfl covering the first seven volumes, Falco iiigcr
is recognized as a variety of F. lagopits {=^ArcJiihutco lagopiis
saiu'ti-johaiinis ( Gmel.) American Rough-legged Hawk) ;
also Lo.via rosea A\'ils. corrected to Loxia ( Zaniclodia) Uidivi-
caiia Linn. Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

It is also to be observed that W'ilson repeatedly bestowed
upon two separate species, knowing them to be distinct, the
same title ; liut this occurred during the last two or three years
of his life when he was nearly engulfed in work, worry and
ill health. Had he lived, he would undoubtedly have cor-
rected many of his errors in the final index. Ord"s attempts
in this direction in a later "reprint" became confused with
the original edition and caused some trouble later on. Cliar-
adrius hiaficiiJa and Triii'^a hiaticida are undoubtedly hom-
onyms, not only because they apply to distinct species of the
same genus, but from the fact that both Bonaparte and ( )rd
agree in the belief that Triitga was a typographical error.

WILSON.

C'lKiradriiif! hiaticiila, Linn.
Rinjred Plover, pi. 37, fig. 3. v,

1812
TriiH/a hiaticiila (Llmi.)
Ring Plover, pi. 59, fig. 3, vili,

1813
Rail us vlrdinianus, Linn.
Kail. 1)1. 48. fig. 1, vi, 1812
Rail IIS ■viriiiiilaiiiis. Linn.
^'irJ;inia Kail, i)l. 02, fis;. 1. vii,

1813
Falco pennsylraiiiciis. Wils.
Slate-colored Hawk. pi. 4G, fig. 1,

vi, 1812
Falco pcinisi/lraniciis, Wils.
Broad- winged Hawk, pi. 54, fig.

1, vi, 1812
SyWia piimlla
Blue Yellow-backed Warliler, pi.

28, f. 3. iii, 1811
t^i/lria pu)<illla
Pine Swamp Warbler, pi. 43, f.

4, V, 1813

X. O. r. CHECK LIST.

=z .Ft/ialitii< )ii(l(j(la (Ord.)
Piping I'lover.

^= /Efjtalitis xcniipahiiata (Bp. )
Seniipal mated Plover.

^ Prozaiia carolhia, (Linn.)
Sora.

=:Riilliis riiniiiiiiii IIS. Linn.
Virginia Kail.

=: Acclpltcr relox (Wils.)
Siiarji-shinned Hawk.

=zJiii{eo plali/ptcrus: (N'ieill.)
Broad-winged Ilawk.

z= ('(iiiiiisnflihfpis aiiicricaiia

(Linn.)
Parula \V:u-bler.

rz: Dciiilroica cfiriilcsccus (Gmel.)
Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 147

Wilson's Black-capped Warbler received the name of Mus-
cicapa piisilla also; in tact piisilhi, iiiiiiitta, caroliiiciisis, mel-
odia. ritfa, and a few others, seem to have been favorite spe-
cific terms with him. Sylz'ia uiiiiiita Prairie Warbler, was
antedated by /)r/;</ro/c-(7 discolor (\'ieill.j ; and Miiscicapa uiiii-
iita (another Warbler presumal)ly), preoccupied. Mislead by
Bartram. the Snowbird (Slate-colored Jnneo) whicli he call-
ed Fr/;;,i^/7/(7 iik'nlis, had been for a time confused with Em-
bcrLcd ( Plectra pliaiiax) nivalis Snow Buntino*. but the former
was chan,^cd to F. hudsonia in the index, \'ol. \*I. W^ilson's
specific names were mainly descriptive., and for that reason
it is regrettable that more of them are not available. Personal
appellation though not a novelty, had not come into vogfue
until the time of Bonaparte and Audubon. One can admire
the sturdy independence of W'ilson in this respect. One
species onl}', which he confidently thought new. did he name
in honor of a friend and patron of science; Triiiga hartramia
Bartram's Sandpiper, and this proves to be antedated one
year by Pechstein's T. loiigicaiida : Lesson, however, in 1831
has placed it in a separate genus, which he calls Bartromia,
hence we have after ali. Bortraiuia louf^icauda Bartramian
Sandpiper.

- Wilson's lack of enthusiasm in the construction and appli-
cation of technical names, lead Bonaparte to publish his
Observations on the Nomenclature of Wilson's Ornithology,^
in which eight species are renamed, three in honor of the
author, none of which stand; Falco 7vilsoui (=:Butco pla-
typfcnis). Syl-i'ia li'ilsonii (=SylroJiia (?) uticroccphalaY
and Turdiis r^'ilsonii (:=TnrdiiS fiisccscciis) . Of this paper,
which was read by the author in installments at the Academy
meeting's. Coues has commented as follows : "A critical com-
mentary on 227 of Wilson's species, seriatim, and as such,
one of the most notable and in some respects the most im-
portant of early .\merican papers." And again: "This valu-
able critical commentary introduced a new feature — decided
change in nomenclature from the sifting and rectification of

'Jour. Affid. \.it. Sci. riiiln. TTI-V, 1824-2.',

148 The Wilson Bullrtin— No. 68

synonymy. It is here that questions of synonymy — today the
bane and drudgery of the working naturahst — first acquire
prominence in the history of our special subject. There had
bc.en very Httle of it liefore, and Wilson himself, the least
'bookish' of men, gave it scarcely any attention." -

In his paper Bonaparte remarks: "Wilson, though one of
the most acute and accurate of Ornithologists, one who has
rendered the greatest services to science, by describing, in
his attactive style, the manners and habits of xA.merican birds,
and who has corrected so many errors of former writers, has
nevertheless, unavoidably committed some himself, principal-
ly of nomenclature, which are, in a great measure, attributa-
ble to a w^ant of the necessary books and opportunities of
comparison. So far, therefore, from being censurable for
these errors, we are surprised that he has not committed
more. ... I do not consider myself censurable for the frequent
repetition of the name of this great ornithologist, as applied
to species in ditterent genera ; it is a tribute of respect which
T conceive justly due to one who has done so much for the
benefit of my favorite science."

It is scarcely witliin the province of a biographer to follow
the tortuous channels of thought and research, whereby
r>onaparte and Ord attempted the correction of Wilson's
errors in nomenclature ; nor is it surprising that so few of
the terms as then constructed, are in use today. Wilson
erroneously placed the Whooping Crane with the Heron : the
Chimney Swift with the Swallow ; the American Redstart,
Hooded. Canadian, lilack-capped and Small-headed War-
blers, the A'ireo and the Blue-gray Chiatcatcher, with the Fly-
catchers ; the Bluebird, the Kinglets, House and Winter
Wren, with the \\'ood Warblers ; the Yellow-breasted Chat
with the Manakins; the TUack and White V\'arbler, Carolina
and Long-bille.d Afarsh \\'rens, witli the Creepers ; and the
Oven-bird and Water-thrush with the Thrushes. In most
instances he followed his predecessors, or at least one of

= JiiI)lio.i;r:i|iliicnl .Miiiciuli.v. I'.irtls of tlie ( "(dorndo Valley, ISTS,

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 149

them, in error : Pipra polyglotta, however, was an unhappy
classification exchisive.ly his own, about on a par with some
previous works, where the Chat has been variously placed
with the Flycatchers, Tanagers or Chatterers. On the other
hand he straightened out the tangle in which European
writers had involved the two Eastern Orioles ; Bonaparte has
declared that no species of birds had occasioned so many
errors, and so great a multiplication of nominal spe.cies. His
knowledge of the Sparrows and Warblers was really wonder-
fully full for that time. Unquestionably, Dr. Shufeldt did
not intend to create a wrong impression when he wrote: "In
summing it up the.n, it will be seen that Wilson knew of but
thirty species of birds that belong to the family Friiii^illid(r,
while in our Check List of 1895 the same family is represented
by no fewer than eighty-nine species and seventy-four sub-
species— 1()3 birds in all." ^ One of our best authorities has
found that there are only thirty-six forms recognized today
in the section of the country covered by Wilson.

According to Coues, \\'ilson gave faithful descriptions of
about 280 species, and colored illustrations of most of them,
— T8 indicated as new according to his Bibliographical list;
Ord calculated 2T8 species, following Wilson's catalogue, 56
being new; Bonaparte places the total number at 270 species;
and Baird, 257 species, not including Mclaiigo gaUopavo
Wild Turkey, and Gracitla barita Boat-tailed Grackle. men-
tioned in the index of volume vi. The whole number of
birds figured is 320. Actual number of .species both figured
and described is 262. making a total of 268 species made
known by their figure or description, or both; excluding the
three species figured but not separately distinguished, 39 were
new : and adding to this number the 23 species and sub-
species which he probably described sufficiently to differen-
tiate from the European, though he did not give them new
names, gives a total of i\2 newly described species and sub-
species. When one realizes that Europe had been drawing

' Anioricn Sparrows •<\\\(\ Tlicir Kin, Sliootiiii; and Fisliiiijr, XXT,
]S!:)7. pp. 307-308.

150 Ti-iR Wilson Bulletin — No. (58

from the region of liis researclies for many years, it will be
seen that this is a wonderful showing in comparison to the
really small grand total ; and more extraordinary still, all
of his birds are identifiable at the present time, except a single
species. His English names have always been popular, and
the majority of them are very appropriate, acceptable with
occasional modifications through all these years, without fixed
rule or reason.

But the correct delineation of several hundred species of
birds nor the exposition of a few score of nondescripts, do
not begin to express the services of Alexander Wilson to
American Ornithology. His work was far more than a mere
descriptive and illustrated catalogue of the birds he had
found. He ennobled science and literature without sacrificing
that charming sim])licity of expression which reached and
educated the people as few works of like nature have done.
Ornithology cannot begin to measure his services in creating
the proper sentiment in this country. "Xo othe.r work on
American ornithology has been so much talked and written
about as this : and the time for comment on its character is
long gone by. The 'melancholy ]ioet-naturalist' occupies a
place as changeless as the hills, and wholly peculiar. He
stands toward American ornithologists in a ]:)Osition corres-
ponding somewhat to that which is occu])ied in England by
White of Selbourne. in (iermany by Bechstein. and 1 will
add. among anglers by Izack W'alton." ^

In later complimentary honors. Wilson has not fared so
badly. One genus, llllsoiiia Bonaparte, was created in 1838,
and has been recently revived. Of the thirteen or more spe-
cific terms named in honor of Wilson, two survive — Oclith-
nd mill Its -ii'ilsoiiia (Ord) \\'ilson's Plove.r, and Asia n'llsoii-
iaiiiis (Lesson) American Eong-eared Owl. Tn the vernacular
names he has fared still better: — Wilson's l^ctral Occoiiitcs
occanicus. Wilson's Phalarope Stc^^aiiopiis tricolor, Wilson's
Snijie GaUina^o dcl'icata, W^ilson's Warbler U'llsonia pusilla,
and Wilson's Thrush Tnrdiis fiisccscciis.

' Coues. I'.irds of Colorado Valley, p. COO.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 151

Additional evidence of the thoroughness of the Ornitholo-
gist can be foimd in his constant reference in his work to
carefully numbered specimens placed in Peale's museum.
Without the facilities or inclination for personal hoarding", he
had every right to suppose that the birds he looked upon as
his types, would be carefully preserved for a practically in-
definite period in the public museums of his adopted city or
country ; that they were not is neither creditable to Philadel-
phia or the country at large.

152 ' The ^^;1LS0N Bulletin— No. G8

su.almllr birds of the southern edge of
western ontario.

W. E. SAUNDERS.

On June (!. I'M ID, ^.\l■. J. S. Wallace, of Toronto, began
with mc a walk of exi)loration along' the southern edg'e of
Western ( )ntario. We left Amherstburg. at the southwestern
corner of the j^rovince, at day break, and on the 10th, the walk
ended at Blenheim about fifty miles further east. The object
of the trip was to ascertain whether certain southern forms
which breed in moderate numbers on Point Pelee, extended
through the country near by.

The species souglit were, the Chat, Cardinal, Carolina
Wren, and Bewik's Wren We were successful in finding
the first three, and although their numbers were small, yet the
distribution was wide enough to convince us that the Chat
and the Carolina Wren at least were regular breeders through
a considerable portion of the territory covered. In addition
to these, we found the Dickcissel near the east end of the
journey where two males were in full song in one field, but
we failed to find any trace whatever of the Lark or the
Henslow's ^Sparrows, both of which were expected.

The taking of the first specimens of the Acadian Flycatcher
for (,"ana(la fully counterbalanced an.y disappointment we
may have felt at missing the species mentioned and brought
the trip to a very successful close.

\ walking tri]:) has certain advantages in the way of free-
dom of movement over any other method of locomotion that
may be adopted, but (^f course progress is slow. One should
not exceed S or 10 miles of woods and fields in the course
of a da\' and an}- additional distance had to be covered on
road or railroad track, Init in the nesting season wdien the
birds are in fidl song, one's ears enable him to cover the
ground within ear shot with a fair degree of thoroughness,
even though he ma\- k'ccp walking all the time. After leav-
ing the southwest corner of the i^eninsula. we had proceeded
only three or four miles before we heard a Carolina Wren;

Saundkrs — On Summer Birds of Western Ontario 153

this l)ird had ah-eady been noticed in summer at two or three
other locaHties in Ontario in other years, and one was heard
sing-ing- near London on June 5, 1909, and may possibly be
nesting" there. Another of this species was heard al)out
three miles from the east base of Point Pelee, which strength-
ens the conviction that they are to be found more commonly
near the base of the Point than elsewhere on the mainland.

At six miles southeast of Amherstburg- we located another
Chat, in fact we heard two at once, but the note of the second
one was so peculiar that it necessitated special investigation to
determine the author. The first one was accompanied by its
mate and they were doubtless nesting- in the scrub at that
point. These birds are rather rare on Point Pelee and we
were not very confident of finding them on the mainland, but
at Renwick. about forty miles farther east anc^ther one- was
noted in a somewhat similar location, where it was doubtless
nesting.

Another note of interest was the discovery of a breed-
ing ground of the Piping Plover. About six or eight pairs
of these birds were scattered along the lake shore beside the
marsh near the mouth of the big creek a few miles from the
Detroit River. One nest was found with four nearly hatched
eggs and the other birds were manifestly concerned at our
presence. Favorable nesting grounds for these birds are not
to be found very often. The others reported so far for the
north shore of Lake Erie are Point Pelee, the Rond Eau
sand bar and the Long Point. It is to be doubted if there are
more than two or three other localities at which these birds
are found in the nesting season, while on Lake Ontario the
Toronto island is the only point that I know of where the
species nests.

The Savannah S|)arrow which is an abundant bird at Lon-
don was rare throughout all the territory covered and was
everywhere outnumbered by the Grasshopper S]:)arrow of
which we recorded as many as 10 in one dav.

The Rough-winged Swallow was noted in two places,
single birds onlv, the other being doubtless on the nest. As

154 Tin: Wii.sox I'.in.LF.TiN — No. fiS

this bird rc([iiires the face of a sand bank beside the water
for nesting', it was qitite a surprise to find even two, as the
country is almost exclusivel}' clay. A colony of bank swal-
lows was found near iilenheim in a j^it, but no Rough-wings
could be found among- them. The Short-billed Marsh Wren
was noticed at only one ]:)oint where a luale was singing". It
was immediatel}' l^eneath an Eagies' nest, which we did not
care to disturb and therefore did not spend much time with
the wren as the eagle was very much concerned at our pres-
ence near its young', which could be seen when one was not
too close to the nest. The Cardinal was expected perhaps
more confidently than any other of the birds sought owing
to its comparative abundance on Point Pelee, but it was not
until the last day within two miles of Ridgetown that one
was heard whistling from a treetop by the road-side.

The Dickcissel was formerly common throughout Western
Ontario at almost every point that I had the opportunity of
visiting, but during the last ten years they have vanished
almost completely, and no trip had disclosed any of them in
the last five years. One or two years ago Dr. Walker re-
])orted that he believed he had found a pair near Ridgetown,
but T was unable to visit the locality to confirm the record.
It was therefore a great satisfaction to find two males singing
in a field near Blenheim, and as their song is so easily recog-
nized and has such good carrving power, it seems as though
they must be very rare indeed through the territory travelled.
It may be that we are about to see them beconie more com-
mon again as is the custom with very many of our l)irds. In
fact I have been surprised in recent years to see what a large
number of the less common birds show great dififerences in
their numliers from year to year.

An interesting Black Tern was seen near the west end of our
walk. It was one which had carried over the young plumage
to the present year and as nearly as we could tell, the colors
were as usual, but the bird was flying around with a lot of
normal plumaged adults, who were evidently concerned at our
near approach and were doubtless nesting.

SflF.RM AX — XoTF.S FrOM ]\ [iSSISST I'PI X'aLI.EV 1.").")

The Green Heron is foimd rather commonly in many parts
of Western Ontario and a])pears to be spreading, but on this
walk, we saw onl_\' three and those all on the first day. It is
true that during- that day we passed through more wet lands
than in the latter part of the trip, but we were constantly
near a go(wl deal of suitable ground where these birds were
not seen.

Tree Swallows were also common on the first day, but
after that not one was observed. These birds have become
practically extinct in the London district within ten years,
while in the more rlistant past they were quite common, nest-
ing in fair numbers even in the business parts of the city of
London, but while our Martins have aj^parcntly held their
own. the "lYee Swallows have vanished.

When passing through a piece of woods about forty miles
east of the Detroit River. 1 saw a I lummingbird doing the
I'endulum Play. After two or three oscillations in front of
a shrub he flew through it and chased out his mate, she lit
very close by and he immediately began again, swung ten
times and then vanished.

FIVE NOTES FROM THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY.

ALTHFA R. SHERMAN.

Kixc Rail, RaUiis clcii^aiis. The conduct of one of this
species, thait visited our yard during the forenoon of April
l-")th, was out of the ordinary. The ground everywhere had
been made very muddy by a heavy rain on the previous
day. At 7 145 o'clock ihe King Rail was first seen walk-
ing in the middle of the street. Having traveled to the
northern limit of the yard, it turned and came under
the fence into the enclosure; leisurely examining the ground,
it i)assed within six feet of the house and walked out
through the front gate, that chanced to stand open. In
a similar manner it spent the next four hours, cover-

156 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 08

in;.;" about three acres of a hillside, in its search foi
food. A portion of the time it spent among" the raspberr}
bushes, the rest of the time it was moving" about through the
orchard and pasture with all the fearlessness and unconcern
of a chicken that was in its own home.

Northern I'ii.eated Woodpecker, Plihvoloiints pilcatiis
abicticola. — This species cannot be very rare in this vicinity
since at least a half dozen of my neighbors have told me that
they had seen it in the woods in recent years. This has hap-
})ened usually in the winter when they were cutting wood. I
had the gocKl fortune to see one on June 15 as it sat for several
miinites on a dead limb about fifty yards away.

Red-bellie!) W'oodpecker, Cciititnis caroliiins. — On April
liith while on a farm near Steuben, Wisconsin, I saw a Red-
bellied Woodpecker come to get its breakfast of corn from
ears that were hung on the frame of the wind-mill as food
for the birds. 'Jd"ie owner of the place said that it had been
a regular boarder all winter. This place must be near the
northern lin"iit of the range of this species. It is thus given
in "The Birds of Wisconsin" by Kumlien and Hollister.

Cardin.\l, Cardinalis cordinalis. — In the Wilson Bulletin
for June. I!»0S, 1 reported having seen in the previous April
a ])air of Cardinals at the mouth of Sny Magill Creek. So
far as known these were the first of this species to be identi-
field in this count}'. Late in December, IDO.S, the family of
Mrs. M. A. Jordan, of McGregor, Iowa, w^as startled one
morning by a rare and radiant vision, that of a brilliantly
colored Cardinal standing in the freshly fallen snow near the
lunch table s])read for the birds. He soon became a regular
boarder, fighting the English vSparrows that stole the corn
he had cracked, and showing fear of the l^.luc favs. His
roosting i)lace was disco\'ercd to be in a cluni]) of evergreens
a few rods away, lie continued to come for food until the
early days of Ajjril. ?\Irs. Jordan, who has resided in Mc-
(Iregor for more than fifty years, is confident that this was

Sherman — Xotks From Mississippi X'alley 157

the first Cardinal to visit that place. This is corroborated
by otlier old time residents. The village of McGregor is sit-
uated on the ])anks of the Mississippi River, six miles north
of the s])ot where I found the pair in April, 1908.

There are (ither instances of the northern advance of this
species in this locality. In Wisconsin, almost due east from
.McCiregor. lie the villages of lUue River and Boscobel on the
banks of the Wisconsin River. In the former place a pair
of Cardinals sjient last winter, (the first of the species ever
seen in that region, ) and in the latter place about the middle
of March a male Cardinal was seen by my informant, who
has known the species in the south. All of these places are
north of latitude 43 degrees and their winter temperature is
considerably colder than that of Boston in whose neighborhood
the advent of the Cardinal has awakened much interest.

A Wrt Acre. — May .") was a day of unusual interest. At
11 :00 a. m. the temperature was 82 degrees in the shade, and
there lay in sight the remnant of a snow-bank, the last of our
A Fay-day snow storm. Migrating birds came in large num-
bers. Just beyond the edge of our back lots lies a wet meadow,
scarcely- an acre in extent. Here on that day, partly screened
liy a fence, one could see at one time two Wilson I'halaropes,
four Least Sandpipers, one (Ireater Yellow-legs, twenty-two
Yellow-legs, tliree Killdeers, and one Golden Plover, all dis-
tant less than ten rods, while a little outside of this limit was
a flock of Blackbirds numbering upwards of a hundred ; they
were mostly Red-wings with a few Rusty Blackbirds and
lironzed Crackles. Near the Blackbirds were seen a Savan-
na Sparrow and a Prairie Long-billed Marsh Wren. Follow-
ing day brought to this small area, the Rails, Virginia and
Sora, Solitary Sandpipers and a Florida Gallinule. The
( lallinule was cripi)led in one foot, a like misfortune had be-
fallen a Yellows-legs that remained here several days as did
the ( iallinule. The Wilson I'halaropes ai:)peared to be mates,
aufl one of them had an injured leg. They were in the neigh-
borhood six days. Their Hglit plumage was so conspicuous

158. The Wilsox Bulletix— Xo. 08

ao'ciinst the dark earth that one grew curious as to the place
chosen by them for spending the night, (^n one night this
was foimd to be in the only running water the meadow
offered, a shallow rivulet scarcely four feet wide. Standing
in this water their color was completely obliterated in its light
shining surface that reflected the sky.

NEW RFX'ORDS FOR MIDDLh: XORTIIRRX OHIO

LYNDS JONES.

1)ACIiman's Si'arrow, Pciicaca acsik'oJis haclunanii. — ( )n
-May 14. IDOD, on an all day trip to Cedar Point, a male in
full song was found a quarter of a mile east of the Lake
Laboratory. The liird was perched on a telephone wire near
where the line enters the sand s])it. singing lustily. It
stopped only to fly to the ground to feed, then mounted to
the wire again by way of bushes which were growing in the
center of an old sand 'blow-out' which is now covered with
grass. The bird permitted an approach within fifteen feet,
showing no concern at the intrusion. Again on the ITth, the
bird was found again at the same place, singing as lustily
as before. If I mistake not this is the farthest north record
for this species.

IlEnicK's W'rrx. Thryomoiics bc:^'ickii. — On May 22, 1009,
while on an all day bird tramp with Rev. W. L. Dawson, he
called ni}' attention to a singing bird of this species in the
village of Ilcrlin TTeights. There was no mistaking the song.
The ])resence of this wren has been sus])ected near Oberlin
on three occasions, but in the absence of song and without
s])ecimens it has not been accredited to this region until now.

The presence of these two species tends to corrol)orate my
.statements that there is a decided nurtluvard movement of
the bird fauna <i\'er ( )hio.

I

Shufeldt — Ox "OsTK()i.()(;v of Birds*' 159

NoTKs ON Till-: "Osteology of Birds:" — Under the title of
Osteal o;^}' of Birds the New York State Museum published
tor the writer a volume, with many Plates and Figures, in
which the .Ircipitrcs. the GaU'vuc. the Anscrcs, and certain
Coccyges were very full)' treated, it appeared last spring',
and has been very favorably received by ornithologists,
especially in Europe, where a greater attention is paid to
such subjects than in this country. In this work, up to date,
my attention has been called but to two points demanding"
correction or comment from me. Professor E. Regalia, of
Genoa, Italy, has shown that an error has evidently been
made in the length given for the tibio-tarsns in Braiifa can-
adensis, which is stated to be in my book 7.3 centimetres, or
the same that is given for the femur in the same specimen.
He has a >keleton of that goose in his own collection, wherein
he states the tibio-tarsiis has a length of IG-t millimeters, and
doubtless this is correct, the latter bone being more than
double the length of the femur (p. o'Z'6). This error probably
occurred by my quoting the same measurement I had made
for the thigh-bone for the bone of the leg, and evidently over-
looking the correct measurement made of the latter, both being
.before me at the same time. Professor Regalia is entitled to
my thanks for having pointed out this slip.

The distinguished Italian ornithologist Count Tommaso
Salvadori of the Royal INIuseum of Zoology of Turin, Italy,
writes me under date of June 2(), 1!)0!), as follows: "As re-
gards the classification of the Anseres you have not mentioned
the one I proposed in \'ol. xxvii of the Catalogue of Birds.
1 have there introduced a new subfamily, the Chenoucttince
(page viii. 128) the members of which have the external
appearance of Geese, but the males have a larnyx furnished
with a bulla ossea as in Auatiuec. ]\ly scheme may be endorsed
from what you say about the skull of Chlo'cphaga poliocephala
which according to you. dififers considerably from the skull
of Beniichi or Braufa and rather seems to slightly approach
the skull of some of the Ducks in certain characters. The
subject appears worth}- of being considered."

160 Tiir: Wilson Bulletin — No. 68

Count Salvadori is iin(loul)tc(lly correct in this matter, and
if the present writer ever pubHshes another classification of
Birds his subfamily Chciioticttincc will most assuredly be
recog:nized. The opportunity has never been mine to ex-
amine more than the -kull in C lilo'cphaga, and had the fact
been known to me that the males in that species possessed
a bony laljyrinth at the pulmonic extremity of the trachea, a
subfamily would surely have been created to include them.
It is evidentl}- a clear case of lapsus mcuwricr on my part that
this had already been done in the Catalogue of Birds by Count
Salvadori in his ^^chcme of classification of Birds.

R. W. Shufeldt.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A Quarterly Maga.zine De-voted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Org&n of the Wilson Ornithologic&l Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

Price in the United States. Canada and Mexico, one dollar a year, 30 cents a number, post-
paid. Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, $1.25 a year. 40 cents
a number. Subscriptions may be sent to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L.
Burns. Berwyn, Penn.

Officers of the Wilson Ornithological Club for 1909 :

President — Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa.

Vice-President — W. E. Saunders, Tvondon, Out.

Secretar.v — Ben.j. T. Cianlt, Glenn Ellyii. 111.

Treasurer — W. F. Henninjier, New Breiuen, (Mi in.

Members of the Executive Council — Lynds Jones, Oherliii, (). ; II.
C. Oberholser, Washinirton, D. C. ; B. H. Swales. Crosse Isle, Mich.

EDITORIAL.

L;i<-k of iHMcssiiiy iiuilci'ial for niakin.i; the desired jiicturcs has
I'esnlted in nccessarx- iiostixnipniciit of the second ]tai)er on the Fal-
concs until tlic Deiemlicr issue. Speciniens of some of the rarer
forms are not easy to secure.

The editor would like to ,;;et into conuniuiication with persons
who have ready access to the hreedinji places of wild ducks. Any
information which will lead to his securing fresh eggs suitable for
hatching or ducklings will be thankfully received. Only eggs or
(hK'klings taken in tile wild are desired.

This is the season when a sharp lookout should be kept for the
departure of our nesting birds for their winter homes. Many of
the birds are so seclusive that it is dithcult to find them in their
retreats. There is hardly a species whose time of departure south-
ward is known witli sufficient accuracy. Some leave their nesting
places to gather in companies elsewhere in the region, delaying
their deiiarture for a consideralile time. Which species are they?

l>o most of tlie song l>irds liave an antnuni jieriod of song after
the completion of the molt? Among the autunm singers is flight
song frequent, or does it occur at all? Are the autumn singers

162 Tttf. ^^■^S()^■ T.rr.r.p-.Tix— Xo. r,S

adults with unusual vigur or birds of the year? Is the autumn
song period ever accompanied li.v a period of mating phenomena?
These and other (juestions relating to the same subject are ques-
tions well worth careful study. It is entirely jiossible that their
careful consideration might throw light (Mi other phases of bird
life.

fii:l1) .\()Ti:.s.

Illinois Notes. — The Cardinal ( ('. cunliiialis) at Glen Ellyn. It
is with pleasure that I am enabled at last to add the Cardinal to
our local list. For years it has been known to nest in the county
and is now regularly found at points in the adjoining county of
Cook to the eastward; so. that so far as northeastern Illinois is
considered, the northward movement of this species is a well-settled
fact.

Possibly it may have occurred here sooner, for what has been
described to me as seen by others was unquestionably this bird.
Still, for the writer, its status has remained undertermined until
recently, when on the loth of August last the cheery notes of the
male bird were heard in our woods for the tirst time. On the day
following the.v were heard again, soon after which the author of
same must have disappeared. Of the Cardinal's song I feel abso-
lutely sure, and believe there can be no doubt as to the correctness
of this record.

Tin-: Caiioi.i.n.v When ('riujiothuiHK Itidoricitniiis) at IIennk-
i"ix. — The expansion or northward extension of the range of the
Cardinal has been attended it seems by a like one on the part of
other species as well: for example, here in IHinois we may men-
tion the Carolina Wren and KelTs \'ire(). the latter having been
found nesting at Joliet.

There is a possibility also of a similar movement on the part of
I'.ewick's Wren, while the facts concerning 7'. liidoricianiis have
lieen noticed in other parts of the country.

Writing to me under date of Aiiril '_M. I'.HH). our fellow member.
Hon. K. M. Barnes, of Lacon. Marshall County, this State, has this
to sa.v, in relation to the latter :

"Yesterday at Hennepin, twenty-one miles nortli of here. I made
a discovery which was entirely new. I saw sitting in the yard
adjoining the pulilic jiark and also ailjoining the business part of
tiie towiL an adult Carolina Wren, and made a very careful in-
vestigation of the singer — stayed w itii him at least a half an liour.
I have never seen the bird before in tlie Stale of Illinois."

It may be of interest to state in this connection that Ellen Drum-
mond Farwell has recorded in "The Auk" (Vol. XIX, p. 1*09) the

Field Notes IGH

occurrence of the Carolina Wren for two consecutive seasons at
Lake Forest. Lake County, in the extreme northeast corner of the
state ; and more recently, the past- season, the bird has lieen re-
ported as nesting at Worth in Cook County, not far from the big
metropolis on the Lake — Chicago.
Glen Ellyn, III. Benj. T. Gault,

A Bohemian Wax\\ing (Aiiipelis f/airiiliis) in Ohio. — Dawson
says of fiis bird that tliere are no Ohio records for many years.
Perhaps he bases this on Wheaton's similar statement. In view of
this I think it may be of interest to record the following facts.. Two
ladies of our household, both bird students, saw and heard, on Feb-
ruary 2.3, a Bohemian ^\'axwing. It came into the yard near' enough
to the house for a close observation, so the distinguishing character-
istics were \'sell noted. They believe, after hearing its note, that
one of theai had been abo\it on the Sunday previous. [A few weeks
beforo a small flock of Cedar Waxwings came into a honeysuckle
vine by our porch and were about for a short time.]

Judge Metcalfe, of this place, says that a few years ago a num-
ber of Bohemian Waxwings were about for several days.

Orange Cook,

Chardon. Ohio, April 11, 1909.

The Black-croicned Night Heron in Ohio. — In his "The Biros of
Ohio," W. L. Dawson gives the range in Ohio of the Black-crowned
Night Heron iXycticorax vi/cHcorax rxwius, Bodd. ) as a "Not
conunon resident and migrant. Of local appearance only." I wish
to call attention to a restricted locality where it has been seen in
considerable numbers. It is along the Great Miami River, near
Troy, Miami County, Ohio. The place it most frequents is about
two miles southeast of Troy, and is known as Long Pond. This
Long Pond is probably an ox-bow loop formation. Immediately be-
low this is a low island which is very difficultly accessible. This
whole vicinity is rather secluded, and forms an ideal place for
these birds.

Two adults were seen here in September, 1905. An immature
female was killed near here on Octiber 11, 1005, by W. A. Haines.
It was mounted, and is now in the Troy High School taxidermy
collection. About twenty-five birds, mostly immature, were seen
here at one time in August, 190G. An immature female was killed
here on August 2i, 1906. by Raymond Boiler. It was mounted, and
is now in the collection in the Sidney, Ohio, Public Library. An
adult specimen was taken near here in the autumn of 1907. It
was mounted, and is now in the Troy High School collection. Other
specimens were taken, but these will suffice.

Sidney, Ohio, G. Clyde Fisheb.

THE

WILSON BULLETIN

NO. 69.

A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY

VOL. XXI DECEMBER, 1909. NO. 4

OLD SERIES VOL. XXI. NEW SERIES VOL. XVI.

ALEXANDER WILSON.

VIL Biographies, Portraits and a Bibliography of the

Various Editions of His Works.

jiY frank l. burns.

The reluctant conviction that a complete and unbiased biog-
raphy of Alexander Wilson will in all probability never be
written, has inspired the present series of papers. A com-
bination of circumstances, of which his early demise, the daz-
zling lustre of his successor's artistic genius, the apparent dif-
ficulty of interpreting his diffident personality and the dearth
of material, are factors in a task at no time easy.

The city of Philadelphia was not only the scene of Wilson's
labors, but at that time the literary center of the country, and
its libraries are peculiarly rich in the material of the period,
some of which perhaps, I have the pleasure of rescuing from
oblivion. If it is at all possible for a man to be sd, Wilson
was emphatically and absolutely self-made ! While he did
not discover his true vocation until within the last ten years
of his life and the work, in which must rest his claim to dis-
tinction, was crowded in those few years, yet no other ornith-
ologist in America has accomplished anything approaching
it in so brief a time. Tracking almost everything at the be-
ginning but determination, he brought the undertaking to a
successful issue. Audubon's labors, with almost all the acces-

166 The Wilson Bulletin — No. GS).

series at his command, extended over half a century. De
Wit CHnton. President of the Literary and Philosophical So-
ciety of New York, said in 1814 : "The life of Alexander
Wilson — a man whom we esteem and an author whose work
will always occupy an important rank among the writings on
natural history — exhibits the complete triumph of genius
over the want of education, and of persevering industry over
the evils of poverty. Without any other reliance than on his
own faculties, and with a force of exertion which nothing
could check or retard, he has obtained a celebrity in science to
which few men in this country can aspire ; although many may
be more highly favored with the endowments of genius, and
more extensively gifted with the advantages of early educa-
tion and the bounties of fortune. The life of Wilson shows,
conclusively, that the temple of fame is open to the most hum-
ble individual in the community, if he only attempts it with
zeal and industry and with judicious selection of the part
which he intends to act on the theatre of the world." ^

Tt is impossible to estimate the great services of Wilson to
the public. The literary and the nature student find in his
ornithological writing the same charming simplicity and truth-
fulness so keenly enjoyed in the classical works of Izaak Wal-
ton and Gilbert White ; his classification and nomenclature
may become obsolete, but his deli.ghtful life histories of the
birds never become old and uninteresting. Space will not per-
mit an extended bibliography of his biographies, but brief men-
tion will be made of the most important ones.

Cromek's brief sketch of Wilson's life, appearing in Select
Scottish Songs, 1810, is probably the only one published dur-
ing his life. Directly after his decease, in bringing out his
final volimie of ornithology in 1814, George Ord published his
life, which also appeared the same year in the Portfolio pre-
ceded by a lengthy memorial by the editor, Oliver Goodfel-
low ; and later in Ree's Cyclopjedia, Vol. XL. Ord subse-
quently extended it by adding much of Wilson's correspond-
ence for the second edition of the ninth volume, the title of
' American Medical aod Philosophical Register, 1814, Vol. IV. p. 514.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 167

which he altered in 1825. It also appeared separately in a
thin 8vo. book dated 1828 and published by Harrison Hall;
a reprint or separate of the 1828-1829, "Ord," or "Collins"
edition of Wilson's Ornithology — of which the 1817 and 1878
Porter and Coates' editions are fac-simile. Despite its many
faults, Ord's "Sketch of the Life of Alexander Wilson" is
the chief source of American data for later biographies ; and
with the modest prefix to an 1816 edition of his early poems,
now exceedingly rare, ascribed to Thomas Crichton ; and sepa-
rately at greater length in 1819, originally appearing in the
Weaver's Ma.'2:azine and Literary Companion of the same
year ; formed almost all the knowledge of subsequent writers.
"Good old Thomas Crichton," as some of Wilson's biogra-
phers called him. was an old Paisley schoolmaster friend, hon- ^
est and true. His first paper was entitled C Account of Life__ ' .
and Writings," and his second "Biographical Sketches of the ^t*'^^ -f ^
Late Alexander Wilson." The Belfast edition of 1844 m-CK^ Y,^(- *,
forms us that the 181G edition was published by Hugh Crich-/W/^''' ' ^fV •
ton, bookseller, Paisley, and edited by Dr. Whyte, who, dying
before the work was far advanced in the press, it was com-
pleted by Dr. Robert Watt, his partner in business.

In 1831, Rev. Dr. W. M. Hetherington contributed a
"Memoir" for Jameson's edition of Wilson's American Orni-
thology ; and a year later Sir William Jardine's edition con-
tained "a life," the facts of which were mainly if not wholly
derived from earlier writers, and superior in many ways to
most of the later productions.

William Peabody's "Life of Wilson," published in 1839,
can be had for a trifle — my copy cost me twenty cents. He
cbmments specifically and at length on the ornithological writ-
ings of Wilson, but offers no new material. Of the shorter
sketches, William Anderson's brief notice in The Popular
Scotish Biography, 1842, is one of the best. In 1844, John
Henderson brought out "The Political Works of Alexander
Wilson : also his Miscellaneous Prose Writings, Journals, Let-
ters, Essays, etc.," with an extended memoir of his life and
writings said to be by Thomas Smith Hutchinson, though the

168 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 69.

editor does not reveal his identity in the work. This is known
as the Belfast edition, priced at 6s. 6d., and now quite rare.
A cheaper edition was apparently issued by the same pub-
lisher at about the same date, and a larger edition in 1853.

Jardine's "Memoir" appearing in the fourth volume of the
Naturalist's Library, 1843, priced at 4s. 6d., was taken from
the material incorporated in his 1832 edition. Duyckinek's
Cyclopaedia of American Literature, Vol. L, 1856, contains an
excellent short life in which appears some new material, nota-
bly evidence of the blamelessness of President Jefferson in
relation to the Pike expedition application, though we are
sorry that the writer should .give countenance to the discred-
ited blackmailing story alleged to have occurred before Wil-
son departed for America.

Seymour's "Self Made Men," 1858, contains an excellent
short biography ; and Mrs. C. Lucy Brightwell's "Difficulties
Overcome, Scenes in the Life of Alexander Wilson," 1861,
would be very readable were it not disfigured by an antiquated
type, though it contains nothing new. This little book was
Jong a desirata with Jos. M. Wade, the Wilson bibliomanioc,
twice catalogued in Europe and both times lost to him. In
1863, Allen Park Paton contributed some most excellent new
material in a pamphlet of 32 pages, priced at one shilling, en-
titled "Wilson the Ornithologist, a New Chapter in His Life."
Sir Eom de Camden's "Memorable Facts in the Lives of
Memorable Americans," appeared in Potter's American Month-
ly and Illustrated Magazine for 1875 ; and in 1876, inspired by
the interests of the publishers of the latest edition of Wilson's
Ornithology, Dorsey Gardener gave an admirable sketch of
"Wilson, the Ornithologist," in Scribner's Monthly. The same
year appeared the Rev. Alexander B. Grosart's two stout lit-
tle volumes of "Poems and Literary Prose," with a "Memorial-
Introduction," quoted at 7s. 6d. Although it neglects the .or-
nithological for the literary side, following the unjustly con-
demned Belfast edition, which it much resembles, the make-
up is admirable, despite frequent errors of judgment and the
partiality of a Paisley resident. Also mention must be made

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 169

of James Grant Wilson's "Poets and Poetry of Scotland,"
which contains some original matter from Horace Binney, an
eminent lawyer of Philadelphia.

Some years prior to this, the later Joseph M. Wade, editor
at one time or another of Familiar Science and Fanciers' Jour-
nal, Truths of Nature. Ornithologist and Oologist, P'ibre and
Fabric, and the Boston Journal of Commerce, began the ac-
cumulation of an astonishing amount of published and unpub-
lished matter relating to our pioneer ornithologists. He not
only possessed practically all editions of Wilson's poetical and
ornithological works, biographies, etc., but the author's own
set of the American Ornithology — unbound sheets inter-
leaved with the original manuscript ; also a large part of the
original drawings, of which some show the rubbing process by
which they were transferred to the engraver's block ; many
unpublished letters, a few unpublished poems, receipt book,
manuscript prospectus for a proposed edition of his Ornith-
ology in octavo, and other matter, includin.g drawings of that
famous old Grey's Ferry schoolhouse, the adjoining old black-
smith shop, and portrait of the lady with whom he boarded.
He had even acquired Wilson's collecting gun! Dr. Coues
attests to the wealth of this collection in his "Behind the Veil,"
Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, 1880. This per-
sistent search and steady accumulation of material was avow-
edly for a definite purpose. Tt had long been a hobby, and, in-
deed, a mania, with Wade, and he v^^as so intensely interested
in anything appertaining to Wilson that he once declared him
to be without an equal ! From time to time — 1880- to 1893 —
there appeared first in the old Oologist, and afterward in the
Ornithologist and Oologist, a few lines, a paragraph or a col-
umn, as an earnest of something better; yet the true life of
Alexander Wilson seemed indefinitely delayed.

On November 2nd. 1890, Henry D. Minot, the talented or-
nithological writer and ardent admirer of Wilson, made ar-
rangements with his venerable friend whereby this vaUiable
material was to come into his possession as soon as the trans-
fer could be made : it beinsf Minot's desire and intention to

1?0 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

write a biography that would do justice to his subject when-
ever he could have more leisure for study. The transfer never
took place, as Mr. Minot was killed in a collision on the Penn-
sylvania railroad at New Florence, Pa., less than a fortnight
later. The collection, formerly hoarded with the jealous care
of a bibliomania, remained unexamined for twelve or fourteen
years, now more than ever exposed to the danger of damage
and obliteration. Mr. Wade informed me in 1898 that the
matter had passed out of his life and was no longer fresh in
his mind. Any one might have purchased these priceless relics
at about this period ; the owner suggested that the collection
could be broken up and sold piecemeal at an advantage to the
purchaser — a chance of a lifetime, but an eventuality not at
all pleasing. Harvard University would have secured it for
the nominal sum of $1,000 but for the fact of its desire for an
inventory, which the one-time enthusiast now found too ex-
acting in the midst of a very busy life and fullness of years to
give. Mr. W'ade passed away at a ripe old age about five
years ago, and the bulk of the Wilsonia is temporarily in the
hands of a young ornithological friend, who thoroughly ap-
preciates the trust ; and the most of the Audubonia, of which
he claimed to have more perhaps than any decendant of John
James Audubon, is held by his executor. I am informed that
the estate may not be settled for years to come. It is the earn-
est wish of some of the late Joseph M. Wade's friends that the
entire collection should finally rest in the museum at Cam-
bridge, and that the unpublished matter, so long buried, be
given to the public, if it proves of sufficient interest or merit.

Henry Coyle's "Alexander Wilson, the Great Naturalist,"
appeared in the "Chautauquan," 1803, but contained nothing
new.

In a series of papers published in the Oologist for 1893-
1894, entitled "Scenes from the Life of Alexander Wilson,"
G. Vrooman Smith has given an excellent resume of his life
and work. William Jay Youman's "Pioneers of Science in
America," 1896, is a reprint from the Popular Science Month-
ly of 1890, and Witmer Stone's "Some Early American Or-

Burns — On Alexandkr Wilson. 171

nithologists, IV. Alexander Wilson," appeared in Bird Lore,
1905. Many other excellent -short sketches have appeared
from time to time ; in fact, they are too numerous to admit
mention in this paper. The only American biography of any
real pretention since the time of Ord has recently appeared
from the pen of Prof. James Southall Wilson, of William and
Mary College. It is entitled "Alexander Wilson, Poet-Nat-
uralist," 1906, published by the Neale Publishing Company,
New York and Washington, at $2.00 ; and approaches more
nearly the ideal than anything heretofore, though it treats al-
most exclusively the literary side of the subject. An exposi-
tion of the immorality and wretchedness of the times in Scot-
land, and some new material, notably the correspondence of
Jefferson in reference to the imputation of neglecting to act
upon Wilson's application to accompany the Pike expedition,
have been inserted. While much relevant material has been
neglected, and Wilson, the ornitholo.gist, has received less at-
tention than seems consistent with the fact that his fame rests
on his scientific pursuits alone ; on the whole, it is far the best
biography of Wilson extant, and well deserves a place in every
library.

There are at least five different portraits of Wilson — two
Scottish and three American. The earliest is a painting by
James Craw, and it is said to have been an excellent likeness
of him in his twentieth year. It is a half length, sitting, with
left elbow on the table and hand to cheek, right hand hold
ing quill, three-quarter right face. Dressed in the large-but-
toned, double-breasted coat, full waistcoat, frilled shirt, tie and
stock of the period, with the long, flowing, straight cut hair,
delicate hands, mild eye and face of the aesthetic dreamer, the
resemblance to later portraits is nevertheless noticeable. The
second is a painting by Sir John Watson Gordon "after the
original picture in the possession of Wilson's sister."' This,
too, is a youthful, three-quarters right face, almost full length
figure standing, with long coat, powder flask, gun resting in
crook of left arm, and a brace of dead birds on stand at his el-
bow. The Paisley statue, full length, erected in ISTG, was

172 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 69.

most probably modeled after the above. The statue is of bronze,
by John Mossman, the Glasgow sculpture, and rests on a ped-
estal of Aberdeen granite, nine feet in height. The figure is a
little larger than life, in long coat, boots, gun slun.g across
back, a pencil is held in his right hand, and the head is slightly
bowed to examine a dead bird in his left, and the elbow rests
on a stump, at the foot of which lies his open portfolio, in
which an inquisitive paroquet is peeping. This originated
with George Ord, when on a visit to Wilson's birthplace. He
subscribed liberally and afterwards sent funds from Philadel-
phia for the same purpose. Cf. Allibone's Grit. Diet, of Eng.
Lit. and Brit, and Am. Authors.

The most popular, and by many acknowledged as the best,
American likeness, was drawn and engraved by John James
Barralet, an Irishman of French descent, of whom David
Edwin, the engraver, remarked : "He was the most eccentric
man I ever knew — he was lame from a dislocation of the
head of the thigh bone ; when he walked it was 'dot and go
one,' and the surtout coat he constantly wore in bad weather
was dipt in mud on the lame side, at every step he took. He
took large quantities of snuff — was extremely irritable, pas-
sionate, and very dirty in his .general appearance ; he was also
very poor." He represents Wilson in left profile, half length,
gun to shoulder, scroll and gun-barrel grasped by left hand,
and the usual high stock, tie and shirt ruff. Many engravers
have thrown the profile to the right in copying. The Rev.
Grosart sees little good in this American production, and char-
acterizes it "as a wretched daub, self-condemned," and Jos.
M. Wade avers that "it is too much dressed — too stiff for a
naturalist." asserting that the inventory of Wilson's ward-
robe would indicate that he never owned so much clothing at
one time. A coarse woodcut, showing the subject clothed in a
pea jacket buttoned to the chin, appearing in W^ebber's Ro-
mance of Sporting ; or. Wild Scenes and Wild Hunters, is
doubtless a crude caricature of the above, and, moreover, this
imspeakably repulsive representation was so greatly admired
by Wade that he reproduced it in the Ornithologist and Oolo-

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 173

gist, though somewhat puzzled as to its origin. I am unable
to state the date of Barralet's production. He died about 1812.
A copy of his engraving of Wilson is inserted in Brewer's edi-
tion of Wilson, in the library of the Philadelphia Academy of
Natural Sciences.

The fourth is an oil painting by Rembrant Peale, painted
some time between 1809 and 1813. It is now in the rooms of
the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, having
formerly been the property of Governor Samuel Bradford. It
exhibits head and bust, a three-quarter left face, high cheek
bones, deep eye socket, prominent eye and high, sloping fore-
head. The dress is plain and inconspicuous. We see here the
experienced, eagle-eyed man of action of Ord's description.
David Edwin's engraving originally appeared in the Port-
folio. It is now much sought after by collectors of his stipple
work and readily brings $5.00. Edwin has the distinction of
being the first good engraver of the human countenance ap-
pearing in this country, and he engraved many of Gilbert
Stuart's paintings.

The last is a vignette pencil drawing, probably somewhat
idealized. Artist unknown. It was formerly the property of
George Ord, now in the possesion of the Philadelphia Acad-
emy of Natural Sciences. Full left profile, hair brushed for-
ward to brow.

Another crude illustration, appearing as a supplement to
the Oologist's Exchange for 3 889, representing Wilson draw-
ing a mouse by candle light and the characteristic disordered
surroundings of the naturalist, is worthy of remark on ac-
count of the facial resemblance.

I append an incomplete, though by far the longest list I
have seen, of engravings, etchings, etc., of Wilson portraits.

After James Craw's original painting :

Jameson's ed. Wilson's Am. Orn. (1831) 1: frontispiece, engraved
by W. H. Lizars.

Henderson's ed. of Poetical Works of Alex. Wilson (1844) : front.,
eng. by Maclure & Macdonald, Glasgow.

Gleason's Pictorial (1853) 4: 352.

Grosart's Memoir and Remains of Alex. Wilson (187G) 1 : front.,

174 The Wilsox Bulletin— No. 69.

head and bust, engraved on steel by W. J. Alais.

Popular Science Monthly (Jan. 1890) 36: opposite 289, same en-
larged.

Youman's Pioneer's of Science (1896) : 90, same.

Plate print, D. Fabrin, sc.

National Cycl. Am. Lit. (1897) 7 : 44.

Chamber's Cycl. Eng. Lit. 2 : 106. reverse.

After painting by Sir John Watson Gordon :

Jardine's ed. Wilson's Am. Orn. (1832) 1: front, eng. by W. H.
Lizars.

Jardine's Memoir of Alex. Wilson, The Naturalist's Library
(1843) Ornithology 14: front. Lizars, sc, from original picture in
sister's possession.

After statue erected in Paisley, Scotland:

J. Mossman, sc. wd ct.

Illustrated Loudon News (1874) 65: 373, eng.

Scribner's Magazine (1876) 12: 147.

After iwrtrait drawn and engraved by J. J. Barralet :

Smith and Watson's Am. Historical and Literary Curiosities
(1847) 2: eng. 22.

Duyckinck's Cyclopedia of Am. (1856) 1: 546, Roberts, sc.

Smith and Watson's Am. Historical and Lit. Curiosities (1861)
1: pi. 59, eng. 33.

Wilson Bulletin (1908) 20: front., etching after Roberts engrav-
ing.

Left profile :

Seymour's Self-made Men (1858) : 215.

Potter's Am. Monthly and Illustrated Mag. (1875) : 263.

Duyckinck's Cyclopedia Am. (1875) 1: 567, Roberts, sc.

Scribner's Monthly (3876) 11: 097, eng.

Harper's Magazine (1876) 52: 708, eng.

Mitchell's Am. Lands and Letters (1897) : 201, after eng. in
Smith and Watson's Hist, and Lit. Curiosities.

King's Philadelphia and Notable Philadelphians (1902) : 107,
vignette.

Crude wood cut, left profile :

Webber's Romance of Sporting ; or. Wild Scenes and Wild Hunt-
ers (1852) : 122.

Ornithologist and Oologist (1883) 8: 76, above reproduced.

After Peale Painting :

Portfolio (1814) 3rd series, 4: 435, 8vo. oval, D. Edwin sc.

Appleton's Cycl. Am, Biog. (1889) 6: 545.

James Southall Wilson's Alexander Wilson, Poet Naturalist
a906) : front.

IjLtrns — On Alexandp:r Wilson. 175

Charles Dudley Warner's Library of the World's Best Literature
(1897) : 1607, vignette.

After pencil drawing at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sci-
ences :

Stone's Birds of Eastern Pa. and N. J. (1894) : front.

Bird Lore (1905) 7: 266, same.

Philadelphia Sunday Press (May 3, 1896) : 8, reduced.

The Grey's Ferry, or Union School, has long since ceased
to exist. It is described by Wilson as :

"A neat stone school-house on a sloping green,
There, tufted cedars scattered round are seen.
And stripling poplars planted in a row ;
Some old grey white-oaks overhang the scene,
Pleased to look down upon the youths below,
Whose noisy noontide sports no care or sorrow know."

— The Solitary Tutor.

The earliest representation is doubtless in the Wade collec-
tion, drawn by Wilson himself in 1806, and never published.
Wade mentions the frame porch ^ unfigured in later pictures.
A drawing by M. S. Weaver, October 23, 1841, showing an
inartistic little stone box of a building, with bracketed cornice
in front, meant to be ornimental, stone steps and landing,
flanked by a row of scrubby Lombardy poplars and the
branches of a couple of white oaks shading the front, was
received by Dr. Elliott Coues, February, 1879, indirectly from
Miss Malvenia, daughter of Alexander Lawson. It was first
engraved on wood and ptiblished in Gardener's Monthly and
Horticulturist, Augtist, 1880, by Thomas Meehan, and after-
wards electrotyped from the woodcut and published by Dr.
Coues in the Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club in
October of the same year. It was used subsequently in the
several editions of Coues' "Key to North American Birds."
The author writes : "It is believed to be more satisfactory and
reliable than any one of the several hitherto published." Miss
Lawson, in her communication to Prof. Haldeman, says : "I
have a sketch in colors by Helen, taken from the other side of
'Oologist, Aug. 1880.

176 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

the building, which is more picturesque, but the building is
the same."

The one appearing in Rev. Grosart's book is less formal and
more sylvan in setting. The poplars have disappeared, and
the wide, spreading branches of the squirrel-haunted oaks
extend toward the building, the gable window frame is out of
plumb, the stone landing is lacking, and a figure of a man
faces the door ; the building shows dissolution and the sur-
roundings neglect. Dorsey Gardener's article in Scribner's
Monthly, March, 1876, is accompanied by an engraving from
a photograph of about the same time. A female figure ap-
pears between the entrance and window, the same old tree
droops a branch protectingly over the roof, a trifle wilder set-
ting than any other view. One month later a much clearer
engraving appeared in Harper's Magazine, in illustration of
Rebecca Harding Davis' article on Old Philadelphia. It lacks
the cloud effects and distant willow, a fringe of unsupported
branchlets intrudes to the left, and the female figure is more
distinct, otherwise the two are identical. In Scharf and West-
cott's History of Philadelphia, Vol. III., 1884, Scribner's cut
of this historic little building is used without change.

(a) American Ornithology: \ or, | the Natural History of
the I Birds of the United States : j Illustrated with Plates |
Engraved and Colored from Original Drawings taken from
Nature. | By Alexander Wilson. | Vol. I. [-IX]. Philadel-
phia: I Published by Bradford and Inskeep. | Printed by Rob-
ert Carr [-Vols. I. and II., R. & W. Carr-Vols. HI. and IV.,
Robert and William Carr-Vols. V.-IX.] | . . . . | 1808 [-1814].
9 vols., imp. 4 to.

Vol. I, 180S, pp. i-vi introduction, 1-158 Am. orn., pll. 1-9. Vol.
II, 1810, pp. iii-xii preface, 13-107 Am orn., pll. 10-18. Vol. Ill, 1811,
pp. iii-xvi preface and index, 17-120 Am. orn., pll. 19-27. Vol. IV,
1811, pp. iii-xii preface, 13-100 Am. orn., pll. 28-3G. Vol. V, 1812,
pp. iii.-xii preface, 13-122 Am. orn., pll. 37-45. Vol. VI, 1812. pp. iii-
xxi preface and index, 13-102 Am. orn., pll. 4G-54. Vol. VII, 1813,
pp. v-xii preface and index, 13-132 Am. orn., pll. 55-03. Vol. VIII,
1814, pp. v-xi preface and index, 13-140 Am. orn., pll. 04-72. A'ol.
IX, 1814, p. iv entered ae. act Congress fifth of June, 1812, by Alex-

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 177

ander Wilson, etc., pp. v-xi preface by Ord. xlii-xlviii biog. sketch
of Alex. Wilson, xlix-lvii list of the water birds of the U. S. with
their generic characters according to the arrangements of Latham,
xlix-lvii. [lix] index, Gl-133 Am. orn., pll. 73-76, 13 pp. general
index, 7 p. list of subscribers.

An edition of two hundred copies of the first, and five
hundred copies of each of the eight succeeding volumes,
(b) Three hundred additional copies of initial volume with the
original imprint of 1808 appeared after Wilson's return from
his successful canvass through the Southern States in 1809,
and explains the long break between the publication of the
first and second volumes. This is not merely a reprint, for the
type was reset, errors corrected, and the author made the fol-
lowing changes in the text under the head of the Wood
Thrush, page 33. (Cf. Faxon's Early Editions of Wilson's
Ornithology, Auk XVIII, 1901, pp. 216-217.)

ORIGINAL EDITION SECOND EDITION

"Tho' it is believed that some "I have myself searched the
of our birds of passage, and woods of Carolina and Georgia,
among them the present species, in winter, for this bird, in vain,
winter in the Carolinas, yet they nor do I believe that it ever win-
rarely breed there ; and when ters in these states."
they do they are certainly vo-
cal."

Referring to the Hermit Thrush on page 34, he adds to the
text in the second edition, that he has found this bird numer-
ous in the myrtle swamps of Carolina in the depth of winter.
All subsequent editions, with the exception of Jamison's, fol-
low the amended text.

(c) The third edition of Vol. I. and the second of Vols. II.-
IX., appeared in 1824-1835. For reasons best known to the
publishers, Vols. I.-VI. retained the dates of the original edi-
tion, 1808-12, although 1824 appears to have been the actual
date of publication. Strictly speaking it is not a reprint, yet
Ord made little change beyond incorporating Wilson's index
corrections of nomenclature, together with a few of his own,
in the body of the text. This edition may be known from the
original by the following changes :

178 The Wilson Rullktin — Xo. (i!».

"ord's reprint" original edition

Vol. I, p. 23. Oriolus haltimorus = Oriolus haUimore
Vol. II, p. 129. Fringilla hud-

soiiia ^ FriiipiUa nivalis

Vol. II, p. 135. Loxia ludovi-

ciana = Loxia rosea

Vol. Ill, p. 64. Sylvia hlackhurn-

i(B =z Sylvia hlackhurnia

Vol. IV, p. 30. Sturnus prwda-

tortus = Sturnus predatorius

A'^ol. V, p. 100. Sylvia Icucoptcra = Sylvia pusilla
Vol. VI, p. 27, Rallus carolinus ^Rallus viryinianus
Vol. VI, p. 92. Falco latissimus = Falco pennsylvanicus

In the List of the Land Birds of the United States, Vol. VI, of
the original edition, Wilson left blank spaces following the names
of a number of species to be described later. In the Ord reprint,
these are fully indexed to the end, with the exception of the Boat-
tailed Grackle {Ch'aeula harit(i), which was not described in any
of the nine volumes. As a further mark of identification, Faxon
has mentioned the printer's signatures. The signature of the sheet
following Z is a double A. In the original edition, the double letter
is a small capital and lower case (Aa), — in the 1824 reprint it is
capital and small capital (Aa).

Vols. VII and VIII of this edition were revised by Ord, and dated

1824. Samuel F. Bradford, publisher, and Thomas H. Palmer,
printer. Vol. IX received an entirely new title.

Supplement | to the | American Ornithology] of | Alexan-
der Wilson I containing | A Sketch of the Author's Life |
with a I Selection from his letters ; some remarks upon his
writings ; j and a ! History of Those Birds | which were in-
tended to comprise part of his | Ninth Volume. | Illustrated
with Plates, | Engraved from Wilson's Original Drawings.
|— I By George Ord, F.L.S. | Member of the Am. Phil. Soc.
and of the Acad. Nat. Sciences of Philadelphia; and | Corre-
spondent of the Philomathic Society of Paris | — | Philadel-
phia: I Published by J. Laval, and S. F. Bradford. |— | 1825.

Containing — p. v title, vi entered ae. act of Congi'ess Sept. 2,

1825, vli-xi preface, xiii-ccx Biographical Sketch of Alexander Wil-
son, ccxi-ccxxiii List of the Water Birds of the United States, with
Their Generic Characters, According to the Arrangement of Lem-
minck, 224 index, 225-298 American ornithology, pll. 73-76, and 4
pp. general index unpaged.

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 179

(d) American Ornithology; | or | the Natural History | of
the I Birds of the United States. | Illustrated with plates | en-
graved and coloured from original drawings taken | from na-
ture. I By Alexander Wilson. | — | With a sketch of the au-
thor's life, I by George Ord, F. L. S. &c. | — j In three vols. —
Vol. I [-III]. |— I Published by Collins & Co., New York, |
and I Harrison Hall, Philadelphia. | 1828 [-1839]. 3 vols.
8vo. text, and a folio atlas of plates, entitled: American Or-
nithology ; I or, I the Natural History | of the | Birds of the
United States. | — | By Alexander Wilson. [ Plates | Engraved
and Coloured from Original Drawings taken from Nature. | — |
Published by Collins & Co., New York, ! and | Harrison Hall,
Philadelphia. | 1829. No text except the title, consisting of
the original 76 colored plates.

Vol. I, 1828, p. i title, ii entered ac. act of Congress b.v Harrison
Hall, proprietor, Apr. 24, 1828 ; iii-iv contents, v-vi editor's preface,
vii-viii preface to life of Wilson, ix-cxcix sketch of the author's life,
1-11 instruction incl. table of the orders and genera of birds, 13-231
Am. orn.. Vultures to Cuckoos. Vol. II, 1828, p. i title, ii entered,
etc., Aug. 1, 1828; iil-A'i contents, 9-44fi Am. orn., Woodpeckers to
Darters. Vol. Ill, 1829, p. i title, ii entered, etc., Apr. 27, 1829, iii-
vi contents, 1-377 Am. orn.. Pigeons to and inch Waterfowl, 379-392
general index, 393-396 names of 127 subscribers.

This is often called the Ord edition, although Harrison Hall is
designated as the proprietor, and the anonymous editor acknowl-
edges his indebtedness to Charles L. Bonaparte for suggestions in-
corporated in Observations on the Nomenclature of Wilson's Orni-
thology, and Synopsis of the Birds of the United States, . . . but
principally to George Ord, Esq., the friend and associate of Wilson,
who has kindly afforded his valuable council and assistance, and
has added some highly interesting notes. Mr. Ord has likewise per-
mitted the words contained in his supplementary volume to be in-
corporated with, and his sketch of the life of Wilson to be prefixed
to the work. The original plates, engraved under the eye of Wilson,
are employed in this edition, after having been carefully examined
and retouched l)y Mr. Alexander Lawson, by whom most of them
were executed ; and who as an engraver of objects of natural his-
tory, stands unrivalled."

The species are arranged in systematic order, presumably by
Ord. 'Ihe prospectus by Harrison Hall, preserved in the Ridgway
Library, contains a beautiful life-size portrait of the Rice Bunting

180 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 69.

(Bobolink) in colors, taken from Wilson's figure 1 of plate 12, and
bearing tlie signature of Helen E. Lawson, sc. It is here announced
that "Tlie birds have been colored by skilful artists from beautiful
preparations belonging to the Philadelphia museum, or from recent
specimens procured for the purpose ; and it may afford an addi-
tional claim to public favor to say it has beeu principally the work
of females." The letter press is printed on a very superior paper
with new type, made expressly for this purpose ; and the color-work
by the Lawson daughters, superior to the original edition. The
price for the whole set was placed at $50, and to-day will bring as
high as $85 If in good condition. The text alone, consisting of three
volumes, is worth from $10 to $12.

(e) American Ornithology; | or the | Natural History | of j
the Birds of the United States. | By AleKunder Wilson, | and
Charles Lucian Bonaparte. | Edited by | Robert Jameson,
Esq., F. R. S., E. & L., F. L. S., M. W. S. | Pet^ius Professor
of Natural PIi.story in the University I of Edinburgh, &c. |
In four volumes ] Vol. I [-IV]. Edinburgh: | Printed for
Constable and Co., Edinburgh ; | and Hurst, Chance, and Co.,
London. | 1831. < Constable's Miscellany | of | Original and
Selected Publications } in various departments | of ] Litera-
ture, Science, & the Arts. | Vol. LXVHI [-LXXI]. | The
American Ornithology \ Vignette engraved by Lizars : Vol.
LXVHT Bald Eagle. Vol. LXIX Nighthawk. Vol. LXX
Scarlet Ibis. Vol. LXXl Wild Turkey.] | Edinburgh. ] Print-
ed for Constable & Co., Edinburgh. | and Hurst, Chance & Co..
London. | 1831. 4 vols. 18mo.

Vol. I, p. 11, portrait of Alexander Wilson, engraved by Lizars
after Craw's painting. [No other illustrations except vignette titles
by Lizars]. iii-v titles, vi printed by Andrew Shortreed, Thistle
Lane. Edinburgh ; vi-viii publisher's notice, ix-xi contents of vol.
first, xiii-lxxxvl memoir of Alexander Wilson by W. M. Hether-
ington, Ixxxvii-lxxxvili Wilson's preface to first volume, Ixxxviil-
nicvi Wilson's introduction. .3-271 Am. orn.. beginning with the
Acclpitrcs. Vol. II, pp. i-iii titles, v-ix contents of vol. second, 1-
334 Am. orn. I'asseres continued and ending with Oallw. Vol. Ill,
pp. i-iv titles, v-viii contents of vol. three, 1-2G1 Am. orn., GallcB
continued, 2G3-320 synonyms, or names given to the different birds,
in Wilson's Am. orn., l)y travellers and naturalists. Vol. IV, 1-iv
titles, v-vi advertisement by R. Jameson, v!i-x contents of vol. four,
1-217 Bonaparte's Am. orn., beginning with Order I, Aceipitres, 219-

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 181

238 synonyms, or names given to the different binds in Bonaparte's
Am. Orn. by travellers and naturalists, 239-3G2 appendix, addi-
tional details in regard to the birds of America, and birds in gen-
eral, by Audubon, Richardson, and Swaluson.

This Is the first Euroi)ean edition of Wilson. The work has been
listed variously — ISmo, IGmo, 12mo, and 8vo, and sometimes 4
vols, bound in 2, but so far as I can discover, there are no differ-
ences in title, date nor matter. Dr. Walter Faxon informs me that
there is only one edition of Jameson's, but some large paper copies
were issued, bringing the size up from 18°, or 16°, to 12°, being the
same lorm with more generous margins to the pages. It can be had
for $3 to $9.00, according to condition and binding.

(f) American Ornithology; | or, | Natural History of the
Birds of the United States, j By Alexander Wilson. | With a
Continuation j by Charles Lucian Bonaparte, | Prince of Mu-
signano | The | Illustrative Notes and Life of Wilson, | by |
Sir Wiiliam Jardine, Bart., F. R. S. E. F. L. S. | [etc.] | In
Three Volumes j Vol. I [-III] ] MDCCCXXXII | Whittaker,
Treacher, & Arnot, London : i Stirling & Kenney, Edinburgh |
8 vo.

Contains portrait of Wilson in first volume, and "97 plates, ex-
hibiting CG3 figures," engraved by Lizars, and beautifully colored
by hand. This scarce and superior edition is catalogued at from
$18 to $45, according to condition and binding.

(g) Edition de lux, consisted of "six sets only, for presentation,
have the portrait and backgrounds colored, and the 97 plates gen-
erally finished in a superior manner with great care and brilliancy
of coloring." A copy bound in smooth green morocco, extra full
gilt backs, broad dentelle borders of gold or sides, edges marbled
and gilt, was recently offered from the Seebohm library collection
for £9. 9s.

Jardine's own set is in 4 vols, (the plates in a separate vol.)
and was recently offered for £5.

The Jardine editions are in need of further study. AUibone
quotes : "American Ornithology, or Natural History of the Birds
of tl e United States, By Alexander Wilson, with a Continuation by
Charles Lucian Bonaparte, New and Enlarged Edition, Completed
by the Insertion of above 100 Birds, omitted in the Original Work,
and Illustrated by Notes, with a life of the Author, by Sir William
Jardine, Bart., and 97 plates representing 3G3 figures, Lon. and
Ediu., 3 vol. 8vo, 1832 (some 1835), colored boards £G IGs. 6d. Ex-
tra colored, half-bound morocco, £10 10s. This edition was pur-

1.S2 The Wii son Bulletin — Xo. (iit.

chased by H. G. Boliii in 18o(i, aud the plates colored with more
care and finish than before. Utterson, in 1857, colored plates, £4
lis.; Sotheby'8, Mar. 1863, £4." At set was recently quoted at £5 18s.

(h) American Ornithology; | or, | The Natttral History |
of the I Birds of the United States. | By | Alexander Wilson |
and I Prince Charles Lucian Bonaparte. | The Illnstrative
Notes and Life of Wilson j By Sir William Jardine, Bart.,
F. R. S. E., F. L. S. I In Three Volumes, — Vol. I [-III]. |
Cassell, Fetter & Galpin. | London ; Paris & New York. |
[1832?] 8 vo.

Vol. I, frontispiece — engraved portrait of Wilson by Lizars,
after Gordon painting; pp. v-vii contents, ix-cv life of Alexander
Wilson, 1-408 Am. orn., pll. 1-27. Printed by Ballantyne and Com-
pany, Edinburgh and London. Vol. II. pji. v-A'ii contents, 1-495 Am.
orn., pll. 28-GS. Vol. Ill, pp. v-vi contents, 1-156 Wilson's Am. orn.,
161-524 continuations of Wilson's orn. by Bonaparte, 52.5-540 gen-
eral index of English and Latin names, pll. 69-75 Wilson, and 1-27
Bonaparte. Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson and Company.

A cheaper unauthorized edition of the above, printed in colors as
original, reduced, engraved by W. H. Lizars. Can be had for about
$12, though it occasionally finds a market at a higher price. Very
desirable. Not quoted by Coues.

(i) Illtistrations of the American Ornithology of Alexan-
der Wilson and Charles Lncien Bonaparte, Prince of Mnsign-
ano. With the addition of numerous recently discovered spe-
cies and representations of the whole Sylva of North America.
By Captain Thomas Brown, [etc., etc.]. Edinburgh. Frazer
& Co., 54 North Bridge \ William Curry Jun'r & Co.. Dublin |
& Smith, Elder & Co.. G5 Cornhill | London | MDCCCXXXV.
[foL, eng. tit. [= 11.] -|- ded. eng. [= 11] -f syst. index
[=11.]. 124 pi.]

The figures of birds are reproduced from Wilson's and Bona-
parte's works on the 124 plates with tolerable closeness to the or-
iginals, but sometimes with the figures at different angles, and with
the coloration not exact. The collocation of the species is original,
and the grouping is mainly by genera adopted from Temminck.
The birds are arranged on figures of branches of trees copied from
Micbaux.

In the words of the compiler. "The arrangement adopted is that
of Temminck slightly altered, with the addition of some new Ge-

UiKxs — On Alexander Wilson. 1S3

ncra. One huiulred and sixty-one birds liave been added by tlie
Editor, wbicli are distinguished by an * ; and eighty-seven birds
have been considerably enlarged ; these latter are marked by a t
prefixed. Besides the addition of one hundred and sixty-seven rep-
resentations of Forest Trees and Shrubs."

There is no explanatoiy text except the data here reproduced and
the names of the birds and trees. (Cf. Gill in The Osprey, Vol. V,
1901, p. 109.) Originally sold for £2(),. according to Allibone.

(j) American Ornithology, or the Natural History of the
Birds of the United States. With a sketch of the author's
life by Geo. Ord. London, 1839. Large 4 to. 5 vols. 3 vols,
text, 2 vols, colored plates.

Not seen ! Quoted from catalogue. Doubtless a reprint of Har-
rison Hall and Collin's »& Co.'s edition of 1828-1829 (Ivuown as the
Ord edition) with the edition of Bonaparte's birds, making the sec-
ond volume of colored plates. Quoted at $50 in a recent list.

(k) American Ornithology. [ Illustrations | of | American
Ornithology ; | reduced from the j original work of Alexander
Wilson. I London : | published by William Spooner, 259 Re-
gent Street, | Oxford Street ; | Hurst, Chance, and Co., 65 St.
Paul's Church Yard ; j and Constable and Co., Edinburgh. |
[No date] IG mo? 18 mo? (say 4x6). No. 1 containing 8
plates. Communicated by Prof. A. Newton, Cambridge, Eng-
land. Cf. Coues' Bibliographical Appendix, p. 60.

This very rare edition seems to be envolved in considerable mys-
tery. Everything, however, will seem to indicate that it was pro-
jected in the same spirit, and by substantially the same people, if
not at about the same time as the Jameson edition, for which it
was doubtless intended as a companion or supplement.

(1) Wilson's I American Ornithology, | with | notes by Jar-
dine : I to which is added I A Synopsis of American Birds, |
including those described | by | Bonaparte, Audubon, Nuttall,
and I Richardson; | by T. M. Brewer. | — | Boston: | Otis,
Broadus. and Company. | — ] 1840. <Wilson's | American
Ornithology j with | Additions | including the birds | described
by I Audubon, Bonaparte, I Nuttall, | and | Richardson |
[Title surrounded by engraved scroll and figures of birds].
Boston, Otis, Broadus and Company. 1 vol. 12mo. Also 8vo.

Frontispiece reduced figxires of Wilson's birds, pp. i title and sub-

184 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

title, ii entered ac. act Congress 1839 by Thomas M. Brewer.
[Stereotyped at the Boston Type and Stereotype Foundry], iii-iv
advertisement by Brewer, v-viii contents, 1-G81 Wilson's American
Ornithology following the original arrangement, GS2-74G Synopsis
of the Birds of North America, Plates uncolored, unnumbered,
greatly reduced, but keeping the original grouping, usually three
of the original in one, constituting figures numbered consecutively,
figg. 31G-31S, and £22 are wood cuts iu text.

This, the original Brewer edition, is rather scarce and Is quoted
at from $3 to $10.

(m) Wilson's I American Ornithology, | with | Notes by
Jardine ; | to which is added | A Synopsis of American Birds, |
includin.<j those described | by Bonaparte, Audubon, Nuttall,
and I Richardson: | By T. M. Brewer | — | New York: | H. S.
Samuels, No. 8 Park Place, MDCCCLTI. 8 vo.

This is a cheaper edition of the 1840 issue.

Dr. Faxon informs me that the various issues of Brewer were
printed from the same plates which passed into the hands of dif-
ferent publishers, thus giving the different imprints.

(n) There is also an 1853 edition from the same source, in 1 vol.
with colored frontispiece, now offered at $3.75-$5 ; and, according to
trade lists, iu 2 vols, with two colored, iu addition to the usual
plain plates, quoted at $4.

(o) 1854, New York, Charles L. Cornish ed., in 1 vol. at $5.25,
and 2 vols, with two colored and the numerous uncolored plates at
$9.

(p) "The American Ornithology, by Alexander Wilson, with a
life of the Author by George Ord, and Numerous Additions from
Audubon, Bonaparte, Nuttall, Richardson, and Jardine, by T. M.
Brewer. 2 vols. Svo, and plates in 1 vol. r. 4 to, Phila. 1856." Gf.
AlUbone's Grit. Diet, of Etig. Lit. Vol. Ill, 189S, p. 2766. Not seen.
If it exists, the plates may have been from the Ord edition,
The Philadelphia ed., seldom quoted and readily briugs $G.50 with-
out being catalogued, according to Mr. Samuel N. Rhoads.

(q) Wilson and Bonaparte. | — | American Ornithology;}
or, I The Natural History | of the | Birds of the United States
] Illustrated with Plates | engraved and colored from original
drawings from nature. | By | Alexander Wilson | and ] Charles
Lucian Bonaparte. | with a Sketch of the Life of Wilson, | By
George Ord, F. L. S., | and I A classification of the genera and
species of American Birds, | By Spencer F. Baird, | of the

Burns — On Alexander Wilson. 185

Smitsonian Institution. | Vol. I [ — III]. Philadelphia: | Por-
ter and Coates. j [No date. i871.] 3 vols. imp. 8vo. with folio
atlas in two parts, the fir.st entitled :

American Ornithology ; ! or, | the Natural History | of the ]
Birds of the United States. | Plates | engraved and colored
from original Drawings taken from Nature. | By | Alexander
Wilson. [Trademark.] Philadelphia: Porter and Coates,
I 822 Chestnut street. Leaf of index and 76 plates. The sec-
ond part is simply entitled :

Bonaparte's Ornithology | Plates. Leaf of index and 27 pll.
As this does not bear the publishers' imprint, it was undoubt-
edly intended a mere subtitle to be bound with the first. It is
frequently found separated, and has caused some confusion to
cataloguers on account of this insufficient title. The whole
work is from the Caxton Press of Sherman & Co., Phila., and
stereotyped by Mears & Dusenbery.

A'nl. I, pp. v-vi contents of Vol. I, vii editor's preface, ix-x preface
to the life of "Wilson, xl-cxxxii sketch of the author's life, 1-0 in-
trodurtion, 11-214 text of Am. orn. from Turkey A^ulture to Ilum-
mingljii'd.

Vol. II, pp. v-viii contents of Vol. II. 1-9 introduction, 9-284 text.
Red-winged Starliu? to Partridge, 285-287 introduction to Water-
birds, 289-390 Martineo Gallinule to Rofeate Spoonbill. Vol. Ill,
pp. iii-viii contents of Vol. Ill, i-xiv catalogue of North American
birds by Prof. ?pencer F. Baird, xv-xvi alphabetical index of ge-
nera of l)irds, 9-133 text, Crey Phalarope to female Snakebird, 189-
140 contents of Bonaparte's ornithology, 141-143 preface to the or-
iginal edition in four volumes, 145-148 preface to the second and
third volumes, 149-408 text Bonaparte's ornithology following the
original sequence, 409-^20 combined index of whole work.

This is simply a reprint of Ord's fine 1828-1829 edition, with the
interpolation of Baird's Catalogue of North American Birds, re-
printed from the 8vo edition of 1858, and the addition of Bona-
parte's work. The original plates of Wilson's work were pui'chased
at a cost of $1700, but as Bonaparte's beautiful plates had been
melted and sold for old copper, resource was made to photography
and elec trotyping to reproduce the latter. The coloring for the
most part is high and lacks 'the artistic merit of the best earlier
edition. Had Coues closely examined the 1828-1829 edition, he
would scarcely have quoted from the editor's preface of the Porter
and Coates edition (Cf. I'.ibliographical Appendix, p. GS9), as it is

186 The Wilson Bulletin — No. (iO.

exceedingly iuapproi)riate, having been taken verbatim for the
earlier edition. The whole text, as a matter of course, was almost
half a century behind the times on the day of issue. It is cata-
logued variously at from $45.00 to $75.00 according to condition
and binding, and published to sell at $100 originally.

(r) "American Ornithology, or the Natural History of the
Birds of the United States, By Alexander Wilson and Charles
Lucian Bonaparte .... with notes and life of Wilson by Sir
Wm. Jardine, London: 1876. New York: J. W. Bouton, 1887.
New edition. 3 vols. 8vo. All the plates, 103 in number, lith-
ographed in colors."

The above taken from a recent trade list. Said to be very scarce
with this imprint. Coues called it a reissue of the cheaper Jardine
issue of the 3832 edition, though he had not seen it. Doubtless a
reprint of the undated edition. Quoted at $15 and $17.

(s) American Ornithology ; | or, the | Natural History | of
the I Birds of the United States. | Illustrated with plates | en-
graved from drawings from nattire. | By | Alexander Wilson
j and Charles Lucian Bonaparte. | — | Popular edition | Vol.
I [ — IH]. j [Monogram] | Philadelphia: | Porter and Coates,
I 822 Chestnut street. | No date— 1878.] 3 vols, in 1 | royal
8vo.

Text the same pagination and order as the 1871 edition with the
exception of the removal of Baird's catalogue and the ahihabetical
index to follow Ord's life of Wilson in place of their insertion be-
tween contents and text of final volume. Bonaparte's plates 1-27
on 8 leaves marked "B," and Wilson's plates 1-76 on 20 leaves,
greatly reduced, uncolored, though retaining original Characteris-
tics and grouping ; are inserted between contents of Vol. I and pref-
ace to the life of Wilson.

A cheap reprint in one volume of the 1871 edition without the at-
las of colored plates, selling at $7.50. In reviewing this edition,
Ernest Ingersol remarks (Cf. Bui, Nuttall Orn. Club. Vol. IV, 1879.
p. 54) "What icouhl be welcome is an edition of Wilson at a mod-
erate price, prepared under the direction of a competent ornitholo-
gist, which should be a commentary on the splendid work of the
Father of American Ornithology, and should indicate in a brief and
graphic way the progress in the science since his death. Such a
work would be of great value to the ordinary man of culture as
well as the specialist."

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 187

THE BIRDS OF CEDAR POINT AND VICINITY.

by lynds jones.

Land Birds.

While the definite division of the birds into Water Birds and
Land Birds is, to my mind, a good deal artificial because some
so-called Land Birds live more in the vicinity of water than
some so-called Water Birds do, it never-the-less serves a suf-
ficientlv worthy purpose to be defensible. Certain it is that
Land Birds furnish us with more reliable data for working out
most migratiiMi problems because the influence of lar.g'e bodies
of water upon their movements is greater. Also, they averag'e
much more approachable and are found near our homes and
our work. It is, therefore, with less of efifort that they are
studied.

The physical features of the islands have been treated with
sufficient fullness. It may not be out of place to remind the
reader that Pelee Island, like Point Pelee, has a considerable
growth of red cedar trees bordering the southward extending
point, which form rather dense thickets, especially along the
eastern border of the point. On the mainland of the region
under consideration the only evergreen woods are cedar thick-
ets nearly a mile in extent east of the summer resort grounds
of the Cedar Point Company, and occasional cedar thickets
along the lower reaches of Vermillion River ; small and scat-
tered growths of pines and hemlocks also along the lower
reaches of the A^ermillion and Black Rivers, growths that were
clearly considerable areas of marketable timber when the coun-
try was first settled, and occasional thickets of red cedar on
the sandstone knolls in the northern part of the Oberlin and
Vermillion c[uadrangles. It is doubtful if these evergreen
areas have ever had any considerable influence upon the dis-
tribution of the birds. Undoubtedly the thinning of the woods
in general has exerted a far more potent influence upon distri-
bution in general, of the Land Birds, just as the occupation of
the swamps at the mouths of nearly all streams has exerted a
profound influence upon the distribution of the Water Birds.

J 88 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

In any case the birds w hich migrate across the rc-^^ion are prob-
ably httle influenced by minor changes in physical features,
however much breeding birds may be influenced. Of course
the destruction of nesting areas — by drainage of swamp
lands, the cutting of timber, the clearing of brushy tangles, —
must result in a shifting, at lea?t. of the local nesting. There
have been not a few changes of this sort, as we shall see as the
discussion by species proceeds.

81. Colmus virfjinianus. — Bob-white.

Sir. Baird states that there were a few in 1001 at Cedar Point,
but there is no mention of tl e f^pecies by any other observers at the
Lalce Laboratory. I flushed two about half way on the sand spit
January 0, 1908. The^e are the only ones observed on the sand
spit by the writer. None have been reported from the islands to my
knowledge. On the mainland the numbers vary considerably, but it
cannot be called a conmion bird anywhere nor at any time within
twenty years. Elderly persons speak of the Quail as one of the
conunon game birds In the earlier days. It seems probable that
the increasing population of the region is largely responsible, for
the depletion in numbers, since at the present time the numbers
remain about constant from year to year, evidently due to the
number of gunners. Twice in late winter coveys of less than
twenty birds have been known to pass a night on the Oberlin cam-
pus within five rods of the trolley line, where cars weie passing
every hour up to midnight. One of tie co\eys remained on the
campus for several hours of the day and were seen by many per-
sons. The favorite nesting place is in the tangle of grasses and
bushes along a line fence. There are numerous instances of the
semi-domestication of this species, so that a cons^iderable flock not
only fed with the chickens but roosted about the premises all winter.

82. Boiiasa vmheUiis. — Ruffed Grouse.

There was at least one bird ranging along the sand spit, westerly,
in the winter of inOG-07, as evidenced by fresh tracks on several
occasions. I can find no other reference to tliis species for the sand
spit. On the islands it is not known now, but in the earlier days it
was found on the larger islands. On the mainland it is nearly ex-
tinct because there are almost no woods where it can elude the
hunter. As late as twenty years ago the Ruffed Grouse was a fa-
miliar bird in the deeper woods and the wooded parts of the stream
gorges. Another decade will probably end his career in the region
under discussion — a victim of civilization.

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 189

EXTINCT.
Tympan iich lis americantis. — Prairie Cbiclven.

Tlie onl.v record for tlie region known to me Is that reported in
tlie Kevii-ed Catalogue of tlie birds of Ohio, 1903. Professor E. L.
Moi-eley reported a capture near Sandusky in 3880. This also ap-
pears to be the last reported capture for the state. It is doubtful
whether this species could have found congenial surroundings in
the region inider consideration at any time. It is more likely that
its occurrence was in the vicinity of Castalia.

EXTINCT.
Meleagris gallopavo silvcstris. — Wild Turkey.

Formerly common over the whole area, but has been extinct for
at least forty years. A specimen in the Oberlin College museum,
said to have been captured on the colle,!:e campus, bears the ques-
tioned date of 1858. I can find no reliable data as to when the last
was recorded.

EXTINCT.
Ectopistes mifiratoriiis. — Passenger Pigeon.

There appears to be no record of a nesting or even roosting in the
region, but there are many accounts of the vast flights of these
birds. Accounts which I have been able to gather seem to agree
substantially that most of the flights were in a northerly and south-
erly direction, which would indicate that the birds crossed the lake.
It would hardly seem i)robabIe that so vast a company could turn
abruptly in either direction upon reaching the lake without influ-
encing the direction of flight of those as far inland as twelve miles.
Some of the older men state that the last flight noted was about
1872.
83. Zcvaidura macioiira carolinoisis. — Mourning Dove.

Common everywhere from about the middle of April until the
middle of October, wintering in favorable localities in small num-
bers. The birds which winter begin singing in the warm days of
February. During the winter the birds may be found in small
companies or singly about farm premises or in corn fields which
have not been husked, apparently sleeping in the corn shocks. They
are pretty certain to be found where stock is fed fodder and hay
if there be a haystack convenient in a field some distance from hu-
man dwellings. I have not found them in winter on the sand spit,
but during the season of breeding there are many there as well as
on the larger islands. I have never noticed this species making long
flights out over the lake. After the small grain has been gathered
into the barn and the stubble either plowed under or fed closely,
the Doves are to be found In the corn fields, where they seem to
eat quantities of weed seed, but do not molest the corn. They seem
to spend the moulting time in the corn fields. Early nests are usu-

190

The Wilson Bulletin — No. (iO.

ally iiiade above the ground, but the late uests are as likely to be
on the ground as above it. I have one set of four and one of three
eggs. The larger set was pretty clearly occupied by two females
and one male.
84. Cathartes aura septcntrioualis. — Turkey Vulture.

It has seemed practically impossible to convince the makers of
the paragraphs on Geographical Distribution in our Check List that

Photo by A. L. Princehorn

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura scptentrionalis).
the time honored statement concerning this bird that it is of rare
occurrence north of the Ohio Valley is no longer applicable. No
less than six pairs nested in tbe immediate vicinity of Birmingham,
Ohio, my country home, during the seasons of 1908 and 1909. In
summer and autumn it is a common thing to see from half a dozen
to twenty of these great birds circling about the Vermillion Rivet
gorge. This is no new thing, but has been the same during ray en-
tire residence in northern Ohio. I would not call the species com-
mon over the whole area, but rather of regular occurrence, and

Jo.NES — Ox BikDs OF Cedar Point.

191

certainly not rare. The arrival is about the middle of March
(March 7, 1903), and the departure about the middle of October.
Most of the nests actually found have been in hollow logs lying
flat on the ground. Occasionall3r a standing hollow tree is used.

85. Circus hudsoniits. — Marsh Hawk.

A regular resident in small numbers. It is actually less numer-
ous than the Turkey Vulture. During the winter it is most often
seen hawking over the marshes at Cedar Point, and for most of
the spring and early summer it is largely confined to the same re-

Photo by Lynds Jones

Marsh Hawk (Circim hudsoniiis).
Nest in the marsh vegetation.

gion because it is nesting there, but at other times one may be seen
flying about the more open parts of the whole region. The nests
found have been in the coarse vegetation of the marshes, built up
two or three feet from the water. The accompanying illustration
was taken from a nest in the marsh. Four individuals is the most
I have seen at one time at the marshes. Snakes constitute a con-
siderable portion of the summer ration of this bird, and many mice
are eaten in winter. If this hawk is migratory to any degree I

192 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

have failed to detect it. Pretty clearly the individuals which are
seen at the marshes remain there pretty constantly the whole year,
for one of them is distinctively marked.

8G. Accipilcr vclox. — Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Tolerahly connnon the year through, hut occasionally in great
numbers lor a day or a week during the height of the migrations,
the whole length of the sand spit ; elsewhere not much increased
in numbers. It is seldom seen outside of thick shrubbery except in
its low, swift flight from one copse to another, or wheu busily en-
gaged eating a bird. My observations indicate that its migrations
pietty closely correspond with the migrations of the Olive-backed
Thrushes, upon which it feeds greedily. Thus, on April 29, 1907,
and April 27, 1908, dates when the thrushes were swarming, these
hawks were more numerous than I have ever seen them and were
fattening on thrush flesh. In a walk half the length of the sand
spit there v.ere many ?pots where thrushes had been caught and
eaten; among them only one Hermit Thrush, all the others Olive-
backs. During the winter this hawk not infrequently dashes into
town for a taste of English Sparrow. Rarely small companies are
seen circling and soaring high in air. I have never seen them mak-
ing flights northward over the lake.

87. Acci inter cooper ii. — Cooper's Hawk.

It is not sufficiently numerous to certainly determine its status.
It is occasionally seen in winter', but the indications are that it is
pretty regularly migratory. It is found at the nesting place about
the middle of April, and remains in that vicinity well into July.
Several have been seen at Cedar Point, but there is no good evi-
dence of a nesting there. It should be found nesting in the vicinity
of Lakeside, across the channel, and west of Marblehead. The pe-
culiar metallic "tick, tick, tick," which constitutes the call of this
■hawk makes identification easy while it is nesting. Its fondness
for poultry and pigeons is pretty likely to result in its final exter-
mination. In the vicinity of Oberliu it builds its nest in large trees
in the deepest woods available, as far as practicable from the
ground. Crows and Jays attack it viciously.

88. Astnr atricapilliis. — Goshawk.

For some unaccountable reason this hawk has not come within
my field of vision. There is a specimen in the Oberlin collection
which was collected near Oberlin, so that this gives it a proper
place on the list. I have no question that the Goshawk is of more
or less regular occurrence in this region, as well as in surrounding
regions, and it will certainly be learned and properly noted.

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 193

89. Buteo horealis. — Red-tailed Hawk.

Tolerably coinnion over the whole region, and often remaining
in usual numliers all winter When there are mice and squirrels
enoug'h ; otherwise going south to the limit of snow. A pair has
regularly nested near the east end of the Cedar Point marshes, and
one or both birds have often been seen soaring over the mainland
edge of the marsh. I have seen them west of Marblehead, and on
North Bass island. None were seen at Pelee island, nor at any
of the other large islands. Occasionally several of these large
hawks may be seen in company of several species, circling and mov-
ing northward in spring. Nests are placed in as inaccessible trees
as possible, frequently on the brow of the bluff bordering the rivers.
The birds are staunch defenders of the nest, and excellent providers.

90. Buteo lineattis. — Red-shouldered Hawk.

Our commonest large hawk, breeding in practically every woods,
even to the scattering remnants of big timber. It is present all the
year when the winter supply of mice is sufflcient. otherwise it ac-
companies tlie Red-tail southward, returning with the warm days of
early March. Large flights of this hawk have not been noted in
this state, but were occasionally witnessed in Iowa. It is perse-
cuted by poultry raisers without cause. The seeming incapacity of
the average person for distinguishing one hawk from another — if,
indeed, there is any desire to do so — will probably continue to re-
sult in the destruction of considerable numbers of this useful hawk
■ because it is more easily approached than its larger and more de-
sti'uctive relative, the Red-tail. The nesting time of this hawk is
about two weeks later than that of the Red-tail, coming in the last
of March. Nests are much more accessible than those of the Red-
tail, being built in trees less difficult to climb and nearer the
ground. There has been some decrease in numbers in the last de-
cade, but the species is still common.

91. Buteo platyptervs. — Broad-winged Hawk.

Sometimes common for a day or so during the migrations, but
unusual in winter and rather scarce in summer. The considerable
flights noted which have been distinct migrations liave come during
the last week of April and the first ten days of May. The two most
conspicuous of these flights were May 2, 1904. when a large company,
associated with six Red-tails, four Red-shoulders, three Rough-legs,
three Sparrow, two Marsh, and two Bald Eagles, was watched from
the top of a sand-stone knoll two miles south of Oak Point. The
Broad-wings disappeared to the northeast, but all of the others re-
turned apparently to their nesting places. The Red-tails occasionally
screamed, but none of the others was beard. There was a very lit-

1!»4 TnK Wilson Bulletin — Xo. (>!>.

tie fighting between the Red-tails and the Rough-legs. All of the
birds were circling upward, but the Red-tails and Red-shoulders
did not ascend far. The other occasion was April 29, 1907, at Rye
Beach, where the numbers were too gi'eat to be counted. These
Broad-wings wei'e near the ground when first seen, but rapidly as-
cended in spirals, all the while moving nearly parallel to the lake
shore in an easterly direction. When they disappeared from view
high up they were still drifting eastward over the land. In this com-
pany there were Sparrow, Marsh, and Rough-legged Hawks, four
of eadi, which did not accompany the Broad-wings far. When
these birds were first seen they were about two miles west of the
east end of" the marshes, and therefore within plain view of Kel-
ley's Island. It seems likely that they had arrived over the San-
dusky river route, and therefore reached the lake shore, or the
marshes, near Sandusky. It is difficult to account for their east-
erly course if, as seems almost certain, fhey were bent on reaching
the Canada side. At their elevation of several hundred feet they
must have been able to see not only Kelley's, but also Pelee Island,
and probably also Point Pelee. If they were afraid to cross such an
expanse of water they ought to have had sense enough to cross by
the island route, and if they were not afraid to cross anywhere
what was the sense in their cringing along the shoi'e? If this were
an isolated instance one might argue unfamiliarity with the route,
but the same direction has been taken on each of six such migra-
tions. It may be, therefore, that this species is following an heredi-
tary instinct.

The few nests found have invariably been in the smaller stream
gorges situated well up in trees growing from the bottom of the
gorge. The immediate vicinity of Cedar Point is therefore not suit-
able for the nesting of the Broad-wing.

92. Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis. — Rough-legged Hawk.

A winter visitor in small numbers, tarrying, sometimes, into May.
Contrary to my experiences with this hawk in other localities, it is
not found here about the marshes in winter, but hunting over the
fields and meadows. It is hardly more tlian occasional, and some
winters is not noted at all. ]\Iy dates of occurrence are too few and
too scattering to give any indication of the times of migration.
This is one of the mouse hawks feeding largely upon such small
mammals.

93. Aquila chrysaetos. — Golden Eagle.

One was recorded about the middle of the sand spit, March 2.
1908, which is the only one recorded for the immediate vicinity of
Cedar Point. There are several other winter records for the east-

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 195

ern part of the region. It is pretty certain tliat this eagle is a wan-
derer from other regions.

94. Halia'ctiis IcucocephaUis. — Bald Eagle.

Breeding pairs actually known are situated as follows: One in
the extreme northeastern part of the region : one at Oak Point, about
seven miles west of the first one mentioned ; one about two miles
up stream from the mouth of Vermillion River, about seven miles
from the Oak Point nest ; one near Rye Beach, near the east end of
the marshes ; one west of Marblehead ; one on each of the following
islands : Kelley's, Put-in-Bay, North Bass. This eagle is therefore
a familiar bird over the whole region under discussion. About two-
thirds of the nesting birds have the adult white head and tail from
year to year. Apparently most of the pairs raise two young each
year, so that several eagles must leave the region between one nest-
ing period and the next. In the summer and autumn Immature
birds are seen more often than mature ones. Some may be killed
by gunueiis, but if so they are careful to keep the occurrence a se-
cret, for the penalties for killing an eagle are severe. Because there
are practically no Ospreys nesting in the region the eagles are un-
der the necessity of doing their own fishing or food capturing. That
the eagles do catch live fish well out in the lake is proved by many
observations. I have often suspected, however, that the most of
the fish captured are those thrown out of the nets, which are nu-
merous in the region of the sand spit — fish that were more dead
than alive. I have never seen an eagle eating the fish cast up on
the beach. When there is more ice than water surface eagles may
be seen perched convenient to a water hole awaiting a favorable
opportunity to make a capture. Fully adult Bald Eagles make use
of the nest the year round, often occupying it together. They are
ugly birds to be near when there are young in the nest, and would
better be given large room. The constant increase in the bulk of the
nest by the annual addition of nest material seems finally to result
in the death of the nest tree and the consequent destruction of the
nest when the tree falls. The nest at Oak Point and that at Rye
Beach have thus been changed once in fifteen years.

95. Falco peregrinus anatum. — Duck Hawk.

There is a specimen in the collection of Mr. A. Hengartner, of
Lorain, which was captured "Along the lake shore" in 1896. It has
never been my fortune to meet this bird. There can be little doubt
that it visits the region occasionally.

96. Falco columharius. — Pigeon Hawk.

Decidedly scarce. There was one bird ranging along the middle
reaches of the sand spit during the whole spring of 1908, apparently

196 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 09.

iiiteiiclins to nest there, Imt evidently left liefoie doing so. Tliere
are numerous records of single individuals in the region of Oberlin,
moFt of tlieni falling in the winter season. Whenever it has been
found eating anything investigation has revealed its catch to have
bean a Tree Sparrow. Undoubtedly it catches mice when they are
to be found.

97. FaJco sparvcrius. — Sparrow Hawk.

Our commonest hawk. It is often as common in winter as the
rest of the year, but some winters only a few remain. Such
scarcity is coincident with a scarcity of field mice. In summer this
hawk feeds extensively upon grasshoppers. There is a little evi-
dence that a small northward migration occurs about the first of
April. At least two pairs regularly breed east of the Lake Labora-
tory on the sand spit, and are likely to remain there during the
winter. One pair has ne-ted in the cupola of Council Hall, just
north of the Oberlin campus, for at least twenty years. I have no
records of this hawk for any of the islands.

98. FancUon haHacUis carolinensis. — Osprey.

Records of its occurrence at the marshes are occasional. It vis-
its the Oberlin Waterworks reservoir pretty regularly from the mid-
dle of April to the tenth of May. It was not recorded in 1906.
There are no svmuner records even for the islands, so that it does
not seem to breed in tl.e region. Usually only a single bird is seen,
but occasionally there will be two together.

99. Aluco pral iiicola. ^-Bnvn Owl.

There are four records as follows: A male, taken in Oberlin by
E. Ros^e, March 17, 189], the first record; probably a male taken in
a barn in New Oberlin by I. H. Squires, December 20, 1898; one
taken in the Oberlin cemetery by Tillotsou, April 3, 1907 ; one seen
at R.ve Beach by the writer. May 14, 19C9. Whether there is an in-
crease of this owl in the region remains to be seen. Apparently
there is a tendency to an increase in other parts of the state.

100. Asio icilsoiiianiis.- — Long-eared Owl.

None have been observed except in the Oberlin quadrangle. Tliere
it is to be found in suitable places the year through in small num-
bers. In the winter it may le found perched in evergreen trees, or
trees to which the dry leaves are still clinging, usually well within
cover of the gorges. Groups of half a dosen birds in one tree are
often met with. At the nesting season they go out into the larger
woods in pairs, nesting either in open deserted crows' nests or in
hollow trees.

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 197

101. Asia fiammeiis. — Shovt-eared Owl.

It has been oceaf^ioiially s^eeii hawking over the marshes, and
more often over fields and meadows at twilight. It appears to be
more numerous near the lake shore, where it may be found in win-
ter sleeping beneath the overhanging banks which border the lake in
many places. Usually more than one bird is thus startled from its
hiding place, but I have never seen more than one while it is feed-
ing. The latest spring date is March 12, 1898. All other records
are strictly winter records.

102. Strix varia. — Barred Owl.

This is our commone.'^t large owl, occurring regularly the year
through in the larger woods and in the stream gorges. It readily
responds to an imitation of its calls, olten coming within easy
range. It may occasionally be seen at twilight flying from one
woods to another, but is seldom found away from fairly thick
woods. I have yet to find a nest outside of a hollow in a tree. In-
dividuals which are so foolish as to retire for the day sleep to a
leafy tree are almost certain to be rudely awakened and driven
about by Blue Jays and Crows, their perpetual enemies. Some-
times such individuals ultimately retire to tlje darkness of a hol-
low tree, but more olten try to shake off the tormentors by flying
from place to place. I have seen them catch rabbits and red squirrels.

103. Cryptodlaux iicadicus. — Saw-whet Owl.

One was found in the cedar thickets near the Lake Laboratory,
March £0, 1907. This owl is seldom met with, and then in the vi-
cinity of the lake shore. Mr. A. Hengartner, of Lorain, told me
that he had found it at Oak Point on more than one occasion, but
I have never met with such good fortune. I doubt if it is more
than casual in the region.

104. Otus asio. — Screech Owl.

Common over the whole region, except the smaller islands, all
the year. In Okerlin it nests in most of the college buildings to
which it can gain ready access, and in many hollow trees and in
several barns. One can not get beyond the sound of its voice at
night in any of the stream gorges. At least three pairs nested with-
in ear-shot of the Lake Laboratory in 1907 and 1908. I have found
it on the sand spit wherever there was sufficient cover.

There is no question that all of the owls thus far listed ai'e of
great benefit for the large numbers of rodents which they destroy.
The Barred Owl may occasionally eat forbidden flesh, but only when
he is driven to it by lack of his usual fare. Rai'ely the Long-eared
Owls, when they are in considerable force, may attack poultry or

198 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

even small dogs, but they are normally not injurious in tlieir feed-
ing habits, but rather decidedly beneficial.

105. Bnho virginianus. — Great Horned Owl.

It has decreased from tolerably common fifteen years ago to de-
cidedly scarce over the whole region. I know certainly of but three
pairs in the whole of the Oberlin and Vermillion quadrangles, and
none elsewhere. That specimens are occasionally brought in by
farmers is an indication that there are more of these birds than
one might suspect. They are so certain to visit the chicken yard
that is handiest to their retreat that their total extinction is only
a question of time. While they nest in the deepest woods they
wander about and may be found almost anywhere during the part
of the year when not breeding.

106. Nyctea nyctea. — Snowy Owl.

Occasionally reaches the region at times of southward flights in
the winter. Sandusky taxidermists receive specimens much more
frequently than do taxidermists elsewhere in the region.

107. Surina idula caparoch. — Hawli Owl.

The only occurrence known to me is a specimen in the collection
of Mr. R. I']. Jump, which he captured near Oberlin some time in
the seventies. This occurrence can hardly be called accidental be-
cause southward flights of this species range well across the state.

108. CoccyzHs americanus. — Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

This is much the commoner of the two cuckoos, even during the
height of the spring migration, when the Black-bill is more numer-
ous than at other times. The median date of spring arrival is May
10, the earliest record being May 6, 1899 and 1907. I am strongly
inclined to the belief that some individuals, at least, arrive a week
or ten days earlier than even May 6, since nests with a full com-
plement of eggs have been found by the middle of May. The latest
recorded date for fresh eggs is August 15, 1899. Autumn dates are
scattering. There are three October dates: 1st, 1906; 17, 1908; 21,
1907. Other dates fall within August and September. The late
autumn dates would also seem to indicate an earlier arrival than
the records show. The birds are very secretive during the first days
of their arrival, and are not readily discovered. Nests are placed
in the shrubbery bordering woods, or in back lot tangles. They
seem to be placed almost anywhere in suitable tangles along the
whole course of the sand spit, where I have found more individ-
uals than elsewhere in the region, both during the migrations and
during the nesting season. The call of this cuckoo is one of the
characteristic .'foxinds in the vicinity of the Lake Laboratory.

JoN'ES — Ox r.TRos OF Cedar Point. 199

While the young are being fed in the nest great numbers of tent
caterpillars are consumed.

109. Coccyzus erythropthalmns.—Black-hiUed Cuclvoo.

Median dates of arrival are May 11, the earliest being May 5,
1896. The birds are most numerous during the third week of May,
but after that time thin out to few individuals during the whole
summer. My records indicate that the birds depart southward
about the beginning of the last week in September. At any time
they are outnumbered three or four to one by the Yellow-bill. Oc-
casionally eggs of the Black-bill are found in the nest of the Yel-
low-bill, but I have never noted a return of the compliment (?) on
the part of the Yellow-bill. The nesting places of this cuckoo are
much the same as those of the other, but the nests average rather
more slovenly made.

110. CeryJe alcyon. — Belted Kingfisher.

Common along the courses of the larger streams, in the vicinity
of the large ponds, and along the lake front and over the marshes.
Individuals which are able to find suitable fishing places remain
all winter. I have never seen one in winter in the vicinity of the
sand spit. While there are usually areas of open water somewhere
in the marshes at all times, the Kingfishers do not seem able to find
suitable cover in their vicinity or are crowded away by the gulls
and ducks. Individuals often fly well out over the lake to fish.
Nests are dug into any convenient bank, even the steep sloping
sides of the sand dunes in spite of their tendency to cave off and
ruin the prospect. The median date of arrival is March 24, the
earliest being March 12, 190G and 1908. The average departure of
the bulk is about the middle of October. There is little variation
in the numbers, and no instances of any marked flights.

111. DryoMtes villostis. — Hairy Woodpecker.

A common resident over the whole of the mainland portion of the
region, but not seen on the islands, and only casual on the sand
spit during the spring. I have failed to find any nesting pairs in
the wooded west end of the point. This Woodpecker is not unusual
as a nesting bird in the orchards of Oberlin, but is more numer-
ous at all times in the woods. It is frequently more numerous in
town during the snowy parts of winter, when it will visit the lunch
counter with other birds. In the woods in winter this species
ranges with the regular company of woods birds, being in about the
proportion of three to five of the Downy Woodpecker, and usually
being about the last of the company to respond to the whistled
calls of Chickadee or Tufted Titmouse. It often resents being thus

200 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

fooled by vigorously giving its rolling call as it flies swiftly away
after discovering the source of tlie calls. Nest holes are often dug
in trees that appear sound on the exterior but have a dead heart.
Four of these birds in the writer's orchard have done great service
in ridding the trees of insect eggs and larvfe all winter and sum-
mer, for they nested in trees left untrimmed for their especial
benefit. Some of tliem pretty regularly visited the lunch counter
at the house while the trees were covered with ice.

112. Dryohatcs puhescens mcdianiis. — Northern Downy Woodpecker.

A common and familiar resident over the whole region except the
small islands. It is rather more numerous in towns in winter than
at other times, being one of the most regular patrons of the lunch
counter until nesting time. It is one of the best conservers of the
orchai'ds where it feeds all the year and seems to prefer to uest.
It is among the first to respond to calls when the winter company
is being located, and among the last to pass on with the restless
host in search of other feeding places in the woods. At the lunch
counter it gives place only to larger birds. Several pairs nest on
the sand spit, one near the Lake Laboratory, and it is regularly
found all winter long on visits to the sand spit. I have never been
able to detect the least suggestion of the migratory instinct of this
and the former species. If actions count for individuality then it
seems pretty clear that individuals remain the year through iu
rather narrowly restricted localities. Males have bean seen occupy-
ing the old nest hole on winter nights, while the female was forced
to dig a shallow hole in a tree not far distant. Mating is in prog-
ress from the first warm days of January until actual nesting be-
gins in late April.

113. Sphyrapiciis rarius. — Yellow-bellied 'Sapsucker.

Usually a common migrant, casual all winter. The median date
of spring arrival is April G, the earliest being March 18, 19C5. The
period of greatest numbers is from about April 12 to May 10. The
last have gone north by the 21st of May. The first reach the re-
gion from the north during the last week in September and remain
about two weeks. I have repeatedly seen birds drilling holes as if
to nest, but none have ever been found in the region in summer.
When the birds are numerous for any length of time they do con-
siderable damage to certain species of trees, by drilling sap holes
in such numbers as to weaken the tree. Hop hornbeams aie at-
tacked with serious effect, the bleeding of the tree causing it to put
forth scanty foliage. White pines and spruces are also considera-
bly damaged by extensive drillings. I have not observed much
damage in the orchards, but on the contrary have some evidence

Jones — On Birds of Cedar Point. 201

of help by these birds hi ridding the trees of parasites. Along the
sand spit, they are not as numerous in the migrations as in the main-
hiud woods, but are certain to be met with in season.

114. Ceophlocus pileatus ahicticola. — Northern Pileated Woodpecker.
The presence of a small colony only five miles s^outheast of the

Oberlin quadrangle saves this species from the list of extinct birds.
It was formerly fairly numerous in the woods of the region, and
probably occurred on the larger islands, but for more than a score
of years it has been almost unknown. There are specimens in the
Oberlin College museum which were collected within the present
limits of the town.

115. Melaiierpes erytJiroccphalus. — Red-headed Woodpecker.
Often abundant during the summer, occasionally remaining all

winter in small numbers where beech nuts are plentiful. The me-
dian date of arrival is April 27, the bulk arriving within a week.
The bulk departs about the end of the second week of September,
and the last by the beginning of the last week, a few straggling later,
even well into October. The winters of 189G-97, and 1899-00 were
notable for the considerable number of Red-heads which remained
all winter in the larger woods. I have seldom found it really nu-
merous on the sand spit, even during the migrations, but it is there
in fair numbers in spring and summer. Occasionally birds are
w-ashed upon the lake shore during August, which might indicate
a southward migration at that time. This woodpecker nests prac-
tically anywhere that a stick large enough for a nest hole can be
found standing. Fence posts are frequently used, as well as build-
ings, and of course, te'egrapb and telephone poles. It eats a good
deal of fruit in season, but also helps materially in keeping down
insect pests in orchards. It is an adept flycatcher, practicing this
habit of feeding more often in late spring and summer than other-
whiles.

IIG. Ceiiturus carolvius. — Red-bellied Woodpecker.

A tolerably common resident, slowly increasing in numbers. I
have not met it on the sand spit nor on any of the islands. The
woods on the larger Islands and at the west end of Cedar Point
seem to be suitable for the Red-belly, but for some reason it is ab-
sent. It stays pretty closely in the larger woods all the year, but
occasionally ventures out. It has been recorded twice in Oberlin
in spring. I have seen it eating acorns and beech nuts, and sus-
pected that it also ate other nuts and fruits. It rarely responds
with the other woods birds to calls, but seems to prefer its own
company to that of any other birds. It is unusual to find more than
one bird in a woods.

202 The Wilsox Burj.FTiN — No. (3i).

117. Colaptes auratus luteus. — Northern Flicker.

Abundant in the migrations, common during the breeding season,
regular in small numbers all winter. The great wave of migra-
tion which reaches us from the south varies from early March to
the middle of April, weather conditions seeming to be the determin-
ing factor. The south-bound wave sweeps past during the first week
of October. The individuals which remain all winter are to be
found where grains, fruits and berries are abundant. Thus Flick-
ers are certain to be found in growths of the sumach. A few in-
dividuals remain on the sand spit as long as there are wild grapes.
After the grapes are gone individuals are seen flying across from
the mainland apparently filled with memories of past feasts. A
corn field from which the corn has not been husked is certain to
harbor a few. As many as nine individuals have been known \o
live in Oberliu all winter, feeding upon the fruits of the vines
which cover the sides of some of the college buildings. The river
gorges furnisti retreats in severe weather. Flickers visit the bird
lunch counter all winter, but do not seem as much at home as the
smaller woodpeckers do. Mate calls are given as early as the first
warm days of February, but mating is not in full progress before
the numbers are greatly increased by the arrival of the host of mi-
grants. On the approach of nesting time there is a perceptible
thinning of numbers, but the species must be regarded as common
all summer long. It is not easy to tell whether the increase as au-
tumn approaches is due to the return of birds from the north or the
voung hatched in the region. From the large proportion of birda
in immature plumage one might be led to infer the latter. Families
are likely to remain together until October, when the young of the
year are fully able to shift for themselves. The "wick-i-up" call
is likely to be given on any warm day of the fall or winter, but at
other times the only note usually heard is the single prolonged call.
This woodpecker is present on all of the larger islands all summer,
and is tolerably common in the vicinity of the Lake Laboratory
during the nesting season and all the fall.

118. Antrostomus rociferus. — Whip-poor-will.

Except during the migrations confined to the stream gorges, and
mostly along the lower reaches of the rivers. During the spring
migrations it. is scattered pretty generally over the whole wooded
portions of the region, but is far less numerous away from the
streams than elsewhere, except in the immediate vicinity of the
lake. Twice the bird has been recorded on the Oberlin College
campus, and at least one regularly spends a few days of the migra-
tion season on the banks of Plum creek near the Waterworks res-
ervoir. Its spring arrival is usually a few days in advance of the

I

Jones — Ox Birds of Cedar Poixt. 203

big spring wave whlcli sweeps througli about the first of May. I
have no records later than July 30. After the birds cease singing
it seems impossible to find them, or else they move southward
earlier than one would be led to expect. The experiences of Tav-
erner and Swales on Point Pelee prove that they do not leave be-
fore September. Probably there is no fly line across the region un-
der consideration. On April 29 and May 13, 1907, Whip-poor-wills
were in such numbers on the sand spit that an accurate count was
impossible. In 1908 a pair evidently nested a few rods west of the
Lake Laboratory, for it was present during the whole of the sum-
mer term — June 22 to July 30.

119. Chordeiles virginianus. — Nighthawk.

Irregular, but never common, as a summer resident. I have seen
more individuals of this species flying over the high buildings of
Cleveland in an hour of an evening than I have seen in a whole sea-
son in the region under consideration. Migrations occur in late
August pnd early September, but the birds may be going east or
northeast instead of southerly. In fact, I have noted more east-
erly migrations than southerly, at such times. Nighthawks prob-
ably reach this region during the first week of May, although more
of my records fall later than the middle of May than during the
first ; however, the birds are too few in numbers to make one cer-
tain that the first seen are the first arrivals. My latest fall date is
September 21, 1896. Nighthawks are seldom seen in the nesting
season away from the larger cities, where they seem to nest on the
tops of the tall buildings. Nests are occasionally found in woods.

120. ChwtHira pelagica. — Chimney Swift.

The arrival and departure of the Swift are easily noted because
the bird is one of the commonest and most conspicuous of our sum-
mer birds. The median date of arrival is April 20, the earliest be-
ing April 11, 1896, and the latest April 29, 1907, which is six days
later than the next latest date. Weather conditions held the Swifts
back in 1907. Recorded dates of departure are October 6, 10, 11,
14, 17, 18, 23, the last date being in 1899. These dates are seen to
be coincident with the first cold October storm. During the spring
and the nesting season, and until the young are flying about, more
birds are seen in town all day than elsewhere, but from the time
the young leave the nest until the southward departure more are
seen in the country districts, particularly above woods, during the
day. At evening twilight the birds return to their roosting place
to pass the night, and are gone in the morning before most humans
are stirring. No hollow tree nestings are known hereabouts, the
birds using the chimneys for that purpose. For roosting the chim-

204 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

ney of some large building is commonly used, usually one of the
college buildings or one of the churches in Oberlin. Of course
there are no nesting places on the sand spit, so that birds seen there
are those flying about feeding. On the larger islands they nest in
the chimneys of dwellings mostly.

121 — Archilochus coliibiis. — Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Hardly common except occasionally in particularly favorable lo-
calities and under particularly favoratble conditions. In fact, rec-
ords of common fall in late summer and early fall when trumpet
vines and jewel weed are prime for them. The median date of ar-
rival is May 11, the earliest being May 3, 189G. The latest fall
record is September 29, 1907. A nest nearly completed was found
May 11, 19C4. when the first record was May 6. There was a nest
with eggs June 7, 1S9S. the first record for that year being May 14.
Most of the nests found in this region have been in beech trees, an
occasional one in apple. Baird (1901), and Rice (190G), mention
it as not common in those years. The comment of Griggs (1900),
is, "In small fiocks about the frequent clumps of trumpet creep-
<^rs." In 1907 I did not find it at all until August 1st, near the
Lake Laboratory, and only an occasional individual in 1908, until
the last week in July, when it became common about the trumpet
creei)ers. I am not certain that this rather sudden increase was not
due to the favorable food supply for the birds reared in the region
rather than a distinct southward migration. The migrations which
I have observed have occurred late in August. I am struck with
the correspondence of action of these birds as seen on Pelee Island
in late August as so fully and pleasingly described by Taverner and
Swales for the birds on Point I'elee. More Hummers were noted
heading for Middle Bass Island than for Middle Island and the
Ohio shore in the last week of August, 19C5, when I spent a week
at the southern extremity of Pelee Island. On our sail from Mid-
dle Bass to Pelee Island we saw a number of Hummers steering a
straight course from Pelee to Middle Bass, and all were keping
just above the water, dipping down between the waves. None fle\V
directly with the wind, and none directly into it, but all quartered.

Henninger-Jones — On Fai.cones of North America. 305
THE FALCONES OF NORTH AMERICA.

BY W. F. HENNINGER AND LYNDS JONES.

FALCO FUSCO CCFRULESCENS (ViciUot).
Aplomado Falcon.

Geographical Distribution.
Southern Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, south to Pata-
gonia. (Check List).

Measurements.
Male : Length 38, wing 23.5 to 27, tail 16 to 20.5, tarsus 4.3
to 4.7, middle toe 3.4 to 3.8, culmen 1.5 to 1.8.

Female : Length 49, wing 28 to 29.5, tail 20 to 22.4, tarsus
4.G to 5, middle toe 4 to 4.3, culmen 1.7 to 2.1.

Diagnostic Marks,

Broad white band behind the eye, tail crossed by white bands
and darker toward the tip, bluish-gray back, lighting on the
ground.

Plumage.

Above, plain bluish-gray, tail darker toward end, tipped with
white, and crossed by about eight narrow bands of the same,
broad stripes behind eye chin, throat and chest, white, the
stripe back of the eye changing to orange-rufous on back of
head where the top of opposite sides unite. Sides and flanks
blackish, narrowly barred with white. (Fisher).

Flight and Habits.

Its fli.ght is light and easy. While hunting for food it often
hovers over certain spots after the manner of the Sparrow
Hawk, and when alighting it generally chooses the bare
ground to rest on. Some observers report the bird as being
very shy, while others state it is quite tame and unsuspicious.
(Fisher).

Food.

Probably like that of the Pigeon Hawk, consists largely of
small birds, insects and mammals, though little is known posi-
tively in reference to it. (Fisher).

206 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

Nest.
The nesting- site is as variable as the surroundings will al-
low ; sometimes the structure is placed in a yucca or cactus 10
or 15 feet from the ground, while at other times it may be
found in a mesquit or other bush a few feet above the surface
of the plain. The nest is composed of small twigs and plant
stalks and usually has a lining of grass. When the abandoned
nests of other birds are available they are used. (Fisher).

Apparently three in number, about 45 by 35 mm. Ground
color a dirty yellowish white, thickly sprinkled with reddish
and chestnut brown blotches and spots of various sizes, almost
completely obscuring" the ground color. There is said to be
great variation in the markings of the eggs. Eggs are depos-
ited from late Alarch until the middle of May.

FALCO SPARVERIUS (Linnj.
Sparrow Hawk.

WHiether or not one questions the validity of the numerous
subspecies of this falcon the scope of this paper makes it un-
necessary to describe more than the type form. The para-
graph on the geographical distribution covers the whole group
without special reference to any of the several color phases
which are given subspecific rank.

Geographical Distribution.
Breeds from Florida, the Gulf Coast, and Durango, Mexico,
north to Newfoundland and Alaska, and winters south to Costa
Rica. (Cooke).

Aleasurements.
Extent 53 to 50 ctms. Male, length 24.56, wing 18.70. tail
3 2.40, culmen 1.2T, tarsus 3.06, middle toe 2.41.

Female, length 26.64. wing lit. or. tail 12.S2. culmen 1.32.
tarsus 3.22. middle toe 2.52.

Diagnostic ^larks.
Black markings of head (sec photograph), red up])erparts,
call, hovering while feeding over meadows, small size.

Henninger-Jones — On Falcones of North America. 207

Plumage.

Adult male : top of head, wing coverts and inner quills slate
blue, the former with a rufous crown patch, the latter black
spotted and crossed by a heavy black bar ; sides of head and
throat white, black stripe from lower eyelid, proceeding down-
ward, another transverse black bar on the side of the neck and
a black spot in the middle of the cervix ; rest of upper parts,
including tail, bright, rich chestnut rufous, black bars across
the middle of the back, broad black subterminal bar on the
tail, the central feathers tipped with rufous, the others with
white. Lower parts white or huffy, or even rufous, with or
without black spots, wing quills spotted with white on the
inner webs, primaries with blackish.

Adult female : general coloration like the male, but with
black bars over the back, wings and tail, the tail with ten or
more bars ; below streaked with rusty brown, sides often barred
with blackish.

Young like adults.

Flight and Habits.

A bold, handsome, fearless hawk, sitting erect ; swift of
flight, with a forward and backward tendency to the wing
stroke, often hovering or fluttering over prey or in search of
food, circling high and playing with the wind in the mating
season. Frequent about human habitations, nesting in cupolas
or other places about buildings.

Food.

Principally mice and grasshoppers, English Sparrows, also
other small rodents ; sometimes lizards, small snakes, small
song birds, various insects and larvae, and spiders.

Voice.

"Kle kle kle kle kle"— "Kee hee."

Nest.

In hollow trees, in crevices of rocks, in holes of river banks,
in buildings. Often no nesting material is placed in the hole,
but sometimes considerable is used. Nests from April 1 south
to June 1 north.

208 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 69.

Eggs.
Three to seven, rounded ovate, 35.2 by 29 mm. Color very
variable ; rarely pure white, usually buffy, cream or rufous,
sprinkled, marbled, mottled, blotched with walnut, cinnamon,
chocolate, ochre and lavender. Incubation about 23 days.

FALCO DOMINICENSIS (Gmelin).
CucAN Hawk.

Geographical Distribution.
Cuba, casual in Florida.

IMeasurements.
Male: length 22.86, wing 17.91, tail 12.75, middle toe 2.31,
tarsus 3.81, culmen 1.27.

Female: tarsus 3.82, wing 18.54, tail 13.21, middle toe 2.31,
culmen 1 .30.

Diagnostic Marks.
Dark phase, plumbeous above, light phase, like sparverius,
other diagnostic marks like sparverius.

Plumage.

Light phase, similar to sparverius, but fewer black spots
above, lower parts merely overlaid or washed with orange
color or else white ; inner webs of quills not barred with dusky,
merely touched with it; moustache indistinct; a conspicuous
white superciliary stripe.

Dark phase, male above principally dark plumbeous, at times
almost blackish, except the tail : a black collar across the hind
neck; breast deep rusty, throat grayish. Female, above rufous
(young male the same), lower parts deep rusty. Otherwise
like sparverius.

Fl'.^ht, habits, food, voice and nest like those of F. spar-
verius.

Three to five, laid in March and April, like those of spar-
verius, only smaller, averaging 31 by 28 mm.

Henninger-Jones — On Falcones of North America. 209

AQUILA CHRYSAETOS (Spruengli).
Golden Eagle.

Geographical Distribution.

Breeds from Nova Scotia, Maine, central Ontario, Mani-
toba, South Dakota, western Texas, and central Mexico, north
to northern Labrador and northern Alaska ; also breeds south
in the Alleghenies to southwestern North Carolina, and also
in the northern part of the Ea.stern Hemisphere south to north-
ern Africa and the Himalayas. (Cooke).
Measurements.

Extent 196 to 230 ctm. Male: length 83.82, wing 60.45,
tail 36.83, tarsus 9.40, culmen 3.94, middle toe 6.60, hind claw
6.8.

Female: len.gth 96.52, wing 67.31, tail 40.21, tarsus 9.72,
culmen 4.52, middle toe 6.78.

Diagnostic Marks.

Large size, feathered tarsus, black color. In the field cannot
with certainty be distinguished from young Bald Eagle at a
distance.

Plumage.

Dark brown, lanceolate feathers of occiput and neck tawny
(hence "Golden" Eagle). Quills and tail blackish. Tail with
basal third whitish, outer two-thirds dark gray. Tarsus fully
feathered to the toes, lighter colored.

Young: similar, only two-thirds of the tail pure white
(these distinctions have given the excuse for the so-called sub-
species fiilva by European writers).

Flight and Habits.

Contrary to the older writers, modern authors and observers
consider this eagle gentle and unsuspicious even at the nest,
only extreme hunger making them ferocious, as is the case
with most any animal or bird. A clean, noble looking bird,
keen of eyesight, powerful in flight, erect in posture, rather
shy and wary at all times, exceedingly swift.

Food.

In the west principally small rodents, as marmots, gophers.

210 TiiK Wilson Rulletix — Xo. ()9.

ground squirrels, prairie clogs, wood rats, hares, but also
lambs, shoats, fawns, grouse, ducks, geese, swans, small wad-
ers, snakes (quite often), in the east more frequently poultry
and the young of domestic animals, because the wild food is
not so abundant as in the west.

Voice.

"Kiah, kiali. kiah" (alarm), "Kee kee kee" (mating), "Kau
kau" (mating).

Nest.

On cliffs in the mountains principally in the east, in live
oaks, white oaks, and pines, in the west. Nest bulky, built of
large sticks and clubs, very flat, lined with grass, straw, Span-
ish moss, Spanish soap root tops, feathers, wool, cattle hair.
Placed high up, as high as 100 feet, at times very low\

. Eggs.

One to three. Plain white, sometimes unmarked, mostly
marked thickly with spots and blotches of shades of brown,
chocolate, walnut, drab, or rufous, dift"ering greatly in size and
color. Ovate, coarse, thick, roughly granular shell. Eggs laid
from the last of January in the southwest to May and June in
the north. One brood. Incubation o5 days. The eggs meas-
ure 75 by 60 mm.

ARCHIBUTEO LAGOPUS SANCTI-JOHANNIS

(GmcUnj.

ROUCH-I. EGGED H.^WK.

Geographical Distribution.

Breeds from Newfoundland, southern IMackenzie, and cen-
tral British Columbia, north to northern Labrador and north-
ern Alaska, and winters south to North Carolina, Louisiana,
Texas, and central California. (Cooke).
Measurements.

Extent 140 ctm. Male : length 52, wing 39.48, tail 24, cul-
men 2.03, tarsus 5.84, middle toe 3.30.

Female: length 55.89, wing 43.10, tail 2(5.4, culmen 2.41,
tarsus 6.00, middle toe 3.81.

Henninger-Joxes — On Falcones of North America. 311

Diagnostic Marks.

Large hawk size, though smaller than an eagle ; feathered
tarsus, blackish appearance, crepuscular habits, slow flight ;
much hovering over swamps and meadows while feeding.

Plumage.

Adult : head and neck white streaked with dusky brown,
rest of upper parts brownish-gray with ochraceous markings,
outcropping of feathers white, gray, and buffy, upper tail cov-
erts and larger part of base of tail white. A broad dusky band
across the terminal part of tail, preceded by several narrow
bands. Lower parts white or bufify with dusky spots on the
breast, irregular broad dusky band across the abdomen, thighs
usually tinged with rusty.

Immature : terminal portion of tail grayish, the band across
the abdomen broad, solid, unbroken, otherwise like adult.

Alelanistic phase : from specimens which are a solid black
excepting white-barred tail and basal white on primaries, to
somewhat lighter colored specimens, up to the normal phase,
not due to age, sex, or season. (This melanistic phase is not
found in Europe or Asia in the species higopns proper, which
has not been taken in North America, and consequently omit-
ted from this list).

Flight and Habits.

Large, powerful, but gentle and peaceful, crepuscular, al-
most nocturnal in habits : sitting- not very erect ; flight grace-
ful, easy, low in general, sometimes soaring high, at other
times hovering like a Sparrow Hawk, poising in the air to
drop down on its prey. Never fierce, not even when wounded.
Prefers places where groves and fields alternate. Catches its
food mostly in fields, meadows, and the open prairie, perching
on trees in the vicinity of its feeding grounds.

Food.

Mice, gophers, rats, shrews, frogs, snakes, lizards, some-
times grubs, worms, caterpillars, rarely a bird.

Voice.
High pitched Ki-ah ke-ah — ki-yak.

213 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

Nest.

Mostly in trees, principally in pines, about six meters above
ground, sometimes on high cliffs ; nest composed of sticks,
shallow, lined with grass, moss, weed stalks, and the like.

Eggs.

Two to five, laid from the end of May to the end of June.
Shell closely grained. Vary greatly in size, shape, and color.
Color grenish or soiled white, with streaks, spots, and blotches
of -reddish brown and chocolate, in all styles of markings, regu-
lar and irregular, sparingly or heavily, though apparently
never unmarked. Similar to eggs of Bntco hutco or B. line-
atus. 55.4 by 44.6. One brood only. Incubation 27 days.

ARCHIBUTEO FERRUGINEUS (Licht).
Ferruginous Rough-leg.

Geographical Distribution.
Breeds from Kansas, northwestern Texas, and California
north to southern Manitoba, southwestern Saskatchewan, and
southern Washington ; winters south to northern Mexico, and
has occurred casually east to Wisconsin and Illinois. (Cooke).
Measurements.
Male : length 57.2, wing 40.4 to 42.7, tail 24.2 to 26.5, tar-
sus 6.99.

Female : length 63.5, wing 42.7 to 47.7, tail 26.5 to 28.

Diagnostic Marks.
In general like the Rough-leg, but plumage lighter and with
strong suffusion of rusty, tail much lighter, but with the same
pattern.

Plumage.
General pattern like that of the Rou.gh-leg, but with reddish
prevailing over white or black in any of the phases of plum-
age.

Flight and Habits.
General habit not much differing from that of the Rough-
leg. Soaring or flapping lazily, flying low while feeding, hov-
ering over prey, but shows no partiality for the vicinity of

Henninger-Jones — On Fai.cones of North America. 213

water. It is also a bird of the open ground, where it feeds
after the manner of the Rough-leg.

Food.

Dr. A. K. Fisher says : "The food of this Hawk consists al-
most exclusively of small mammals and reptiles, and, like the
Rough-leg, never attacks birds.

Nest.

"The nest is usually built in a tree at no great distance
above the ground, but when trees are not available it is placed
on the shelves of some of the earth cliffs which abound in cer-
tain parts of the West. Like that of other large hawks, it is
composed of good-sized sticks and coarse herbage of one kind
or another, and is lined with softer material than the bulk of
the structures is composed of. When such thin.'^s existed on
the plains, the ribs and smaller bones of the buffalo were used
in the construction of the nest, often forming a large part of
it." (Fisher).

Eggs.

Three or four in number, deposited early in May, and by
the middle of July the young are able to leave the nest.
(Fisher).

The difficulty of securing specimens suitable for making pictures
has made it necessary to so combine pictures in the plates that spe-
cific reference to specimens seems inadvisable. — Ed.

'>s>:^

liili-u fiisro-rdriilescciis. Aploinndo Falcon.

Male Female

Falco spurrcrius, S^]);irr()w Ilnwlc.

Falco dominiccnsis, Cuban Hawk.

Aquila chrysaetos, Golden Eagle.

ArvliiJmtco hinottiLs saiicti-jolutiniis. Rough-lej?ged Hawk.

HeNNINGER lilRl) XoTKS FROM AI 11)1)1. K WESTERN OhIO. 219

BIRD N0TF:S from middle western OHIO.

BY W. F. HENNINGER.

Since publishing' the results of bird migration this spring a
number of interesting observations have been made, which are
here recorded in chronological order :

1. Ralliis elcgaiis. — King Rail.

This bird has been found to be a common breeder at a cer-
tain part of the Grand Reservoir, six nests having been found
in one day, June 5th, and again one nest on June 22d, the com-
plement of eggs being from four to eleven. One nest contained
two eggs and two young on the former date, while a nest close
by contained eleven fresh eggs. Several interesting photos
were taken, the first ones in Ohio, I believe, of the nest of this
species, and many interesting facts in the life history of the
King Rail recorded.

2. Ixohrychus cxilis. — Least Bittern.

To the breeding- stations of this bird in Ohio, enumerated in
Jones' Catalogue, must be added the Grand Reservoir, where
at the same locality as the King Rail, quite a number of nests
with fresh eggs were found.

3. Telmatodytes palustris. — Long-billed Marsh Wren.

This species has greatly increased at the Grand Reservoir,
nesting frequently.

4. Haliccctus Icncoccphahis. — Bald Eagle.

A beautiful adult was observed on June 18th, and further
investigation revealed the fact that a pair had bred along the
Grand Reservoir at a locality which I shall not disclose.

5. Florida ccurulca. — Little Blue Heron.

A line young male of this species was shot July 16th at the
Loramie Reservoir and is now in my collection. It is the first
time since ] 902 that I am able to rerecord this bird in Ohio.

6. ^gialiiis semipalmata. — Semipalmated Plover.

220 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 69.

7. Ereunetes pusillus. — Semipalmated Sandpiper.

S. Pisobia ntiiiutilla. — Least Sandpiper.

On August 31st a great number of these birds was seen and
a few were taken on this date at the Grand Reservoir. They
were very tame, allowing me to approach within three feet of
them while they were gleaning along the sandbanks. The
best diagnostic feature between Ereunetes pusillus and Piso-
bia minutilla to my observation is the color of the legs, these
being dark in pusillus, light in minutilla.

9. Hydrochclidon nigra surinamensis. — Black Tern.

A young male was shot by me on August 31st at the Grand
Reservoir, proving that this species is a regular, though rather
rare, migrant in Western Ohio.

10. Calidris arenaria. — Sanderling.

On September 24th, at the Grand Reservoir, about fifty
birds of this species were seen, six of which, four females and
two males, were secured. This, I believe, is the first time that
such a great number of this species has been observed so far
in the interior of Ohio. Records along the Lake Shore are
common, but inland mostly solitary birds were recorded in the
past, and even at Detroit the first appearance was noted Au-
gust, 1908, (Auk, October, 1909, page 427) by a member of
the Wilson Club. All such records should be placed in the
Wilson Bulletin as the best organ for ornithologists of the
Middle West.

11. Charadrins dominicus. — Golden Plover.

Shot a female September 24th at the Grand Reservoir from
a flock of nine. A male was killed October 16th at the Lora-
mie Reservoir and sent to me, proving again that this species
is a regular migrant across this section of the country.

12. Afarera ainericana. — Baldpate.

A flock of six was seen at the Grand Reservoir September
24th, 1909, my first fall record in the State.

Bales — On Feathers of Wild Ducks. 231

13. Lams argentatus. — Herring Gull.

A beautiful pair of adults were seen at close range Septem-
ber 24th at the Grand Reservoir, the earliest inland fall date I
can find for Ohio.

14. Totanus mclanoleucus. — Greater Yellow-legs.

A fine male was sent to me, shot on October IGth, at the
Loramie Reservoir,

15. Phalacrocora.v anritus. — Double-crested Cormorant.

A fine young female was shot at the Loramie Reservoir on
October 16th, and is now in my collection. It seems best to
refer the specimen to this species and not to floridanns, al-
though T have but one Comorant of the sub-species floridaiius
in my collection to compare it with.

3 6. Nycticora.v n. no'viiis. — Black-crowned Night Heron.

Besides the specimen mentioned in the June Bulletin as taken
at the Loramie Reservoir, another young male was taken at
Wapakoneta in April and mounted there and then.

THE BROWN STATN OCCASIONALLY SEEN ON
• THE FEATHERS OF WILD DUCKS.

BY B. R. BALES. M. D.

During a number of years of collecting of natural history
.specimens, I have on several occasions taken ducks whose
breasts and lower parts were stained with a rusty or brownish
stain. The feathers so affected have a harsh feeling and do not
have the smooth or oily feeling of ducks' feathers not so af-
fected.

Mr. W. F. Henninger, in the Wilson Bulletin, Vo. XXH.,
No. 2, page 102, writes of three Scaup Ducks [Aythya marila
nearcfica) that were abnormally colored with "a. rusty-brown-
ish wash." He also quotes Mr. Leon J. Cole in the Osprey,
1897, p. 69, and Mr. T. F. Arnow in the Auk, Vol. XXIV., No.

222 Thr Wilson Bulletin— No. 69.

2, p. 198, both of whom found similar coloration in the Lesser
Scaup Duck (Aythya atJinis). I have observed it in several
specimens of Pintail (Dafila acuta), both males and females,
one male Mallard (Anas boschas) and to a lesser extent in a
male Black Duck (Anas rubripcs). The rusty coloration is
very pronounced in the case of the Pintails, both male and
female, but, of course, is more noticeable in the males, where
in extreme cases the white breast and neck are stained in their
entirety.

One specimen in particular that 1 have before me (No. 197,
coll. B. R. B.), has this rusty stain on all the white parts of
the breast and neck, as well as (though not so noticeable) on
the finely barred feathers on either side of the white portion
of the breast. The staining extends well up upon the sides.
Mr. Henninger states that he does not agree with the statement
made by Mr. Arnow in that the coloration is due to "some
compound of iron in the water frequented by the birds," but
that "it must be due to other causes."

Owing to the fact that this abnormality of coloring has been
found upon so many varieties of ducks, I was led to accept
the theory of Mr. Arnow, and determined to make a chemical
test for iron. I therefore plucked several feathers from the
breast of one of my Pintail skins and soaked them for several
hours in water slightly acidulated with chemically pure hydro-
chloric acid. After several hours soaking, the rusty color en-
tirely disappeared, the solution remaining clear. I then added
a few drops of a weak solution of potassium ferro-cyanide,
whereupon the solution turned to a blue color, showing the
presence of iron. The form of iron in the water at the time
it is deposited upon the feathers is likely the hydrate, though
it is possible that it may be the sulphate. As soon as the
feathers become dry or exposed to the air, the hydrogen is
lost, and the form changes from the hydrate to the oxide or
iron rust.

The test employed to determine the presence of iron is ex-
plained thus : By soaking the suspected feathers in dilute hy-

I

Bales — On Feathers of Wild Ducks. 323

drochloric acid, the chloride of iron is formed, when, upon the
addition of the dihite potassium ferro-cyanide, the blue color
is shown, indicating that the ferro-cyanide of iron is present,
thus completing the test and proving without doubt that iron
is present.

All specimens of ducks that have come under my observa-
tion have been taken during the spring migration, and, to my
mind, at least, the discoloration is due to iron "in the water
frequented by the ducks" in their winter quarters.

CiRCLEVILLE, OhIO, NoV. 1. 1909.

A LAST ATTEMPT TO LOCATE AND SAVE FROM
EXTINCTION THE PASSENGER PIGEON.

Through the interest and generosity of Col. Anthony R.
Kuser, I am able to offer the following award :

Three Hundred Dollars ($300) for information of a nest-
ing pair of wild Passenger Pigeons (Ectopistes migratoria),
Undisturbed.

Before this award will be paid such information must be
furnished (exclusively and confidentially) as will enable a
committee of expert ornithologists to visit the nest and con-
firm the finding. If the nest and parent birds are found un-
disturbed the award will be promptly paid.

(Signed) C. WILLIAM BEEBE.

Until January Lst, 1911, during Dr. Beebe's absence from
America, all information concerning the existence of Passen-
ger Pigeons should be sent to C. F. Hodge, Clark University,
Worcester, Mass.

In making this oft'er Col. Kuser withdraws his former of-
fer of One Hundred Dollars ($100) for a freshly killed Pas-
senger Pigeon. He does this because of the great danger of
complete extermination.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

A Quarterly Magazine Devoted to the Study of Living Birds.
Official Org&n of the Wilson Ornithological Club.

Edited by LYNDS JONES.

PUBLISHED BY THE CLUB, AT OBERLIN, OHIO.

Price in the United States. Canada and Mexico, one dollar a year, 30 cents a number, post-
paid. Price in all countries in the International Postal Union, $1.25 a year, 40 cents
a number. Subscriptions may bs seat to Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio, or to Mr. Frank L.
Burns. Berwyn. Penn.

Officers of the Wilson Ornithological Club for 1909:

rresident — Frank L. Burns, Berwyn, Pa.

Yice-President — W. E. Saunders, London, Ont.

Secretary— Benj. T. Gault, Glenn Ellyn, 111.

Treasurer — W. F. Ilenninser, New Bremen, Ohio.

Members of the Executive Council — Lynds Jones, Oberlin, O. ; H.
C. Oberholser, Washington, D. C. ; B. H. Swales. Grosse Isle, Mich.

EDITORIAL.

The American Ornithologists' Union held its 27th Congress in the
lecture room of the American Museum of Natural History, New
York City, December 6 to 9. There were about 120 members pres-
ent, besides many visitors to the public meetings. One Fellow,
four Members, and upwards of 125 Associate members were added
to the membership. Papers were read during the mornings and
afternoons of the 7th and Sth, and during the morning of the 9th.
The 2Sth stated Congress will be held in Washington, D. C, in 1910.
Members who do not attend these annual meetings miss more than
they are aware. There should be many times larger attendance,
both for the good of the individuals and for the cause of ornithol-
og.v. The personal acquaintance which such an opportunity gives is
both a stimulus to more efficient work and an aid to better under-
standing between bird students.

We take the liberty of publishing the following personal letter
which relates to the .just distributed sumptuous and fully annotated
Catalogue of Canadian Birds, by John and James R. Macoun, be-
cause this letter will more clearly indicate the scope and purpose
of the Catalogue than editorial comment could. We also earnestly
hope that the request of the author for more information for the

Field Notes. 225

proposed Addendum will be liberally complied with by all persons
who are in a position to give information :
Dear Sir:

By to-day's mail an advance copy of the new edition of the Cata-
logue of Canadian Birds goes to you. You will note that the Cata-
logue is in part a reprint of the first edition, and its chief value is
in the very great geographic extensions that are given to the Cana-
dian birds. While I do not believe that everything known about Ca-
nadian birds is included in the Catalogue, there has been nothing
published that we have not availed ourselves of. Early next autumn
we will publish an addendum to the Catalogue, which will include
all additions and corrections that are sent to us, and I hope that
through the Wilson Bulletin you will help us in making the ad-
dendum as complete as possible.

Yours truly,

John Macoun, Naturalist.

FIELD NOTES.

Chillicothe, Mo., Nov. 11. — One of the greatest freaks from
lightning in this vicinity this season occurred at the home of Jacob
Bruner, a farmer living south of here, last night.

During a severe electrical storm a flock of ducks flew over the
Bruner home, when a flash of lightning killed the entire flock, num
bering 5G. The birds fell in Mr. Bruner's yard. He is now serving
ducks to all his neighbors.— Clipping sent by Otto Widmann.

A Late Solitary Sandptpeb in New Jersey. — The Solitary Sand-
piper (Helodromas solitarius) is of rare occurrence on the seacoast
of New Jersey, as is generally known, for it is a bird of inland
fresh water ponds and streams. Imagine my surprise, then, when I
stumbled upon oi\e "at home" on a small salt water pond at Ocean
View, Cape May County, on June 9, 1907. A second surprise is the
lateness of the bird's occurrence here, for I have never before seen
it later than May 27, and the latest record in the Delaware Valley
is May 30. My first impression was that it was a wounded individ-
ual, left behind in the migration, but as I approached, it took wing,
rather reluctantly, however, and flew away, returning when I had
departed. In this way it was flushed three times, but always re-
turning, after a high circling, after I had walked away. It seemed
loath to leave the pond and I did not make a fourth attempt to
drive it away. The pond was at the edge of the meadow, but one
side of it had a sandy shore, which was frequented by the bird, and
was about two and a half miles from the ocean, along the seacoast,
with meadow land between it and the sea.

Richard F. Miller, Hairowgate, Philadelphia, Pa.

226 The Wilson Bulletin — Xo. G9.

Barn Owl in Defiance County , O. — The 29th of September
there was brought to my office for identification a beautiful speci-
men of the Barn Owl (Strix pratincola Bonap).

It was caught a few miles east of this city, and is the first owl
of this species reported in this region. It was seen by many peo-
ple, and all were much interested in it as a new bird here.

Chas. Slocum, Defiance, O.

Early Winter Conditions in Northern Ohio. — A cold storm with
little snow but much rain, beginning October 21 and lasting four
days, resulted in establishing winter conditions in this section. On
October 17, during an all-day outing along the lake shore in the vi-
cinity of Cedar Point, easterly, a list of sixty species was recorded,
thirty-six of them being transient birds. Among this thirty-six
were such usually early migrants as Vesper, Chipping, Field,
White-crowned, White-throated, and Swamp Sparrows ; Rose-
breasted Grosbeak, Sora, Long-billed and Short-billed Marsh
Wrens, Blue-headed and Warbling Vireos ; Hermit Thrush, Yellow-
billed Cuckoo, Spotted Sandpiper, Catbird, Tree Sw^allow ; Black-
throated Blue, Black-throated Green, and Cape May Warblers ; Red-
start, Least Bittern, and others which tarry longer sometimes. The
place where these birds were found was peculiarly favorable for
weathering such storms as we had experienced up to that time, for
cover was good, and food was abundant. Often winter conditions are
delayed until late in November, but there is seldom such a list of
birds immediately preceding the change. Instead of a gradual lessen-
ing of numbers it was a case of sudden disappearnce betw'een two
days. Lynds Jones, Oberlin, Ohio.

The Prothonotary Warbler at the Lewiston Reservoir. — The
Lewiston Reservoir is located in Logan County, Ohio, about fifteen
miles northwest of Bellefontaine. On the statute books of the
State it is known as Indian Lake, but really only a small part of
the Lewiston Reservoir is known to hunters and fishermen as In-
dian Lake. Like the Loramie Reservoir and the St. Mary's or Grand
Reservoir, it is located near the summit level of the State, and also
like them was constructed as a feeder for the Miami and Erie Ca-
nal. The Lewiston Reservoir is the second largest artificial body
of water in the State, — the St. Mary's Reservoir being the largest.
For the sportsmen of central and western Ohio it has great attrac-
tion on account of its fish and water-fowl in season. To the bird-
student it is equally attractive because it furnishes ideal nesting
places for water-loving and marsh-loving birds, such as Long-billed
Marsh Wrens, Red-winged Blackbirds, Florida Gallinules, King
Rails, Virginia Rails, Sora Rails, etc., besides furnishing a spring

Rook Reviews. 237

and fall stopping place for many migrants that nest farther north,
such as clucks, coots, loons, snipes, sandpipers, etc.

In looking over "The Birds of Ohio," by Lynds Jones, I noticed
the statement that the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea
Bodd.) "was not found at Lewiston reservoir in spite of the fact
that breeding places seemed plentiful." Just when the trip here re-
ferred to was made is not stated, but it was certainly made before
the publication of the Catalogue in 1903. He further states on the
authority of Dr. Wheaton that it is a summer resident in the vi-
cinity of the St. Mary's or Grand Reservoir, and that he himself
has found it fairly common at the Licking Reservoir.

W. L. Dawson, in his "The Birds of Ohio," gives its range in
Ohio, as a "summer resident in restricted localities, such as the
Grand and Licking Reservoirs, and the major streams draining in-
to the Ohio." But he does not mention the Lewiston Reservoir.

During the week from July 30 to August 4, 1906, I found it to be
very common in the willows overhanging the edges of the Lewis-
ton Reseivoir, especially near Russell Point. Although this was
after the nesting season, I think that the Prothonotary Warbler
very probably nests there.

Professor Jones states in his Catalogue that there is "some in-
direct evidence that this species is extending its range northward
where conditions are favorable." This may accovmt for its pres-
ence at the Lewiston Reservoir in 190G, and its absence at the time
referred to above. — G. Clyde Fishek, DeFuniak 82)rinffS, Florida.

BOOK REVIEWS.

The Birds of New Jersey. By Witmer Stone. Annual Report of
the New Jersey State Museum, 1908 [1909]. Our sister state on
the other side of the Delaware has evidently profited by our mis-
take. Instead of an immensely costly compilation bristling with
unauthenticated statements and borrowed facts, illuminated by a
number of colored plates to fool and flatter the Pennsylvania
farmer ; we have here a modest, readable text-book and treatise
on the birds of New Jersey, designed particularly for the public
schools and libraries, containing well authenticated facts and rec-
ords, by a recognized authority, and supplemented by eighty-four
uncolored plates of birds selected from the best of Wilson, Audu-
bon, Fuertes, and Horsfall.

The chapters on the destruction and protection of our birds, and
distribution and migration, are followed by a key for the identifica-
tion of New Jersey birds and the enumeration, brief description, re-
marks on the abundance, etc., of 356 species and subspecies. The

22h Tmh Wilson Bulletin — No. 69.

nomenclature is that recently adopted by the A. O. U. and almost
the first to appear in this form.

We have here almost the first intimation of the entire reduction
of so many New Jersey species from common breeders to rare
stragglers. The Gull-billed, Forster's, Roseate and Least Tern,
Black Skimmer, American Egret, Snowy and Little Blue Herons,
Avocet. Black-necked Stilt, AVillet, Piping and Wilson's Plover, Oys-
tercatcher, and a Pileated Woodpecker, on the coast principally, and
the Summer Tanager and Mockingbird in the interior. The im-
mense colonies which once excited the wonder of all beholders ai'e
now no more, gone without record, almost without comment save a
few scattered notes giving the result of oological collecting trips.
Plume hunters, summer shooting by reckless visitors, and eggers,
have indeed drawn heavily upon the attractions and resources of a
state whose shores are the summer play ground of neighboring
towns and cities.

Mr. Stone also announces a great decrease in the number of
breeding Laughing Gulls, Common Tern, Black Duck, Wood Duck,
Great Blue Heron, Woodcock, and Bartraman Plover, and Osprey.
There are men, now living, who could tell us a great deal about
the wholesale destruction of New Jersey birds, if they would.

In the final sum up, Mr. Stone eliminates seventeen species of
doubtful occurrence, leaving 41 resident, 96 summer resident, 41
winter resident, 75 transient, 61 stragglers — over one-half from the
south, and 5 probably extinct, — 339 in all. A bibliography of New
Jersey ornithological papers follows and is practically complete. I
append four rather unimportant papers which appear to have been
overlooked :

Brownell, AV. C, The Land I Left Behind Me.—OologisVs Ex-
change. Vol. I, No. 4, April, 1888, [unpaged[.

Shick, C. S., Nesting of the Sharp-tailed and Seaside Finches
[in Cape May Co., N. ,L] — Hawkeijc Ornithologist and Oologist,
Vol. I, No. 7, July, 1888, pp. 102-103.

B[owersl, L[ionel] F., Sharp-tailed and Seaside Sparrows. Found
breeding on Seven-mile [Peck's] Beach, [N. J.] — Nidiologist, Vol.
II, No. 2, Oct. 1894, p. 27. .

Wolf, Ma.1. A. G., Some Nocturnal Migrants, List of Birds Strik-
ing Lantern of Abescom Light, Atlantic City, N. J. — Birds of Penn-
sylvania, 1890, pp. 4C0-401. F. L. B.

Index to Vol. XXI, 1909

Acauthis linaria, 49.
Acoipiter cooperi, 33, 192.

velox, 192.
Aetitis iiiacularia, 129.
Actodronias baridii, 107.
.Egialitis nieloda, 33, 131.

semipalmata, 32, 130, 219.
Aix spoiisa, 7G.
Aluco pvatiiicola, 196.
Anas bosclias, 222.
platyrliynebos, 72.
rubi'ipes, 73, 222.
tristis, 73.
Aiitrostoiiins vociferus, 202.
Arauuis .yigautus, 33.
Arebilniteo ferrugineus, 212.
higopns sancti-jobannis!, 194,
210, 218.
Aquila cbrysaetos, 48, 194, 409,

219.
Arcbiloebus colubris, 204.
Ardea berodias, 121.
Arenavia interpres, 131.

wilsonianiis, 196.
Asio fiamuiens, 197.
Astur atricapillus, 192.
Anklet. Cassin, 15.
Avocet, American, 228.
Aytbya affinis, 222.

niarila noarctica, 221.
Baldpate. 74. 70. 100. 115, 220.
Bartramia longicanda, 129.
Bittern, American, 100, 121.

Least, 101. 121, 219, 220.
BLackbird, Red-winged, 99, 157,
226.

Busty. 101, 1.57.
Yellow-beaded, 33.
Bluebird, 99, 109.
r.oli-wbite. 1S8.
I'.iibolink, 101.
l>onasa uml)ellns, 188.
Botanrus lentiginosus, 120.
Branta canadensis, 120.
Bubo viriiinianus, 19S.
Bufflpbead, 100, 117.
r.nnting. Indigo, 101.
Buteo I)orealis, 193.
lineatus. 19.3.
platypterus, 193.

Butorides viresceus, 122.
Calidris arenaria, 229,

leucopboea, 127.
Canvas-back, 115.
Caracara, Audubon, 103.
Cardinal, 96, 1.52, 154, 150.
Cardinalis cardinalis, 96, 156.
Carpodacus purpureus, 96.
Catbird, 96, 101, 226.
Catbrates aura septentrionalis,

190.
Catotropborus semipalmatus in-

ornatus, 129.
Centrocercus uropbasianus, 33.
Ceopbloeus pileatus abieticola,

201.
Centurus carolinus, 156, 201.
Cerorliincba monocerata, 02.
Ceryle alcyon, 199.
Cbaetura pelagica, 203.
Cbaradrius dominicus, 130, 220.

bisticnla, 32.
Cbaritonetta albeola, 117.
Cbaulelasmus streperus, 74.
Cbat, Yellow-breasted, 41, 42,

101, 1.52, 153.
Cben caerulescenfe, 119.

byperl)orca, 119.
Cbicken, Prairie, 189.
Cbickadee, 38, 48, 49.
Cbloepbaga poliocepbala, 159.
Cbordeiles virgin ianus, 203.
Circus budsonius, 191.
Clangula clangula amoricana,

117.

islandica, 117.
Coccyzus americanus, 198.

erytbrocepbalus, 199.
Colaptes auratus Inteus, 37, 202.
Colinus virgiuianus, 188.
Colymbus auritus, 66.
Condor, 28, 29.
Coot, American, 73, 100, 124.
Cormorant, Baird, 12, 13, 14.

Douiile-crested, 71, 221.
Cowbird, 23.
Creeper, Brown, 49.

THE WILSON BULLETIN

Crow, American, 59, GO, 197.
Northwest, 15.
Carrion. 104.
Fish, 23.
Crossbill. American, 15.
CryptoEjlanx acatlicns, 107.
Cuckoo, Black-billea, 38, 101,
100.

Yellow-billed, 101, 108, 100,
226,
Curlew, Long-billed. 130.
Datila acuta. 70. 222.
Deudroica blackburuiae, OG.
caerulea, OG.
caerulescens, OG.
virens. 06.
Dichromanassa, pealei. 33.
Dickcissel. 107, 152, 154.
Dove. Mourning, 100, 189.

Zenaida. 33.
Dryobates pubescens medianus,
200.

villosus, 100.
Duck, Black, 73, 74. 222, 228.
Greater Scaup, 115.
Lesser Scaup, 76, 90, IIG,

118 222.
Red-legged Black, 73, 00.
Ring-necked. 100, 116.
Ruddy, 100, 118.
Scaup. 100. 102. 221.
Shoveller. 76, 00.
\yood, 7G, 106, 228.
Eagle. Bald, 48, 78, 154, 103,
105. 210.

Golden. 88, 104. 200. 217.
Ectopistes migratorius. 180, 223.
I<]gret. American. 122, 228.

Peale's, 33.
Ereunetes pusillus. 127, 220.
Erismatura janiaicensis, 118.
Falco aosalon. 87. 03.
colunibarius, 85.

richardsonii, 85.
suckleyi, 85.
dominicensis, 208, 216.
fu>(o caerulescens. 205, 214.
islandus. 78. SO. 88. 80.
mexicanus, 83, 04.
peregriuus, 81.

anatum. 81. 01. 195.
pealei, 15, 81, 82.
rusticolus, 79, 90.
gyrfalco. 70.
obsoletus, 79.

sparverius. 196. 206. 215.
Falcon. Aplomado, 205, 214.

I'eale's, 15. 81, 82.

Peregrine, 81. 82.

Prairie, 83, 04.
Finch. Purple, 40, 96.
Flicker. Northern. 37, 48, 40, 96,

202.
Florida caerulea, 219.
Flycatcher. Acadian. 1.52.

Alder, 101.

Green-crested, 101.

Least, 101.

Traill's, 34. 51,

Yellow-bellied, 101.
Fulica americana. 124.
(iadwall, 74.

Gallinago delicata, 125, 1.50.
Gallinule. Florida, 73. 75, 123,

124. 157, 226.

Purple, 123.
Gallinula galeata, 12.3.
Gavia arctica. (;8.

iniber, 48.

immer, 67.
(Jnatca teller, Blue Gray, 101,

108.
(iodwit, Hudsonian, 32.
(iolden-eye. American, 09, 117.

P.arrow's. 117.
(Joldfinch, American, 49.
(ioose. Blue, 119.

Canada. 32. 120.

Lesser Snow, 119.
Goshawk. 192.
Crackle. Boat-tailed. 27, 178.

Bronzed. 79. 157.
Grebe. Horned. 66 100.

Pied-billed. 66. 73. 09.
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted, 38,

Grouse, Ruffed. 188.

Prairie Sharp-tailed. 84.

Sage. 33.
Gull. Bonaparte. 69, 100.

Iceland, 68.

Herring. 63. 68, 100, 221.

Laughing. 228.

Ring-billed, 60.
Gvrfalcon. Black, 79. 80.

Grav. 78. 00.

Willie. 70, SO. 87, 88, SO.
Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 48,

i;).5, 210.
llii'clda hyemalis, 118.

INDEX TO VOLUME XXI, 1909

Ilawk, American Rouirli-les.iied.

97. 193. 194, 210. 212, 21'],

218.

American Sparrow. 97, 193,
194. 19(j.

Broa(l-\Yinged, G4, 98, 193,
194.

Cooper. 32. 33. 192.

Cuban, 2t)8. 216.

Duck. 19, 81, 82, 91, 195.

Marsli, 101, 191. 193. 194.

Piueon, 8.",, 80, 92, 100, 105,
205.

Sparrow, 84, 193. f.OG. 211,
215.

Red-slioulclered, 193. 19i.

Red-tailed. 97. 98. 183

Sharp-shinned, GO, 04. G5,
192.

Swainson. 97.

Ferruginous Rough le'.',. 212.
llehnitheros vermivorus. JGo.
Ilelodromas solitarius, 128. 225.
Ilerodias egretta, 122.
Heron. Black-crowned Night,

100. 122. 221.

Great Bhie. 100, j21, 228.

Little Bhie, 219. 22^\

Green, 101. 122, 155.

Snowy. 228.
Ilunnningbird, Rufus. 15.

Ruby-throated. 101. 15.5, 204.
Ilydrochelidon nigra surinameu-

sis, 71, 220.
Ilylocichhi aliciae. 10.

ustuhita. 15.
lonornis niartinica. 123.
Ixobrychus exilis,^ 121, 219.
Jaeger, Parisitic. *GS.

Pomarine, G8.
Jay, Blue. 49. 59. 15G. 197.

Florida. 27.
Junco, Montana 39.

Slate-colored 39, 40, 101,
Killdeer, 99. 157.
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned, 100.
Kingbird. 101.
Knot. 12G.
Lark. Horned. G4.
Kingfisher. Belted. 199.
Larus argentatus. G8. 221.

delawareiisis. GO.

leucoitterus. (58.

Philadelphia. G9.
Limpkin, .33.

Loon. 48. G7.

Black-throated, G8.
Lophodytes cucullatus. 72.
Lunda cirrhata, 3, 4. 5, G, 7, 8.
Mallard. 72. 73. 99. 22.
Mareca aniericana, 74, 220.
Marila affiuis, 116.

americana. 115.

collaris. 116.

marila. 102, 115.

vallisneria, 115.
Martin. Purple, 65, 100.
Meadowlark, GO.
Melanerpes erythrocephalus, 37,

96, 201.
Meleagris gallopavo sylvestris,

189.
Melospiza cinerea morphna, 15.
Merganser. American, 72, 99.

Hooded, 72. 100.

Red-breasted, 72, 100.
Mergus americanus, 72.

serrator. 72.
Merlin. 87, 93.

Black, 85, 86.

Richardson's, 85, 86.
Mockingbird, 228.
Murre. Brunnich's, 68.

California, 1, 9, 10, 11, 12,

23.
Xighthawk. 21, 101, 203.
Nettion caroliueusis, 74.
Xumenius americanus. 180.
Nuthatch. White-breasted, 48, 49.
Nyctea nyctea. 198.
Nycticorax nycticorax naevius,

122 221
Oideniia deglandi. 118.
Olbiorchilus hiemalis pacificus,

15.
Old-Squaw. 118.
Olor buccinator, 120.

columbianus. 120.
Oriole. Baltimore. 101.

Orchard. 101.
Osprey. 123. 196, 228.
Otus asio. 197.

Oyster-catcher. Black, 15, 228.
Oven-bird, VA. 107.
Owl. Barn. .35, 36. 37, 38, 196,

22G.

P.urrowing. .■'■.">

Barred. 197.

Great Horned, 29. 198.

Hawk, 198.

rilF. WILSON BULLETIN

Long-eared, 19G.
'Sa\v-^A•llet, 197.
Screech. 38. 197.
Short-eared. 198.
Snowy, 198.
Pandion haliaetus r-arolinensis,

196.
Passerella illiaea fuliginosa. 15.
Pelecamis erythrorhynchos, 71.
Pelican. American Wliite, 71, 99.
Pelidna alpina salihalina, 127.
Petrel, Kaeding's, 15.
Peucaea aestivalis baehmanii,

158.
Pewee, Wood, 101.
Phalacrocorax anritns. 71. 221.
pelasicus resplendens. 12,
13, 14.

penicillatns, 14.
Phalarope, Wilson, 157.
Philohela minor, 125.
Phloeotomus pileatns altieticola,

15G.
Phcphe, 99.

■ Say's, 34.
Pigeon, Passenger. 130, 189, 223.
Pintail. 99. 222.
Pipit. American, 100.
Pi^ohia bairdii, 120.
maeulata, 120.
minntilla. 20. 220.
Plover. American Gonden. IdO.
1.30, 157. 220.
Black-bellied, 130.
Piping. 33. 117, 131, 153,
228.

Semipalmated, 32. 1.30. 219.
AVilson's, 32.
Podilynibns podiceps, 00.
T'olyliorns cheriv^^ayi. 103.
I'orzana Carolina. 123.

noveboracensis, 123.
Pnflin, Tnfted. 3, 4, 5, 0. 7. 8.
Protonotaria citrea. 227.
Queninednla discors. 75.
Bail. King, 02, lOQ, 122, 1.55,
219 220

Sora, 100. 123. 157. 220.
Virginia. 39. 122, 123, 1.57,

220.
Yellow, 123.
Ballns olegans. 122. 1.55, 219.

virginianns. 122.
Raven. American, 15.
Bedhead, 115.

Redpoll. 49.

Redstart, American. 38, 101, 220.
RoI)in. American, 43, 90, 99.
Sanderling. 127, 128, 131, 220.
Sandpiiier. Baird's, 126.

Bartramian. 100, 129, 228.

Least, 100, 120, 157, 220.

Pectoral, 100, 126.

Semipalmated, 101, 128, 220.

Solitary, .39. 128, 157, 225.

Spotted, 100, 119, 127, 128,
129, 131, 226.

Bed-backed, 127.
Sapsncker, Yellow-bellied, 100,

200.
Scoter- White-winged. 118.
Selas])horns rnfns. 15.
Shoveller. 70, 99.
Shrike, Northern, 100.
Skinnner. Black. 228.
Snipe, Wilson's, 39, 100, 125.
Snowflake, 04.
Sora, 100, 12.3^ 157.
Sparrow, Bachman's, 1.58.

Chipping. 100, 226.

Clay-colored, 40.

English, 156, 207.

Field, 40, 99, 119, 220.

Fox, 40, 100.

Grasshopper, 100, 153.

Harris', 39, 40.

ITenslow's, 152.

Lark. 152.

Lincoln's, 46.

Rusty Song. 15.

Savanna, 100, 139, 153, 157.

Song, 40, 44.

Sooty Fox, 15.

Swamp, 40. 100, 226.

Tree, 40. 49. 100.

Vesper, 99, 226.

WJiite-crowned, 100, 226.

Wliite-tliroated. 40, 220.
Siiatula clypeata, 76.
Speotyto cunicnlaria hypogrea,

Spliyrai liens varius, 200.
S(|natarola sqnatarola, 130.
Steganopns bicolor. 124.
Stercorarius parasiticus, 68.

])()niarinus. 08.
Sterna caspia. 70.

hintndo, 70.
Stilt. Bladc-neeked. 228.
Strix ])ratiiicola. 35, 221.

INDEX TO VOLUME XXI, 3900

varia, 197.
Surnia ulula caparocb, 108.
Swallow, Bank, 108.

Barn. 21. 100.

Cliff, 101.

Rough-wiuged, 100, 108, 15.3,
154.

Tree. 100, 155, 226.
Swan, Trumpeter, 120.

Whistling, 120.
Swift, Chimney, 21. 22, 101, 203.
Tanager, Scarlet. 101.

Summer. 228.
Teal, Blue-winged, 75, 100.

Green-winged, 74, 100.
Telmatodvtes palustris, 219.
Tern, Black. 71, 100, 154, 220.

Caspian, 70.

Common. Gl. 0.3, 70. 100,228.

Gull-billed. 228.

Least, 228.

Roseate, 228.
Thrasher, Brown, 96, 100.
Thryomanes bewickii, 15^.
Thrush, Gray-cheeked, 101.

Hermit, 100, 177, 226,

Olive-backed, 100.

Russet-backed, 15.

Wilson's, 101.

Wood, 42. 101, 177.
Titmouse. Tufted, 48.
Totanus flavlpes, 128.

melanoleucus, 128, 221.
Towhee, 99.
Triuga canutus, 126.
Turkey, Wild, 189.
TTria lomvia, 68.

troile californica, 1, 9,10,11.
Vireo solitarius, 129.
Vireo, Blue-headed. lOl, 226.

Philadelphia, 46.

Re('"-eye(l, 61, 101.

Warbling, 226.

Yellow-throated, 101.
Vulture, Turkey, 99, 104, 190.
Warliler, Audubon's, 15.

Bay-breasted. 96, 101.

Black and White, 101.

Blackburnian, 45, 46, 96,
101.

Black-poll, 45, 46, 96, 101.

Black-throated Blue, 86,101,
226.

Black-throated Green, 96,
101, 226.

Blue-winged, 101.

Canadian, 101.

Cape May, 45, 96, 101, 226.

Cerulean, 96, 101.

Chestnut-sided, 96, 101.

Golden-winged, 101.

Magnolia, 45, 101.

Mourning, 45, 101.

Myrtle, 45, 101.

Nashville, 101.

Orange-crowned, 101.

Palm, 101.

Parula. 96.

Pine, 45.

Prothonotary, 226, 227.

Tennessee, 45, 46, 101.

Wilson's, 101.

Worm-eating, 104, 105.

Yellow, 38, 101.
Water-Thrush, 45, 101.

Louisiana, 100.
Waxwing, Bohemian, 49.
Wluppoorwill, 21, 59, 101, 202,

203.
Willet, 129. 228.
Woodcock, 59, 100, 125, 228.
Woodpecker, Down.y, 38, 48, 49.

Hairy, 38, 49, 199,

Northern Dowuy, 199. 200.

Northern Pileated, 156, 201.

Pileated, 228.

Red-Iiellied. 156, 201.

Red-headed, 27, 37, 64, 96,
201.
Wren, Bewick's, 35, 99, 152, 158.

Carolina, 152.

Long-billed Marsh, 75, 101,
219, 220.

Prairie Marsh, 157.

Short-billed Marsh, 157.

Western Winter, 15.

Winter, 100.
Yellow-legs, 101. 128, 157.

Greater, 100, 128, 157, 221.
Yellow-throat, Northern, 45, 101.
Zenaidura macroura carolinen-

sis, 189.

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

CONTENTS.
June with the Birds of the Washington Coast. Lynds Jones. 3

Alexander Wilson. V. The Completion of the American Ornithol-
ogy. Frank L. Burns. 16

The Status of the American Barn Owl (Strix pratincola) in Picka-
way County, Ohio. B. R. Bales, M.D. 35

Migration Halts. Althea R. Sherman. 38

An Exercise in Bird Study. W. F. Copeland. 40

Yellow-breasted Chat, Ernestine Cooley, 41. Wood Thrush, Jay

A. Meyers, 42. Robin, David B. Grubb, 43. Song Sparrow,

James A. Alford and C. Lee Shilliday, 44.

Warbler Notes from Wayne County, Michigan. J. Claire Wood. 45
Editorial. 47

Field Notes —

Tufted Titmouse, Miss R. M. Leete, 48. Golden Eagle, 48 ; Loon
in Pennsylvania, Frank L. Burns, 48. Bohemian Waxwing,
Althea R. Sherman, 49. A Lunch Counter, Carl C. Lawson,
49. Redpolls, Ernest W. Vickers, 49.

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Vol. XXI June, 1909

No. 2

The

Wilson B^iM?^

No. 67

Oberlin, Ohio

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

CONTENTS.

Birds of Cedar Point and Vicinity. Lynds Jones. 55
The Falcones of North America. Rev. W. F. Henninger and

Lynds Jones. 77

Some Washington Bird Notes. Dr. R. W. Shufeldt. 95

Rough-legged Hawk Notes. W. E. Saunders. 97

Spring Migration in Middle Western Ohio. W. F. Henninger. 99

Abnormal Coloration of the Scaup Duck. W. F. Henninger. 102

Audubon Correspondence. Frank L. Burns. 103

Nidification of the Worm-eating Warbler. Frank L. Burns. 104

Editorial. 106
Field Notes —

Baird's Sandpiper; The Dickcissel, J. Claire Wood, 107.

The Rough-Winged Swallow and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

Breeding in Michigan, J. Claire Wood. 108

Members of the Wilson Ornithological Club. 110

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The

W^ilson Bulletin

No. 68
Oberlin, Ohio

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

CONTENTS.
Birds of Cedar Point. Lynds Jones 115

Alexander Wilson. Frank L. Burns 122

Summer Birds of the Southern Edge of Western Ontario

W. E. Saunders 152
Five Notes from the Upper Mississippi Valley

Althea R. Sherman 155
New Records for Middle Northern Ohio. Lynds Jones 158

Editorial 161

Field Notes —

The Cardinal at Glen Ellyn. The Carolina Wren at Henne-
pin. Benj. T. Gault 162
A Bohemian Waxwing in Ohio. Orange Cook 163
The Black-crowned Night Heron in Ohio. G. Clyde Fisher 163

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Entered as seoond-clasa mail matter at the Postofiice at Oberlin, Ohio.

WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB

CONTENTS.

Alexander Wilson. Frank L. Burns 165

Birds of Cedar Point. Lynds Jones 187

The Falcones of North America.

W. F. Henninger and Lynds Jones 205

Bird Notes from Middle Western Ohio. W. F. Henninger 219

The Brown Stain on Feathers of Wild Ducks. B. R. Bales, M.D. 221

Attempt to Locate the Passenger Pigeon 223

Editorial 224
Field Notes —

Solitary Sandpiper in New Jersey. Richard F. Miller 225

Barn Owl in Defiance County. Chas. Slocum 226

Early Winter Condition in Northern Ohio. Lynds Jones 226
The Prothonotary Warbler at the Lewiston Reservoir.

G. Clyde Fisher. 226

Book Reviews 227

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